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An anti-invasion defence area was established at St Nicholas at Wade during 1940/41.
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A Second World War anti-invasion Defence Area was established atSt Nicholas at Wade during 1940/41. This was part of the national response against a possible German invasion following the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in France in 1940.
The village of St Nicholas at Wade formed the focus of the Defence Area. In 1940, the village was categorised as a Category A nodal point in number 7 Sector, 43 Division, Eastern Command. Brigade Headquarters for troops tasked with defending the area was established at Sarre and between July and August 1940, B Company of 1st Canadian Pioneer Battalion prepared St Nicholas at Wade for all-round defence. A similar separate Defended Area was prepared around the village of Sarre and the road to Canterbury (MKE123800) . The work included fortifying buildings in the village as well as building pillboxes and roadblocks (particularly on the newly opened Thanet Way) and mining structures such as bridges.
The entire village was encircled with a heavily defended trench system, extensive barbed wire entanglements and gun emplacements, the remains of which have been identified by the Historic England Isle of Thanet project (2024). (1)
| MKE124621 | Parent of: A gun emplacement south-east of St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124298 | Parent of: A pillbox south-east of St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1205 | Parent of: A Second World War zig-zag slit trench system with hexagonal strong point and "T" observation points (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1204 | Parent of: A short length castellated military trench east of Wagtail. (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1204 | Parent of: A short length castellated military trench north-east of Bartletts. (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1204 | Parent of: A short length castellated military trench north-east of Chambers Wall. (Monument) |
| MKE123930 | Parent of: A short length of double zig-zag military trench west of Wade House, St Nicholas at Wade. (Monument) |
| MKE124385 | Parent of: Barbed wire entanglement north and east of St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124351 | Parent of: Barbed wire entanglement west and south of St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124389 | Parent of: Barbed wire entanglement west of St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1196 | Parent of: Castellated slit trench south of Chambers Wall. (Monument) |
| MKE124734 | Parent of: Crenellated slit trench extending from St Nicholas at Wade to Monkton/Hoo (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1201 | Parent of: Four weapons pits, St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1135 | Parent of: Gun emplacement on the west side of St Nicholas Roundabout (Monument) |
| MKE124293 | Parent of: Gun emplacement south-east of St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124300 | Parent of: Linear bank south-east of St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124740 | Parent of: Linear bank south-east of St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124422 | Parent of: Military buildings, St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124396 | Parent of: Military installation at St Nicholas Court, St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE123954 | Parent of: Part of a Second World War trench system around St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1135 | Parent of: PILLBOX (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1135 | Parent of: Pillbox on St Nicholas Roundabout (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1221 | Parent of: Possible buried gun emplacement visible as parchmark. (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1222 | Parent of: Possible buried gun emplacement visible as parchmark. (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1204 | Parent of: Possible castellated military slit trench north-east of Wagtail. (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1224 | Parent of: Possible Second World War defence site, St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1195 | Parent of: Second World War defended gun position, St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124418 | Parent of: Second World War slit trench and mounds, St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1201 | Parent of: Second World War trench complex and possible redoubt, St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124424 | Parent of: Second World War weapons pits and mounds, St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1200 | Parent of: Second World War zig-zag trenches, St Nicholas at Wade. (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1135 | Parent of: Slit trench on the east side of St Nicholas Roundabout (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1135 | Parent of: Slit trench on the north-west side of St Nicholas Roundabout (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1135 | Parent of: Slit trench on the west side of St Nicholas Roundabout (Monument) |
| MKE124627 | Parent of: Slit trench south-east of St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124722 | Parent of: Slit trenches north of The Length, St. Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124299 | Parent of: Slit trenches south-east of St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124619 | Parent of: Slit trenches south-east of St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1164 | Parent of: Trench system east of St. Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124296 | Parent of: Two earthwork banks south-east of St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124430 | Parent of: Two gun emplacements and slit trenches, St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124726 | Parent of: Weapons pits north of The Length, St. Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124295 | Parent of: Weapons pits south-east of St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| MKE124622 | Parent of: Weapons pits south-east of St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1199 | Parent of: Zig-zag Second World War trench systems, St Nicholas at Wade (Monument) |
| TR 26 NE 1203 | Parent of: Zig-zag slit trenches and hexagonal strong point south of St Nicholas Roundabout (Monument) |
