German 11.1940 Fortifications map shows 'battery' facing NW. No visible surface trace. (1)

A partially revetted slit trench and weapons pit of Second World War date were visible as earthworks in RAF/HLA/564 V 6012 01-JUN-1942. They formed part of the defences on the north-west flank of RAF Manston.

The castellated plan form of the slit trench implies an earlier, possibly First World War, date, but similar trenches were constructed on the Isle of Thanet to form early Second World War defences (most notably at the St Nicholas at Wade Defended Area). A sap led to a weapons pit on the south-east side of the slit trench.

These features were recorded as levelled earthwork on Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 07-APR-2021. They were mapped as part of the Historic England Isle of Thanet project in 2024. (2-3)

<2> Historic England Archive, 1941-1960, Historic England Archive RAF vertical aerial photographs, RAF/HLA/564 V 6012 01-JUN-1942 (Archive). SKE57101.

<3> Next Perspectives, 2003-2021, Next Perspectives APGB orthophotography, Next Perspectives APGB Imagery 07-APR-2021 (Archive). SKE57110.