Exploring Kent's Past

It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.

Monument details

Summary

Pooh, a long-range 14" coastal gun, was built in February 1941 and manned by men of the Royal Marine Siege Regiment.

Monument Types

• COASTAL BATTERY (Abandoned, Modern - 1941 AD to 1945 AD (between))
• COMMAND POST (Abandoned, Modern - 1941 AD to 1945 AD (between))
• MAGAZINE (Abandoned, Modern - 1941 AD to 1945 AD (between))

Full description

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The second of two, see TR 34 SE 148, long-range 14" coastal guns, Pooh was built in February 1941 and manned by men of the Royal Marine Siege Regiment. Due to the high rate of muzzle ware and the weight of the gun it was not housed in a protective bunker, but was hidden from view by earth ramparts and camouflage netting on posts. It was supplied by railway with new track laid from a branch line at TR402743330. The track was removed after the war but the line of the supply track is visible from 1999 aerial photographs running past the site of Winnie. Due to the inevitable attention of counter fire from German long-range guns, and to deceive aerial reconnaissance a dummy battery was built at TR3663145970. The site was dismantled after the war and remains visible as a grass mound along with the battery control room. The remains of the guns magazines are possibly still in existence at TR3610245552 and TR3585145342. It is one of a number of heavy batteries built in the area, see "Jane and "Clem" TR 34 SE 145, "Bruce" TR 34 NE 240 and TR 34 SE 153. (1)

One 14 inch gun mounted on a proof mounting. A railway system was built to install and service the gun.
Owner : Private
Publicly accessible : No
How accessed for survey :
Tourism Potential :
Condition : Destroyed
Date of visit : 12/05/78

The mountings for these two guns came from Yantlet Creek on the Isle of Grain where they tested guns and measured their ballistics. These mountings pointed towards Shoeburyness so the fall of shot could be observed off the coast there. Although none of the British long range guns had big concrete gun houses they had heavy steel plate gun houses to help protect them. They had camouflage netting to help hide them and three dummy gun sites. These two guns were not really a success as they did not have any gun control like observation posts or radar. When they were used a spotter plane was used to fly over the target and report back the fall of shot. The spotter planes were soon chased off or shot down. The only time any of the long range guns fired at the German Batteries was in 1944 just before the Canadians moved in to take over these batteries.

As soon as the 15-inch guns were ready for action Winnie and Pooh were put into care and maintenance until 1944.

At the end of the war the two mountings were returned to Yantlet Creek.(2)

<1> Winston G. Ramsey (ed), 1980, Part One: The Kentish Heavies (Article in serial). SKE11851.

<2> John Guy, Verbal Communication (Verbal communication). SKE15418.

Sources and further reading

Related records