Bird Childs and Goldsmith WW1 Page 2


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God punishes England - German slogan 1918

Folkestone and Dover were the 'Front Line ' of Britain

Reporting the war news in the press was a precarious business. When the Defence Of the Realm Act (DORA) was introduced in 1914, restrictions were placed on many aspects of day to day life, but one of the most pervasive was the control of the press. The reporting of news items liable to cause alarm and despondency was an offence punishable by law, and descriptions of events were sketchy. When the attack on Folkestone was reported in The Times on Monday 28th May the headline read: DAYLIGHT AIR RAID - 76 KILLED AND 74 INJURED - 17 ENEMY AEROPLANES. But the locality was given as the South East of England, which gave rise to huge speculation. The Times reporter in Folkestone commented that not releasing the name of the town 'caused endless anxiety to people' and two days later it reported 'We are now permitted to announce that the town is Folkestone'

In fact the German report of the successful raid had been widely disseminated on the continent and had even reached Canada

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The 'Anglia 'had been built in 1900 by W. Denny & Brothers in Dumbarton Scotland for the London & North-Western Railway Co. She was of 1,862 tons with a 424hp triple expansion engine and two propellers, to give her a speed of 21 knots. The ship measured 329 feet by 39 feet to draw 16 feet.
With the advent of WW1, the ship was acquired as an Auxiliary Hospital Ship, and with Captain Lionel John Manning in command, at 1230 on the 17th. of November 1915 she struck a mine, only one mile East of Folkestone Gate, and quickly sank.

Many Chinese were in the Folkestone area during WW1 they were used to load and unload ships unfortunately many lost their lives and are buried in Shorncliffe Military Cemetery
Photos Janice and Walter Carrera

Along with nearby Folkestone, Dover was one of the main troop embarkation ports for France in WW1 and suffered shelling airplanes, Zeppelins and passing warships throughout the war.

The pier was acquired by the Admiralty in 1913. After WW1, the pier was leased for use as a pleasure pier again, but by 1927 it had become dilapidated and was demolished.

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers left from Folkestone, leaving to fight in the trenches of France and Belgium, marching from the Town to the Harbour along ther route now called the 'Road of Remembrance'. Many of them never returned.

Folkestone Harbour today
photos Walter Carrera

Ian Campbell's mother's family - Clague - lived in Lowestoft

Postcards showing bomb damage in 1916

Morthoe lighthouse where Ian's grandfather worked

Ambulance Train 1914 -18

1918 The wounded at Roehampton Hospital

Rehab of blind soldiers

Lloyd George

Embroidered cards

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