Private E. A. Bateman Private E.A. Bateman enlisted on the 1st of August 1914 and served with the 9th Battalion, Queens’ own Royal West Kent Regiment during World War 1. He was the son of Mr and Mrs Batement of Weston Grove, Bromley. If you have any details that we can add about this soldier, then please get in touch. Source: Bromley & District Times, 13th August 1915 (page 7)
Tag: Bromley
South Hill Woods, Bromley
South Hill Woods (Bromley) Written by PAM PREEDY, historian & author. A wealth of flora and fauna At the end of Westmoreland Road is a wooded park frequented by bowlers, tennis players, dog walkers and those just out for fresh air, South Hill Woods. Today it has regenerated into a wild woodland habitat, with a wealth of flora and fauna, including woodpeckers, nuthatches, two species of bat, and a variety of insects, bees, centipedes, and battles inhabiting the rich variety of trees, such as oak, ash, hazel and beech. The…
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…
Leading-Stoker Charles William Venters
Leading-Stoker Charles WIlliam Venters Lost at Sea Charles William Venters was the son of William G.T. and Rose Venters of Wharton Road, Bromley (Kent). Charles attended Wharton Road Council School and later joined up to the Royal Navy where he served for 7 years, for most part onboard HMS Queen Mary. HMS Queen Mary was the last battlecruiser built by the Royal Navy before the First World War. Completed in 1913, she participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight as part of the Grand Fleet in 1914. A battle also served by Leading Stoker Venters. On…
Sergeant C. Allington
Sergeant C. Allington Sergeant C. Allington, of North Road, Bromley (Kent), joined Regular Army in 1914 and went out with the first contingent of the Bromley Volunteers at the time of the South African War in 2nd Volunteer Battalion of Royal West Kent Regiment. He had previously served first with Royal West Kent Regiment, then with the Army Service Corps in France (attached to the Royal Engineers), and had previously been with the Suffolk Regiment in India. He died on 23rd July, 1920 after a long illness caused by being…
Leading-stoker Ernest Bourne
Leading-Stoker Ernest Bourne Ernest Bourne of Canon Road, Bromley (Kent) spent 8 and a half years with navy on HMS Hecla, and a further 2 years on foreign service including China & Japan. On leaving the service he became a fireman of the London Fire Brigade Bourne served at Cannon Street, Sydenham & Clapham, before moving to Poplar workhouse where he worked for about 3 years before being called up for World War 1. During WW1 he served with the Royal Naval Reserve onboard HMS Aboukir. Sadly Bourne did not…
Horses in the First World War
Horses in the First World War Written by Pam Preedy. We sometimes forget that horses were essential to the Army during World War One. Much attention has been focused on the dreadful conditions and sufferings of the men in the trenches, yet the suffering was shared by the horses as seen in the book, play and film War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. All the armies used horses and mules. At the outbreak of war, there were 25,000 horses at the disposal of the British Army. Under the Horse Mobilisation Scheme of…
The First Boys of Bromley Who Went Away to War
The First Boys of Bromley Who Went Away to War Busy scenes in Bromley (BDT 7th August 1914) After weeks of speculation and mounting tensions, on Tuesday 4th August 1914, at 8am, the German Army invaded Belgium. Britain leapt to defend their little ally and an ultimatum was immediately sent to Germany to withdraw its troops. When no response was received by 11pm that evening, Britain declared war on Germany. The men of Bromley were ready to play their part in the forthcoming war. Many were already trained for battle…
The 1944 Education Act & Bromley Technical High School for Girls
The 1944 Education Act & Bromley Technical High School for Girls Written by Pam Preedy. The 1944 Education Act was groundbreaking. It replaced the previous education system with three separate stages that we would recognise today: primary, secondary and further education. It also introduced a three-tiered system to secondary education: grammar, technical and secondary modern schools. The dreaded 11+ test was introduced to decide which type of secondary school a child should enter. The Act also provided for the raising of the school leaving age from 14 to 15; this…
Basham Brothers Missing, 1942
Basham Brothers Missing in Action It must have been bad enough having one son go missing in action, but it must have been almost unbearable having two. This article featured in the Bromley & District Times local newspaper, reporting on two brothers who were reported missing after the fall of Singapore in 1942. The brothers were the sons of Benjamin and Rose Basham of Bromley. Bennett Thomas Basham was married to Constance Elsie (of Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk) who was living with his mother during the war. Both brothers were members…