http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33590428 Video in link World War Two tunnels open to the public in Dover 3 hours ago A labyrinth of World War Two tunnels built beneath the white cliffs of Dover are being opened to the public for the first time by the National Trust. The complex in Dover is 23 metres below ground, and was used to shelter hundreds of troops in the wartime years. John Maguire reports. [hr] National Trust Blog with photos https://fanbayshelternt.wordpress.com/news/ Main Link http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/white-cliffs-dover/our-work/projects/ Fan Bay Deep Shelter will opening to the public from the 20 July. You can find out more about how to visit the tunnels on our visitor information page, including how to book an advanced ticket and some of the safety information you need to read before you arrive. We've have worked to make the tunnels safe for visitors without losing the atmosphere of this special place. Today you'll see the tunnels largely as they were when we first explored them in 2013. We're have also uncovered the sound mirrors next to the underground shelter at Fan Bay. Removing the spoil that was used to cover them in the 1970's revealing these historic structures for all to see. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/white-cliffs-dover/history/article-1355858509973/
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/20/churchill-wartime-tunnels-dover-national-trust Churchill’s wartime tunnels under white cliffs of Dover open to the public Surprise find of abandoned tunnel complex by National Trust offers public a descent into second world war history Maev Kennedy Monday 20 July 2015 00.01 BST https://embed.theguardian.com/embed/video/uk-news/video/2015/jul/20/second-world-war-tunnels-cliffs-dover-video A labyrinth of tunnels, the Fan Bay Deep Shelter is reached by 125 steps down into the bowels of the white cliffs of Dover. It was built on Winston Churchill’s orders but abandoned and vandalised since the end of the second world war . On Monday it opens to the public for the first time. The National Trust was astonished to discover three years ago it had inadvertently acquired the historic property, buried 23m below the stretch of cliffs overlooking the port which the charity bought through a £1.2m public appeal. The tunnels, carved out of the chalk in just 100 days after a visit by Churchill, lie deeper than the nearby South Foreland lighthouse is high. Despite being stripped of metal sold off for salvage after the war, and suffering vandalism, including setting fire to the wooden supports of the longest 100ft tunnel – which then partially collapsed – most of it is in remarkably good condition, preserving graffiti including names of the men who dug the tunnels and those who later sheltered there, within earshot of the artillery on the French and Belgian coast. The graffiti include what archaeologists call “latrinalia”, a cheerfully vulgar tradition dating back to Roman times and beyond. Although most of the toilet blocks were demolished in the 1970s, the bricks were used in rubble blocking the tunnels: inscriptions include initials, drawings, and the rhyme: “If you come into this hall, use the paper not this wall. If no paper can be found then run your arse along the ground.” A more bitter message – a version of a newspaper headline criticising British military inertia, adopted by socialist sympathisers – was found on a piece of shuttering beside where a bunk bed once stood: “Russia bleeds while Britain Blancoes”. One of the tunnellers has been traced through a pencilled note on steel shuttering: “Pioneer R A Foyle Compy, Thursday August 14 1941”. Reginald Arthur Foyle was born in 1912 and enlisted in the Pioneer Corps only a few months before his inscription. His company spent most of 1941 working underground at military installations along the south coast, but he transferred to the Royal Engineers in 1942, and his subsequent war career and later life have not been documented. A book stashed for safekeeping on top of an air duct more than 70 years ago was also found: after conservation work it was revealed as a naval adventure story published in 1903, Shadow on the Quarter Deck by a Major W P Drury. Other finds include quantities of homemade wire hooks, a Unity Pools football coupon for February 20 1943, British and American bullets, and a needle still with a trail of khaki wool tucked into the wall at the height of a top bunk bed. The shelter was built along with a gun battery sited just 21.5 miles from France after Churchill visited Dover in July 1940 and was enraged to watch through binoculars enemy shipping moving freely in the English Channel. In a memo to the Joint Chief of Staff he said: “We must insist upon maintaining superior artillery positions on the Dover promontory, no matter what form of attack they are exposed to. We have to fight for command of the straits by artillery, to destroy the enemy batteries and fortify our own.” By 10 December the battery and still incomplete shelter were garrisoned by four officers and 118 men from the 203rd Coast Battery of the Royal Artillery relocated from Falmouth, and personally inspected by Churchill the following June. The complex, which originally included five large chambers with storage space for rifles ominously sited between the bunks, a hospital and a secure store, a generator, and toilets and washrooms near the first world war sound mirrors, was carved out of the chalk by the Royal Engineers between November 20 and February 28. Part of the complex, regarded as an eyesore and an attraction to vandals, was deliberately destroyed in the 1970s, when the original three entrance tunnels were collapsed and filled in with rubble. They were rediscovered when a small hole in the ground was spotted, during work by the National Trust on the site. Experts from the Kent Underground Research Group burrowed into it, and found most of the tunnels had survived. Dozens of volunteers came in to help clear the tunnels, removing more than 100 tonnes of spoil by hand, including 30 tonnes from the entrance staircase alone. They also carried in 80 railway sleepers to repair the tunnel supports. Although the National Trust is reopening the site to small guided groups, a visit is not for the fainthearted. Visitors, the trust warns, must be aged over 12, “and in good health”, prepared for a 45-minute walk from the white cliffs visitor centre. The hard-hat descent, lit by handheld and head torches, is described as “an adventure in a dark, dirty and wet environment, and is not suitable for those who are claustrophobic or unsteady.” Nevertheless the trust expects enormous interest in their latest attraction, and advises advance booking online. The trust would also welcome more information from the public about any of the men who worked on or served at Fan Bay. Fan Bay Deep Shelter, open daily from 20 July 20 until 6 September 2015, then weekdays only until the end of September.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3167510/Secret-network-tunnels-constructed-White-Cliffs-Dover-help-stop-German-ships-moving-freely-Channel-World-War-II-reopens-public-time-40-years.html National Trust Project Manager Jon Barker (left) and volunteer Gordon Wise wear head torches to inspect the underground tunnels at Dover Built in 1940, the tunnels were home to gun battery teams operating on the coastline during the Second World War. Pictured is Mr Wise - one of hundreds of volunteers who helped restore the tunnels Located 75ft below the coastline, Mr Wise explores the tunnels as the National Trust prepares to open them to the public today Lying 75ft below the Kent coastline, the 3,500 sq ft of interconnecting tunnels, which are reinforced with iron girders and metal sheeting, accommodated four officers and up to 185 men during the war. The shelter - which was personally inspected by Winston Churchill in 1941 - was decommissioned in the 1950s before being filled in with rubble and soil and abandoned during the 1970s. Officials at the National Trust say the tunnels are a 'time capsule', giving fascinating insights into war-time life, with graffiti-covered walls, discarded ammunition and even a pools coupon found in the depths. Following their rediscovery, 100 tonnes of rubble and soil were removed by hand in a project involving more than 50 National Trust volunteers, archaeologists, mine consultants, engineers and a geologist. Jon Barker, visitor experience manager at the White Cliffs, said: 'This rediscovered piece of the country’s Second World War heritage is a truly remarkable find. 'There has been no public access to the tunnels for over 40 years and so they remain much as they were when they were abandoned. We’ve carried out extensive conservation work to preserve both the natural decay and authentic atmosphere of the space.' Following their rediscovery, 100 tonnes of rubble and soil were removed by hand in a project involving more than 50 National Trust volunteers There has been no public access to the tunnels for more than 40 years, but starting tomorrow, they will be reopened for tours The shelter was carved out of the chalk by Royal Engineers from the 172nd Tunnelling Company in 1940. Pictured is graffiti dated January 20, 1941 The shelter was carved out of the chalk by Royal Engineers from the 172nd Tunnelling Company and had a hospital, secure store and five large chambers providing bomb-proof accommodation. And behind the heavy security doors and the 125 steps descending to the tunnels lie poignant reminders of the tunnel’s war-time history. Etched into the chalk inside the tunnels is a large amount of graffiti, including names of military personnel, coarse inscriptions and an intricate 3D face of a young man, possibly a portrait. Some of the inscriptions are accompanied by the regiment of soldiers, most notably from the Royal Engineers - 1941 is the most popular date which features alongside the signatures. Written in chalk on a steel shuttering alongside where a bunk bed once stood is the phrase 'Russia bleeds whilst Britain Blancos' - a popular slogan adopted by disaffected soldiers referring to Blanco, a substance they used to clean and colour their equipment. Other finds included pieces of wire twisted into home-made hooks by soldiers to hang their uniforms, and a Unity Pools football coupon dated February 20, 1943, recording 14 football matches. One of the first discoveries made by volunteers when they entered the tunnels was of a needle and thread, believed to be khaki wool, tucked into the tunnel wall. Pictured is graffiti found etched into the walls inside the tunnels. Pieces of writing, inscriptions and items offer a rare glimpse into wartime Britain Pictured is one of two First World War sound mirrors which are also located at the site. Sound mirrors gave advanced notice of approaching enemy aircraft but became obsolete with the invention of radar in the 1930s Bullets, including British .303 cartridges and American 30 calibre ammunition rounds, were also found throughout the tunnels, often tucked into small gaps in metal sheeting. Two rare First World War sound mirrors also form part of the site. Regarded as one of the first early warning devices invented in Britain, sound mirrors gave advanced notice of approaching enemy aircraft but became obsolete with the invention of radar technology in the 1930s. White Cliffs volunteer Gordon Wise said: 'Seeing the tunnels in their raw state when they were first discovered, handling artefacts and giving tours is like standing in the footsteps of history. 'To be part of the digging team, mirroring the work the Royal Engineers originally took to excavate the shelter, was very special. I can’t wait to see what visitors make of Fan Bay Deep Shelter.' The tunnels - once manned by troops from the 203rd Coast Battery, Royal Artillery, later becoming the 540th Coast Regiment - lie beneath land bought by the National Trust in 2012 following a £1.2million public appeal. Guides will lead hard hat and torch-lit tours deep below the White Cliffs of Dover, telling people the story of the tunnels’ creation, use and abandonment in the 1970s. The National Trust is asking for help in identifying the men from the 172nd Tunnelling Company, the 203rd Coast Battery and 540th Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery and asking anyone with information to contact the White Cliffs. [hr] SHELLING NAZI-OCCUPIED FRANCE AT THE BEHEST OF CHURCHILL: FAN BAY DEEP SHELTER The Fan Bay Deep Shelter extends 75ft underground in the cliffs on the edge of Fan Hole, White Cliffs, Dover. Despite being more than 60 years old, the tunnels remain in good condition after they were filled in and abandoned in the 1970s. Following the Allied evacuation from Dunkirk in May and June 1940, Churchill ordered the gun batteries and tunnels to be constructed to not only defend the area against German batteries - located on the nearby French coast at Cap Blanc Nez and Cap Gris Nez - but also to harass enemy shipping that was passing through the English Channel. At their peak, they could accommodate up to 185 men and four officers, who worked firing shells across the Channel and into Nazi-occupied France. The site is also home to two sound mirrors - giant relics from the First World War that were once at the forefront of aircraft detection technology. However, with the development of rudimentary radar in the 1930s, they were rendered obsolete by the time the nearby tunnels were constructed during the Second World War. The gun batteries and land were owned by the military until the 1960s, after which it was returned to the original owners who then sold it in 2012 to the National Trust.
'Bout time. Had a tour around there many years ago with the ROC, and there were still naughty-looking rooms they wouldn't let us in. Anyone thinking of visiting - Dover castle to the West is also rather brilliant, and part of the same context. Continuous military occupation of a site/area for hundreds of years is the vibe.
