Latest news with #RoyalCorpsOfSignals
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Ideal for a first-time hider: World War II bunker on sale in Kent is perfect for those hoping to getaway from a potential nuclear global apocalypse
A WW2 bunker on sale in Kent is the perfect hideaway for those hoping to escape a potential end days even such as a global nuclear apocalypse. An area of woodland which includes two bunker networks near the entrance to popular Hargate Forest on the edge of Tunbridge Wells is taking offers from history enthusiasts and preppers. The land off Broadwater Down encompasses 4.7 acres and is located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. According to estate agents Savills, it has two separate bunkers which add up to around 7,000 square feet of space. It could make the perfect development opportunity for a new 'prepper', a member of the largely online community which documents how they prepare for natural disasters or global apocalypse. This typically includes stocking months of food and water, back up electrical supplies and medical equipment. Amid current global tensions and conflicts breaking out in the Middle East, the trend is becoming especially popular. The bunkers, some 60 feet below ground, were built during the Second World War and were once home to the Royal Corps of Signals, a combat support arm of the British Army responsible for providing vital communication and information systems. The site is being marketed as an 'investment opportunity for sale with potential for future redevelopment'. The property is located on the southern edge of Tunbridge Wells approximately 1.4 miles southwest of the town centre, 2.7 miles east of Groombridge and 2.25 miles northwest of the village of Bells Yew Green. Drawings and plans of the bunker show the complex had two long tunnels with eight rooms leading off. It was used for around 12 months before it became clear there was a substantial flooding problem, likely due to it being constructed out of sandstone and clay. Urban explorers who have visited the site recently have found chest-height water in much of the complex, meaning it would likely need substantial redevelopment. The bunkers fell out of use by 1942, and the Ministry of Defence sealed off access in 1946. There is however ample evidence the site has been accessed often in the time since, including by social media explorers who typically film their visits to historic sites and post them online. Public footpaths also pass through the area. The bunker system was built during the Second World War and were once home to the Royal Corps of Signals, a combat support arm of the British Army responsible for providing vital communication and information systems Visitors to dry parts of the tunnels have left rubbish and graffiti behind There was speculation the complex was built for Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, the best known British general of the second world war - but he denied this in the 1960s. Regardless it is thought the system was constructed as a potential military command centre in the case of any Nazi invasion onto British soil. The land is currently available for 'unconditional offers'. A tree preservation order is in place on approximately half of it, limiting any purchasers ability to remove the woodland. Savills said: 'Set within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the land extends to approximately 1.90 hectares (4.69 acres) of woodland, containing a mixture of mainly hardwood species, including standards, coppice, and naturally regenerating young oak. 'The land also contains a subterranean network of bunkers and passages, some 60 feet below ground, built between 1940 and 1941 and occupied by members of the Royal Corps of Signals. 'Three access points are recorded which are triangularly orientated to each other throughout the property and appear to comprise brick with single openings. All three accesses are permanently closed to prevent trespass.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Final whistle for 79-year-old Andover physical trainer 60 years
A 79-year-old physical trainer has given his last fitness class to military personnel at a Hampshire army HQ. Wiltshire-based Barry Atkins ran spinning, extreme circuits, and personal fitness assessments in the Andover base for 25 first started working as a physical trainer in the Royal Corps of Signals in 1964, and said his pleasure still came from teaching people and seeing them improve. "I don't really want to leave it, but I've got to retire at some time," he said. Mr Atkins said, with the exception of a short break as a lorry driver in Germany, he had been a trainer during seven decades. Colonel John Dagless told the BBC: "One of the things we often say so many times is, 'I hope I'm half as active and as fit as Barry is at 79'." One attendee said she "loves" his fitness sessions. "His last one, well, emotional that's all we can say. I am emotional," she man who came down for the final session said it "was an honour" to be there. "Ten years ago he trained me to climb a mountain," he said. "I'm still coming to his sessions and thrilled to be here today." Mr Atkins spins twice a week, does his own circuits and heads out into the hills on his mountain bike, all things he will continue in retirement. "My wife is very physically active as well and she's 80. We'll go to the gym together and if i don't want to do Zumba I'll go and do some weights." Speaking about his motivation over the years, he said he owed it to his mother. "She was sent home from the hospital for me to die because I had gastroenteritis," he said. He said as the technology of the day was not what it is now, his mother took him home and fed him "watered-down cows milk", which he said kept him alive. "So as sad as it might sound, I owe it to her to keep myself physically fit because she's given me that opportunity," he said. "She would be proud and she would say 'I did the right thing'." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
