Our WWI History

This page will contain more detail about the unique part that Folkestone, just a short Channel crossing away from the battlefields of mainland Europe, played in the Great War. Just click on the subjects below to read more.

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Me and My Girl

Little has been written about the relationships between men and women during WW1. The subject has been variously as taboo, non-existent and even humourous. Click HERE to read about how even the leaders of our armies had problems getting to grips with the subject.

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What the Papers Say (or said)

Before the advent of TV and Radio, the newspapers were the principal source of news and information about the War. Local papers were avidly read. Here is a selection of pages from those circulating in Folkestone. Simply click on an image to open a readable version.

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War Horse – Folkestone

As Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the Michael Morpurgo story about Joey, the War Horse, hits the screens, we take a look at the life of real life war horses. As Britain’s front-line town and gateway to France, many of these noble creatures began their ‘enlistment’, training and journey to the Western Front, in Folkestone.  Click on the heading to read more.

The role of the horse, it’s value, and close affinity to the men who looked after them was recorded in 1919 in an illustrated book, The Horse and the War. Click on the image to read the book online.

As well as the horses of the British army, when they arrived, the Canadians also brought their own animals. Many of these soldiers were accomplished horsemen, and dazzled the people of Folkestone with displays of their skills. Click on the poster to view a rare piece of film of the Canadians in training with their horses.

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The Christmas Truce; born in Folkestone?

The diaries of Lieutenant Kurt Zehmisch, a  German WW1 soldier , were discovered by his son while clearing out the family loft. Rudolf was astonished to find  that his father had helped initiate the infamous ceasefire of 1914 . “My father had studied in France. He also visited England. He went on a day trip to Folkestone in 1913,”  Read the full story reported in The Guardian here

The account of the truce, drawing upon the diary and letters, is told in Der Kleine Frieden im Grossen Krieg, or The Small Peace in the Big War, by Michael Jürgs. It is a rare glimpse of the incident from a German perspective. This was followed by a film, Merry Christmas, released in 2005

The Chinese Labour Corps

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Great Air Raid of 1917

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Canadians Arrive

 

Click here to watch a film clip of King George V and Lord Kitchener inspecting Canadian troops at Folkestone in September 1915 (right click and open in Windows Media Player for best view)

Feeding the Front Line

One of the most remarkable facts about Folkestone during the Great War is the number of men who set out for the Western Front from the town’s harbour. The figure is in the millions! Perhaps even more astonishing is the fact that not a single person was lost to enemy action while crossing the Channel to France. Add in the freight, horses, food, clothing, armaments, then the scale of the operation begins to become apparent.

As a snapshot, and by no means complete, here is a table of some of the troops who made the crossing in July 1915:

Date (1915)	Unit	Notes
4 July	12th Btn Highland Light Infantry	814 men plus officers
10 July	10th Btn Worcester Regiment	Part of the 19th Division
10 July	7th Btn KOSB
? July	7th Btn The Buffs(East Kent) Regiment
15 July	12th (Service) Btn Manchester Regiment
18 July	5th Btn Canadian Infantry(Saskatchewan)
25 July	8th(Service)Btn Norfolk Regiment	997 men and 34 officers
26 July	7th Btn Bedfordshire Regiment	820 men and 31 officers
27 July	8th Btn East Surrey Regiment	Part 55th Infantry Brigade
27 July	7th(Service) Btn The Queens Regiment	Part 55th Infantry Brigade
29 July	7th Btn Leicester Regiment	Part of the 110th Brigade
31 July	8th(Service)Btn East Lancashire Regiment
31 July	5th Canadian Siege Battery	After training at Lydd

The logistical organisation behind this achievement is often overlooked.  It required close co-operation between the railways, the billeting officers in and around Folkestone, the Harbour Master, the troopships and the warships Dover Patrol. The image below is a schedule of sailing times for the the transport and Royal Navy ships from Folkestone-Boulogne and Dover-Calais in June 1917. Click on the image to open in new window.

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Coming soon – The WAACs – Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps.

In the meantime, click here to watch a contemporary piece of IWM film showing WAACs ‘in action’. Much of it was filmed in Folkestone.