Monument record TR 35 SE 734 - Sandown Castle Battery (Deal North)

This Battery consisted of two 6-inch Mk VII guns on Mk III mountings. Attached to each gun emplacement there would have been a magazine for the ammunition, the magazines being split into two, shell store and cartridge store. The magazine would be behind and below the gun position. There would be a Battery Observation Post from where the guns were directed. Then on either side there would be a searchlight and engine rooms to power these lights. Near by would be a camp site or billets for all the men manning the battery to live.

The gun emplacements would have had overhead and rear cover. This was to protect the gun crews from being machine gunned the from behind by enemy aircraft, they did not want the gun crews looking over their shoulders all the time. Information says that after the war the gun emplacements were knocked down and the houses built on their sites. Looking at the houses today it looks more like the MoD converted the gun emplacements in to houses.

To the north of the two gun sites there is a house called “Spindrift” and a photograph shows one of the searchlights in the window of a house on the first floor, this would be No. 2 Searchlight. No 1 Searchlight was to the south of the Battery, site not confirmed. The position of this searchlight would have been in an area of houses.

This Battery never fired a shot in anger, it only fired in practice shooting at a towed target

The site of No 1 gun emplacement is now 74 Sandown Road and No 2 gun emplacement is 77 Sandown Road.

The guns were installed by the Royal Marines, two concrete slabs were laid with bolt rings for securing the two guns. The guns were not equipped with shields. Magazines were excavated and constructed below and behind the gun emplacements. The shells had to be carried up stairs to the guns. There was accommodation near the magazines for twelve men. A three storey Battery Observation Post was built on top of the house on the Deal side of the Battery. The Canteen was on the lower floor of the house and sleeping quarters were on the top floor. It is said the concrete slab of No 1 gun is still there in the front garden.

The stretch of the coast in front of the Battery was not mined but did have Admiralty Scaffolding. To the north of the Battery and Castle a mine field was laid with some 500 mines. It is said that a dog ran into the minefield setting off one mine which then set off the rest of the mines.

Sandown Castle Battery was one of a number of Emergency Batteries built on this coastal area. To the north there was Sandwich Bay Battery and then Pegwell Bay Battery. To the south was Deal Battery by Deal Castle and then Kingsdown Battery. All of these batteries were armed with 2 x 6-inch guns
. (1)

The battery was operational by 1942 and mounted two 6-inch guns. It was manned by 235 and 236 Batteries of 563 Coast Regiment. (2)

<1> John A. Guy, Verbal Communication (Verbal communication). SKE14103.

<2> Dobinson, C., 2000, Twentieth century fortifications in England. Volume 6.1. Coast Artillery, 1900-1956 (Monograph). SWX23710.