the defence of Whitstable
In as far as it was possible for a small town to prepare itself for war, Whitstable was ready. Well before the outbreak of hostilities the people had organised themselves so that in the Spring of 1940 there were Voluntary Nurses manning First Aid Posts, Auxiliary Firemen and Air Raid wardens with centres in every district. Indeed the problem facing community leaders was to maintain the enthusiasm during the uneventful months immediately before and after the declaration of war in September 1939.
The Whitstable Air Raid wardens Association held a supper concert in the Cafe Royal Hotel on March 22nd at which the Eunice Gardiner Academy and other artistes entertained. The Roast Sirloin of Beef and Yorkshire Pudding must have gone down well.
Wardens of Swalecliffe and Chestfield held a similar event on November 11th. This time a room was loaned by Mr Clements at the ‘Wheatsheaf’, and Dinner was served by Mr Hopkins who ran the Savoy Cafe on Tankerton beach. Exhibited on the table was part of a 12-inch armour plate shell fired by the German Navy during the bombardment of the East Coast in 1914. It had been loaned by Mr Sidney Smirthwaite, – ’Earthquake’ to his friends at the wardens Post!
This gentleman later made part of his home available as Headquarters for the Chestfield Home Guard Platoon. Max Williams of Eight Elms, The Drive, responded to the toast to the wardens by saying that “whatever the future held in store for them they had, in Swalecliffe and Chestfield made friendships which would last for a long time to come.”
Tragically, after serving his neighbours well in the difficult days ahead, Max Williams was killed by enemy action during the closing days of the ‘Battle of Britain’.
