Frederick Charles Salmon

Frederick Charles Salmon Second Lieutenant Frederick Charles Salmon was the son of George and Annie Martha Salmon, of 38 Sainsbury Road, Upper Norwood (London). He served with the 97th Squadron of the Royal Air Force during World War 1. Sadly he was killed in an aeroplane accident at Ford on the 1st May 1915, aged 22 years old. He is buried in Beckenham Crematorium and Cemetery. If you know any more details about this soldier, then please get in touch as we would love to add more details to his…

Albert Victor Waldock

Arthur Victor Waldock Private Arthur Victor Waldock served with the 2nd London Regiment during World War 1. He had only been married to his wife, Miss Violet Knight, for 19 months before he was seriously wounded in action on 16th August 1917. He returned to England and was treated at King George’s Hospital in London, but died on the 5th September. He was buried in the Annunciation Churchyard on Saturday 8th September, 1917 Source: Bromley & District Times, 28th September 1917 (page 5) – photo Photo credit: Simone Harris, 28th…

The Birth of Women’s Football

The birth of women’s football Written by Pam Preedy. Girls Versus Boys Football had always been a male preserve, but in December 1915, a match was played between Bromley Boys (National Team) and Vickers Girls: The Bromley & Kentish Times reported on the match (7th July 1914). “A game that finished up in a comical football match was played on the Queen’s Mead ground last Saturday … The game ended with a large amount of scoring, the Old Boys scoring 17 goals to the Ladies’ 1 … At the start…

The “Spanish” Flu Pandemic of 1918-1920

The “Spanish” Flu Pandemic of 1918-1920 Written by Pam Preedy. Towards the end of January in 1918, Dr. Loring Miner who lived in Haskell County, Kansas was called to see a patient with body aches, fever, a headache, and a dry cough.  It was clearly influenza, but the symptoms were more severe than typical flu symptoms, and as the days went on more people became ill, with disproportionately large numbers of young, strong adults dying. Then it spread to a military training camp, Camp Funston in Kansas, on March 4,…

Second-Lieu F. G. W. Marchant

Second Lieutenant Francis George Wake Merchant Killed in Action Second Lieutenant Francis George Wake Marchant served with the 3rd Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps and was the only son of Frank and Torfrida Marchant, of Woodside, Keston (Hayes), Kent. Born in London on the 4th March 1897, he was educated at Ludgrove and Eton. Having proceeded to Sandhurst in May, 1915, Francis obtained a commission in the Royal West Kent Regiment on 19th October, 1915 and immediately volunteered for the Royal Flying Corps.  After 5 months training went overseas…

Nash Paper Mill Strike

The Nash Paper Mill Strike Written by Pam Preedy. The decade leading up to the First World War was a time of labour unrest, often referred to as ‘The Great Unrest.’  1914 was a particular bad year with increasing industrial action and Orpington was not exempt from trouble.  In 1914, the workers of the Nash Paper Mill at At Paul’s Cray went on strike over pay and union membership. Pay in the Nash works was low for everyone: the highest paid was Robert Marsden, Head Papermaker and actual Manager of…

Exploring Canada Corner

Exploring Canada Corner Written by Pam Preedy. “If I should die, think only this of me That there’s some corner of a foreign field That is Forever England Rupert Brooke “The Soldier”, 1914 If you take a walk up Church Street to All Saints Church and its graveyard, you’ll find Canada Corner which adjoins the church and is also on the opposite side of the road. In 1912, the old graveyard was becoming too small and an extension was needed. A field, the last field suitable for such a purpose,…

Standard H-2

STANDARD H2/H3 SERIES inc H-4-H variant The Standard H-2 was an early American Army reconnaissance aircraft, first ordered in 1916 and designed by the Standard Aircraft Corporation. It derived from the Sloane H-2, an open-cockpit, three-seater tractor biplane. It was propelled by a 125 hp (90 kW) Hall-Scott A-5 engine. However only three prototypes were built for tests. This led to the next iteration of the H series, the improved H-3, which kept the engine. After succesful tests, this model gained an order of nine planes. The US Navy was…

Airco DH.4 Liberty

Airco DH.4 Liberty The Airco DH.4 was a British two-seat biplane day bomber of the First World War. It was designed by Geoffrey de Havilland (hence “DH”) for Airco, and was the first British two-seat light day-bomber to have an effective defensive armament. The DH.4 was developed as a light two-seat combat aircraft, intended to perform both aerial reconnaissance and day bomber missions. One of the early aims of the design was for it to be powered by the newly-developed Beardmore Halford Pullinger (BHP) engine, capable of generating up to…

PACKARD Le Pere LUSAC 11

PACKARD Le Pere LUSAC 11 PACKARD Le Pere LUSAC 11 The LUSAC-11 (Lepère United States Army Combat) was an early American two-seat fighter aircraft. It was a French design, commissioned and built in the United States during World War I and ordered in large numbers by the United States Army Air Corps, but these were cancelled at the end of the war, and only 30 were built. The LUSAC-11 was the perfect example of a fast and powerful “jack of all trades”, able to perform fighting missions as well as…