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FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR:
A Record of the Town's Life and Work.
EDITED BY
J. C. CARLILE, D.D.,
WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY
Lieut.-Col. A. Atkinson, A. J. Crowhurst, Eric
Condy, Captain W. R. Fairbairn, G. W. Haines,
H.H., E. J. Mackway, Rear-Admiral Yelverton, C.B.
and the Editor.
Published by
F. J. Parsons, Ltd., Folkestone.
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CONTENTS.
Page Foreword (/. C. Carlile) 4
Chapter I. — Folkestone, August, 1914,
(J. C. Carlile) 5
Chapter II. — Our Belgian Guests (J. C.
Carlile) 12
Chapter III. — The Call to the Colours
{Lieut. -Colonel A% Atkinson, Captain
W. R. Fairbairn, and G. W. Haines) 36 Chapter IV. — Shaping the New Army
(The Editor and Lieut. -Colonel E. M.
Liddell) 56
Chapter V. — In Case it Happened (/. C.
Carlile) ... 72
Chapter VI.— The Air Raids (A. J. Crowhurst) 87 Chapter VII. — Care of the Sick and
Wounded (Various Contributors) ... 131 Chapter VIII. — Social Life in War Time
(E. J. Mackway) 145
Chapter IX. — Canadian Life in Folkestone
(J. C. Carlile) 160
Chapter X. — Cross-Channel Service (Rear- Admiral Yelverton and Others) ... 186 Chapter XI. — Providing Silver Bullets
(J. C. Carlile) 199
Chapter XII. — The Leas as an Observation
Post (H. H.) 208
Chapter XIII. — Work of the Churches
(Eric Condy) 220
Chapter XIV.— Heroes Who Did Not
Return 236
345608
FOREWORD.
This volume is an evidence of local patriotism. It was made possible by the public spirit of the writers and publishers, to whom the Editor expresses his indebtedness.
No town in England has a record of war work comparable with that of Folkestone. The coast-line from Dover to Hythe forms a strategic point of vital importance. It was not only the nearest to the fighting line, but the key-position to England. Looking back, it is wonderful to observe how little it suffered and how nobly it bore the strain of continual anxiety.
The information contained in the chapters has been obtained from official sources, and from those actually responsible for the work described. The Editor has had the assistance of officials of Government Depart- ments, the Consul of France, the Vice-Consul of Belgium, Colonel Aytoun, Colonel Wright, Mr. A. F. Kidson, Mr. W. H. Routly, Mr. H. Evans, and others, in addition to those who have contributed signed articles. Mr. A. J. Crowhurst has rendered valuable help in revising the proofs, and Mr. Stuart Hills has compiled the list of the fallen.
FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR:
A Record of the Town's Life and Activities.
CHAPTER I.
FOLKESTONE IN 1914.
By the Editor.
August, 1914, seems almost prehistoric, so remote that it is difficult to reconstruct the period. Yet the world went very well then. The Folkestone season was opening ; thousands of visitors had flocked to the town, attracted by the health-giving qualities of the breezes from the sea and the charm of the scenery. Passengers crossing from the Continent watch for the white cliffs that stand for England. How lovely they are to the eyes of wanderers returning home. They are as welcome as the grasp of friendship. As the ship comes nearer there is the view of the Warren — called " Little Switzerland." It is always a dream of beauty to lovers of Nature : the cliffs with their glory of gold, blue, and white, the wealth of wild flowers, the deep ravines ; the beach with its boulders flung about as if by giants in their sport ; the growths of moss ; sheltered nooks that lovers linger to explore ; the trees rich in foliage and music ; and the sea with its fantastic crests upon the waves and restless move- ment ; all creating an impression upon memory that remains among the precious things of life. The Warren is always a picture, but hardly ever seen
b FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
just as it was before. Visitors continually remark how changed it is since they last saw it. They are right ; it is ever changing ; the peculiar charm it pos- sesses is the creation of the light over the haze that hangs about its depths and pools of fresh water, continually being transformed into suggestions of unsuspected beauty.
On the other side of the Harbour there is the long stretch of the Leas. There England is green to the sea ; the varied heights connected by the narrow winding paths between the trees, the resting-places of birds in song. The charm of the Lower Road is in danger of being marred by the stalls of the traders that dot the beach like rabbit hutches in a back garden. The road, with the old Toll-house and gate, and Sandgate Castle at the end, makes one of the prettiest picture postcards in the country. The steep cliffs and cable elevators remind one of Swiss scenery. Above, there is the table-land of the Leas, one of the finest pro- menades by the sea to be found in England, and one of the most popular health resorts in the world. The air has the scent of the flowers and the firs, mingled with the salt of the sea. On the Leas there is the strong tonic of the breeze ; down on the Lower Road, sheltered from the winds, there is a warmer climate, so welcome to the invalid, and all round there is the panorama of beauty.
The Harbour is always a source of interest. Fishing- boats come and go with their copper-coloured sails. The Market, with its quaint background of little cottages built into the cliff, tells a bit of history to any who care to learn. The Harbour is one of the main entrances to England, a favourite place for
FOLKESTONE IN I9I4. 7
sea anglers, and those who find delight in watching the passing show of many-sided humanity never fail to discover a new phase.
The Leas presented an animated picture in July, 1914. All varieties of fashion were represented along the famous promenade. The band — one of the best in the country — played at the end of the Leas, between the Hotels Metropole and Grand. Behind, the hills stretched in their varied loveliness ; Caesar's Camp and Sugar Loaf stood out in all their glory of living green. The sky was as near the Mediterranean blue as one was likely to see in England. The ships going up and down the Channel provided endless interest and speculation ; the sea was as calm as a mill-pond, and down the picturesque slope from the Leas to the beach the birds sang in the fir-trees, and the children played among the bracken. Little did the happy throng of visitors dream that, just across the Channel, were all the preparations for a great War, that would outrage Belgium, and lay waste the fair fields of France ; and that Britain within a few days would be plunged into a conflict such as the world had never known. It is a happy arrangement that humans are unable to read the future. Could the veil have been lifted, there would have been no sound of laughter on the Leas ; the joy would have gone from the faces of the girls, and the frivolity from the talk of the boys.
The retired captains played their golf in the morn- ing, slept in the afternoon, managed to get a rubber of bridge in the evening, or occupied themselves with a discussion of the morning game and a pipe. The admirals who had been on half-pay for more
8 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
years than ladies cared to remember strolled down to the seats by the Shelter, and swept the sea with their glasses, discussed the character of the craft, then read their papers and dozed.
Very few people had any conception of the approach of the War. True, Admiral Penrose-Fitzgerald and some others were quite sure that Germany in- tended War with France, and ultimately the invasion of England. The gallant Admiral had written and spoken upon the subject ; but men smiled and thought him a crank. For the rest, the politicians and the public did not dream that the assassination of the heir to the Austrian throne and his consort would be made, not the reason, but the excuse, for Germany's ruthless campaign for world-power.
When the possibility of War became clear, there was great anxiety in Folkestone. There were many German and Austrian residents ; scarcely one of the hotels or larger pensions was without Germans on the staff. One place of worship had a German Bible Class, with more than eighty members and associates. These men, all of military age, were teachers and better- class waiters. To them, the prospect of war was a very real thing, and when the message came for them to leave the country the "Good-byes " were most affecting. It was said that a ship-load of enemy aliens was detained until war was actually declared, and then carried round to a neighbouring port to be interned for the duration of the war, greatly to the satisfaction of the prisoners.
When the news came, on August 4th, that England was at war, it seemed as the falling of a bolt from the blue. English people knew nothing of the actuality
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of a great war. The South African affair was child's play in comparison with what everybody recognised would happen if the most powerful Empires in the world faced each other in deadly conflict. We knew enough of Germany to know that she would fight with desperation ; that her plans had been well laid, and nothing left to chance. The honest efforts of Sir Edward Grey to preserve Peace ended in failure. The responsibility rested with the Kaiser and his advisers, and rightly upon them the Nemesis of Fate has fallen.
The news of war cleared the town of Folkestone as effectively as though a plague had desolated her homes. The ' ' knuts ' ' left the Leas ; there was a return to town. Within a few days 285 German reservists arrived at the Harbour to join the Kaiser's forces. They were detained on the ground that the time allowed for enemy aliens to leave the country had expired ; they did not seem distressed by the news. An escort was sent down from the camp, and the prisoners were marched along Sandgate Road, and finally sent to very comfortable quarters at Christ's Hospital School, Horsham.
Within seven days of the Declaration of War Folke- stone was made a prohibited area. All aliens were required to register and satisfy the Chief Constable as to their reasons for wishing to remain in the town. During the first week more than 1,000 aliens applied for permits.
Patriotic demonstrations were held, and many men joined the colours. The Folkestone Territorials were invited to volunteer for service abroad, and quite a large percentage — officers and men — readily
10 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
responded to the call of the country. The local R.A.M.C. rapidly prepared for work in the field, and offered to go wherever they might be required. The old officers got in communication with the War Office, to offer their services. Shorncliffe Camp bristled with activity. It was rumoured that Folkestone might expect invasion by the German Fleet ; that there would be attempts to land a force somewhere between Dover and the town. The air was thick with alarms. There was a vague dread of something terrible — nobody quite knew what. The strain was very great, but during those days, before the town became used to war, it was very noticeable that, beneath the surface excitement and anxiety, the people mani- fested a strong confidence in the righteousness of the nation's cause, and an unconscious assurance that it would be all right. There was no panic ; no shrinking from duty ; just a buzz of excitement, a ripple of un- certainty, and an undercurrent of strength.
The band discoursed upon the Leas, but the gay crowd was not there. The boys were enlisting ; they were exchanging the immaculate collars and cuffs for the soldier's garb. Women were asking what they could do, and were preparing for manifold kinds of service. The trade of the hotel proprietors and boarding-house keepers was at a standstill, and the outlook was very dark. The sunshine on the cliffs had still its glories of gold and blue. The Lower Road was as beautiful as before, and the birds sang just as sweetly ; Nature was all unconscious of the havoc man would make in the frenzy of war.
The town was the same, but life had changed from those old days when the visitors leisurely walked
FOLKESTONE IN I914. II
round the Parish Church and heard the stories of its associations with the famous Monastery for black nuns of the Benedictine Order, founded by St. Eanswyth, daughter of Eadbald, King of Kent. The coming of war cleared the roads of the pleasure cars that used to run by River and through the lovely country to Canterbury, the cradle of English history. The sportsmen no longer followed the hounds ; they went to face the Huns. The days became serious, men looked over the sea with a touch of apprehension, and before the end of the year the light of the moon was no longer a delight. The little comedy of life was blotted out by the tragedy of war.
CHAPTER II.
OUR BELGIAN GUESTS. By the Editor.
England's first actual contact with the grim horrors of war was in Folkestone, about August 20th, when boats came into the harbour crowded with Refugees from gallant little Belgium. The earliest arrivals came in fishing craft and coal carriers. The visitors were terror-stricken, and many of them absolutely refused to leave the boats. The news of the coming of the Belgians was not made public until eight or nine days later, when it appeared in the Press.
It is impossible to tell who were the first good Samaritans to minister to the poor souls who had fallen among thieves and been stripped of their belong- ings. Probably the honour is shared among a few unnamed fisher-people, whose generosity is only surpassed by their courage. They knew the facts and saw the conditions of the people on the boats, and came to their assistance. They called in the aid of two local Ministers, who joined in the efforts to provide hospitality ; but the need grew as if by magic. Within a few days thousands of destitute Belgian people had arrived, and created problems of their own. Their primary needs of food and shelter brooked no delay. Each boat brought a cargo of huddled humanity like dumb-driven cattle ; they had fled from coast towns and cities outraged by the invader. Their plight was pitiful. Some had been in the train
OUR BELGIAN GUESTS. 13
for a day and a night ; others on the road for several days, with but little food. Few had any clothing, except the garments they were wearing. One white- haired old dame came in carpet slippers, not having been able to secure her boots, in the hurry and panic to escape the Hun.
Folkestone was very soon the only open door to England, and the suppliants on her doorstep seeking food and protection represented all classes of the community. Their presence was our first glimpse of the terrible reality of war. They brought home to the people, in dramatic form, the meaning of the struggle in which the Empire was engaged. The scenes on the Harbour were too heartrending to be repro- duced in words. There were men, honoured and revered in their own land, driven into poverty and exile, not for any offence of their own, or their country's, but simply because their little land was geographically the bufter-nation between Germany and her coveted victim. The Belgian Prime Minister spoke for the people when he said : " Faced with the choice between what her own immediate interests seemed to dictate and what honour demanded, Bel- gium did not hesitate. " " The Belgian Government is determined to resist any attack upon its rights by every means at its disposal. ' ' King Albert nobly declared : "A people which is true to itself may be conquered, but cannot be subdued. ' '
One of the Refugees from Louvain told of nameless things. He described how the Prussians entered his home, dragged him forth with his family, and pinned him to the wall with a bayonet, compelling him to direct their search for money and valuables ;
14 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
and when these had been taken, and all the domestic treasures carried off as loot, the furniture was smashed, thrown into a pile, and the house burned to the ground, leaving the family in despair and desolation on the road.
There were mothers who had been hounded from home and country before they could gather the little ones to their arms. Their agony was intensified by the uncertainty of the fate of their children, and all means of communication were cut off. There were girls with flushed cheeks and wild, terrified eyes, whose story others whispered under their breath. They were the victims of German lust. They shrank in horror from the thought that they might become the unwilling mothers of the enemy's children. And there on the quay was the most pathetic sight of all — little children stood clinging to big sisters for protection, or holding mother's dress with trembling fingers. They drew back in fear at the sound of a stranger's voice, as dogs shrink from those they distrust.
It is impossible to behold such sights and ever forget, and very difficult ever to forgive.
Folkestone represented the Empire in receiving her hapless visitors. Before any formal organisation was brought into existence, there was the operation of spontaneous sympathy responding to the urgency of need. Fishermen's homes were opened to people whose language they could not understand. Poor families shared with their strange guests, and some gave up their beds, counting it an honour to sleep on the floor that the exiles might spend the night in the comfort of home.
On the 24th of August, 1914, was constituted a
OUR BELGIAN GUESTS. 15
Belgian Committee for Refugees, from a body of men who had been giving help for some days. It was officially instituted at the French Protestant Church, Victoria Grove, by a Belgian Vice-Consul from London. The President was a Belgian Folkestone resident, who soon afterwards became Belgium's representative.
Mr. H. Froggatt, one of the masters of the Grammar School, brought together a few boys who could speak French. They acted as guides to little groups of Refugees on their way to the homes where they could be received. The sight of those straggling companies of strangers going along the streets with their scanty belongings in bundles they would not trust to other hands presented a picture Time will never obliterate from memory. The pathos and comedy of it all were strangely blended. Like frightened animals, the new-comers refused to be separated, chosing rather to endure the discomfort of spending the night together in an overcrowded room than occupy separate apartments and sleep in comfort. They realised they were among friends, and their peril was past, but the strain had been too great. They laughed and wept, repeatedly embraced their children, and then kissed each other. It was as an awakening from a bad dream.
A Refugees Relief Committee was formed. The original members were : —
The Mayor (Sir Stephen Penfold).
Mr. Alderman Spurgen (Deputy-Mayor).
Mr. Alderman Bishop.
The Rev. J. C. Carlile.
Mr. V. D. de Wet.
Mr. Drummond Hay.
1 6 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
Madame Finez.
Mr. G. Gelardi.
Mrs. Penrose-FitzGerald.
Mr. F. Ronco.
Mrs. Bishop.
The Very Rev. Monsgr. C. Coote (became a member later).
Chevalier d'Ydewalle.
Mrs. Drummond Hay.
Mr. Councillor Franks.
Mr. A. F. Kidson (Town Clerk).
Pasteur A. Peterson.
Mr. W. H. Routly (Borough Treasurer), Hon. Sec.
Dr. Yunge-Bateman (Medical Officer of Health). The Committee set to work to provide food and shelter. Some of the Churches undertook the respon- sibility'of collecting food required upon certain days of the week ; but the task was far beyond their powers. Hotel proprietors gave generously, and shopkeepers readily joined in the effort ; boarding-house proprietors lent or gave clothing, and beds were made up in Church halls and public schools. " The Times" and other journals appealed for funds and garments. The response was immediate and very generous. The town spoke, not for herself, but for the larger community, and her message Was one of good cheer. The business methods of the Committee were exceedingly good. Expert advice was called in, and the Government sent down advisers to co-operate in the colossal task presented by many thousands of destitute people.
As the boats arrived a company of ladies met the Refugees with food and hot drinks, so that those who
Photo] [Halksworth Wheeler.
Belgian Refugees Arriving.
Photo] [Halksworth Wheeler.
Belgian Pays Homage to English Girl.
OUR BELGIAN GUESTS. 17
were entrained and passed on to other towns might have refreshment on their journey. The magnitnde of this branch of the work has not been realized. It became too expensive for the local Committee : 441,860 meals were served to Belgian soldiers apart from the food distributed to civilians. Large quantities of sandwiches were handed into trains. The Local Government Board undertook the arrangements and the cost, with Miss Ivy Weston, the Misses Spurgen. Miss Coop, and other ladies as voluntary workers, Many men and women gave their services as inter- preters, and rendered valuable assistance in supplying information.
There were strange tangles to be unravelled. Husbands and wives became separated from each other, and had not the least idea of what had happened. In many cases the wife thought the husband dead, killed in the defence of his town. One instance, as an illustration, may be recalled. Edward de Neve, a Belgian soldier, was wounded in the knee, and sent to England. His brother was thought to have been killed at Antwerp, and the supposed widow arrived in Folkestone, desolate in her grief. Enquiries were made concerning the brother. It was thought he had been sent to Cambridge, but there no such person was known. They had, however, passed on to another hospital a soldier bearing the same name, who turned out to be the husband of the poor woman who was seeking to find her brother-in-law. Her joy upon the discovery of her husband knew no bounds.
Correspondence poured in to individual members of the Committee. One of them received repeated
10 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
applications for particulars concerning cases of Belgian children whose hands had been cut off by the Germans. An eminent surgeon wrote that he was extremely anxious to find such a case, purely from a surgical point of view, in order to try a new invention of artificial hands which would be of enormous advan- tage to a child in this condition. No such cases could be found in Folkestone, much to the disappointment of correspondents. From an "American" came an offer of £1,000 for anyone who could bring forward a child with hands mutilated by Germans. Later it was discovered that the offer was made by agents of Germany, well aware that such cases could not be found in England ! Many letters were received containing donations for the fund. They were full of generous sympathy ; labourers and servant-maids sent their shillings, and wealthy donors contributed large cheques. Poor people sent part of their clothing, literally fulfilling the ideal requirement of the Sermon on the Mount. Offers of hospitality came from all over the country. Professional men invited members of their own class to share their homes. Churches of all creeds offered to set up hostels and guest-houses, which were of the greatest value. Many of these institutions have been maintained all through the War. At first the appeal had the glamour of novelty and War Funds were few ; but as the years passed the Belgian became a more familiar figure, and the need was greatly lessened by employment being obtained for those able to work ; but there were still many incapacitated by age or infirmity for the ordinary avocations of life. They have been maintained, so that, as M. Charles Dessain, the gallant Burgomaster
OUR BELGIAN GUESTS. 1 9
of Malines, speaking at Folkestone, said : ' ' When I asked the Belgians who were here if they wanted anything, they answered : No. Everything we want is given us, and our very wishes are forestalled. ' '
An important part of the work was the first care of the sick. Many old people were utterly prostrate after their journey, others suffered from nerve shock, and some were ailing. Those were cared for in the old Grammar School House, which was turned into a Hospital and Night Hostel. About sixty persons each night slept in the dormitories. About 300 patients were treated. Miss M. A. Parsons was in charge, assisted by Nurse Wilson, two V.A.D.'s and Miss Parsons. The work was entirely voluntary.
The poorer people of the fishing class who came over the sea in trawlers and coal boats would not leave the Harbour. They were afraid to trust themselves on shore. The Hon. Rose Hubbard and other ladies went to them and found means to win their confidence and then to get them to land.
The Relief Committee divided up into a number of Sub-Committees dealing with the provision of clothing for the Refugees who were living in the town and for those passing through it who were in need ; the collec- tion and distribution of food ; financial assistance to families whose means were exhausted or insufficient ; the care of women during confinement ; the provision of free hospitality in other parts of the country. The great majority of the Refugees, when they landed at the Harbour, were practically destitute. They were taken to St. Michael's Hall, where a substantial meal was served, and where those who were insufficiently clad were provided with clothing. Many residents
20 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
worked long hours at the Hall, and were prepared to undertake any menial service if they could add to the comfort of their poor guests. As the worked developed the premises known as the old Harvey Grammar School, comprising a large house and a number of class-rooms, were placed by the Corporation at the disposal of the Committee. The class-rooms were used as reception and registration halls, and fitting-rooms where persons were supplied with the garments they needed. The rooms in the house were used as dormitories ; but of course this large provision was but a fraction of what was required, and lodgings were obtained without payment in all parts of the town. Even then the need was not met, and small sums were paid to those who were unable to offer free hospitality. Great numbers of Refugees were drafted on to other parts of the country. It was no small business to register the new arrivals, and to secure their passage to their destination. Employers in other parts of the country offered work for those who were skilled in various branches of industry, and to the honour of the Belgian working- classes, the Committee records the fact that the majority of them were more anxious to obtain employ- ment, that they might support themselves, than to remain in idleness receiving charity. Many were engaged in hop-picking, and in the orchards of Kent. In Folkestone and other towns, shop-keepers were glad to be able to put up a notice to the effect that French was spoken behind the counter. This provided employment for a considerable number of the shop assistant class. Schools offered to receive teachers, and the Universities gave generous hospitality to members of the teaching profession unable to find
OUR BELGIAN GUESTS. 21
employment. In all cases where employment was found through the Folkestone Committee, careful enquiries were made as to the rates of wages, so that there should be no trouble with the Labour Organizations, and that the Refugees should be protected against any exploitation of their labour, though that was hardly necessary.
The provision of garments occupied a great deal of the Committee's attention. The Refugees came with the clothes they stood up in ; and as the winter approached their condition was critical. Many of the better-class people wore their summer clothing far into the winter rather than ask for assistance. Resi- dents of the town found ways of supplying clothing without offending the finer feelings. Beautiful things were done which may not be recorded. It was calcu- lated that 15,000 Belgians were living in the town whose need of warm clothing was apparent. A special appeal was made through the Press, and the require- ments were met. The Committee determined that their guests in social positions of influence in their own country should not be offered second-hand garments, but should be enabled to purchase in the ordinary way from the Stores. One-third of the price was contributed by the Committee. Large quantities of food were received from all over the country, and proved very acceptable.
The first arrivals from Belgium brought with them a woman who had become a mother on the journey across the Channel. She was taken to the hospital with her little baby, and cared for, the child becoming strong and bonny.
A pathetic little object, named Elizabeth, was born
22 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
on Ostend quay, and brought to Folkestone in an open fishing boat. The baby only weighed 2lbs. 40ZS. It was the general opinion that she could not live, but, thanks to excellent nursing, she grew into an exceedingly pretty and healthy child.
Mrs. Linington became responsible for three beds in a small room in the Royal Victoria Hospital. This was the origin of the Maternity Home. It was afterwards removed to Bournemouth Road. Twenty- three babies were born and cared for. Each baby and mother leaving the institution received a com- plete outfit of clothes. Many ladies were interested in mothering the little ones, and were not slow to perceive the need of extending the work of the Maternity Home. Another house, under the direction of Mrs. Muir, was opened, and ministered to the needs of mothers in their hour of trial. Local medical men gave their services, and throughout the War there has been no lack of accommodation for women who were expecting to become mothers. Princess Clementine, upon her visit to Folkestone, went through two of the Maternity Homes, and expressed her gratitude and delight. It was good to see the babies in mothers' arms, and the happiness of the women who had found, not a haven of refuge, but a real home, with women who were their friends. One of the best forms of social ministry during the War was the Maternity Home, and to it not a few women owe their lives and the lives of their children. Some odd things happened in this connection. A little child of Belgian parents, sent on from Folkestone, was born at Yarmouth, and named by the priest; afterwards it was discovered that the parents were Protestants.
OUR BELGIAN GUESTS. 23
The authorities objected ; the baby had been christened and could not be christened a second time. There seemed to be no way of rectifying the mistake, until the mother was able to assert her own rights, and the child was probably not less happy in having been christened upon two occasions, though he was quite unique.
The Local Government Board sent representatives to take charge of the organisation. Mr. Basil Williams and Mr. Franklin did much to overcome the difficulties of providing food and housing for thousands of exiles who might arrive during the day or night with no longer notice than the sighting of the ship's signals.
The Acting Secretary of the Committee, Mr. Toke. was far too modest to make much of his office, though every worker knew that he was behind all the machinery as chief engineer. There were many residents who gave of their time and money without hesitation, but practically all Folkestone was a War Relief Committee ; only a small part of the hospitality could be chronicled as going through organised agencies. Madame Peterson brought together a group of Belgian women of social influence who formed a working party to provide comforts for men at the Front. During the years of war, bales of garments have regularly been dispatched upon their ministry of good cheer. Mrs. Penrose FitzGerald never seemed to tire in her efforts for the exiles ; to her ingenious initiative could be traced ways and means of raising money and adding to the comfort of the poor people under her care. The late Mrs. Ambler and Mrs. Jones had charge of the first hostel at the old Grammar School ; Mrs. Carlile had rooms set apart at her private residence for fitting
24 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
garments. The Baptist Women's League and other friends, in response to an appeal, sent over five thousand articles of wearing apparel.
There was considerable difficulty with the Belgians who possessed money in getting it changed. The Committee secured the assistance of the Central Organization in London and the Banks, so that the exchange rates were not unnecessarily low.
The Belgian Colony in Folkestone soon organized its own activities. A College was opened for boys ; the Education Committee lent the necessary apparatus, and pupils were enabled to continue their studies. A number of Catholic clergy took up the work and carried it through with ability and devotion. English classes for adults had many students who forgot the tedium of their exile in their efforts to master irregular verbs. A Literary Circle met frequently to exchange ideas and become acquainted with the great masters of prose. Literature has ever been the means of international goodwill, and was never more enjoyed than by the English-Belgian group, meeting under such tragic conditions by the fringe of the sea.
The Refugees represented all sections of the com- munity, from the zealous patriots to the Germanised renegades — all sorts and conditions, good, bad and indifferent, came to our shores.
Messrs. Bobby & Co. generously placed at the disposal of the Belgians a block of seven houses in Sandgate Road, and these were used for official purposes.
The Belgian Vice-Consul, M. Peterson, was one of the discoveries of the war. When Sir Charles Allom suggested to the Belgian Legation in London that the
Photo] [Halksworth Wheeler.
First Three Babies Born in Belgian Maternity Home.
Photo] [Halksuorth Wheeler
Children's Ward in Belgian Refugees Home.
OUR BELGIAN GUESTS. 25
Pastor of the local Huguenot Church should become King Albert's representative he did a good stroke of business for the Allies. M. Peterson had no special training for the office, but he brought to it considerable gifts of insight and administration and a fine quality of eloquence. In the early days the Vice-Consul had more than ioo interviews per day and dispatched a daily average of 50 letters.
He created and organised all the different Consular and Military departments. Folkestone became one of the great centres of War activities. The Intelligence Offices were in constant communication with Belgium and knew all the important movements of the enemy in the occupied territory.
The work of those departments was very much greater and far more important than was supposed. If we were permitted to tell the whole story, it would be a revelation — particularly to Germany. In the early months of the War the gallant little army defending Belgium suffered terribly, and the numbers were sadly depleted, but the supply of young men was steadily maintained. 35,000 recruits were enlisted in Folkestone, and a large majority of them were men who had endured great privations and faced extreme dangers in escaping from Belgium through Holland. They crept through the German lines and crawled over the open spaces of No Man's Land to the electric wire enclosing the Dutch frontier. It is estimated that of those who made the great adventure at least one in three died or was killed in the attempt, yet 35,000 reached Folkestone and went back to fight for their dear Homeland.
The Intelligence Department kept the Allies informed
26 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
of the arrival of enemy forces in Belgium, and tracked many spies who came as Refugees. The Department has material for the novelist, a shoal of thrilling stories of clever inpersonations and arrests ; but they will remain secret.
Before the war Belgium, as England, was over-run by German ' ' agents. ' ' One of these came as a professor of languages. He told a pathetic story : in early life he was in the army and his great regret was that he could no longer fight. He became a favourite with the soldiers, telling good stories and receiving hospi- tality. He was a welcome visitor to the camp, dividing his time between watching military manoeuvres and writing his experiences in the Public Library. Every- body was kind to the poor old professor, who never tired of telling his bitter experiences and rubbing his hands in delight while he listened to the boys in khaki describing their regiments' movements. One night he left the Library for his lodgings to discover a man in possession of his papers, and two officers with revolvers cocked, until he was safely handcuffed. He was a first-class Secret Service agent, but his letters had been regularly intercepted, and "bluff" communica- tions sent instead, by which the enemy was misled all the time.
The story of individual effort, could it be chronicled, would reveal a wealth of generous sentiment, expressed in beautiful and unostentatious actions, seeking no reward but that of doing good. The record of organized relief is a distinction to the town and the country. It was England's offering to her gallant Allies, who seemed at the moment to have lost everything but honour and courage.
OUR BELGIAN GUESTS. 27
All the local Churches in Folkestone did nobly. The Roman Catholic Church opened a club and hostel, which became a popular meeting-place and a haven of rest for large numbers of Belgians. The Baptist Church raised a fund for Protestant Pasteurs who were in sore straits. Several of these were enabled to remain in the town, and continue their ministry among their own people. They established a service in French, which was held regularly. Some of the Evangelists were supported while they rendered assist- ance in other towns to which Belgians had gone. The Public Library became a favourite rendezvous for the reading class. Its reference department was very popular, and won the admiration of professional men compelled to be the guests of England. All the Churches gave special collections and help of various kinds. The Bathing Establishment granted the use of their large hall to be used as a Club and Reading Room. It was well supplied with newspapers, magazines, and playthings for the little people. It was very popular, and will remain a pleasant memory for many women and children.
The issue of " Le Franco-Beige" by Messrs. F. J. Parsons kept Belgians who were unable to read English well informed of the happenings in their own land and on the Fronts. News was carried from Brussels and other centres. Special couriers came and went with the news in their memories. They crossed the German lines at the risk of their lives, and even printed a special sheet under the feet of their oppressors. The Brussels journal was printed in a basement under the pathway of one of the most frequented streets.
28 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
A Guild of Good Fellowship was inaugurated, enabling soldiers to keep in touch with those they had met in the town when on leave. Many pathetic letters were sent by boys from the mud of the trenches.
The work of the Refugees Committee cannot be told in statistics, but the figures indicate the magnitude of the enterprise.
The number of grants to assist persons to meet their living expenses up to February, 1919, was 6,580.
The total number of meals supplied to Refugees was 115,000.
Sleeping accommodation was provided for 22,180 persons.
The total number of Refugees sent from Folkestone at the expense of the British Government was 64,500 ; there were 44,000 who passed through the town at their own expense.
It is impossible to record the number of garments given ; it reached to hundreds of thousands. The amount spent by the Committee up to January 31st, 1919, was £27,184, of which the Government provided more than £20,000.
The gratitude of the Belgians found expression in various ways : in presentations to the Mayor and others who were more prominent in the general manifestation of hospitality. A tablet was erected in the Town Hall, bearing the inscription : —
To the Town Council of
FOLKESTONE,
The Committee, and all who
worked so devotedly for their
Relief, this Tribute is
gratefully offered by the
BELGIAN WAR REFUGEES.
1916.
OUR BELGIAN GUESTS. 20,
At the unveiling ceremony the Vice-Consul, in a memorable utterance, expressed the sentiments of the Belgian Government. We venture to reproduce the following passages : —
"We have just been celebrating the anniversary of the Independence of Belgium, and we have expressed the hope soon to see our native land regain her liberty.
"We hold the firm conviction that the victorious armies of the Allies will bring liberation and happiness to our country.
"We have chosen this day, which inflames our pride and exalts our hopes, not to acquit ourselves of a duty, but solemnly to declare our deep debt of gratitude.
"I have the honour, Mr. Mayor and Members of the Town Council, to ask you to kindly accept, in the name of the town, the Memorial Tablet offered by the Belgian Ladies' Committee and to which have contri- buted the Belgians of Folkestone, in testimony of the hospitality given to the refugees by your towns- people.
"Opposite the 'Public Record' of the sons of Folkestone who fought for their country in a previous war, another tablet is now erected which will tell future generations your magnificent work of charity.
"Let me remind you of the hard trial we went through : you are too generous to recall it yourselves : the sympathetic help that we have found among you.
" Our little Belgium, confident in the friendship of other nations, gladly welcoming everyone, confiding in the faith of the treaties, followed fearlessly her peaceful destiny.
30 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
"Suddenly, without cause or pretext, a false and barbarous neighbour, tears to pieces the solemn pact garanteeing our neutrality, and invades her soil.
"Their army numbers more soldiers than the whole population of Belgium. Our small and gallant army works splendidly, but is overwhelmed. Invasion follows, with all its horrible consequences.
" Slaughter, pillage, violence, conflagrations, all the evils that our civilisation tried to forget and hoped never to see again, are brought back by the methodical plan of an enemy to whom terror is a means of domination.
" The Belgians, driven out of their homes, deprived of everything, ruined, flee from their destroyed towns and villages.
" The sea is free and guides them to their old and trusted protectrice — England.
" The refugees land by thousands, without bread, without clothes, without hope, the soul as suffering as the body.
" Then, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is here that your work began.
" Immediately your compassion awakes.
" The deeper our misery, the more generous your charity, and with this fine business-like spirit which makes the strength of your nation, help is spontaneously organised.
" The whole of Folkestone came to our assistance.
" Lodgings are provided, food is distributed, clothing procured. Everyone gives what he can in charity. And as Folkestone is too small to harbour all the refugees, from all parts of England friendly hands are outstretched to help them.
OUR BELGIAN GUESTS. 31
" Factories are opened to the workers, schools for children.
"To you, Gentlemen, who have given your time and your labour, to you the helpers of the first hours, to you the founders and members of the War Relief Committee, to you all, the assurance of our sincere thanks.
" To you, Ladies, we offer also a tribute of our deep gratitude. Through your feminine delicacy you have divined needs without the humiliating avowal and discovered the hidden suffering.
" Your gifts were of an inestimable value, for they were guided by your heart.
" This the Belgians will never forget !
" Our little children add to this ceremony the help of their frail and simple voices. Their place is here : it is a page of history for them. This hour will never fade from their memory. They will remember to have seen their parents affirming their feelings of friendship and gratefulness toward the great English nation.
" They will take back to their country these seeds of gratitude, which will open in their souls as well as in those of their brethren who stayed in their country, into flowers of respectful affection and cordial esteem.
" And in times to come, when the blessings of peace will have blotted out the sufferings and the sorrows, their thoughts will go back, with fervent emotion, towards the white coast of England and towards this beautiful town of Folkestone, and then will say :
' ' ' There are our friends. ' ' '
An allegorical painting was executed by the well- known artist, Signor Franzoni. The work hangs in the Council Chamber. It depicts the arrival of the boat
32 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
bearing the first company of refugees : little tots and old people are on the quay being met by a Red Cross Nurse and Folkestone children with food, while in the foreground there is a group of representative men, nearly all of whom were members of the first Relief Committee. On presenting the picture, the distin- guished artist delivered an impassioned oration from which we reproduce the following passage :
"When I left Belgium she was invaded by the brutal German, whose ' Kultur ' was expressed by murder, pillage, rape, and the slaughter of old men, women, and little children. Unhappy Belgium ! I loved her because she had generously given me hospital- ity, and I would willingly have given my life for her, my second fatherland, the country of my wife and child. I was terribly unhappy, for I shared in all the sufferings of her martyrdom. After having vented my grief by crying aloud in my own country the indigna- tion and horror I felt at so many useless cruelties, after having completed the thankless task of holding public meetings to excite the sympathy of crowds, and to force them to do their duty towards the heroic defenders of the sacred cause of Justice and Honour, I came back to England, which a study of history had taught me to love — England, a nation ennobled by its deep devotion to the cause of Justice and Liberty. Here I witnessed other actions equally unforgettable; not deeds of cruelty like those I had seen perpetrated in Belgium by the Huns, but deeds of kindness and of love for suffering humanity. Remarkable for their ruthlessness are the barbarous deeds of the accursed German ; equally remarkable for generosity and devotion are the great sacrifices
Photo! [Halksworth Wheeler.
Belgian and French People Crowding into Roman Catholic Church (1914).
Photo] [Halksworth Wheeler.
Queue of French and Belgians Entering Bank to Change Money.
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OUR BELGIAN GUESTS. 33
made with touching simplicity by the noble hearts of Great Britain. These are the deeds which have freed me from the nightmare of German atrocities, and which have aroused my imagination as an artist to show on canvas, though in a very feeble way, a small portion of the magnificent generosity of England towards the Belgians, in the hope of reminding future generations of the nature of the generosity and of the spontaneity with which it was offered. ' '
Among Folkestone women who rendered conspicuous assistance to the Belgians was Miss Marjorie Wood, who went to France with the First Aid Nursing Yeo- manry, a Corps composed of women who gave their services as motorists, some of them providing their own cars, and undertook the conveyance of the wounded from the lines to the hospitals.
Miss Wood has driven over the greater part of the Western Front, and has been chauffeur and guide to distinguished persons, including His Majesty the King and Belgian Generals. The following exploit on the official record for September, 191 8, gives a vivid inpression of the kind of work in which she was engaged.
"Before the rush of work came, we were having a good many runs, as there was a great deal of sickness about, and the cars were kept busy all day, though the last days of August were rather given over to amuse- ments, concerts and such-like ; but all frivolity came to a sudden full-stop, and we found ourselves plunged into hard work, When they began to evacuate the hospitals before the attack, we had as much as we could do, and when the General sent orders that two big cars wera to go down to V at once to evacuate the
34 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
trains there, the case was getting pretty desperate, as we were already understaffed, six drivers being home on leave owing to sickness and other reasons. The
first two drivers to do the V run were Clayton and
Wood, and I consider the work they did was a really splendid achievement for any driver, and wonderful for a woman. They started their day by getting up at 5 a.m. and working all day at the Hospitals round here, and at 8 p.m. the same evening the order came that
three cars were to leave at io p.m. that night for V
to unload the train there. Wood and Clayton were as game as possible when told they were chosen to go, and in spite of the fact that they had been working hard since 5 a.m., they left at 10 p.m., arriving at their destination at 1.15 a.m. next morning, starting to unload the train at once ; they did not get off their cars till 10.30 a.m., at which time they had some coffee and rested for about twenty minutes, after which they got on their cars and drove back here, arriving in the garage at 2 p.m., having been driving about thirty-six hours, some of the time in pitch darkness ; it was very nice to see how light they both made of what was a really splendid and plucky piece of work. ' '
Monseigneur de Wachter, the Vicar-General of Malines, and representative in London of his Eminence Cardinal Mercier, Archbishop of Malines, visited Folkestone and paid a remarkable tribute to the town's activities and generosity. He expressed the sentiment of his country and brought a message of appreciation from His Majesty King Albert. The Vicar-General said " they recognised in Belgium the wonderful kindness of the ladies and gentlemen of Folkestone to his poor
OUR BELGIAN GUESTS. 35
countrymen. They had received them with glowing hospitality, with such motherly feelings, that at once their tears were dried and they felt they had found a new home here after having lost their own. He hoped that the name of Folkestone would be inscribed one day in letters of gold on a monument which certainly must arise in Belgium to commemorate the hospitality of England towards them, and that the generations to come — the children of those who were there and their grandchildren in the future Belgium — must remember how Folkestone had been the first town in England to receive them and to lodge them and to give them to eat and to drink whatever they wanted. Folkestone had earned the admiration not only of the Belgians, but also of the whole world : yes, the whole civiliesd world knew how the town of Folkestone had received them with such cordiality which would never be forgotten."
Whatever the future may have in store for Folkestone there will be one chapter in her history of which Folkestonians may always be justly proud. It is the chapter now concluding — the story of generous assistance given to Belgium in her supreme hour of necessity, when the outlook was very dark and difficult, but in which Belgium and England were confident of the righteousness of their cause and of their ultimate victory.
CHAPTER III.
THE CALL TO THE COLOURS.
By Lieut.-Colonel A. Atkinson, Captain W. R. Fairbairn, and G. W. Haines.
Visitors to Folkestone found pleasure in a jolly sail listening to the boatman's yarn. The more ad- venturous went for a night's fishing in a trawler. The true fisherman, like Peter Pan, never grows up. He keeps the child heart and love of adventure. The first to be warned for active service were the men of the Royal Naval Reserve. They left their baiting and their pleasure craft and journeyed with pride to the fighting fleet.
Folkestone fisher boys wanted to give their comrades a musical send-off, but the band was not permitted to parade. The young men went away almost un- noticed, while the old fellows reluctantly stayed at home.
The protection of the Channel was a mighty task. The Germans were poor sailors, but very good engineers. They thought to destroy England by sowing mines and sending out submarines. Our men went fishing for the mines and trapping the submarines. In both tasks they were successful. To understand the magnitude of the undertaking it is necessary to remember that the area of the North Sea is greater than Germany, and in the North Sea alone Britain had 1,700 ships of various sorts and 25,000 men detailed for mine sweeping.
THE CALL TO THE COLOURS. 37
Often mines were laid to drive trading vessels into a course where submarines could ply their murderous traffic with comparative safety. The Channel, with its bottle-neck, offered special facilities for mines and kept our brave fellows continually on the watch. Mines are of many kinds, but sea monsters ' ' with all manner of horns and humps." Some rise to the surface long after they have been hidden out of sight. Some float at random and others are anchored, but drift away.
The trawlers sweep in pairs. It is a monotonous business, full of peril. Here is a description of the process by one who took part in it. "A deck-hand came up the ladder and handed out two pneumatic lifebelts. The Captain silently passed one to me. After we had fastened them securely he glanced at the chart and compass ; then he gave a command, which was flashed to the other boat. Thus the first preparation was made for the fishing. The other boat drew easily alongside. There was a clanking of machinery as she made off again, carrying one end of a heavy steel cable. Several hundred yards away she resumed her course while the cable sagged far down beneath the surface of the water. That was all ; we were sweeping. It was late in the afternoon when we made a catch. A sudden tightening of the cable made it clear that we had hit an obstruction. There was just a slight tremor all through the boat. Everybody stepped to the rail and gazed intently into the water. 'That'll be one,' said the skipper as the cable relaxed. Sure enough, it was one. The Boche mine broke the surface of the water and floated free ; her moorings of one inch steel cut off as cleanly
345608
38 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
as if with a mighty pair of shears. As it rolled lazily in the swell it reminded me of a great black turtle with spikes on its back. ' ' That is the normal procedure. Rifle bullets do the rest. When they hit there is an explosion that makes the teeth rattle, while a great cloud of black smoke rises into the still air, and a shining column of water shoots straight up to a height of fifty or sixty feet.
Such explosions were frequently heard from the Leas, and we knew that our brave fellows were doing their work. The tremor of the earth seemed to shake the whole town. The thrill of excitement will not be forgotten by those who watched in safety, but what anxiety it meant for mothers and wives whose loved ones were out there playing the hero's part. When they came home they had little to say about their exploits. Any reference to their bravery covered them with blushes. They just carried on, and kept our home safe.
The mobilization of the local Territorials is described by Colonel Atkinson. .......
During the week preceding 4th August, 1914, I do not think any Territorial was oblivious to the fact that he was about to be put to the test.
It was one thing for the professional soldier, who had made arms his career, to be ordered off into the unknown. It was quite another for the civilian, who had been trying to fit himself for the defence of his country.
And yet for five years at least particular attention had been paid to mobilization by the local Territorial Force. Annual trainings, staff tours for officers and n.c.o.'s, lectures, and school courses were all directed to that end.
THE CALL TO THE COLOURS. 39
Orders were written and re-written in the light of experience and trials. When War broke out there was, at any rate for the writer's unit, a complete set of indexed and comprehensive Orders, from which nothing seemed to be omitted. Indeed, officers, n.c.o.'s and men were detailed therein by name for specific duties.
The local Territorial troops were engaged in a new experiment during July, 1914. For the first time a Division of all Arms was being moved by road from Aldershot to Salisbury Plain, bivouacking en route under Active Service conditions. This march was most successfully performed. However, on arrival at Amesbury, it was manifest that great movements were in operation.
We were at once caught in the rising tide of War, and to many the memory of that August Sunday, Monday and Tuesday is a nightmare. With scores of thousands of men, horses, guns and vehicles ordered away from the Plain, delays were inevitable, but it was marvellous how quickly the thing got done in spite of all roads being choked with traffic for miles around the stations.
Some of our men had marched over 20 miles on Bank Holiday with full kit, and food and sleep were for most of them impossible.
Tuesday evening, August 4th, saw the local Company of Buffs back at their Drill Hall, and they had just been dismissed when the Officer Commanding received a telegram to keep the men at the Drill Hall all night. He was thankful that telegram arrived two minutes too late.
On Wednesday, August 5th, the fateful telegram
40 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
of one word — "Mobilize" — was received by the writer at 7.30 a.m. It had been despatched from Canterbury at 6.17 a.m.
This entailed a written message from me, as the responsible Officer, to the Borough Engineer to give the pre-arranged signal.
Twelve maroons were fired, according to plan, and in addition every man received his calling up by special messenger.
We had made sure, and in an hour the medical examinations and other details were in progress. By the early afternoon, every officer or man was in his appointed place at his War Station in Dover.
But what of the town of Folkestone ? Hearing those maroons, there were many visitors and others who promptly fled to the railway stations, some of them very scantily clad. Certain London evening papers announced : — ' ' Bombardment of Folkestone by the Enemy — Flight of Inhabitants !"
A local newspaper complained about it and said that a signal should have been arranged ' ' that would not have alarmed anybody ! ' ' Well, of course, we ought to have wakened our tired men with sprays of rose water.
Folkestone had indeed much to learn and a long way to go after this. Some of us had been thinking for a long time that Folkestone wanted rousing. On an occasion a little time before the War, when we were making a very special appeal for 40 recruits, we got one, at most two, boys, whose hearts were better than their physique.
If there was one thing more than another which exasperated the Territorial in the early days of the
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Local Buffs (T) Off to War.
Photo] [Holksirorth Wheeler.
Territorial Buffs — With Ammunition Carts.
THE CALL TO THE COLOURS. 41
War it was reading in the newspapers about the Sanctity of the Season, "Business as usual," and being made the subject of "Enthusiastic Scenes," these last being composed largely of young men who ought to have been in our ranks, but who preferred to wear and wave flags.
Our little handful of infantry, 3 officers and 76 other ranks, at all events, was ready.
The same applied to the Territorial Artillery and R.A.M.C.
Did our mobilization plans work out well ? They did.
Horses and civilian transport were speedily got in by the party of Folkestone men detailed for that job, and many a farmer and another learned that day that the previous earmarking of his horse or waggon had not been, as some thought, part of a foolish amusement for amateur soldiers.
Ammunition, working tools, harness and the hundred and one details were assembled, and that night trench digging on the outpost line began in earnest on the very spots where for years we had played at the game with sticks, string and tape. Also, grim reality ! our swords and bayonets were sharpened.
Accommodation was provided in empty barracks. Literally empty, and provided with floors of surprising hardness for sleeping on. The fatigues of digging, however, softened the floors for the tired men.
When the local Buffs were relieved by the slower mobilizing 3rd Line (Special Reserve) they went to Canterbury to commence the six months' training promised by Lord Haldane.
In less than a fortnight a staff officer came to our
42 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
headquarters very late one night, with the result that next morning on parade the Battalion was asked, nay, required, by our Commanding Officer, Lieut. -Col. Gosling, to volunteer for service in France.
Now, this was a searching thing for men whose conditions of service were for home defence, especially for those who had left wives and children, to say nothing of businesses, at the bidding of a telegram.
There were no Tribunals in those days.
The Battalion volunteered because we knew that, apart from our splendid Navy, one trench in France was of more use to our country than a hundred trenches in England. For the next few weeks our Battalion's history was chequered and arduous, for these were days in which so much had to be improvised. Our ranks, however, were soon filled by a good class of volunteer.
After expecting to cross the Channel orders were received late in October to proceed to India, and the Battalion left Thanet on 29th October, 1914.
Meanwhile, the second line was growing. The humours of recruiting, before compulsory methods came into force, were., perhaps, nowhere better illustrated than at the Head Quarters at Canterbury of our local Infantry Battalion.
I had the honour of receiving and starting on their careers a vast number of recruits.
The British public got a taste of what billeting means. This was generally an unpleasant matter for all concerned. Many a house whose accommoda- tion we had gently enquired about in peace time had now to experience the real thing. Territorials during the early days soon fell very foul of beautiful young
THE CALL TO THE COLOURS. 43
men on the Golf Courses, especially when a Company of ours got billeted in a Golf Club House in Thanet.
This chapter, however, cannot enter into details other than of local interest. The distinct existence of Territorials, as such, was soon indistinguishable from that of the Imperial and New Armies.
Suffice it to say, therefore, that soon after mobiliza- tion Folkestone produced a very good number of volunteers before the introduction of the Military Service Acts. After compulsory service became law, there was no falling off in quantity or quality, and as to the deeds, lives, and deaths of many a good man, have they not been written from week to week in our local Press ? ' ' And some there be which have no memorial — who are perished as though they had never been — but .... their glory shall not be blotted out. Their bodies are buried in peace ; but their name liveth for evermore."
Many of the Buffs under Colonel Gosling went to India and saw active service in the frontier fighting. They conducted themselves with great credit at Aden, and many are the stories of individual bravery. In a long and arduous campaign, very little noticed in the Press, there were many tests of the quality of the men. Their powers of endurance in long marches and gorilla fighting were strained to the utmost. Folkestone is proud of her sons, and the name of the Buffs has become a synonym for courage and high qualities.
Other Companies were detailed for coastal work. Major J. G. Welch and his men went to Dover and became the Training Corps, passing on large numbers of gunners to France. Captain Nicholls was with the
44 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
gunners in the West of England until he went over to the Western Front, where his bravery upon more than one memorable occasion gained him distinction. The 2nd and 3rd Home Counties Brigade of the Territorial R.F.A. left the town in full strength with Major W. B. Kennett in command. Captain S. Lambert Weston and Lieuts. Wise, Loyd, and Boyd were with their men ; they had important duty on coast defence.
It is a pleasure to add Captain Fairbairn's account of Aden.
It was on the 29th October, 1914, when about 180 n.c.o.'s and men from Folkestone, forming part of the i/4th Battalion the Buffs, embarked on H.M. Transport Dongola for India.
Disappointed at their not having been sent direct to France, but satisfied with the assurance of Lord Kitchener that the time was not far distant when they would enter one or other of the areas of hostilities, they settled down with a determination to fit them- selves perfectly for any ordeal which might come their way.
The transport was one of 12 huge ships which carried the first Home Counties Division to the best military training centre in the world. Escorted to Suez by warships, both French and British, the troops had much to occupy their mind when once the horrors of the Bay of Biscay and the prostration of "mal de mer" had been overcome, though not a few failed to appreciate the ' ' benefits ' ' of inoculation which was carried out on board.
From Port Said to Suez, and on to Bombay, the
THE CALL TO THE COLOURS. 45
voyage had nothing but charms, and when on the 1st December the battalion disembarked at Bombay for Mhow every man was absolutely fit.
Territorial troops were new to India, and after the somewhat wearisome travelling in the Indian troop trains, all ranks appreciated their first halt. It was at Baroda, where the Maharajah of Baroda had laid himself out to entertain all British units passing through his province, that the men of Kent first made the acquaintance of the proverbial "Indian Stew."
On the 3rd December the Battalion detrained at Mhow. Dawn had only just broken, when the Battalion, formed up in mass, was received by the G.O.C. 5th Division, under whose command they were to be stationed. Clad in western clothing with the ex- ception of their topis, they marched through the streets of Mhow, being subjected to the careful and critical scrutiny of the entire native population. The fears of the Indian Councils that Territorial Troops would lack the soldierly bearing of those of the Regular Army whom they had come to replace were soon dispelled, for they soon discovered that the men who were to help in the governing of the country, to continue training, were soldiers as to the manner born.
Barely had the Buffs been issued with their khaki drill than they settled down to as severe a test of training as it was possible for British Troops to receive. "Kitchener's Test" it was termed, and the fact that soldiers from home were to experience the trials of climate and work which had always been found difficult by regular troops did not dismay the
46 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
Kentish boys. It was the one ambition of the entire Battalion to be the first to pass the critical examination of the G.O.C. and be pronounced the Battalion first fit to take its place in action in the Eastern Spheres.
Before six months had expired Colonel Gosling was the proud possessor of the certificate of the G.O.C. that the unit had qualified and had attained its goal. It had meant months of a severe form of physical and technical training, in which every rank was exercised to its full. Spare time had to be occupied by sport, and the Battalion Football Team was making a reputation at Calcutta, where on the Maidan it was engaged in a knock-out competition with teams from all over India.
While enjoying a short respite from training and hard work, the troops in Wellesley Barracks were one day electrified with excitement by reason of an intimation that they were about to proceed on active service. There were stories of an Afghan rising, of a great defeat in Mesopotamia, of an over-running in Egypt by the Turks, in fact, there were so many rumours that nobody out of official circles had the faintest idea where the Battalion was going to open its career. Then came the news ! A Welsh Battalion had undergone such hardships in the Aden-Hinter- land that relief was wanted immediately, and the 1 /4th Battalion had been selected for the purpose. Aden ! ! The very name was sufficient to damp the enthusiasm of the most ardent soldier.
When it had become known that the Welshmen had suffered tortures of mind and body due to a shortage of acquaintance with equatorial conditions, and the trials of heat and thirst, one would have
THE CALL TO THE COLOURS. 47
imagined that territorial troops, however keen, would have shown some diffidence for the undertaking upon which they were to embark ; but it was not so. The Monsoon weather was breaking — it was the end of June, 1915 — when, equipped to the last man, the Battalion was inspected by the G.O.C., 5th Division, congratulated on its apparent soldierly bearing and efficiency, and advised that it was its duty to main- tain the reputation that the Buffs of yore had made and earned.
That same night, without beat of drum, the Battalion left the parade ground. There were no words of command, for active service conditions had begun, and, silent as the night, they wended their way to Mhow Station. There all the European population, and, for the matter of that, nearly every native in cantonment, had congregated. A quick entraining, hasty farewells, and the Buffs were "en route" to Bombay. In record time, guns, rifles, ammunition, stores and men were aboard, and the Monsoon appeared to break with extraordinary violence as the transport steamed out of harbour.
For five days and nights all the horrors of sea- sickness such as are only met with in the Indian Ocean damped the ardour of all ranks, and when the natives refused to work in the stokehol owing to sea-sickness volunteers from the Folkestone-Boulogne service filled the gaps.
Eventually the storm was weathered, and, none the worse for their journey, the troops leaned over the side and gazed first at the barren rocks of Aden itself, and then with considerable apprehensions at the Arabian Desert beyond. This latter, one great
48 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
expanse of sand, devoid of cultivation and water, was to be the scene of their future. On it they were to live and fight with a determination that the Turk should never wrest from the British Government that great rock of Aden holding the command of the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
Whilst awaiting disembarkation, came through the orders for immediate action. It was reported that in Aden itself there were thousands of Arabs who first had to be controlled, and whilst half the Battalion would be responsible for that duty, the other half would proceed to the desert. When it is realised that this small Battalion of 800 men, with the addition of a Battery of the H.A.C. and Fortress Company of R.G.A., were practically the only white troops in the area, the responsibility of the duty to be performed will be apparent. With the utmost despatch the Buffs disembarked and took over from the Welshmen their new duties.
It appeared that the Sultan of Lahej, who had been loyal to the Crown, had been killed in his own city and grounds after being betrayed by his own native troops. These latter had been equipped and partially trained by British officials, but when the Turks descended upon Aden they were aided in their exploits by a relative of the Sultan himself. Jealousy and greed for power and authority had prompted this relative to co-operate with the Turks as against the Sultan, with the result that the British Forces within the Aden Protectorate had to fall back to the Isthmus which adjoins Aden to the mainland. This had proved an expensive operation, and many Welshmen and others paid the toll, and their remains are covered
w ex
o
K
THE CALL TO THE COLOURS. 49
in the sand dunes of the Arabian Desert. Eventually a composite force of native troops was formed, and these, with the Buffs as their backing, advanced to Sheik Othman at the Arabian end of the Isthmus and entrenched.
It so happened that the portion of the line allotted to the Men of Kent was in a garden full of wells and infested with mosquitoes of the malaria-carrying type, a circumstance which did untold harm to the health of the men.
At first there were occasional sorties with the Turks, during which the Buffs received their baptism of fire. It was grand to watch these boys — for most of them were boys — as they laughed and joked about the erratic shooting of the Turk. They proved their worth and gave every evidence that when the supreme task did come they were men fitted for the job.
On the 25th September came one of the most trying and arduous days that British troops could ever have experienced. Ten miles away was a village called Waht. The Brigade Staff Orders were that a reconnaisance in force was to be carried out with the object of ascertaining whether Waht was adaptable to the requirements of Headquarters. It was to be held till the following nightfall and evacuated early in the succeeding morning.
Three hours before dawn of the morning of the 25th the Battalion moved to this place in the line of march with artillerymen and natives forming part of their Company. The Aden Camel Corps and the Bengal Cavalry had been watching and scouting during the night, and the advance was now to be made in earnest. By daybreak the Battalion had deployed,
50 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
and it was not long before they were under the fire of the Turk Artillery. There were no casualties of any importance, and all went well till the heat of day began to exert itself. At 9 o'clock the advance was continued and the terrors of a burning desert without shade or water other than that carried in water bottles began to tell on the troops. The advance, however, was maintained at a rapid rate, and the Turks and Arabs were forced to vacate the village of Waht. At a short distance behind the lines, however, they had reserve trenches, and into these they scuttled as the Buffs with their bayonets charged them through the village.
The object attained, the Buffs occupied the Waht defences, and only those men who laid out on the filthy insanitary dunes could ever explain the horrible stench and filthiness of the conditions under which the enemy had lived in Waht.
The sun was at its height when the infantrymen, sheltering from the Turks' artillery — and they were not bad gunners — could not understand why our own artillerymen were not responding to the Turks' salvoes. It was imagined they had gone to a flank in order to catch the enemy in enfilade, but a little later on a grim reality presented itself, for to hand came the news that the 5m. gunwheels had sunk into the sand, making it impossible for the artillerymen to bring the guns up. The wily Turk had ascertained this fact, and he began a counter attack in real earnest. And all this while in a shade temperature of 130 degrees ! The Buffs had waited in expectancy, and suffering from heat and the strenuous advance with very little food, they were not surprised when
THE CALL TO THE COLOURS. 51
the order came that they were to retire to their trenches. This was for them the worst of all, for it had not been anticipated that a withdrawal would be necessary, or that the anguish of returning knee-deep in sand over those many miles of desert would have to be accomplished on the same day.
The retirement began under cover of native troops, but it was pitiful to see some of the flower of the regiment fall victims to sunstroke and die. Nor were they alone in this, for great powerful machine gunners of the Australian Navy, a detachment which had been landed to assist, suffered similarly. Natives and white men alike shared water bottles and bore each other's burdens, and in those miles of retirement some heroic deeds of self-sacrifice and devotion were performed.
The Bengal Cavalry, realising the immensity of the task allotted to the Battalion, brought their horses as far as possible to meet the retiring troops, who, when behind their own lines, took life easy and rode behind their native comrades.
It was a sad camp the next morning, and the writer will never forget how he commanded a firing party which at mid-day lined the graves dug by Arabs on a stretch of desert behind Sheik Othman, and gave a final salute to those men who had struggled so gallantly the previous day.
On subsequent days volunteers from the Battalion turned those rough dune graves into what eventually became a little garrison churchyard, and where now suitable stones are erected.
Beyond occasional surprises, generally without result, the Turk did not worry the little force for
52 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
some time, but with the malaria-infested garden the Buffs held their line until the numbers were so reduced by malaria that they had to return behind their line to Aden itself. A relief was, however, soon made up from the other half of the Battalion, and in the meantime more duties were carried out all over Aden, necessitating in many instances men being on guard for fourteen or fifteen days and nights at a time.
Christmas of 1915 was spent in the line. Once or twice the Turk threatened to do things, but in- variably he changed his mind and thought twice.
January, 1916, brought about somewhat cooler weather, and the condition of the troops in the desert trenches were made somewhat happier, but they were not sorry when at the end of the month intimation came that the Battalion had more than completed the allotted span of a soldier's service in Aden climate, and a Battalion would soon arrive in relief. This meant a return to India, and a further preparation for more active service in another Eastern Sphere. Before February had commenced the Men of Kent had been relieved by the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry and proceeded to Bareilly.
A short turn of leave and a sojourn in the Himalayan Hills became the next treat, and then by drafts of 100 and more the i/4th Battalion began to furnish drafts for Mesopotamia. As fast as one party went away another would arrive from England, and the latter on their arrival would read with proud pleasure the valedictory message of the G.O.C., Aden Field Forces, which paid tribute in sterling terms to the powers of endurance and devotion to duty of the Men of Kent under his command.
THE CALL TO THE COLOURS. 53
In November, 1914, the Folkestone Volunteer Corps was inaugurated at a preliminary meeting in the Town Hall. Those taking part included Colonel G. Power, F. Scarborough, A. R. Bowles, Henry Brooke, and G. W. Haines. Colonel Owen was appointed Military Adviser and G. W. Haines Honorary Secretary. With Major H. R. J. Willis they were appointed an Executive Committee. Major Willis was afterwards commissioned Officer Commanding.
At a special parade at the Drill Hall 350 people attended, marshalled by Sergeant-Ma j or Vickery, R.E. The work of the Volunteer Training Corps was explained by the Honorary Secretary. Rules were formulated and a number of men enrolled. The Corps was established under the title of the Folkestone Volunteer Training Corps and became affiliated to the Central Association of Volunteer Training Corps. Drills were commenced and held two nights per week. Officers were appointed and subsequently confirmed by Lord Harris, Commandant of the County Organization. The Platoon Commanders were A. R. Bowles, E. D. Fitzgerald, Edward P. W. Foster, C.M.G., F. S. Upton, G. W. Haines.
At the beginning of 1915 the normal roll showed a strength of 239 men over 38 years of age, and 77 under 38. The Company on parade resolved that the members were in accord with the principle of organiza- tion with County Units, and a resolution was passed that the Corps make application to be included in the County Association and become affiliated with the Kent Volunteer Fencibles, and form "E" Company of the 1st Cinque Ports Battalion.
The organization coming under the head of a trained
54 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
band or body raised by consent of the Lord Lieutenant, it was not subject to the discipline of the Army or Volunteer Acts. The War Office desired before giving official recognition or assistance that members should attest under the Volunteer Act, 1863, which they did.
In September, 1915, the Battalion was inspected by the Commandant at Dover, when over 800 men from the locality paraded, and the brass band of " E " Folkestone Company played. Brigadier-General W. Tylden was appointed to the command and subsequently to the command of the 1st Battalion under its new title, the East Kent Regiment, with its regimental name of the Buffs.
Under the Volunteer Acts members were entitled to resign on giving fourteen days' notice. The War Office desired to maintain the Force on a war footing, and a special Act was passed to enable members to enter into agreements of service for the period of the War. Slowly the Force transferred itself to these conditions.
Volunteer commissions were granted to the officers, but such appointments were limited in number. Platoon Commander Upton resigned and Sergeant H. J. Lewes was appointed in his place. Major Willis was gazetted Captain. The work he did in connection with the Corps has hardly received recognition. He carried out his duties in the true soldier-like spirit, not seeking publicity or reward, but just doing as he was commanded.
Platoon Commanders Bowles and Fitzgerald became Lieutenants ; Foster and Lewes Second Lieutenants ; G. W. Haines had the rank of Company-Quarter- Master-Sergeant. There was a slow drain on the Corps, many men volunteering for foreign service. The depletion was made up by those who were from
THE CALL TO THE COLOURS. 55
1916 ordered to join the Corps by the military tribunals.
Gradually the Force, save for some fifty of its original members, nearly all over fighting age, lost the character of a Volunteer Corps and came under compulsory conditions. The general effect was to encourage the military spirit, and ultimately many of the men found their way into the fighting line. Between five and six hundred men were trained, and undertook various kinds of work. The Company was responsible for certain trenching operations, guarding of railways and line of communications, beside acting as guards for search-lights and anti- aircraft guns.
Members were handicapped at the beginning, having to find their own uniforms, drilling with wooden rifles, and being subject to some amount of ridicule from those not so earnest as themselves, but the War Office subsequently armed the Force, so that in 1918 they were equipped with a rifle, bayonet, steel helmet, gas mask, trenching tools and every necessity.
In November, 1916, the rank and file mustered 359 strong ; September, 1917, 254. The Battalion was inspected in 191 6 by Sir Francis Lloyd, in the absence of General French. In 1915 there were 294 parades, with total attendances of 17,528.
The Company met their own expenses, and con- structed an open-air rifle range and miniature ranges. When the Drill Hall was commandeered by the Military for a Rest Camp, "E" Co. paraded in the streets or fields in all weathers. The Company stood by more than once for mobilization during the crises of the War, and were under arms at the very time of the Armistice. They fulfilled expectations and did very useful work.
CHAPTER IV.
SHAPING THE NEW ARMY. By the Editor and Lieut. -Col. E. M. Liddell.
By the end of September, 1914, nearly 20,000 recruits were on the Camp. Shorncliffe had lost its calm ; visitors no longer went up to St. Martin's Plain for a quiet stroll, as in the old days of Peace. They went to watch the hustle of Camp life in War-time.
The boys represented all classes of the community, from bank clerks and college students to farm labourers and London street-hawkers. The response to the call for volunteers was so great that the Military Authori- ties did not know what to do with the men. It was estimated before the War that England had 12,000,000 men of military age, of whom 4,000,000 would be needed for essential trades and 4,000,000 would be physically unfit, or required at home for compassionate reasons. It will always be a matter of honest pride that 3,500,000 men voluntarily enlisted.
The New Army took its drills wherever there were suitable spaces. In Radnor Park the soldiers in the making were watched by wondering children and admiring servant maids. On the Leas they took gunnery instruction before they possessed guns, or even uniforms. They carried on with their training, and greatly enjoyed it.
Lord Kitchener, who had a residence at Broome Park, managed to come and go unobserved by the general public. K. of K. loved to mingle with the boys,
Earl Kitchener, Miss Harrold (Manor Court Hospital) and Major Reason.
(This photo, taken at Broome Park, was perhaps the last taken of Lord Kitchener. It is published by kind permission of Miss Harrold),
Photo] [George Sands.
Lieut. -Col. the Earl of Radnor (Lord of the Manor).
Major Sir Philip Sassoon, C. M.G., M.P.
SHAPING THE NEW ARMY. 57
watching their progress, nodding approval, and speak- ing words of counsel. Many a lad has among his most cherished memories a sentence from the lips of the great soldier. When the news leaked out that Kitchener was coming crowds of visitors assembled to get a view of the creator of the New Army. Kitchener's aversion to publicity sometimes led to disappointment. He was most at his ease when entertaining a company of convalescent boys in his own beautiful grounds at Broome Park. His last photograph was a snapshot in which he is seen with Nurse Harrold, of Manor Court Hospital, and a batch of her patients.
Great amusement was created by the bathing exercises. The boys came down to the beach in swarms, for a dip in the briny, or to roll in the surf. Folkestone beach presented the appearance of Blackpool or Coney Island. Bathing regulations were very stringent, but they were more honoured in the breach than in the observance. It was good to see the fellows in their fun capering about in the water, like little children in their glee. Boats were in great demand for diving. The sea was, as ever, a great attraction to adventurous Britons.
The accommodation on the Camp was inadequate to meet the demand ; large numbers of men were billeted all over the area. Town mansions, private hotels, and cottages were packed with men. No visitors were more welcome, and on the whole none behaved more honourably. Praise of the men was heard on every side ; poor people whose homes were filled with the strange guests told how the boys often helped Mother to wash-up and made their own beds ; they played with the kiddies, and won the hearts of
58 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
the girls. Soon after, in the terrible days in Flanders, they showed their quality in many a hard fight ; but in their training they were soft-hearted as boys at home.
In early morning squads would march down to the Leas and begin the monotonous task of forming fours. They were in civilian attire ; an odd lot they were : boys in corduroy, and "knuts" who had taken the "spats" from their boots and put them in their pockets to avoid the banter of their new comrades. The old sergeant, usually a tough customer, shouted out the most elementary instruction. Upon one occasion, after the roll had been called, he yelled : ' ' Is there anybody absent who hasn't answered to h.is name ? ' ' and looked surprised at the hilarity caused by the question. But the sergeant always got his own back. He ordered the men to double, and then to charge on the run. It was ciirious to see the fellows without gun or even walking-stick going through the drill of lifting the rifle into position, sighting, and firing on command.
On the Camp, huts were being erected as fast as contractors could get men for the work. Cook- houses were designed, but not constructed, and all the domestic duties were executed in the open, greatly to the amusement of the boys and the visitors. The tents in which many men slept on the Camp were often blown down, and in the storm flooded out. The adventures were humorous to the onlooker, but not to the men who found their clothes wet through, and no opportunity to dry them, except upon their backs.
Regiments came in quick succession, and went over almost as soon as they received their uniforms, and
SHAPING THE NEW ARMY. 59
sometimes before they obtained their full equipment of weapons. The Northern burr and the Irish brogue were common in the streets, and the bagpipes resounded over the hills. The 3rd Hussars, 1st Batt. Royal Irish Fusiliers, 2nd Batt. Seaforth Highlanders, and 1st Royal Warwickshire Regiment were in the Camp at the outbreak of war. Regimental sports, held a week before their departure, attracted great crowds ; like Drake, they played their game before they went out to fight the foe. Alas ! that so few of those fine fellows were fated to return.
When an Oxford regiment was on the Camp Bishop Gore made a special visit, and preached a memorable sermon. General Ian Hamilton, who after- wards was in command of the Dardenelles adventure, read the lessons. It was a striking service ; the men lined up facing the drums ; their fine physique, clear eyes, and open countenances, the flower of English manhood, could not fail to make an impression upon the crowd of visitors, among whom were many fathers and mothers, watching with fond pride their loved ones, many of whose bodies now rest in Flanders.
No wonder the Bishop's voice thrilled with emotion, as he told of the higher duty they had undertaken, and wished the men Godspeed in their great enterprise. They stood as the descendants of the men who, long ago, went forth to the Crusades at the call of religion. They would fight the more righteous cause and would do their duty in the spirit of their sires. It was a true prophecy ; the Oxfords fought with their backs to the wall, and died nobly.
The presence of the New Army had a stimulating effect upon local recruiting. The travelling bureau
60 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
visited the town in September. Open-air meetings were held. Major-General Spens and Mr. Shirley Benn, M.P., had the assistance of members of the Town Council and other local speakers. Among the most successful of the patriotic gatherings was that at the Town Hall, when Mrs. Pankhurst made her appearance, not as a militant suffragette, but as a whole-hearted advocate of the War. Sir Philip Sassoon made a strong appeal for the East Kent Yeomanry, in which he was serving. A number of men responded and joined the Borough Member in active service.
Among the visitors to the town were many distin- guished men. Mr. Asquith, then staying at Lympne Castle for the week-end, frequently found his way over to the Camp and down to the Harbour. He was greatly interested in the rapidly changing character of Folkestone, owing to the war activities.
Mr. Lloyd George came to Beachborough and to the Leas, but not, as in the old days, to the golf links. Those who knew him saw only too plainly the effects of the strain of War on his mood. The old light- hearted spirit and gaiety of movement had given place to a gravity that became a burden. When, in those days, Lloyd George referred to the War, it was with assurance of the justice of our cause, but with some- thing like irritation at the slow pace of the preparations for what he was convinced would be a long and terrible struggle. Upon one occasion, when the Prime Minister was outside the Pavilion Hotel, with a friend, one of the boys passing said : " Is that Lloyd George? ' ' and being told it was, put out his hand. ' ' I'd like to shake hands with you, sir," he said. Lloyd George readily responded, and talked to the man for a minute
SHAPING THE NEW ARMY. 6 1
or so before he passed on. On the Harbour the soldier was a bit of a hero, but not quite sure of the honour. Haltingly, he said : " I thought a wonderful lot of him, but he's only like one of ourselves.
Women's organizations, engaging in war work, were pioneered by Lady Jane Carleton, who turned out a smart company in Folkestone, taking their instruction at the Drill Hall, and preparing to render service at the Camps.
When the W.A.A.C.'S came to the town the Hotel Metropole was taken over for their Headquarters. It was a great loss to the town that the chief hotel should be closed to visitors, but the women deserved our best, and they had it. Seven thousand women proceeded overseas from the Metropole. Recruits were trained in about three weeks to a month ; they were drilled on the Front, and were not one whit behind the men in smartness of movement. They were inoculated and vaccinated, and sent to France at the rate of approximately 200 a week. They undertook work as cooks, waitresses, clerks, mechanics, and motorists. A company, hearing that the soldiers' graves were un- tended, volunteered to go out to care for the resting- places of our fallen heroes ; and through the years they have been making the graveyards beautiful.
During the air raids the women were brought down to the lower hall, and provided concerts for their own entertainment. There were no casualties ; no panic. In the dark days the hotel was evacuated in 24 hours, in order to provide for women from overseas who might be compelled to return under the pressure of the enemy. Those who were in residence were jubilant but mystified upon being ordered off on leave. They never knew the serious reason behind the instruction.
62 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
The First Administrator was Miss Stevenson, who was followed by Miss Ireland, and afterwards Miss Carlisle. Miss Jacobs was the Deputy Assistant Administrator, and the Quartermistresses were Mesdames Biggar and Tates.
The New Army was very impatient to get to the front. The men did not then fully appreciate the value of training. Sometimes their eagerness to get across led to amusing episodes. A little party of impatient boys resolved that they would take action. The authorities were all too slow in getting men to France. They solemnly laid their plans and under the cover of night took a pleasure boat from the beach and left Folkestone at 4 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon. The little company consisted of four Artillerymen ; un- fortunately, their names were not recorded. The owner of the boat, the "Enterprise," was Mr. J. Skinner. They arrived off Calais about 3 o'clock on Sunday morning, having been picked up by a French fishing trawler, and towed into the harbour. They reported that they were very hungry and tired. The Calais people heard of the escapade, and the fishermen turned out to give them a great welcome. They received many offers of hospitality, and were embarrassed by the good things brought to them. But, much to their chagrin, later in the day they were marched down to the Folkestone boat. Upon their arrival they were placed in the fishing-boat and pulled round by the shore to the point from which they started.
Some eager spirits tried to get across by hiding on the pier and falling into line with troops going from the train to the boat. Crowds of men were embarking, and
SHAPING THE NEW ARMY. 63
it was extremely difficult to pick out those who were not entitled to go on board. However, the inspectors usually detected the adventurers, and returned them to camp. CB. was the result. Those who persisted in their attempts to cross without orders were brought up before the local magistrates and reprimanded. In their defence they usually pleaded their anxiety to get across before the job was finished. The courage of the men did not justify their disobedience, but it was very gratifying and typical of the New Army.
The impatience of the recruits occasionally found expression, as when a company refused to go through the mimic manoeuvres of taking cover in presence of an enemy who was not there. The men persisted that they would never take cover, but fight it out in the open. They did not then know the German idea of warfare. When they saw what it was they were doubtless thankful for the training they had received.
The British Y.M.C.A. soon began its magnificent work. Tents were used as canteens and recreation centres. The staff of the Bank of England erected the first Hut. In its writing-room many thousands of letters were penned to the loved ones at home. The work extended and did untold good for the New Army. The catering developed into an enormous business : 30,000 cups of tea and coffee being supplied in a single day. Concerts and lectures were given by local people. Religious services were held during the week ; Folkestone ministers being responsible for the arrangements. The Chaplaincy service was not in working order ; two of the Folkestone Churches were without ministers, and the clergy were hard-pressed, several
64 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
of their men having gone into camp in other districts. It is worthy of note that parade services and hospital visitations were not missed.
Sports were arranged on an elaborate scale. It was amusing to watch the men in their civilian attire running across-country, in a five-mile race, or endeavouring to take the high jump in Radnor Park.
Ladies mended garments and gave the human touch to camp life. From the time of the first Y.M.C.A. in Folkestone, moved from the Lecture Hall in Rendezvous Street to the centre of the town, there was no lack of women workers. The chief organisers representing the Central body were : Messrs. Tee, Haines, and Towers, who in turn had responsibility for the direction of the Y.M.C.A. work for the whole area. It was a responsible task, efficiently per- formed. The voluntary helpers counted no task too menial or exacting that added to the comfort of our brave men.
The principal Y.M. centre was the Luton Hut, given by the inhabitants of Luton. It was restaurant, club, and home to many thousands of men. Additional huts were provided as the need demanded, and were greatly appreciated. What the Camp would have been without the Y.M. it is difficult to conceive.
The success of the local recruiting campaign was in some measure due to the example of Lord Radnor and the Borough Member, Sir Phillip Sassoon. Lord Radnor left England on October 4th, 1914, for India, in command of the i/4th Wilts Regiment. In May, 1915, he was appointed to command Dehra Dun Brigade, and in September promoted Brigadier-General. At the end of 1916 he was given the command of the
Photo] IHalksworth Wheeler.
Recruiting Meeting in Marine Gardens.
Photo] [Halksworth Wheeler
Men of "Kitchener's Army" Bathing.
Photo] [Halksuvrth Wheeled.
New Army Training in Civilian Attire.
Photo] [Halksworth Wheeler.
Kitchener's Men" Drilling at Shorncliffe.
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SHAPING THE NEW ARMY. 65
43rd Infantry Brigade, but relinquished this in 1917, in order to return to England to obtain a command in France. In June, 1917, his Lordship took over the command of the 14th Training Reserve Battalion as Lieut. -Colonel. This Battalion subsequently became the 52nd Graduated Battalion, Notts and Derby Regiment. In January the following year Lord Radnor was appointed Director of Agricultural Production, B.E.F., with the rank of Brigadier- General, which position he held with distinction to the end of the War.
Captain Viscount Folkestone served throughout the War with the i/4th Wilts Regiment in India, Egypt, and Palestine, being severely wounded in the memorable operations in* front of Jerusalem. Sub- sequently, from September, 1918, whilst still unfit for general service, he served as A.D.C. to the G.O.C. Northern Command until February, 1919.
Sub-Lieutenant the Honorable Edward Pleydell- Bouverie, R.N., before he was 15 years of age, joined H.M.S. "Hogue" direct from Dartmouth as midship- man, and served at sea throughout the War. He was on tbe "Hogue" when it was torpedoed, but was amongst those rescued. He was on board H.M.S. "Orion" at the Battle of Jutland, and afterwards served on patrol boats in the Channel.
Sir Philip Sassoon was in the East Kent Yeomanry Territorials at the outbreak of war. He immediately placed his services at the disposal of the Empire. A public meeting was held, at which his constituents enthusiastically declared their satisfaction at his action, and pledged their support to him in his absence. Sir Philip went to France in November,
66 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
1914, on General Sir Henry Rawlinson's Staff, and did useful work in various capacities, becoming Private Secretary to Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig on his taking over the command of the British Army in France and Flanders, December, 1915. The value of Sir Philip's work is shewn by the fact that he con- tinued in his office until the end of the War, receiving high commendation from his chief, who, with the characteristic of the Scot, was never lavish with his praise. Sir Philip was mentioned several times in despatches, and received the thanks of the represen- tatives of our Allies. The high appreciation in which he was held is indicated by the honours conferred upon him. He is the happy possessor of the C.M.G., the 1914 Star, the Legion of Honour, presented by Marshal Joffre, the Black Star, presented by M. Clemenceau, and the Croix de Guerre, presented by Marshal Petain. Belgium gave him the Order of the Crown and the Croix de Guerre.
Sir Philip's work was not an easy task. His office was a hut in the grounds of the Field-Marshal's Head- quarters. The correspondence was voluminous, and the many tasks were often delicate and full of diffi- culty, requiring the skill of a tactful man, who could bring to bear upon the questions at issue a cool judg- ment and a trained intelligence.
Those who remained at home did much to hearten the men in their preparations for their arduous tasks. It would be invidious to mention names. The residents of Folkestone became a committee of entertainment and hospitality. The principal hotels and the poorest cottages were opened to the soldiers. Mr. Gelardi had soldiers billeted at the Grand, and on Sunday
SHAPING THE NEW ARMY. 67
afternoons invited practically any boys who cared to accept the invitation to tea, the parties often numbering 250 to 300. When the military left they presented him with a silver rose bowl, which is among his most treasured possessions.
Visitors to Folkestone during the War were impressed by the ugliness of the Rest Camps, par- ticularly the block of houses enclosed by corrugated iron in the principal part of the West End. But they did not know what a boon these camps were to the men who were crossing to France. The Rest Camp was for many their last sleeping place on English soil ; the last bit of ground over which they walked was from the Leas down the Slope, which now should be known as Victory Road. Their memories depended upon the treatment they received during the last hours in the Rest Camp. We are glad to include the following particulars supplied by those responsible for the Military Command of the town : —
Owing to weather conditions, mines, and various causes, the sailings of the boats with troops from Folkestone to Boulogne, Calais, etc., had at times, in the winter frequently, to be cancelled, which meant accommodating troops in Folkestone for the night and billeting them in the town. This was possible, although inconvenient, as long as the numbers were only small, but, as the capacity of the port and the numbers for embarkation increased, it was realised that other means of accommodation must be provided for the comfort and well-being of the men.
In August, 1915, Colonel R. Burns-Begg was sent from the War Office to Folkestone to organise a system of Rest Camps, his great ability as an organiser making
68 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
him especially suitable for the appointment. The post of Town Commandant, Folkestone, was then created, the area at first consisting of Folkestone only, but in 1916 it was enlarged to include Sandgate, Seabrook, Hythe, Cheriton, and the village of Salt- wood. In addition, the appointment carried the duty of Competent Military Authority for Kent, except the Dover and the Thames and Medway Defence Areas, and portions of Kent in the London District Area. Seventy Military Police, of which twelve were mounted, were attached to the Command. In 1917 the title of Town Commandant was altered to Com- mandant Folkestone Area.
In 1915 blocks of houses facing the sea, known as Marine Terrace and Marine Parade, were acquired, and in January 191 6, No. 1 Rest Camp was opened, with Major, now Lieut-.Col., H. F. Sparrow as Com- mandant, and with Major G. C. Grahame as Assistant Commandant. The Camp was equipped with cook- houses and all conveniences, and a large Y.M.C.A. Hut, part of which was given by Mrs. Paul, of 20, Grimston Gardens. There was sleeping accommodation in the houses for two thousand two hundred men.
In May, 1916, another Rest Camp was opened in a big field on the West Cliff Estate, off the Bathurst Road. This was composed of Indian pattern tents heated with stoves, and had the usual equipment and a large Y.M.C.A. Hut, and was called No. 2 Rest Camp, with a capacity for one thousand men.
It was foreseen that still more accommodation would have to be provided, and the blocks of houses on the Leas which include Clifton Crescent, and are bounded by Earls Avenue on the west, Sandgate Road
SHAPING THE NEW ARMY. 69
on the north, Clifton Road on the east, and the Leas on the south, were acquired in November, 1916, and opened early in 1917 as No. 3 Rest Camp, under Lieut. -Col. H. F. Sparrow, with Major E. L. Hunter, M.C., as Assistant Commandant, No. 2 Camp being attached to this Camp for all purposes.
Major G. C. Grahame took over command of No. 1, to which later on No. 4, the Territorial Drill Hall, was attached.
The accommodation at No. 3, when it was completely equipped, was for 5,000 men, and great credit is due to Lieut. -Col. Sparrow and Major Hunter, M.C., for the very high state of efficiency reached in this Camp and the great comfort provided for both officers and men. This Camp, besides having the most up-to-date appliances in the cook-houses, hot bath houses, etc., had also a dairy, where butter was made from Glaxo, Ambrosial, and other brands of dried milk. Thousands of pounds have been saved by the prevention of all waste and by the splendid management of the institutes and messing in this Camp.
Up to January, 1917, the Staff of the Commandant Folkestone Area consisted only of an Assistant Provost Marshal and an Assistant Provost Marshal for the Canadians, but in January Major the Honourable E. J. Mills, D.S.O., Kent Yeomanry, was appointed Garrison Adjutant, and in March the Staff was in- creased by an assistant garrison adjutant, a quarter- master, a staff captain (Q) and a billeting officer — the last named required for dealing with the large number of officers who had to be billeted almost daily, parti- cularly when sailings from Folkestone were cancelled.
In 1 91 8 the force of Military Police was increased
70 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
to eighty foot and twenty mounted, and the total accommodation of the port had been increased to fourteen thousand.
In October 1917, Colonel R. Burns-Begg had to relinquish his appointment owing to a breakdown in health, due to the overstrain on account of the work entailed. He was succeeded by Lieut. -Col. the Hon. E. J. Mills, D.S.O., on 20th December, 1917, which appointment Lieut. -Col. Mills held till February, 1919, after the Armistice, when he vacated to attend to his private affairs. Lieut.-Col. E. M. Liddell, of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, took over from Lieut.-Col. Mills, and Captain P. Alexander, of the Royal Fusiliers, became Garrison Adjutant.
The average number of men passing through the Camps daily during 1917-18 was between 8,000 and 9,000, but during March and April, 1918, the numbers were about 12,000 daily, with a maximum of 16,000 on one day. The troops passing through comprised almost every nationality, English, Dominion and Colon- ial Troops, 15,000 Americans, French, Russians, Serbs, Indians, Chinese and Kaffirs, West Indians and Fijians.
In May, 1917, the Drill Hall belonging to the 1st Volunteer Battalion "The Buffs" and the Cinque Ports Artillery was formed into No. 4 Rest Camp, attached to No. 1. Accommodation was provided for four hundred men, bringing the total for the station at this date up to 8,600.
Early in the year it was decided to utilise the services of the members of the Women's Legion in the cook- houses at the Rest Camps, which entailed having a hostel attached to Nos. 1 and 3, for their accommo- dation. Later on the members of the Women's Legion were incorporated in the Q.M.A.A.C, and
SHAPING THE NEW ARMY. 71
their staffs rendered great services during the War and added much to the comfort of the troops passing through the Camps.
In April, 1917, a Tented Camp was pitched to the east of Hill Road, Cherry Garden Avenue, to accom- modate 2,000 Chinese or Kaffirs. This Camp was designated the Labour Concentration Camp, under the command of Lieut. -Col. F. Hopley. An auxiliary camp was pitched on the west side of the road opposite this camp to contain another 2,000 Asiatic or African natives ; these were found invaluable for the heavy labour work, especially loading and unloading shells, etc., at the front.
During the summer the Chinese labour was utilised to build hutments of re-inforced concrete, and this work was carried our under the direction of the R.E. Cherry Garden Camp, as it came to be called, was really two separate blocks, with kitchens, hospitals, etc., and could comfortably house 1,500 men.
By the end of May, 1919, nearly nine million men had passed through Folkestone embarking to and disembarking from France.
Six months after the signing of the Armistice some 4,000 leave men arrived from and returned to the Army of Occupation daily, besides cadres for dispersal and re-forming, and various drafts, breaking the journey at Rest Camps for a good meal, and some staying overnight.
It is interesting to note that the last gift received by men leaving England was a copy of the New Testa- ment or the Book of Psalms, presented by the Scripture Gift Mission. Nearly 1,000,000 men gladly availed themselves of the generosity of the Society, and doubtless found inspiration and comfort in the literature of courage and consolation in the New Testament.
CHAPTER V.
IN CASE IT HAPPENED. By the Editor.
In War the only thing that is certain is that every- thing is uncertain. The chances may be hundred to one that a given emergency will not arise, but the possibility must be recognised and provision made for the eventuality. The unexpected has an awkward habit of coming to pass. It is not surprising, therefore, that many preparations were made "in case it happened. "
In areas including coast towns there was neces- sarily an element of risk. Arrangements were made to meet it. Forewarned is forearmed, and Folkestone, in common with other towns on the south-east coast, was forewarned with dramatic suddenness. The Military Authorities sent out instructions for the formation of Emergency Committees, dealing with matters that might arise in the eventuality of an attack upon our shores, or a bombardment from the sea. It was pointed out that the worst thing that could happen would be the creation of panic ; nothing could be more harmful or dangerous than a general movement in the nature of flight on the part of women and children. No action was to be taken until ordered by the Military, and then it would be properly con- trolled, and directed by the Police. It was of the utmost importance that the movement of troops and
Photo] [Lam' erl Weston.
Lieut.-Col. Sir Stephen Penfold (Mayor of Folkestone).
IN CASE IT HAPPENED. 73
artillery should not be hampered by the presence of a considerable body of civilians. Road maps of the coast towns were prepared and privately circulated, giving instructions as to the roads which would be required for Military operations.
The War Office sent instructions for the Com- mittee to undertake the guidance of the civil popula- tion to places of safety, and to remove or destroy all food stuffs and material likely to be of service to the enemy. At certain periods, in the dark days of the War, provision merchants were instructed to keep their stocks as low as possible, and at one time arrange - ments were in readiness to receive a considerable inflow of the French population, in case it should be necessary to evacuate coast towns on the other side of the Channel. Many proclamations were ready to be issued ' ' in case it happened. ' '
In the unlikely event of a State of Emergency having to be declared, it was arranged that the exodus of civilians who chose to leave the town should be by way of Paddlesworth to Lyminge ; thence to Stone Street, Brabourne and Smeeth, and on to Cranbrook. Food would be provided along the route. Each person was to be advised to take food for two days, warm clothing and money, but no other baggage. Upon a State of Emergency being declared by the proper Authority, the Military would take over control, and the Chief of Police would become responsible for the care of the civil population. The Government inti- mated that the instructions were not sent out in view of any immediate apprehension of an attempt to land a hostile force in this country. That was improbable in view of our Naval superiority ; but it was never
74 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
regarded as so remote that it could be ignored, and extensive Military preparations were made to protect the country against the danger.
It was regarded as unwise not to take all steps to provide, "as far as human foresight enables us, against every possible contingency. A large number of Special Constables are in readiness to assist the civil population and instruct those who desire to leave the town the direction in which they should proceed, and to advise the civil population whether or not they should remain in their houses or leave the town."
The Mayor called a number of meetings and took the necessary action to meet a series of contingencies, which, happily, never arose. Provision was made to ascertain the number of vehicles and horses in the town. The owners were seen and certain instructions were given as to their removal, or if that could not be done, for their destruction, so as to be useless to the enemy. Similar action was taken in regard to motor cars, cycles, live stock of all descriptions, food and forage and petrol.
In the event of the civilian population leaving, Special Constables were to be placed throughout the town, giving directions, and to make provision for the removal of all civil cases from the Hospital who were unable to walk, and for the use of conveyances for the aged and infirm and young children.
The Special Constables rendered assistance of a most valuable character. Their ordinary duties were onerous, but to those were added responsibilities in connection with what might have happened. Motor cyclists were provided with hand-bells to ring as a signal to assemble. Picked men were to call others in
IN CASE IT HAPPENED. 75
certain areas, so that a force of 200 reliable men would have been available in less than two hours.
Hints of what was being done gave thrills to some timid souls, and notices were prepared to calm their troubled spirits. They were assured that there was no likelihood of any such contingency occurring. Some inhabitants rather resented the motherly attempts at calming their spirits. One day, when the flag was down from a public building, during an air raid, a well-known resident sent to an official a hammer and a box of nails, with a suggestion that it might be put up.
The little town of Bridlington was entirely un- fortified, but on the sea-front gardens there were three old artillery guns, which could not be fired. They were pointing seaward. The Town Council decided to remove these so that "the enemy may have no excuse whatever for firing on the town. ' ' The enemy had plenty of excuse for attacking Folkestone and the towns adjacent ; but they were not provided with the opportunity. The Military had elaborate plans worked out in minute detail. It is fairly safe to say that if a German Force had succeeded in effecting a landing, it would never have left our shores. It would have been very difficult and costly to land such a force, but it could not be regarded as by any means impossible. In case it happened, arrangements were made to give a hot reception to the adventurers. Roads were mapped out for troops, and emplacements were ready for guns. Officers had full instructions what to do in certain eventualities, and had well rehearsed their parts.
The Chief Constable had minute details prepared
76 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
for the guidance of his assistants, and was ready to act immediately the signal was given. A code was decided upon in cipher for use between the Military and the Chief of Police. Stations were assigned to certain men, so that they knew where to go, and had the signal sounded they would very quickly have been at their posts.
A General Emergency Committee was carefully selected from residents of experience and discretion. They were pledged to absolute secrecy. Special duties were assigned to a few men who could be relied upon to remain as silent as the grave. It must have been amusing, and not a little irritating, for these men to have read, or have listened, to the hysterical vapourings of those who condemned because they did not know. The latter were shouting for protection for the town, and those who were responsible for that very thing could not speak a word. The fault-finders were usually of the type of the gentlemen who, when the maroon sounded calling up the Territorials, thought the Germans were coming, or had actually fired on the coast ; and they left their refreshments and ran to the Central Station as rabbits at the sound of a gun flee to cover.
The emergency work done may be judged by some general information. The Advisory Committee assigned to Mr. G. J. Swoffer the task of entering into communication with every owner of a horse or donkey, cart, carriage or other vehicle, and to give the in- formation that he must, on receiving notice that a State of Emergency had arisen, immediately remove his horse or vehicle from Folkestone, unless it was required by the Military, and if time did not permit
IN CASE IT HAPPENED. 77
of its removal, it must be rendered useless to the enemy. Mr. W. R. Boughton was commissioned to communicate to all owners of motor-cycles and motor- cars a similar notice, with instructions as to the best way of destroying the vehicles if the emergency arose. It was expected that the red buses, and all public service cars, would be required for the use of troops. Mr. H. H. Barton, of Temple & Barton, set out to warn the owners of cows and sheep that they must be prepared, in the event of notice, immediately to remove their stock from Folkestone. Directions were given what to do if the cattle could not be moved. Mr. G. Boyd had charge of food and forage. He visited persons having stocks, and informed them what should be done. Mr. F. Seager called upon the users and sellers of petrol, giving them notice that, in a State of Emergency, they should run to waste all the petrol not required by the Military. The Borough Engineer had lists made of tradesmen, builders, and others possessing tools, barbed wire, and other similar things which might be useful to the enemy. It was arranged to have gangs of men with the necessary tools in readiness to carry out any field works required.
It was made clear that there was to be no removal or destruction of property without instructions from the Military Authorities or the Police. Some wise critics thought the whole movement an evidence of panic and a sheer waste of time ; but they had not the disquieting information which came through to the Authorities, and which obviously could not be made public without creating a great deal of panic.
Many questions arose in the Emergency Committee as to what should be done in this or that eventuality.
78 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
What, for instance, should happen to the large stocks of wine ? There were stored at the harbour some thousands of cases of champagne. It would be practically impossible to remove them. Were they to be destroyed or left for the invaders to drink the Mayor's health ?
It was more than suspected that the German Navy was only waiting the chance of a fog to attempt some sort of invasion of the coast. The suspicion was fully justified by after events. No foot of foeman trod our shore, for the simple reason that the first line of defence, the British Navy, did its duty so magnificently that Germany never had a ghost of a chance upon the high seas.
There can be no eulogy worthy of the strong, silent men who kept watch so faithfully. To them more than to all others Folkestone owes its safety. How splendidly sailors of the day maintained the old traditions of Blake, Drake, Nelson, and the rest, who established the tradition that Britannia rules the waves ! How completely the German Navy accepted the tradition, when it was bottled up in the Kiel Canal. Only upon one memorable occasion did it steam out in full force, and then it came out to surrender to Admiral Beatty.
In Folkestone Admiral Sir Roger Keyes was a familiar figure, and there was general pleasure when the news came that he and his merry men, in the true old English style, had sailed to a pirates' lair, called Zeebrugge, where a nest of submarines lay during the day, and slunk out in the night to torpedo merchant ships and assassinate their passengers, to the horror of the world. It was a great day in Naval history
IN CASE IT HAPPENED. 79
when Sir Roger and his men corked up Zeebrugge Harbour like a ginger- beer bottle, and did it under the very nose of the enemy. The Navy enabled the civilians to walk the town in comfort and safety.
There is no reason for secrecy now as to the German plans to bombard the coast by long-range guns. It is known that a giant gun had been prepared for the special benefit of the South-East Coast. It was the intention to mount this gigantic piece of ordnance in the neighbourhood of Ostend, and this design was only frustrated by the courage and vigilance of our boys who fly. The Air Force rained destruction incessantly on the specially prepared track by which it was alone possible to convey the mammoth gun. The gun that bombarded Paris was a comparative pigmy beside the weapon designed for our special benefit. Had it been mounted at Ostend, its range would have covered Kent as far as Canterbury, Folkestone, and Hythe, while the towns throughout the Isle of Thanet would have had to be evacuated. When fired at an angle of 450 the shell would pass through the air at a maximum height of over 20 miles. At this altitude skin friction is reduced to a minimum, as there is believed to be no air there, and through this void of space the shell would travel for over thirty miles before the force of gravity would once again draw it within the air belt, where it would begin its down- ward path toward the objective.
We may be very thankful that the Germans did not carry out their plans as they had expected. The wonder is that these things did not happen ; for all the probabilites were in their favour, though the public knew it not. It is not speculation to record
80 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
that the enemy fully intended to make an attempt at a great bombardment of the coast in the summer of 19 18. According to all the laws of warfare, the town ought to have been bombarded ; the enemy should have made the attempt. It would have given immense prestige, and have influenced the policy of Neutrals as nothing else could. It might have been very costly, but almost any price could have been paid to destroy the tradition that England could not be invaded. "There's a Divinity that shapes our ends," and when all has been said it is just a case of the "stars in their courses" fighting against Sisera. It was not to be. Perhaps the final analysis will give no other explanation than that which might be conveyed in old Father Faber's lines :
"For right is right, since God is God, And right the day must win." The Chief Constable had his work enormously increased by the task of preparing for the things that never happened. One of the curious phases of the War was the development of the spy mania. It served a useful purpose, and doubtless provided an absorbing occupation for many persons who otherwise would have been brooding over their ailments or the calamities they foresaw befalling the country. People who read the blood-curdling stories of the "Female Vampire, ' ' feasted upon the cinema displays of ' ' The Enemy in our Midst, ' ' or sat through the perform- ances of popular spy-plays, were filled with the very laudable ambition of rivalling Sherlock Holmes. Folkestone had its self-commissioned force of detec- tives, determined to track down every Hun in the district who was signalling information to unknown ships far out at sea.
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Many of the amateur Secret Service men and women watched night by night; not a few of them from opposite sides of the road watched each other. Some devoted their attention to the windows along the sea-front, on the look out for suspicious lights. All lights were forbidden by the Police, and the fines for breach of the law must have totalled up to a considerable sum. Information was sent to the Chief Constable of blinds that moved three times to the right, or twice to the left, or were pulled up rapidly and drawn again at the same hour each night. Investigation showed that in one case a zealous old lady, dressing for dinner, drew the curtain a little aside in order to keep observa- tion upon a bend of the road where she had noticed a suspicious person standing in the darkness. From that spot Sherlock Holmes II., who had been the cause of the mischief, went round with a proud heart to report to the police. The net result was a warning to the old lady and a ios. fine imposed on the innocent, but legally responsible, hotel proprietor.
Among a sheaf of spy-stories there are some which should certainly find a permanent record. One of the most dramatic episodes was related from several sources. Information was given to the police of a mysterious light up by the hill. It moved in semi- circles. Some watchers had seen it pass through the air very rapidly ten or twelve times in succession. Others observed it moving slowly, exactly the same way, five or six times. Occasionally it flashed very brightly, but not always in one colour ; at other times it was a clear, steady light. There could be no doubt it was an elaborate code, giving important information. Some were sure that the worker of the signals was
82 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
intimating the arrival of fresh troops at the Camp. It was undeniable that the flashes were seen upon several occasions just after troops came into Shorn- cliffe Station. Attempts were made to interpret the code, but these were speculative, and finally it was determined to arrest the person or persons working the signals. Very careful preparations were made ; men were selected and armed, as there might be desperate resistance. Anyone who would risk flashing signals across the sea would certainly be armed, and in a critical move might destroy the signals, and take his own life, or the lives of others. Reliable men were set on the trail, and they did not fail. After watching for several nights in vain, their opportunity came. It was a lovely moonlight night, with just enough mist over the hills to obscure minor objects. Ships were in the Channel held up by the Dover signals ; their forms could be seen clearly, though their lights were out. A breeze was blowing up, but only enough to create a murmur through the fast -falling leaves. The strange light moved with uncanny precision ; it was located, and silently the armed men came out from their hiding place. They drew in upon the unsuspecting signaller. A moment's pause, and then, together, they dashed to the attack. It might mean a tough fight, and serious results for somebody, but there was no faltering or turning back. The affair did not last long. The offender was laid low by a well-aimed blow, though his figure could only be located by a line of shadow. Then the secret was revealed in its naked truth. An allotment holder, anxious to keep birds off his ground, had conceived the brilliant idea of hanging up a piece of an old broken looking-
IN CASE IT HAPPENED. 83
glass. It was tied with string to a big stick. As it swung it reflected any light there was in the sky. When the proposed War Museum is furnished the Chief Constable ought to present that piece of plate glass to the Authorities, that the generations yet un- born may know what Sherlock Holmes II. did for his country in the Great War.
A lady in the West-End reported that she strongly suspected some persons who had recently removed into the house next door were spies, as she was certain that they had a wireless installation on their premises. During several nights she had kept lonely vigil, and had distinctly heard the clicking of wireless coming from their rooms. She had not seen anything, but she knew the sound, and was sure she was not mistaken. Enquiries were carried out by the police, from which it was shown that the occupants were thoroughly loyal subjects. This was notified to the lady, but it did not satisfy her. She returned again, and further reported to the Authorities that the wireless was still going ; she was convinced. In proof of her statement she produced a sheet of paper covered with dots and dashes, which she had taken down during the previous night, while her neighbour was working the wireless. She was so convinced that she urged that the Authorities should get the message decoded, and they would see for themselves the importance of it. To clear the matter up, observation was kept upon the premises for a night or two, and the clicking noise was located ; but it was not the working of a wireless installation, but simply the action of a revolving cowl on the chimney pot.
Upon another occasion some residents reported
84 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
signalling from the roof of a certain large building early in the morning. Observation was kept, but no signalling was detected. The informants were told that they had probably been mistaken ; but this would not do. They knew that they had discovered something that should be investigated, and they gave hints of information to the War Office. Besides, had they not seen, during the night before, the very thing done ? and better still, that very morning the traitor had forgotten to take the usual precaution of removing the apparatus used for signalling. It could be seen. The informant spoke with the accent of assurance, and two responsible officials at once went to the premises. They made a careful search, and discovered upon the flat roof a clothes-line stretched from one chimney-stack to another, on a portion of which the maid, early in the morning, hung out the mats to air.
The spy mania, while it was an amusing feature, sometimes was very irritating. It at least showed the determination of the people to take any precautions within their power. In conjunction with the Metropolitan Detective Service, the local police force kept a close watch upon the thousands of persons crossing from the Harbour, and some smart captures were effected.
Among the most important of the precautionary methods was the registration of aliens. It began in Folkestone on the 7th August, 1914, and was soon applied to all parts of the country. The Chief Constable worked out a system of his own. Some of the features commended themselves to the Authori- ties, and are still in use. The magnitude of the work
IN CASE IT HAPPENED. 85
may be judged from the fact that 17,434 aliens have been registered in the town. Large numbers of the refugees who were sent to other centres were not registered locally, or the total would have been very much larger. More than 10,000 aliens have, for a time, made their home in the town ; 4,155 have been in Folkestone for the purposes of business or on holidays ; and nearly 3,000 Belgian soldiers have spent their leave from Active Service in the hospitable homes of the residents.. It was oft-times amusing to see groups of "les petits braves" playing upon the beach with the children ; with the abandonment of the little people to the pleasures of the moment, they paddled and made sand-castles. What a contrast to the life they had lived in the trenches ! They expressed great delight when addressed in their own language, and never tired of hearing about the charms of the district.
During the last three years the arrivals and departures of aliens to and from the area have averaged about 500 per month. It is interesting to note among the different nationalities registered thirty countries are represented, including Russia, Siam, Egypt, Rumania, Serbia, China, Armenia, Austria, Greece, and Turkey.
When feeling against the aliens ran very high it seemed that there would be serious unpleasantness for naturalized Germans and Austrians who remained at liberty in the town. Some of them were very old, and in one or two cases so infirm that they could not continue their usual avocations. Two or three others had been naturalized many years ago, and were bitterly opposed to the Kaiser and his military caste.
86 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
But that availed nothing with a number of persons who threatened what they would do unless the aliens were all interned. Happily, there was never anything more than threatening and rumours. The police had close supervision of all enemy aliens in the county, and could at any moment have produced their records, and even their finger-prints, and they always knew where to find those whose names were upon their lists. The system of registration was very carefully carried out. A full description of the person was given, and a photograph attached. It was not permissible for a registered man to leave the district without obtaining a special permit, and then it was required that he should report himself to the police in the area in which he went to reside. By this means all the aliens, whether suspected or not, were under police supervision.
The things that might have happened and did not come to pass were very many ; but it was wise on the part of the Authorities to take no unnecessary risks.
CHAPTER VI.
THE AIR RAIDS. By Arthur J. Crowhurst.
The most vivid phase of the war so far as Folkestone was affected was the air raids phase. It surpassed all other experiences of those "crowded hours" of 1914- 19, in its effect and influence upon the life and activi- ties of the local community. It was not until May 25th, 1917, that a raid on the town actually occurred, but that ordeal was horrific, never to be effaced from the memory. For ten minutes or so death literally rained from the sky — a sky of azure blue — causing the streets in some parts of the town to run with blood, and carry- ing bleak desolation into scores of homes.
No warning of the imminence of the deadly peril was received by the town authorities — although it is said that something of the approaching danger was known of and spoken about by some workers on the Harbour — and the visitation was wholly unexpected. Folkestone had somehow allowed itself to be lulled into a soothing sense of security. It regarded the war almost with complacency so far as actual danger went. Perhaps it was too complacent. It was familiar with the happenings and the panoply of war in various aspects. There had been " alarums and excursions." Even before England had thrown down the gage to Germany we had watched our mighty battleships swiftly surging their way through the waters of the Channel en route to their stations in the North Sea ;
88 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
some of us had seen or heard the troops silently march- ing in the dead of night from Shorncliffe to the railway station. We had seen a great deal of the aftermath of war. Quite early the Belgian refugees had landed in their thousands, and we soon became accustomed to the sight of wounded soldiers, likewise to the distant thunder of the guns in Flanders and Picardy. Thousands of troops embarked and disembarked at the Harbour, and many of the best houses in the town had been taken over by the military for use as rest camps, enclosed with hideous corrugated iron fencing, with entrances diligently guarded by sentries who challenged all and sundry if there were a doubt as to their having any business there.
There were these and many other things to remind us that we were at war — at war with an implacable, unscrupulous, and barbaric foe. The husbands and sons of many citizens had fallen in the fighting, but wives and parents carried on with little outward sign of their grief. There had been enemy aircraft raids east and west of Folkestone, with loss of life on each side, not so many miles away ; we were conscious of the fact that we were well within the war zone, and there was no sound reason to think that the Hun would spare us. On the contrary, the main line of communications with the vast battle plains on the Western Front ran plumb through the heart of Folkestone, and the town and district were an armed camp of vital military, if not strategic, importance.
In the minds of a few people there was one fact which they felt might cause the enemy to exclude the town from his sinister attentions from air and sea, and that was that in the Cemetery there reposed the
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THE AIR RAIDS. 89
remains of a number of German sailors, men who lost their lives on the occasion of the foundering of the " Grosser Kurfurst " on May 31st, 1878, and some of whose comrades were gallantly rescued by Folkestone fishermen. Greatly daring, the Mayor of Hythe (Mr. William R. Cobay) had written to a prominent London newspaper, pointing out this fact, and suggesting that, in consequence, the district might hope to remain immune from bombardment. How anybody acquainted with the mentality of the Hun could found any hope upon such a reason it is difficult to understand.
At any rate, whatever may have been the cause, Folkestone went scathless for nearly three years. Prior to May 25th, 1917, all our suffering had been vicarious, and we went about our lawful business with scarcely a tremor. The Great War might rage elsewhere ; vast areas of Europe might be a welter of blood ; German submarines might lurk beneath the waters of the earth and blow sailors, soldiers, and others to kingdom come ; nations might go up in flames and millions be put to death ; but there was little or nothing to disturb the even round of our daily life in Folkestone such as we had known it since those seemingly far-off pre-war days. The gigantic conflict was being waged with all the resources of art and science, but others were "in it," not we. In the war zone as we were, we yet viewed the war with a more or less strong sense of detachment, the majority perhaps vainly imagining that this happy state of things would continue until the end of the chapter.
Such was the local atmosphere of serenity and security which was blasted into oblivion by the high explosive bombs hurled upon the town of Folkestone
90 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
on the evening of May 25th, 1917. Truly it was a terrific awakening, horrifying, for a brief interval almost stupefying ! If the town staggered and reeled under the blow — a blow so utterly unexpected — perhaps it may be forgiven, for the raid was (up to that time) the biggest and most deadly raid of the War !
In the introduction to this section an attempt has been made to give an idea of the local circumstances and attitude at the date of the Great Raid. But events under this heading of local cognizance, if not of actual local incidence, should be dealt with in chronological sequence before that dire disaster is described in detail. Dover was the locale of the first aircraft raid on this country, a solitary German aeroplane appearing over that town on December 24th, 1914, and dropping a few bombs, but without inflicting any loss of life, and damaging property to a small extent only. Dover is separated from Folkestone by only six miles, which is a mere nothing in this distance-annihilating era of the aeroplane, but Folkestone took no more than a casual interest in the episode. It may be worth mentioning that January 19-20, 1915, was the date of the first Zeppelin raid on England ; on that occasion four civilians were killed and fifteen civilians and one soldier were injured in Norfolk.
On May 3rd, 1915, in the morning, some excitement was caused in Folkestone by the report that a German aeroplane had crossed to Dover and was on its way to our town. There was a sound of gunfire away to the eastward, in which direction many people, leaving their occupation and going into the streets, strained their eyes, whilst not a little commotion was created
THE AIR RAIDS. 91
by a military lorry on which an anti-aircraft gun was mounted careering through the town by a devious route to the Dover Road to take a part in the prospec- tive affray. Some distant object, apparently an aeroplane, was seen away up over the Downs, and it was reported later that pieces of a shell from an anti- aircraft gun had fallen in a field a little distance from the Valiant Sailor. It was not, however, a German aeroplane which was fired at, but one of our own ! What had happened was this : There was in existence an order that every British aeroplane crossing from France to England should previously send intimation of its coming, in default of which it would be fired at. On this day an airman had omitted to do this, and consequently his machine was mistaken for a hostile craft.
On August 9th, 1915, many inhabitants were aroused just before midnight by the reverberations of terrific explosions, and these who looked out eastwards saw vivid flashes. A Zeppelin was making a raid on Dover. The din must have been deafening at the actual locale of the raid, but it was again a case of much cry and little wool, the casualties being limited to three sailors injured. This was the only instance of a Zeppelin dropping bombs on Dover, although on two other occasions enemy airships were in the neigh- bourhood of the town, one being so seriously damaged by gunfire that it descended in the Channel and was destroyed by Allied airmen from Dunkirk. Dover was, however, bombed by aeroplanes on quite a number of occasions.
On October 13th, 1915, at a comparatively early hour of the night a Zeppelin discharged
92 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
bombs on the Canadian Camp at Otterpool (near Lympne) and at Stanford, in the neighbourhood of Westenhanger Station, which is only about eight miles from Folkestone, where the sound of the explosions was heard by many people, flashes being seen from the Leas. No civilians were killed or injured, although some houses were missed by a very narrow margin, and there was some damage to property. But our friends from the Land of the Maple Leaf did not come off so well. A score or more were killed or injured. The official return, published since the signing of the Armistice, gives the number of killed under the heading of "Sailors and Soldiers " as 17 and the number of injured as 21. These figures may have included casualties in other areas which were bombed that night, but undoubtedly the majority related to Canadians stationed at Otterpool. Associated with this raid at Otterpool Camp was a remarkable instance of the futility of the censorship on that occasion. The British Press at this period was hedged about with all sorts of restrictions in regard to air raids. In the case of nocturnal visitations the precise localities bombed were not to be stated. Such mention had been made in the case of some of the earlier raids, but definite instructions had been sent to the newspapers that the names of towns and places were not to be included in such limited reports as were permissible. Consequently in the reports in the English Press there was no indication that the Cana- dian Camp at Otterpool had been bombed. But the whole story was told in the ' ' Evening News, ' ' published at New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, on October 16th, 1915 — only three days after the raid. On the front and
THE AIR RAIDS. 93
principal news page there appeared the following article, headed in big type : " Canadians were killed in Zeppelin Raids — Eleven Artillerymen Fall Victims to Hun ' ' : —
(Canadian Press Dispatch).
Ottowa, Ontario, October 16th. — The Zeppelin raids on England have now come home to Canada. From the latest casualty list and from information obtained from local militia sources, it would appear that there were n Canadian Artillerymen who lost their lives in the last raid, that of the 13th.
The total military casualties reported in the official statement by the British authorities were 14 killed and 13 wounded, so that it would appear the Canadians were the chief sufferers. Besides the eleven men who lost their lives, three are reported as missing and three wounded.
All these cases took place at Otterpool Camp, Kent, England. The casualties took place among the 5th Brigade of the Canadian Second Division Artillery. As far as is known, these are the first Canadians to meet death as a result of a Zeppelin raid.
Last night's casualties of this type are all Western men, except one, whose next of kin is given as residing in St. Catherine's, one who is a member of the 29th Battery.
As the foregoing was published only three days after the raid occurred, the information could not have been sent in a letter under cover, but must have gone through by cable. Even if it were nobody's business to censor the cablegram, it might have been thought that it would be somebody's business to prevent the details being blazoned forth in a Nova Scotian news- paper. Obviously it would be absurd to allow such a report to be printed in a Canadian paper if it were deemed desirable to forbid English papers to insert it.
Nearly a year passed without anything happening in the air in the immediate vicinity of Folkestone. Dover and other parts of Kent were raided, and at times there was a little mild excitement in our own town caused by the sound of gunfire at a distance, or
94 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
distant flashes seen at night. Shortly after two on the morning of August 25th, 191 6, a Zeppelin passed over, or very nearly over, the town, Actually the course which it took lay over the inner Harbour, and it was travelling at a height of 12,000 feet. It was picked up by the searchlight on the hills between Folkestone and Dover at 2.15 a.m., according to an entry in the records of the local Fire Brigade, and was subjected to a brisk cannonading by the anti-aircraft guns, the din arousing many from their slumbers. Those who looked out from their windows saw a cigar- shaped object travelling eastwards. Soon it altered its course a point or two to the south — its crew were probably endeavouring to baffle the gunners on the hills — and eventually disappeared from view. It dropped no bombs in this district, but later in the day an official report sent out from Berlin contained the following : —
"During the night of August 24-25 several naval dirigibles attacked the southern portion of the East Coast of England. They dropped numerous bombs on the City and the South Eastern district of London and the batteries at the naval stations at Harwich and Folkestone, and numerous vessels moored in Dover Harbour. Everywhere very good results were observed. ' '
Just before midnight on the 2nd of September, 1916, a Zeppelin was heard over the sea, apparently steering west. It was subsequently reported that it turned northwards after passing Dymchurch, crossing the coastline between that place and Lydd.
Up to this date the arrangements in the immediate locality for defence against aerial attacks were not
THE AIR RAIDS. 95
organised on any elaborate scale. Apart from the small weapons on lorries, the only anti-aircraft guns were those stationed on the hills between Folkestone and Dover. Whether the military mind was at one with the civilian mind in imagining that the district would continue to enjoy immunity from attack, or whether the weakness of the defences was due to the fact that the War Department had not enough guns to be able to spare more for this neighbourhood, is a matter which must be left to conjecture. Some more guns, however, were placed in position at the top of the hill, a quarter of a mile or so from the Valiant Sailor, towards the end of the summer of 1916 — about or after the time when the Zeppelin passed over Folkestone Harbour.
On the night of March 16-17, 1917> one or more Zeppelins were cruising about in the vicinity, four explosive bombs being dropped at Swingfield, four incendiary bombs at Hougham, two explosive and seven incendiary bombs at Newchurch, three explosive and seven incendiary bombs at Appledore Farm, and one explosive bomb at Ivychurch. The results were restricted to the killing of four sheep at Ivychurch, slight damage to a few ceilings, and a few broken windows.
So, without anything more momentous occurring, we passed on to the fateful 25th of May, 1917.
Picture to the mind an exquisite evening in late spring, the sun still comparatively high in the heavens, and radiating a genial warmth upon the earth — a quiet, calm evening when all Nature appeared to be at rest. A few minutes after six Folkestone, in the full
96 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
glory of its springtime garb, resembled a veritable paradise of peace. An aeroplane cruised about over the town rather low down, but we had become so familiar with the spectacle of flying machines that one hardly even associated it with the war, and certainly nobody would regard it as an ominous sign. Complete tranquility was the predominant note of the closing day, and there was nothing to warn us of the tragedy that was about to burst upon us. Yet only a few minutes journey away nearly a score of German aeroplanes of the most recent design and construction were racing towards Folkestone at top speed, laden with bombs ready to be hurled amongst the hapless populace.
The first indication of the approach of the Huns was the sound of distant explosions, two, three, possibly four, minutes before the full blast of the attack. But, accustomed as we were then to the sound of gun practice, at first we were disinclined to pay any heed to the sounds. Probably it was only in the quieter parts of the borough that the distant detonations were heard at all. In point of fact, as we were soon to learn, they were the reports of bombs dropped a few miles to the west of the town. The sounds gradually came nearer, and in a few minutes there was a perfect furore of explosions. We were in the midst of the first great daylight raid. At first some of the inhabitants laboured under the impression that the town was being bombarded from the sea, but the unmistakable whirr of powerful aeroplanes, heard between the explosions as the machines were passing directly overhead, informed them that the attack came from the air. It was a racking, nerve-testing
THE AIR RAIDS. 97
experience. In the principal zones of devastation the horror of it all was enhanced by the cries and moans of the wounded, the noise of falling masonry, and the crash of broken glass as windows were rent into a million atoms. Sixty or more were killed instanta- neously, before they had time to realise what was happening ; others, less fortunate in a way, were injured beyond recovery, and many others maimed for life.
A ghastly, horrible business of death and mutilation truly ! The sights which met the gaze of those who hastened to the grim task of removing the bodies and remains and succouring the wounded baffled description. Human trunks were cleft in two or more pieces, heads were blown from bodies, and there were fragments of bodies and limbs in whose case identification was more a matter of surmise than anything else. Yet, in spite of this heartrending holocaust, the military value of the raid was practically nil. One bomb hit the railway — this fell between the up and down lines at the Central Station — but it did not explode, and the damage was quickly repaired. Obviously the object of the German aviators was to wreck the railway and the Harbour, but in this they signally failed, although it must be admitted that their aim was far from being discreditable, bearing in mind the great height at which they flew. Many civilians were killed and a greater number injured, but from a military point of view the achievement was of insignificant, if any, value.
The enemy aircraft had approached the town from the west in well-observed formation, the leader of the fleet being somewhat in advance by himself.
98 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
Not a few people who happened to be out of doors gazed at the oncoming Gothas with keen, undisturbed interest, mentally remarking, ' ' What a fine spectacle ! " and failing to realise that they were enemy raiders until bombs dropped in the heart of the town startled them into an accurate appreciation of the deadly character of the aerial visitation. As the aeroplanes neared Folkestone they broke from their formation and spread out fanwise, some deviating so that their course lay over the golf links, their objective being probably the military encampment at the foot of Castle Hill (Caesar's Camp), others taking a line over the railway, and some diverging seawards, evidently in the hope that their bombs would strike the Harbour and perhaps sink some of the transports there. But the German crews, being at the great height of 14,000 feet or so, failed, with the slight exception already recorded, to hit their targets.
The total number of bombs dropped in the borough, including those which fell into the sea not far from the beach, was fifty-one. Of these thirty-one exploded or partially exploded, fourteen which fell on land did not explode at all, and six dropped into the sea, some a short distance from the Victoria Pier. Others were dropped at Shorncliffe and Hythe, and yet others near the Railway further up the line. A fast train from London was on its way to Folkestone at the time, but the driver, sagaciously apprehending the danger of the situation, slowed down with the object of letting the aeroplanes get well in front. With regard to the bombs which were discharged in Folke- stone and the immediate district, a military expert in explosives who visited the town stated that only
THE AIR RAIDS. 99
a few fully exploded, including that which fell in Tontine Street and one which fell at Shorncliffe Camp. But some of the others "exploded sufficiently" to cause enough damage to life and property. One hardly likes to imagine what the total extent of the disaster would have been had all the bombs com- pletely exploded.
From an examination of some of the missiles which did not explode at all it was obvious that the failure was due to bad workmanship. An interesting instance can be given. The construction of a bomb includes a contrivance which may be termed a safety device, which enables it to be handled without danger. At the tail end are fans which cause the bomb to revolve as it passes through the air, such revolution setting up a centrifugal force which opens, or should open, the safety device, whereby the percussion cap is brought into effective action. But in the case of at least one bomb this safety device did not open because an obstruction was caused by the head of a screw which had not been turned right home, and thus projected slightly above the surface. Time was when we heard a great deal of the splendid quality of German work- manship, but after seeing such an instance of ' ' scamping ' ' one is inclined to think that a great deal of the laudation was unmerited. No doubt negligence in like or other details was the cause of other bombs not exploding or only partly exploding.
With reference to the topographical incidence of the bombs, it is perhaps remarkable that it was not where the greater number fell that the greatest loss of life occurred. The area which received most attention was what may be called the Central Station area.
100 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
Within a radius of 300 yards or 400 yards nearly twenty bombs were dropped — almost half of the total number which fell on land. But it was in Tontine Street where the toll of human life was greatest. Only one bomb fell there, but sixty-one men, women, and children lost their lives, and many others were more or less seriously injured. The other principal "death zone" was the lower part of Bouverie Road East.
Dealing in detail first with the Central Station area, only one human life was lost in immediate proximity thereto. This victim was Mr. Edward Horn, butler to Sir Thomas Devitt, of Radnor Cliff, who was in the approach road on the down side when two cab horses, affrighted by explosions, started to run away down the declivity. Mr. Horn gallantly en- deavoured to stop one, when a bomb fell close to him, killing him and both horses. As already stated, one bomb fell on the railway track, but did not explode. Three fell in gardens at the rear of Nos. 14, 16, and 19, Kingsnorth Gardens, close to the railway embankment, but each one of these was a ' ' dud. ' ' One of them penetrated the ground to a depth of sixteen feet, "travelled" in a lateral direction another sixteen feet, and rose towards the surface a distance of ten feet before coming to a standstill ! A bomb which exploded fell in a garden at the back of a house in Cheriton Road (at a point opposite the south end of Julian Road), and three others came to earth close by, but failed to explode. On the other side of the railway three missiles fell in open ground some distance east of Marten Road. One of these exploded, causing two deaths. A bomb fell at the top end of Jointon
THE AIR RAIDS. 101
Road, just outside the entrance gates of Kimberley, the residence of Dr. W. J. Tyson, the explosion killing a pedestrian (a woman). One which fell in the lawn tennis ground of the Pleasure Gardens and another which found impact in Earls Avenue did not explode. A bomb which came down in the grounds in front of Grimston Gardens exploded, but that can hardly be regarded as being in the Central Station area. There was no loss of life in this instance, but windows were shattered on a wholesale scale, as indeed was the case in all neighbourhoods where bombs fell. As coming within the Station area may be mentioned those dropped, one near the top end of Radnor Park West ; another in the Park itself close to the road ; others in Wiltie Gardens (Nos. 2 and 4) ; Radnor Park Crescent (north end, west side) ; Bournemouth Gardens (east side, wrecking the front of Mr. F. E. Crosswell's house, No. 2) ; Boscombe Road (No. 18) ; and St. John's Church Road (No. 3). All these exploded or partially exploded, as also did one which fell on a piece of vacant land behind a hoarding at the corner of Radnor Park Road and Black Bull Road, the casualties including one fatality.
Three others narrowly missed the railway embank- ment (south side) between the Viaduct and the Junction Station. One partly demolished No. 28, St. John Street (but inflicted no loss of life) and two fell in the meadow at the back of Grove Road, one killing a horse belonging to Mr. F. W. Pepper. Some missile burst over or near the goods shed at the Junction Station, causing much damage to glass and ceilings in the locality, but there was some doubt as to whether this was not a shell from an anti-aircraft gun in the Dover district.
102 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
In the Bouverie Road East area, in addition to a bomb which hit the pavement in front of No. 21 (killing the occupier, Mr. J. Burke, and other people), one fell in the grounds of the County School for Girls, another in a garden of No. 1 (south side), Mill Field, and another in the garden of No. 19 (north side). Bouverie Square, all there exploding. A bomb also came down in Bouverie Road East, opposite Christ Church Schools, but happily this did not explode. Similar failure attended one which fell on a furniture store at the rear of premises in the lower part of Rendezvous Street (east side).
One bomb wrecked No. 21, Manor Road, killing a cook who was in the basement. Not many yards away, a bomb fell in the back garden of No. 22) the residence of Dr. Percy Lewis), on the other side of Manor Road. At any rate in more than one official record this missile is described as a bomb, but another account is that it was an anti-aircraft shell, which burst on the roof of a back wing and crashed into the room beneath, smashing all the windows and lamps and severely damaging a piano and carved chest. A chair, which had only just been vacated by Mrs. Percy Lewis, was completely destroyed, but a large billiard table in the middle of the room was untouched. Eventually the " shell " was found in a room below, the windows and furniture of which room were also badly smashed. A bomb in the same district fell through the roof of the Osborne Hotel (at the corner of Christ Church Road and Bouverie Road West), penetrating to the lower part of the building, where it exploded, wrecking the greater part of the interior, but causing no loss of life. Most of the occupants had previously run outside.
THE AIR RAIDS. 103
"Straggling" bombs fell: one just inside the municipal boundary, in the grounds of Enbrook, at the corner of Military Road and High Street, Sandgate; one in the grounds of a school on the west side of Coolinge Lane ; one in Turketel Road (on the West Cliff Estate) ; two on the golf links ; one in a field near the links, but on the west side of Hill Road; another in open ground, south-east of the Sanatorium, on the East Cliff ; and yet another near the western end of the Warren.
As already stated, Tontine Street was the scene of the greatest loss of life, the result of a single bomb falling on the pavement in front of the spacious green- grocery stores of Messrs. Stokes Bros. (Nos. 51a, 51b, 51c), In an instant a spectacle of life and bustle was changed into an appalling scene of carnage and destruction. In this part of the town the early part of Friday evening is a favourite time for shopping. To many inhabitants it is a convenient opportunity for replenishing the household larder for the ensuing week, as likewise it is to some people in the adjoining country districts. Consequently, when the Gothas passed over the borough this thoroughfare, especially at this point, was thronged with people, mainly women and children, amongst whom was hurled from the skies this death-laden missile. The bomb exploded with tremendous force, killing nearly sixty people instantaneously, injuring others so grievously that they died the same night or the next day, and wounding more or less seriously nearly a hundred more. In a moment the street was filled with dead and dying, some torn limb from limb, intermingled with human bodies being the lifeless and mangled carcases of
104 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
horses, which added to the horror and ghastliness of the scene. Near the centre of this zone of slaughter was Police Constable Whittaker, who, wonderful to relate, was left standing unhurt, with the dead and maimed strewn all around him. At the inquest, in describing the spectacle which he saw on visiting Tontine Street immediately after the raid, Mr. Harry Reeve (the Chief Constable) said it was an appalling sight which he would never forget to his dying day.
The premises of Messrs. Stokes Bros, were completely wrecked, the materials of which the structure was composed, fittings, and stock being reduced to a state of chaos difficult to imagine. Mr. W. H. Stokes, one of the partners, was killed, dying just as the rescuing party reached him, most of the staff of women and girls meeting with a similar fate. William Edmond Stokes, the fourteen-year-old son of Mr. W. H. Stokes, was amongst those fatally injured. The shop front of Mr. J. A. Waite, confectioner, of No. 51, was destroyed, Mr. Waite himself sustaining a rather severe wound in the head, which was struck by some flying fragment, and the Brewery Tap (No. 53), kept by Mr. Albert Taylor, was also extensively damaged. No. 53 was not badly damaged, but the proprietor, Councillor John Jones, was injured in the leg.
Great havoc was also wrought on the opposite side of the road, the drapery emporium of Messrs. Gosnold Bros., at Nos. 56, 58, and 60, Tontine Street, bearing the brunt. The front of the premises was destroyed, and some people sheltering there were killed. None of the employees was killed, but Mr. George Gosnold was injured. Mr. William Henry
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No. 21, Manor Road — Wrecked by Bomb, May 25TH, 1917.
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Bomb Damaged Houses in St. John Street (Air Raid, May 25TH, 1917).
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THE AIR RAIDS. 105
Hall, pork butcher, of No. 68, was badly injured, and died on the following Sunday. His premises suffered severely, as also did those of Mr. W. J. Franks, decorator and plumber (No. 62), the Premium Trading Stamp Co. (No. 64), Mr. H. R. Springate, newsagent (No. 66), and Mr. John P. Marsh, draper (Nos. 70 and 72). Various other shops suffered in a lesser degree, the area of the damage in Tontine Street extending approximately from No. 35, Mr. Henry Warren's fruit shop, to the Congregational Church.
An eighteen-inch gas main under the pavement in front of Messrs. Stokes' establishment was broken, and the gas ignited by the flame from the explosion. Some of the woodwork of the wrecked premises caught alight, but the Fire Brigade, which was quickly in attendance, soon put out the fire. Mr. H. O. Jones, the Chief Officer of the Brigade, left the jet from the main burning for a time, there being a more urgent call for the services of himself and his men in succouring wounded and removing the dead. Subse- quently the gas flame was put out by smothering it with a load of sand. This was the only outbreak of fire during the raid.
The lower part of Bouverie Road East, where it runs past Alexandra Gardens, was also a scene of havoc, although the toll of life was small compared with that in Tontine Street. A bomb fell on the pave- ment in front of No. 21, Bouverie Road East, a shop tenanted by Mr. John Burke, a boot and shoe repairer. The shop and the adjoining premises (No. 19), used as a cafe, were "wiped out." Mr. Burke was in his little establishment at the time. The force of the explosion literally "picked him up" and flung him
106 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
across the road against the railings of the County School for Girls, killing him instantly. The adjacent building at the corner of Alexandra Gardens, one of several stories, let out in flats, was almost completely wrecked. Some of the pavement was blown into the basement, and floors and dividing walls collapsed into a mass of ruin, in which furniture, masonry, and wood- work were jumbled pell-mell together in chaotic and indescribable fashion. It was not recorded that any fatality occurred in this building, but Kathleen Chapman, a girl employed as housemaid at Bates' Hotel, Sandgate Road, who was walking along Alex- andra Gardens to fetch a pair of shoes belonging to a friend from Mr. Burke's shop, was struck by some substance when about fifty yards from Bouverie Road East, and mortally wounded. Two soldiers who were with her, George Henry Bloodworth and another, were also killed.
Another bomb fell in the road a little further down, in front of the premises (No. n) of Messrs. Durban Bros., butchers. Mr. Wilfred Durban and several others were in the shop, but, although the front of the premises was shattered, those inside escaped with injuries or shock. Mr. Durban himself was thrown behind his safe. The County School for Girls, Christ Church Schools, the building at the corner (east side) of Alexandra Gardens, then used as a Belgian School, and other premises in the neighbourhood, including some in Alexandra Gardens and Cheriton Road, also sustained damage.
At the time of the raid the only people indoors at West Lodge, No. 21, Manor Road (the residence of Mrs. Callaghan), were Jane Marchment, a cook* and
THE AIR RAIDS. 107
another servant. The latter ran out of the house just before it was struck by the bomb and in greater part collapsed. As already stated, the cook, who was in the basement, was killed. Her body was not recovered until nearly 24 hours later. Men of the Fire Brigade and others worked for three hours on Friday night in the search, at the end of which time it was felt that no living soul could be amongst the wreckage. On the following day the search was resumed and continued until five, when the body was found beneath the ruins of the staircase and other parts of the house. Her feet had been cut clean off. Apparently she had been endeavouring to make her exit from the house when she was overwhelmed by an avalanche of debris. •
To continue the narrative of the incidence of the bombs so far as they were accompanied by fatal effects, mention should be made of the deaths of Mrs. Maggie Grey Bartleet (the wife of Sergeant-Major J. J. Bartleet, R.A.M.C), who was killed in Jointon Road ; of Mr. Albert Edward Castle, a naval pensioner and gardener, who was hit whilst in the grounds of the Grange School, Shorncliffe Road ; of Doris Eileen Spencer Walton (a pupil at The Mount, Julian Road), who was playing tennis on a lawn at Athelstan Ladies' School, Shorncliffe Road, when she was struck by a fragment which was hurled through the air by the explosion of a bomb which fell some distance away ; and of Mr. George Edward Butcher, a coal carter, who succumbed on June 6th to injuries received whilst standing near the Castle Inn, Foord Road. Reference has already been made to the fatality at the Central Station.
108 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
It is impossible to chronicle all the remarkable incidents and narrow escapes during the raid. But men- tion must be made of the extraordinary occurrence at No. 28, St. John Street, the residence of Mr. Stephen Chittenden, a member of the Folkestone Fire Brigade. At the time he was on duty at the Head Station in Dover Road, which is close to St. John Street. When the bombs commenced to fall on the town Mr. H. O. Jones, the Chief Officer of the Brigade, was in Sandgate Road. He at once proceeded to the nearest available telephone, rang up the Head Fire Station, and asked if there were any calls to fires. Fireman Stephen Chittenden replied that there was only one — from Tontine Street. Just then there was another explosion, and the fireman exclaimed : ' ' My God, I believe that is at my house ! ' ' And it was ! The bomb exploded on the roof of 28, St. John Street, the top floor being blown away. In a room on the floor immediately underneath were two women and a child — an elderly woman (bedridden), her daughter-in-law, and a grand-daughter. Their escape from death was almost miraculous. One part of the ceiling and floor above them fell into their room, but it swung down slantwise as it might have done had the other side being fixed on hinges ; consequently the other part remained suspended above them. The old lady had a leg broken, and the child sustained an injury to the hip. The occupants were rescued from the wrecked premises by the Fire Brigade.
Very remarkable, too, was the case of the Osborne Hotel in Bouverie Road West. The bomb fell through all the floors to the basement, where it exploded. The roof of the building was broken in, all the floors
THE AIR RAIDS. 109
suffered, and the basement rooms became an entangle- ment of debris and broken furniture. Yet nobody was seriously injured.
The dials of the clocks of Tontine Street Congre- gational Church and Radnor Park Congregational Church were both broken, and the works themselves put ' ' out of action. ' ' Christ Church was also damaged. The manner in which the shock from explosions found its way over house-tops and other obstructions, passed round corners, and shattered windows and caused other damage was not a little extraordinary. Tons of broken glass lay on the pavement in various parts of the town after the Gothas had passed over the borough. The effects of high explosives, fantastic as well as fatal, were a revelation.
Connected with the raid were two things which perhaps should be recorded. One was the suggestion emanating from some imaginative mind that the aeroplane circling .about the town rather low down just before the Hun machines arrived was in reality a "spy machine" acting as a guide to the enemy. Once this brilliant idea was mooted it spread with amazing rapidity, not a few giving credence to it. As a matter of fact it was a "trakiing bus" of the Royal Flying Corps.
Another impression was that the Hun aircraft included a Zeppelin. Many people emphatically asserted that they saw a Zeppelin, and remained unconvinced that they were wrong even after the announcement in the official report that the raiding craft were aeroplanes. The erroneous notion was due probably to the expansive wing spread of the
110 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
machines and the effect of the sun shining on them.
It is impossible to place on record here all the examples of courage and self-control, but brief mention may be made of one. At Kent College, in Grimston Avenue, a Girl Guides' service was being conducted by the Rev. J. Edward Harlow, when a terrific explosion took place, followed by others. The service, however, was completed as arranged. Subsequently Mr. Harlow wrote to The Times a letter in which he stated that as long as life lasted he would remember with admiration and pride "the perfect self-control and cheerfulness of those eighty daughters of England, some of whose homes were far away. Their behaviour was superb." This communication drew from General Sir Robert Baden Powell an appreciative letter addressed to Mr. Harlow and another of congratu- lation to the Folkestone Girl Guides.
Before the tense period of the raid was at an end the members of the various organisations charged with the duty of dealing with such an emergency were hurrying to the various scenes of carnage and destruction. In addition to the local Ambulance Corps and the Fire Brigade, the Red Cross contingents, the Canadian Army Medical Corps, the regular Police, and the Special Constables were swiftly in attendance to take part in the work of removing the dead and conveying the injured to hospitals. It was a grim and melancholy task, but it was efficiently and expeditiously carried out. The lifeless bodies and remains were conveyed to the Cemetery mortuary and the Royal Victoria Hospital mortuary. The injured were taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital and to the West Cliff Hospital, until the accommodation
THE AIR RAIDS. Ill
became overtaxed, and then recourse was had to the Hospitals at Shorncliffe. Medical and nursing staffs worked devotedly throughout the night in dressing the wounds of the injured and tending to their various needs.
But perhaps the saddest and most distressing scenes were those witnessed at the mortuaries in the process of identification of the bodies by bereaved relatives. In some cases there were only detached and mangled remains to identify. Many relatives had only become aware of their losses by the non-return of some of their household. No attempt can be made to describe the mingled feelings of fear and hope with which they viewed the array of corpses. In one or two instances the raid had reduced a family of three or four to a single survivor. In the work of laying out the bodies and remnants the Coroner's Officer (Mr. E. J. Chadwick) worked assiduously and untiringly, and tactfully rendered much assistance to the bereaved ones.
The total number of people killed in Folkestone, including three whose deaths occurred in the course of the next week or two, was 71 — 16 men, 28 women, and 27 children. No fewer than 61 of these resulted from the explosion of the bomb which fell in Tontine Street.
A list of those injured compiled at the time by the authorities contained 96 names — 34 men, 50 women, 6 boys, and 6 girls — but there were others who did not report their cases to the authorities.
If there be added to the number killed in Folkestone the three fatalities at Cheriton and two at Hythe,
112 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
the total for the district is 76 (this being exclusive of the soldiers killed at Shorncliffe).
Nineteen bombs were dropped at Lympne (where there is an aerodrome), 19 at Hythe, 2 at Sandgate, 16 at Cheriton, and 18 on St. Martin's Plain and Dibgate, Shorncliffe. On St. Martin's Plain four soldiers were pitching a tent ; a bomb made a direct hit, and the remains of the men had subsequently to be gathered up in bags. Two huts were demo- lished, the inmates being killed. One bomb fell near the Shorncliffe Military Hospital, but failed to explode. A lady stenographer in the open was killed.
The casualties amongst the soldiers at Shorncliffe were 18 killed (16 of these being Canadians) and 90 wounded (86 being Canadians).
As previously remarked, it was the worst air raid on this counry up to this stage of the war, so far as the number killed was concerned. None of the Zeppelin raids had caused so many deaths. In the official return, published after the signing of the Armistice, it was set forth that in the raid on May 25th, 1917, on Kent and Folkestone, 77 civilians were killed and 94 injured, whilst 18 soldiers were killed and 98 injured (these latter figures nearly all relating to casualties at Shorncliffe).
During the whole war there was only one other raid in which the casualty list was heavier than in that which plunged Folkestone into mourning on May 25th, 1917. The other raid referred to was that of June 13th, 1917, when German aeroplanes dropped bombs on Margate, Essex, and London, the casualties number- ing : Civilians — killed 158, injured 425 ; sailors and soldiers — killed 42, injured 7.
THE AIR RAIDS. 113
Several other towns on the coast of Kent suffered from aerial invasion on numerous occasions, but in the case of none of them were the casualties so many, even all told, as at Folkestone on May 25th, 1917. To take the experience of Dover, that town was bombarded from the air on 18 occasions, yet the total loss of life was only 13 men, 7 women, and 2 children, the numbers injured being 35 men, 22 women, and 9 children. The number of bombs which fell on Dover was 185.
Mr. Daniel Stringer Lyth, verger at Hythe Parish Church, was one of the victims. The circumstances were recounted in the Folkestone Coroner's Court, Mr. Lyth having died in hospital in Folkestone. The Vicar (the Rev. H. D. Dale) and his wife had been engaged with the verger in the vestry ; hearing explosions, they went out into the churchyard, where a bomb fell, breaking tombstones and scattering shrapnel and debris in all directions. Mr. Lyth was hit on the leg by shrapnel, sustaining a mortal wound. Mrs. Dale was slightly injured in the face. The Vicar himself had a remarkable escape. He was struck on the side, and on putting his hand in his coat pocket he found there a piece of shrapnel, which had lodged against a tin box that he was carrying.
The following communique was issued by the Field Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, Home Forces, at 12.45 p.m. on Saturday, May 26th : —
"A large squadron of enemy aircraft, about 16
in number, attacked the south-east of England
between 5.15 and 6.30 p.m. last night.
"Bombs were dropped at a number of places,
but nearly all the damage occurred in one town,
114 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
where some of the bombs fell into the streets, causing considerable casualties among the civil popula- tion."
"Some shops and houses were also seriously damaged.
' ' The total casualties reported by the police from all districts are :
"Killed, 76; injured, 174.
"Of the killed, 27 were women and 23 children, while 43 women and 19 children were injured.
"Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps went up in pursuit, and the raiding aircraft were engaged by fighting squadrons of the R.N.A.S. from Dunkirk on their return journey.
"The Admiralty report that three of the enemy aeroplanes were shot down by the latter. ' ' The following announcement by the Secretary of the Admiralty was issued at 1.10 p.m. on Saturday, May 26th : —
"Naval aeroplanes carried out an attack on the aerodrome at St. Denis Westram, near Bruges, yesterday morning. Many bombs were dropped.
' ' In the evening several enemy aircraft, returning from a raid on England, were engaged oversea by R.N.A.S. machines. An encounter took place between one British and three hostile aeroplanes in mid-channel, and one of the latter was destroyed.
' ' Several encounters also took place off the Belgian coast, in which two large twin-engined hostile machines were shot down.
' ' All our machines returned safely. ' ' The report of German Main Headquarters, issued in Berlin on Saturday, May 26, contained the following : —
THE AIR RAIDS. 115
"During the course of a successful raid one of
our air squadrons dropped bombs on Dover and
Folkestone, on the south coast of England. Long
distance flights inland also gave good results. ' '
It will be seen from the foregoing official reports
that it was the Germans who first mentioned the name
of Folkestone. For three days the authorities in
London refused to allow the English papers to specify
the exact town, the censorship being relaxed in time
for the dailies published on Tuesday morning to
announce that it was at Folkestone where the loss of
life had been so great.
So far this narrative has dealt only with the attack. The reason is the all-sufficient one that there was nothing else to record until the actual raid was almost at an end. The explosions of the bombs had almost, if not entirely, ceased before the anti- aircraft guns upon the hills on the east side of the town came into action. Possibly until then the enemy planes could not be seen by or were out of range of the batteries. In any case no hits were registered by the "Archies," and the aerial invaders passed from our shores scathless, although they were sub- sequently engaged over the sea by English fighting machines which went up from Dunkirk and the neigh- bourhood to intercept them, and which brought down three of their number. But how was it that the Huns had not been attacked by British aviators when they were travelling towards Folkestone ? It was an amazing thing ! The enemy did not approach Folkestone from the sea, but from inland. It sub- sequently transpired that the Hun machines had passed
Il6 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
over North Kent into Mid Kent — they were heard, but not seen, at Maidstone — until apparently they reached the main railway line from London to Folkestone, which latter town they passed over without let or hindrance. The inhabitants who watched their flight over Folkestone looked in vain for English aeroplanes hastening to the attack. Why was it ? Had someone blundered ?
Naturally enough questions were raised at the inquests following the raid. There was the same note of interrogation at the special meeting of the Town Council held on the following day, and later the matter was the subject of queries in Parliament. Certain explanations and statements followed, and possibly there were official enquiries behind closed doors, but the matter was never wholly cleared up, or if it were, the authorities did not see fit to take the public into their confidence. A "high official" was reported by a London newspaper to have stated that "it was known that the fleet of aeroplanes was about. They were reported at various places, but as it happened they came over that town (Folkestone) at a great height above a screen of clouds. The moment they reached the edge of the clouds they had Folkestone directly under them. That accounts for the populace being so tragically taken unawares. It is certain that hereafter an entirely new and thorough system of notification will be introduced" — which is tanta- mount to saying that there was something lacking or unsatisfactory about the system in existence up to that time.
The inquests were opened by the Borough Coroner (Mr. G. W. Haines) on the evening following the raid.
THE AIR RAIDS. 117
Before the jurors viewed the bodies the Coroner said it was a task that would try the nerves of the stongest of them, but it was a painful duty that was cast upon them. After the visit to the mortuaries the inquest was adjourned till the following Tuesday. Mr. Arden Blake was foreman of the jury. The first inquest was upon the body of Mrs. Florence Louise Norris, wife of Alfred Norris, of 30, Blackbull Road, who also lost his daughter (aged 2 years) and his baby son (10 months), only the father of the family circle of four remaining. The verdict was "Death by bombs from hostile aircraft, Great Britain being in a state of war, and deceased at the time being a non- combatant," the jury adding a rider to the effect that they regretted that the competent authorities did not give notice of the approach of the aircraft, and that they were strongly of opinion that in future the town should be warned by a siren or other such device. [The Chief Constable (Mr. H. Reeve) had stated during the hearing that as a rule he received a warning from the military authorities when there was an air raid, but on this occason he received no warning at all, and knew nothing about it until the enemy aircraft were over the town.]
A similar verdict was returned in other cases, the court eventually being adjourned till Thursday, when the remaining cases were taken. At the close the jury proposed to add two riders, as follows : —
' ' (a) The jury condemn in the strongest possible manner the negligence of the local and military authorities in not having made arrange- ments whereby the public could have been warned. ' '
Il8 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
" {b) The jury are agreed as to the necessity of removing from our midst all enemy aliens of both sexes, and call upon the local authorities to do all they can to have them removed at once. ' '
The Coroner asked to whom the first rider should be sent, remarking that it was no use blaming the local authorities, at any rate, as, however many warning signals they might have had in the town, they would have been of no use on the previous Friday, when no warning was received in the town till the aeroplanes were overhead.
The second rider was withdrawn, the Coroner observing that there was no evidence to connect any alien in the neighbourhood with that inquiry.
At the special meeting of the Town Council following the raid the aliens question was alluded to, and it was proposed by Councillor R. Forsyth, and seconded by Councillor W. J. King-Turner, that a deputation should wait upon the Home Secretary and ask that in the interests of the town all aliens of enemy origin should be removed from the district and their businesses closed down. It was moved, however, as an amendment, by Councillor C. Edward Mumford, that the Home Office be asked to strengthen the Secret Service in the town, this being seconded by Alderman E. J. Bishop and carried by nine votes to seven. Councillor R. G. Wood proposed a motion expressing the Council's profound disappointment that the town and district were not efficiently defended from the German aerial attack, and the hope that every effort would be made by the military authorities to give the town better protection. This was seconded by Councillor W. J. Harrison and carried,
THE AIR RAIDS. H9
and on the following Wednesday a deputation from Folkestone and district had an interview with Field- Marshal Lord French, Commander-in-Chief of the Home Forces, on the subject of defence against attacks from the air. Lord French, in reply, said that such experience as they had showed that it was not possible absolutely to prevent attacks by aeroplane, but that the scheme of defence had been very carefully considered in the past and had been reconsidered in the light of the experience gained in the recent raid. Even if it were not possible to prevent their coming, he hoped that the measures which had been taken would make any future raid a very risky operation, and would ensure heavy loss to the enemy.
Following the raid, special services were held at the various local churches, chief amongst them being a very impressive and solemn memorial service at the Parish Church on Saturday, June 2nd, at which the Marquess Camden (Lord Lieutenant of Kent) was present as the Representative of the King. The Mayor and Corporation attended, being accompanied by the Borough Member (Sir Philip Sassoon), the Recorder (Mr. J. C. Lewis Coward), and many represen- tative men, including nearly all the local Free Church Ministers. The Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Randall Davidson) gave an address, and, in addition to the Vicar (Canon P. F. Tindall), the former Vicar (Canon Erskine W. Knollys), the Rev. L. G. Grey ( Vicar of Christ Church), Canon C. Evelyn Gardiner (Vicar of Holy Trinity), and the Rev. C. H. Griffith (Vicar of St. Michael's) assisted in the service.
Eminently suited to the occasion was the address of the Primate. In the course of an inspiring oration
120 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
he remarked : We are in, yes, in, the great war. We are absolutely persuaded of the lightness, the inevitableness for men and women of honour, of what we did nearly three years ago, when duty and loyalty to truth compelled us to enter in it. Well, of course, we are not going to be simply flustered or frightened because in carrying our great cause through — through to victory — we are ourselves among those who personally suffer. We in this corner of England, on this Kentish coast, have the trust — would it be exaggeration to say the solemn privilege? — of being the bit of England nearest to the enemy. We are proud of our sons and brothers who held the foremost trench in action on the Somme, or in defence of Ypres, or were the first over the parapet. Someone — or rather some set of people — must be in the forefront. So far as English soil is concerned, the people to whom that special trust is given are we ourselves, we living here in Folkestone and Dover, and Deal and Ramsgate, and Canterbury. We mean to be worthy of it, and, please God, we will. Of course, we want to secure every reasonable protection that we can for those in our homes who cannot be combatants. But war brings peril — involves peril — and we are prepared to face the peril bravely, and with quietness, and thus by God's grace to give a wholesome lead to all who any- where are apt to be nervous or excited, or afraid — all who forget the assurance given at Patmos in a world of tempestuous strife : " He laid His right hand upon me, saying, Fear not, I am the first and the last, I am He that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore. Amen. And I have the keys of death and of Hades. ' '
THE AIR RAIDS. 121
Church and Nonconformist pastors united in a service held in Radnor Park on Sunday afternoon, June 3rd. There was a vast congregation numbering several thousand people. An appropriate address was delivered by the Rev. J. C. Carlile.
In the days immediately following the raid the Mayor received many messages of sympathy, in- cluding telegrams from the King and Queen. A Relief Fund for the sufferers was opened, and speedily assumed substantial proportions. Folkestone quickly settled down to its usual diurnal routine. Early in the morning after the raid there were workmen engaged on the task of re-constructing Messrs. Stokes' Greengrocery Emporium, and the whole town ' ' carried on. ' ' But there was a change in the local ' ' atmosphere. ' '
"Comfort, content, delight,
The ages slow-bought gain,
They shrivelled in a night. ' ' Gone was our complacency ; gone was that feeling of security and immunity with which we had previously pursued the even tenour of our way. The war had been brought home to us with fierce intensity. There was no actual panic, but the populace was braced up to a tension which it had not known before, and it was only natural that there should be a desire that every reasonable precaution should be taken to prevent a repetition of the calamity. With a view to bringing pressure to bear upon the Government and the Military Authorities, meetings were held at the Hippodrome then existing in Linden Crescent. Local opinion was divided as to the desirability of this agitation, but I simply record the fact, and
122 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
have no intention of entering here into a discussion of the pros and cons. Any way, before long more anti-aircraft guns and searchlights made their appear- ance in the neighbourhood, some being stationed in Cherry Garden Avenue, whilst later a machine gun was mounted on the roof of Avenue Mansions, Earl's Avenue. Fresh "Archies" were also installed at Westenhanger. Moreover, when, later in the summer, the sirens were sounded in the day-time the in- habitants were gladdened a few minutes after the signal by the spectacle of English fighting machines high up in the sky ready to give battle to any invaders. It should be placed on record, in reference to the question of defence against aerial attack, that before the agitation in Folkestone, on the day after the raid, in fact, Earl Radnor himself called at the War Office and obtained the assurance that more guns would be provided in the Folkestone district as soon as they were available.
The question of installing the sirens alluded to received the attention of the local authorities without delay, and it was decided that there should be electric sirens at the Town Hall and the Head Fire Station in Dover Road, and steam sirens at the Public Baths, Foord Road, and the Electricity Works at Morehall. There was some divergence of view as to whether the alarm should be sounded during the day only or during the night as well. Some people held the opinion that if a raid occurred after most folk had retired to bed, it would be better not to arouse them, especially as in all probability they would be just as safe in bed as they would be anywhere else. It was, however, strongly argued that the sirens should be sounded at
THE AIR RAIDS. 123
whatever hour of the day or night the Authorities received a warning, and finally that view prevailed.
The provision of dug-outs or shelters was another subject which engaged the attention of the Council, and eventually refuges were specially constructed at the top of Marshall Street, the rear of Mead Road, the sandpit north of Radnor Park, the basement of unfinished houses in Cheriton Road, Morehall, Mr. Scrivener's coal stores (under Radnor Bridge Arch), Darlington Arch, the old lime kiln at Killick's Corner, and a dug-out in the chalk hill on the north side of Dover Hill at Killick's Corner. The basement of the Town Hall, the Technical School, Sidney Street Schools, the Grammar School in Cheriton Road, the store under Mr. Reason's house, there being a concrete floor, and the new garage on The Bayle (used at that time as a military guard room), it having a concrete roof, were also open to the public after an alarm had been received. The Martello Tunnel, near the Junction Station, was also used as a shelter, the Railway Company running a train into it for the accommodation of those wishing to take cover there. At the time there were no trains running to or from Dover, owing to the line having been wrecked by the landslip at the end of 1915. The shelter under the Leas Parade (near the lift) was also available as a refuge.
Later in the year the very existence of these so- called shelters caused the authorities a good deal of anxiety. When the air raids were ' ' in full blast ' ' the basement and Police Court at the Town Hall, for instance, were full night after night. Many people would wait near the Town Hall for the first
124 FOLKESTONE DURING THE WAR.
note of the siren. But even those who were not experts in such matters thought that the Town Hall (like most other buildings used as shelters) was not bomb-proof, and that a direct hit on the building would result in a catastrophe involving terrible loss of life. Ultimately a military expert was consulted, and his opinion was a sweeping condemnation of the shelters. His view was that there was only one which was bomb-proof, viz., the dug-out in the chalk hill at Killick's Corner.
The great raid on Folkestone and the increasing frequency of raids on South-East England by aeroplanes had a serious effect upon the material prosperity of the town. Many residents who had no local business ties left the district for safer parts of the country, as likewise did nearly every private school in the town. There was also a decrease in the number of visitors. Everybody was by this time fully convinced that there was a war on. Still, Folkestone was never reduced to the straits experienced by the East Coast resorts.
The raid of May 25th proved to be the only daylight raid on our town. Other parts of Kent, London, Essex, and Suffolk were attacked by Hun aviators in the day time during the summer, but not Folkestone, and the inhabitants, or the majority, at any rate, became less concerned as to