Published 25 April 2001

Veteran’s offer
from 1951-53 and says one of the scheduled places to visit is the UN war cemetery at Pusun, where most of the Commonwealth troops who were killed are buried.

And he writes: "I believe at least one soldier from Folkestone is buried in the cemetery."

Should any relatives be still living in the Folkestone area, he said that if they let him know he might be able to take a photo of the grave and send it to them.

He can be contacted at 35 Queen Street, Feilding, New Zealand (tel: 06 323 7278.)

Don adds that he has only been back to Folkestone once, with his wife - in 1995.

Unfortunately, he said, on that trip he was only able to track down two of his old friends in the area. But, he adds:

"Should anybody who remembers me wish to contact me I would be pleased to hear from them.

"I worked as an apprentice carpenter with the firm of C Jenner & Son and was a member of the Folkestone Motorcycle Club.

"My late brother David was a linotype operator on the Folkestone Herald until he also came out to New Zealand with his wife and son in 1955."

INTERESTING details of how the Admiralty used to augment its fleet when necessary in the old days by hiring small craft along the coast of East
Kent, is told in an interesting article in a recent issue of “The Kentish Connection" the journal of Folkestone & District Family History Society.

Writer Philip Whittingham tells how the 119 ton cutter "Swan", armed with ten carronades, firing 121b cannonballs, and having a crew of 40, was one of six ships hired from John Iggulden, of Deal, from 1803 to 1811.

Her master at one stage was Mr Francis Whittingham, of Folkestone, who survived when the small cutter was lost in an attack by Danish gunboats in 1811.

The Society is very active with a busy programme of meetings and a research programme. Chairman is Mrs Maureen Criddle, of Folkestone and membership secretary is Mrs M.J. Ingram, of Dymchurch.

‘Swing Riots’ recalled

Herald readers with an interest in smuggling around the Kent coast, which seems a subject of special interest at the moment — particularly among family history researchers — may be interested in an article in the March issue of the Bygone Kent magazine, called “The Battle of Wingham: The beginning of the End of the Hawkhurst Gang." by Henry Jones.

This gang of smugglers, of course, did not confine their nefarious activities to the Romney Marsh coastline, but ranged far and wide.
Writing to the Herald from New Zealand, Don Love, a war veteran, who

left Folkestone for a new life 'down under' in 1949, told me recently he

was all set to go on a trip down memory lane with 50 other veterans on a government sponsored return visit to Korea, and offered to help families who may have lost a loved one in that war by photographing graves.

I mentioned his letter briefly in Memories a few weeks ago. He was due to fly out on April 18.

Don served in the New Zealand army in Korea
THE ACTIVE Folkestone & District Local History Society is holding two meetings in May. On Wednesday, May 2, the Society is holding a Social Evening at the Holy Trinity Church Hall, Sandgate Road, which will be an opportunity for members and visiting guests to browse through other members’ collections of postcards, photographs and other memorabilia.

Then, on May 16 members visit the Heritage Room at the Folkestone Public Library, at Grace Hill, at 7pm where some of its archive material can be seen. For more details contact Secretary Peter Bamford, who is on 01303 223337 or chairman Alan Taylor, on 01303 252567.
THIS early charabanc, a 1912 MMS, registration number D 7838, was entirely local built, the makers being Maltby’s Motors Sandgate (MMS being their initials), who had earlier built bodies on MMC car chassis, made in Coventry. They also built charabancs and other vehicle bodies on other manufacturers’ chassis and these were a feature of the public service and leisure transport fleets of a variety of local coach proprietors, such as ‘Father’ Ernest Wills, of Cheriton, as in this case. The car appears to be in pristine, showroom condition, suggesting it was pictured soon after coming into service. But where was the photo taken - could it have been near a local station, such as Shorncliffe? I should like to know.
Another article of local interest tells of violence and arson by rioters when farms were beginning to harness more and more machinery. The serious disturbances came to be known as the "Swing Riots." This was back in the 1800s.

At one stage hardly a night passed by without the wreckers visiting some unsuspecting farmer, and smashing up machinery or setting fire to barns and corn stacks.
Sandwich and district was not alone in being plagued with the riots in 1830.

I was particularly interested to read how the one-time owner of one of the most beautiful houses in the Cinque Port of Sandwich, the Salutation, had the whole of his adjoining farm buildings and surrounding stacks of corn, beans and other crops totally burnt, despite gallant firefighting efforts of local residents.
 

Earl gives site on which to build volunteers' drill hall *1 Q01 EARL Radnor, a major land owner in Folkestone, who commanded a section of Volunteers in South Africa during the Boer War, offered a piece of land on the north side of Guildhall Street for building a drill hall, the Victoria Memorial Hall, for the local Buffs Volunteers. The Herald editor said he hoped the enthusiasm to build this would not detract from fund-raising efforts In aid of the Royal Victoria Hospital, particularly those of the women folk holding a bumper bazaar at Easter, There was overwhelming support for the memorial plan, estimated to cost from £3-5,000. A Government inspector visited Folkestone to inspect the local constabulary and, although full of praise for the policemen condemned the inadequate ‘police station’ and called for a new police station and court house. Nearly 500 soldiers left Shorncliffe Camp to relieve or strengthen British Forces still fighting Boer guerilla forces in South Africa. And nearly a hundred more wounded soldiers from the Boer War arrived at the Beach Rocks Convalescent Home at Sandgate to recuperate.

‘LadyGodivd set to ride again - in Folkestone! "I QC1 FIFTY years ago this month'Roamor' JLl/OAour Talk of the Town page writer of that time was admiring a late Bronze Age sword in remarkable condition that a soldier dropped or threw into the sea off Wear Bay about 1,000 BC. tt was trawled up in the nets of the local fishing boat FE 169 about 40 yards off the Roman villa site at East Wear Bay. No particular value was attached to the find, said Roamer, by the crew of the vessel, Messrs Harry Brice, Andrews and Neil, but when Hythe resident Mr G.F. Finn saw their catch being sorted, back in the Fish-market, he thought it might be Roman and sent it to the British Museum for their opinion. Afterwards it was destined to be presented to Folkestone Museum. The official verdict was that it was a typical leaf-shaped sword of around 500 - 1.000BC. The Herald carried a photograph on its front page of Private Harold Edwards, of Dymchurch Road, Hythe who was serving in the “Shiney Three Platoon" of the Middlesex Regt in the Korean War. Martin Walters’ opened new Standard and Triumph car showrooms at Morehall, having been Standard agents since 1919, Film makers were set to begin filming Lady Godiva Rides Again in Folkestone.

Flying pioneer visits town to talk on Capetown flight "I CIOftTHE GREAT pioneering flight of Alan bL«74£Ocobham from London to Capetown and back In an aircraft powered by Armstrong Siddeley aero engines was being used to help promote the local sales of a range of Armstrong Siddeley cars, of 14 to 30hp. The garage of Martin Winser Ltd, of Christchurch Road and Bouverle Road West was granted the franchise for their sale in Folkestone, Sandgate and Hythe and opened a new showroom. Prices ranged from £330 to £1,000. And at the end of March the revered aviator visited the town to talk about his epoch making flights to members of the Bouverie Society. Tributes were being paid to the late Lewis James Drake Brockman, 73, solicitor and former clerk to the Urban District Council who masterminded Sandgate's fight for aid to repair sea defences. His efforts led the House of Lords to order the KCC to meet two-thirds of the cost. The same week local residents collected names for a petition protesting at removal of shingle from the beach, the town’s natural protection against erosion, for builds ing. George Spurgen received an address of thanks marking his long association with the Radnor Park Congregational (now United Reformed) Church.

Something sinister lurks at bottom of the garden •I Ckm7CZ THERE were fears for the safety of modern JL%7fO homes at Golden Valley estate, after a landslip. One family’s sloping garden virtually disappeared, leaving a boundary fence swinging in the wind above a void only 30ft away from his home, and another resident was warned not to go to the bottom of his garden! It was said the earth slip followed removal of a quantity of earth at the bottom of the slope to build two houses fronting the Enbrook Valley. Consulting engineers were considering a scheme to stabilise the bank and the District Council was closely monitoring the situation which could: affect their property, and was recording earth movements. Former chairman of Folkestone Chamber of Trade Ron Jones, of Lyminge, former regional director of the car firm Henlys (Folkestone) Ltd, acquired a controlling interest in the old business of A Checksfield & Sons Ltd, motor engineers at Dymchurch, as Sidney and Ernest Checksfieid prepared to retire. Sidney’s two sons, Peter and Andrew, continued as directors. The firm was founded by Albert Checksfield, a steam engineer who drove steam ploughing engines and threshing machines on his father's Burmarsh farm. In 1911, however he entered the motor trade with a secondhand Star car as a taxi, plying to and from Folkestone, Hythe and Sandling Stations.