Published 2 November 2000
Local History Society’s annual exhibition of old photographs, postcards
and documents, in the attractive Roman Catholic Church Hall in Surrenden
Road, Cheriton. The Society had the support of the Local Studies section of
Folkestone Public Library.
It’s quite amazing how new pictures keep turning up with a road transport
theme, which Is a special Interest of mine, not to mention other forms of
early road transport and the harbour.
I noted one of the early Cheriton Baptists’ outings was to Elmsted Chapel,
that was in June 1910. An identical postcard had only a few weeks before
been shown to me by Folkestone born enthusiast Peter Hooper.
Reading back issues of the Herald to compile the From Our Files section I
came across an old picture of what was described as the first motor coach
outing from Folkestone -from the True Briton Hotel, Harbour Street -
featuring a fascinating line-up of early open-top cars.
CHERITON FIREMEN, a picture shown to me by Peter Bamford. Can you perhaps
recognise your father - or grandfather - I wonder?
Help wanted
Secretary of Folkestone & District Local History Society Peter Bamford, of
Shorncliffe Crescent, Folkestone, who has a fine collection of pictures of
old Cheriton and is always on the look out for new ones, is appealing for
the help of Memories readers. His number is 01303 223337.
He is trying to identify the men in two pictures. Firstly there is a photo
of ARP Wardens of Folkestone ‘C’ Group, who served from 1937 to 1942. The
squad is pictured at Baker Road, outside what is now part of the clinic at
Cheriton.
The only names he has are Mr Tozer, in the centre of the back row, while a
Mr May is thought to be the man seated on the left.
In the Cheriton Fire Brigade group, pictured around 1921/22, in which
several firemen are wearing their First World War medals, he only knows the
name of the chief man, Mr Lucas, on the left.
Sadly the picture is not very sharp.
The well supported exhibition was at Folkestone & District
That outing was in June 1903 and organised by the hotel to Rye and Tunbridge
Wells. I was amused by the caption to the picture which was reproduced 50
years after the event by our former midweek paper the Folkestone & Hythe
Gazette. He wrote “It was a record outing. Only two cars breaking down. One
went direct to^Rye after repairs at Hawkhurst; the other returned home twp
days later.” What nostalgia.
There appear to have been eight cars in the party which set off in the
picture taken by W. Tiddy of Folkestone. Eamonn Rooney and Martin Easdown
included a similar picture in their recently published book Tales from the
Tap Room, but it does not show a full line-up of cars. (The book was
published locally by Marlin Publications.)
I featured the bigger group in 1996 in our pull-out “Wheels” motoring
section. And I appealed for sight of an original copy of the photograph,
toying with an idea to write a book on motoring in this area. A reader
offered to show me one - but I think he forgot to get back to me. Any
offers?
Picture request
A SUPERB gathering of early motor cars outside the London & Paris, T rue
Briton and Harbour Inn, in 1910, read the caption to this picture in Tales
from the Taproom.
A.R.P. WARDENS Folkestone Group 'C' 1937-42 pose for this old postcard shown
to me by Peter Hooper. Can you name them?
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1900
Shorncliffe tournament features on lirst’film.
«f QrtrtTHE FIRST cine film camcras were _L*?wV/appcaring and the Herald
noted that Folkestone's big Military Tournament was recorded on "cineomatograph"
film for the Biograph Company and the “animated pictures" were to be
shown at the Pleasure Gardens Theatre and other centres, which would be
good publicity for the district. Shorncliffe Camp commandant
Major-General Hallam Parr invited all the 3.500 local schoolchildren to
the event and they were captivated by events. Smaller children were
conveyed to the Pleasure Gardens Theatre for the opening event of the
three-day tournament in wagons, each drawn by four horses and driven by
Dragoons and Artillerymen. VIP spectators Included Princess Stephanie of
Austria and husband, but pride of place went to white-haired Chelsea
Pensioners, from Sandgate. who were also invited, wearing their war
medals. A 601b salmon, largest of the season from Scotland, was on
display in Webb's West End Fish & Poultry Stores. It had been bought by
the Langhorne Boarding House in Folkestone. A 14ft shark was also
displayed.
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1925
‘Speeding’ on Leas leads to call fora lOmph limit.
«f Q/jr A COUNCIL Watch Committee renewed the bus licence of a one-eyed
driver involved in two accidents. This was after it had been pointed out
he had been exonerated from blame in both cases. Following complaints of
speeding on the Leas it was decided to seek powers to impose a lOmph
speed limit. You would think Folkestone has always been keen to preserve
the East Cliff s.mds but back in 1925 a reader was asking why someone
was being allowed to excavate and remove sand from the beach. Week after
week tons of sand had been removed, said the writer, whose name was W.
L. Cole. Holes were 12ft square and several deep. A tragedy in the
Warren led to talk of filling in the pond there but some councillors
feared this would detract from attractions of the area. One-third size
replicas of famous Flying Scotsman mainlinr IccuniotiVL"-, the Green
Goddess and Northern Chief, had been built for Captain Howey's Romney,
Hythe & Dymchurch Railway which was soon to run across the Romney Marsh.
The Herald featured a picture of the 25ft luni; Green Goddess which had
been successfully tested on the testing seven miles of the Eskdale
mountain railway, hauling 20 and 30 carriages with ease.
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1950
Folkestone night fighter pilot chalked upalirst’.
m QEftWELL known businessman Robert JLS/Oi/'Bob' Darney, who was born in
Folkestone and became one of the first pilots of the old Royal Flying
Corps to engage in night fighter operations, was being mourned in the
town. He was only 51. He followed in his father's footsteps and became a
partner in the firm of Swoffer & Co. wholesale fruit merchants. A court
at New Romney was prosecuting an un-married woman who was using a
bathing hut as a home at St Mary's Bay after being fined £2 with costs
back in May for living in it. She tried to get consent to use it as a
home without success. A KCC planning officer said she had even set about
enlarging the hut, which had no toilet. The court imposed a penalty of
£1 a day that she used the hut. They had power to make it £20. The late
photographer Ray Warner, of Wear Bay Crescent, had two fine portraits
accepted for an exhibition in London. One was of “coal heaver" Joe Dixon
MM, which was printed in the paper. Ray went on to run the Lambert &
Weston business in Dover and eventually, before he retired, took over
the Townwall Street shop.
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1975
Dunkirk hero adds second ‘gong’ to bravery awards.
«( HISTORIC Mill House at Froi;h.nu was JmtJ I O reprieved at the last minute, after plans for the proposed M20
motorway were changed. But a fight by three young squatters to continue
living there went on. The Department of the Environment, which bought
the property to demolish it, sought an eviction order against the
squatters who offered £11 a week in rent. Shepway Council had declined
to use the property for temporary accommodation. Elderly folk living in
P.mlion Court on Folkestone seafront got little sympathy it seemed when
they sent a barrage of complaints about conditions to owner Mr Motel
Burstin. "Those who don't like it and feel so bitter, should move." was
his blunt reaction. But a few years before the flats were advertised in
top magazine The Lady as being suitable for "retired gentle folk.”
Tenants' hopes of a peaceful environment were dashed by the building of
the towering Motel Burstin hotel. Mr Burstin said that in future he
would not let the flats to the elderly. And he also promised repairs and
a kicolift for the building and surrounding area. 30 years late war hero
Victor Tozer added a second honour to his Military Medal won in Burma
for helping injured soldiers cscape from the Japanese. A Dunkirk
veteran, the garage manager learned he had been awarded the French Croix
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