Estuary Defence System
The Medway Boom was built at the beginning of WW1 about 1914 and consisted of a vast chain attached at one end to Grain Tower Fort (Martello Battery) on Grain Island across to the southern side at Garrison Point Fort on Sheerness.
It was raised and lowered by a winch on the wharf at the Sheerness dockyards. The chain was removed at the end of WW1 and the Grain Tower Fort placed into ‘care and maintenance’. In WW2 the Fort became an active part of the estuary defence system again with twin 6pdr QF guns being installed as a defence against the fast and very manoeuverable German E-Boat. During this time the Grain Tower Fort Battery had 29 Soldiers in residence at any one time.
