Black WW1 pilot's ID bracelet smashes estimate at Kent auction

 

Black WW1 pilot's ID bracelet smashes estimate at Kent auction

With the BLM movement still very much at the forefront of people's minds these two interestingly linked articles are a welcome and timely reminder of the sacrifices made by black men and women for the cause of freedom in the many battles fought by the Commonwealth countries in support of the British war effort, in this case the stories of two Jamaicans who left their Caribbean home to fight in the First World War. 

William Robinson Clarke, c.1914
source - Wikipædia

The first report is of particular appeal inasmuch as it tells the story of an RFC sergeant pilot, William Robinson Clarke, who at the age of only 19 and out of his own pocket sailed to England to enlist in the Royal Flying Corps - in the process becoming what is thought to be the first black pilot to serve in that branch of the service.  Originally employed as a driver he retrained as a reconnaissance pilot in late 1916 and in April of 1917 was posted to No. 4 Squadron, based at Abeele in Belgium and operating the R.E.8.  The story of his time in the RFC is a fascinating one and I was pleased to note that he survived his run-in with five German scout aircraft and despite being wounded in the back made a full recovery - albeit subsequently only able to work as a mechanic - returning to Jamaica after the war to take up a building trade and eventually becoming the president of Jamaican branch of the Royal Air Force Association before passing away at the age of 86 in 1981.

source - B.B.C. News

Now his story has come fittingly into the limelight again thanks to the recent auctioning of his original RFC I.D. bracelet at - in of further interest to me personally - a local Kent auction.  Just what the link to Ashford is, or the reasons behind the sale, is not made clear.  It may just be that the owner had decided to sell and was based nearby, with the auctioneers being specialists in militaria.  Even so, their initial valuation of the bracelet seemed almost disgracefully low even by the conservative standards of most auction houses, so I am delighted to see that it sold for a much more respectable figure (over 30 times the estimate, in fact) and I hope whoever bought it appreciates it for the remarkable piece of black British military history that it represents (as I'm sure they must do to have paid such a sum for it).  I for one am grateful for it making the news as it has introduced me to the enthralling story of yet another World War One airman, as well has hopefully perpetuating his name and deeds far beyond the sphere of military or Jamaican historians.

First black British officer of First World War was Eastbourne student

The second article is of equal interest - and perhaps of even greater importance as it potentially has the scope to rewrite accepted First World War history that currently has Walter Tull as being the first black commissioned officer to serve in the British Army during the conflict.

2nd Lt. Euan Lucie-Smith, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
source - Eastbourne Herald

This is the story of another young Jamaican soldier, Euan Lucie-Smith, who enlisted in the Jamaica Artillery Militia in 1911 before shipping to England on the outbreak of war three years later to serve as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (a full three years before Walter Tull was gazetted into the Middlesex Regiment with the same rank).  Arriving in France in March, 1915 Lucie-Smith was sadly killed in action on the Western Front barely a month later on the 25th April at the age of 25. 

source - Eastbourne Herald

His story may also have remained forgotten had it not been for the chance discovery online of his memorial plaque (issued to the next-of-kin of all fallen soldiers in the First World War) by a military historian, James Carver.  Now it has been unearthed thanks to Mr Carver's efforts and, as well as adding an important record to the annals of black British martial history also has the tantalising possibility of completely revising it.  While it is regrettable to note how the plaque had languished, seemingly overlooked, for so long I am pleased to see its importance recognised and hope that when it comes up for auction next month it receives as much value and appreciation as William Robinson Clarke's I.D. bracelet.

Both of these stories are very poignant reminders of just how strong a pull the "mother country" had over its outlying colonies - in the First World War and in other conflicts before and since - and the strong urge and desire of their young men to leave their homes and travel thousands of miles to join up and "do their bit".  They are incredibly relevant and apposite at this time of racial inequality and it is to be hoped that both accounts will take their rightful places in the history books as a result of these finds, which I trust will be suitably respected and preserved for future generations.

Lockdown look back #2: May 2017 - Eynsford (Pt. II) & Farningham, Kent

So we find ourselves back in Eynsford on the 1st May 2017 for Lockdown Look Back Number 2, which begins with an erratum.  In the previous post I said that we stopped for lunch at Riverside Tearooms on our way to Farningham; in fact, as I recalled after posting, we had tea there on the way back from Farningham having clocked the place as we headed out.  (It was still very nice, though, either way.)

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Rounding the corner from the tea room we headed over the bridge (not through the ford, although one or two young families were rolling up their trouser legs and doing just that!) and along Sparepenny Lane, the road that runs alongside the River Darent to Farningham.

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Passing pub number three, The Plough Inn, we stopped to admire the series of weirs on this section of the river before carrying along the road and up to the Darent Valley. 

The weather had been unpredictable all day and as we neared the top of the valley the clouds were definitely gathering until before long they looked about ready to heave open, which indeed they promptly did.  Fortunately I had come prepared with my trusty whangee-handled brolly, which was quickly pressed into service when the rain came tipping down.  Arm-in-arm under its protective canopy we continued on our way to Farningham, stopping only briefly to take the following photo:

The next village back from Eynsford is Shoreham - not to be confused with the town of Shoreham-by-sea in West Sussex.  What they do share is an aviation link - Shoreham-by-sea boasts a spiffing Art Deco terminal building as part of Brighton City Airport (a.k.a Shoreham Airport, the oldest aerodrome in Britain), where the annual Shoreham Airshow takes place, while Shoreham in Kent is home to the much smaller but no less interesting Shoreham Aircraft Museum (of which more anon!).  Dedicated to the memory of the heroic pilots who fought over the skies of Kent (and further afield) during WW2, the volunteers have in recent years arranged for memorial stones to be placed at known sites where some of these brave fellows met their end and one such stone can be found on Sparepenny Lane.  Thoughts turned to these brave young chaps and, with photos taken, we pushed on into Farningham.

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The weather had cleared up somewhat by this time (although not quite as sunny as in the above picture, which is looking back down Farningham high street towards the way we came in), as we arrived at Farningham to be presented with another wonderfully picturesque Kent village.

Heading up the high street we crossed over the 18th century bridge leading to the village.  You may be forgiven for thinking the structure in my photo (above) and the picture below was once part of an older crossing but in fact it was never a bridge at all.  It is in fact a cattle screen, built to stop cows and other farm animals from escaping via the river!

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Just over the other side of the bridge is where we did stop for lunch, The Lion public house.  Set in a lovely red brick building (it claims to be 16th century but to my eyes looks more late 18th/ early 19th), it is now part of the Vintage Inn group but was very sympathetically decorated inside and with a good selection of food (I still can't remember what we had though, sorry!).

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After an enjoyable lunch (during which I almost forgot my camera!) we headed on up the hill in to the village proper.  Smaller even than Eynsford, with consequently no tea rooms and only two pubs(!) there were nevertheless some charming cottages and other such delights to hold our attention.

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As well as its proximity to Eynsford and equally beautiful village aspect, Farningham boasted another feature that had attracted us.  Making our way up the high street we soon came to it (in the above photo on the left, just around the corner) - a topping little antiquarian bookshop housed in a charming 17th century listed cottage.




Wadard Books is one of those wonderful old bookshops that we both love so much and are so grateful to still come across.  Of the sort run by an older couple (complete with cat) who can be found at a desk hidden behind shelves of books, one has to ring a bell to be allowed in to peruse their wares, which were substantial, wide-ranging and endlessly fascinating.  We would have happily taken it all home!  The little annexes outside housed the cheaper, more modern end of the spectrum but there were still some excellent bargains to be had both there and within.  Once we were inside we spent an age browsing and chatting to the old boy.  I made a beeline for the military history, aviation and motoring sections and it was in this last that I scored my best find (the others are again, I'm afraid, lost to memory).

Browsing through the motorsport shelves I was immediately drawn to this book, partly due to its age but mainly due to the name and title on the spine.  G.E.T. Eyston was none other than George Eyston, noted racing driver of the 1920s & '30s and three-time holder of the land speed record (of whom I have blogged about previously)  A quick inspection revealed no price so it was presented to the old chap at the desk with the question "how much?".  Taking it from me, he joked that I had managed to find the only book in the place without a price before coming to a decision - "shall we say £5?".  Reader, I nearly bit his arm off!  Although externally its condition is only acceptable for its age, internally the text and photographs are still bright, with some wonderful colour plates to boot!

Well satisfied with our little haul and vowing to return another day (which of course we did!) we headed back to Eynsford and tea at the Riverside Tearoom.  We both had a thoroughly enjoyable time and the day forms a very happy memory for all sorts of reasons.  Eynsford and Farningham are two beautiful villages in the best Kentish tradition, which I can heartily recommend visiting, and I look forward to returning to them again once all this is over.

Lockdown look back #1: May 2017 - Eynsford, Kent (Part I)

Since posts about what we got up to when we were still allowed to go outside are proving rightly popular at the moment, I figured I would jump on the bandwagon with my own series detailing some of the places I've been to during my 3½ year hiatus from the blogosphere.

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So to begin let me take you back to May Day 2017, which found me in the picturesque Kent village of Eynsford in the Darent Valley, for a third date. Situated next to the River Darent, while only 6 miles from Dartford we were still nevertheless in the heart of the Kent countryside.

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We had arranged to meet at 12 o'clock at The Five Bells, one of four pubs to be found in the village (the decline of public houses seems to be mercifully low in Kent compared to Essex and other parts of the country, going by my experience) but unfortunately upon arriving first I discovered it was not open until 1pm.  Fortunately a second pub, The Castle Hotel, was only two doors down and happy to have me in - although I was the only person in the place (other than the owners and their dog)!  My date arrived shortly afterwards, having also gone through the same process of elimination on the pub front as I had done, and we settled down for a drink.  A few more people came in as lunchtime approached but we had agreed to eat elsewhere so headed off after about half an hour's chatting.

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Our next destination and another reason for choosing Eynsford as a meeting place was the ruins of Eynsford Castle, a medieval fortification dating back to the 11th century (although an even earlier Anglo-Saxon settlement had also existed prior to then).  Quite a substantial ruin (again for someone used to far less extensive examples in their neck of the woods) it has a fascinating history and lovely views across to the Darent Valley.  Accessed via a small residential lane directly opposite The Castle Hotel and hidden away behind the village hall(!) it was a real undiscovered gem.

The following pictures are either sourced or my own:

The entrance bridge (constructed 1967) over the moat.
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My view of the solar undercroft (living & sleeping quarters, probably for the bailiff).

The remains of the solar undercroft's fireplace. 

Another set of original steps accessing the solar undercroft...

... which I did not attempt to descend!

The original, "Great", kitchen with views of the Darent Valley beyond.
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After a good look around and with photos taken we went off in search of lunch, which was to be found at the nearby Riverside Tearooms.  I can't recall now what we had but it was a nice little bijou place with good food and proved very popular.

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When you round the corner from the entrance you get an idea of where it takes its name from:

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A charming 17th century bridge links the high street to roads leading along the River Darent to the M20 or up the Darent Valley to the M25, with a ford running alongside for larger vehicles unable to use the bridge.  It was over this bridge and along the riverside walk that we went after lunch, on our way to our second destination - the next village of Farningham.

You'll be able to read all about our afternoon there in part two of this post, as I think this one has gone on long enough!  Stay tuned for the next instalment...

British teen's 1914 diary from Paris brought to life on Twitter

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British teen's 1914 diary from Paris brought to life on Twitter

Hello All!  Well, another busy start to the month has seen ten days fly by but now here I am again with a new post.  I say "new" but the subject was first reported on as far back as January-February.

The 100-year old diary of Olive Higgins, a teenage girl from Kent studying in Paris, has recently come to light after over ten years in the possession of a London journalist & writer, who spent that time researching the girl's tragically short life following the discovery that they both happened to come from the same area. 

Margate girl Olive Higgins' diary put online at 100th anniversary of death

To celebrate the centenary of Olive's writings the journalist, Rob McGibbon, came up with the splendid idea of publishing the daily entries on Twitter (@OlivesDiary1914) - as well as creating a website with every day reproduced in full as well as further information about Olive Higgins, her family and how Mr McGibbon came to be interested.

The diary and the project it inspired have a poignant ending, however.  Barely two months in to her Paris adventure Olive Higgins was struck down by double influenza and sadly died on the 25th February.  Consequently her diary entries stop halfway through that month, as she struggled to recover.

Nevertheless her record of those first few weeks in Paris make for fascinating reading - a real insight into the thoughts of a 16-year-old student one hundred years ago, yet revealing teenage feelings and insecurities still familiar a century on.  Mr McGibbon's project has certainly been a worthwhile one not only from his personal point of view but also as a valuable piece of social history and a fitting & timely tribute to Olive Higgins' life.

First World War fighter plane restored at air museum

First World War fighter plane restored at air museum

Here now is one of the first of many posts that are destined to appear on this blog in the next 12-48 months as the commemorations for the centenary of the First World War start to get underway.  In this instance the story is of a long-forgotten World War One aircraft prototype and one museum's attempt to construct a working replica in time for this year's events.

The Eastchurch Kitten - or to give it its full designation, the Port Victoria P.V.8 Eastchurch Kitten - was borne out of an Admiralty specification created in 1916 for a small, light single-seat fighter designed to fly at high altitude and intercept the Zeppelin airships that were then terrorising the south-east of England.  Two front-runners soon emerged from Royal Naval Air Service stations based in Kent.  One was the brainchild of designer W. H. Sayers, based at the Port Victoria Marine Experimental Aircraft Depot on the Isle of Grain.  The other was the Kitten, designed by the pen of G. H. Millar, located further along the north Kent coast at the RNAS Experimental Flight in Eastchurch. When the commanding officer of the Experimental Flight then took over at the Port Victoria station it was decided that the competing aeroplanes should both be further refined together at Port Victoria, therefore the Eastchurch design was called the P.V.8 Eastchurch Kitten while the other was renamed the P.V.7 Grain Kitten.  Both were of a similar layout to meet the Admiralty requirement for a compact, lightweight interceptor that could be launched from the cramped confines of a Navy destroyer's fo'c'sle.

© IWM (Q 67564) 1917 Port Victoria P.V.8 Eastchurch Kitten

Volunteers restore 100-year-old First World War prototype fighter plane at Yorkshire Air Museum 

The P.V.7 was in fact the first to fly, on the 22nd June 1917, but it was found to be tough to handle and tail-heavy in flight.  The P.V.8 finally took to the air on the 7th September 1917 and although like the Grain Kitten it was hampered with the temperamental 35hp ABC Gnat engine it soon became apparent that - despite being larger and heavier than the P.V.7 - the Eastchurch machine was the more advanced. In the end, however, the Admiralty chose not to pursue the P.V.8 design.  By the time both aircraft were at the test-flight stage the sturdier and better-performing Sopwith Pup and Sopwith Camel had been adapted for higher-altitude work, aircraft carriers were developing apace and the threat of Zeppelin raids had receded.  Neither the P.V.7 or P.V.8 ever flew again; the original Eastchurch Kitten airframe was due to be sent to America for further evaluation but what became of it from that point remains a mystery.



‘Zeppelin zapper’ returns to life

Obviously some plans of the P.V.8's design survived, though, as an attempt to create a replica of the aircraft was made as far back as the 1980s.  Now thanks to the sterling efforts of the volunteers at the Yorkshire Air Museum a remarkably accurate copy of the Eastchurch Kitten is finally nearing completion, with appearances (albeit sadly static) scheduled at both the museum's own displays and also in Leeds town centre later this year.

I'm happy to see so much going on at the museum's preservation hangar and it's splendid to see a project such as this come to successful fruition, with volunteers and aviation design students keeping alive the skills needed to help ensure that an interesting part of First World War aviation history is not forgotten, hopefully inspiring and engaging all those who come to see it at York in the next four years and beyond.

Original Bluebird powerboat restored in Polegate

K3 Bluebird Run - Coming soon from Phill Beaney on Vimeo.

Original Bluebird powerboat restored in Polegate

Hot on the heels of my post the other week on the Land Speed Record holders of the 1920s and '30s, which featured in part Sir Malcolm Campbell and his Blue Bird speed cars, comes this news of the restoration of Malcolm Campbell's Blue Bird K3 powerboat that he used to capture the Water Speed Record in 1937 and 1938 following his triumphant retirement from the land speed race.

As I mentioned the Water Speed Record was if anything even more dangerous than the Land Speed Record since it claimed the lives of Sir Henry Segrave in 1930 and of course Malcolm Campbell's own son Donald in 1967.  Malcolm Campbell, along with his contemporaries Kaye Don and American Garfield Wood, would be one of the few speed record holders to survive to old age.

Blue Bird K3 was built for Campbell at the beginning of 1937 with the aim being to take back the Water Speed Record from the American Gar Wood, who had held it at 124.86mph since 1932.  Campbell elected to use the same Rolls-Royce R aero engine that he had used in his last Blue Bird car (and which both Segrave and Kaye Don had also used in their powerboats, the Miss England series), in fact one of the three engines he ended up using during his various runs had been fitted to the Campbell-Railton Blue Bird previously).  On the 1st September 1937 at Lake Maggiore on the Swiss-Italian border Campbell succeeded in raising the Water Speed Record to 126.32mph in Blue Bird K3.  Unsatisfied with a mere 2mph improvement he went to Lake Hallwyl in Switzerland the following year and raised it just past the 130mph mark - to 130.91mph.  This proved to be about the limit of K3's capabilities so Campbell set about having a completely new boat built, the K4. 

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Sir Malcolm Campbell's good fortune is now ours as despite initially using K3's engine in K4 the boat itself was not destroyed and by 1988 it had found its way into the Foulkes Halbard Collection, part of the Filching Manor Motor Museum that is dedicated to the Campbell family's many successes.  Having undergone a slow yet full restoration in the ensuing 24 years Blue Bird K3 has now begun to be put through its paces once again on Bewl Water in Kent, as this news article and accompanying footage shows.  Although so far only a short 40mph test run, it is hoped that Blue Bird K3 will return to Lake Maggiore next year and travel a bit faster.  I doubt 130mph will be on the cards, though!

Nevertheless this is yet another great example of two decades' hard work paying off handsomely, honouring the memory of Sir Malcolm Campbell and bringing an historically important machine back to its best for enthusiasts and future generations to appreciate and experience.

Cumbrian volunteers revamp historic 1930s carriage

Cumbrian volunteers revamp historic 1930s carriage

The heritage railways of the Kirkby Stephen Stainmore Railway Company and the Kent & East Sussex Railway form the backdrop for these two news items relating to the recent restoration of vintage rolling stock.

The first article is the standard story of a worn out railway carriage being returned to its original 1930s glory by a group of dedicated volunteers, but no less worthy for that.  The coach in this particular case is not quite finished - more funds are needed apparently - but I have little doubt that it soon will be and that it will be a welcome addition to the Stainmore Railway Company's stock.  The group should also be commended for its attempts to restore and reopen the Kirkby Stephen East railway station and so become part of the larger neighbouring Eden Valley Railway, itself aiming to become one of the country's newest heritage lines - I wish them both success.



I came across this second item quite by accident but it more than deserves its inclusion here, dealing as it does with a vintage vehicle reworked for modern - and noble - use.

Disabled access has long been something of a problem for older transportation systems, which in some cases have not and cannot be updated (witness the withdrawal of the tradition London Routemaster bus, due in part to its inability to meet the Disability Discrimination Act).  While it is only right and proper that less able-bodied people should be able to fully enjoy museum exhibits, heritage railways and the like the difficulty of providing full accessibility often still remains simply by dint of the historic construction of buildings and/or machinery (and in some cases, the impossibility of successfully converting them).

This is not the case on the Kent & East Sussex Railway though, I'm pleased to see.  9254 Petros was the first railway carriage to be fully converted for disabled use, following its decommissioning from mainline service in 1981 after twenty-five years of use.  A year later it was updated and delivered to the KESR and two years ago it began undergoing a complete refurbishment, the results of which you can see in the above news report that I stumbled across.

Now Petros is back in service on the Kent & East Sussex line, offering remarkably simple but effective access (and with it, greater enjoyment) for disabled passengers.  Approbation is in order for the railway, for having such a splendid carriage as part of their stock and for providing a valuable and much-appreciated service.  A service that should be the envy of many a heritage - and indeed many a modern - railway and another sterling example of traditional transport updated for the 21st century.