WWII Suffolk Square Pillbox, The Denes, Benacre.
The Suffolk Square Pillboxes in this area were constructed using the gravel from the nearby extraction pit, there was originally three such pits but only one survives now due to coastal erosion, the extracted gravel was used to construct Pillboxes, Anti-Tank Blocks, Coastal Defences and Airfield Runways. The Suffolk Square is a Bullet Proof Infantry Pillbox approximately 12ft 6in square used for rifles and light machine guns, there is a slight variation in some designs, it was designed by CRE (Commander Royal Engineers) 55th Division and is unique to Suffolk.
The walls are 15in thick, some have no reinforcing rods (as some demolished examples have shown) and the roof is 12in thick. There are usually two Loopholes in each face except the entrance which only has the one Loophole. The entrance is protected by an L-Shaped Blast Wall, which was quite often chamfered on the outer edge to increase the field of fire from the Loophole at the entrances. Normally there is no Anti-Ricochet Wall, which would have made the personnel vulnerable (some Loopholes were blocked up to help eliminate this).
A different range of shuttering was used, between Aldeburgh to Thorpness and in South Suffolk pre-cast concrete blocks were used. The Walberswick Pillboxes used bricks for the internal shuttering and pre-cast concrete blocks for the external shuttering. From Southwold to Lowestoft most Pillboxes were shuttered with timber. Loopholes were pre-cast concrete and either Stepped or Splayed, sometimes both types were used in the same Pillbox and fitted with a Concrete Weapons Shelf below, and in some cases a Loophole was fitted to the External Blast Wall.
At Trimley St Martin there is a 'Hybrid Pillbox' consisting of a 'Suffolk Square' married to a 'Type-23' pillbox, a unique example ! The Suffolk Square Pillbox is only found in forward defences, such as in defence of a vulnerable point or to the rear of the beaches, there are none found on inland Stop Lines. There were 245 Suffolk Square Pillboxes listed as being constructed.
WWII Suffolk Square Pillbox, The Denes, Benacre.
The Suffolk Square Pillboxes in this area were constructed using the gravel from the nearby extraction pit, there was originally three such pits but only one survives now due to coastal erosion, the extracted gravel was used to construct Pillboxes, Anti-Tank Blocks, Coastal Defences and Airfield Runways. The Suffolk Square is a Bullet Proof Infantry Pillbox approximately 12ft 6in square used for rifles and light machine guns, there is a slight variation in some designs, it was designed by CRE (Commander Royal Engineers) 55th Division and is unique to Suffolk.
The walls are 15in thick, some have no reinforcing rods (as some demolished examples have shown) and the roof is 12in thick. There are usually two Loopholes in each face except the entrance which only has the one Loophole. The entrance is protected by an L-Shaped Blast Wall, which was quite often chamfered on the outer edge to increase the field of fire from the Loophole at the entrances. Normally there is no Anti-Ricochet Wall, which would have made the personnel vulnerable (some Loopholes were blocked up to help eliminate this).
A different range of shuttering was used, between Aldeburgh to Thorpness and in South Suffolk pre-cast concrete blocks were used. The Walberswick Pillboxes used bricks for the internal shuttering and pre-cast concrete blocks for the external shuttering. From Southwold to Lowestoft most Pillboxes were shuttered with timber. Loopholes were pre-cast concrete and either Stepped or Splayed, sometimes both types were used in the same Pillbox and fitted with a Concrete Weapons Shelf below, and in some cases a Loophole was fitted to the External Blast Wall.
At Trimley St Martin there is a 'Hybrid Pillbox' consisting of a 'Suffolk Square' married to a 'Type-23' pillbox, a unique example ! The Suffolk Square Pillbox is only found in forward defences, such as in defence of a vulnerable point or to the rear of the beaches, there are none found on inland Stop Lines. There were 245 Suffolk Square Pillboxes listed as being constructed.