THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

GIANTS CODE NAMED M-N SEEN ON THE MOVE FROM FINDON

Copyright Valerie Martin 2004

By the end of the summer in 1916, it was estimated that some 15,000 inhabitants had signed up for active service at the nearby Recruiting Office in Worthing.   9,000 of these were men from the borough and the rest from surrounding districts, including the village of Findon.   

Mr and Mrs H.R.P. Wyatt of Cissbury House in Nepcote were to lose their second son during this year, Lieutenant Hugh Wyatt of the Sussex yeomanry, succumbed to an infection of the digestive system resulting in severe diarrhea and known as dysentery  while serving in Alexandria.    Lieutenant Geoffrey Wyatt, of the Buffs, was killed in action.   He was said to be shot in the back by a hidden German machinegun.

During the First World War the Admiralty became alarmed by the many losses of allied merchant shipping to the German U-boats.   In 1916 they evolved a hush-hush plan to erect a series of twelve giant tower constructions across the Straits of Dover (between Dungeness and Cap Gris Nez) as an anti-submarine defence scheme.   Linking them were to be steel boom anti-submarine nets to block the path of any lurking German U-boats.  Guns mounted on the towers and surrounding mines were intended to protect the constructions from enemy intervention.  It was thought that any U-boats could be located, trapped and disposed of while attempting to slip unnoticed between the English Channel and the North Sea.

The proposal was promptly given government sanction and under the allocated code name M-N, a budget was allocated for the construction of the first two towers.   Top secret detailed plans were drawn up.   It was at this point voiced that Shoreham had suitable calm waters for the monumental plan.

Two years later, in June 1918, a detachment of Royal Engineers (who would supervise the creation of the giant construction), duly arrived in Sussex and an encampment was built on Southwark Green.   They were sworn to the utmost secrecy.  The mysterious massive building project began on the south side of the Shoreham Harbour.  It was just a little east of the lighthouse.

The building of the twin giant curiosities was at last under way and within a few weeks there was something to show in the way of two steel towers, each mounted on a gigantic concrete platform — a fascinating honeycomb in a hexagonal shape took shape.   It rose in narrow stages (rather resembling a fanciful multi-tiered wedding cake for a bride).  

What a spectacle....... the towers being constructed at night.   While the inhabitants slept safely in their beds, the naval giants glowed in the darkness.   Although, close up, I cannot see anyone actually working.

3,000 civilians and/or 5,000 army personnel were working on the giants at times.

The steel sections were 100 feet high themselves.  Submarine detection equipment was installed — for which there was a special electricity generating facility.  The cost of the first 92 ft. steel towers was astronomical and had already escalated to phenomenal £2.5 million.   Eyebrows were raised as this was a staggering amount when the average worker's wage on the job at the time was less than £2 a week.   It was thought probable that production of the remaining giants might be aborted on the account of the expenditure alone. 

Here's another photograph of the mighty construction.   This shows the observation platform and side cranes.

The men at the top...... who obviously did not suffer from vertigo...

The public were still unsure what was going on.    The giants were clearly visible from the Littlehampton seafront to the west and Beachy Head to the East.  They became known as "Shoreham's Mystery Towers" and speculation was rife.   Stories even appeared on the other side of the Atlantic in the New York press speculating on their presence.  No one managed to guess their real purpose.

On 11th November 1918 as the first of the ominous giants neared completion, the need for their creation was terminated by the stroke of a pen when the Armistice was signed and the First World War ended.   The giants were suddenly superfluous to requirements.  Official secrecy still remained as to the reason for their construction and it was another couple of years before the true story about Shoreham's Mystery Towers trickled out to the public's ears. It was then revealed that the steel upper half of the gargantuan construction would have accommodated up to a hundred men.

As the war suddenly came to a conclusion, the giants were immediately redundant and by 1920 there was no longer much interest in them — not even as a tourist attraction.

Eventually there someone had a brainwave suggesting how to utilise one of the two giants. The lightship that had been marking the dangerous Nab Rock to the south-west of Bembridge on the Isle of Wight, was reaching the end of its life.    Someone, somewhere said —

"Why not replace it with one of these  giants at Shoreham — sitting on its massive raft of concrete?".

There were nods of approval all round and the Admiralty offered the use of five tugs to tow one of the completed giant to a new abode.   This is how on Sunday, 12th September 1920, there was a strange sight for anyone looking out to see from the Findon downland as the giant departed through the mouth of the Shoreham Harbour (witnessed by thousands).   What a sight it must have been from the summit of Cissbury Ring above Findon.   The whole operation was a magnificent feat of navigation as well as a spectacle as the giant commenced its 41 mile journey.

Can you imagine 10,000 tons of steel atop 20,000 tons of concrete slipping through the harbour with the barest margin on either side of the harbour wall?

It is a wonder that the cumbersome convoy ever arrived at is destination — but it did.    The journey was witnessed by almost everyone living along the coastline as they watched the progress of the giant to its new resting place. 

As the newly christened Nab Tower settled onto a sand spit close to the Rock, the valves were opened to allow sea water to flood the vast tanks.   With dignitaries standing on top of the tower, it slowly sank to its resting place with a final groan and jerk  — resulting in a three degree tilt from the vertical, leaning to the north-east. 

Giant No. 2 still stood forlornly and unwanted in Shoreham Harbour for a few more years.   It was finally dismantled in 1924 — but only when the Shoreham Harbour Trustees threatened to charge the government of the day with harbour dues.   It took some nine months to demolish — longer than it had taken to construct.

It was reported at the time that it was just as well that it was not needed to be floated as well as it was in fact  6 ft. too wide to pass through the harbour mouth.    The broken up concrete from the construction was reputedly eventually used as foundations for the local building trade — including those of glass houses in Worthing for the agricultural trade.

In its new capacity off the Isle of Wight (with its unnerving angle) the Nab Tower was manned by a crew of four.   The 30,000 tons of steel and concrete still tilts in that direction to this day, but like all of Britain's lighthouses is now unmanned and is fully automated.   

During the Second World War, the Nab Tower was armed with twin 40 mm Bofors and these were credited with bringing down three and a half German aircraft..    I would explain here, that the "half" was shared with a passing ship who assisted in blasting the enemy out of the sky..

Oh John, you pop up in the most surprising places!   

John was originally from Middlesbrough and was a Radio Officer for about twenty-five years.   He did his tickets in Grimsby and Hull and started out fishing.  Then he joined the Merchant Navy.

John wondered if I would like any of his memories of life on the Nab Tower.   Needless to say, I jumped at his offer..... and here are his thoughts.....

So this is how the Nab Tower became the only remaining tower of the original fourteen to be ordered to form a chain of anti-submarine defence forts across the Channel.

The Nab Tower was put to the ultimate test in more recent years (November 1999) when the 10,288 dwt freighter DOLE AMERICA collided with it laden with a cargo of pineapples and bananas.   The vessel suffered damage and only avoided sinking by running aground and the Nab Tower was severely damaged.    Later both were successfully repaired.

Did you know that you can see the Nab Lighthouse from Findon?  Below is the view over West Hill from the Western Escarpment of Cissbury Ring one evening in August 2006.....

Continue if you would like to read Hot Potatoes — The Women's Village Council — 1918

This is Findon Village — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.