CALLS are being made for Southend’s wartime relics to be honoured with plaques so they’re not forgotten by future generations.

Residents and councillors want plaques to be installed to commemorate Mulberry Harbour, a 2,500 ton concrete Phoenix caisson that lies partially sunk in the mud just over a mile offshore from Thorpe Bay, as well as other wartime monuments.

Ann Holland, councillor for culture, tourism and the economy, wants businesses to sponsor the plaques. She said: “The council’s budget is already set for this year. But if businesses could step up to sponsor the plaques, that would be fantastic.”

Mulberry Harbour was intended to form part of the manmade harbour in Normandy that made the D-Day landings possible, and has been a prominent feature of the Thames shoreline ever since.

Eric Jude, of Gordon Road in Southend, who is chairman of the South East Essex branch of the Essex Society for Family History, said: “Because the last generation of veterans are now dying off, there is the danger they and their stories will be forgotten. I was speaking to someone in his 40s recently who said ‘what’s that lump out there?’ and pointed at the Mulberry Harbour. He was interested when I told him about its history, and couldn’t understand why we were making things out of concrete to float. The Mulberry Harbours were a crucial part of the monumental task of getting men over for D Day. Some were brought back, and some sadly were not.”

Peter Grubb, who runs Uncle Tom’s Cabin ice cream shop in Shoebury, says there is a “desperate need” for a sign on the promenade pointing out what Mulberry Harbour is. “I spend all my time correcting people who mistakenly assume it’s the SS Richard Montgomery ship,” says Mr Grubb. “Creating awareness of our history will draw more people to Southend, and anything that does that has to be a good thing.”

The sunken American ship the SS Richard Montgomery lies further along the same stretch of the Thames as the Mulberry Harbour. The ship is marked out by buoys to deter anyone from venturing too near, which is just as well because it still contains 1,400 tonnes of deadly explosives that could go off at any time. Mr Jude would like to see a prominent sign placed nearby to the site.

“Anybody who has been here in Southend for a long time knows about the SS Montgomery, but I’m not sure about the younger generation,” said Mr Jude.

Although the location of the SS Montgomery is highlighted in a map on Southend pier, its story is not detailed, and Southend historian Ian Yearsley admits most visitors to Southend are “blissfully unaware” of the lethal cargo. that’s lurking beneath the waters. “A sign would help to raise awareness,” he said.

Mr Jude also calls for a sign to be erected on Wallasea Island near Canewdon, where prisoners were kept during the war. Most visitors these days are mystified by the presence of what appear to be “chain-linked five foot wide railway sleepers with metal bands around them,” as Mr Jude describes them. “They were used to create walkways, and as part of the first Essex Marina when it opened there,” he said.

Cllr Holland says she is wholeheartedly supporting the ‘Veterans: a Shared Experience’ exhibition which is being held at Southend’s central museum until July, and explores the memories of local veterans. “You have to know where you have come from to know where you are going,” she said. “The wartime history is something dear to my heart. We should be taking every opportunity to make sure that this chapter of history is never forgotten.”