Dover Radar Masts

P/O Joan Hopkins

Auntie Joan! she was my staish at Neat in the 1980s – what was she like as a youngster?

Dover Radar Masts

I was one of the last Chain Home operators at Dover in 1956. Although in wartime the operation was known as RAF Swingate, in the Cold War period it was part of RAF St. Margaret’s, which also operated Type 80. I may even have been on the last watch. Our watch leader was a very young P/O Joan Hopkins, later to acheive fame as C/O at RAF Neatishead before retiring as an Air Commodore. When the CH closed, I had a brief spell ‘down the hole’ on type 80 before being retrained as a GEE operator and posted to Truleigh Hill.
The eastern of the three towers is not original. Aclose inspection will reveal that the triangular sections are upside down compared to the other two. I beleive the odd tower was built during American occupation of the site. Although the towers are missing the aerial sections, and therefore, unlike the Great Baddow tower, they are not complete, they are in their original place.
The towers were very visible to the Germans from the French coast. Radar staff lost their lives at this station, and I would be very much in favour of retaining the towers.

I don’t know what the current situation is, living near the other end of the country. However, of the three towers which used to be there, one was certainly not original to the site and this could impede any efforts at preservation. It seems pointless preserving a tower there which was not at that location during the war, when a more complete example exists at Great Baddow which is also not at its original location.

Listing Application

If anyone has or has a link to some History and good recent photo’s I have a friend who will apply for Grade 2 listing asap. That’s of course if nobody else has done so.

Those towers also served in the BOB. I am sure if enough of us support it we may save them for future generations…..

You do get the sense that the “powers-that-be” are not in interested in their preservation.Let’s hope that is wrong.:(

Re listing:

http://www.driffieldaerodrome.co.uk/heritage/english-heritage-pages/english-heritage01.htm

Pagen01 and REF are right about Hullavington and there are others as in the list but I’m not sure if the planning authorities have any ability to impose listings against MOD’s wishes. I stand to be corrected as I’m no expert on the vagaries of planning law!

“poor /dangerous condition” was the reason given, but whether that was true or an excuse for not spending an y funds on maintenance I couldn’t say.

Chain Home

What was the reason for removing one in the first place? Also does anybody know the current use of the site? As for listing if it has not been it should be VERY SOON ! If I am correct the site is very close to the site of RFC Swingate.
I fear another bit of our History is about to be lost. How about a “Friends of The Chain Home Site” ?…..Just a thought

I know the counciol have been informed but I’m not yet sure what the current status is on the other two.

A bit of info here;
http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?t=4255

Regarding listed property on MoD land, I know of loads. Some of the guys on AiX were personally involved in listing alot of the buildings.

Hope this helps

Richard

Not sure that if that is correct, the MoD buildings at Hullavington are listed, and I know they can’t easily modify them, for example the windows.
However I don’t know what listing status level they have (the important bit) or if it can be changed/reverted for operational reasons.

Be nice to think the masts are listed, they certainly should be.

Hello again! I understand that they were not listed as they are on MOD land which takes them outside the normal planning process. The local talk is that an order (?) has been placed on the two surviving towers but I am not sure what this really means, nor how enforceable it might be if it exists.