05 Aug 2014
Today Prince Harry has helped Kent mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War with the unveiling of a dramatic memorial arch in Folkestone. Kent is now gearing up to commemorate the 75 years since Neville Chamberlain broadcast to the nation that Britain was at war with Germany.
With a wealth of connections to these significant periods in history and a major programme of events taking place across the county, we invite you to visit Kent and explore the compelling mix of daring missions and surprise, tales of ingenuity and heroic human spirit.
Events:
4th August
Unveiling of the Step Short Memorial Arch
The Leas, Folkestone
HRH Prince Henry of Wales has helped Kent commemorate the 100th anniversary of the day Britain entered into the First World War with the unveiling of a dramatic memorial arch in Folkestone. The arch was commissioned by the Step Short Charity in memory of the millions of soldiers who marched through Folkestone en route to the troop ships that were waiting to take them to the Western Front.
4th August 2014
Lights Out Campaign
Kent businesses and residents are also joining the call for lights out tonight with the national Lights Out Campaign in partnership with the Royal British Legion and millions of others in a national moment of reflection. Businesses displaying one single light at 10pm include iconic attractions such as Chartwell House, Rochester Cathedral, Dover Castle, Ightham Mote, Turner Contemporay Art Gallery, Dover Museum and Eastwell Manor Hotel.
www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/ww1-centenary/lights-out
4th August – November
Step Short Memorial Arch, The Leas, Folkestone
A bugler will play the Last Post at the Step Short Commemorative arch in Folkestone every Sunday night until remembrance Sunday in November.
Various dates (2 February; 2 March; 6 April; 4 May; 1 June; 4, 11, 18, 25 July; 1, 8, 15, 22, 31 August; 7, 14, 21, 28September; 2 November; 7 December)
Ramsgate Blitz Walks
A guided walk around the heaviest bombed seaside town in the UK. Relive the dark days of WW2, hear stories of ordinary people on the front line and visit the places connected with those stories. Reliving the dark days of WW2 hear the stories and visit the places. Walks take 2 – 2 1/2 hours and are free but donations welcome. Walks start at 10am on Sundays and 19.00 on Fridays at 19.00. Private walks can be arranged
April 2014 – June 2016
Quex Park Revisited – First World War
Powell Cotton Museum, Birchington
In the late summer of 1914 many Belgian civilians began to flee from the fighting, soon to be followed by wounded men of the Belgian Army. The first group were brought over to England from Ostend on 10th October by the Wounded Allies Relief Committee, a British aid organisation formed in August 1914, and taken to a hospital set up by a Voluntary Aid Detachment in Ramsgate. The VAD hospital at Quex Park was one of 80 in Kent. Quex Park Revisited – The First World War, tells the story of this time and the subsequent years of the War through activities designed to help visitors engage with and learn about this important moment in history and its associated material heritage. Including:
Welkom Vriend!
A panel display in photographic and archival material of the arrival of the Belgian patients at the VAD hospital at Quex Park and the individual stories of several of these patients.
From Rowland Ward to hospital ward
A photographic exhibition exploring how the Powell-Cotton Museum was turned into a hospital at the start of the war.
Far from Home: Life on the Belgian Frontline
This exhibition will form part of an on-going partnership with the In Flanders Fields Museum, Ypres, who will lend the exhibits for this display. The small object exhibition will look at life on the frontline in Belgium, in contrast to the life of Belgian patients at Quex House, which is explored in the concurrent exhibits noted above. A public lecture will be delivered by the Museum's archivist, a First World War expert. These will focus on the role of Quex House as a VAD hospital and the role of the wider Thanet area. This series will be linked to the content of our exhibitions (outlined above) to offer a different way of enabling the public to engage with Quex's First World War story.
June - September 2014
Ramsgate Tunnels Explorer
As the Second World War approached, Ramsgate Borough Council embarked on ambitious but controversial plans to create a network of Deep Shelter tunnels linking to a former Railway Tunnel which would provide shelter for 60,000 people. Despite initial resistance from government the plan was finally given the go ahead and the network was formally opened by The Duke of Kent on 1st June 1939.
Stories of life in the tunnels abound; from the dark days of war when part of the system evolved into an underground city with over 1,000 permanent residents to the exploits of later urban explorers who couldn't resist the temptation to explore the unique atmosphere of the “Wind Tunnels”.
75 years later the tunnels are again open to the public. His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent very kindly agreed to reopen the tunnels with an official ceremony almost exactly 75 years after his father did in 1939. This ceremony took place on the 27th May 2014. You can now explore the tunnels and experience how people sheltered and lived in the town below the town.
26 July to 30 November 2014
Valour, Loss & Sacrifice: Chatham, the Royal Navy and the War at Sea, 1914-1918
No. 1 Smithery, The Historic Dockyard Chatham
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, this exhibition portrays the significant role played by Chatham Dockyard, its workers and the Chatham Port Division of the Royal Navy in the 'Great War', shown through the eyes of those who served. Four years of sacrifice and loss will be depicted using objects and artefacts drawn mainly from The Historic Dockyard's own collection.
16 – 17 August 2014
Combined Military Ops
Headcorn Aerodrome
Relive the Sounds and Drama of the Wartime Airfield at Combined Ops Weekend. 2014 sees the sixth annual Combined Ops Weekend, a spectacular display of military vehicles and aircraft. The show, which takes place at Kent's historic Headcorn Aerodrome, home of many real war-time dramas.
This family event makes the perfect day out and will include a variety of vintage and modern aircraft displays, on the ground and in the air; static military vehicles; living history re-enactment groups; arena events; military stalls and children's mini tanks. In battles depicting scenes from WW2 and WW1, re-enactors shoot thousands of blank rounds in carefully planned skirmishes. Deafening gunfire and tanks, together with explosions that blow holes in the ground, filling the air with dirt and smoke make for an exciting day.
25 - 31 August 2014
World War Zoo
Port Lympne Wild Animal Park
Mark 100 years since the outbreak of World War I, 75 years since the outbreak of World War II and 70 years since D-Day by celebrating the role of animals throughout the war. Learn about what happened to the animals during the conflicts and how they helped to change the course of history.
www.aspinallfoundation.org/port-lympne
20 – 21 September 2014
War and the Horse
Dover Castle
Witness the powerful imagery and confidence of the Cavalry of 1914 as they prepare to dominate the battlefields of Europe, little aware of the way in which the machine gun and barbed wire would sweep away their preconceptions. Young men race their horses and compete in Cavalry Skill at Arms, oblivious to the cataclysm about to engulf Europe. Compare and contrast through the day as the Troopers change into the somber khaki clothing that was to be evocative of the years to come. Glimpse into this world as we tell this remarkable story through re-enactment, talks, music and children's activities.
www.english-heritage.org.uk/dovercastle
20 – 21 September 2014
Salute to the '40s
The Historic Dockyard Chatham
Be transported back in time! Around every corner period vehicles, evacuees and people dressed in their best 1940's attire bring the site alive creating a truly vintage atmosphere. With dance troops and the best of 1940's entertainers, this is one of the finest of its kind in the country.
22 September 2014
Commemorative Event to mark the 100th anniversary of the loss of Hogue, Cressy and Aboukir.
The Historic Dockyard Chatham
Three Royal Navy Cruisers (Hogue, Cressy and Aboukir) were lost/sunk by enemy submarine action on 22nd September 1914 off the Dutch coast in the North Sea. The ships were manned with reservists from the Chatham Division and the 1,273 names of those lost are recorded on the Chatham Naval Memorial. The first shot of the war was fired at end of August and the first loss was of HMS Pathfinder on 5th September, but this loss of three cruisers was one of the worst days for the Royal Navy so early in the war.
29 – 30 November 2014
Christmas on the home front: WWII Experience
Kent Life
'It's cold outside but you will be warmed by the villagers' attempts to keep up morale'.
Talk to the family preparing for Christmas in the 1940s cottage; make wartime decorations with the Blitz victims in the rest centre; gather around the piano for carols and a little song and dance, or maybe send a telegram to a loved one from the post office. Sample the Christmas cookery, join in the Home Guard training, visit the warden's office, take some wartime school lessons, and join the RAF billeted in the Victorian farmhouse. There will also be 'Make do and mend' demonstrations.
19 December 2014
Memorial to war hero Sir Philip Neame
Faversham
As part of a national initiative to honour recipients of the Victoria Cross during the centenary commemorations a total of 28 specially commissioned stones will be unveiled across the country to commemorate medals awarded in 1914 and in every year up to 2019. On 19th December 2014 one of these memorial paving stones will be unveiled in the centre of Faversham, the hometown of Lieutenant-General Sir Philip Neame VC. Sir Philip was a young lieutenant and explosives expert and was awarded the Victoria Cross on the 19th December 1915 for his valour and quick thinking during the Battle of Ypres in 1914. Sir Philip is extraordinary as he is the only person to have gained a Victoria Cross for military service and an Olympic gold medal for rifle shooting in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. Faversham celebrated the award with a civic welcome and on 19th December 2014 the town will once again celebrate the achievements of Sir Philip with the unveiling of his memorial paving stone.
Liberation Route of Europe
Visit Kent is a partner in the Liberation Route of Europe. A new website has been launched on 6th June in Normandy as part of the D Day landings commemorations. Stories featured for Kent include Operation Pluto and Fortitude South. Website features a number of travel packages that can be booked for a full Liberation Route experience www.liberationroute.com
For further details and a full list of events see www.frontlinekent.co.uk
For visitors travelling from overseas our travel partner for Frontline Kent is P&O Ferries - www.poferries.com
Ends
For enquiries please contact:
Kerstin Andrews on 01227 812904 or Kerstin.andrews@visitkent.co.uk
For images of Kent, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/visitkent
About Visit Kent:
Visit Kent Limited is a public/private sector partnership supported by Kent County Council, Medway Council, the district and borough councils, Tourism South East and the leading sector tourism businesses in Kent. Visit Kent champions Kent's £3.2 billion tourism industry by targeting UK and overseas markets, improving quality and skills and growing investment in the tourism product. For further information visit www.visitkentbusiness.co.uk
