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…
Tag: Keston
The Foxwell Brothers
In this article we focus on the Foxwell family, who resided in the Keston area of Bromley during the second world war years. Their father, George Foxwell was well known in the area, having had connections with many local clubs including Keston Men’s Club, Keston Football Club and Keston Cricket Club. George had served in the first war world with the Motor Transport and the Tank Corps, and his three sons; Leslie, Edward and Kenneth, all followed suit and served with the RAF during World War Two. The article below…
The Wedding of Rodney Russell and Nancy Tapper
The second world war saw a sudden increase in weddings, mostly likely due to the uncertainty of what lay ahead and for those anxious to formalise their relationship. There was also, no doubt, a need for hope and joy, so these men and women overcame a variety of obstacles including bombs and rationing with ingenuity to make their way to the altar. The marriage of Sub-Lieutenant Russel and Miss Tapper took place in March 1941, and was described as a quiet wedding “befitting war-time.” More examples of wonderful War Time…
Keston’s Home industry: Fruit Preserving in War-Time
There are few more interesting branches of war service than the homely fruit preserving work which is being undertaken by the eight Women’s Institutes forming the Bromley District. The headquarters of the movement at Little Orchard, Keston, have been rented from the proprietors of Heathfield School, and consists of nearly all the ground floor, which in addition to several large rooms has a number of pantries, cupboards, and storerooms admirably suited to the purpose. A visit was paid by a representative of the Kentish Times, who was amazed at the…
Inmates of the ‘Grim Grey House” given a holiday… stories from the Workhouse
Workhouses, like the one in Bromley (now the PRU hospital), often organised holiday outings for the inmates. This article reports their annual outing in 1918 to the park at Hollydene in Keston, which the ‘poor folk’ were given to their disposal for the day. The article highlights the restrictions to food, high prices and rationing which had to be adhered to, but also the generous donations of toys, in spite of the high prices, and other supplies from local residents. But in spite of all this, the ‘poor folk’ still had…