In 1940, there was, of course, a threat of invasion and strict
measures were taken to fortify the beach. All small boats and beach huts
were removed.... leading to the demolition of the original Red Spider
Cafe at West Beach.
Invasion defences and other measures had been put in place all
along the coast. These included......
·
6 foot tall concrete pillars at the top of the beach -
spaced approximately 7 feet apart and strung together with coils of
barbed wire
·
a continuous stretch of steel scaffolding at the bottom
of the beach (in the water) from which mines were hung
·
pill-boxes at strategic locations - including one at
the front, west corner of The Neptune and another on
the West Head of the harbour.
·
a curfew for those who worked on the water
As time went by, we kids established points where we could crawl
through the barbed wire and climb on to the scaffolding close to the
mines. Fortunately, they were of a type that had to be hit hard from the
front to explode!
John Harman (Canada) |