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Monument details

HER Number:TR 03 SE 9
Type of record:Monument
Name:World War II underground operational post, south west of Chapel Farm.

Summary

Auxiliary Hide, built in World War Two. Small underground building concealed by a dyke. Entered from two shafts, one at either end with brick walls and a concrete floor. Intended as secret base for resistance fighters after an invasion. Scheduled.


Grid Reference:TR 0726 3149
Map Sheet:TR03SE
Parish:BURMARSH, SHEPWAY, KENT

Monument Types

  • AUXILIARY UNIT OPERATIONAL BASE (MILITARY BASE, Modern - 1940 AD to 1945 AD)
Protected Status:Scheduled Monument 1003781: World War II underground operational post, 1/3 mile (540m) SW of Chapel Farm

Full description

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TR 073314. World War II underground operational post, south west of Chapel Farm. (1) (TR 07253148). An operational post to be used in the event of a German invasion so that saboteurs could hide and operate behind the invaders lines. A rectangular room, 7 x 8 x 15 ft, with brick walls, concrete floor and a roof concealed below ground level by a dyke. It was entered by 12ft shafts at either end. In good condition except for an inch of water and the original shaft lids missing. Scheduled. (2)


List entry Description
Summary of Monument
World War II auxiliary hide or underground observational post.

Reasons for Designation
From the summer of 1940 England's defences were strengthened against the threat of German invasion. A large number of diverse defensive structures were built across the whole country, from road and rail blocks to underground ‘hides’, from earthwork gun emplacements to barbed wire entanglements, anti-tank ditches and pillboxes. The most substantial of these were the pillboxes, small reinforced concrete or brick buildings of a diversity of shapes and forms, designed to house either infantry, anti-tank guns or field artillery. The full range of defensive structures was generally complementary, however, and a variety of structures were therefore built together, either at vulnerable or strategically important nodal points, along the coast, on the communications network, around vital installations such as airfields, or arranged in linear defensive systems called Stop Lines that were intended to obstruct the enemy's advance.

An auxiliary hide was a Second World War secret base, forming part of Britain’s anti-invasion defences. Sometimes partially underground, they were intended for the use of the British resistance in the eventuality of an invasion. In the event of a German invasion it was intended that saboteurs or resistance fighters should hide at the post and operate behind the invaders' lines.

Despite some later alterations, the World War II auxiliary hide 527m south-west of Chapel Farm is a good example of its type which survives well. The auxiliary hide has seen little disturbance since the Second World War and includes original fittings such as two double-decker bunk beds, a wooden seat, shelves and a water tank. The base is cleverly concealed and well demonstrates a significant aspect of England’s anti-invasion strategy, acting as an operating position for saboteurs following the landing of enemy forces on the south coast.

History
See Details

Details
This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a World War II auxiliary hide or underground observational post surviving as upstanding and below-ground remains. It is situated on low-lying ground on Romney Marsh, south of Chapel Lane near Newchurch.

The auxiliary hide is a rectangular room 2.1m by 2.4m by 4.6m with brick-lined walls and a concrete floor and roof. It is concealed below-ground in the bank of a drain at the edge of a field on Romney Marsh. The hide is entered through 3.7m shafts at either end. The original hatches have been replaced by later cast-iron hatches. The fittings in the interior include two double-decker bunk beds, a wooden seat, shelves and a water tank. (3)


<1> DOE (IAM) AMs Eng 2 1978 111 (OS Card Reference). SKE40687.

<2> DOE (IAM) Record Form 10 10 75 (OS Card Reference). SKE40731.

<3> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>OS Card Reference: DOE (IAM) AMs Eng 2 1978 111.
<2>OS Card Reference: DOE (IAM) Record Form 10 10 75.
<3>XYIndex: Historic England. National Heritage List for England. [Mapped feature: #498 Auxillery hide, ]