Margate Civic Society Winter 2018 (Founded 1968) Newsletter Registered Charity No. 257884 Issue No. 393 We extend a warm welcome to the following new have recently joined the Society: This year, the whole nation commemorated the Robert Bird 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice on Veronica Marshall 11th November 1918. The nation’s tribute took many forms Jon Finegold and it is only fitting that this issue of our Newsletter contains Stephanie Nsom reports of some of those local events. One of those events Lakruwan Senevirathne was the unveiling of a new memorial plaque at Lymington Jorinde Hess Senevirathne Road Recreation Ground, Westgate-on-Sea. This recreation Jasmine Hess Senevirathne ground was specifically provided in 1920 as a memorial to Susan Redgrave Westgate’s WWI Fallen. For some reason, a plaque was Sally Whitworth never erected at the site and most residents were oblivious Membership Secretary to the recreation ground being a war memorial. Thanks to the endeavours of members of the Westgate-on-Sea Heritage Centre and others, a memorial plaque has now been erected Subscriptions and unveiled - only a few days Members are reminded that annual subscriptions were before the one- due for renewal on 1st October 2018. If you have not hundredth renewed your subscription, please note that this issue of anniversary of the Newsletter will be the last one that you will receive. the Armistice. A To ensure that you do receive future issues of the full report on this Newsletter without interruption, please send your new memorial is subscription to the Membership Secretary, Ms Sally contained in this Whitworth, C/o 25 Norman Road, Westgate-on-Sea Newsletter on CT8 8RR. pages 4, 5 and 6. The subscription rates for the current year are shown At the meeting on the back of this Newsletter. Any donations we receive The new memorial plaque at Lymington Road W of Westgate-on- on top of the subscriptions are very much appreciated. Sea Town Council held on 2nd October 2018, it was falsely Sally Whitworth claimed by Cllr Tom King, former Chairman of the Council, Membership Secretary that Margate Civic Society should not publish reports relating to Westgate as Westgate is no longer part of Margate. This Society will continue to report in our 1968-2018 Newsletter on matters affecting Westgate - whether they be positive or negative reports. We are a civic society and we Margate Civic Society celebrates its have an interest in all matters, including civic affairs, 50th Anniversary affecting our ‘patch’. One only has to see our name to be Do join us in our celebrations at the Walpole Bay Hotel aware of that. □ on Thursday 13th December from 7.00pm until 10.00pm James Brazier (see page 15 for details). □ Newsletter Editor Town Pride Awards 2019 DISCLAIMER Please note that the Society is not responsible for the Nominations of specific properties in our area are invited accuracy of material reproduced in the Newsletter. The from members of our Society for the 2019 Town Pride content of the Newsletter does not necessarily reflect the Awards. All nominations should be submitted to our views of the Newsletter Editor, the Committee of our Chairman, Pamela Pople (see back page for contact Society or of any individual contributors. □ details), by not later than 14th February 2019. The results of the Judging Panel will be announced at our meeting to be held on 9th May 2019. □ We wish all our members Pamela Pople a very Chairman Merry Christmas COACH TRIP TO SHEFFIELD PARK AND THE BLUEBELL RAILWAY Margate Civic Society members and friends at Sheffield Park The latest of our very successful coach trips took place on 11th September, when thirty-two members and their friends visited the National Trust gardens at Sheffield Park, East Sussex, followed by a trip on the heritage Bluebell Railway. We left Margate at 8.30am on our very comfortable Carol Peters coach and, after the usual pick-ups between Margate and Birchington, we were soon on our way. Our driver took a scenic route and we enjoyed seeing the Kent and east Sussex countryside. We arrived at Sheffield Park at 11am by which time many of the group decided coffee was needed and made for the restaurant. The gardens are particularly noted for the huge variety of trees and, although the autumn tints had not quite begun to show, there is an amazing range of colours. Combined with the lakes, water cascades and wildlife, this is a really beautiful place and One of the many delightful vistas at Sheffield Park everyone enjoyed strolling round enjoying the views. We didn’t have any sunshine but the weather was mild and just right for walking. After another visit to the restaurant and the shop, we boarded the coach again for the very short journey to Sheffield Park station on the Bluebell Railway. We had time to look around the very attractive old station before boarding our reserved carriage on the 3:45pm train to East Signage at Sheffield Park Station Grinstead. Our train was hauled by 0-6-0 steam locomotive No. 30541, which was designed by Richard Maunsell for the Southern Railway and built just before the Second World War. After our 45-minute journey to East Grinstead, we had an opportunity to have a look at the engine before returning to Sheffield Park. Although this trip was not as well supported as some of our other ones, those who went had a most enjoyable day. Time now for your Committee to think about our next coach trip, which we usually hold towards the end of May each year. If you have any ideas for a day out, please let any Committee member know. □ Mike Wilton Treasurer Steam locomotive No. 30541 at Sheffield Park Station 2 3 Recording the Westgate-on-Sea Recreation Ground 1914-18 War Memorial on the Centenary of the Armistice Four-and-a-half acres of land in Lymington Road were recreation ground although the recreation ground is purchased in 1920 and funded by public subscription to recognised as a war memorial. Accordingly, it was create a recreation ground in memory of the men of considered by the Westgate-on-Sea Heritage Centre that a Westgate who fell in the Great War. Within just three plaque should finally be erected in time for this year’s years, there was demand for a war memorial which could 100th anniversary year of the Armistice which ended the serve as a focus for acts of remembrance and so the war Great War in 1918. The following photographs illustrate memorial on Sea Road was built and, since 1923, has the story of how a plaque was finally erected. The plaque served as the town’s war memorial. There is no record of should ensure that the recreation ground is long recognised a plaque ever having been erected on the Lymington Road as an important war memorial in Westgate’s history. □ Photo courtesy of Cllr Jane Catchesides, Chairman of Helions Bumpstead Parish Council, Essex Helions Bumpstead’s memorial wall and plaque which served as a Lymington Road recreation ground - March 2007 model for Westgate’s new memorial wall and plaque Selection of the site for the memorial wall and plaque - 23rd May 2018 Jon the bricklayer taking great care over building the wall - 16th October 2018 Dr Dawn Crouch visits the nearly-completed wall The Union Flag veils the new plaque on the morning of 2nd November - 17th October 2018 2018. Note the WWI brass shellcases at either end of the wall 4 On the Centenary of the Armistice, a new Commemorative Wall and Plaque is Unveiled and Dedicated at Westgate-on-Sea In bright autumn sunshine, over one hundred local residents attended the unveiling and dedication of the new plaque at Lymington Road recreation ground as illustrated below: The front cover of the Order of Service for the Unveiling and Dedication of the Commemorative Wall and Plaque The Union Flag is lowered to reveal the Commemorative Wall and Plaque at the Recreation Ground in Lymington Road Sue Troke (on left) and Jane Hammond unveiling the Commemorative Dr Dawn Crouch, Honorary Freeman of Westgate-on-Sea and Wall and Plaque. Sue Troke is the great-niece of William & Frederick Founder of the Westgate-on-Sea Heritage Centre, welcoming everyone Pointer (brothers) and Jane Hammond is the great-niece of Alfred to the historic occasion on 2nd November 2018. Relatives of three of Eede whose names are inscribed on the war memorials on Sea Road the men whose name listed on Westgate’s war memorials are standing and in St Saviour’s Church next to the Revd Susan Wing Sir Roger Gale MP, leading a tribute to the men of Westgate-on-Sea The Revd Susan Wing dedicates the Commemorative Wall and Plaque who gave their lives in the Great War 5 Dr Dawn Crouch stands next to Jon and Alan, the The carefully-chosen words on the plaque tell the story of the recreation ground in builders of the wall, immediately after its unveiling Lymington Road as a permanent memorial to the men of Westgate-on-Sea who fell in - 2nd November 2018 the Great War _______________________________________________________________________________________ The above 24-page A5 highly-illustrated booklet recently The above 32-page A4 publication recently published by published by the Birchington Westgate Trust contains much the Westgate-on-Sea Heritage Centre on Westgate’s WWI fascinating information on Birchington & Acol’s war memorials contains a wealth of information on contribution in the Great War. The booklet contains Westgate’s war memorials and former war shrines relating numerous reproductions of original photographs or local to the Great War.