SHEPPEY IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR Barbed Wire Island Refits and repairs were the main HMS Bulwark, a battleship guarding roles of Sheerness Dockyard the Thames Estuary against possible during the War but invasion, was destroyed by an internal Cadmus-class ships previously explosion while anchored near built there — HMS Espiegle, Clio Sheerness on November 26th 1914. and Odin (bottom right) — Although Armistice Day, Only 12 of its 750 crew survived. earned battle honours in the November 11th 1918, is when Middle East. Sheerness-built hostilities were halted, Sheppey’s HMS Brilliant (top right), a light main celebration of the War’s end cruiser, was also used as a was on June 29th 1919, when the Eastchurch airfield can claim to be the first block ship during the raid on Treaty of Versailles, which set out Royal Naval Air Station and it was here that Sheppey’s strategic location led to German-held Ostend in the peace terms, was signed. the first operational unit sent overseas was it being heavily fortified and Sheppey was attacked by spring 1918. nicknamed Barbed Wire Island. formed under the command of pioneering bombers and airships as Miles of trenches were dug along aviator Charles Samson (right). The base was people at home now found the cliffs and those wanting access used mostly for training but also provided air themselves on the front needed special identity cards — defence. There was also an air gunnery line. The worst attack was ‘Sheppey Passports’. school in Leysdown (below). on June 5th 1917 when 11 people were killed in a raid on Sheerness by Gotha bombers, one of which was shot down and recovered near Barton's Point (right). Unveiled on April 29th 1922, Sheerness War Memorial is Six months later, the Princess Irene, one of the few to remember an ocean liner converted into a James McCudden VC, a former civilian losses, in particular minelayer, blew apart as mines were postboy on Sheppey, was inspired to Franz Losel, a German photographer those killed in air raids. It is being loaded off Sheerness. The be a pilot by watching the fliers at long-established in Sheerness, was also unusual in featuring the Keeping guard over the Thames and explosion scattered debris for miles Leysdown and went on to become accused of being a spy. His house was figure of Liberty as a Medway estuaries was an array of heavy and killed 352 personnel, including one of the top fighter aces of the vandalised and he was ordered to be non-triumphalist tribute to guns stretching along Sheppey’s coast — 76 dockyard workers. War. He died in a crash on July 9th deported within days of war being the fallen. declared. He ended up in Brixton prison most notably the formidable 9.2in guns of 1918 aged just 23 — three months but his fate is unknown. the Ravelin Battery near the dockyard. The after being awarded the Victoria bottom image shows the emplacement in Cross for his outstanding service. the 1920s. Images courtesy of Imperial War Museum and Royal Engineers Museum. Layout by Storm Bird Design. .