Published 31 October 2002

Arthur Vincer, of Frampton Road, Hythe, tells me he reads the Memories page every week and says it is always a pleasure to see and read about some of the events that happened so long ago and are, gladly, not forgotten.

Arthur enclosed a photograph of lads of St Leonard's School, Hythe, in the spring of 1949, when they planted trees on the north side of the canal against Military Road.

"There has been some speculation as to which year it was." he writes, "but I left school in July 1949 so it couldn't have been any later.

"It has also been thought that all the new trees were cherries, but at the time there were a few other sorts, as mine was a Laburnum and it was the first one on the town side of the walk bridge, halfway between the two main bridges.

Arthur says it is a great pity that so many of the old trees have now gone, trees give so much pleasure to a lot of people, but it is nice that the Council have replaced some.

"I am sure none of the boys will mind seeing their faces once again in print," he says, adding that he is sorry if he has made any mistakes in his list of names of old classmates. Arthur suffers from Parkinsons and says his memory isn't what it was.

"The four grown-ups along the back were, from the left. Dick Chester, one of the three council gardeners, and Bill Young, our top class teacher. The one in a trilby was the head gardener."

The boys pictured from left to right, as far as Arthur can remember, are: back row, Arthur Vincer,
Dennis Dray, John Hugget (ex-mine host of the Castle public house, Saltwood), -?-, Ken Maytum, -?-, Steve Deverson (with cap), Peter Boorman, Roy Carter, John Woods, Peter Felce, Walter Batten and Tony Gillett.

In front are Gordon Uden, holding tree and John Giblin filling in the hole.

Memories reader Wendy Bell was very interested to see a picture in the Herald recently of a disabled serviceman from the old Star and Garter Convalescent Home, riding in a wheelchair pulled by a donkey.

The photo (top right) featured in Alan Taylor's recently published book on Sandgate, a European Library hardback, reviewed on September 19.
Donkey boy
She writes: "My Dad, Ted Ashdown, who is 91, remembers being a donkey boy in about 1924/26, when he first left school.

"He used to wait at the bottom of Sandgate Hill for the disabled service man to come along in his wheelchair, and attach the donkey to the chair, and help him up the hill.

"Of course, they were not required on the journey back. The mind boggles at the thought of these chaps hurtling down the hill on their return.

"Dad remembers Harry Macintosh also working with him."

Jeanne Brinton. Publicity Officer of the Folkestone & District Family History Society, is seeking information, anecdotes and photos relating to the Folkestone Hockey Club, founded in 1906.

Any postage or copying costs involved will be willingly refunded, she says. Jeanne can be contacted on 01303 226558 or via e-mail: Jbri999@aol.com
Canal trees
MARGARET Hogben, whose recollections of old Folkestone have recently featured in Memories, sent me this interesting photograph of St Eanswythe's schoolgirls, in their smart uniforms, passing the saluting base on Empire Day, 1938, in what appears to be Radnor Park. Margaret writes: "My sister, Gwen Hogben, is peeping out from under the raised arm of one of the escorts.
 

Faster ral - steamer trips to Paris via port are predicted 1 QflO HEAVY ruin full when the Mayor, councillors. French Consul, other civic lenders and railway officials of Boulogne visited Folkestone and were entertained at lunch in the Royal Pavilion Hotel iind afterwards toured the town. They were met ;it the port by the Mayor, Earl Radnor, councillors and British railway officials and afterwards inspected the Manor House, home of the Countess of Radnor, the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Leas Shelter, Lous Pavilion, the cliff lifts, public library and. what were described .is the electric bathing curs on the beach. In the evening there was a banquet in the magnificent dining room of the Royal Pavilion Hotel attended by a large number of people including representatives of leading national newspapers of bolh countries, and sev oral MPs. among whom was Sir Edward Sassoon, whose speech of welcome was all in French. The hopes were expressed at the banquet that, in the near future travel between London and Paris, via Folkestone, would take only six hours and that more French people would be crossing the Channel to Folkestone to visit England.

Grocer still at work at 90 years old in George Lane FOLKESTONE'S oldest businessman .L«73^was srill at work in his grocers shop, in George Lane at the age of 90! The Herald carried a photo of a sprightly William Arthur Pink, still behind the counter of his shop after 60 years! He had 76 years in the trade behind him. Known as Pink's Stores the shop had been there 150 years and, at one time, extended around the block into High Street, selling hardware and drapery goods as well as food. The business survived serious cross Channel shelling damage in the Second World War, although for a while business switched to a makeshift store at the back of the property. In later years his daughter and son in law assisted him in the shop. Popular Kent crickcter Lcs Ames said he would sooner face the demon Aussie bowler Lindwall on a sticky wicket than take on the daunting task of speaking to schoolboys. But, somehow, ho was persuaded to speak at the Harvey Grammar School prize day in 1952. His advice to teenagers: "Attack life and believe in it; set your standards high and work hard." And, as far as cricket was concerned his advice was "The game is greater than the individual. Cricket holds no place for the selfish character."

Fishermen dive in to save little girl in the harbour «f Q07 HEROES of a harbour rescue were I two fishermen about to set sail in the smack "Britannia." Mr C Butler, of Pierce Street and George Taylor, of Fenchurch Street, dived into the sea to save a small girl who fell in, while playing. They heard shouts and both promptly went to the aid of the girl named Clark, who lived in Bates'Alley, Folkestone. There were red faces at the port after a Home Office official walked up to a grey-coated man wearing a cap pulled down well over his eyes, and asked him if he was a visitor, because he was standing on part of the quay reserved for officials and passengers. That 'visitor' happened to be the Prince of Wales, travelling alone, who had motored over from Sandwich, where he was staying, to meet a passenger arriving from Boulogne on the 7pm boat! "Yes, officer,' he said, as he walked over to the area reserved for the waiting public. But someone else did recognise him and invited him to wait at the bottom of the gangway for his visitor! Southern Railway decided to buy new steamers costing £300,000 for the Channel service including a cargo boat for use locally.

You can’t prosecute us for opinions - say councillors «| Q^^THERE were moves to penalise coun-JL«71 I cillors for "inefficiency" in dealing with planning applications, leading to complaints there was too much interference from up on high already, and one councillor remarked that the government couldn't penalise councillors for their opinions on planning issues. It was decided to consult with local MP Albert Costain on the problem. A body of Sandgate residents was campaigning for action to improve the disposal of sewage, saying the need had been therefor 120 years and still nothing satisfactory had been done. There was a serious overloading and overflowing of sewers and filthy beaches at times, spreading the risk of disease. On top of that, in summer time visitors were complaining, asking shopkeepers "Does Sandgate always smell like this?!" A Herald reader jumped to the defence of noisy, excited schoolchildren travelling on the popular Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway to and from school. But it was only for about an hour in all, each school day and the woman said that, together, the Southlands School's headmaster and the rail: management should be able to do something about rowdy behaviour, if