Evidence of Canvey's Sea Wall Pillboxes

Great article! I played as a child on the pillboxes at Thorney Bay and in the old battery emplacements there during the late 60s.

My father, Gordon Wilkinson, recalls demolishing a small 4 man pillbox in 1960-61, approximately where the current roundabout is situated at Northwick Road, near the Garden Centre. It took a week to demolish and proved stubborn even to the best efforts of man and the latest compressor and drill of the day.

It was constructed of concrete with standard slits and was slightly raised to command the approach by road from Benfleet Station and from Canvey Village.

The land on which it stood belonged to Farmer Cass who sold the plot to Charles Hollingbury for development. A house was built on the site and of course this also has been demolished long since being replaced by the garden centre and road layout.

HI Paul, Interesting read and on seeing your Dads name it brought back so many memories for me about my childhood on Canvey and I'd like to ask if your Dad could possibly be THE 'Gordon Wilkinson' that I remember from Long Road Infant/Junior school in late 1949-1952?

Two lads I particularly liked in my class were Gordon Wilkinson who went around in the playground with Ray Howard (later years to become a Councillor?) Both great lads to 'knock around the playground' with and they would alway share their sweets with me whenever they saw me. I was a tomboy and loved kicking a ball around with any of the boys at playtime whenever they let me join in. On one occasion in amongst a tackle with a crowd of lads I tripped as I went to kick and ended up falling down in front of a lad also attempting to kick the ball at the same time the result being he accidently kicked me in the mouth and caused my two front teeth to come out whereby I promptly swallowed them both! Not only was the teacher horrified when I went back into class, but my Mother almost fainted when I arrived home! ..After this incident I was 'accepted' by the boys because I didn't shed a tear after the incident, cos being a tomboy I would have considered that a Very cissy' thing to do!!

Long road infant/jnr school was wonderful and I attended from 1947-1953. Happy memories of a time when Canvey Island was 'Freedom for us kids to roam safely acres upon acres of open fields to explore, the never ending pleasure of good neighbours and friends, who hadn't much in the way of material wealths, being so soon after the end of the war, but nonetheless were Rich with the wealth of living amongst our beautiful simple surroundings and our idyllic lifestyle'.

We lived in Church Parade Winter Gardens which then consisted of mostly simple styled wooden bungalows which stood for the most parts dotted on large plots of land and Church Parade way back then was a simple 'Grass track road'...... ah those were the days?

There used to be one of those pill boxes in a field alongside Haven road, where there's now a football pitch. We were jumping off it one day, and i fell off backwards, landing on my back. I thought i had broken my back, couldn't move or breathe, but thankfully i was only winded. Us kids would have loved a football pitch there, back then. We used to play football among the cow pats on a field at the bottom of our garden. (Cass's farm, now that industrial estate) The cows often used to chase us.

Hi George - Pretty sure it is still there unless they have built the new by pass through it! Have a look in the other pages of Wartime Canvey section.

Yes David, that's the one. It was never surrounded by any trees or bushes when i lived there though. Just an open field.

Anita, re: your comment above regarding Gordon Wilkinson - sorry to disappoint you, but my father would have been doing his National Service in Egypt and Malayia during 1948-52! My apology for delay in replying.