The Kent History Forum
Military History => Formations and units. => Topic started by: grandarog on June 21, 2022, 09:46:18 AM
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Over the years I have had hearsay of RAF Gillingham .
I am led to believe it was an underground headquarters or intelligence facility to do with Coastal Command and the Nore Maritime Area.
Despite searching the Net I cant find any info at the moment .
I am sure some of our members can help pinpoint where it was (or still is) if it ever existed .
Maybe just an urban legend ,hoping I am able to find out the whole story. Thanks. :)
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HMS Wildfire bunker at the dockyard boundary was the joint HQ for the naval Nore Command and RAF 16 Group Coastal Command.
Searching HMS Wildfire should bring up lots of urbexers filming the sealed off disused bunker.
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Before it became HMS Wildfire, it was ACHQ (Area Command Headquarters) Nore Command. The bunker, now under the car park of the new (ish) Mid Kent College, was shared between the Royal Navy and the RAF. RAF Gillingham was the name of the RAF Establishment which shared the bunker. The accommodation for the RAF Personnel was in a small barracks which stood on the site of the college, the Naval accommodation for the men was in the Prince Arthur Road Barracks across the road and the Wrens were housed in the Medway Road Barracks, located down the road in the grounds of Admiralty House. As Cosmo correctly states, RAF Gillingham was the name given to the Headquarters of No16 Group Coastal Command, RAF. Although Coastal Command was part of the RAF, it was under the operational control of the Royal Navy, so it made sense to co-locate the headquarters.
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Thanks a lot for your input chaps. At least we now know it existed. Does the bunker still exist or was it sealed off or filled in. Was there any above ground facilities of RAF Gillingham or just the department in the bunker.
For interest this link is all I could find about the topic before posted.
https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/158284/ (https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/158284/)