Help protect Newington's heritage. Volunteer for the committee via the Contact page
Newington's World War One Defences (Chatham Land Front)
Our thanks to local historians, Alan Anstee and Dean Coles, for assistance with the information here. If you have further questions, please use our Contact page to ask us.
Britain feared an offensive from Germany long before the First World War was declared on July 28, 1914. Fears were exacerbated by the expansion of the German navy, making it more likely the country's forces could reach Britain. In response, Britain identified vulnerable sites, including along the river Medway and Thames estuaries, that needed protection from a potential invasion. This advance planning meant that work on the Chatham Land Front could start quickly once war was declared. Men from the Royal Engineers were billeted with Newington villagers so that they could begin the specialised construction work in the area. They were assisted by other regiments training in the area. It is thanks to the Royal Engineers, familiarly known as Sappers, that we still have maps and plans showing the military line. Eventually, the line extended from Norfolk to the North Downs in Surrey.
Both the original plans and the current defence remains demonstrate that this was no training exercise. 'What is obvious to those who have seen what remains of these works is how expertly they were designed, sited and built'. (Alan Anstee, The Battle of Newington). Eventually, some 16,000 men, mostly volunteers in the home army, became responsible for protecting this section of the line. Their job was not to stop an invasion but to delay an advancing army long enough to allow fully-trained forces, the Regular Army, to muster. As such, the role of the Land Front was of vital importance to the overall protection of the country.
Despite long-term fears of German aggression, Britain had a shortage of weaponry in 1914. It is likely that the Land Front was strengthened gradually as more artillery became available throughout the duration of the war. Later plans show machine-gun emplacements carefully sited to give trenches protective cover and to harass German troops advancing along the A2 and the road to Maidstone (now A249). These gun emplacements were at varying heights and altitudes. There were also batteries for 12- and 60-pound guns.
Trenches could be up to three metres deep once the spoil was piled up alongside the edge as an embankment. This allowed soldiers in the trench to walk upright and still be protected. There was a firing step on which soldiers stood to shoot over the top. Trenches were always built in a zigzag pattern so that enemy soldiers who managed to reach the trench could not fire along its length. Trenches on the Western Front in France and Belgium became infamous as mud-ridden swamps. However, an excavation by SWAT Archaeology, at Keycol Hill in 2022, showed that at least some of the trenches around Newington had a refined design with flint-paving, allowing more water to seep away and, presumably, stay drier.
Trenches were accompanied by dugouts - protected areas where men could rest - and barbed wire. The barbed wire could be installed in front of the trenches or may even be rolled up inside to stop the enemy moving through.
Pillboxes were not used by the British until 1917 so none of the ones here can be any earlier. It is a sign of the Land Front's strategic value that they were added, possibly even in the closing months of the war. All the pillboxes remaining around Newington are of a similar design. You can still see 'windows' with a wood lining to absorb bullets and stop chips of concrete flying off and injuring those inside. Alan Anstee believes the size of the 'windows' suggests that the Newington pillboxes housed rifles or light machine-guns.
At the end of the war, prisoners-of-war were set to work, infilling trenches and removing barbed wire, so that the land could be returned to farming. However, the natural movement of infilled areas means that the outline of trenches and other aspects of the Land Front can still be read clearly by those who know what they are looking for.
Click below to see images. May take time to load.
Newington in a Nutshell
Free event on Sunday, September 6th at the Village Hall covers 2,000 years of Newington history in just 2.5 hours! We'll have talks, the chance for you to chat with local experts and displays.. 2pm-4.30pm