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Chapter 1
Overview |
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Importance
of Location
Relating wartime Whitstable to the wider picture and discussing the
significance of location.
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Chapter 2
Preparing |
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Preparing
the Coast John
Harman and Vanessa Trampleasure identify some of the fortifications
along Whitstable's waterfront. The
Maunsell Forts The estuary represented a
blind spot for landbased anit-aircraft batteries... and, so the famous
forts were built in the sea. (note: the Maunsell forts article is a
separate item and will appear in a separate window) Inland
Fortifications Brian
Smith provides details of pillboxes and we take a brief look at
anti-tank traps.
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Chapter 3
Air Raid Shelters |
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Shelters - An Overview Brian
Smith outlines the government view, recommendations, options and the popular
choices. Communal
Shelters in Whitstable Provision
of communal shelters for protection during air raids. Private
Shelters Brian
Smith's beautifully illustrated articles describing air raid shelters
for homes and gardens - the Anderson and Morrison shelters.
A Schoolboy's Experiences
of Shelters Brian
Smith relates personal memories of shelters.
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Chapter 4
Roles & Duty |
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Allocation of Duties Discussing
some of the roles of Whitstable people including reserved occupations,
observer corps, ARP, fire watches, medics, fire brigade and the
wheels of industry.
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Chapter 5
Civilian Evacuation |
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A Question of
Evacuation
How evacuations affected
Whitstable
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Chapter 6
Families at War |
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War time brought restrictions, hardship,
separation and, for some, the tragic loss of loved ones.
Somehow, people survived - continuing normal, everyday
activities in an abnormal environment that was gradually
becoming a strange form of normality. In this section, we
consider some aspects of family life that continued in
adversity.... albeit with wartime adaptations......
A One-Parent Nation?
How
families coped in the absence of "dad".
Financial Pressures
Apart
from surviving the dangers, families negotiated the problems of
finance.
Rationing &
Diet Brian
Smith describes arrangements for rationing (including scans of coupons
and books), the government's "British Restaurant"...
and childhood methods of supplementing wartime diet! Make
Do, Mend.. and Share
War
brought out the worst of humanity.... but it also encouraged
invention, recycling and enhanced a sense of
community.
Gas Masks Discussing
how people prepared... with gas masks
Life in Schools Schools
continued against a background of a nation at war.
Playgrounds &
Hobbies
Kids
continued to collect, observe, listen and investigate... but
what they collected observed, listened to and investigated was
often rather different from peacetime.
Marriage and Starting
a Family
Some
decisions were made more difficult by war... and the celebration
of happy events were sometimes restricted by wartime
circumstance.
Young Adults and
Curfew
John
Harman reminds us of local curfews and how some young adults
circumvented the restrictions!
The Odd and Funny
Sides of War
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Simply Whitstable's
... with thanks to all
our
contributors
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The Flanders
Poppy
by Susan Brickland
On November the eleventh,
Each and every year,
People stand in silence,
Some may shed a tear.
They're thinking of their
loved ones,
And those they did not know,
Because they died to save our land,
In wars of long a ago.
The soldiers were just
young men,
They didn't want to go,
They didn't choose to fight and kill,
Pure courage they must show.
They fought to keep our
freedom,
They really had no choice,
They had to save their families,
And guns must be their voice.
Our soldiers battled
bravely,
They drove the foe away,
But many of them lost their lives,
To keep them all at bay.
And so we must remember,
Although so long ago.
Those brave young men who went to war,
To save us from our foe.
So many soldiers
perished,
In poppy fields in France,
That now when we remember,
Using poppies is not chance.
Each poppy that we carry,
Is one young life that's lost,
It shows we don't forget them,
And are sad at what it cost.
© Susan
Brickland |
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NOTE
It is not our intention to provide a
detailed history of World War II. However, we present anecdotes and stories contributed by our
readers in order to paint a broad brush picture of Whitstable
during the conflict. Along the way,
we hope to provide a human touch. |
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If you can supply additonal
information for inclusion in the "Whitstable at War"
feature, we would love to hear from you.
Email dave
at simplywhitstable.com
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Chapter 13
The War Effort |
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The War Effort
Some of Whitstable's
contributions to the war effort.
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Chapter 14
Casualties |
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Casualties &
Damage
Brian Smith writes on the
subject of Whitstable casualties and damage... and sets these in the
context of a war ravaged county.
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Chapter 15
Peace in Our Time |
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Peace Arrives
Memories
of VE Day
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Chapter 16
The Aftermath |
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Legacies of War
Some
remnants of war continued for decades to come.
Rationing in the
1950s
Some food
items remained rationed until 1954. Ian Johnson provides scans
of a Whitstable ration book of 1952/53.
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Chapter 17
Remembrance |
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Whitstable Remembers
The Cenotaph and final
words
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Chapter 7
Dunkirk |
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Five Days at Dunkirk Sam
Perks' amazing story of the 5 days he spent evacuating troops from
Dunkirk... at the age of 14! Story introduced and kindly made available
to Simply Whitstable by Sam's son, Richard Perks.
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Chapter 8
The Military |
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Troops Arrive &
Set Up
Bases,
roles and stories
of the army in Whitstable
Other Services
& Bases
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Chapter 9
Bomb Strikes |
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Whitstable was not a prime target for bombing. However, its problem
arose from its position alongside the shipping lanes of the Thames estuary and
on the bombing runs of the Luftwaffe en route to London. Thus, the
town was hit on a number of occasions.
As we will see below, it is unlikely that any of these strikes were pre-planned. In fact, it was probably more a case of
accident or opportunism. The weapons varied in
type as we can see below......
Conventional Bombs
Bomb strikes on
town involving conventional bombers
The "Oil
Bomb" Attack
An attack on a
military garage in Northwood Road that led to one of the
most severe fires of wartime Whitstable
Parachute
Delivered Mines
One of the most
devastating explosions occurred in Victoria Street - but it
wasn't a conventional bomb and it may have been an accident.
The V1
"Doodlebugs"
Brian Smith provides
general details of Hitler's major "weapon of terror"
and how it affected both our county and town. We also
locate some of the strikes on Whitstable by way anecdotes
from Bill Dancer and Mollie Fallon.
The V2 Rocket
Brian Smith provides the
technical background and, using the anecdotes of our readers, we
examine the "most widely" experienced explosion in the
town - the day a V2 landed in London's Field near Old Bridge
Road and Seymour Avenue
Incendiary Bombs
These were very different
bombs. Small in size and with limited explosive capacity, they
were designed for one purpose... to cause fire. With the help of
a range of contributors, we look at the method of delivery, the
impact and some of the defensive measures implemented in
Whitstable. Thanks to Mark Foreman, we even have a photo of one
such device that fell on the town.
Effects of Bomb
Blast
The unpredictable nature
of bomb blast caused some curious effects which gave rise to
some miraculous escapes, strange outcomes... and, in
hindsight, some amusing moments.
The UXBs
Unexploded bombs caused
problems during wartime... and for many years therafter.
Summary of Main
Strikes
A table listing the
locations of known bomb strikes.
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Chapter 10
Fighter Attacks |
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Story of a Dogfight
Brian Smith's amazing and
detailed
article on one particular battle over Seasalter. It was one in
which we almost lost Brian amidst the gunfire.... at the age of
just 4!
Observed Air Attacks
Whilst bomb attacks may
have been impersonal, specific aircraft attacks could be
different.... even in Whitstable.
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Chapter 11
Downed Aircraft |
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Downed Aircraft
The local resting places
of some aircraft
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Chapter 12
Allied Ops |
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Allied Operations
Viewing training and
offense operations over Whitstable
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