About Step Short

The Step Short project aims to bring to life the part that Folkestone played in the Great War. Folkestone was the artery through which more than 10 million men poured between 1914 and 1918 and beyond, on their way to or from the Western Front.

Why Step Short?

Each one of the millions of fighting men who marched through the town and down to the waiting boats on the harbour on their way to the Western Front between 1914 and 1918 would have gone down "The Slope", as it was then known.

At the top of the hill they would have heard the order "Step Short", an instruction to shorten their stride in order to negotiate the gradient safely.

That road is now Folkestone's Road of Remembrance; the order that was given is the name of the ambitious project to showcase the sacrifice so many of those men went on to make.

The Memorial Arch 

A memorial arch was built at the top of the Road of Remembrance (and revealed by Prince Harry) at the centenary commemoration in August 2014.

With a classic design the Arch provides a focus, not only for remembering the men and women whose journeys took them down the road, but it is also a symbol of Folkestone's status as a key gateway to the Western Front.

The Step Short project has now been handed over to Folkestone & Hythe District Council. This includes the maintenance of the Step Short memorial arch in Folkestone and custody of the digital archive of the historic visitors' books from the former Harbour Canteen/Mole Café.

Search for the 'Mole Cafe' books

For any queries or comments relating to the Step Short project please email communications@folkestone-hythe.gov.uk