Copyright © undergroundkent.co.uk 2002-2012
WANSTONE BATTERY
Wanstone farm battery consisted of four magazines and two 15" ex naval guns called Jane and Clem. Jane was named after the young lady in the strip cartoon in the Daily Mirror, and Clem was probably named after Winston Churchill's wife, Clementine.
Along with the guns were two twin magazines to supply Clem and Jane; ammunition was passed to the guns via a self propelled trolley along purpose built concrete paths. This greatly increased the speed at which shells could reach the guns, and in turn increased the firing rate of Clem and Jane to one round a minute. A deep shelter is nearby, but access to this is now impossible as the entrance has been demolished. Also a plotting room, which is still accessible, power rooms, observation posts, workshops, NAAFI, guard room, AA Battery, officers mess and living quarters are all part of the complex. The building that was used during the war as a sergeant's mess is in fact the farmhouse, and has reverted to that use.
Location: Dover
Condition: Poor
Visit: 02/02/99
Plan: No
Video: No
Report: No
More Info: On private property
Location.
WANSTONE BATTERY
The guard house.
Entrance to the guardhouse.
The control room to the right and magazine No 2 to the left.
All the magazines are identical, but this one is in the best condition.
Room where the charges were kept.
At the AA battery, with the remains of shelters in the foreground.
Stores for a ready supply of ammunition to the four 3.7inch guns.
This post would have been a reference point for the range finder.
In a room behind the range finder.
Close to magazines 3 & 4 is a small bunker with three separate sections, one for electrical use, one a generator room.
In the electrical room, with fuse boxes on the wall.
These tracks would have been used for the self propelled trolleys.
Site of no 1 gun ' Jane'. The picture is of the concrete posts that would have supported the camouflage netting.
Site of no 2 gun ' Clem'.
This would have been the workshop.
This room would have been used as the jail. On the right is the bed with the wooden pillow mount.
