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Editor: Maureen Orford
ISBN: 0 86025 512
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Shoebury led a largely peaceful life until
the mid 19th century. There had been raids by Saxons and Vikings,
invasions by the Romans and Normans, insurrections by local
peasants, minor crime and ecclesiastical disputes, but life
changed forever when the Army established Shoeburyness Barracks.
The village expanded as tradesmen found
customers from the garrison; then the railway was extended
from Southend, following upon which the trippers came to the
beaches and entertainments sprung up. Meanwhile the Army built
quarters for the troops, raised their own church, erected
messes for officers and NCOs, opened a theatre, and ranges
for testing artillery.
The military presence had its darker side,
with horrific accidents to servicemen and civilians, the grounding
of a battleship, and defences during the World Wars. The Army
has now largely moved away, but present-day Shoebury is a
community that can still trace its background by surviving
farmhouses, road names, and memories.
144 pages, 73 photographs, 3 line drawings
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