There are some items that we’ve either not managed to resolve or agree upon.
Sylph – WW2 Deben River patrol
During World War Two the Land Defence Volunteers maintained watch from the cliff top. However, there is also mention of a river patrol craft, operated by the Royal Navy. We believe she was known as HMS Sylph and it has been mentioned that it’s hulk lies at the Ferry – we’d like to know more. Think more yacht than Battleship!
Sailing Barges
We know the fate of most of the sailing barges associated with the village but there are some gaps. Kingfisher and Jumbo have both been referenced but no traces found so far although Robert Simper has some knowledge of the Kingfisher being used to collect mud for the cement works.
Packard’s Fossil was sold to the Air Ministry in 1916 or 1920 ( for use as a flying boat?) but we can’t trace her after that.
Packard’s Nautilus became a yacht/houseboat in 1935 and appeared in Yachting Monthly at the time. We think she was kept on the Deben and would love more information or photographs.
Kingfisher Creek cuttings
The origin of these cuttings in the salt marsh was discussed at an RDA talk in 2013 and the History Group has often wondered about them. We once thought that they were connected with the WW2 landing craft activity but a quick comparison of dimensions ruled this out.
The late Andrew Haig used to refer to the area as Kingfisher Creek and Kingfisher was the barge used for mud digging in the Cement Years so we assumed that the cuttings were named after it and therefore related to the Cement Works. However, neither the shape of the cuttings nor the dates support this view
Here are the cuttings in the present day.
Google Earth – Regular Cuttings at “Kingfisher Creek” – origins unknown
There are no similar cuttings found yet on the Deben or elsewhere. If they were cement related we would expect to find something similar on the Medway. There are some patterned oyster bed cuttings on the West side of West Mersea but not like these.
Other cuttings, supposedly related to the brickworks are on the Crouch at Bridgemarsh Island. They have a slight similarity.
A review of maps shows that they were not described in 1904 by which time the Cement Works was almost closing down. They were there in 1926 so pre-date the Second World War but not the First. Remaining options to consider:
- Could have been cut for berthing boats but what use in a tideway?
- Could have been diggings for material for sea wall repairs.
- Shellfish beds.
- Something blindingly obvious that we have missed.
Beach Hut owners
Who are these three people peeking over the wall? They are supposedly owners of the beach hut at the top of the steps during the war, that was subsequently moved further downstream.. They may be Army/RAF and may have come from Caterham. The man in the blazer we think is Mr Cleer Cutting.
Hugh Pearl
The headstone of Hugh Pearl lies in the cuttings at Kingfisher Creek. His secret seaplane mission ended in a crash landing on the Deben on 1st April 1939. The simple headstone is all that remains. An interesting object to look out for on your walks along our river front. Also see Hugh Pearl – RIP
If you can help us we’d be delighted to hear from you. Our email is best waldringfieldHG@gmail.com
