For the protection of the beaches.

Back in 1941 the Germans were planning an invasion of the British Isles and the British were busy building defence systems to prevent a landing

The man responsible for constructing the coastal defences in the north east of Scotland was Chief Royal Engineer G.A.Mitchell (1896-1964).

During World War 1 he had served with the Royal Engineers as a 2nd Lieutenant, based in Palestine, Belgium and England. At the start of World War 2 he was called up and made CRE (Chief Royal Engineer) for the 9th Highland Division.

Mitchell, who was responsible for defences from the River Forth up to Wick, said: We must make some effort to show the Germans that we are erecting some form of defences. The main components of the beach defences were concrete blocks, tubular scaffolding poles and pillboxes, all designed to prevent the landing of tanks and infantry.

This is a remnant of a 1-kilometre long anti-tank barrier that was built across the Newburgh sand dunes a hundred yards inland from the sea. The wall, consisted of a mound of sand, a deep ditch and a large wall made from steel scaffolding poles with associated pillboxes. The barrier was designed to protect a gun battery up in the dunes from any flanking attack by tanks that had managed to get through the main defences on the beach. This explains why the firing apertures in the brick pillbox in the distance are facing inland, rather than towards the beach.