THE  DOVER WAR MEMORIAL  PROJECT

Readers' Questions

CAN YOU HELP?

Can you help answer these readers' questions? Please contact us if you can J

A Little Friend

This delightful picture of two little friends was taken in the 1920s. The lad on the right is John Daniel Bernard Borrett, the nephew of Great War casualty John Collon Fox. We believe the picture was taken in Dover - John Borrett lived at Astley Avenue in the town.  

But who is the lad on the left? Our correspondents in Canada and England wondered if he may have been a relative of the renowned Walter Tull, as some of his family, including a married sister, remained in Dover after Walter sadly lost his life in 1918 on the Somme.  We asked a member of Walter's family, but he couldn't help with identification. 

The lad's name may have been Archie. It looks as though the two boys are standing near memorial plinths of some sort. If you can recognise the place or the boys, or offer any clues at all, do please do contact us 

Cinque Ports Pilots - Leslie Gillespie

This comes from a lady in Australia. It is a small (silver?) desk plaque (the pen is included to indicate the size), and it was given to Leslie John Gillespie. The words read:

Presented to L. J. Gillespie by the Fellowship of Cinque Ports Pilots As a memento of his stay in Dover During the Great War of 1914-1919

Does anyone know why this might have been presented, and does anyone have any information about Leslie Gillespie? Please let us know   

Coach Trimmers in Dover - Cyril Beeston

In the early part of the 19th century, Dover had a number of coachers. Cyril Beeston was the brother of one of our casualties, Reginald. Their father had died, and Cyril was apprenticed to a coach trimmers' shop.   That's the shop, on the right. Does anyone recognise anyone in the photograph, or know where this workshop might have been? Do let us know

This is four generations of the Dawes family. They are, we believe, Herbert, who is holding his son, Herbert's father, Alfred, and his father, William. Does anyone recognise them, or this picture? A descendant of this family would like to make contact with any relatives. They may be living in Kent. Please let us know.

Cairo - 70th General Hospital

These two pictures are of Ward D, No 7, of the Hospital, and were taken on 24th February 1918.  They were found in an album of photographs from a car boot sale.  Do you recognise them? If so, please tell us.

Missing Memorial

This is Mundella School, in the Black Bull Road, Folkestone. It was the school Walter Tull attended when he was a young child.

In 1921 a Memorial plaque, of polished walnut, was unveiled to the boys from the school who had served and fallen. Walter Tull's name was amongst the 91 casualties. We think all 533 names of the boys who had served and returned may also have been inscribed.

The Memorial is missing, and an appeal has failed to track it down. Perhaps it was destroyed when the school was damaged in the second World War. If you know where it is, or what happened to it, please let us know. 

St Bartholomew's School, Dover

We're trying to find pictures of infants' classes from this school from around 1938 to 1944. Please tell us if you know of any.

Henry Thomas Allery

Private Allery served in the Australian Imperial Forces. There are more details about him here. A reader would like to know more about Private Allery's service in The Buffs and his family when they lived in Dover.  Can you help?

William Bernard Traynor - VC

We have been sent a lovely postcard picture of Mr William Traynor, well-known in Dover between and just after the wars as our VC winner. He gained his VC in the South Africa campaign. More details about him are here

This is a detail from the whole picture. Does anyone know what might have been the occasion, and to whom Mr Traynor is speaking? Behind the group is a shop, which we've identified as belonging to MacLeod and Company. Where might this shop have been?

If you can help, please do contact us

Update - 16 February 2008. Thank you to Joyce Banks, who found a reference to a MacLeod housewares shop at 1 High Street, Dover, in 1948-9. It's now known as White's, and is on the corner of Effingham Crescent. 

National Westminster Bank, Market Square

Just inside the bank door, on the right, is a memorial to the staff of the bank who served in the Great War (see here). As yet, the photograph above the plaque is unidentified. Part of the photo is shown (left)

We have heard several suggestions of who he might be, but does anyone know? Please tell us if you do!