At the outbreak of war, one of Canterbury’s two first-aid posts seems to have been at the Council (by then the civil-defence) Depot on Kingsmead Road (the other was in the Old Kent and Canterbury Hospital, now the Technical School, on Longport). From the outset, ambulance and/or stretcher parties seem to have operated from here. Around late September 1939 ‘airlocks’ were provided to each section of the post ‘to prevent [the] risk of uncontaminated casualties and personnel becoming contaminated’, soon afterwards these had to be lengthened to accept stretchers. Around this time, also, the ‘office accommodation’ at the post was improved. The post later combined military with its civilian use, as the post dedicated to Group 4 (in 1941; Groups 1 and 9 by early 1942) of the Canterbury Fortress garrison. It was noted that the post had ‘a wide front from which to collect casualties and [this] would e supplemented by one or more Car Posts.’ This suggests it was in the (extant) long narrow, brick building fronting the street, to the east of the Depot entrance.
Owner : Public
Publicly accessible : No
How accessed for survey :
Tourism Potential :
Condition : unknown
Date of visit :

Canterbury City Council Emergency Committee, 01/01/39, Canterbury City Council Emergency Committee Minute Books 1 to 6 (Unpublished document). SKE14754.

Canterbury City Council Emergency Committee, 01/01/39, Canterbury City Council Emergency Committee Minute Books 1 to 6 (Unpublished document). Ske14754.

Canterbury Fortress Command, 01/01/41, War Diary Canterbury Fortress 1941 (Unpublished document). SKE14755.

Canterbury Fortress Command, 01/01/41, War Diary Canterbury Fortress 1941 (Unpublished document). Ske14755.