Monument record TQ 77 SE 1358 - Second World War defence locality at Lodge Hill Anti-aircraft battery - with gun emplacements, military support buildings, barbed wire enclosure.

These features are recorded in the English Heritage report on the Second World War Stop Line and are located at the Lodge Hill Anti-Aircraft battery (Scheduled). The First World War features as a whole site are recorded at TQ 77 SE 139. The Second World War features as a whole site are recorded at TQ 77 SE 1354.

The report on the defended locality states:

Feature at TQ 7583 7403 – “Second World War defended locality or military installation, centred on the remains of the First World War anti-aircraft battery at Lodge Hill. The site comprised several gun emplacements and military support buildings, probably associated with Light Anti-aircraft positions, within a roughly rectangular barbed wire enclosure covering an area of about 3 ha. in total. It probably formed part of the defences of both Lodge Hill Depot and the stop line. A similar defended locality, also occupying the space between Lodge Hill Depot and the stop line, is located about 800m to the east (NRHE 1546575). The military support buildings some of which appear to have a First World War origin, comprise a row of six or seven temporary structures of various sizes. Additional small gun emplacements or weapons pits were located around the edges of the enclosure. Recorded on aerial photographs dating to between 1944 and 1947. The most substantial gun emplacements were recorded separately (NRHE 1546494, 1546504, and 1546546). A field visit in May 2015, observed the following: a probably entrance to an air raid shelter by the road on the southern edge of the site; a First World War building with a look out turret, possibly reused for a generator during the Second World War when entrances were inserted; building platforms and concrete pathways to the north of the surviving buildings. Possible early post medieval wood banks wood banks extend east from the site. The field to the south was not accessible during the field visit but low earthworks suggest buried remains of structures associated with the Lodge Hill battery. Partly covered by the Scheduled area for Lodge Hill anti-aircraft battery NHLE 1401714.”

Note - the air raid shelter mentioned above is separately recorded at TQ 77 SE 1245.(1)

TQ 7583 7403. A Second World War defended locality or military installation, centred on the remains of the First World War anti aircraft battery at Lodge Hill (Monument 1442424), has been mapped from aerial photographs as part of the English Heritage: Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project. The site comprises several gun emplacements and military support buildings, probably associated with Light Anti Aircraft positions, within a roughly rectangular barbed wire enclosure about 200m by 200m (about 3 hectares in total area). This installation probably formed part of the defences of both Lodge Hill Ordnance Depot (Monument 1077634) and the Hoo Stop Line (Monument 1542577 and 1542687). A similar defended locality, also occupying the space between Lodge Hill Depot and the Hoo Stop Line, is located about 800m to the east (Monument 1546575).

The military support buildings comprise a row of six or seven temporary structures of various sizes, centred at TQ 7583 7407, and one or two more at TQ 7577 7396. Additional small gun emplacements or weapons pits were located around the edges of the enclosure at TQ 7582 7413, TQ 7590 7395, TQ 7587 7393. The most substantial gun emplacements have been recorded separately (Monuments 1546494, 1546504, 1546546). The buildings associated with the First World War anti aircraft site also appear to have been re-occupied. (2-4)

A German map of 1940 bears a machine gun or anti aircraft gun symbol at roughly this location, but the symbol could refer to the First World War site. (5)

<1> historic england, 2014, Hoo Peninsula Landscape Project: Second World War Stop Line: Hoo St Werburgh to Higham Marshes. Research Report 9-2014. (Bibliographic reference). SKE31599.

<2> RAF, 1944, NMR US/7GR/LOC348 2065 27-MAY-1944 (Photograph). SKE55973.

<3> RAF, 1946, NMR RAF/106G/UK/1702 3062 27-AUG-1946 (Photograph). SKE58419.

<4> RAF, 1947, NMR RAF/CPE/UK/1923 4084 16-JAN-1947 (Photograph). SKE56107.

<5> Foot W., 2006, Beaches, fields, streets and hills: the anti-invasion landscape of England, 1940 (Bibliographic reference). SKE55976.