NHER 43357 (Monument record) - Possible World War Two weapons pits or bomb craters, River Way

March 2005. Norfolk NMP.
A possible area of World War Two weapons pits or bomb craters is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs on grazing land to the north of River Way, on the parish boundary of Burgh Castle and Belton with Browston (S1-S2). The site is centred on TG 4742 0350. The pits appear to be relatively recent in 1945 (S1). No earlier wartime photographs are available of the site. Some of the pits are circular in shape and vary in width from 2m to 7m, others are more oval or oblong in shape, again with a similar size range. All of the hollows are surrounded by some sort of bank of upcast material. The relative freshness of the earthworks in 1945 would suggest that they are World War Two in date. It is possible that they are weapons pits, dug as part of military training, although there is no other evidence of military activity in the close vicinity. The nearest military training site visible on the aerial photographs is located on Belton Common 800m to the south, NHER 43358, although this all seems quite restricted to the common. It is possible that other signs of World War Two activity would have been visible if earlier wartime aerial photographs were available. It is possible that these earthworks are the result of bombing, either offensive or as part of training. Some of the pits do have the ‘splash’ marking of upcast material around the hole that is characteristic of bomb craters. Only one or two of these earthwork hollows are clearly visible by 1980 (S3).
S. Massey (NMP), 7 March 2005.