Anti-tank railway in North Wales is one of WWII's most important relics and 'should be protected'

The old railway embankment was revealed after the site was cleared. It protected trains that pulled targets for anti-tank artillery practice
-Credit: (Image: GAT/NRW)


Archaeologists want a WWII anti-tank railway beneath a 13th-century Welsh castle to be safeguarded for the future. Surveys have shed new light on the 1,000-acre Morfa Gunnery Range on what is now forestry land at Harlech, Gwynedd.

The range was used to train troops in anti-tank warfare and was one of the most important facilities of its type during the Second World War. The centrepiece was a 5km-long “target” railway on which engines towed rail cars carrying targets at which anti-tank gunners fired.

Known as the Gunnery Range Railway, its two-metre-high protective bank remains visible. The bank was supported by a wall made from concrete-filled sandbags in which bullet holes can still be seen. Archeologists said the little-studied feature was a “really exciting relic”.

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After the war, much of the training camp was razed and, in recent years, most of the railway embankment had become obscured by impenetrable scrub, bramble, debris and conifer trees. When the embankment was earmarked as the boundary for a conservation project, it was cleared by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and set aside for an archaeological survey.

This was led by Jane Kenney, of Heneb (Welsh Trust for Archaeology), who said little was known about the military complex. “Despite its size and importance, the training range has never been fully researched and recorded,” she said. “Clearing parts of the site allowed us to find out more about it.

“Although relatively recent history, the importance of Second World War archaeology is becoming increasingly recognised by experts and the public alike. Anti-tank training ranges were rare in Britain at the time, and this is a particularly well-preserved example with an unusual and extensive track system for the targets.”

Last November, explosives experts were put on standby when 1.8ha of overgrown dunes were stripped for the Sands of LIFE (SoL) project. Its conservationists are aiming to improve biodiversity at a site adjacent to Royal St David’s Golf Club that was once considered one of the UK’s best sand dune habitats. Sign up now for the latest news on the North Wales Live Whatsapp community

A wall of concrete-filled sandbags supporting the embankment. The railway ran below this, to the left, so the embankment protected the train engine from artillery shells
A wall of concrete-filled sandbags supporting the embankment. The railway ran below this, to the left, so the embankment protected the train engine from artillery shells -Credit:GAT/NRW

But removing layers of soil carries the danger of unearthing old wartime explosives. Over the years, practice shells weighing 17lb and 25lb have been found in the area - one served as a shutting weight on a nearby gate. Lots of old rifle bullets have also been discovered.

Earlier unexploded ordnance mitigation works by SoL uncovered two live projectiles, which had to be disarmed by experts. Shrapnel and mortar fins were also found.

At the site, there are also buried remains of a camp with around 10 buildings arranged in pairs that accommodated troops. Outlines of old engine sheds, and their links to the mainline railway to Trawsfynydd, can also be seen.

Targets were hauled around a loop while anti-tank gunners fired at them
Targets were hauled around a loop while anti-tank gunners fired at them -Credit:GAT/NRW

The new survey was carried out by the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust (GAT), now part of Heneb. This identified the full route of the target railway using laser imaging techniques and aerial photographs. During a field study last December, a 1km section of the railway was also surveyed on the ground.

During one gunnery training session in September 1942, a Lockheed P-38 Lightning aircraft crash-landed in the shallows off Harlech Beach. Since then, the US plane’s ghostly form has occasionally emerged from the sea. Christened the “The Maid of Harlech”, it remains the best preserved military aircraft crash site in Wales.

Unexploded ordnance found at the site
Unexploded ordnance found at the site -Credit:GAT/NRW

GAT suspects many other features of interest remain to be found at the range. Given the railway’s rarity and good state of preservation, it recommended that Cadw, the Welsh heritage body, consider it for scheduling to "ensure its protection". The group said: “Local people and visitors walk in the forests and along the dunes, making the southern end of the target railway in an ideal location for presenting it to the public."

Much of the range is now hidden beneath Harlech Forest. But the public can follow wartime concrete roads and see the railway embankment where the forest opens out onto the dunes. Land allocated for conservation has been fenced off to enable controlled grazing. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday

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