Clive Holden – författare

In September 1939 Britain was once again at war with Germany. In Whitehall, Prime Minister Chamberlain handed a senior cabinet minister the delicate task of co-ordinating plans for the denial to Germany of the vital economic assets of neutral Holland and Belgium should Hitler invade those countries.Prominent among these important assets were those countries’ oil stocks, which would have to be destroyed to prevent them falling into German hands. This task would eventually fall to a group of former cement workers who had been formed into a Territorial unit of the Royal Engineers. Little did they know then, that in just nine months some of them would find themselves across the North Sea conducting dangerous demolition operations in the face of the enemy.Preparations for these operations, continued through the remaining months of 1939 into 1940 involving intelligence gathering, undercover reconnaissance missions, and weeks of intensive training for the naval and military demolition teams. Then, in May 1940, the German offensive in the West began and four Royal Navy destroyers set sail from Dover carrying demolition teams to their objectives in Dutch and Belgian ports. Upon arrival, they faced immediate challenges, including constant air attacks and the need for cooperation from reluctant local authorities. At the ports, the Royal Navy also found itself involved in operations to evacuate British civilians and officials, together with members of the Dutch Royal family, as well as salvaging stocks of gold bullion from bank vaults in a war-torn city. Amidst all this chaos the demolition teams carried out their tasks and then made their way back to England, displaying patience, tenacity, courage and sheer bloody-mindedness along the way.The full story of the background, planning and execution of these little-known but dramatic operations and other events that surrounded them is told here in greater detail than ever before.

Chatham has had an association with the Royal Navy since Elizabethan times, moving to its current site in 1622. It provided the facilities to build, repair, maintain and supply ships. In the mid-nineteenth century, work began on expanding the dockyard into St Mary's Island, where three huge basins and five new docks were constructed, almost quadrupling its size, in order to support twentieth-century vessels. Work then commenced on a new home for Royal Navy seamen. The new barracks, HMS Pembroke, opened in 1903 providing accommodation for 5,000 officers and ratings for the following eighty years. The dockyard and barracks finally closed in 1984 and the Royal Navy bid farewell to Chatham. However, its legacy remains and its many historic dockyard and barrack buildings provide a warm welcome for residents and visitors alike.

The River Medway travels through the highly populated areas of Gillingham, Chatham, Maidstone and Tonbridge, among a number of other smaller towns and villages. Married to the Thames, the Medway has a rich and varied history. Ancient sites are plentiful along the River Medway; Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman evidence can all be found. Two military battles have also been named after the river: the Battle of the Medway during the Roman invasion of Britain; and the Raid on the Medway, which took place during the second Anglo-Dutch War. Today this heritage is celebrated with the Maidstone River Festival, which has been running for over thirty years. The River Medway is also used by many for recreational activities, including clubs and societies who use the water for paddling and other water sports. With all the Medway has to offer, including pubs, walking routes, wildlife, sites of historical interest and flora and fauna, this river is a delight for anyone who embarks upon its fabulous waters.

Kent’s military heritage is well known because of popular tourist attractions such as Dover Castle or Chatham Dockyard, but there are also many lesser-known sites dotted around the county, each with their own story to tell. Most of the sites included here date from the Second World War but there are also many military installations from other eras, from the eerie remains of the towers in the Thames Estuary to the magnificence of Fort Burgoyne.Kent: Britain’s Frontline County examines the fascinating ways in which Kent has protected and defended Britain over the centuries. Local author and historian Clive Holden has carefully documented each of these secret gems and photographed them in full colour, giving the reader a wonderful insight into a lesser-known aspect of Kent’s proud heritage.

Chatham has a rich military heritage dating back to the Roman occupation. Remains of a Roman military building on the high ground above the town were discovered in 1779. Following the Battle of Aylesford in AD 455, this same strategic high ground was occupied by one of the victorious Jutish warlike tribes, the Ceatta from which the town takes its name.In Chatham’s Military Heritage local military historian Clive Holden focuses on Chatham’s most active military period from the founding of the Royal Dockyard in the mid-sixteenth century to the Royal Navy’s withdrawal in 1984 and the subsequent run-down of its other military facilities since then. It covers Chatham’s activities in both world wars, the Cold War and earlier conflicts with the Dutch and French. As well as the wars, the book details the development of the dockyard, the area’s various barracks, buildings, forts and fortifications and the social and environmental effects they had on the locality, together with some of the major military personalities connected with the town.