Tag: Military

By Joe Mander

Strood Anti-Tank Traps

Down Canal Road in Strood lies these anti-tank defences. Built at the start of the Second World War, they were intended to slow down any tanks trying to get onto British soil. On the battlefields, anti-tank traps would have lead tanks and other military vehicles down specific routes where they would encounter mines and other…

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By Joe Mander

Albert, Somme

Whilst on a road-trip through France, I passed through the town of Albert, an old town two hours north of Paris. Albert was founded as a Roman outpost, in 54BC although the town is best known for it’s military past as it was a key location in the Battle of the Somme and many veterans and…

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By Liam Heatherson

HMS Wilton

The HMS Wilton was a Royal Navy minesweeper and minehunter ship built in 1970. It was the first ever warship constructed from fibreglass which gave the vessel a very low magnetic signature against magnetic mines. It was armed with a single Bofors gun. In 1974 the ship took part in Operation Rheostat, to clear the…

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By Liam Heatherson

D-Day Landings 70 Years On

June the 6th 1944, shortly after midnight, 24,000 British, US, and Canadian, airborne troops landed in the region of France that the amphibious assault would capture around 6:30 in the morning that day. Allied troops began landed on the 50-mile stretch of perilous beaches of Nazi-occupied Normandy in order to push back the short-lived Nazi…

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By Joe Mander

CK69 Boat

In 1940, The British Expeditionary Force, Britain’s main army, was sent into France to help the French troops drive back the Germans during the first British assault of World War Two. However they were rapidly struck back, and were left in pieces on the French coast from which they arrived. With the Germans closing in fast, and nowhere to…

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By Liam Heatherson

Hadleigh Castle

Hadleigh Castle is a local gem. In 1215 King John gave this area of land, known as the manor of Hadleigh, along with many other gifts, to Hubert de Burgh. Hubert was a trusted follower of the king, and was the custodian of the two important castles at Windsor and Dover. Hubert built this large…

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