From the Folkestone Herald Published 6 January 2000
Documentary
SUSAN Tilley, writing on behalf of Steve Humphries, director, producer
and writer for Testimony Films, of Bristol, is seeking Herald readers’
memories of Edwardian childhood for what is described as a major new BBC1
documentary for broadcast this year.
Obviously, she says, those readers will now be in their nineties or
hundreds and it may well be that younger relatives or carers may care to
respond to the appeal on their behalf.
“We are a company specialising in social history programmes based on the
life stories of the elderly - our Channel 4 series Green and Pleasant Land
is one example,” says Susan.
Awards.
“We have made a number of award winning series like Veterans, for BBC 1,
The Call of the Sea, for BBC 2 and The Roses of No Man’s Land about nurses
during the Great War (1914-18) for Channel 4.”
Susan Tilley goes on to say that the current research concerns
experiences of childhood at the beginning of the century and she adds “I am
interested in stories from readers, now in their nineties or hundreds, of
growing up in the 1900s.
“An Edwardian childhood was very different from today. For many it meant
poverty, strict discipline, a ‘seen and not heard’ attitude from adults and,
going out to work at a very young age.
“Boys and girls had few toys and had to invent many of their own games
and entertainment.
“A huge gulf separated the classes: at the top rich children led pampered
lives while at the very bottom, 50,000 boys and girls had a tough,
institutionalised childhood in the nation’s orphanages.
“If you have vivid, personal stories of the 1900s or know an elderly
relative who has, please write to me, Susan Tilley, at Testimony Films, 12
Great George Street, Bristol BS1 5RS.”
One of the readers who was particularly interested in the photograph of
Denhams featured in Memories at the beginning of December is Pat Large, of
Hadlow, Tonbridge, who was sent a copy of the article by a cousin.
And she wrote to tell me: “My late father, Roland Herbert Ludlam, known
as Ron or Rolli, worked for Denhams until he became ill.” Sadly, she added,
he subsequently died in 1954 at the age of 41.
‘Renteevee’
Pat adds that she would be interested to hear more about the radio and
electrical business of Denhams.
Well, Pat, Doug Denham, 83, who built up the business, contacted me soon
after the Memories article appeared and has promised to contact me soon with
more details. So watch this space!
He did tell me he started off at 14 making bicycles and, after signing up
in the RAF reserve, was called up in the air force only to be captured and
became a prisoner of war of the Japanese for over three years.
After the war he built up his electrical business, at one time renting
out 10,000 TV sets and having 14 vans. Not bad for a business which
began with a shop in Church Street and later had one three-wheeler vehicle
delivering accumulators!
The business secured some major contracts and he particularly remembered
converting the old Cheriton Laundry from steam to electric power over one
weekend and a contract to rewire 2,000 houses.
Mr Denham, who has outlived three wives, has two sons, three daughters,
six grandchildren and one great-grand-daughter living in Australia.
At one stage he went to Australia but did not like it and ca-me back to
live in Dorset. He has been a widower for six years.
PROBABLY dating from around 1937/38 this big outing group is made up of
staff of the former Folkestone building company of Otto Marx which carried
out many large construction contracts in the district.
It was the firm's annual outing and they were headed for Hastings. The
company’s offices were in Sandgate Road.
In the front row, second from the left, is Bill Gains, Len Marx is eighth
from the left and Otto Marx ninth from the left, while Bill Houghton is
fourteenth from the left.
The picture was shown to Alan Taylor by Cyril Miller, who is seventh from
the left in the fifth row from the back. In the same row, fourth from the
left is Stan Patrick, and ninth from the left Clarence Miller, while Jimmy
James is seventh from the left, in the second row from the front.
I would pity anyone who had to note down a full, left to right caption,
with ail the names!
League of Lasting Kindness.
Folkestone Herald reader Mrs J. Ratcliffe is wondering if anyone can
remember the “League of Lasting Kindness” to which she belonged as a child.
She believes it was a large organisation and recalls the members had little
badges. It was run by the Herald, in the 1930s. She would like to know when
it started and other details. Her Wye number is 01233 812925.
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1900
Folkestone top town for volunteers to fight Boers.
MP FOR Folkestone and Hythe Sir. Edward Sassoon set off for a trip to Egypt by way of Khartoum.
Folkestone Town Council decided to waive the district rates payable by
the families of reservists called up for service in South Africa and the
Mayor wrote to Dover Council suggesting they consider doing the same.
More than 40 men of the Folkestone company of the Buffs, aged between 20
and 35, were reported to have volunteered for service in South Africa
and subject to their being medically fit would form a company and sent
out to join the 2nd Buffs Regiment Another company would be formed as
Reserves on their enlistment for a minimum of 12 months. Capt Gosling,
popular CO of the Folkestone company was to lead the men going out to
Africa. More men had volunteered from the Folkestone Company than from
any in the battalion by a long way; The Channel ports were mourning the
death of one of the pioneers of organised steamship crossings carrying
the Royal Mall, as well as the Belgian and French mails, Joseph George
Churchward, 81. A year before he gave up public service after 50 years,
retiring as chairman of Dover Rural District Council. For years he lived
at Kearsney Abbey, now a public park.
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1925
New Year gets off to bad start with port tragedy.
THE NEW Year got off to a bad start with a tragedy in
the harbour, a lorry being blown Into it during stormy weather at low
tide and the owner-driver William Belsey, a horse meat carrier, from
Whitfield; Dover, was killed. The lorry fell 20 ft and landed upside
down In the mud trapping Mr Belsey who was killed, In his cab. Just
before the incident the lorry had apparently been Involved In collision
with a car driven by Albert Edward Hance, a driver for local baker Mr L.
T. Jarrett. Reviewing the past year the Folkestone Herald noted that
there were no particularly remarkable events, apart from the discovery
of the burled remains of an important Roman villa at East Cliff, but
there had been a record number of visitors to the town by train and the
town had never had a summer season before when there had been a greater
number of visitors. The Town Council decided to drop further
consideration of the West Cliff House site, off Sandgate Road, for a
band pavilion following a letter from land owner Lord Radnor who said he
had offered to give land at Clifton Crescent, but not West Cliff House
for a pavilion. It was agreed to seek tenders for a band pavilion in
front of the teas Concert Hall for which Parliamentary powers had been
obtained to spend up to £100,000.
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1950
Year dawns with dispute over Pavilion bar music.
THE YEAR began with deadlock between the Town Council and the Musicians’ Union which banned ‘canned’ music for dancing at the East
Cliff Pavilion. The Union wanted a trio, at least of musicians to be
employed on certain if not all nights of the week. The council held that
the cost could not be justified. The trouble was It was a licensed
restaurant to which the public had a right of entry and to make a charge
for entry was difficult. To cover the cost of a ‘band’ of £13(!) a week
the Pavilion would have to sell 1,100 drinks. During ploughing of
extensive pasture at Burmarsh, opposite Paire's Cottages some very large
stones, apparently the foundations of an old moated house of large
proportions, were unearthed just below the surface. Charles Beeching
and his two sons began digging to remove them but were thwarted by the
large number involved. Medieval pottery was also unearthed and at the
request of the Folkestone Herald well known local archaeologist Miss Ann
Roper Inspected the site. The panto Aladdin at the Pleasure Gardens
Theatre attracted large numbers, including a remarkable party of a
thousand from Deal, travelling In 13 double-decker buses. Tribute to the
courtesy and kindness of Folkestone people whether in shops or offices,
or humble porters, was paid by Ruth Adam, wife of Kenneth Adam, the
BBC's PR director, of Great Chart.
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1975
Arts director slams hasty demolition of old property.
ONE OF the most pleasant towns on the South Coast in the mid-1960s Folkestone was a mess In 1975 - according to
John Evelelgh, principal of Folkestone Arts Centre who condemned those
who permitted the demolition of old buildings “without being able to put
up better ones” in their place. If there was shortage of money for
rebuilding then means should be found to modify or renovate the old
ones, he said, as Canterbury had done, with multi-storey car parks sited
away from the town centre with its pedestrian precincts. Foreland Marine
(Folkestone) Ltd set a triple goal for 1975, aiming to put the town on
the map as a marine centre. It revealed plans for two new models to be
built at Its Warren Road works, exhibiting again at the national boat
show at Earls Court and to stock a complete range of world-beating water
skis. A ships chandlery business was also planned. Federation Homes Ltd
were refused consent to build on the old TurnpIke Campsite of 20 acres,
at Hythe, at the rate of 15 homes an acre. Also turned down was a block
of 34 flats on the former School of Infantry land in Hythe. on traffic
grounds. The council also rejected plans to knock down Morehall service
station and adjoining house to build a bigger garage, on the grounds
demolition of the house was not justified and it was an area where
commercial development was undesirable.
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