Ramsgate, a pleasure resort and fishing port without any fortifications whatever, felt the full blast of the " blitzkrieg " while London was still untouched, and over 1,000 houses in the town have been destroyed (see page 237). Yet despite this, the loss of life has been comparativley small, thanks to the magnificent system of shelters designed by the borough engineer and surveyor , Mr R.D. Brimmell. Ramsgate is built on chalk which is easily excavated and the tunnels cut through it need no lining. They lie about 60 feet below the surface and have a total length of four miles. A portion of this length consists of the disused tunnell through which the railway ran to the old Ramsgate Sands station until a new station was built at the back of the town. There are 22 entrances and from every part of the town one can be reached in five minutes. Owing to the formation of the land, no artificial ventilation is needed, for natural current of air passes through the galleries. The scheme, once derided for its somewhat high costs, has been completely successful. In the picture map the run of the tunnels is seen. The large dotted circles indicate parts of the town most damaged. Left is one of the main streets of the town after a warning had sounded. Practically all the townfolk are in the shelters and the traffic policeman has gone about other duties in his tin hat, leaving his helmet behind him. Right is one of the entrances to the galleries in the higher part of the town. 27 September 1940. Volume 3, Page324