Author: AOC_Admin

Author: Esther Hamilton with the Chilmington Archaeology & History Research Group

There was some debate regarding the bookishness of the average Tommy (going by the fear that the novel-reading Edwardian middle classes had of the growing “multitude” of working-class readers encroaching on their literary turf). Yet thanks to the existence of compulsory education up to the age of 11, the British soldiery of the First World War were among the most literate forces of the conflict[i][ii].

As we have read in our introduction to Elizabeth Quinton Strouts, this new, widespread literacy, joined with the technical sophistication of the Post Office, allowed the Friends of Great Chart to join forces and send their goodwill in the form of much-needed rations and letters to those serving from Great Chart and Chilmington even at the height of the conflict.
As early as 1914, the Friends had also funded a ‘Roll of Honour’ [BH1] [BH2] display for the village church, proudly listing those serving during the first, and more hopeful, year of the war.

Almost no letters sent to the frontlines survive but below is a selection of the archive of letters that were returned addressed to Elizabeth Quinton Strouts, and the Friends of Great Chart. Local researcher Ian Wolverson has provided these letters to the Chilmington Archaeology & History Research Group for study, following on from work he conducted for the centenary memorial project ‘Great Chart Remembers’ in 2014.

Offering a unique insight into the lives of local men thrust into the frontlines of a global conflict, these letters range from heartwarming Christmas wishes, to reflections on the emotional numbness endured by those fighting the War to End All Wars.

To read more about the hamlet of Chilmington and its families as they were in 1911, explore our blog on ‘Chilmington at Peace’ here on this site.

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[i] Masterman, C.F.C. (1909) The Condition of England

[ii] Vincent, D. (1993) Literacy and Popular Culture: England 1750-1914

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Featured in Chilmington at Peace

Victor Barton

In November 1918, just weeks after the armistice, the young Victor Barton wrote to Mrs Strouts from France to thank her for the most recent package, that had been sent while war still raged. He noted that, although the fighting had officially ended, he and his comrades had not quite realised it, being that they remained “under almost [their] usual conditions and above all [their] rations are very poor”.

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Claude Barton

We also have a letter in the Elizabeth Quinton Strouts archive from Claude Barton. A much cheerier note, Claude here writes on Boxing Day, thanking the Friends of Great Chart for his package, received on Christmas Morning, 1918, in Felixstowe, where he and his comrades were served by their officers for the holiday dinner.

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Henry Finnis

Two Finnises of Chilmington Green, Alfred and Henry, served as Privates during the conflict. Henry sent Mrs Strouts and the Friends a Christmas Card in December of 1918, after the end of fighting.

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George Light

As you may remember from Chilmington at Peace, George Light wrote to Mrs Strouts in 1917 while recuperating from injuries sustained while in one of the most dangerous regiments to fight in during the conflict: the front line, infantry regiment of the Queen’s Royal West Surrey regiment, from whose ranks 32% of its soldiery never returned. 
He writes that he was wounded on the 29^th of January and although “badly wounded in my right leg [,] also slightly in my left leg and back [,] I have no bones broken”.

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John Shorter

Although Olive Shorter’s brother, Charles, would die in 1917, she would, thanks to the charity of the Friends of Great Chart, know that her nephew would be a regular recipient of letters of support and additional rations during his time serving for his country, a rare luxury.

“thank you very much for all you have done for me both here in England and in France”.

In September 1918, during a brief stint in France, John Shorter was badly gassed, injuring his hands and eyes, forcing him to a military hospital in Nottingham, where he nonetheless had a letter dictated to be sent to Elizabeth Quinton Strouts to assure her that he was “feeling a little better”.

Once peace had been declared, John sent another letter in unsteady handwriting,  of thanks to the Friends of Great Chart, stating that he could “not thank the Good Folks of Gr[ea]t Chart enough for what they have done for me in this Great War”.

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George Kemp

Writing from much further afield, and our only professional soldier from Chilmington, George Kemp wrote a letter, dated to the 13^th of January 1917 informing the Friends that he had received a Christmas cake sent from Great Chart at his station in Mesopotamia, writing that it was “in good eatable [sic] condition”.

He also notes that “One can hardly realise the goodness and feeling you must have for us boys is felt, by us when these little packaged gifts arrive, sometimes on the open desert land, sometimes on the river boats”, signing off with “wishing you the best of luck and a speedy, victorious end to the war”.

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William Chittenden

William Chittenden served in the Prince of Wales Dragoon Guards and the Corps of Dragoons as a Trooper, which would have involved supporting mounted operations at the start of the war (well-suited to a professional groom such as Chittenden), moving to the more deadly trench raids as the war progressed and it became evident that mounted cavalry was no match for the machine gun.

Writing shortly after the armistice, in 1918, Chittenden dryly writes:

“I am looking forward to a better Christmas than I had last year”.

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Great Chart

The Friends of Great Chart, an outfit helmed by Elizabeth Quinton Strouts, would spend the entire war tirelessly writing to all men who served from Great Chart.

Author: Ian Wolverson, Esther Hamilton (ed.)

W G Bennett

The archive’s most voracious writer, Private W G Bennet, who had lived at The Swan pub in Great Chart, wrote in 1916, amid some of the worst fighting of the western front, that his Dear Lady was “the best friend that I had ever known”. Fighting as part of the frontline 1st Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) in France, Bennet speaks wistfully on the subject of the Friends having a party on Show Day.  

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The Tutts: Frederick and Thomas

Fred had lived with his parents, sister and younger brother at 2 Stone Cottages, Chilmington Green, moving in after the 1911 census.  He was one of 57,470 casualties on 1st July, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, which remains the worst day in British military history.  His battalion suffered 58 fatalities that day on their attack on Lapree Wood, near Mametz.

Frederick’s younger brother, Thomas, serving in the 1st and 2nd Buffs, sent a harrowing letter following his brother’s death, noting that:

“Of course it upset me rather to hear of my brother, but I am thankful to know he died whilst fighting. It is good to know that although it is hard to lose time.  Probably my mother and father and those at home felt it the most for we do not take a great deal of notice of such things”.

Elizabeth Quinton Strouts had a habit of annotating in red ink letters sent by those who had since passed. 87 days after his brother’s death, Thomas would be killed at the Somme, during an attack on the heavily fortified Quadrilateral at Bouteaux Wood.   Artillery fire was missing to allow three of the ‘new’ tanks through.  The tanks all failed to arrive, and as a result a 200-meter gap was left exposed, and 59 men were lost, with 130 wounded.

Both Tutts are memorialised at the Thiepval Cemetery monument, as their bodies were never recovered.

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Sidney Bates

Rifleman Sidney Bates, 13th (Service) Battalion, Rifle Brigade (Formerly Rifleman, R/19934, 2nd Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps) wrote by far the most well received of all the letters from the servicemen.  Consistently showing great concern for friends lost and the effect those losses must have had on their families, noting the tragedy that was the Tutts losing two sons. 

He was wounded in 1917, writing ‘The Friends of Great Chart’ a poem whilst in hospital, which Quinton Strouts used as her 1917 Christmas card to the all the men.

‘…the previous one was one of those fine tins of Army & Navy marmalade and you might be interested to hear that when we went ‘over the top’ the other day I took it in my haversack. and some more chaps and myself shared it on the steps of a dug-out from where Fritz had been driven only an hour or two previously.’

He became a POW in April 1918, and after the war became a monk.

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Robert Day

Private Robert Day 4th Battalion Grenedier Guards, previously a gardener, was probably the most popular villager amongst the servicemen from Great Chart.  His first injuries in June 1916 were very serious, requiring operations and treatment from seven different hospitals before his return to France in December 1916.

The following letters are just two from a general outpouring of shock and grief from so many of his friends in the village. You can also read Sidney Bates remarking on the loss to the village in his above letters and see mention below in those of Samuel Brunger.

William Luckhurst

Signaller William Henry Luckhurst, wrote of the losses of friends, also becoming the Secretary of the Great Chart branch of The British Legion following the war. 

The Luckhurst and Day families would later intermarry between the wars.

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William Harding

Private William Ernest Harding, (The Weald of Kent) Battalion, and

The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) (Territorial Force). Formerly Private, 1757, The Buffs

(East Kent Regiment).

Samuel Brunger

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Serving as a Coproral in the 1/5^th Battalion, Suffolk Reigment, Samuel Brunger’s letter tells of his sorrow on hearing of the death of Robert Day.

“Only a week ago I received the news of poor Bob Days death. It has me into a fit of melancholy such as I have never experienced before.  One of my best chums in Chart

If revenge is sweet or bitter I will endeavour to exact that revenge”

As the red annotations bely, he would not survive the war, this being his last letter sent by Brunger before his own death on a hill outside the gates of Jerusalem.

Below are more annotations by Mrs Strouts, including a note regarding his place of burial.

Samuel’s family, the Brungers, supplied the war effort with eight serving men in total, two of whom, one being Samuel, lost their lives.

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Edward Rickson

Coporal Edward Rickson, 2/5th (Weald of Kent) Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) was famed for this photograph, which made the national press, as well as his letter expressing his emotions on entering Lille days after the Armistice on15th November 1918.

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George Hughes

The only serviceman with a Commonwealth Gravestone at St Mary’s, Great Chart, Corporal George Hughes was a professional soldier, who served in India on the Northwest frontier from 1910 – 1915, then in France from 1917 – 1919, until invalided back to UK, dying of his war injuries in 1920. 
Five Hughes brothers served during this conflict, their father also previously having been a soldier for 21 years, their maternal uncle for 18, with George’s grandfather serving in Crimea. In total this Great Chart family gave 138 years of military service.

Authors: Esther Hamilton

[F]or the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs

Eliot, G. (1874) Middlemarch

Much of what we know of the personal experience of war lived by those that served from Chilmington and Great Chart in the First World War comes directly to us in their own words. These soldiers’ voices, written in their own hand in over 900 letters from the Western Front, and even as far afield as India, were sent directly to Elizabeth Quinton Strouts, of Great Chart.

Elizabeth Quinton Strouts moved into Singleton Manor in 1906. In 1915 she masterminded the organisation of the Great Chart Sailors And Soldiers War Fund, which mobilised those on the Home Front in funding the sending of letters and parcels to local men on the front lines. The soldiers’ gratitude towards the charity of Quinton Strouts and the Fund is palpable, with many letters addressing her as ‘Dear Lady’, and one soldier, Private W G Bennett, calling her ‘the best friend that I have ever known’.
Although Quinton Strouts wrote directly to over 100 soldiers over the course of the war, only one of her letters remains intact, from October 1918, and was discovered in 2014. We do, however, have her annotations marking the deaths of those on whose letters she marked their passing using red ink.

In 1921, after the unveiling of the Great Chart war memorial, an anonymous ex serviceman wrote to the Kentish Express to thank Quinton Strout, ‘who by [her] energy and untiring zeal in everything connected to the Servicemen have gained the gratitude and respect of each, and in doing so, have, like those sleeping quietly on foreign soil, also gained a place in the history of Chart.’[i]

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[i] Kentish Express, 13^th August 1921

Introduction to 1911: Everything in Its Proper Place?

Author: Esther Hamilton ACIfA

Famously, the First World War, on its remarkably swift onset, was optimistically named ‘The War to End All Wars’.  Headlines moved at pace from “Aged Austria Emperor Loses his Nephew at an Assassin’s Hand” in June of 1914, to “Britain in a State of War with Germany” in August[i][ii].

But who were the people that received this news?
How did this global conflict impact their lives?

Edwardian Britain, emerging from the industrial and imperial legacy of the Victorian era, was entering a softly transitionary period. Politically, debates raged over Free Trade, Liberal welfare reforms, and the Irish Union, while in rural Britain, life was still described as a world where “everything and everybody fitted into its and his proper place – and everybody knew that place”[iii][iv].

Genealogical researcher (and Chilmington Green resident) Steven Bartlett has meticulously studied census records to unveil the lives of those living in or near the hamlet of Chilmington Green – it was they who would have read those increasingly alarming headlines in 1914.
To truly explore the political, cultural, economic, and psychological impact of the Great War on even this small rural community as part of our Chilmington at War theme, Steven’s research first paints a picture of life as it was in 1911. His findings also raise an intriguing question: was everyone truly in their “proper place”, or had a surprising number of people moved to Chilmington from elsewhere?

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[i] The Daily Mirror front page, Monday, June 29, 1914

[ii] The Daily Mirror, Wednesday, August 5, 1914

[iii] Brooks, D. (1995) The Age of Upheaval: Edwardian Politics, 1899-1914

[iv] Briggs, A. (1960), They Saw it Happen; an Anthology of Eye-Witnesses’ Accounts of Events in British History, 1897-1940. 58

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Chilmington at Peace – 1911

Author: Steven Bartlett

On Sunday the 2nd of April 1911, 19 homes handed in their returns for the 1911 Census. The enumerator recorded that they all lived in or near Chilmington Green. This snapshot in history paints a picture of a small close knit farming community. Families were linked by marriage, lives were intertwined. They made their living from the land. James Capeling was a brick maker, and Augustus Whitehead was a Butcher’s Assistant. Everyone else living in Chilmington of working age were either a farmer, working on a farm, or a house servant on one of the farms. Specific roles included gamekeepers, grooms, cowmen and waggoners. Perhaps surprisingly, many of the residents of Chilmington Green were not local. They came from places as far afield as Gloucestershire, Somerset and Norfolk to make this their home. But just three years later many of their young men would go to war. Some never to return. And the lives of those who remained in Chilmington Green would never be the same. This is their story.

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1. The Long Family of Great Chilmington Farm

Edward and Rose Long ran the Great Chilmington Farm at the centre of the hamlet. Edward was originally from Gloucestershire and Rose was born in Sarre, Thanet in Kent. It was a real family affair. In addition to their three young children, Edward’s elderly mother and uncle lived with them. They also had two servants: Mabel Rose Neame aged just 15 was a domestic servant while 25-year-old Richard Philpott worked on the farm. (NOTE: By the time of the 1939 register Great Chilmington was owned by Harry and Elizabeth Jarvis. Their descendants run Jarvis Homes, one of the main building developers operating in Chilmington Green in 2025).

2. The Barton Family of Netters Farm

On the other side of the Lane to the Longs lived the Barton family of Netters Farm. George Barton was born in nearby Shadoxhurst while his wife Linda came from Whitstable. George and Linda had originally farmed in Shadoxhurst where their first two children were born. Then by 1909, when their youngest son arrived, they had taken over Netters farm. Two young men, Charles Vidon, aged 23 and William Chittenden aged 27, lived and worked on the farm as grooms. At the time of the 1939 Register, 67-year-old George Barton was still running Netters Farm even though he described himself as an invalid.

3. The Langdon Family of Chilmington Farm

The Langdon family lived in Chilmington Farm, a 12 roomed farmhouse, one of the largest in Chilmington. Although it is not specified in either the 1911 or the 1921 census which farm they occupied, the Langdon family were still running a farm in 1939 when it was stated that their home was Chilmington Farm. The head of the household was Norman Smyth Langdon who had been born in Brompton-Ralph in Somerset. By 1921 Norman Langdon, aged 34 and still single, was the only resident on the farm. However, he went on to marry Gladys Violet Chittenden from Cranbrook in 1926. And by 1939 Gladys’ elderly parents and aunt had come to live with them.

4. The Diamond Family of Bartlett Farm

500 metres along Bartlets Lane from Great Chilmington and Netters was Bartlett Farm, where the Diamond family lived. Isaac from Ruckinge and Mary Ann from Ashford started their married life in Graveney near Faversham where their eldest daughter was born in 1891. But by 1898, when their daughter Hilda was born, they lived and worked in Great Chart. Percy Whitehead aged 23 lived and worked with them on the farm. And on the night of 2 April, when the census took place, they had a visitor, Augustus Whitehead, a Butcher’s Assistant from Maidstone.

5. The Buckland Family

Harry and Maud Buckland ran one of the major farms in Chilmington Green. With twelve rooms, their farmhouse was also one of the largest in the hamlet. However, the Census record does not specify which farm the Bucklands lived at. In 2025 there are only four large farmhouses still standing (Great Chilmington, Netters, Chilmington and Bartlett) and these are all accounted for in 1911. Therefore, the Bucklands probably occupied a fifth large farmhouse on Bartlets Lane that existed in 1911 but has since been demolished. They clearly ran a successful business, employing a nurse to look after their two young children, a cook and a housemaid. By 1921 Maud Buckland was the only person recorded at this residence (which was then recorded as having 14 rooms).

6. The Santon Family of Little Chilmington

With seven rooms, George Santon lived in one of the larger houses in Chilmington Green. This 81-year-old widower still stated he was a farmer and lived with his two single children, Charles (who worked on the farm) and Ann both aged 48. Living with them was George Barman, a labourer, aged 72 (who died five years later at the age of 77).

7. James Capeling

In 1911 James Capeling described himself as a Brickmaker, living in a 4 roomed cottage. However, he had greater ambitions and 10 years later in the 1921 census he had taken over the Little Chilmington farm from George Santon.

8. The Bartons of Jones Lane Farm

Twelve-year-old Victor and eleven-year-old Claude lived at Jones Lane Farm (now Possingham Farm) with their father Edward Barton. Edward Barton was the brother of George Barton who ran Bartlett Farm. George had originally been a Butcher in Bethersden and Edward was his assistant. But by the turn of the century both brothers had become farmers. Edward had been left to raise his two young sons as well as run Jones Lane Farm after Edward’s wife, Emma died in 1908.

9. Shorters of New Street Farm

For Olive Shorter, farming was in the blood. From 1871 to 1891, her father John Shorter had run Malthouse Farm in Great Chart. Olive and her older brother Norman had grown up as young farmers. By 1901 John Shorter had taken over New Street Farm, but at 86 years of age, it was already clear that his daughter was in charge. Her brother had moved into Mock Lane, but his occupation as “Farmer’s Son” showed he was still very much part of the family business. When her parents died, the unmarried 42-year-old Olive took over the running of New Street Farm, where she was ably assisted by said brother’s son Norman John Shorter. It was not until 1920, at the age of 51, did Olive finally get married to Bert Potter.

10. The Light Family

Alexander Light was a professional Gamekeeper and had clearly moved around the country to find work. Originally from Bransgore in the New Forest, Hampshire, he had married Emily Elsie Evans in St Giles, Bloomsbury, London in 1890. Ten years later their son Edward had been born in Horsted, Sussex, and five years later they were living in Uckfield Sussex when their daughter Laura was born. Now settled in Chilmington Green, Alexander’s young niece and nephew were also living with them. It must have been quite a squeeze as the six of them lived in a house with just four rooms.

11. The Finnis Family

George Finnis was originally from Capel in Kent, and after marrying Margaret they lived in her home village of Newington near Folkestone, where their daughter Ethel was also born in 1908. Three years later they were settled in Chilmington Green, where George was a Waggoner on one of the local farms. They rented out one of their four rooms to Moses Russell aged 31 from Ireland, who was a cowman.

12. The Gould Family

Seven members of the Gould family plus two boarders lived in a five roomed house in Chilmington. Thomas Gould, head of the family, was a farm labourer as were his two sons, George and Frederick. He was a local man, born in Great Chart, as were all his children.

13. The Atmore Family

Henry Atmore originated from Norfolk and appeared to have travelled around as a wagoner. His wife Eliza was from Beckenham and his two grown up children, Henry and Eliza Annie, were born in Woodchurch and Pluckley.

14. The Mummery Family

At the age of 72 Stephen Mummery was still working as an agricultural labourer. He was a local man and although his wife Zillah had been born in Sandwich they had married in West Ashford in 1869 and his 31-year-old son William had been born in Great Chart. This would indicate that Stephen had lived in the village his whole life. In fact, Stephen’s ancestors had moved from Hawkinge to Great Chart in 1710. Although only William was left at home, Stephen and Zillah had had eleven children – a lot to raise in a four roomed house.

15. The Ashdown Family

Frederick Ashdown from Battle in Sussex married Beatrice Fellowes on 17 August 1907 in Icklesham, Sussex, Beatrice’s hometown. Shortly after they moved to Great Chart where Frederick worked as a Groom.

16. Henry and Eliza Finn

Henry and Eliza Finn were siblings. They were local people with Henry working as a farm labourer and Eliza working as a housekeeper, at one of the larger local farms. They lived on Mock Lane and to help pay for their six roomed house they had taken in a boarder, Thomas Mills from Gloucestershire, who was also a farm labourer.

17. George and Julia Burnham

The Burnham family lived at 1 Stone Cottages (as later detailed in the 1921 census). George worked at the Great Chilmington farm. But to understand this census return you must go back to 1891. In that year George Kemp and his wife Julia Kemp lived in Bethersden with their two young sons: Lewis George aged 4 and Percy Rowland aged 3. George Kemp had married Julia Ring in 1886 in West Ashford. Ten years later in 1901, still living in Bethersden, they had all changed their surname to Burnham. There is no evidence as to why they changed their surname, and it looks even stranger when in 1911 the parents had kept the new surname, but the two sons had reverted to Kemp. George had also made a mess of the census form by filling in details of his older sons who no longer lived with them – already serving as a soldier in 1911, and Rowland now lived with his wife in another cottage in Chilmington.

18. The Kemp Family

Percy Rowland Kemp was the son of George and Julia Burnham/Kemp and lived in Mock lane with his wife Agnes and son Frederick. Agnes had grown up living in Mock Lane, daughter of Norman Shorter and niece of Olive Shorter. Rowland, as he called himself, had married Agnes Shorter in June 1910 shortly after the arrival of their son Frederick on 9 Dec 1909. Agnes was just 16 at the time (born 8 August 1893). They went on to have three more children: Louis George 1915, Norman G 1919, and Raymond John 1923.

19. The Harvill Family

In an example of more blurred social lines and cross-country movement than this Edwardian hamlet would otherwise suggest, Edgar Harvill, who worked as a Groom, is another resident of Chilmington Green who had moved around before settling in Chilmington Green. His daughter had been born in Canterbury only a year earlier, so he was a relative newcomer to the hamlet. He was also an elusive character. He stated he was born in Brighton, but there is no record of that. He said he married Daisy in 1908, but there is no record of that. Daisy Robinson had previously married Alfred Long on 10 May 1903 in Hackney, London. She had two children from that marriage. But there is no suitable death record for Alfred Long that would indicate Daisy was a widow. So, was Edgar Harvill not all that he made out to be? Was he not in his ‘proper place’?

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Chilmington at War: the Impact of World War I

Author: Esther Hamilton

Just three years after the 1911 census had taken place, Britain declared war on Germany.
Unlike previous wars, the natural fortresses that make up the British Isles, comfortably protected by the British Navy, were no longer cut off from conflicts abroad: the first German bomb launched towards England struck Dover in 1914, and the Kentish Home Front, laying in the path from the continent towards the imperial metropolis of London, was at higher risk than most civilian areas.
Between August and September of 1914, amongst the military commandeering of horses, governmental seizure of the railways, and the panic buying of food,  761,824  men across the UK volunteered to join the British Army[i][ii][iii][iv].
Of our nineteen 1911 Chilmington households, nine men would go to war.

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[i] Dover Express, Friday 7^th August 1914.

[ii] Gould, D. (1981) The South Eastern and Chatham Railway in the 1914–18 War 

[iii] Ogley, B. (1996) Kent, a Chronicle of the Century, vol.1

[iv] Army Council (1921). General Annual Reports on the British Army (including the Territorial Force) for the Period from 1st October 1913, to 30th September 1919. Parliamentary Paper 1921, XX, Cmd.1193. Parliament United Kingdom.

1. The Barton Family of Netters Farm

2. The Bartons of Jones Lane Farm

3. Olive Shorter of New Street Farm

4. The Light Family

5. The Finnis Family

Alfred and Henry Finnis were living in Chilmington before the war, as stated in their service records. They were  related to our 1911 Chilmington Finnis family, George and Margaret. Alfred would serve as a private in the West Yorkshire Regiment on the western front, while Henry Finnis would also serve in the West Yorkshire Regiment as a private, but as part of the Territorial Forces, with the latter sending a Christmas card to the Friends of Great Chart that makes up part of our Elizabeth Quinton Strouts archive.

6. George and Julia Burnham

By Ian Wolverson and Esther Hamilton

Once used as an airfield during World War II, the former site of RAF Ashford lies in the west of our Study Area (Fig 1). Although very little remains of the airfield, it was part of the immense efforts behind the success of Operation Overlord (the Allied liberation of Western Europe), which would launch two years after the foundation of the base.
The airfield was constructed in 1942, the peak year of Britain’s production of airfields, with 60,000 civilians employed nationwide towards RAF and USAAF airfield construction that year alone[i] (Fig. 2).
The site of the airfield at what is now Chilmington Green was chosen due in part to its proximity to the Ashford Railway Works (formerly the Locomotive Works), a major transportation construction and repair workshop, so key to the war effort that it became a Luftwaffe target[ii].

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[i] Smith, D.J. (1989). Britain’s Military Airfields, 1939-45.

[ii] Lyne, R. M. (1982) ’The Military Railways of Kent, Part II’, Journal of the Railway & Canal Historical Society, vol. 5, pp. 110-119

RAF Ashford, then known as simply as ‘ALG 417’, was one of many sites in Kent upon which purpose-built, bare-bones supply airfields were constructed, all of which would become temporary ‘launch-pads’ for Allied squadrons’ advance into Europe, hence their code name, ‘Advance Landing Grounds’, or ALGs. These ALGs were therefore built using military manpower alone, supplied in this case by a specialist RAF Airfield Construction Unit, with RAF Ashford being built by RAF 5003.^i;[i] RAF Ashford was an example of one of many temporary landing grounds built in the Spring and Summer of 1943. Initially, the experimental surface of ‘Sommerfeld tracking’ was deployed to build the runway, which consisted of a lightweight, prefabricated surfaces that could essentially be ‘rolled out’ quickly.
Unfortunately, this format not very successful: Spitfires of the RAF stayed only a few days at RAF Ashford while Sommerfeld was still being used, as their undercarriages constantly collapsed on the uneven surface.ⁱ At all airbases, Sommerfeld surfaces were replaced with square mesh tracking (SMT) by spring 1944, which is what was sent by ship to France for operation Overlord

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[i] Wegerski, E. & Mickwee, S. (1945) 514th Fighter Squadron, The Raider Squadron

Members of the Royal Canadian Air Force were the first known users of the landing ground, in the northwest of the airfield, and were largely stationed in tented accommodation for the duration of their stay: pioneer living for pioneer airman (Figs. 4, 5, 6)!
Their tenure was short lived, but they were soon followed by the USAAF 406th fighter group, comprising the 512th, 513th and 514th Fighter Squadrons. The boys of the 406th were pleased with their new base, and their short commute of just ‘seven minutes flying time to the Nazis’.ⁱⁱ

With the threat of Axis invasion and continued bombing ever present, preparations by those at ALG 417 to execute Operation Overlord intensified as 1943 progressed. By D-Day, June 1944, airfields in the southeast of England had become, according to an American pilot at the time “thicker than fleas on a dog’s back”ⁱ, and after months of operational training at Ashford, ALG 417 became one of ten ALG sites across the country from whence Allied air forces flew behind enemy lines to preplanned sites across France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.  Allegedly inspired by Norman military strategy used during the Conquest of England in the 11th century, wherein the conquering army brought flat-pack fortresses with them to establish their armies once they landed ashore, these other sets of well-practised ALGs were planned to be built in the tow of the encroaching Allied land, sea, and air advance. ^i;[i]

By July 1944, after supplying and servicing the airships that aided in, among other successful operations, in the liberation of Europe, the 514th Fighter Squadron and the rest of the 406^th Fighter Group left Ashford to support European ground operations more closely as allied troops moved further inland.

The rate of advance, and success of the ALG system that had been practised at RAF Ashford, was such that by September 1944 the tide had turned in the Allies’ favour and the site was returned to agricultural use. As early as 1947, an NLS aerial survey showed no trace of the former runway, however we will be uncovering hidden traces of the base in the landscape surrounding Chilmington as part of this project!

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[i] Ramsey, W. (2017) Invasion Airfields: Then and Now

Questions remain regarding the nature of the tank graffito: when exactly was it made, and by whom?
Were tanks simply a visual icon of the times, and at the forefront of everyone’s minds enough to result in a casual doodle, or is this representative of the presence of tanks nearby? Was there a reason why a church wall was selected over another location, or was this just a random choice?
The Group discussed several avenues of research to answer these and other questions at their meeting later in the evening. We will bring these ideas to you over the next few weeks, so watch this space! Do you have a theory about what this graffito could mean? If so, why not email your thoughts to [email protected], or leave a comment below.

Tuesday 28^th January 2025:
The Chilmington Archaeology & History Research Group (CAHRG) has got off to a roaring start in its quest to uncover more about Chilmington in wartime. Late last year, while visiting the historic church of St Mary’s Great Chart, AOC Archaeologist Becky Haslam spotted a very small line-drawn depiction or ‘graffito’ of  what may be a Second World War era tank, as well as some enigmatic lines that (perhaps) represent tank tracks, high on the wall of the entrance to St Mary’s.
These were drawn in graphite on unstable stone and are relatively open to the elements, so the decision to ‘preserve via record’ was taken to retain photographic evidence of Becky’s discovery.

A volunteer team of Sarah, Hilary, and Ian met on the 28^th of January before the Group’s monthly meeting to take a series of photographs of this tiny graffito, which is under 4cm across. They used a range of lighting conditions and camera settings to capture as much image data as possible, along with the wider  context of the tank in relation to the church wall. The raw image data can now be more deeply analysed and processed by our graphics team to better understand (or, in this case, see) the drawing.

A huge thank you to Rev Cathie Aldis-Saunders for allowing us to access the graffito, and for taking the time to show us around the church.

Chilmington Archaeology & History Research Group

The Chilmington Archaeology & History Research Group have got off to a flying start with their ‘Chilmington in Wartime’ project. Meetings are held on the last Tuesday of every month (excluding December and August) in the Community Cabin, where we will discuss all updates and developments in an open and collaborative environment.
New members are very welcome to attend. You can register your interest at [email protected], or just drop into one of our meetings!  For those that can’t make it every week,  a summary of our discussions are circulated to all members of the Group, and our findings are posted here on this website. 

We plan on exhibiting our research on our first topic, ‘Chilmington in Wartime’, from June onwards at Ashford Museum.

List of upcoming dates:

• 25^th February 2025
• 25^th March 2025
• 29^th April 2025
• And the last Tuesday of the month (excluding December and August) until February 2027!

Tuesday 26^th November: Chilmington Archaeology & History Research Group: Chilmington Green Community Cabin: 7.30pm to 9pm

The Chilmington Green Archaeology & History Research Group are holding their first meeting in the Community Cabin on Tuesday 26^th November, where we are tackling our first research theme, Chilmington in Wartime. A great opportunity to meet like-minded people from your local area! Drop in if you would like to find our more or get involved.  There will be hot drinks and nibbles to tempt you…

Chilmington Green Community Cabin, Unit 1 Chilmington Avenue, Chilmington Green, Ashford, Kent, TN23 8AU.

Well done to our recently qualified Timeline Detectives who attended our Half Term Heritage event in the Chilmington Green Community Cabin! This was a wonderful opportunity for the community archaeology team to meet Chilmington residents of all ages and chat about the archaeology of the local area.

Our Timeline Detectives made ‘stratigraphy jars’ to learn about how archaeology forms, explored how archaeologists use old maps to help them reconstruct changes in the landscape, and looked at how artefacts are used to date deposits. Well done to everyone who took part- you were brilliant!

The Chilmington Green Archaeology Team ‘popped-up’ at Ashford Museum Annexe on October 26^th, as part of our project launch event! We presented our aims and objectives, showed off some recently excavated finds, and most importantly, met some great local people, who are passionate about their heritage.

Our younger guests enjoyed exploring our handling collection of Roman pottery and expertly sorted the fragments (or ‘sherds’, as archaeologists like to call them) into different types based on their fabric (colour, composition and texture). We were also very impressed with the ‘blacksmithing’ skills on display, which resulted in carboard replicas of the Brisley Farm Iron Age sword, produced on our crafting table.

It was fabulous to see this event so well attended, with 64 people passing through!

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Bottoms-up at the Autumn Lectures!

It was delightful to see the Annexe packed out with attendees at our Autumn lecture and wine reception event! After a glass of wine (or two), and a chance to chat about all things Chilmington, talks were provided by Esther and Becky (AOC), and guest lecturer Keith Dorman (Chairman of Ashford Archaeological Society). Many thanks to Keith for giving us his time and enthusiasm, and for providing such an engaging talk.

We kept our ‘chins up’ despite an initial, though (thankfully) quickly solvable, issue with our projector…and we made the most of this technical glitch by topping up any empty wine glasses! Once the lectures began in earnest, Becky outlined our research objectives in more detail and Esther introduced some key sites within our study area, including Brisley and Westhawk Farm, based upon the thorough work of Archaeology South-East and Oxford Archaeology respectively. Keith provided an excellent overview of the Roman road network, which helped to set our study area in its wider context.

It was great to see so many people attend this event, sign up to our mailing list and express an interest in getting involved in our project…the next few months will be an exciting time! It was also amazing to have the help and support of John and the fantastic Christine of Ashford Museum, who worked incredibly hard all day to help us put on a great show.

As we sit here writing this, we should let you know that there is a small amount of wine left over from our evening event…but waste not, want not. So…before we sign off…‘bottoms-up’ to everyone who made this day such a great success, and we hope to see you all again soon for the next installment!

Thanks, as always, to Kent County Council and Hodson Developments for generously funding this fabulous project!