I visited this former gun battery about six years ago. But I fancied another look again as it’s quite a nice intact battery. A nice relaxed wander n a sunny but extremely windy day. I don’t think this one is documented on here. with the outbreak of the second world war vital places like ports and industrial areas had to be defended from raids by German bombers. This one was a gun battery to protect the town of Great Yarmouth and called YH4. And not to far away is a starfish decoy site, to replicate lights in the town and fires from what should be bombs that had fallen, I have yet to visit that one. The gun battery was located on Mautby lane and set above marshland, and was one of several for Great Yarmouth. This was said to be the main gun battery and commandeered the other batteries. The site was quite extensive with twenty four buildings which included Nissen huts, these were spread over three clusters. It had its own sewage works and a water tower, also a smaller gun emplacement for defence of the site. All the buildings were demolished and all that remains are the four gun emplacements, the command post and the access road, some concrete bases can be seen for the buildings.
Starting off with emplacement one. Nearly all gun emplacements are round. But these are square with concrete walls and a corner open to enter the emplacement, they are banked up with soil. Each one has an ammunition store on each corner,
At the rear of each pit is a sunken bit with a small room and a covered bit out of corrugated iron. Thsee were underground shelters for the crews to shelter or sleep in. Each pit had a trebch running through them for electrical cables to direct the guns and fed from the command post that had a predictor and height finder.
Looking over pit one.
Looking over the other pits from pit one.
Moving on to pit two.
The shelter here is severely collapsed from my last visit.
Pit three.
A tree has collapsed over the shelter entry. I could have prob crawled through, but the shelters are identical and not worth the effort.
Moving on to pit four.
You can still see the gun mount holdings here just.
The command centre is sealed to within an inch of its life. Solid metal doors, bricked up windows and blocks, iron railings as well in places over the windows.
A couple of small areas you can get in.
Starting off with emplacement one. Nearly all gun emplacements are round. But these are square with concrete walls and a corner open to enter the emplacement, they are banked up with soil. Each one has an ammunition store on each corner,
At the rear of each pit is a sunken bit with a small room and a covered bit out of corrugated iron. Thsee were underground shelters for the crews to shelter or sleep in. Each pit had a trebch running through them for electrical cables to direct the guns and fed from the command post that had a predictor and height finder.
Looking over pit one.
Looking over the other pits from pit one.
Moving on to pit two.
The shelter here is severely collapsed from my last visit.
Pit three.
A tree has collapsed over the shelter entry. I could have prob crawled through, but the shelters are identical and not worth the effort.
Moving on to pit four.
You can still see the gun mount holdings here just.
The command centre is sealed to within an inch of its life. Solid metal doors, bricked up windows and blocks, iron railings as well in places over the windows.
A couple of small areas you can get in.
