Above photo kindly sent by Peter Russell, showing a damaged photo of the "Alexandra Hotel" from between 1934 and 1943.

From an email received on 1 September 2010

A military colleague of my Great(*3) Grandfather was the proprietor of "The Alexandria Hotel" from at least 1911 until his death there on 26th July 1915. His name was John Edwards Barber (b June 1852 in Norwich). He had previously been a Sgt Major in the Army (1867–93 4^th Queens Own Hussars and Bucks Yeomanry).

My Gt(*3) Grandfather Bernard Curran was a Sgt in the 4^th Hussars with him. J E Barber married Bernard’s sister (Catherine Ellen Curran) in 1882. She died in 1900 and he re-married  Mary Anne Butler (who was at The Alexandria with him).

Prior to going to Kent he had been the licensee of the “Brazen Serpent PH” in Bermondsey which had previously been run by my Great(*3) Grandfather until his death in 1899.

It was, I believe quite frequent for Army Pensioners to set up running pubs/hotels after their military career was over.

Best wishes,

Chris Formaggia.

From an email received on 4 October 2010

My grandad was Frank May, he was a veteran of the Boer War and re-enlisted for WW1 in 1914.

His pub history is as follows:-

In 1913 he was noted in the Post Office directory as a beer retailer in Bethersden and understand from Kevan at deadpubs that this was the Royal Standard Ashford Road Bethersden.

In 1919 on demob his army records show his wife Agnes was at the Lord Nelson Radnor Street Folkestone.

In 1934 and 1938 as recorded in the directories he was at the "Alexandra Hotel," 9 Harbour Street Folkestone. He was in the pub during the war years and was bombed out, perhaps this was when the licence was suspended in 1943, as he did not have serviceable premises. He died in March 1949 so perhaps his licence continued with someone else?

He was an army pensioner from the Boer War and served with the Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment recruited in Dover. During WW1 he served with the (Buffs) Royal West Kent Regiment the Royal Defence Corps and the Military Provost Staff Corps. The latter role involved looking after German prisoners of war. My mother told me that owing to the flu epidemic in 1918/19 prisoners would help around the home as so many people were laid up.

I attach a picture taken during my grandads ownership so say between 1934 and 1943 when the bomb struck. I understand that grandad was trapped in the rubble for some time before he was dug out, I had also understood that bar staff were killed but can find no record amongst the war casualties, perhaps it was reported in the papers.

Kind regards Peter Russell.