All quiet on the sea front 60 years on

Mar 12 2004 By Tony Henderson, The Journal

Barbed wire on the sands

William Archbold, 69, and his sister Winnie Hogg, 76, have lived in Craster all their lives, and can vividly recall the Italian PoWs.

"I remember how the Italians had painted the huts with scenes of home, including a man sitting looking out across a lake at sunset," said William.

Winnie said they were never allowed to go near the radar station. "All we ever knew about the place was that it was something to do with radio", she said.

The whole coastline between the village and the castle was protected by three lines of coiled barbed wire, so villagers couldn't get down to the sea, and the fields towards the castle were sown with hundreds of anti-personnel mines.

They remember the day their father accidentally wandered into the minefield while out shooting rabbits, and had to find his way out again very carefully.

"Foxes kept going in there, too, and setting the mines off," said William.

"Every time there was an explosion, we all thought the Germans had invaded!"

Page 3: A castle to show off to the king