More information : A Second World War embarkation hard located at Tide Mills in Seaford (TQ 459 001). This was a 4-berth hard that was built between 1942 and 1943 for landing craft transporting troops (an LCT hard). It was controlled by Portsmouth Command. Further embarkation hards for Portsmouth Command were located at Bishopstone in Seaford (TV 467 997), four hards at Stokes Bay in Gosport (three at SZ 589 988, one at SZ 599 979), Newhaven (TQ 448 006), Hamworthy (SY 986 905), Stanswood Bay (SZ 465 988), Lepe (447 986), two at Portland (SY 688 744), and three at Southampton (SZ 415 112, SZ 417 110 and SZ 419 109). A further three sites at Gosport and two sites at Shoreham have not been traced.
Embarkation hards were built by the Admiralty as part of Operation Overlord to load landing vessels in preparation for D-Day and the invasion of occupied Europe. A total of 68 individual hards were constructed between 1942 and 1944 across the southern coast of England in every county between Suffolk and Cornwall.
There were two types of embarkation hards: LCT hards for landing crafts for troops and LST hards for landing ships carrying tanks. A standard hard consisted of a rectangular concrete apron that sloped down into the water, which was equipped with steel framed mooring points (known as dolphins) to moor the vessels during loading. Hard sites included access roads to link the hards to public highways, approach roads to accommodate the concentrated heavy traffic and transit areas for marshalling troops, vehicles and equipment. Accommodation and ancillary buildings at hard sites would include offices for embarkation staff; a central control room; a workshop for maintenance crew; stores; a watch hut and a latrine. Sites were also fitted with fuel, lighting and utilities. (1)
This Second World War embarkation hard is first seen on aerial photographs taken in September 1943 and was constructed after June 1942. Access to the site was along Mill Drove which had to be extended southwards to reach the shore. Other improvements to this road included the creation of a lay-by the eastern side immediately north of the railway line. The road led to the concrete apron which slopes down to the water for a distance of at least 70m. The steel frame mooring points included three towers that were arranged in a line centrally to the apron. The middle of the three was positioned at Mean Low Water (TQ 4586 0008). Buildings on the north-western and north-eastern edges of the apron are likely to be associated with the hard, as are a small group of nissen huts to the north at TQ 4596 0028, occupying the former site of the tide mills. Also possibly associated with the hard are two circular gun emplacments to the east. The most easterly emplacement was at TQ 4604 0010. The other, at TQ 4598 0012 was positioned behind a wall, originally part of Chailey beach hospital, and retained when the hospital was demolished during the war. With the exception of the apron this site has been demolished, buildings at the tide mills site and most of those on the shore had gone by 1946.(2-4) |