Boyton’s military history.

Ever wondered what the large concrete structures are that sit within the reserve?

Dave Thurlow has written a fantastic piece on Boytons military history:

“As the British Army's attention moved away from anti-invasion defence to preparations for engaging the enemy in foreign theatres of war (esp the build up to D Day) there was a need for ever increasing training and Suffolk became a major area for such training. Boyton Marshes played a part in this. Here an Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) range was established, part of the Orford Battle Training area. Tanks would tack around a triangular track and live fire at targets - tank shaped targets that were towed along a narrow gauged track, controlled by large block houses, both the block house and track built into substantial earth banks as shielding.  Two target tracks and sets of block houses were built to provide a variation in range. Smaller block houses controlled flip up targets for the tanks machine guns. “

You can read the full article here: http://pillboxesinsuffolk.blogspot.com/2010/09/boyton-afv-range.html