The greatest question man ever asks himself is where did we come from? For myself as a Green Jacket, that question has burnt in my soul since I took the "King’s shilling", in a small country pub, in Castle Hedingham back in December 1997.

Now days the internet is an important part of most peoples lives (ask any teenager about Messenger). For me it’s Ebay. Where can I buy that two foot statue of Wellington and will Jo let it in the house (check next week for a bargain)? But most of all I use it to track and research information. A few weeks ago I came across a stranger purporting to sell a copy of the 1801 map of the Shorncliffe redoubt and training grounds.

I could not believe my eyes. There before me was our birth place, our Bethlehem, hidden within the green and verdant womb of rolling Kentish Down land. I took me only a few minutes to cross reference the details of the map with OS maps and then plot it against a satellite photograph of the area. There was the Shorncliffe Redoubt, camouflaged by trees, but definitely still there!

What state it was in, I could not tell. Modern buildings seemed cluttered around it, with a running track built on the old camp ground. The Redoubt was surrounded on three sides by a road, the hospital had disappeared and the battery was not visible.

I decided the only way to find out, was to ask the seller directly and I hit gold. The seller is Michael George the affable and knowledgeable author of "Coast of Conflict (The story of the South Kent Coast)". Michael told me that the Redoubt was in a poor state, neglected and abused; needless to say the parental M.O.D. is responsible for it. But it was still hanging on.

To be honest I couldn’t wait to see the site. Within 24 hours I drove down the M20 to meet Michael and see for myself the condition of Shorncliffe.

Perched on a hill top overlooking Sandgate, between Hythe and Folkstone lays Sir John Moore’s fort. It is covered in a blanket of Rifle Green ivy and brambles. The obligatory combination of beer cans and condoms left by the local youths are a small disfigurement, compared to the mobile telephone mast that has been placed in the heart of the fort.

The Fort is about 300 feet by 300 feet square, with the entrance on the south side. Only the West and South walls remain. Moore’s office was housed within it, with a hospital below the walls towards the sea. On the shore line was a battery of twenty-four pounders. On the foreshore at the bottom of the hill is the start of the Military Canal, which runs west towards Hythe.

When Moore took over, he raised the battlements of the Redoubt for his newly formed Riflemen and Light troops to assault. He rented a house at the foot of the hill looking towards France and the lines of bleached white tents that marked the Grand Army camped in Boulogne. On calmer days gunfire and battery salutes drifted over to the Kentish coast. As in the Second World War, it had the negative effect on the local populace that Napoleon required. The Men of Kent would fight, rather than be "driven".

The rest they say is history, Michael’s book will fill you in on all the details. So now fast forward two hundred years.

Above the redoubt is still Shorncliffe barracks, home to the best mercenaries in the world, the Ghurkhas. To the South West lies about fifty acres of wood, blackthorn and brambles. There is also the derelict Martello tower Number 6 (for sale at a princely sum of £1), a First World War trench system and Second World War pill boxes. 

There is a sandy scar that once was the Rifle range. To the North West is the War cemetery, in which lies British and Commonwealth Troops.

The Big Question is what can be done with this site?

Firstly, I propose to set up a Save Shorncliffe Redoubt society. The minimum is to have a plaque erected on the site to mark Sir John Moore, the 95^th and the birth place of modern British army training. Michael has informed me that the local District and Parish Councils would love to see something done with it.

Secondly, to paraphrase another Martin, "I have a dream". That is to have a permanent home for our unit. What would be more suitable than Shorncliffe Redoubt?

Re-enactors from the 95th Rifles (with Lt Gen John Moore on the right) after the inaugural Shorncliffe Redoubt Preservation Society meeting held in July 05 at the Ship Inn. 


Lt Gen John Moore at the Ship Inn

Lt Gen John Moore - standing by the John Moore memorial 
statue at the West end of Sandgate on the sea front

Michael George, author of Coast of Conflict, 
stands with Lt Gen John Moore.

Thirdly, to develop this site into the worlds first, Multi-period battle re-enactment site. To achieve this, we would need to clear the land around the Redoubt, re-open the trench system, develop the area around the pill boxes and convert Martello Tower 6 into an Anglo Saxon Hill fort with cinema in its basement. There would be a visitor centre, facilities for re-enactors, car park, etc, etc. I would also need to buy or lease the land off the MOD and get local planning permission. It would take about five years and about a million pounds.

Is this an impossible dream, not really?

Is it worth doing, you decide. Go down there, ring me, email me, and let me know what you think.

I’m a Rifleman through and through, I love a challenge, but even more I love a fight. No Rifleman worth his powder would sit by and let our home rot away. What makes me even stronger is knowing that my Brothers in Arms will stand with me.

It has taken me seven years to find Shorncliffe; it might take me a few more to save it.

The 95th Rifles are a Living History Society. As a regiment they re-enact the lives of soldiers and camp followers during the Napoleonic Wars, from dramatic battles to period encampments. The ‘call to action’ above was written by a member of the 95^th Rifles to his colleagues asking for their help to save Shorncliffe Redoubt.. More information about the 95^th Rifles can be found at www.95thrifles.com If you would like to join the Save Shorncliffe Redoubt Society please contact the editor of the Sandgate News who will pass your contact details on to Rifleman Chris Shaw.