Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

WWII post alignment in the intertidal zone of Pegwell Bay comprising of 81 circular posts west of Ramsgate, visible on military aerial photographs.

Monument Types

• ANTI BOAT LANDING OBSTACLE (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• ANTI LANDING CABLE (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• ANTI LANDING OBSTACLE (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• ANTI SEAPLANE OBSTACLE (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
• POST ALIGNMENT (Modern - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Full description

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WWII coastal defensive measure comprising a post alignment located within the intertidal zone of Pegwell Bay, west of Ramsgate, and visible on military aerial photographs taken in 1942 [1].

This monument comprises 81 circular posts aligned in a regular manner of inter-crossing perpendicular lines extending NE-SW and NW-SE. They cover an area of approximately 1km by 0.5km and extend into the intertidal zone around 100m from the coastline.

The posts were only visible on one series of photographs [1] that show the intertidal zone at low water, as this feature is entirely submerged at high water. It was often difficult to see the individual posts themselves and therefore the scour around each post was mapped. The intertidal zone was not visible on any later photographs, however there is no sign of the post alignments in the Channel Coastal Observatory's digital aerial photography from 2001 [2].

This feature functioned as an anti-landing defences, inhibiting enemy movement in the intertidal zone and access inland. The posts would probably have been linked with wire that would have been entirely submerged at high water and become an obstruction for a seaborne or airborne enemy invasion.

<2> Aerial Photographs held by the Channel Coastal Observatory, CCO 2001/TR3563sw (Photograph). SWX15703.

Sources and further reading

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