Legacies of the First World War. Building for Total War 1914-18; A Very Dangerous Locality. The Landscape of the Suffolk Sandlings in the Second World War

Abstract

Anniversaries of both World Wars occur at frequent intervals, of the start, the finish, key points in between. These may be valuable ‘hooks’ on which to hang media interest in conflict heritage, but these two books show the result of long-term dedicated research, each of significance in their own ways. World War I archaeology in its many manifestations — including the Home Front — has attracted considerable attention over the last half-decade, assisted by Heritage Lottery Fund community projects and professional review of many categories of standing heritage, landscape and below-ground archaeological assets. This volume provides a complement to that already available from the 2015 Council for British Archaeology volume (The Home Front in Britain 1914–18, edited by W.D. Cocroft, J. Schofield and C. Appleby). The new volume covers much the same ground, but with greater emphasis on army structure and organization, and tends to select more elaborate architecture and monuments as examples. The maritime dimension is greater, but most chapters rarely stray beyond England, although in terms of strategy and operations this was not a factor and is a result of this being a Historic England volume. It is notable, however, how many of the authors are now ex-employees of Historic England, and one cannot help but see this volume as indicative of the kind of expertise that has been to some extent lost through reorganization. It is a well-produced volume with excellent illustrations, including colour plans and elevations to enable the reader to understand site organization and function easily. This book will have significant value to those not yet expert in this field, especially as it has detailed referencing which will allow readers to track back to more specialist studies and original sources. The World War II study provides a distinctive perspective, both methodological and geographical, on the defence of Britain. By taking an interdisciplinary landscape approach to one particular stretch of coastline — between Lowestoft and Harwich — the high chronological as well as geographical resolution of the data creates a particularly rich, contextualised case study. The volume, amply illustrated with colour maps and photographs, reveals an initial phase of rapid defence in the face of what was viewed as imminent invasion. The layout of defences and the diversity of strategies employed reveal local reactions within a common defensive vocabulary. However, once invasion did not come, the middle levels of command could assess the quality and likely effectiveness of the defences and, in the many aspects found wanting, arranged for different arrangements and strategies. Thus, even within the few years of the conflict where invasion was contemplated — from 1939 until 1942 — the authors have identified several phases of defensive works, as well as the subsequent training camps and sites of manoeuvres for forces then to be sent overseas. Preparations of offense took over from those for defence; the tide had turned. Original dispositions can often be identified in cartographic and other documentary sources, and their visual appearance indicated from contemporary photographs. Nevertheless, the archaeological dimension of recording remains in situ and in their detailed topographic context has proved invaluable in understanding how and why the structures were erected where they were, even if some of the logic was later considered flawed. Provision was made both in the tidal zone and further inland to slow down or prevent further progress of any invading forces, should they land. The book provides an important indicator of the value of landscape archaeology in understanding wartime defence, and also the effects of recent land management on heritage survival, with nature reserves providing the greatest cultural protection. The chapter with a collection of oral testimony and the integration of the lived experience is valuable, but is perhaps not well integrated with the earlier chapters. This is the challenge of combining different forms of agency from the individual actors up to platoon, division and higher-level decisionmaking forces. Perhaps they cannot — or should not — be combined, but they stand as separate narratives that may at times be dissonant, inconsistent and partial. At present we are better able to create convincing explanations at the higher levels; the personal reveals the diversity of experience that together created the grand(er) narratives which are the real strength of the book.