Hove and the Great

H o v e a n d t h e Gre a t Wa r A RECORD AND A R E VIE W together with the R oll o f Ho n o u r and Li st o f D i sti n c tio n s By H . M . WALBROOK ’ Im ied una er toe a u fbority cftfie Hov e Wa r Memorial Com m ittee Hove Sussex Th e Cliftonville Press 1 9 2 0 H o v e a n d t h e Gre a t Wa r A RECORD AND A REVIEW together with the R o ll o f Ho n o u r and Li st o f D i sti n c tio n s BY H . M . WALBROOK ’ In ned u nner toe a u tbority oftbe Have Wa r Memoria l Comm ittee Hove Sussex The Cliftonville Press 1 9 2 0 the Powers militant That stood for Heaven , in mighty quadrate joined Of union irresistible , moved on In silence their bright legions, to the sound Of instrumental harmony, that breathed Heroic ardour to adventurous deeds, Under their godlike leaders, in the cause O f ” God and His Messiah . J oan Milton. Fore word HAVE been asked to write a “ Foreword to this book ; personally I think the book speaks for itself. Representations have been ’ made from time to time that a record o fHove s share in the Great War should be published, and the idea having been put before the public meeting of the inhabitants called in April last to consider the question of a War Memorial , the publication became part, although a very minor part, of the scheme . I should like to emphasize the fact that the ” Roll of Honour is its keynote . That Roll contains the names o fHove men and women who r gave their lives for the Empire , and whose memo y u m st never be allowed to fade . Without their sacrifi ce and the sacrifi ce of thousands upon thousands of others , not made in vain , this book would never have been written , for there would have been no history worth recording . o f The rest of the book , besides the List Distinctions gained , contains an account of the town ’ s endeavour to do its share worthily in those dark and trying years . I have read through its pages and can testify to the care and trouble fi l Mr . Walbrook has taken to t y enumerate th e vi FOREWORD various phases of war work carried o u t by the s o citizens at home, faithfully and under the inspiration o f the highest ideals o f civic and national patriotism . o f s e t Several names individuals are down , but many more are omitted it may tr u thfully be said that probably some of the most self—sa crifi c ing work was done by men and women u nknown to their fellows , and away from the public eye . All that need be added is j ust this , that no call was made to the people o f Hove during those n o t to years that was cheerfully responded , and the town can hand on this history to the j udgment its of its citizens who shall come after, feeling that record in the Great War is one o fwhich it need n o t be ashamed . R N T . G A . R SA EA , ’ - 1 1 1 1 . Mayor s Parlour, Mayor 9 4 9 9 T . own Hall , Hove 1 1 I . November st , 9 9 From Pe ac e to Wa r o f 1 1 N the opening days July, 9 4 , a great o ff Iflotilla lay Hove, the First Battle Squadron o f the British Fleet, stretching in two maj estic lines from a point opposite The Drive to o n e o f opposite the coastguard station . At the head it were such formidable battleships as M a rlborough Ne t ne St Vincent er Colossus Hercules u . Su b , , p , , p , ’ Va n ua rd Collin wo oa g and g , each name an epitome o f power ; and thousands o f the residents and visitors ga thered along the Front to admire them as they lay at rest in the sunshine, and , after dark , to watch their searchlights flinging their beams in o f all directions , or to behold the magical spectacle o f their illumination by myriads electric lights . England and the world were at peace, but pride in the Navy, and the sense of its protecting power, are inborn feelings of o u r race and when considerably over a thousand bluejackets were entertained to dinner in the Town Hall the streets through which the men marched were gay with flags and lined with h In c eering crowds . conversation with the Mayor . L e e n e (then Alderman E H y) , the Admiral , n fi Sir Lewis Bayly, expressed not o ly his grati cation at the welcome extended to his o flic e rs and men but also his fairly con fident hope o fpaying another o f such visit to the town in a couple years . At o f last, after three days balls and dinners ashore and afloat , the great squadron departed as silently and maj estically as it had arrived . I n little more FROM PEACE TO WAR than a month it had taken up its station in the misty region o f Scapa Flow ; the Great War had burst upon the world , and the British Fleet had settled down to the sternest and most triumphantly performed task in all its long and r glo ious history . Within a week of the declaration o fwar the town had begun to organise itself to make the fullest possible contribution to the national strength . The fi rst steps were taken during the Mayoralty o f L e e n e 1 1 Alderman y , and when , in November, 9 4 , he was succeeded by Alderman A . R . Sargeant, the work increased as the crisis deepened . By the o f unanimous desire the Town Council , Alderman fi and Mrs . Sargeant lled the mayoral positions o f during the remaining four years the war, and presided over what became , year after year , a still more united and enthusiastic c 1v ic community . I n a very remarkable degree the Town Hall was the ’ o f flo r o f centre and heart the whole war c t the town . Hove had the honour o f making a worthy contribution o fits own sons to the fighting forces of the Empire . The lives of thousands more were saved by the work done fo r the wounded in the local military hospitals and by the War Hospital Supply Depot and its allied organisations . A - o n great deal of munition making went , and every patriotic fund o f the time was handsomely supported . It was felt by all that, in such a cause and such a crisis , patriotism was not only a duty but a privilege , and rich and poor displayed an equal ff generosity . A thousand unessential di erences of party and class were obliterated , and in the solemn FROM PEACE TO WAR ix religious Observances held year after year in the H a ll o f Town , the Church England and the Nonconformist Churches participated in perfect o n e o f harmony . Alderman Sargeant said in his “ - o f war speeches , these years are a testing time ” democracy . The democracy of Hove proved good metal . The best hearts are ever the bravest . o f o f That is as true civilians as soldiers . During o f o f those years trial the strong hearts Hove, as n of the ation , were in a splendid maj ority . Side by side with all the war work, the ordinary life and admi n istration of the town went o n o f smoothly . The education the children , the o f care of the aged , the administration j ustice, the policing of the streets (a work in which the Speci a l Constables gave valuable assistance) and the other civic responsibilities o f ordinary times were fully maintained , with the result that when , wa s at last, the long strain of the war ended the normal life o fthe town was found to have suffered no irreparable dislocation . Thousands of Hove men and women of all classes who worked nobly during those years are not even mentioned by name in this book fo r the simple reason that there is not the space for even s o . splendid a list But their service is known . o f Theirs , too , is the consciousness duty done and done not in vain . Of them all the town is proud ; and it is to be hoped that their spirit will animate and inspire o u r civic life in the fut u re o u r as it animated national life in the past . Contents Foreword From Peace to War Roll o f Honour List of Distinctions xxxiii The Call to Arms Military Hospitals Munition Making The Depot The Prisoners ’ Comforts Fund The Red Cross Collections for War Funds The E m ergency Committee War Pensions War Finance The Belgian Refugees The Churches Food and Fuel Police Work Miscellaneous Activities ’ Soldiers Sunday a t- homes at the Town Hall— Church of England Soldiers and ’ Sailors Hostel— Women s War- time Club Billeting— Hospitality to soldiers— Drives for the wounded— National Service— Part ’ time work on the land— Women s Land Army — Women in uniform — War Distress — Committee National Baby week .

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