Children from Upton Juniors in Broadstairs have been digging into local history to discover the impact of Ramsgate’s life-saving wartime tunnels.

The vast network of underground passageways once served as one of the largest civilian air raid shelters in the country.

Carved deep beneath the town, the tunnels provided refuge for thousands of residents during bombing raids - families would often spend long periods underground.

The refuge deep beneath the surface was equipped with lighting, bunks, toilets, and even a railway system to transport people to safety

Upton’s visit was part of pupils’ thematic learning 'Paths to Peace' in which they have been learning about World War 2 and its impact on the UK and our locality.

They pupils had a guided tour of the section of the tunnels which stretches out towards Boundary Park in the town. They were intrigued to find out that the tunnels could shelter 60,000 people during a bombing raid, and that the entrances were placed at strategic locations around the town, so no resident was more than 5 minutes away from the shelter.

The volunteer guides kept the children entertained with their stories of sheltering residents having to sing on the toilet to warn people not to pull back the flimsy curtains that covered the lavatory spaces cut into the tunnels.

Following the tour, the group enjoyed studying the many Home Front artefacts that the tunnels hold in their small museum area.

History lead and Year 6 teacher Ayesha Watling said: “The Ramsgate tunnels are an invaluable resource when learning about the changes and consequences of an event like World War 2 on our area. The volunteers there are so knowledgeable and the overall experience was immersive and educational. I'm sure it will become a very memorable part of the pupils' learning this year."

Upton makes every effort to support classroom learning with relevant educational visits to broaden the breadth of information available to children.

Head of School Darci Arthur added: “This is a fascinating topic for our children to explore with history right on our doorstep giving them the chance experience first-hand the living conditions underground that families and children faced during terrifying bombing raids.

“The tunnel guided visits are a very well-structured learning experience and we are lucky to have such valuable resources at hand.”

 

 

*Tunnel facts: The so-called ‘Mad Mayor of Ramsgate’ Alderman Arthur Bloomfield Courtenay Kempe pioneered turning the railway tunnels into a spidery network of air raid shelters that evolved into a community with sleeping and living areas, sanitation, a canteen and even a make-shift entertainments programme.

They were designed to mimic the roads above so that people could gauge a rough idea of where they were underground.

Upton Juniors is part of the Viking Academy Trust with partner schools Chilton Primary and Ramsgate Arts Primary.

*For more information contact Head of School Darci Arthur on 01843 861393.