Monument record TQ 75 NE 389 - No 1 Group Royal Observer Corps (ROC) HQ, London Rd, Maidstone

Summary

This underground headquarters bunker, with a surface element, was built in 1960 for No. 1 Group of the Royal Observer Corps. The role of the Group HQ was to receive and process reports of the location and strength of nuclear bursts and the spread of radioactive fallout from such posts across its area of responsibility (Kent and the eastern parts of Surrey and Sussex). Scientific advisers in the bunker examined information about nuclear bursts and predicted the spread of fallout. This information was communicated to the controls of armed services, and other recipients in a communications chain. Local communities could be warned of approaching radiation through the use of air raid sirens or maroons. The safest routes for the traffic of military vehicles and of the emergency services could be established as well as information collected about which airfields were at risk or, at the time, unusable from the spread of fallout.

Location

Grid reference Centred TQ 7507 5592 (19m by 26m)
Map sheet TQ75NE
County KENT
District MAIDSTONE, KENT
Civil Parish MAIDSTONE, MAIDSTONE, KENT

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

<1> Victor Smith and Andrew Saunders, 2001, Kent's Defence Heritage (Unpublished document). SKE6956.

<2> Historic England, Archive material (Archive). SKE56441.

Sources/Archives (2)

  • <1> Unpublished document: Victor Smith and Andrew Saunders. 2001. Kent's Defence Heritage.
  • <2> Archive: Historic England. Archive material.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (34)

Related Events/Activities (0)

Related Thematic Articles (1)

Record last edited

Aug 28 2024 12:50PM