Ash Starfish Bunker, Kent - March 2014

SlimJim · Mar 26, 2014

I became interested in Operation Starfish after seeing an episode of the Wartime Farm (Starfish bit starts at about 32:00):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxztuX3fGVM

It was devised to draw the German bombers away from the large towns and cities. To do so, fires and even in some cases electrical lights would be lit in the countryside to mimic a burning/active town or city. From what I understand, the plan worked to a fair extent and a lot of German ordnance was dropped on rural locations.

I'd imagine this particular one was built to protect the Thanet towns like Ramsgate, Margate and Broadstairs.

It's not a big or complicated site, but it really is a secluded little gem once you get to it!

You can see the blast protected entrances clearly here. There would have been a corrugated iron middle section, which I would imagine would have had earth mounded up against it.

Inside the small room.

From the back. I'm not sure what would have been in the concrete squares? Radio mast perhaps?

Looking through the other blast protected entrance to the side.

Ayyyyyyy! I always like to throw in a picture of myself just for the sake of vanity

krela · Mar 26, 2014

Nice one.

If you haven't read it already I highly recommend this book, it's pretty comprehensive!

[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fields-Deception-Britains-Bombing-Heritage/dp/0413776328[/ame]

Probably also available at lending libraries.

P Bellamy · Mar 26, 2014

SlimJim said:
From the back. I'm not sure what would have been in the concrete squares? Radio mast perhaps?

The double pits acted as exhaust silencers, one for each of the two generators, which then fed into the single pit which was the final noise baffle.
(Ref. AM Drawing CT 367/41, Combined Field Control Room and Generator House for Drem-type Decoy Sites)

Mikeymutt · Mar 26, 2014

Great this is..I love these starfish sites.i went to one the other week,the one that protected Norwich.also a nice kq site which was in superb nick..such little sites but so few people realise how much importance they played during the war,they were so top secret the actual facts of what these sites were used for was not released till the 80's,I think 86..here is a kq site I visited

SlimJim · Mar 27, 2014

P Bellamy said:
The double pits acted as exhaust silencers, one for each of the two generators, which then fed into the single pit which was the final noise baffle.
(Ref. AM Drawing CT 367/41, Combined Field Control Room and Generator House for Drem-type Decoy Sites)

Fantastic

Thanks for the info!

Mikeymutt said:
Great this is..I love these starfish sites.i went to one the other week,the one that protected Norwich.also a nice kq site which was in superb nick..such little sites but so few people realise how much importance they played during the war,they were so top secret the actual facts of what these sites were used for was not released till the 80's,I think 86..here is a kq site I visited

That really is a beauty of a site! Fascinating!

krela said:
Nice one.

If you haven't read it already I highly recommend this book, it's pretty comprehensive!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fields-Deception-Britains-Bombing-Heritage/dp/0413776328

Probably also available at lending libraries.

Looks like another one for the collection