4:50pm Thursday 1st October 2009
A SECOND World War trail could be created in Clacton as a new attraction.
The resort found itself thrust into the frontline during the war and its beaches were covered in barbed wire and gun batteries and mines covered the clifftops.
Stephen Mayzes, Tendring councillor responsible for leisure and tourism, said he wants to see a new heritage trail to join the town’s remaining defences.
The idea stems from a survey by the Clacton Victoria County History Group which looked at World War Two defences in Clacton, Jaywick and Holland-on-Sea.
Clacton suffered the first civilian casualties on mainland Britain when a German plan crashed in Victoria Road in 1940.
Mr Mayzes said: “Along our coastline there are still some visible war defences and the Victoria County History Group found remains of the defences all the way along.
“I would like to see an interactive heritage trail created along our coastline as an attraction.
“We could use technology to create interactive information points where people can find out what was happening along the coast 20, 50 or even 100 years ago.
“The history trail would show where defences were along our coastline and would be a good attraction.”
Mr Mayzes said along parts of the trail, gun turrets or defences could be reconstructed and the town could also host re-enactment events.
Colin Preen, of the Clacton Victoria County History Group, said: “We are very interested in putting up information boards at points of interest where there is anything surviving or if anything of importance happened there during the war.
“We are a voluntary group and it would be subject to funding.
“Now that we have finished the coast study, we have been given funding by Tendring Council to start on a project recording the district's inland defences, which has never been done before.”
Mr Mayzes said he will ask council officers to draw up a report looking at how the history group’s research could be used as part of an attraction.
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