I am working on a project for some of my Canadian Friends about when Canadian troops were stationed at Barham one min they were there and over night they had gone do any of our History Buffs know anything about were they might have been,I believe there is a Mr fox some were in Barham that has a great history of them if any one knows how to contact him any help would be welcome. It is said that there was a wall with all there names on and one night a special plane landed and took this away only this gentleman knows the story. I believe they left for Normandy leaving everything behind. Thank you in anticipation of your help.
I don't know about Barham but Canadian troops where stationed at Blean. Blean has a little museum and photos. There may be some info that might assist you. Blean has a website. With contact details.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
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I'm not able to help with local Canadian involvement but I would just like to add a picture of the Canadian War Memorial Garden in Dieppe. Shamed to say it but it wasnt until I went to Dieppe last year that I knew the extent of the Canadian involvement and sadly..the extent of the awful losses they endured on the beaches of Dieppe and Pourville just further down the coast. They are very well remembered there in those towns.
Pic of the beautiful Canadian memorial garden underneath the Castle in Dieppe.
Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
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It also doesn't hurt to remember that it was the Canadian 1st Army that silenced the guns firing at Dover.
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
Thanks guys will follow every lead
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,894
I think there were some in the Tilmanstone area but they might have been Americans not Canadians
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
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The highways and byways of Kent and many of the ale houses too were athrong with servicemen waiting for their orders to move off to some front or other. I got a feel for this through reading the memoir of Sam Kydd who was billeted at Paddock Wood and Ashford before he was sped off to France via Dover 21st May 1940. Possibly too early for the Commonwealth troops to drop in.
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
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Canadian Airforce personnel were billeted in our home during the war.Mill lane Shepherdswell.
Renovations thirty years ago uncovered interesting telephone system and concrete water storage ( 48,000 gallon ) but we are not sure they installed it.
Guest 705- Registered: 23 Sep 2010
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I believe that the Canadian troops based at Barham manned the 'Bosche Buster' Railway Gun at nearby Bishopsbourne on the Elham Valley Line.
Never give up...
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
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I don't have enough information on this particular subject to begin a new thread, but there is a connection with the current theme. I heard this on the Radio4 Today prog this morning...
"A diary kept by Rodney Foster about what it was like to be in the Home Guard in Kent, with entries for every single day of World War II from 1940 onwards, is being published this week. Shaun Sewell, an antique dealer who found the diary and Mr Foster's great-niece Anne Kingston talk about the discovery of the manuscript. "
They did say it was on the Kent coast, but not exactly where.
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
In November 1939 Lt Col Cleeve was tasked with forming a Super Heavy Railway Regiment and he searched Britain for railway mountings. He found three mountings rusting away in a shed at RAOC Depot Chilwell. They were Boche Buster, Scene Shifter and a third unfinished and not named later to become Gladiator, all empty of their barrels. later someone found Peacemaker and all were sent to be refurbished.
When Churchill looked the defences of the Dover area he ordered three 13.5inch barrels recently offered by the Navy - from the Duke class battleship reserves. The 13.5-inch barrels were designed to be close enough to the dimensions of the 14inch BL to be fitted to the same carriages. They were fitted to the 14-inch Mountings Gladiator, Scene-Shifter and Piecemaker. (Note the subtle change of name).
Here is Piecemaker outside Dover in March 1943
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
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The following information regards the downing of a Dornier over Barham on 13 August 1940:
"Soldiers of the London Scottish Regiment arrived on the scene very soon with fixed bayonets and the aircrew was then taken into custody by them."
They came out of the Blue rifles and bayonets levelled
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
tom mentions in posts 10 and 11 about a diary kept by a home guard cove during the last war.
just caught a bit of it on the "one show", should be on the b.b.c website.
I have found Mr fox from Barham we are going to interview him on video on Tuesday, in the woods on his land the Canadians were stationed they left everything behind during the night they were sent to Normandy will let you know what happens after Tuesday thank you all for all your input
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
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Had this information through from former member Jimmy Long on the local Canadian situation....
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Dear Paul,
I note on article on the forum by a Mr Alan Taylor enquiring about the Canadian presence in Barham during the second world war.
Could you inform him that canadian service men were stationed in the field directly behind the Jack Daw inn.
Jimmy Long
Thank you Paulb and Mr Long a great help
