Published 7 September 2000
War rescue
THUMBING through some old copies of the Grimsby Evening Telegraph which
regularly publishes articles about the sea and in particular its famous
trawler base, veteran former Folkestone boatman Fred Featherbe, of
Earlsfield Road, Hythe, hit on a story about a heroic rescue in the Channel.
It told of an unforgettable visit to Folkestone by one of the Grimsby
trawlers in wartime.
Skipper of that trawler, the Laforey, was Bill Mogg, who was quite a hero.
He had served in minesweepers in the First World War and got back into the
service at the time little ships were needed for the epic Dunkirk evacuation
in the early part of the Second World War.
And shortly after this he went to the rescue when German dive bombers
attacked and set on fire the liner Domala, packed with Australian and New
Zealand people, mainly women and children, she was taking home.
Skipper Mogg, ignoring: the Stukas dive-bombers, stayed with the liner
throughout the attack taking women and children aboard during intervals
between attacks and waited
until other ships arrived.
And when his trawler Laforey at last sailed into Folkestone it was described
as "a floating creche" because of the great number of babies aboard who had
been saved from the stricken liner.
One of the grateful mums later broadcast her thanks from New Zealand.
She said she would "never forget the sight of Skipper Mogg with babies under
his left arm, firing a Lewis gun with his right hand, meanwhile expressing
his thoughts aloud in a strong, rich vocabulary."
Skipper Mogg, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his
bravery, was later invalided out of the service, returned to fishing and
subsequently awarded the MBE.
But there is a tragic postscript to the story in another supplement from the
Grimsby paper.
It recalls the Grimsby Telegraph report, back in February 1954, which told
of the wreck of the Grimsby trawler Laforey on a reef off the Norwegian
coast.
It resulted in the loss of Skipper Mogg, 57, and all his crew of 19 - who
included his son Kenneth, 32, himself a qualified skipper, who sailed as
mate and had only recently got married.
The 609 ton trawler was found bottom up on rocks with no sign of the crew
despite a widespread search.
Earlier a coastal radio station at Floroe had picked up Laforey's distress
signal that she was ashore on Yttero and needed immediate help. Ten minutes
later a desperate SOS indicated she was listing heavily and capsizing.
At the time she had been homeward bound with her catch.
By a coincidence the trawler Stockham, which
ERRAND of mercy trawler Laforey, from Grimsby, once likened to a 'floating
creche' after she landed many babies and their mothers at Folkestone in the
last War. They were rescued from a sinking liner attacked by German fighter
bombers in the Channel.
picked up the radio message and headed ships in a rescue mission, was
skippered by Mogg's son-in-law Tom Evans.
The Grimsby paper regularly publishes supplements with a theme similar to
Memories, and with a piece recalling the tragic story of the Laforey was a
photograph of the ill-fated
trawler and Capt Mogg, as well as members of his crew.
The Grimsby Telegraph has been publishing these historical supplements for
years, exploiting what must be a massive archive of historic photographs.
I know because I have seen dozens of these interesting papers over the
years, my wife having been born in
Grimsby. Members of her family still live in Lincolnshire and she regularly
has the loan of the supplements which are circulated around family and
friends.
TOP: Memories reader Derrick Lawson showed me this interesting photo of a
Folkestone & District Road Car Co bus at the Central Station in 1914.
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1900
Massive entry for race meeting at town course.
ft Qflf\ EXCITEMENT was mounting among ^SUUthe racing fraternity with
the news that there was a big increase of GO entries, from 131 to 193.
for races at comparatively new Folkestone Racecourse at the August
meeting. And, said the editor, once the Boer War troubles were over
there would be the added support of the military. The Herald welcomed
French capital investment In the Dover Colliery on the town's boundary
and the confirmation that the "Dover Coalfield is ci'rtiim to be a great
commercial success." In the will to succeed. It seems, the cost and
difficulty of keeping water out of the shafts so they could be worked
safely, was glossed over as well organised publicity promoted the sale
ol shjres in the private concerns promoting the Kent Coalfield. Felix
backed a plea by a local cyclist about the state of the town's roads.
‘It's time the powers that be took to a bike and sampled the
conditions." The cyclist said there was hardly a street in town that
could be ridden with any pleasure. "They are uneven, cut about, strewn
with rubbish, and in every way badly cared for. Those driving in
carriages must suffer with the jolting in no small way also."
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1925
Police orchestra entertain at annual cricket festival.
ft no C I'LL BET most Herald readers didn't know that Folkestone police
once had their own orchestra. They apparently entertained at what was
once the annual cricket match between the Morchall Motor Works and the
Swingfield Cricket Club, at Swingfield. in 1925. So it was not
surprising that the town's own Chief Constable, Mr A.S. Beesley and Mrs
Beesley travelled with the Morehall team to watch the game. Director of
the orchestra was Mr P Rowe. Mr E. Hambrook jnr. who was atciinip.inird
by his father, entertained both teams and said how much his staff at the
Morehall works looked forward to the annual fixture. One local paper
carried two views of a smart looking sports car on a 30/98 Vauxhall
chassis, produced by the town's own coachbuilders. Martin Walters and
built on "fast chassis" such as Vauxhall, Delage and Bentley. The
streamlining and hand-beaten panelling came in for much praise in the
motoring, racing and sporting press. Quietly, without any pomp, a big
change took place at Folkestone's sandy beach. A sewer outfall was
switched to deeper water resulting in cleaner sands at East Cliff. And
our man Felix said he had been astounded to find anything from 1.500 to
2.000 people packed on the sands. An old boatman told him it had been
the same for weeks.
Channel swimming from Dungeness suggested
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1950
KCC objections threaten big Copt Point marina scheme.
>f Q7C A DEMAND by the KCC that entrepreneur JL*/ I 9 Sidney de Haan
should carry out further feasibility studies into his £40 million scheme
for a marina and leisure centre at Copt Point threatened the future of
the plan, said Herald’s story of the week. The KCC asked him, in effect,
to withdraw his outline plans. This Mr de Haan declined to do. a
spokesman saying the county should rule on the .ipplic>itiun before it.
Many thousands of pounds had already been spent on the project, he
pointed out. No more studies could be carried out until the County
Council decided whether or not to support Shepway Council in its outline
approval to the project. The county's decision to advise that the scheme
be withdrawn followed a site meeting and a further meeting In Maidstone.
The county proposed to tell Mr de Haan of policy objections to
development. Before overriding those objections the KCC wanted evidence
of demand for development on such a scale, proof of the developer's
financial ability to carry out the scheme, proof that the development
wnulil not be detrimental to the cliffs, coast and sea bed. Councillors
called for an impact study and a tide model to illustrate the effect on
the coastline. The scheme was for a 5-star hotel for 1,200 people, two
4-star hotels, each for 600 guests and two 3-star hotels each for 300
people. Also proposed was an international conference centre, non-tidal
marina, a casino and 200 marina apartments.
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1975
*1 QCrt4 CONTROVERSIAL suggestion was X9wwmade by a Herald reader that
Channel swimmers should make their bids from Dungeness and thereby cheat
the Channel currents which have thwarted countless a marathon swim
attempts. The writer, veteran Sandgate longshoreman Victor Foley,
reckoned the distance between Dungeness Point and Cap Gris-Nez was 22
miles - "the same as from Dover to Calais." Postponed for a week due to
the weather Folkestone Regatta rowing events were due to be held, with
11 clubs from around the South Coast as far as Southsea due to take
part. One writer in the Herald letters columns backed the editor's
Leader comment that the town's publicity department was not doing enough
to publicise Folkestone and district, while another suggested there
should be more areas lit up at night to draw attention to attractions
more obvious in the day time. In particular reference was made to the
magnificent Kingsnorth Gardens. Filming of "Green Grow the Rushes" by
A.C.T. Films, some of which was on location at New Romney. was completed
and due to be screened in November. Within a few weeks however, film
cameras were rolling again, near Lydd for the film "Man Detained," based
on Jeffrey Dell's story.
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