HMS Wildfire is a complex of tunnels 100 feet below ground in Gillingham, Kent. The tunnels were dug in 1937 by Welsh miners; they served as the communication headquarters for the Commander in Chief, the Nore. The Nore Command stretched from the Sussex coast to Yorkshire.

Medway’s Local Command Headquarters (LCHQ) used the tunnels after the Nore Command, and in the early 1960’s the Royal Naval Reservists took over the use of the tunnels.

 During the war very few civilians would have known of the existence of the tunnels or their use.  During this time the operations room was used to plot enemy and friendly ships and aircraft; it also played a large part in the role of the North Sea Convoys.  The tunnels had facilities for over 100 members of staff including a kitchen area, showers and a sick bay.

The site was used as a training facility for the navy after the Second World War.  A skeleton crew was kept on to keep the complex functional and some communication equipment was left on site for training purposes, some items still remain. Retired Naval Lieutenant Harry Barnes headed the skeleton crew.

 The site closed in 1982. Unfortunately a fire was started in the complex not long after it closed and fire damage can be found in the operations room.  The site has been left undisturbed since then with only English Heritage gaining access; they were not in the tunnels long before they had to leave due to not enough oxygen in the air.

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