Published 22 August 2002

Reader recalls the 60s
A CORONATION Party group at the old Empress Ballroom, in Dover Road, in 1953, a photo sent in by David Sheppard.
David Sheppard, who works in Saudi Arabia as an electrical engineer for BA Systems, says he has the Herald sent to him every week and was interested in the recent Memories picture of an outing group at East Cliff featuring Tony Dickinson, an old friend of his from teenage days. And, on a recent trip home from Al Kharj, he met up with him, he tells me.

"I grew up living in the prefabs in Hollands Avenue, a really nice community and I read the Herald each week from back to front!" writes David, enclosing two photographs his mother gave him during his visit, which he thought might interest Memories readers.

The picture of the gathering of mothers and children is of the Coronation party held at the Empress Ballroom, on Dover Road, between Pickfords, removers at the bottom and the Copper Kettle, at the top, says David.

"In my teenage years in the 1960s I played in several groups and that was one of the places we played. I saw many famous groups there, including Chris Farlow, Joe Brown and David Bowie.
"The Sunday night dances were run by the manager of the shoe shop at the top of the old High Street I think, Lilley & Skinner, along with two ladies.

'However, the Coronation party was organised by the lady sitting four from the left, a Scot called Mrs Hall. She had a daughter Joan and was also instrumental, via petitions, in getting the No.100 bus service provided, which ran from Hollands Avenue to Cheriton library, originally provided for the children to go to school.

"I actually met my wife getting off the bus in Sandgate where I was working re-wiring The Hermitage, as an apprentice electrician for J.W.H. Pemble, of Broadmead Road. This business is no longer there but at the time it was one of the biggest electrical contractors in the town.

"The man with the lack of hair, standing on the left, is Mr Lever who was the first traffic warden in Folkestone. He had a son and daughter, Peter and Patsy. I am standing fourth from the right at the back with my mouth open - I think we had been told to shout, or I was hungry!

"Some of the others I recognise are Mr Lever, Mrs
Hyhams, whose husband Jimmy was the plasterer and later hotel owner, and responsible with others for a lot of postwar housing in the town, including Lynwood. Then there is Mrs Musk, Mrs Anslow, Mrs Bokovitch, Mrs Fuggle, Mrs Hopkins, Mrs Sheppard (my mother) and Mrs Hatchwell.

"Seated left to right, others included Mrs Andrews, Mrs Smith; possibly a Canadian, Mrs Hall. Beyond an elderly couple I don’t remember was Mrs Daddy. Mrs Land, Mrs Peerless and, at the end, my friend Roger Harrington's mother.

"After the party we returned to Hollands Avenue where we were entertained by a man with a barrel organ and a monkey. I haven't included all the children's names, as I hope they will recognise themselves, as, no doubt will the mothers whose names I have missed.

"I hope this jogs a few memories," writes David, who also lent a picture of his old cub scouts pack which he thought was the 25th Folkestone.

The group includes my colleague known to many as simply "Corky," but I will spare his blushes - at least until next week. The top picture is just a taster!
"Grand Slam' revived

GRAND Slam motorcycle grass track racing events are returning to Rhodes Minnis. These major fixtures of the racing calendar back in the 1960s and 1970s and are being revived after agreement was reached to hold events at the Rhodes Minnis track once a year.

Memories reader and a motorcycling enthusiast for over 40 years Peter Hogben tells me the Astra club, which used to run events at Lydden circuit when promoter Bill Chesson was the owner, plans to hold the first of the newly revived international events on September 15 and says some top riders can be expected.

The big event also promises to attract some very special guests, including ex-riders of the 1960s and 1970s, who will recall when the Rhodes Minnis championship events were second only to the National Championships.
 

New refuse disposal plan promises to end menace A QftO RELIEF from noxious fumes in summer the Council's refuse heaps on land outside the town was at hand. Councillors finally acted on repeated complaints and decided to buy a site for the construction of a refuse 'cli'striiclor' to get rid of the town's rubbish. The target site was north of what was known as the Pavilion Estate, part of the property of Lord Radnor, who was the Mayor. The Herald welcomed the news but expressed the hope it would not take months to get on with the long-needed scheme, which the Council had contrived to put off. year after year. Meanwhile it was decided to dump refuse on the former Folkestone brickyard site near Park Farm. A handsome silver gilt pendant, featuring in fine enamel a view of Sandgate Castle as it was in 1539. was presented to the Chairman of Sandgate Council, Mr O.H. Smith JP, in his second year of office. The pendant, to be added to the recently presented chairman's chain of office, marked SO years of local government in Sandgate. celebrated in 1900. An anonymous writer questioned the practice of placing new street lighting in the centre of roads, which could create a danger in some cases.

Walt Disney guests as a driver on Hythe railway <| Q M WALT Disney, a miniature railway enthu-.L«/3^sfast, visited the Romney. Hythe & Dymchurch Railway and, after lunching with owner Capt J.E.P. Howey. took a turn al driving the steam locomotive "Green Goddess," being pictured by the Herald appropriately dressed in grimy dungarees, black peaked cap and red neckerchief. It was revealed that he had his own miniature railway, half the size of the Hythe trains in the grounds of his Beverley Hills home. A letter writer was calling for big changes in the regular service being provided by the East Kent Road Car Co, referring to tortuous routes taken leading to high fares and buses chasing after each other in Cheriton Road. At Sandgate there was a spot of excitement for holidaymakers as three women school teachers in a car veered over the seawall and crashed upside down on the beach. The teachers from Wales were taken to hospital suffering shock and bruises after being extricated from their car by holidaymakers and passersby. It was said that a wheel came off but the Herald photo of the upside-down vehicle seemed to conflict with that statement. Staff of the Grand Hotel, Folkestone, represented by chef Albert Bols and another member of staff, Mrs Sims, prosented a well-made nursery -ound>ibout to the local Bruce Porter Home.

Duke of York joins guests swimming off Dymchurch «|Q<57the herai-d featured a photograph I showing the Duke of York in one-piece swimming costume swimming with companions in the se i while on a visit to Jesson Camp, near Dymchurch. His Royal Highness was host to 200 public schoolboys, plus an equal number from factories and workshops all over the country, who came together with 80 'old boys' at an organised camp. Another photo showed him taking a tumble while playing push-ball. There was also a photograph of the attractive, newly-built detached house, built on a site given by Viscount Folkestone, which was first prize in the tombola, at the eighth annual Hospital Fete and Children's Fair, organised over three sunny days by the Folkestone Brotherhood of Cheerful Sparrows friendly society. Winner was one of two sisters, both octogenarians. Miss B Nyron. who lived at Slade Street. Hythe, the grand-daughters of a once very well known cricketer, James Nyren. The second prize, a new Morris Oxford 15.9hp car, went to a woman from Marble Arch. London. The profit was expected to be £3,000 up on 1926, to about £10,000. bringing the total raised since the First World War to nearly £24.000.

Park Farm schoolchildren run ‘gauntlet of death’ «| Q77PUPILS who played Russian roulette with f f heavy traffic outside their schools faced having the odds stacked high against them. It was feared indu.stn>il expansion for Park Farm industrial estate, approved by a Council committee, would add 110 vehicles a day to the "gauntlet of death" already run by the children of Upper and Lower Wyndgate Schools, in Park Farm Road, reported the Herald. Councillor Tony Deighton pointed out it was the KCC which gave consent to build schools on busy roads. A spokesman for the PTA said the town needed jobs but also adequate roads for the lurries that went by the schools. Organisers were hoping that the town's first Jubilee Spectacular could take the place of the once regular military tattoo which was axed after cutbacks In defence expenditure. The spectacular programme was to span three days. Proprietors of the New Metropole restaurant and bar, Mr and Mrs Roland Tomlin, had jewellery of great sentimental value, said to be worth £4,000, stolen from their flat, but there was no sigh of a break-in. Shepway Council housing department was being accused of using such tough tactics that it made the authority look like marriage wreckers, it was claimed. The trouble was they were forced to live with parents because they could not get on the long waiting list for homes.