Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A considerable length of Second World War anti-tank ditch is visible on aerial photographs of 1941-2 as extant ditches and banks throughout the small town of St Marys Bay. These features were mapped from aerial photographs as part of the South East RCZAS NMP project.

Monument Types

• TANK TRAP (Anti-Tank ditch, Modern - 1939 AD? to 1945 AD?)

Full description

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TR 08932741. Part of defensive line 1939-45. TR 08982759. Open stretch of substantial anti-tank ditch: built overby estate now under houses on west side of Teelin Close. TR 08942778. Open stretch of substantial anti-tank ditch, now under north half of Seaway Road. (1) A considerable length of Second World War anti-tank ditch is visible on aerial photographs of 1941-2 as extant ditches and banks throughout the small town of St Marys Bay. These features were mapped from aerial photographs as part of the South East RCZAS NMP project.

This sizeable anti-tank obstacle is centred at TR 0895 2776, and is visible on vertical aerial photographs of 1941-2 as several zig-zagging sections of extant banks and ditches over a total length of approximately 1.4km (between TR 0888 2726 and TR 0918 2828). The sections to the south (which are now under modern housing between Cedar Crescent and Seaway Road) appear to have been dug entirely from scratch with the earth piled-up on either side; whereas at the northern end pre-existing boundary and drainage ditches were widened and/or deepened, resulting in enormous spoil heaps of up to 70m wide banked-up on the inland side of the ditches.

By the time of the vertical aerial photograph of 1946, the newly-dug southernmost sections of the ditch had been filled-in; levelling the large banks on either side. This is clearly visible as light soil marks on the aerial photograph. Aerial photographs of 2007 show that this area is now beneath a modern housing estate.

The sizeable banks flanking the areas of pre-existing ditch to the north were still extant on the 1946 photograph. By the time of the oblique aerial photograph of 1947, these banks had also been removed, and are similarly visible as levelled earthworks (2-6).

<1> AP (RAF 106G/UK 1439 F3025; 30.4.46) (OS Card Reference). SKE34060.

<2> AP (RAF/GHQ/106 37-8 14-MAY-1941) (OS Card Reference). SKE54411.

<3> AP (RAF/AC81 171-2 26-AUG-1942) (OS Card Reference). SKE54412.

<4> AP (RAF/106G/UK/1439 3024-5 30-APR-1946) (OS Card Reference). SKE54413.

<5> AP (CAL/UK/1 0112 02-JUN-1947) (OS Card Reference). SKE54414.

<6> AP EARTH.GOOGLE.COM 02-MAY-2007 ACCESSED 22-MAR-2011 (OS Card Reference). SKE54415.

Sources and further reading

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