WWII Itinerary

Did You Know?              WWI Itinerary         Frontline Thanet Links

Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate and villages has many connections to the WWII years (1939-45). See one of the few surviving Spitfires with a wartime record or experience life underground in the Ramsgate Tunnels that provided shelter to hundreds of families at the height of the Battle of Britain.

The WWII thriller 'Dunkirk' released on 21 July 2017, commemorating the daring and valiant actions of all those involved in the evacuation of thousands of troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940, who were under constant attack from German aircraft and guns.

Ramsgate Tunnels - His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent reopened Ramsgate’s Tunnels on Tuesday 27 May 2014, 75 years after his father was given a warm Kentish welcome when he opened the first section in 1939.

The tunnels were capable of sheltering up to 60,000 people and had their own electric lighting, water supply and natural ventilation system. People set up home 60 feet beneath the ground with bunk beds, clothes, kettles and treasured belongings, using partitions and curtains for privacy.

A visit to the tunnels will take you on a journey into this network and give you a feel for what life was like in this underground city.

RAF Manston Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum - museum dedicated to the pilots and aircrew of WWII. “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few,” Sir Winston Churchill said of the men who fought for supremacy of southeast England’s skies in the Battle of Britain 1940. The tactical superiority of the RAF thwarted German plans for invasion, although RAF Manston bore the brunt of early action. At the museum you can admire one of the few surviving Spitfires with a wartime record, as well as an impressive Hawker Hurricane and personal memorabilia

RAF Manston History Museum - Discover more about Kent’s major role in wartime flying at RAF Manston History Museum – it was at Manston that the longest and widest runway in southern England was built, to provide a safe haven to damaged aircraft returning from Europe: the FIDO 'Fog Investigation Dispersal Organisation' system was deployed to enable landings in any weather 

Margate Museum - Visit the WWII room and see displays on rationing, gas masks and other military memorabilia. There is a display relating to Dunkirk and in the Maritime room there are models of two paddle steamers with transported over 10,000 of the 50,000 men who were brought back to Margate from Dunkirk

St. Peter’s WWII War Graves Tours - Remember those who died during or as a result of the 1939-1945 World War. There are 14 servicemen buried at St. Peter’s Church, with the tour also including the graves of 5 local firemen who were killed by enemy action whilst on duty.