From the Folkestone Herald Published 24 February 2000
60 years
ROBERT Turrell, known to family and friends as Bob, is an old boy of
George Spurgen School, Folkestone, and he has shown me another photograph of
children evacuated to Wales in the Second World War.
This time it is an outing picture of children of George Spurgen School
who were billeted in Nelson, Glamorgan.
This is the photograph sent in by Robert Turrell of an outing to
Caerphilly Castle of children of George Spurgen School who were billeted in
Nelson, Glamorgan after their evacuation to Wales.
The group are pictured during a visit to Caerphilly Castle, in 1941. Bob,
72, who lives in Rossendale Road, Folkestone, was born in 1927 and was a
pupil of George Spurgen School from 1934 until shortly after the picture was
taken.
In November 1941 he returned to Folkestone and started work for Jenners
the builders.
Bob is seated on the cart second from the left, in the centre, between
Ray Burstow, who later had a grocers shop in Dover Road near where it joins
Tontine Street, opposite the new health centre, and Len Lawrence, while
Stuart Thurlow, seated lower down is on the right.
The three lads at the back, from the left, are John Fagg, the next,
wearing a cap, Bob thinks is Stan Moore and Frank Hopper is on the right.
In front are George Moore and Liam Goss. Sadly, says Bob, some of the
lads have passed on, but George Moore lives in Phillip Road, Cheriton, he
says.
Fishing links.
Bob was apprenticed as a carpenter and worked for Jenners for 10 years
before moving to work for Corbens, of Dover, for six years and then worked
three years for Charliers during which they were working on homes built in a
new street - Castle Road - at Saltwood, in what had been a field.
The son of William Turrell and his wife Ann (nee Hart), Bob and his wife
Betty (nee Tunbridge) have two sons, Alan and Ian, and five grandchildren
whose ages range from six to 20. Bob is connected to the Folkestone fishing
and boating family of Saunders, Jack Saunders being the nephew of his
grandmother Elizabeth Turrell (nee Saunders.) On his mother’s side, his
grandfather, Harry Hart, came from Dover.
Our Dover Road School evacuees photograph published in Memories on
January 27 was of special interest to Kenneth Care, 73, of Roman Way,
Folkestone, who tells me the photograph was taken at Llandenny, in
Monmouthshire.
ABOVE: One of the Dover Road photos of children who were evacuated to
Wales early in the Second World War. This picture appeared in The Story of a
School - Dover Road, 1835-1958 which the school published in 1958 when it
was settling in to its new school at Park Farm. It appeared in Memories on
January 27 when I told of the reunion of a small group of former evacuees in
Folkestone.
Ken should know, he is in the picture, and so are his two brothers, Jim
and Colin, both of whom still live in Folkestone.
The teacher, he says, was Mr Blunt and, from right to left in the back
row the children were Challis, Kenneth Care, ‘Billy’ ?, Cyril Bevan, and
then three he can’t remember.
In the front, also reading from the right, were Toby, — ? Jim Care, Colin
Care, a girl named Challis; the other names he has forgotten.
The brother and sister named Challis and Colin Care stayed at a house
called The Raglan, while Ken and his brother Jan stayed at a farm called
something like Pergo.
On leaving school Ken did building work for S. J. Clark before joining
the Army and spending two and half years in the Grenadier Guards.
Ken then returned to building work until he retired in 1991.
Ken and his late wife Joan (ne e Cordon) had two sons, John and Craydon.
I am pleased to receive a steady flow of readers’ letters and pictures
for the Memories page. Please keep it up and don’t forget those early
postcards!
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1900
UK’s oldest fire brigade, at Hythe celebrates.
THE EDITOR of the Folkestone Express wrote a strong editorial
In favour of the round-the-coast tramway plan and suggested the Town
Council was out of touch with the feeling of the people who seemed
mostly to be In favour of the scheme. He also wrote that fears a tramway
would reduce the value of property I the west end of the town were
groundless. Oldest fire service In the UK Hythe Fire Brigade celebrated
Its 98th anniversary with a dinner at the Swan Hotel, with Capt Cobb In
the chair as Honorary Captain following retirement after 40 years
service. New commander was Capt Ashdown. The same week Folkestone
firemen gave a demonstration of Its steam fire engine called George Spurgen, after the chairman of the Folkestone Water Co. There were more
casualties in the Boer War in an action at the notorious strongpoint,
Spion’s Kop. Among them was Capt Naunton Vertue, of the East Kent Regt,
on the staff of General Buller. Brigade Major of the 10th Brigade he
served under General Woodgate and was for four years adjutant of his
battalion. Many of the officers who had been killed or wounded recently
had local family connections.
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1925
New Lyminge cattle market a threat to Cheriton one?
For years and years, more than a generation in fact, Folkestone Town
Council argued the merits of building a band pavilion In the town to
boost summer holiday attractions In the town. Many of the objections
being to the burden on the rates. Then, when the principle was agreed,
and Parliamentary consent obtained to spend up to £100,000, commented
the Herald editor, they were suddenly advertising for not one, but two
pavilions. One was a stand-alone one at the east end of Marine Gardens,
by the seashore, and the other part of the changes planned at what
became the Leas Cliff Hall. The editor doubted whether the Leas Cliff
Hall plan would give the town what it needed, or whether the council
would give the go-ahead, when the costs were known. Three broadsheet
pages were taken up by the House of Olby, wholesale builders' merchants,
announcing the opening of their Folkestone branch, in Dover Road, under
the managership of Capt Fred Spencer. The business was founded by Alfred
Olby of Ramsgate in 1875, and he was joined by his three sons. Felix
posed the question: Was Cheriton cattle market doomed? The question was
prompted by the opening of a new market at Lyminge with access to the
old Elham Valley Railway. Was their room for both, he asked.
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1950
Sandgate Castle suffers serious storm damage.
THE OLD Folkestone & Hythe Gazette published disturbing
pictures of more coastal damage caused by winter storms at Sandgate
Castle where part of the outer wall and a section of a bastion collapsed
onto the seashore. Would you believe It, Folkestone's gas works In 1858
was at the top of the beach close to the site of the later Switchback
Railway and the entrance to the old Victoria Pier? A photograph of the
area and the dockside buildings, including what appears to be the old
Pavilion Hotel (now the Bursting dating from 1858, was published In the
Herald's midweek paper, the Folkestone & Hythe Gazette, 50 years ago.
Sadly the picture Is no longer In the possession of this paper. Years
ago a member of staff presented a collection of pictures to either the
Public Library or the Museum without first having copies made! Hopes of
staging the South Eastern Grass Track Championship races at Folkestone
were expressed at the annual dinner of Folkestone Motor Cycle Club at
the Wampach Hotel. Secretary of Sittingbourne & District MCC said the
Folkestone club was both one of the oldest and best clubs In grass track
racing. Local families were mourning the death of Stephen Thomas
Binfield, 84, of Dover Road. The Folkestone Binfields recorded in the
parish church records back to 1650.
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1975
Fishermen step up battle to save their small fleet.
ANGRY fishermen threatened to blockade the port as they
stepped up their campaign to save their little fishing fleet against
Government discrimination against small boats. It came only weeks after
French fishermen blocked the entrance to French ports In a dispute over
Imported fish. The militant seamen were owners of boats below the 40ft
minimum size necessary to qualify for a slice of the Government's
proposed £6,250,000 subsidy. Of 30 boats at the port only six qualified.
At Dungeness the position was even worse, all 13 boats failed to
qualify. MP Albert Costain pledged that he would take up their case.
British Rail unveiled a £60 million plan to boost cross-channel services,
much of it to be spent at Folkestone, as it announced five new ferries
were planned. The announcement came in the wake of the abandonment of
the Channel Tunnel scheme. £10 million was allocated for "shore work.”
Presumably port installations. Plans to extend Motel Burstin,
incorporating a conference hall, bar and reception area extensions,
seemed likely to be turned down by the district council which considered
the development too intensive for the site in view of the number of
parking places planned. A row blew up over a proposed council cut to
keep down the local rate. The cut involved slashing concessionary bus
fares (said to have risen 30%) for the elderly by £65,000 to £100,000.
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