War Time

SECOND CANADIAN DIVISION TO SOUTH COAST

The Division holds a total frontage of 46 miles along the coast extending from the WEST edge of PEACEHAVEN at 834201 to 425361, some three miles EAST of RYE HARBOUR. This frontage falls into four topographical sectors.

1) From PEACEHAVEN to EASTBOURNE the eastern end of the great ridge of the SOUTH DOWNS lies close to the coast, and in the vicinity of BEACHY HEAD forms steep cliffs that are regarded as impassable from the sea and on which therefore there are no company localities.

2) From EASTBOURNE eastward to the vicinity of BEXHILL the coast is completely flat and landings on the open beach would be possible.

3) From BEXHILL to the vicinity of PETT (314325) the high ground sometimes called BATTLE RIDGE intersects the coast and provides another range of high cliffs between HASTINGS and FAIRLIGHT. On these again there are no company localities.

4) From PETT eastward the coast is again very low, with tidal flats on either side of the mouth of the ROTHER.

The shore of PEVENSEY BAY is held by LE REGIMENT DE MAISONNEUVE (HQ PEVENSEY), whose battle headquarters is PEVENSEY CASTLE. (The fact that a French Canadian battalion should be holding the region where William the Conqueror landed in 1066, with its headquarters on the grounds of a Norman castle whose outer works are partly Roman, and some of its posts in Martello Towers built to guard against invasion by Napoleon, is a matter of some historical interest).

The Divisional Artillery and the machine-gun battalion are scattered along the whole divisional front in a role of close support.

NATURE OF THE DEFENCES

The nature of the visible defenses on the front held by 2 Canadian Division is such as to inspire considerable confidence in the possibility of holding this sector successfully in the event of a frontal attack from the sea.

There is a tremendous amount of Dannert and other barbed wire on the beaches, arranged in successive bands, and much of it on tubular scaffolding.

Large sections of beach have been mined. Section posts have been sited in such a way as to enfilade extensive stretches of the sands; some of these are extremely heavy concrete pillboxes. At various points, as noted above, the old Martello towers have been incorporated in the scheme of defense.

In addition to the machine guns brought to the sector by the Toronto Scottish, a good many extra Vickers were taken over by the infantry units from 55 Division. Despite the relative thinness of the defending force, an attacker would have to face a heavy concentration of fire from automatic weapons.

The fire of the Divisional Artillery is strengthened by that of the light and heavy armament of the fixed defenses, from 13-pounders upwards.

Several 6-inch guns are mounted on the divisional front, including one which stands in plain view close to the Martello Tower on the "front" at EASTBOURNE (048169). These have been sited to fire along the coast