Category Archives: World War One

One hundred years of British Summertime

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British Summertime was introduced to Britain on Sunday 21st May 1916, after a bill was passed in Parliament on 17th May 1916.

William Willett, who lived in Bromley, and was a builder by profession, had been promoting the idea of daylight saving to make the most of the daylight from April to September from 1907. Whilst he was not the first person to have the idea, he spent a lot of time trying to get the idea taken up in Great Britain.  When reading local papers of the late 1900s and early 1910s you will often see letters from William Willett promoting his ideas.

It was not until World War One, when it became vital to save coal, the main fuel for both industry and households, that the idea was passed by Parliament, as a part of the Defence of the Realm Act (often referred to as DORA).  Ironically, Germany also implemented Daylight Saving in April 1916.

William Willett never saw his idea finally get taken up, as he had died in March 1915, over a year before the implementation.  William Willett is remembered in Petts Wood, where there is a memorial sundial and the Daylight Inn is named in his honour.

An editorial in the Sevenoaks edition of the Kent Messenger on 20th May 1916, reminds its readers that if they forget to put their clocks on an hour, they will arrive at church an hour late for the service and may miss the service altogether, or perhaps be too late for the collection.

It goes on to explain that the aim of the act is to reduce the number of hours that artificial lighting is needed and so save a very large amount of coal that can be used elsewhere for the war effort.

 

 

 

Darenth Council School – Roll of Honour 1914-1918

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This postcard recently appeared on Ebay, and so I had to purchase it.

darenth council school ww1

Darenth Council School Roll of Honour 1914-1918

I would be interested to know if this plaque still exists, or like so many of these, has disappeared over time.

The men listed:

Private Bertram Edgar Arney, No.2298. 1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, died 1st May 1915, Gallipoli

Private Samuel Arney, No.2304, 1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, died 25th April 1915, Gallipoli

Bertram and Samuel were brothers, both born in Wiltshire, and they were living at Gills in the 1901 census, where their father was working as an agricultural labourer.  By 1911 both brothers had enlisted in the Lancashire Fusiliers.

Private Victor Alfred Brett, No.19936, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment), “D” Coy. 10th Bn , died 27th April 1918, Flanders.  Son of Frederick Richard and Bridget Brett, of 16 E.C. Cottages, Bean, Stone, Dartford.

Gunner F. T. Cherry, No.115003, Royal Field Artillery, 524th Howitzer Bt, died 10th February 1917, Iraq

James Collins

Albert Elliott

Cyril Fry

Private Percy George Fry, No, 53051, Manchester Regiment 11th Bn, 19th May 1918, Pas de Calais,  Son of Samson and Helen Fry, of 3, Whitbreads’ Cottages, Lanes End, nr. Dartford, Kent.

Brothers Cyril and Percy were born in Darenth, and their father was a head laundryman.

Joshua Glover

Rifleman Robert Julian Ludlow, No. S/25861, Rifle Brigade  12th Bn, died 30th January 1917, Belgium.  Son of Mark and Fannny Ludlow, of High St., Bean; husband of Edith Pankhurst (formerly Ludlow), of Melbourne Cottage, Bean, Dartford, Kent.

William F Sanders

Gunner Edward Sawkins, No. 38042, Royal Garrison Artillery 2nd Siege Bty, died 17th January 1917, and buried at Lincoln (Newport) Cemetery.  Son of John and Jane Elizabeth Sawkins, of Church Hill Cottage, Darenth, Dartford, Kent

Private Lewis Stoneham, No. CH/11705, Royal Marine Light Infantry, (RMR/B/868). H.M.S. “Hogue”.  Died 22nd September 1914

Captain W. Gordon Summers, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) 7th Bn, died 28th December 1915 at Flanders. Son of Mrs. E. Summers, of Green Street Green, Dartford, Kent.

James West

Harry White

Gunner Albert Ledger, No. 180103, Royal Field Artillery 161st Bde, died 8th March 1921, and is buried in St Margaret’s Churchyard.  Son of Mrs. A. Ledger, of 8, Stanley Cottages, Lancs End, Dartford.

Leonard May

 

Sutton at Hone National School – 1914 photo of pupils

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A fascinating timeline has been drawn up by Kent History & Library Centre showing what life was like during for pupils and teachers during the First World War.  However, the significant fact about this timeline is that the backdrop is a photo of Jack Kadwill, Head Master and local Scout Master with a group of his pupils from Sutton at Hone National School.

KENT SCHOOLS DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR
This timeline draws on information from entries in Log Books for Kent Education Committee schools. These Log Books are held at the Kent History & Library Centre in Maidstone.
School Log Books were written up by Head Teachers weekly, and sometimes daily, to record attendance figures, occurrences and activities in schools. The Log Books from the First World War era which are held at the Kent History & Library Centre are a valuable source of first-hand information, showing how the war impacted on everyday life in Kent towns and villages during the war years and immediately afterwards.

Kent Schools Timeline

 

January 1916 – a girl wants a job

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DC 14 Jan 1916 - Girl advert

In the Dartford Chronicle’s Situations Wanted column on 14th January 1916

There are not many Situations Wanted adverts in the Dartford Chronicle at this time, and normally they are for specific roles, such as nurse, clerk or labourer.

Miss Keturah Mankey, who lived at 29 St John’s Terrace in Sutton at Hone, obviously needed a job but it seems war work in the local munitions factories may not be an option.

Keturah’s uncle was Arthur Mankey, who was killed in the Great War, and is commemorated on the War Memorial.

Sutton Scouts who served in World War One

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Thirty three former Boy Scouts and Leaders of the Sutton-at-Hone Boy Scouts Troop served during World War One, and three former Boy Scouts lost their lives and are commemorated on the War Memorial.

Thanks to an article published in the Dartford Chronicle on 7th February 1919, we know the names of all those former Boy Scouts who served during the Great War.

H. J . Kadwill – Scoutmaster – Jack Kadwill founded the Scout Troop, was the village Schoolmaster, a parish councillor, and lived in the School House by the School.  When teachers were allowed to join up, he joined the London Regiment and was a 2nd Lieutentant, 1/13 Brigade

T. Elliott – Assistant Scoutmaster

S. M. Smith – Assistant Scoutmaster

B. Elliott – believed to be Bertie Elliott, the brother of Charles and William Elliott, who were both killed in the Great War and are commemorated on the Sutton at Hone War Memorial.  Bertie served with the Army Ordnance Corps.

B. Turner – awarded the Military Medal

Arthur Charles Trimmer – lived at Alexander’s Cottages, Sutton at Hone and served in the Machine Gun Corps as a Private, No. 145389

George Mantle (Mantell in the  1911 census) – lived at 4 Ship Lane, Sutton at Hone and served with the 1/5th Battalion of the Royal West Kent Regiment as a Private, No. 240461

Hugh Taylor – lived at Lane Cottages, and served as a Gunner with the A/116 Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, No.71209

Harold Smith – Killed in Action

Alfred Cook

Thomas Ovenden – Killed in Action

H. Smith – Wounded twice

Hector Ovenden – brother of Thomas Ovenden, and lived at Cromwell Villas, Sutton at Hone.  Hector joined the Navy in 1915, at the age of 15, and served until 1920 when he was invalided out (possibly with TB).

Mornington Hibbert  -Both Hibbert brothers were the sons of Carl Hibbert, landlord of The Greyhound, Sutton at Hone, and Carl and all his seven sons served during the Great War. Mornington served as a Signaller with the Royal Horse & Royal Field Artillery at the Signalling Training Centre

Leonard Hibbert – youngest son of Carl Hibbert, born in 1901, no record of where he served has been traced.

George Gunner – Returned Prisoner of War – served with the Northumberland Fusiliers, and his family lived at The Stores, Lower Sutton.

B. Taylor

T. Davis

J. Smith

Arthur Budd

H. Bennett

Harry Stubbs – lived at 4 Fair View, Ash Road, Hawley,  before he joined up he had worked for J. & E. Hall in Dartford.  After joining up (probably in 1915), he served with the King’s Royal Rifles and went to the Western Front in March 1916.  Harry had become Lance-Corporal, but was wounded by a shell in early December 1916, and had an arm amputated that Christmas Eve in a hospital in France.

E. Richards

(Harry) Basil Packman – lived at Cromwell Villas, Sutton at Hone, and signed up for service on 8th August 1918 at the age of 22, and had been working as a tool fitter at Vickers in Dartford. Harry served with the 26th Battalion, Tank Regiment as a Private, No. 311086

Leslie Thorne – lived at Crown House, served with the Royal Field Artillery, 121 Brigade, as a Driver, No. 234273

Thomas L. Dancer – Tom lived at 24 St John’s Terrace, Sutton at Hone and was a nurseryman when he enlisted in 1916.  Tom was finally called up in 1917 and served as a Gunner in the Royal Artillery in India and Mesopotamia, and was released in October 1919.

Frank Mantle (Mantell in the 1911 census) – lived at 4 Ship Lane and served with the Rifle Brigade, as a Private, No. S/31674

Harry Acton – lived in Ship Lane and served with the 9th Royal Sussex Regiment,  as a Private, No. 19375

Arthur Wright – Killed in Action

J. Lane

Ronald Barlow

Tom Relph – lived at East Hill, South Darenth, and enlisted on 27 December 1917, just after his 18th birthday.  Tom was a ‘fitter and turner apprentice’ before the war, and joined the Royal Flying Corp to be an Air Mechanic.

Nelson Yeatman – Nelson lived at Victoria House, Hawley, and enlisted on 12 February 1918, and served with the Royal Air Force, before he had enlisted he had been working as an Engineer.

During the absence of Scoutmaster Kadwill, the troop ‘carried on’ under Acting Scoutmaster Thompson.

The article notes that as Sutton at Hone was the oldest troop in the district, they had become the Senior Troop of the new Dartford District, which had been formed in 1918, from the old Central North Kent district (which had included Gravesend, Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath).