From the Dover Express and East Kent News, Friday, 11 September, 1868.

INQUEST BY THE BOROUGH CORONER.

On Friday afternoon last the borough coroner, W. H. Payn, Esq., held an inquest at the "Admiral Harvey," Bridge Street, Charlton, on the body of Charles Hogwood, whose sudden death on the morning of the previous day, was engaged in unloading seed on the Commercial Quay for the Dover Oil Mills, we briefly reported in out last.

From the evidence of the witness, it seemed that the deceased was in tolerably good health, and was very sober in his habits. On the morning named, according to the evidence of Charles Bishop, a labourer working with the deceased on Thursday, Hogwood, while pushing a sack into the cart, fell back onto the tail board, and by the time he was laid on the ground he had struggled twice and died.

Dr Allan Duke deposed that he examined the deceased shortly after death. There were no marks of violence on him, and he (the witness) believed Hogwood died from disease of the heart.

The jury returned a verdict to that effect.

From the Dover Express and East Kent News, Friday, 28 August, 1874. Price 1d.

CORONERS INQUEST

An inquest was held on Monday last, at twelve o'clock, at the “Admiral Harvey Inn,” Charlton, on the body of the infant child of Richard Gatehouse, which was found dead in bedroom the Sunday morning previous. The Jury having been sworn, and Mr. Charles Hadlow chosen foreman, the following evidence was adduced:-

Richard Gatehouse: I am a costermonger, living in Colebran Street, Charlton. The deceased Richard Gatehouse, was my first child, and he was five months and three weeks old. I am a militia-man; and about a month ago while on duty at Canterbury the child was taken ill. I took it to the army doctor, who gave me some medicine, which appeared to do it good, and it continued well after that time. On Saturday last the child was put to bed and placed outside me and my wife. We both went to bed at twelve o'clock at night. At half-past five on Sunday morning, I awoke and went out into the back yard, and on my return on looking at the child I found it was dead. I do not know the cause of its death; there was plenty of room for three in the bed. The child was placed next to its mother. I do not think the mother laid on the child. The child had a “breaking out” before it died, and the same marks appear now as seen by the Jury. I had some medicine from the chemists some time since, but it has never had any sleeping draughts. My wife and me were both sober when we went to bed. I last saw my child alive at twelve o'clock when I went to bed. I awoke first in the morning, and afterwards called my wife.

Arthur Long, surgeon, at Buckland: On Sunday morning last, at eight o'clock, I was called in to see the deceased Richard Gatehouse. I found the child lying on the bed quite dead, and had been so for three or four hours. There were no marks of violence on the body, and it appeared to have been fairly nourished. The probably cause of death I believe to be from suffocation. The bedstead was too narrow for three. I think it probably that the child must have rolled against the mother, and thus become suffocated. The eruption on the mouth and ear was before death, but the discolouration down the left side came after death.

The Jury after a short consultation returned the following verdict: “That deceased infant Richard Gatehouse was accidentally suffocated while in bed with the father and mother.”

Dover Express 4th June 1909.

DOVER POLICE COURT – Tuesday. STEALING A BARROW.

Thomas Minter was charged with stealing from a yard in Peter Street a coster’s barrow value 12/6d the property of Mr. Coles of the Admiral Harvey public house, Bridge Street.

Mr. Coles said: I had a coster’s barrow which I bought on 1st May last year. It was kept in Tucker’s yard which has an entrance from Peter Street. He lent the barrow to Mr. Albert Dean in order that he might go round with vegetables and afterwards wood. I have not seen the barrow for some time, and the last time was when the boy was wheeling it in the street. From what I heard I sent a message to the defendant to come and see me about the barrow. He did not come and I then came down and saw the Chief Constable and the Magistrates’ Clerk. The prisoner was arrested and I saw the tray of the barrow yesterday and the wheels this morning. It has all been taken to pieces. When I last saw it the barrow was a going concern.

Cross examined: The prisoner did not come and ask the price of the barrow. He came to the house and wanted some beer on trust. He never lent the barrow to the prisoner. He understood that it had been a planned job for a fortnight that they were going to take the barrow.

William Wall, landlord of the "New Endeavour," London Road, said: About last Wednesday or Thursday, the prisoner came to me and asked me if I wanted a pair of wheels and springs. He said that he would bring them up and show them to me. He did so and I gave him 5/- for them. He said he had been making a new top for them. The defendant is a labourer who does nearly everything. I kept the wheels and springs until the police came and fetched them away this morning.

Det. Sgt. Mount said: yesterday afternoon I went to 12 George Street where the prisoner resides. I saw him and asked him if he had sold a set of springs and a pair of wheels to a man named Wilson. At first he replied “ I haven’t sold any wheels”, then he said “I did sell the wheels and have some money to draw off Wilson, but I bought the barrow. I asked him to allow me to look up the back of his garden. He did so and I found the tray of the barrow lying flat on the top of the lodge. Inside the lodge were the legs and side pieces of the barrow, and their supports, all in pieces as they are now. The wheels and springs were missing. I called in Dean, the man who the barrow was lent to. On returning with Dean, I found the prisoner putting his coat on. He said “You would not have had me had I known it”. Dean identified the portions of the barrow. I told the prisoner I should take him into custody for stealing a coster’s barrow from a yard in Peter Street the previous week. He replied “I don’t care. Quite right”. I took him to the police station. Mr. Coles was sent for and came and charged him. On being charged, he said, in reference to the wheels and springs. “All right, you’ve got to find them”. Subsequently I got the wheels from Mr. Wall. The prisoner further said that he bought the barrow for 8/-. He denied this. I got the wheels this morning from Mr. Wall’s premises in Lorne Road.

Albert Dean, 16 Colebran Street, said that Mr. Coles bought the barrow for his use. He did not authorise the defendant to take it. It was missing from the yard one day last week. His son had used it on Saturday the week before last.

The prisoner pleaded guilty and said that it would not have happened if he had not had some beer. He was sorry.

The Bench said that the man had been up there several times, his first offence being in 1895. He would go to prison for 21 days hard labour.

Dover Express, Friday 26 August 1927.

TEN YEARS AGO. INTENSIVE BOMBING OF DOVER COMMENCED.

Ten years ago on Monday the intensive bombing of Dover with aerial bombs weighing 100 to 200 pounds commenced. The first of these attacks was the last of the day-light raids on England by day bombers. That occurred on Wednesday, August 22nd, 1917. The raid on that occasion commenced with an attack on Thanet the German machines, with British aeroplanes from Manston Aerodrome attacking them, flew from Ramsgate to Dover. It was 11 a.m. when the Dover anti-aircraft guns opened fire on the Germans, eight large Gotha machines, advancing on the town from the direction of Whitfield, they having followed the Dover-Sandwich Road. The gun-fire was very fierce, and only two of the eight machines actually passed over the town. One of the first bombs dropped on the town fell in tho yard of the "Admiral Harvey," Bridge St., killing a 17-year-old girl, Lucy Wall, and doing very considerable damage to property in the neighbourhood. Another bomb fell in the College Close, killing two of the 33rd Training Reserve Battery and wounding three. This bomb did great damage to tho College buildings, practically unroofing the College Chape. Another bomb fell close to the Keep of Dover Castle and the scars in the wall remain to day. A large number of bombs were dropped in the Harbour close to the ships, but failed to injure them. The raid lasted about five minutes, and despite the very considerable number of bombs dropped the town escaped with very little serious damage. All the time the raiders were over Dover three of our aeroplanes were attacking them with machinegun fire, and one of the Germans was brought down off the South Foreland, the large crowds that rushed to vantage spots as soon as the bombing ceased witnessed the destruction of the machine cheering wildly. The German Squadrons suffered very severely in this raid, and it is said only two out of ten machines got back. The success of the British defence methods determined the Germans to substitute night raids for daylight. The experiment was tried on Dover, and on September 2nd, during a beautiful moonlight night, the first, of these night raids, which more or less terrorised the South-East of England during the next few months, commenced. The effect of this raid is described in "Dover and the War" as follows:—

"At 11 p.m., on September 2nd the heavy drone of a Gotha awoke most of the people in Dover. It was a beautiful moonlight night, the air being perfectly still. It sounded as if there was only one attacking machine, but a very large number of heavy bombs were dropped at various points, considerably apart in such a few moments, that it would seem that there must have been more than one machine. One of the bombs fell near the camp of the 5th. Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers in Northfall Meadow, killing 2nd-Lieut. Henry Larcombe, and injuring some other soldiers. Another bomb fell in the grounds of Castlemount Hospital, but did not explode. Three fell in the vicinity of Leyburne Rd. One hit the roof of 15 Leyburne Rd. (Guilford Terrace) where Mrs. Capell lived and although there were occupants in the room which was struck they were not hurt. The bomb only partly exploded, wrecking the attic and damaging that of No. 17, next door, and then struck the bay window of No. 17, Leyburne Rd., the residence of the late Colonel McPherson, and striking the ground in front of the basement room, exploded, going 6ft. into the ground. Another bomb fell in the back garden of the eastern end house of Guilford Terrace, an empty house. The third bomb fell on the roof of 18, Castlemount Cottages. The occupants, who were in the room struck had a miraculous escape, only one child, Daisy Warman, being slightly hurt, the bomb expending its force on the side wall of the house which it blew out, leaving the bedroom exposed. At the same time three bombs fell in Charlton. The first was at the rear of Maison Dieu Rd. Post Office, in the square leading to Prospect Cottages. It was a very heavy bomb and made a deep hole, and shattered all the walls around the square. Those injured included Mrs. Sergeant, of 6, Prospect Cottages, and Mrs. Knight. The next bomb fell on the Peter Street end of the saw mill of Messrs. W. Crundall and Company. It completely blew off the roof, the slates falling into Dour St. and on adjoining property. A slight fire was started, but was soon extinguished by the Police Fire Brigade. The third big bomb fell into the garden of the "Angel" Inn, High St. The garden is a long one, and the spot where the bomb fell is close to the backs of the houses on the north side of Wood St. The bomb made a very big hole in the soft soil, and did a tremendous amount of damage by concussion to the backs of the houses in Wood St. and High St. People had to be got out of their bed room windows, so badly were the houses knocked about. Three more bombs were dropped on the grass slope just above the Sixty-four Steps. The raid was over in less than two minutes after the first bomb was dropped, and in less than from five to six minutes; after the machine was heard. No warning was given of the attack till it commenced, and no searchlights were in operation or guns fired at the raiders. The helpless state of the town to resist this class of raid began to alarm everyone. The heavy bombs that fell were of a peculiar type, as was found when one that did not explode at Castlemount was dug up. It was in the shape of the projectile of a gun, weighing over 2 cwts., and to make it fall true, iron vanes had been fitted in a very patchwork sort of way. This bomb was afterwards taken to the yard of Messrs. Leney and Company, and the high explosive washed out of it with steam. The next night the siren blew at 10 p.m., but there was no attack on Dover. Chatham, Sheerness and Thanet were attacked. It was in this raid that a bomb fell on the Naval Barracks at Chatham, and killed 331 sailors and injured 90.

On Tuesday September 4th, the shore guns at Dover were engaged in night practice until 10 p.m. At 10.20, without any alarm being given, bombs, which at first were mistaken by many people for the practice firing, commenced to drop the first falling in the Harbour. In the course of less than a minute bombs fell in a line from Pencester Meadow to the Corporation dust dump at Union Rd. As bombs were seen to burst in Biggin St. and Tower Hamlets at the same moment there was, obviously, more than one machine. Again no guns or searchlights were used, and no attempt was made to stop the raiders. The bombs that fell in the town commenced with one in Pencester Meadow in the open. The next hit the roof of Messrs, Tolputt’s timber mill, doing very little damage. The next fell on the roof of Mr. Meadows' establishment in Biggin St., bursting on the back of the premises, the greater part of its force being expended on the houses in Queen's Court. One of these rooms was full of children, who were in bed, and although many fragments of the bomb penetrated into the rooms they fortunately, all missed the occupants. These three bombs were comparatively light ones, probably 50lbs. The next two bombs were of the gun projectile type, and did not explode. The first fell through the roof of Mr. C. T. Long's house at the bottom of Priory Hill, and Mr. H. J. H. Long, his son, was killed by the flying fragments of masonry. The other bomb fell on the back wall of 35, Priory Hill. The vanes of this bomb did not cause it to fall true and the bomb fell on its side, breaking off the fuse and bending the shell of the bomb on its centre. No damage was done, except that a small part of the wall was knocked down. Another bomb fell in the garden of No. 34, Tower Hamlets Rd., but did no damage. The next bomb fell at the back of Nos. 4 and 6, Widred Rd. It was one of the big type, and exploded with tremendous violence. The back walls of the two houses were smashed to atoms, the houses completely wrecked. Mr. Edward Little, 73 years of age, who lived at 4, Widred Rd, was killed; his daughter, Mrs. Minnie Smith, was fatally injured, and her husband, Mr. G. Smith, had his leg broken. Mrs. Voller and her boy were injured, and also Mrs. Hollands of 15, Widred Rd. Two bombs fell in Odo Rd., one in the centre of the road and another on the front part of Mr. Burwood's house, 14, Odo Rd. The first made only a small hole in the road, and it is doubtful if it exploded, and afterwards in the course of a long search, the bomb was traced into an old Dene hole, but could not be found. The bomb that exploded in front of the house, completely blew away the lower part of it, but the upper part, supported by the houses on either side, remained. In these upper rooms were the family, who escaped injury except for a slight one to a child. The next bomb fell in the garden ground at the back of Edred Rd., and did no damage. Another fell in Union Rd. on the roof of No. 55. The occupants had just left the room in which the bomb exploded, and were blown downstairs but were not seriously hurt. The last bomb fell on the Corporation refuse heap at the end of Union Rd."

Further raids followed, but the most severe was on the night of September 24th when German machines flew round Dover for half on hour dropping bombs without the guns or searchlight defences making any attempt to stop them. The then Prime Minister, Mr. Lloyd George, happened to be at Dover that evening, about to cross the Channel, and it is said that it was due to him that this supineness of the defences came to an end, for in the raid on the following night heavy barrage fire was opened at Dover and kept the raiders off. But the effect of the bombing of September 24th and the absence of any defence measures so upset the inhabitants that large numbers left the town, many never to come back to it again.

Dover Express, Friday 4 April 1930.

OBITUARY. MR. W. H. COLES.

The sudden death of a well known Dover resident Mr. William Henry Coles, a member of the orchestra at the Royal Hippodrome, occurred at his residence 16, Bartholomew St., on Sunday March 30th, at the comparatively early age of 57 years. Mr. Coles was born in Lancashire in 1872, and although he came to Dover as a child, it was not until the Dover Hippodrome, in Snargate St., was built that he settled in Dover and was present on the opening night as violinist in the orchestra. He left the musical profession in 1900 to take up the license of the "Admiral Harvey" Bridge St.; and afterwards the "Burlington Inn," Church St. he returned to the Hippodrome, in 1918, as violinist, and has been engaged there since. He had been in comparatively good health of recent years and was present in the orchestra on the Saturday before his death.

The funeral took place on Thursday, at Charlton Cemetery, the Rev. J. Lee officiating. The mourners present were:— Mrs. W. H. Coles (widow), Mr. Harry Coles and Mr. Stanley Coles (sons), Miss Ada Coles (daughter), Mr. George Whitnall (brother-in-law), Mrs. W. Vidler, Mrs. C. Goddard and Mrs. T. Witnall (sisters-in-law). Mr. W. Vidler (nephew), Mrs. Kirk. and Mrs. Pope, Mr. Cone, Mr. Mackay, Mr. Frind, Messrs. F. Pay. Spicer and others.

Floral tributes were sent from:- His loving Wife. Nell; Son, Harley, children Ada and Stan; Jennie and family; Doris, Will and baby Gracfe; Flo, Charlie and family; Floss, George and family; Alice, Jack and family; Eileen and Joan; ASuntie Borner and George (Sheerness); Rolo and Wife (Sheerness), Mr. and Mrs J. Kirk and family; the Directorate and Management of the Royal Hippodrome; Staff of the Royal hippodrome; Mr. and Mrs. Ben Holmans ("Rose and Crown", London Road), Mr. and Mrs. Oliver ("Mason's Arms",) Mr. and Mrs H. E. Frost and Elsie; Mr. and Mrs. Papworth; Mr. E. A. Dane, Mr. and Mrs H. W. Flood; Mr. and Mrs. W. Medhurst; Mr. and Mrs. T. Langley and Iris; Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Langley and family; Mr. Hurst, Mr. and Mrs. Beer; Mr. R. Dowle; Mr. and Mrs. Jack Gilfin; Mrs. Mead and family; Mr. and Mrs. J. Cone; Mrs. Pay and all at 18, Bartholomew Street; Mr. and Mrs. Townsend; Mr. and Mrs. W. MacDonald; all at 11, Bartholomew Street; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Medhurst; Mr. and Mrs. Ralph; Mrs. Whitehead; Mr. Marsh; Mr. G. Groombridge; Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey; Mr. and Mrs. Bert Nye.

The funeral arrangements were carries out by Mr. B. J. Andrews, of 22, new Street, and 34, Longfoeld Road.

From the Dover Express, 13 September, 1940.

MORE PUBLIC HOUSES CLOSING

At the Dover Licensing Sessions on Friday last, the licensees of the following public houses were granted permission to close for the duration of the war:- "Carriers Arms," West Street; the "Royal Standard," London Road; and the "Granville Bars," Marine Parade. On Monday similar permission was given in respect of the "Admiral Harvey," Bridge Street.

From the Dover Express, Friday 11 March, 1949.

The licence of the "Admiral Harvey." Bridge St., was transferred from F. E. Biggs to J. Nicholas.