THIS George Beer public house in Limekiln Street. the Granville Arms, next to the Tuck Shop was one of around two dozen Dover houses featured in a set of photographs lent to me over a decade ago by my former choirmaster at St Martin's, the late Fred Simpson. Fred, who later sang at St Mary's church, was a near neighbour when I lived in Markland Road and he was involved in building maintenance. At a recent Pierites reunion I was asked by a former licensee's son if I could locate a photo of the nearby war damaged pub "The Mitre", which was in Snargate Street. Can any reader help, I wonder? (Bob Hollingsbee).

From the Dover Express and East Kent News, Friday, 22 January, 1869.

MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF A SOLDIER

An inquest was held at the "Granville Inn," Limekiln Street, on Monday afternoon last, by the borough coroner, W. H. Payn, Esq., on the body of William Thompson, belonging to the 1st Battalion of the 4th Regiment, stationed at the Western Heights, who had met his death by falling off the cliff near the South Front Barracks on the previous Sunday morning. Mr. Thomas Browning was chosen as foreman of the jury.

The body having been viewed, the following evidence was taken.

Sergeant Thomas Sanders, of the 4th King's Own Royal Regiment, said; I am stationed at the Citadel Barracks, Western Heights. The deceased belonged to the C Company of the same regiment. He had been in the service thirteen or fourteen years. his age, I believe, was between 32 and 33. He was rather given to intemperance. The last time I saw him alive was on Saturday morning last, he was then in the barrack-room. I have been given to understand that he had a pass on Saturday until eleven the same night, signed by the colonel of the regiment. The first I heard of his death was on Sunday morning. I have heard of no quarrels between him and any other person. He was not at all quarrelsome, but was rather a jocular man. When I last saw him nothing whatsoever was the matter with him.

Captain John William Fry, of the 91st Highlanders, stationed at the South Front Barracks, said: On Sunday morning, about five minutes to eight, I was going up the Military Road, and when about 150 yards from the South Front Barracks, under the cliff, I saw a soldier lying on the ground. I went up to him and imagining him to be drunk, went immediately for an escort; but on coming up to him a second time I found him to be dead. I sent the escort for a stretcher, and had him conveyed to the hospital. When I found him he was lying on his right side, in a sloping direction, with his head downwards. It appeared to me as if his neck was broken. Blood was issuing from his mouth. he must have fallen from the top of the cliff, which is about eighty feet high. There were several flint stones lying about near to the deceased. The uniform of the deceased was very tidy. I should think that he was not intoxicated at the time of the accident. I should say he had been dead five or six hours. I did not notice any cut on his neck. There was very little blood upon the ground near the deceased.

James William Ward, a private in the same regiment as the deceased said: I am stationed at the Citadel Barracks. The deceased was not in the room in which I belong, but I knew him. The last time I saw him alive was on Saturday evening about twenty minutes past eight. he was opposite the church at the Western Heights, going towards the Citadel Barracks. I cannot say whether he was tipsy or sober. I bade him good evening, and he returned the salute. It was very wet and foggy at the time. I did not stop or speak to him. There were four men with him at the time I saw him. It was so foggy that it was impossible to tell to what regiment the four men belonged. I do not know how he came by his death. The deceased had only his red coat on, but the other four men were wearing their great coats. in going towards the Citadel Barracks he should have gone to the left, and not to the right. he was not generally a sober man. I should say the men that were with him belonged to the 91st Highlanders, because the men belonging to the 4th Regiment are not allowed to wear their great coats into the town. There are railings along the top of the cliff where the deceased fell.

Mr. Joseph Vavasour Lane, assistant surgeon in charge of the 4th Regiment, quartered at the Citadel barracks, said: On Sunday morning last at about half-past nine, it was reported to me that a man belonging to the 4th Regiment had been killed and was lying at the dead-house. I was told that he had fallen from the cliff near the South Front Barracks. I went and examined the deceased, and found that his right jaw was broken. His right arm was also broken, and he had a deep cut on the right side of his neck, about an inch below the jaw. i should say the fall from the cliff would be sufficient to cause death, but the external injuries he has sustained would not. The internal organs might have been ruptured, which would have been sufficient to cause death. I think the cut in the neck might have been caused by the deceased falling on a flint.

There being no more witnesses present, the jury, after a short consultation, determined to adjourn the enquiry until Wednesday, in the expectation of obtaining further evidence as to the four men who were seen by the witness Ward in company with the deceased, and also that of a post mortem examination might be made on the body.

THE ADJOURNED INQUEST

The jury met again on Wednesday afternoon, when the Coroner stated that he had written to the colonel of the deceased's regiment about the four men, but had received no reply. The police had also been instructed, but had been unable to discover the men. The Coroner also stated that he had written to the surgeon and instructed him to make the examination ordered by the jury.

The doctor stated that he had made a post mortem examination of the deceased on the previous afternoon. His evidence was as follows: First I examined the injury in the neck, which was about half an inch in breadth and was punctured fully three quarters of an inch in depth. It was situated about an inch and a half below the angle of the jaw, and was somewhat behind it. It touched no vessel of importance, and was not the cause of death. he might have died from a number of causes. He had extravasation of blood on the right side of the brain. He had a fracture of the bone of the arm. All the ribs on his right side were broken and the points had torn the lung, causing the effusion of blood which was seen upon the ground. The liver and both kidneys were ruptured.

A Sergeant of the 4th Regiment, who had previously examined, stated he had made all enquiries in respect to the men seen in company with the deceased, but had failed to discover them.

The jury returned an open verdict - "That the deceased, William Thompson, was found dead at the foot of the cliff near the South Front Barracks, Western Heights, at Dover."

From the Dover Express and East Kent News, Friday 9 April, 1869.

MURDER OF AN ENGINEER SOLDIER AT DOVER

At the Borough Police Court this (Friday) morning before E. Dickenson, J. G. Smith, and C. Stein, Esqs., a lance-corporal of the Royal Engineers stationed at the Western Heights, Dover, named Charles Wellryck, was charged with having shot dead this morning a sapper in the same corps, named William Barnes.

After reading of the charge to the prisoners, Thomas Handcock deposes: I am a sapper in the Royal Engineers, stationed at the Western Heights Barracks, Dover. Prisoner is a lance-corporal in the same corps. Shortly after seven o'clock this morning I was standing with my back to the prisoner when I heard the report of a rifle. Upon that I turned round and faced prisoner, and saw him drop the rifle upon the floor. The smoke was coming from the rifle indicating its recent discharge - there was also the smell of powder. I then turned to the left and looked and saw sapper Barnes bleeding from a  wound in his cheek. I said, "Oh, Barnes is shot." Barnes after sitting upon his bed when he was shot, about 16 feet away from the prisoner. I immediately went to Barnes and took hold of his head. Finding there was no pulsation, I said he was dead. There were eight other sappers in the room where the shot was fired. I called for some one to fetch the doctor, who was brought to the room shortly afterwards. I never heard the prisoner utter a word. Prisoner did not use his rifle after he dropped it, and he made no attempt to escape. I have known the prisoner for the last three years and have of late noticed a peculiarity about his behaviour. He seemed melancholy. If a person asked him a question, it was ten to one if an answer were given. Prisoner had been in the hospital two or three times during the last three months. He had had no quarrel of any kind with the deceased that I knew of. It was the duty of all of us to clean our rifles this morning, as we were under orders to march to Shorncliffe. There was therefore nothing strange in prisoner having his rifle in his hand.

Sapper Benjamin Batten, R.E. who was in the room at the time the shot was fired, and standing almost 7 feet from the prisoner, gave corroborative evidence; but did not see the shot fired. The shot passed over his shoulder. He then said - as soon as I saw the shot had been fired by prisoner, I laid hold of him, and, assisted by a sapper named Grant, took him from the room. When I got downstairs I said to the prisoner, "What did you do that for?" and he replied, "he was no good." I then said, "Did you intend to shoot him?" and he replied, "I did not ." Prisoner's conduct during the last six months has been so strange that I have been frightened out of my life at his being about the place. I have been awake for hours for fear of what he might do. I do not think it was safe for him to be in the room. he has been sent to the hospital once or twice lately. I was on good terms with the prisoner, and so also was Barnes. Barnes never spoke a word to him this morning, nor he to Barnes. Prisoner has been in the habit lately of talking and swearing to himself. Before prisoner became in this strange way, he was a quiet, inoffensive man, and I never heard him swear then.

Sergeant Robert Langstaffe, R.E.: This morning we were ordered to Shorncliffe. I ordered the prisoner to hand over the bedding of the non-commissed officers and men in his room to another sergeant. he undertook the duty. After leaving the barrack I heard a shot fired, and on returning to the room saw Sapper Barnes leaning on his bed with a wound in his face. On looking round the room I saw a rifle lying on the floor. On picking it up I saw it had been recently discharged, and on opening the breach saw it had in it the remains of a cartridge. On examining the ammunition in prisoner's pouch I found one round missing from the packet. I have been in prisoner's company about three months, and from his general appearance consider that he has been in an unsound state of mind since discharged from the hospital. On the 8th Feb., I ordered the prisoner to the hospital because of the men refusing to work with him on account of his peculiar manner, and of his making three attempts to strike a sapper over the hand.

Andrew Acreson Stoney, surgeon-major of the 91st Regiment, gave evidence showing that prisoner had several times recently been in the hospital upon suspicion of insanity, and had several times been discharged. For fifty days he had been in the hospital, under the observation of witness and the assistant surgeon, and both of them agreed that they could find no trace of insanity, although the prisoner had a peculiar habit of keeping to himself, and declined to speak to anybody. he had never showed signs of violence, and therefore they did not consider it unsafe for him to be at large. He had examined the deceased, and found that the ball entered his face, penetrated the skull, and came out the back.

Police-constable Gedded deposed to taking prisoner into custody, and receiving the fire-arms, &c., from Sergeant Robert Langstaffe.

Prisoner made no answer whatever when the charge and caution was read over to him.

He was then committed for trial at the next Maidstone Assize, upon the charge of wilful murder.

The inquest on the unfortunate man will be held this evening at six o'clock, at the "Granville Inn," Limekiln Street.

From the Dover Express and East Kent News, Friday, 13 May, 1938.

GRANVILLE ARMS DART TEAM

WINNERS OF THOMPSON'S (WALMER ALES) BREWERS CUP.

Reading from left to right:- Messrs. Parkes, Brankley, Simpson (secretary) Clarke, Godden, Rogers, Curtis, Nix and Wilson.

[Photo: Packham, Castle St. Dover]

From the Dover Express and East Kent News, 19 May 1939.

At the Dover Police Court, on Friday, the licence of the "Granville Arms," Limekilm Street, was temporarily transferred from Mr. E. W. Wells, who has been licensee since 1922, to Mr. E. A. Worsley, formerly a Dartford Police Officer.

From the Dover Express and East Kent News, 20 August, 1954.

Bomber Man for "Granville Arms"

The new licensee of the "Granville Arms," in Limekiln Street - the licence was temporarily transferred from Mr. James Doody, by Dover Magistrates on Monday - is 41-year-old former Squadron Leader William George Wesley, D.F.C.

Besides having a distinguished career in Bombing Command during the war, Mr. Wesley was a well-known cricketer and ex-Spartan League footballer.

The old licensee, Mr. Doody, is going to Stoke-on-Trent.