Hidden North Devon

Pebble Ridge

Heading towards the great Pebble Ridge, which separates the sea from the land, we battle inclement weather again. Apparently the ridge offered excellent natural protection however, the foreshore was reinforced with defensive obstacles. At its narrowest the ridge was strung with barbed wire, minefields were dug in, interspersed with trenches and sandbags. Look closely amongst the dunes, you may still be able to see the remains of old concrete sandbags, but do take care at the edge.

Wide sands at low tide, proved to be an ideal testing ground for some inventions designed to overcome German coastal defences during D-Day. The summer of 1942 saw an increase in amphibious trials on the beach.

Below the two photographs courtesy of the Imperial War Museum show examples of inventions of the time.

THE BRITISH ARMY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 1939-45 (H 37860) Churchill AVRE laying carpet from bobbin, 79th Armoured Division equipment trials, 26 April 1944. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205201724

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