Are these Anti-Landing Obstacles / Asparagus?

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by ww2ni, Jun 27, 2019.

  1. ww2ni

    ww2ni Senior Member

    Folks,
    Please take a look at my pictures.

    Are these Obstacles to prevent an Airborne Landing on the beach?

    They are overseen by what appears to have been a Pillbox or Observation Platform.
    My second pictures shows that the spacing between the two rows is much too wide for planking and there is no evidence of piping.
    Some of the pieces are rounded and stretch into the sea.
    The lady walking in my photograph gives scale

    The last picture looks up the beach in the direction of Moorlough where there was an Airfield during the war.
    There was lots of Military activity in this area - Newcastle, County Down, with various Camps, Barracks, Ranges and the Airfield.

    These do not appear to be groynes to me as they have not been maintained.

    What do you think??

    Andy
     

    Attached Files:

  2. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    I could be wrong but was always my understanding that the posts along there were indeed groynes to stop longshore drift. It's hard to recall with certainty, but I have a vague memory of there being planks between the posts and the lines of posts were at right angles to the beach...

    The parallel posts in your first photos look like the remains of a jetty.
     
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  3. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Murlough Complex
    "Beach protection works e.g. the construction of a set of groynes, and marram planting were carried out by the golf club [Royal County Down] in the 1930s as a response to erosion caused by the downdrift scour from the concrete sea wall constructed in front of the Slieve Donard Hotel."

    "Dundrum Bay: The development of Newcastle as a resort has led to the installation of a hard edge to the foreshore throughout Newcastle, as promenades, followed by a variety of coastal protection works e.g. groynes, and gabions, most of which are now defunct."
     
  4. Tom OBrien

    Tom OBrien Senior Member

    Not an undiscovered Neolithic sea henge then? Shall I stand Time Team down.

    Tom
     
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  5. Swiper

    Swiper Resident Sospan

    The guidance I've seen for anti-glider obstacles around Warrenpoint golfcourse indicate

    "eight foot scaffold poles sunk in rows 150’ apart, set 4’ into the ground with each column 60’ apart"

    So those are way too close.
    [Edit: to clarify above quote is from my written material, not verbatim from source.]

    Original info was from:
    The National Archives, Appendix E to Defence Scheme No2, July 1940, 5 Cheshire Regiment War Diary, June – Dec 1940, WO166/4193
     
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  6. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    Unless I am losing it, which is always possible, Dundrum Bay was where Brunel's steamer Great Britain went ashore. The man himself supervised the salvage. Could these be 'left-overs' ?
     
  7. dbf

    dbf Moderatrix MOD

    Hi Roy,
    That was at Tyrella Beach, some distance to the north.
    January: SS Great Britain shipwreck | News | University of Bristol





    I've a few slides of the area (taken mid-1960s) around Murlough showing posts looking practically pristine. Some of them, closer inshore, were flat-topped (so also not weathered in any way) & short enough for an adult to sit on.
     

    Attached Files:

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  8. ARPCDHG

    ARPCDHG Member

    The first photo looks like the remains of a jetty and the others the remains of regular groynes.
     
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  9. ww2ni

    ww2ni Senior Member

    Thanks very much folks.
     
  10. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    Diane, Sorry, I guessed that my memory wasw playing tricks with me!!
     

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