30/06/2020
Special Newsletter
HERNE AND BROOMFIELD LOCAL HISTORY GROUP
Affiliated to Kent Archaeological Society
NEWSLETTER June 2020
This is a Special Edition of our Newsletter designed to keep members and friends in touch with each other during these strange and rather unreal times when we cannot physically meet together. Thanks to Alan Dilnot Chairman and Sylvia McKean Secretary for their contributions and I would welcome any others from members who would like to send me anything else they would like to me to include in any future ad hoc editions of newsletters which can be circulated for the interest and continued communication of everyone with local history interests.
Margaret Burns [email protected]
MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIRMAN
DEAR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS
“I hope you are all well and managing the difficult situation we are having to tolerate. During the time when you are not gardening, maybe you could think about your time in Herne, when did you move here? Where was my first house? Did your parents live in the village, if so where? Perhaps you remember your neighbours who were they what did they do?
Do you remember past Herne events like the Cripplecraft (Strode Park) fetes? Were you a member of any sports clubs such as of the Hicks Forstal Cricket Club? Just simple things like this are our history and help to build a picture of old Herne and its residents.
It would be interesting to just write a paragraph or two and collectively we could build a picture of how Herne has developed over recent times.
Keep well and safe, I look forward to seeing you all in the not too distant future.
Best Regards
Alan Dilnot
Chair HBLHG
June 2020
LOOKING BACK 17 years by SYLVIA MCKEAN
Like most other Societies we have temporarily had to put a halt to our monthly meetings. So for the time being I have had a somewhat unplanned holiday; no booking new speakers, no worrying if the speaker will find the venue, arrive on time and so on. However, lockdown has caused me to look back on our past activities and meetings – we seem to have packed quite a lot in since our History Group started in 2003 – 17 years ago. Given that we have nine meetings a year, it works out to a total of 144 meetings up to the end of 2019, not including outside visits.
From memory I’ve made a list of some of the topics we’ve covered beginning with biographical talks about; Jane Austin; Sir William Courtenay (alias John Nichols Tom ), Amy Johnson, Edith Cavell, Charles Dickens, the Hugenots, and Millicent Fawcett and other notable Suffragettes. Not forgetting of course Rupert Bear and Dan Dare.
Can't insert picture here, see below!
Looking Back: Herne Street 1930s or Lockdown 2020 ? – Not a car in sight
WW2 topics include; Dover’s Defences, Maunsell Forts, East Kent Coastal Defences, Women Munition workers at Woolwich Arsenal, drawings depicting a Maidstone Schoolgirls’ War and more recently Steve Hookins as Mr Foreman ‘Doing Our Bit’ WW1 include stories of those who died for their country on War Memorials at; Herne, Ramsgate and Boughton & Dunkirk. Quex Park as a Soldiers Hospital and Wandering in Flanders Fields. The unveiling of Sgt. Harry Wells VC centenary stone in Herne churchyard in 2015 and in the same year the Trouble and Strife exhibition at the Seaside Museum are two examples of our WW1 historical activities.
Other subjects were; Kent coalmining, Deal lifeboats, sailing barges, country crafts, hops, windmills, watermills, the Medway Queen, OS mapping history,
history from the air, smuggling, exploring family history, gunpowder industry, Blean Woods, Edwardian Thanet, records at the Kent History Centre, Canterbury and the Cathedral and very popular, rescuing the Bumble Bee. I hope I have not forgotten one of your favourites! I have not forgotten those Medieval, Dickensian and 1950’s Christmas’ we have celebrated along with some delectable refreshments.
Always our focus is our home patch at Herne; we’ve covered Strode Park and the Westcar production, the Workhouse, Herne’s rose growing ‘Bloomin Vicars’, the Bells of St Martin’s Church and its restoration, families in Broomfield and buildings in Beltinge and Herne. Plus, three well supported Local History Days at the Institute Hall. ‘Herne’s Heroes’ successful launch in November 2017 at the Herne Centre was attended by over 100 people. We’ve attended many Fun Days at Cherry Orchard with new local history displays and enjoyed meeting new friends. We’ve helped with many enquiries about Herne - its’ people and places over the years. Still available (from contacts in this newsletter) are seven books we have produced on various aspects of our local history; Historic Herne & Broomfield – one of our most popular; Herne Chronicles; Beyond The Pond (Broomfield); Coronations & Coronets; Suffragette Seaside; Herne’s Heroes and a survey of Gravestones in St Martin’s Churchyard. Our logo was very ably designed by Valerie Martin.
Our visits have included; Birchington, Westgate, Faversham, Fordwich, Sandwich; Belmont House and Salmestone Grange; and even a trip to the Music Hall at Sheerness - in some cases we’ve been treated to tea and home-made cakes. We’ve also enjoyed costumed walks and met some interesting historical characters at St Peter’s Thanet, Ramsgate and Herne Bay.
Last year we became involved with St Martin’s Churchyard project – we began researching some of the interesting headstones and prepared churchyard guide notes. On three occasions we undertook churchyard tours. Sadly this has been halted for this year but hopefully will continue at some point.
Herne Street & area Project was just taking off as lockdown began – we hope it has given residents time to investigate more about their properties and that in the
not too distant future we can support them once more in their endeavours. Meanwhile if residents have any queries please do contact us.
We thank everyone for their past support and hope it will not be too long before we’ll all meet again.
