Tank trap in Fore Street
Liz: What about the tank trap?
Peter: I think that’s the funniest thing of all. Right outside of our house, its very narrow outside the shop there that’s about the narrowest part, where the old Lifeboat struggled to get through, and one day came and started to dig holes there, three holes, that’s right and Father came out and said ‘what the devils on here then what’s all this about’ oh ‘it’s a tank trap’ Father said ‘a tank trap’ he couldn’t understand why they should close the road, ‘surely you’re not going to close the road’. ‘oh no its alright it’ll be moveable’ so they dug the holes and made three decent pits and cemented the sides and they made covers to go on top and then they brought three big girders and, because Father was in the coastguard, he said you’re the nearest Mr Rowe so possibly its all down to you. Now your duty is if there’s a threat of invasion and you must rush out and take these covers up and put those girders down in the holes, that’s to stop the tanks coming up Fore Street. Father said ‘you’re not serious are you’ the Authority man said ‘yes of course this is very seriously its no joking matter’ Father said ‘what’s to stop the tank going through the cottage and coming out the other side because they are all lath and plaster there’s nothing there to stop a tank’ ‘Tha’s not your business’ he said and also its to stop them jumping out the tank and lifting them out. So that was great amusement for everybody for a while but the poles lay there for sometime against the wall tucked in the corner where is not the shop window and the holes had there tops on and eventually there were all filled in but that was really funny, the fishermen couldn’t understand what that was all about. Tanks coming up the beach and imagine father rushing out and saying ‘I’ll stop you lot’. Just like Dad’s Army really.