The outbreak of the First World War saw a massive increase in the need for munitions. The mills in the marshes near Faversham were a major production centre, sending their output by river barges to the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. Hundreds of workers were travelling daily across the marshland from nearby villages and towns to work in the mills. 1916 was a particularly wet year, and these journeys became intolerable. In order to efficiently move workers to and from the factories, the Davington Light Railway was laid between Davington and between Uplees.