Thanks for visiting my website. Please leave your comments...
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| Name |
Comments |
| 123) |
David  |
Location:
North of Watford |
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 Saturday 13:59
Anyone have any memories of Westbrook House School, Athelstan School or Feltonfleet School?
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| 122) |
David |
Location:
North of Watford |
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Saturday 13:59
Anyone have any memories of Westbrook House School, Athelstan School or Feltonfleet School?
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| 121) |
Kathy Lundy  |
Location:
Toronto, Ontario Canada |
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Wednesday, 4 April 2018 15:09
My great uncle, Alfred George Enderby, a gunner with the Canadian Field Artillery was stationed in the Ross Barracks at Shorncliffe Camp during the Spring of 1916. He was enrolled in the School of Musketry in Hythe.
At the moment, I am transcribing his diary that records his impressions of leaving Vancouver, British Columbia, travelling by train across Canada, crossing the North Atlantic on the HMS Missanabbie, and arriving in Plymouth in March of 1916.
He writes in detail about his impressions of Folkestone and the surrounding countryside.
He receives a weekend pass to visit his mother (my great-grandmother) in Leicester. She also comes to visit him on Easter weekend , 1916, and stays at Moore's hotel. They spend time walking around Folkestone.
Uncle Alf was only 25. Sadly, he was killed in action in Belgium in 1917.
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| 120) |
Susan |
Location:
Margate |
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Saturday, 27 January 2018 07:08
I went to St. Mary's Convent, no longer there and was a regular at The Acropolis, Archie's, we called it. I went out with Archie for a time, my Dad not happy! Lived in the country, Lyminge, so Folkestone was exotic to me!! Anyone else remember Archie?
Paul Seward Thursday, 1 February 2018 11:51
A very pleasant guy, and his brother Andy.
Their parents were very hard workers. The best place in town to get a salad baguette while admiring the female clientele. The place seemed to be a magnet for the Swedish girls who came over to learn the lingo. Or perhaps it was just the pulling power of the Brunts, Shrubsoles and Warrens of this world.
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| 119) |
Susan |
Location:
Margate |
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Saturday, 27 January 2018 07:08
I went to St. Mary's Convent, no longer there and was a regular at The Acropolis, Archie's, we called it. I went out with Archie for a time, my Dad not happy! Lived in the country, Lyminge, so Folkestone was exotic to me!! Anyone else remember Archie?
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| 118) |
Eileen Guest |
Location:
Portishead |
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Saturday, 2 December 2017 07:59
I am the daughter of the late Jim (James) Fitzgerald who was caretaker and lollipop man at St Mary's school, Dover Road, Folkestone for 40 years. I would love to hear anyone's memories of my dad as he knew so many generations of Folkestone families.
Jackie Langford Thursday, 12 April 2018 17:19
I went to St Mary’s from around 1959 to 1966 and have very fond memories of Mr Fitzgerald as we always called him. I remember him clearly as the lollipop man to see us across the road as well as his caretaker duties. He had a cheerful smile and word for us and used to greet us as we arrived for another day at school. He also used to deliver the crates of milk to the classrooms with our free school milk, I can still see him in my memories lifting the crate up onto the boiler in our classroom as we used to like the chill taken off the milk in the winter, He was a very important person to us at the school. How lovely to be reminded of him.
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Jenny Shephard Thursday, 12 April 2018 22:01
Yes I remember Mr Fitzgerald , I attended St Mary's School from 49 to 54 . Very nice man and always pleasant to the children . I believe he lived in a house , which was part of the school , now sadly half demolished .
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Rosemary Woodward Friday, 13 April 2018 06:12
I went to St Mary's in the mid 60's. I remember Mr and Mrs Fitzgerald. I think they lived in the house which later became a playschool. I also remember they had a dog.
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Nicky Parker Friday, 13 April 2018 06:16
Wow I remember him lovely man.
I also remember a new boy joining our class he couldn’t speak much English and he really helped him .
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Kim Bell Friday, 13 April 2018 06:18
I remember mr Fitzgerald I attended St Mary’s from 62 to 68 and when I was older about 16 I bumped into him over the Rose and Crown at Rhodes Minis he had a natter with my mum remembered us all lovely man
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Viv Gillespie Friday, 13 April 2018 06:20
I remember him too, lovely man..was at St Mary's for my junior years & left in 1970. He had a boxer dog named Ben.
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Helen Devereese Friday, 13 April 2018 06:23
I remember him to always had a smile he was also the lollipop man he lived in the house between infants and juniors happy days.
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Jesse Parsons Friday, 13 April 2018 06:27
I remember him nice very nice person.
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Barbara Hughes Friday, 13 April 2018 06:30
Our mum was good friend to your mum and dad barbara philpott now hughes we had good times we all went to Scotland in the war x
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Joan Brickell Friday, 13 April 2018 06:32
I remember Mr Fitzgerald when he was the lollipop man for St Mary's school in Dover Road. He and his wife lived in the little house in the centre of the school.I believe there is a memorial bench to him on the East Cliff overlooking the harbour and sands.
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Beryl Swaffer Friday, 13 April 2018 06:35
I remember Mr Fitzgerald. I just remember he looked kind and nice.
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Val Hibbert Friday, 13 April 2018 06:53
Yes, I remember him too. Lovely man. Same years there as Jenny above.
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Tania Leighton Friday, 13 April 2018 13:49
I remember him well I went to St Mary’s school and I remember the time that his dog Ben bit his leg. Bless him he still managed to carry on with his lollipop duties etc with his leg all bandaged up. He was a lovely man and always had a kind word for us kids.
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Sue Bradfield Friday, 13 April 2018 19:12
Yes I too remember your Mum & Dad Eileen. I lived at no 82 Dover Road . Mum worked in Ushers & The Little Shop for a while . My name was Susan Harris & I had a sister Gillian & a brother Martyn . Was your Mums name Molly
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Andy Markwell Friday, 13 April 2018 19:33
Yes I remember Mr Fitzgerald well our caretaker and lollipop man with the dog that followed him everywhere! He was always cheerful. I was at St Mary's primary until summer 1978 great memories!
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Karl Neve Friday, 13 April 2018 20:20
I'm a volunteer at the Folkestone museum & we are in the middle of auditing all the collection. The other day we photographed some pictures from the 1960's of local people & it happens that one of those was of Mr Fitzgerald. It shows him with his 'lollypop stick' in the middle of the road whilst children cross. As far as I know, due to copywrite, they can not be copied but if you enquire at the museum, you may be able to view it. I was at St Marys from 70-76. Both Mr & Mrs Fitzgerald were always very nice as I remember.
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Susan Nicholson Monday, 16 April 2018 06:40
Yes I do...he had the best
Smile and white teeth and lovely dark hair...that was around 68 years ago, I was 7 and he reminded me of my dad with those features and lovely friendly nature
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Debbs Heath Tuesday, 17 April 2018 13:42
He had a white boxer dog. When he checked everything after school was finished he would go around with him.
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Julie Peters Wednesday, 18 April 2018 07:47
I remember him loveliest man I have ever met I also remember your mum as lunchtime supervisor I think lovely lady as an adult used to see your dad over Tesco going shopping always happy to chat x
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Lesley Anne Woolven Wednesday, 18 April 2018 12:59
Yep, I def remember Fitz and Mrs Fitz who was a dinner lady. I taught in Dover Road from 1976 until the juniors moved up to join the infants in Warren Road. Well remember Fitz going round the classrooms with a tobacco tin collecting up the maggots that fell through the gratings in the ceiling! (You see the pigeons that used to live in the loft above the classrooms had been trapped inside and died!). Oh dear!! And I also remember Fitz doing handyman tasks...a hammer was his tool of choice...even with screws! A lovely man and a great character. Him and Mrs Fitz spent a lot of their time looking after PG's children, John and Jane.
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Malcolm Berry Wednesday, 18 April 2018 13:03
Mr Fitzgerald what a great fella I always used to see him lunchtime with his White boxer Ben Outside his house and next door to the school hall and remember the big pine tree outside his house as well Mrs Fitzgerald was my favourite dinner lady and she would always let me leave my cabbage and Swede so I could go out to play after lunch started in 67 - 73
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Pierre Croucher Thursday, 19 April 2018 08:19
I remember Mr Fitzgerald well.Lovely man,if my memory serves me right,i heard he was a ex boxer????
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| 117) |
Dutchie |
Location:
The Netherlands |
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Monday, 16 October 2017 07:35
Hello everybody from Folkestone,
I am from the Netherlands and browsing through some of the photos from my deceased grandfather I found an interesting one. He apparently participated in a "dance match" held in Folkestone in 1951.
The photograph shows a large advertisement reading "Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone represented by Barbara Morley's team Vs. The Hague".
My grandfather was from The Hague, The Netherlands.
The ad further reads: "Adjudicators include Guy Howard and Stella Williams - Friday 3rd August, 1951. Leslie Baker and his Music with Joyce Clark".
It would be great if somebody has more info about this event, I am guessing dance events like this one were held more often in your town. I am hoping pictures from that day survived the test of time showing my grandfather..
many thanks in advance.
Paul Seward Wednesday, 1 November 2017 08:14
Goedenmiddag Dutchie
Sadly I could not find any pictures. What I can tell you is that the event was part of the Farewell Dance at the end of a week of cultural exchange organised for 160 guests from Middelburg by the Folkestone Branch of the All Nations Sports and Cultural Organisation. As you say, the Folkestone team was led by Barbara Morley, the team from The Hague being led by Johannes Constandse.
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Christine - site owner Saturday, 11 November 2017 10:59
Hi Dutchy, I asked on your behalf on a Folkestone page on Facebook, and a scan of newspaper clippings were shown to me by Hilary Casey, whose mother used to take part. Not as good as a photo, but next best thing. I will send it to you by e-mail.
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| 116) |
David Snow |
Location:
Lisboa Portugal |
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Thursday, 14 September 2017 14:24
Marvellous site.
Christine Thursday, 14 September 2017 20:22
Thank you David! 
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| 115) |
David Cooper |
Location:
Suffolk |
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Thursday, 17 August 2017 14:24
Interested to find this site, I live in Cheriton 1950-1970. Was wondering about 26 Grimston Gardens as being an address referred to on a birth certificate. I know we never lived there - was it a nursing/birth unit before it became a language school?
So sad to see the open air swimming pool closed and concreted, I can remember swimming there in October!
David
Mark Hourahane Saturday, 2 September 2017 12:07
That's quite an easy one... the School of English Studies had three properties - Flowergate, .
From 1950, Flowergate Nursing Home occupied number 26. Whilst SES started in 1957, they moved into the building in the 1960s, with the home still there at first. Consequently, it retained the name Flowergate. I can't remember the exact date offhand... around 1968, I believe.
Someone lived there whilst the nursing home was there, who had an OBE. I forget the name, though!
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Mark Hourahane Saturday, 2 September 2017 16:04
Sorry, part of the message went missing... the school started in Flowergate in 1963 and expanded to include the two neighbouring properties - Middle House and Henry House.
The chap who lived in Flowergate was Edwin Herbert Edlin, OBE... and I believe that he was promoted to CBE in 1962. He was Director of Finance for the Ministry of Transport.
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David Sunday, 3 September 2017 10:02
Thank you Mark. I have a vague memory that mum was away for a short while and came back with a baby brother. That would have been in September 57.
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| 114) |
Lyn Christiensen |
Location:
Ivybridge, Devon |
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Monday, 31 July 2017 14:48
I spent 6 very happy years in Folkestone as a boarder at Brampton Down School, to this day, I still think of the town as home. It was without doubt the loveliest town I have ever lived in.
Lyn Christiensen Monday, 31 July 2017 14:51
Forgot to say between 1963 and 1969
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Barbara Smith Saturday, 30 September 2017 04:34
Dear Lyn,
I was there 58 to 64 but I can't remember hardly ever going out of the school except for long walks. how did you manage to get around and see the lovely town?
Barbara Smith
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Barbara Smith Saturday, 30 September 2017 04:38
What was your maiden name?
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Lyn Christiensen Sunday, 1 October 2017 09:54
I think you must be the Barbara Smith with a sister Jenny who was in my year, rather than the younger Barbara Smith with the red hair who Mill made eat her meat standing up. - Linda Hand
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Jill Tuesday, 23 January 2018 09:32
I was at Brampton Down and Folkestone is no longer the town it was - it is a bit sad
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| 113) |
Caroline Brenchley |
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Sunday, 30 July 2017 00:20
Hello
My family are folkestoners going back many generations (grand-fathers side) my question comes from my uncle he recalls a bakery on Dover road.. could have been called "miles and sons" does anyone recall this bakery? My nan was a Miles and her father originally was a bakers assistant in Canterbury (census records)( john marsh miles)at some point this side of my family moved to Folkestone. I have searched photos online and records but cannot find the bakery. Any information would be gratefully received for my family tree. Thank you
Mark Hourahane Saturday, 2 September 2017 11:40
143 was a bakery for many years... I can trace it back to the 1890s as part of the Grove End Hotel which became York Hotel. It then became 2 Grove Houses, remaining a bakery. Various bakers occupied it, including H. J Offen as Grove Bakery until 1913, E. Hopper & Sons in 1915 and H. Pope from 1916-1923, when it got numbered 143. He stayed until 1937, then Horace Hopper took over from 1938 until, it seems, 1939 or 1940.
There's a gap in information during the war, but John M. Miles occupied it with Hilda, John R. and Mary E. Miles in 1946. John M. and Mary were still there in 1947, when it was listed in Kelly's Directory. They were not in the Electoral Roll for 1948, nor were they there in 1945.
It was taken over by W. Bolton in 1949, who ran it until 1958. In 1960, it became C. A. Phillips (along with 145), a confectioner. The next directory, 1962, has Phillips in 145 only, with 143 being T. M. Saunders electrical engineer & contractor. He remained until 1973, then it became E. R. & J. Bates builders in 1974. If the numbering is the same now, it's the leftmost shop of the block with Londis.
In short, they ran it for a small time after the war.
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| 112) |
Chris Cooper-Slipper |
Location:
Toronto |
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Thursday, 27 July 2017 17:20
Your history page on Hawkinge is amazing. My father, Michael, served as a pilot there from May 22 -May 26 with RAF 605 flying Hurricanes during the evacuation of the BEF from Dunkirk.
Paul Seward Friday, 28 July 2017 11:32
Well worth Googling this brave gentleman. You barely scratched at the surface of his fascinating history, Chris. Guess the modesty is hereditary!
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Christine - site owner Friday, 28 July 2017 12:04
My word, he certainly is worth Googling! I just read the obituary of Michael Cooper-Slipper, and he was quite a hero during the second world war, and then became involved with the doomed Avro Arrow in Canada, my husband, who was in the RCAF, was still angry with the government about the cancellation of that aircraft to the day he died. [ www.telegraph.co.uk]
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| 111) |
Margaret Gabbe nee Michell |
Location:
Near Canterbury |
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Saturday, 8 July 2017 11:32
My grandfather Frank Michell was a drapery assistant in a shop possibly Tontine Street,. My dad used to talk about bombing when he would've been a small boy.id love to find out which shop it was.
Christine - Website owner Monday, 10 July 2017 00:37
If it was in Tontine Street Margaret, the shop could have been Gosnold's, which was badly bombed drapery shop. However, I don't see your Grandfather's name on the list of killed or injured, so if that was the shop, I can only assume he wasn't working that day.
There is an account of the Air Raid here: [ www.warrenpress.net] and a list of the injured here: [ freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com]
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Maggie Gabbe Saturday, 23 September 2017 10:11
Thais Christine..maybe it was another shop. My dad rememcbered the happening pretty well. He was only a small boy.
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| 110) |
Jo |
Location:
Southend on Sea |
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Wednesday, 28 June 2017 06:36
My nan, Lily Milton, was injured in the Gotha Bomber raid. She had just turned 16 on May 11 and was working in Gosnolds as an assistant. She was buried under a pile of rubble and bodies and her nose was broken among other injuries. The manager of the store paid for her to go to a convalescent home, where I believe he also went, as she had some psychological injuries too. When she was in her 80s a German man proposed to her at her sheltered accommodation. She was highly indignant at the cheek of the "Hun"!
Christine - Site owner Monday, 10 July 2017 00:43
I imagine her psychological injuries took a lot longer to heal than her physical ones. How nice that her employer paid for her recovery though, with no NHS back then, medical bills were quite expensive.
I chuckled at her proposal reaction, I guess if you have lived through that, you would never get over the hatred of the enemy.
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Megan Johnson Thursday, 11 January 2018 09:07
My grandfather was Ernest Frederick Milton and my great grandfather was Henry Minter Milton so I am wondering if your Nan was related to them? From her age it seems possible she was a niece to my grandfather? Do you know the names of her parents? Henry Minter Milton had 10 children, 9 of whom seemed to have survived to adulthood, so perhaps it was one of them? I would be interested to hear anything about the Milton family and understand from Christine that there are lots of Miltons still in Folkestone
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Dennis Nelson Tuesday, 6 February 2018 02:22
Jo, do you know if your nan had any brothers and sisters. My grandmothers sister was married to John Milton who owned a couple of fishing tackle and cutlery stores in Folkestone. One of them is on here somewhere and I have 1 of the other store at 12 Tontine St. I have many old photos including one with Olive, Lill, Nell and John from 1969 and one of John's wedding in 1921
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Christine -Site Owner Wednesday, 7 February 2018 02:22
You must be related to Rosemary Milton then Dennis. She has written to me a couple of times in the past, telling me she was related to John Milton, and sent me a photo of his shop. I think she said he was her father. I haven’t heard from her in some time now though.
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| 109) |
Jo |
Location:
Southend on Sea |
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Wednesday, 28 June 2017 05:52
I do feel the town has been badly let down by the destruction of the Rotunda and the failure to use that space. Here in Southend our old Kursaal was demolished and became housing, Never Never Land closed, the pier burned down, and Peter Pan's playground languished. Things looked bad.
We now have Adventure Island, a thoroughly modern, well run popular "fun fair" and if only the same could be done at Folkestone it would revitalise your tourist industry. That is a huge waste of a site. As a little kid I loved visiting the Rotunda
Christine - Site owner Monday, 10 July 2017 00:51
A lot of work is going on currently on the site of the Rotunda, and it will run from the harbour right round to what is now the Lower Leas Coastal Park, formerly the Lower Sandgate Road. However, there is no funfair in the plans, it will mostly be accommodation, shops and restaurants. I think we all loved the Rotunda, and miss it, but with no ferries, and people finding cheap holidays abroad where the weather is more guaranteed, they have had to accept the tourist industry will never be what it was, and will now be aiming for a different market, e.g. people living in Folkestone and commuting each day to London on the fast train for work.
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| 108) |
Jo |
Location:
Southend on Sea Essex |
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Wednesday, 28 June 2017 05:46
I last used the Zig Zag path in the 1970s.You need to know where to look. Unfortunately the sign now says "access to viewing point only". I have a feeling the path became dangerous and is now out of use. The tea house path is an entirely different route
ken white . Tuesday, 18 July 2017 12:44
back in the late 40s we used it as a quite way to the beach. also for courting.
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| 107) |
Lesley Fakley (Fordham) |
Location:
Ferndown, Dorset |
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Tuesday, 27 June 2017 14:07
I lived in Folkestone from 1950 to 1975.I went to St. Nicholas Preparatory School, in Wiltie Gardens, Miss Squire was the Headmistress. I then went to Holywell and Folkestone College.
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| 106) |
Dale Komander |
Location:
Germany |
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Tuesday, 30 May 2017 07:39
Hello, I have just found your site and will earmark it for later! You have one photo of the School of Musketry with a row of houses to the right. Of course (and sadly) the SofM is no longer there, but the houses (Military Terrace, built mid-1800s) are still going strong. I believe they're now listed buildings. My mother lived in one of them up to her death in 1998. I know Hythe well as I used to live there (1960s) and when mum moved there again in 1986 we used to spend a lot of time there, so I'm thrilled to see these photos, many thanks!
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| 105) |
Tracey |
Location:
Hertfordshire |
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Monday, 29 May 2017 19:52
Hi Christine,
Found your site while researching my paternal grandfathers sister and family Leonard & Rosina Netherton nee Howard, I discovered lived in the Old Aerodrome Buildings, Dymchurch Road, West Hythe on the 1930 Electoral Register. Rosina died in 1931. The next mention of him and the airfield was in the Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald 04 February 1933 which noted that a Possession Order had been served on January 24th by the Council who declared it unfit for human habitation. By 1939 widowed Leonard was living with his single step daughter Rosina and another widowed lady called Emily Mount in Sunrise Cottage, Burmarsh Road which I found on Google Streetview although suspect the property has had some adaptions since then!
I was unable to find any information or photographs about the Dymchurch airfield on your site and thought you and readers might like to see what I found online about the old place. There is some interesting information at Pastscape
[ www.pastscape.org.uk]
and photographs of the airfield at the Kent History Forum.
[ www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk]
I would love to hear from any descendants of the Nethertons or anyone who has information on the family and why they lived on the old airfield.
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| 104) |
Tracey |
Location:
Hertfordshire |
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Monday, 29 May 2017 19:49
Hi Christine,
Found your site while researching my paternal grandfathers sister and family Leonard & Rosina Netherton nee Howard, I discovered lived in the Old Aerodrome Buildings, Dymchurch Road, West Hythe on the 1930 Electoral Register. Rosina died in 1931. The next mention of him and the airfield was in the Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald 04 February 1933 which noted that a Possession Order had been served on January 24th by the Council who declared it unfit for human habitation. By 1939 widowed Leonard was living with his single step daughter Rosina and another widowed lady called Emily Mount in Sunrise Cottage, Burmarsh Road which I found on Google Streetview although suspect the property has had some adaptions since then!
I was unable to find any information or photographs about the Dymchurch airfield on your site and thought you and readers might like to see what I found online about the old place. There is some interesting information at Pastscape
[ www.pastscape.org.uk]
and photographs of the airfield at the Kent History Forum.
[ www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk]
I would love to hear from any descendants of the Nethertons or anyone who has information on the family and why they lived on the old airfield.
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