By Jim Hollands
In Wartime Britain Rye became one of the few ports on the South Coast
allowed to send its fishing boats to sea. The beach boats of Dungeness,
Hastings and Eastbourne were unable to launch, due to the steel anti-invasion
barriers that were erected to stop the imminent German invasion.
First published in Jo Kirkham’s ‘Memories of Rye Series
During this time the towns and villages of South East England were subjected to attacks by German Focke Wolf 190 fighter bombers. They carried one 500Ib bomb as well as being armed with machine guns and 20mm cannon. They were referred to as Hit and Run Raiders. To help combat this menace, units of the RAF regiment were drafted to the town and surrounding countryside. They were equipped with their standard airfield defence systems – small armoured cars fitted with a pair of matching guns. Other guns were sited on high static positions. I remember it being said that one such site was at the rear of Durrant House in Market Street. Continue reading Hit and Run Raids
