Tour of South Foreland Battery Part 2
Coming back out of the gate (there was no gate in 1941. Vehicles had to get through) to your right across the road is the line of bushes by the Engine House. Immediately to the left of that was a ruined cottage. What it looked like I don't know but if it was fit for use then the military would have used it. To the left of that is a circular gun pit. This originally held an anti-aircraft gun which was moved somewhere more strategic for Operation Diver, the defence against V1s. It was replaced by a Spigot Mortar. The shelves were lined with wooden slats to store the shells.
The ground here is open grass up to the flat-roofed farther up. On this ground were originally three, later increased to eight Nissen huts. There were paths in the chalk crossing it, one from the Engine House depression, which led up the bank opposite the cottage and across to the Mess. To the right of this path were urinals.
On the left hand side of the road a Workshop was set back from the road. I believe it was an existing building converted to military use. Like all the other buildings, Nissens, Accomodation, etc there was a of bank of earth piled in neat rectangles exactly matching the building but set out from it by a few feet. This was to attempt to lessen any blast from incoming shells or bombs.
Coming to the surviving flat-roofed building on the right, this was the kitchen. Or Galley, since the battery was manned by Marines and they used Royal Navy parlance. In front of that, almost up to the road, was the Dining Room, or Mess. To its right is the entrance to the Underground Shelter which stretched from the immediate right of the Workshop to level with the Mess.
Directly opposite the Mess across the road, slightly set back, was he Converter House. A smallish concrete structure slightly higher than the Mess which was, basically,a transformer. The Engines in the Engine House produced electricity in DC. The guns operated on DC but the Converter House was needed to convert the DC to Ac current for lighting,telephones,etc.
Up the front of the Converter House was a vertical iron ladder. At the top there was an unnecessarily large retaining rail running round the whole top of the building. It is my opinion, and only my opinion, that this was used as a lookout and Air Raid Warning Post.
Turn right down the concrete path by the Mess and the Galley and on the right of it was the Coal Store. This was for cooking and heating.
On the left were Regimental Offices and slightly further along was a toilet block. Next on the right was the Sergeant's Mess then the path turns left . On the left was the Ablutions and Showers and lastly the First Aid Post .The Soakaway was opposite the Ablutions - to the right of that the Incinerator and to the right of that the Sceptic Tank.
All for now, more later
Alastair
