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Issue 10: June 2017

I’m just about recovered from the May Open Weekend. The weather was absolutely amazing which I am sure contributed to the fact we were able to welcome 1249 visitors onto the site over the two days, more on this later. Remember our ducks from the April edition of the newsletter, well she is back and has laid another six eggs. The nest was discovered whilst the grass was being cut for the open weekend. A tuft of grass was left and cordoned off to keep her concealed during the event. Fortunately she was nesting in an area with no public access. We were concerned that all of the activity might frighten her off, but Mrs. Mallard is made of sterner stuff and she is still there sitting on her eggs. I’ll keep you updated if we are around when they hatch.

Can you spot the nest?

If you visited over the weekend I hope you were impressed by the grass cutting all around the site and not just around the duck nest. WHPS are very lucky that Turfsoil, who turn up just prior to the Open Weekend at the behest of English Heritage, give the site a really good cut. The job they do leaves the site looking fantastic and they are able to clear areas we are unable to get too due to the difficult terrain. We would like to express our thanks for the superb work they do every year.

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In this month’s edition we have:

The May Open Weekend – Mandy Whall, pictures Paul Wells

Work day update – Mick Orchard

Queen Victoria’s Part Time Soldiers in Dover, 1859 – 1908, Dover’s Rifle Volunteers. Part 1 – Andy Rayner

Volunteer of the Month

Private William Springer – Phil Eyden

Odds and Ends

If you have any issues concerning membership, lost cards, amendments to emails or

addresses or if you wish to be removed from the mailing list please contact:

Nikolawright@doverwesternheights.org

Some of the Open Weekend Volunteers

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Open Weekend 20th and 21st May 2017 Mostly in Pictures by Paul Wells

As with every event we have on the Western Heights I spent the week leading up to it checking the weather forecast. Initially rain was forecast for the Saturday but as the date approached the outlook got better and better and much to our delight we did not have a drop of rain all weekend. We welcomed 1249 visitors to the site over the two days which is phenomenal. Here are a few of things they got to see and do. The wonderful weather meant that for once South East Kent Astronomical Society were able to show our visitors the sun through their specialised equipment. We were able to observe sun spots on the surface of the sun, and although they looked tiny they were several times the size of the earth.

These telescopes are designed and filtered to allow observers to look at the sun, never look

directly at the sun unless you have the right equipment and a handy expert with you.

We were also joined by the Student Makers Market on Saturday. This is an enterprise which helps young people learn about running their own business. WHPS will be working alongside this group during the year.

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As ever the Casemate Café was well stocked with the most amazing homemade cakes and bakes from our volunteers. Since opening this up we have learnt never to underestimate the ability of the British public to eat cake. I’m certain that if it was an Olympic event we could field a gold medal winning team from our volunteers and re-enactors with support from our visitors.

Lorna, Kirsty and Tia, just some of the volunteers selling cakes and tea over the weekend.

Last year we were contacted by the Spinning Jennies who play music contemporary to time the fort was in use. They asked if we would like them to play a few songs, of course we said yes, and we were delighted that they wanted to come back this year. This group of very talented musicians kept visitors entertained between displays. We are hoping they can make it back later in the year. Tea, cake and music – how can we top that!

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Dancing of course! A new group for this Open Weekend were the Wolfs Head and Vixens Morris dancers, describing themselves as a Goth Morris group.

We were also joined by several groups of re-enactors from across different periods. This adds so much colour to the site, the displays are enjoyed by the public and volunteers alike and it is always fun when the children get to join in.

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There were so many other re-enactors that I just don’t have room to include.

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We were also joined by Tony Rouse of The Bug Road Show who brought along a few moths to meet our visitors and the White Cliffs Countryside Partnership who did a quiz about the wildlife living in the walls of the Fort.

Photo by Tony Rouse

Great Kentpectations Steampunk group came along as well adding lots of fun and colour. They reminded me they have been turning up to Open Weekends for three years now and have now become a very big part of the WHPS family. They are also very keen to get me to dress Steampunk for the September event!

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We were delighted that Jason Salkey could come down on the Saturday and as ever it was a joy to see him. Lots of Sharpe fans came away with an autograph and a picture. We are so pleased he takes the time to come along and see us.

Finally, for me, the highlight of the weekend (sorry chaps)! WHPS were contacted by Richard and Joanna who asked if would be possible for them to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows at the Open Weekend. This was so lovely that of course we were honoured to assist. The weather was stunning, the re-enactors helped make the day memorable as you can see below, they also got to fire the cannon. We wish Joanna and Richard luck for the future and would like to say a big thank you to them for making our weekend even more special.

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May Work Day Update from Mick Orchard

Our scheduled workday for May was actually the 21st May, slap bang in the middle of our first open weekend of the year! Instead we had a pre open weekend mini work day and supplemented it with a delivery of timber and scaffolding just in case anyone started getting lazy and getting used to easy days! Over the last few years we have steadily learned from previous practice and refined our preparations in the run up to the open weekends. Over the last few years we have held a workday the weekend before where we do all the last minute work that is necessary to run a successful (and safe) weekend. Display boards were put up, grass cut, out of bound areas taped off, H&S signage installed, display boards put out, café set-up. This is really valuable and we now find the run up to the weekend is considerably more efficient and leaves us much more time for last minute arrangements the day before such as water for the café etc. However as we have such a willing bunch of volunteers who will think I have gone soft if we have a ‘light’ day I arranged a delivery of scaffolding and timber for two of our projects this year, replacing the railings in Caponier one and the terreplein and installing some more flooring to improve access for visitors. To be fair I did say on the invite that it was ‘just’ a delivery of timber and I may have underestimated what was coming…………………………..

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So in a short space of time we had two hundred planks, various other bits of timber and a supply of scaffolding poles and brackets laid out on the grass waiting to be moved in. So we had a tunnel, a ditch, a door that was about 25’ up in the air or many, many stairs to navigate! So at ten o’clock we began, finding new and ingenious methods of delivering parts to the right place.

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Although not everyone seemed as busy all the time……………………

It was a hard day’s work and I take my hat off to those that worked as it was hot, confined, dangerous with splinters the size of small daggers and took us nearly five hours in all but we got everything in. What I haven’t really told anyone is we need to do it all again soon!! Next month’s workday article will have an update on what we did with the wood and scaffolding.

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Queen Victoria’s Part Time Soldiers in Dover, 1859-1908 By Andy Rayner

Dover’s Rifle Volunteers

In the previous exciting instalment I gave a brief introduction into the history of the country’s Rifle Volunteer Corps that existed between 1859 and 1908, which I hope that you enjoyed. In this article, I will be telling the story of Dover’s own Rifle Volunteers. Unfortunately, original documentation relating to the Corps is very scarce. Photographs of Dover’s Corps are also few and far between, so if anybody knows of any photos of the Rifle Volunteers in Dover, I’d love to see them. Please contact me through our Facebook page if you have anything that may be of interest. (If you do not use Facebook feel free to

email me at MandyWhall@doverwesternheights.org and I will pass any messages onto Andy.

Mandy Whall Editor). Luckily, we have a "History of the East Kent Volunteers", written by Charles Igglesden, and published in 1899, which, in addition to stories that regularly appeared in the local newspapers, gives us some insight into the Corps activities. Unfortunately, the designation of Dover’s Corps changed several times during its 49 year existence, and following its trail can be a bit of a challenge. I have tried to simplify this history as much as possible, and still give an accurate picture. Good luck following it!

Forage cap and shako badges of the “Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteers” and the “ East Kent Rifle Volunteers”.

What’s in a name? The ever-changing designation of the Dover Rifle Volunteers. 1860 -8

th Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteer Corps 1861- 8

th Company, 1

st Admin Btn. Cinque

Ports Rifle Volunteer Corps 1861- 8

th Company, (6

th in Battalion.), 2

nd Admin Btn Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteer Corps

1874-“K” Company, 5

th Admin Btn, Kent Rifle Volunteer Corps 1880-“K” Company, 2

nd Kent, (East

Kent) Rifle Volunteer Corps 1883- “K” Company, 1

st Volunteer Btn, 3

rd Regiment (The “Buffs”)-[2

nd Kent (East Kent) Volunteer

Rifles].

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The Early Years: The Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteers.

Dover first raised a Corps of volunteers during the American War of Independence, in 1779. Thomas Hyde Page, who was responsible for starting the works on the Western Heights, raised a number of Volunteer Corps to man those defences, and these Corps continued to exist at least until 1807. The commanding officer at the time was William Knocker, a solicitor with a slightly tainted connection to the Seasalter Smuggling Company. The Knocker family name will reappear later in the story. Dover’s Rifle Volunteer Corps was accepted for service in July 1860, and reported to the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, the Marquess of Dalhousie. Dover was the eighth Cinque Port town to raise a Corps, so it was entitled the “8th Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteer Corps”. Its first commanding officer, with the rank of captain, was Joseph G. Churchward, (b.1819 d.1900). Churchward’s name will be known to many of you who study local history, as he was owner of the Dover Chronicle, and operated the cross-channel “packet” service. He has been described by one local historian as verging on megalomania, particularly in his business and political dealings. Like many Volunteer officers, he had absolutely no military experience, but probably got the post after promising that the Corps could use his “Packet” yard in Snargate Street to drill in. (The Packet Yard was located just a short distance to the west of the guardroom at the bottom of the Grand Shaft. It was demolished in the early 1990s, to make way for the roundabout.) His second in command was a local solicitor, Lieutenant George Fielding, and the surgeon was Doctor W. Corke. The first Chaplain was the Reverend A.J. Woodhouse, vicar of Trinity church. The first great turnout for the Dover Corps was at the inauguration ceremony of Lord Palmerston as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, on 28th August, 1861. For the first time since 1765, the ceremony was to be conducted at the newly unearthed “Bredenstone”, inside the Drop Redoubt. The massed parade, nearly a mile in length, and including 936 members of the Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteer Corps, marched from Dover Castle to the Redoubt. The

This extremely rare photograph is a close up from

a group shot of men at a Musketry course in

Hythe. The man in the centre is wearing the

simplified undress version of the grey uniform worn

by the East Kent Yeomanry, (more on these in a

later issue.) The man on our right appears to be

wearing the red “Garibaldi” style shirt that

Igglesden describes as the first, improvised

uniform worn by the Dover Corps, dating the

picture to 1860 -61. Notice what appears to be

text books carried under the arms.

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Redoubt must have looked fairly chaotic though, as construction work on the caponiers and the new officers quarters was underway. At the beginning of 1861 the Cinque Ports Corps were organised into an administrative battalion (detailed in previous articles) under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Luard, with Dover Corps now becoming the “8th Company, 1st Administrative Battalion, Cinque Ports rifle Volunteer Corps” (although there was initially only one admin battalion). Then, under the new Lord Warden, Palmerston, in November 1861, the Cinque Ports Corps were reorganised again into two administrative battalions. Those Corps based in Sussex now formed the first battalion, and those based in Kent formed the second admin battalion. The new second battalion had six companies, of which Dover was the 6th, but it was still referred to by its old seniority as “8th Company (or Corps), Second Administrative Battalion, Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteer Corps”. To aid the confusion the terms Corp and Company become almost interchangeable in records of this period. The headquarters of the newly formed 2nd Admin Battalion, with its other companies in Ramsgate, Hythe, Folkestone, Deal and Margate, was now also based in Dover under the command of Major G.A. Young. Major Young was replaced by Major Edward Charles Hales Wilkie in 1863. Major Wilkie died in 1871 and E. Wollaston Knocker, who by then was Captain of the Dover Company, was promoted to Major in his place. In 1862 Churchward took the men of the Dover Corps for a trip to Calais on one of his own boats. An invitation had been received from the people of Calais to take part in a festival in the French port. Churchward asked the authorities in the War Office if there were any objections to him taking a body of uniformed and armed soldiers into a potentially hostile country. He perceived the lack of response as a tacit agreement and went anyway. The men were treated with great (liquid) hospitality and no international incident took place. But Churchward was greeted with some stiff correspondence from Whitehall when he returned. When Sgt Back of the Folkestone Company went on a similar trip to Boulogne he found himself incarcerated in a military cell following an incident with a French flag. He wasn’t released until the next ferry was available to take him straight home again.

It was never the intention that the Rifle Volunteers would act as law enforcement officers, but records show that this did happen many times. Volunteers were frequently called upon to break up riots and police civil unrest. The existence of this truncheon marked for the 21

st Kent Volunteers, (Woolwich),

and dated 1868, shows that the Kent Volunteers were ready to meet such an occurrence, although in Dover, it never happened. However, a perceived threat from Fenian sympathisers did once require the Dover men to mount an all-night vigil on their armoury.

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After Captain Churchward left the Corps in 1864, to pursue a career in local politics, (he later became Mayor,) Edward Wollaston Nadir Knocker, (b.1838, d.1907), became captain. Wollaston Knocker, solicitor, was the grandson of the previously mentioned William Knocker. He had originally joined Dover’s Artillery Volunteers in 1859 and transferred to the Rifle Volunteers in 1860. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1862. No longer able to use Churchward’s Packet Yard, the Corps now used an address called “Castle House” in Dolphin Lane, (since demolished). This consisted of a drill hall, with an armoury and an institute, and permanent living accommodation for a Sergeant Instructor, (Sergeant Richards until 1874, then Sergeant Love.) When Wollaston Knocker was promoted to Major, in command of the battalion in 1871, his replacement as captain of Dover Company was John Hanvey, (b.1824, d.1879), the Borough Engineer and Surveyor. Hanvey's tenure was short lived, as he was replaced as captain by W. H. Crundall, (b.1847, d.1934) in 1873. Crundall was several times Mayor of Dover and chairman of Dover Harbour Board.

This sketch by Ernest Ibbetson shows the first pattern of grey uniform adopted by the Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteer Corps, in the 1860s. Collar and cuffs, and the seam on the trousers are scarlet: piping and braiding is black. The long tunic shows the influence of French military costume at that time. The small round cap was later replaced by the kepi-style shako, as worn by regular infantry, but covered in grey cloth, rather than black. The rifle is the 1853 pattern Enfield muzzle loader. In 1864, Private Langridge of the Dover Corps died of erysipelas, which he contracted after biting the end off a paper Enfield cartridge. A gunpowder grain entered an open sore on his lip, leading to the infection. He died just four days later.

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To be continued …………….

Captains of Dover Corps and Company Joseph G. Churchward, 1860-1864 Edward Wollaston Nadir Knocker 1864-1872 John Hanvey 1872-1873 William H. Crundall (pictured left) 1873-1876 Robert Chignall 1876-1892 Vernon Knocker 1892-1898 C.B. Mercer 1901-1903 (Cyclist) Reginald Knocker 1898-1908 C.K. Burge 1901-1903

Captain of the Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteer Corps c1870-1874 This superb picture is of a Volunteer officer, pictured in a

Dover studio, wearing the grey uniform of the Cinque Ports

Rifle Volunteers, before 1874, when the dark green uniform

was adopted. The “Kepi” style shako is of a pattern

Introduced in the late 1860s. The officer’s rank is captain, as

defined by the combination of collar badges, and the pattern

of lace on his sleeve. He appears to be too young to be

Captain Hanvey, and is most likely to be either Captain

Wollaston Knocker himself, or possibly Captain William

Crundall, (see above). As befits an officer in the Volunteers,

all the lace on his uniform is in silver braid, and all the metal

buttons and badges are silver. The tunic is now shorter and

neater, and lacks the black braid used earlier.

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Volunteer Star of the Month

Name:

David Frazer

Occupation:

Factory operative, Megger Instruments

Star Sign:

Libra

How long have you

6 years

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been volunteering with

WHPS?

Favourite film?

Saving Private Ryan

Favourite food?

Anything home made

What made you start

volunteering with

WHPS?

To help preserve the Western Heights, and to know more about the history of the Drop Redoubt.

What’s your favourite

part of the Drop

redoubt or Western

Heights and why?

I like everything really. I’m a keen historian wannabe.

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Private William Springer by Phil Eyden

Studying the graffiti in the Drop Redoubt can occasionally reveal fascinating results. Most of the names are illegible, untraceable or both, but with a little persistence, and a lot of luck, occasionally details of the soldier who left his name on the wall can be found. A good example of this is the case of Private William Ephriam Springer, a Canadian soldier from New Brunswick who left his name scratched into the wall of the Sidearms Store in 1942. WHPS member Phil Eyden identified William as a participant in Operation Abercrombie, a Combined Operations commando raid to the shores of Hardelot, near Boulogne, on the night of the 22nd April. The operation, to knock out beach positions, was led by Lord Lovat and involved 100 men of No.4 Commando and 60 Canadians of the Carleton and York Regiment, all of whom had used the Drop Redoubt as their base for five nights. Via Facebook, Phil managed to track down Barbara Springer, a relative of William, and she has helped him fill out some details of William’s career.

Born in 1915 in Chatham, New Brunswick, and one of nine children, William was 24 years old when he enlisted. At the outbreak of the war he was serving in the Non-Permanent Active Militia, he had tried to enlist in the regulars but due to a medical problem was not allowed to join. After numerous attempts he persuaded the Carleton and York Regiment at Moncton Garrison to accept him and was assigned to B Company and given the number G18119. He was one of six brothers, all of whom saw service in the forces in Europe. Following Operation Abercrombie, he landed in Sicily in July 1943 where he was photographed for the 12th August 1943 edition of the Ottowa Journal. He fought with the CYR throughout the subsequent Italian campaign and ended the war in Holland, his unit having worked their way up through Europe. Following the war he returned to Chatham, built a house and obtained employment with the Department of National Defence at the Canadian Forces

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Base there, now Miramichi Municipal Airport. He died on February 13th, 2000 in a Veterans Affairs Canada Unit Soldiers Memorial Hospital in Middleton, Nova Scotia, and is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Chatham.

Further details about Operation Abercrombie are available in the book ‘Dover’s Forgotten Commando Raid’ available from the Western Heights Preservation Society.

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Odds and Ends

The dates for the next open weekend 16th & 17th September 2017.

WHPS are delighted to have been asked to participate in the Up on the Downs Summer Festival again this year. We will be opening up the Drop Redoubt for a few hours on the evening of the 29th July and once it gets dark will be decamping into the ditches to look for moths with the help of bug man Tony Rouse and bats using our trusty bat detectors, more information will be announced once we have worked out the finer details.

WHPS will be conducting a tour for the White Cliffs Walking Festival again this year on Saturday 26th August at 2pm.

WHPS are hoping to take tours of the North Entrance again this year as part of the Heritage Open Days. We are looking to conduct guided tours on 9th and 10th September. Spaces will be limited and we will let you, our readers, be the first in line for (free) tickets.

You can now book tours for Drop Redoubt in 2017 by emailing:- tours@doverwesternheights.org or mandywhall@doverwesternheights.org Regular tours will be held on 18th June, 16th July and 20th August, although we are looking to add a few extra dates. If you cannot make these dates but would like to come and have a look around or bring a private group please contact us, we will be delighted to arrange a mutually convenient date and time to show you around.

Diary

Date Event

18th June June workday

Tours of the Drop Redoubt

Grand Shaft Open 11am until 4pm

16th July July workday

Tours of the Drop Redoubt

Grand Shaft Open 11am until 4pm

29th July Up on the Downs

Drop Redoubt Twilight Event times tbc

20th August August workday

Tours of the Drop Redoubt

Grand Shaft Open 11am until 4pm

16-17th Sept 17 Autumn open weekend

30th Sept 17 Last possible date of entry to Drop Redoubt prior to winter

closure for bat hibernation

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If you have any suggestions for subjects, articles you have written or something you would like us to cover or any feedback on these newsletters (good or bad) please contact me on mandywhall@doverwesternheight.org and let me know what you have to say. Your input is appreciated. Finally I leave you with another photo of Richard and Joanna, just because this was so lovely and romantic.

That’s it from the Western Heights until next month. Make the most of the good weather and come up and visit us some time soon.