The Secret Tunnels of South Heighton

The Secret Tunnels of South Heighton: Tribute to H.M.S. Forward by G. Ellis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I put off starting this book for a long time - I'm not sure why. Perhaps I felt that a labour of love by a communications engineer turned self-taught archaeologist was bound to be disappointingly amateurish and/or dull. I could not have been more wrong.

The author remembered seeing the carefully-concealed construction work for this underground command, control, communications and intelligence headquarters as a child, and exploring the tunels after they were abandoned after the Second World War. Subsequent development almost obliterated the memory of a key link in the defence of Britain's south coast and, later, the liberation of western Europe. He set himself the task of preserving that memory and this book, clearly a labour of love, is the result.

Building the complex involved excavating 2,650 cu m (over 6,000 tons) of chalk up to 24m underground, without an enemy just a few minutes' flying time away noticing, then fitting it out and keeping it staffed twenty-four hours a day under conditions of extreme secrecy. There were two main entrances, one hidden in a former holiday home nearby and the other in the bank of a roadway. Additionally there were four concealed pill-boxes and an observation post cum emergency exit disguised as a hen-house.

Situated between Dover and Portsmouth the complex integrated naval, army and air intelligence and command for much of the Channel.

The author tracked down surviving witnesses and documents, and obtained permission for a number of tunnel explorations which seem unlikely to be repeated. Being picky, there is a certain amount of repetition which could have been avoided with a little more attention to structure, and I would have preferred a larger typeface (or is that my age?) Definitely a fascinating and worthwhile read though.

It also brings to mind The Last Ditch: Britain's Resistance Plans Against the Nazis by David Lampe. With so many members of the Auxiliaries and perhaps other clandestine outfits having taken their knowledge to their graves, I have to wonder how many other forgotten holes in the ground still riddle our fair land?



View all my reviews