Building record TQ 77 SW 128 - Royal School of Military Engineering, Wainscott

The Royal School of Military Engineering, Wainscott, is an outlying satellite of the RCHME Brompton. Buildings associated with the site are visible on 1942 aerial photographs. (1,2)

TQ 7454 7154. A Second World War military installation or military training site, located south west of Chattenden Barracks (Monument 1545088) near Four Elms Hill, between Islingham Farm and Bunters Hill Road. The site is identified on maps as an installation of the Royal School of Military Engineering, and was probably built for RSME in the late 1930s or early 1940s. It was probably associated with Chattenden Barracks, which also housed parts of RSME. The site comprises two very large industrial buildings, supported by smaller buildings, an emergency water supply tank and three earth covered air raid shelters. A camp or barracks of at least twenty five huts occupies the northern part of the site. In the 1940s, the roofs of the two largest buildings were painted in camouflage patterns. The barrack huts were built in an orchard, and were party concealed by trees.

The site was first visible on aerial photographs taken in 1942. The temporary buildings began to be removed by 1951 and about half were gone by 1953. The northern part of site was redeveloped by 1973, and the large industrial buildings have been retained. The site has been mapped from aerial photographs as part of the English Heritage: Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project. (3-8)

<1> English Heritage, 2013, Hoo Peninsula, Kent. Hoo Peninsula Historic Landscape Project (Bibliographic reference). SKE31432.

<2> Historic England, 2012, National Mapping Programme survey: Hoo Peninsula (Digital archive). SKE32442.

<3> RAF, 1942, NMR RAF/HLA/617 6100 20-JUN-1942 (Photograph). SKE56049.

<4> 1947, NMR RAF/CPE/UK/1923 3088 16-JAN-1947 (Photograph). SKE58981.

<5> 1951, NMR RAF 58/795 5006 08-OCT-1951 (Photograph). SKE58982.

<6> 1953, NMR RAF 82/732 0174 23-FEB-1953 (Photograph). SKE58983.

<7> 1973, NMR MAL/73048 0021 05-SEP-1973 (Photograph). SKE58984.

<8> 2007, Next Perspectives PGA Tile Ref: TQ7471 21-APR-2007 (Photograph). SKE58985.