Second World War anti-invasion structures

Second World War Anti-Invasion Structures, Chard

This group of Second World War defensive structures comprises six pillboxes, three gun emplacements, two rail blocks, and anti-tank obstacles including concrete cubes and ditches. They were erected in 1940–41 and form part of the Taunton Stop Line, a major anti-invasion fortification. The structures are distributed across two defensive alignments: one running northwest to southeast along the line of the former Southern Railway, and a second running north to south between the A30 road and the railway, forming part of Chard's anti-tank island. All structures are constructed of shuttered and reinforced concrete.

Along the railway line from northwest to southeast, the structures include:

Gun Emplacement MAT611 is situated on the northeast side of the railway cutting. It has a polygonal plan with shuttered concrete walls on all sides. Although its interior was inaccessible due to vegetation in 2016, historic records indicate it originally contained a steel pedestal mount for a 6-pounder anti-tank gun, which is likely to survive.

Pillbox M23 was built between July and November 1940 on the east side of the railway embankment. It is a standard type 24 pillbox, a War Office design, constructed of shuttered concrete with a large chamfered top. The pillbox is polygonal in plan with five loopholes designed for the Bren light machine gun or the Boys anti-tank rifle. The two rear loopholes are smaller, almost square, and lack internal rests for weapons. Inside is a Y-shaped anti-ricochet wall to minimise bullet damage.

Gun Emplacement MAT612 was built between July and November 1940. It is constructed of concrete with embrasures on the northwest, southwest, and south sides. Internally, it has an octagonal gun-pit with eight ammunition lockers in its walls and a central cast-iron pedestal mounting for a 6-pounder anti-tank gun. The gun-pit was constructed first, with walls and roof added afterwards.

Pillbox M24 was built between July and November 1940 as part of the Stop Line. It is a type 24 pillbox of shuttered concrete with a chamfered top. The structure has been partially demolished, though its walls remain largely standing and the roof has collapsed into the interior.

Rail Block TRLB21 is a bent-rail (hairpin) type block situated at the southeast end of the Chard anti-tank island where it meets the Stop Line, at a point where an anti-tank ditch crossed the railway. Initially completed by December 1940, it consisted of concrete beams with sockets into which bent or V-shaped steel rails or rolled steel joists could be slotted to prevent tanks using the railway. Around May 1941, it was extended with additional rows of pre-cast beams to counter increasing German tank size and weight. To its west is a north-south row of 25 pyramidal-topped concrete anti-tank cubes and two flat-topped cubes of slightly later date. Four flat-topped cubes stand on the east side of the rail block.

Rail Block MRL19 was part of the Stop Line and was abandoned in April 1941. It consists of two large trapezoidal reinforced concrete blocks positioned on either side of the former railway track, each containing a vertical slot or socket for horizontal rails. Three pyramidal-topped anti-tank cubes stand to its east, and a single cube to its west. A further 12 small tetrahedra are positioned to the northeast and six to the southwest.

Pillbox M42 was built between July and November 1940 as part of the Stop Line and abandoned in April 1941. It is a standard type 24 pillbox of shuttered concrete with a larger chamfered top and octagonal plan. It stands on a massive concrete base or plinth almost as tall as the pillbox itself, positioning the structure high enough to fire over the brow of a nearby ridge towards the rail block to the west.

Running approximately 430 metres north to south from the A30 Chard to Yeovil road to the former railway line are the following structures:

Pillbox T105 is situated within a belt of woodland on the north side of the A30, southeast of Oaklands House. It is a standard type 24 pillbox with a polygonal plan, constructed of shuttered concrete with a flat top, oriented to face east to cover approaches along the main road. The interior was not inspected in 2016.

Pillbox T106 is a type 24 design of wooden-shuttered concrete with an unchamfered top, facing east with five loopholes and a west doorway. It contains a Y-shaped anti-ricochet wall inside.

Gun Emplacement MV8A was built on the Stop Line between August and October 1940 and later incorporated into the anti-tank island. It is a type FW3/27 design constructed to accommodate a Vickers medium machine gun, with a rectangular plan of shuttered concrete. The front (west) wall has a large stepped embrasure; the north and east sides have rifle loopholes. The doorway is in the south side, protected by a concrete blast wall. The interior contains a concrete machine gun table.

A second Vickers machine gun emplacement (MV8) stood northwest of MV8A and is visible on aerial photographs of circa 1946. It is no longer extant, but a spread of concrete blocks marks its approximate location.

Pillbox T107 stands within a hedge line and is constructed of wooden-shuttered concrete with an unchamfered top. It is a modified type 24 pillbox with a large loophole featuring an internal metal shutter on its southeast side. The interior has a Y-shaped anti-ricochet wall.

The section of the Stop Line to the southeast of Chard was strengthened with an anti-tank ditch running parallel with, and largely to the west of, the railway, though one section south of rail block MRL19 lay on the opposite side of the railway. A second anti-tank ditch was later added as part of the eastern defences of the anti-tank island, aligned north-south parallel with the defensive structures between the main road and the railway. These ditches are visible on mid-20th-century aerial photographs but have since been largely infilled and are not included in this listing.