Kent Defence Research Group (Special Interest Group) - Update
By Clive Holden
At our last meeting in February, I was appointed Chair of the Kent Defence Research Group (KDRG), one of the KAS ‘Special Interest’ groups for 2022-23, succeeding Victor Smith. He stood down last year after serving with distinction for many years. Keith Gulvin was appointed Vice-Chair and will take over from me next year.
I have been researching and restoring defence sites around Kent for fifteen years. I have written and published five books about various aspects of Kent’s military history.
In 2019 I completed a two-year research project on the defence of Maidstone in the Second World War, which was published on the
KAS website with the title ‘Fortress Maidstone’. I’ve been a member of the KAS for the last seven years and the KDRG (and its predecessor – the Kent Historic Defences Committee) for the previous five years. I retired in 2016 after over 40 years in the meat trade, which has allowed me far more time to pursue my historical interests. Over the years, I’ve helped with restoration projects at Fort Borstal and Fort Luton, and I now work as a volunteer helping with the restoration work at Slough Fort at Allhallows and the National Trust’s wartime sites in Dover.
The KDRG is dedicated to the research, recording, discovery and preservation of historic defence sites and structures in Kent. We are an informal group whose members reflect a range of skills and specialist interests. We meet every three months to update and discuss the various projects we are involved in and plan our Group activities. If you would like to learn more about our Group and how to become involved, please e-mail me cliverholden@msn.com.
We are keen to promote the KDRG to the wider KAS membership and involve them in some of our activities. This year, we have organised a visit to the National Trust’s Second World War Fan Bay and Wanstone sites at Dover on the 24th September. The visit will include a guided tour of the Fan Bay deep shelter tunnels and sound mirrors and guided tours of the Wanstone coastal gun battery and the Swingate (D2) heavy anti- aircraft gun battery sites. We are pleased to open up this visit to the KAS membership. Numbers are limited, so if you would like to book a place, please e-mail me asap at: cliverholden@msn.com. Places will be allocated on a ‘first-come – first- served’ basis. Please be aware that the Fan Bay deep shelter tunnels are only accessible by 125 steep steps to get into the shelter and back out again. All visitors must have sensible shoes or boots to visit the tunnels; sandals and heeled shoes are unsuitable; access to the tunnels could be refused if footwear is unsuitable. There are no toilets or catering facilities at any of the sites. The nearest are located ½ mile (15-minute walk) away at the South Foreland Lighthouse. It will be a great day out, and I look forward to meeting many of you there.