Help! Looking for info re: Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps 1914-16
- 11 August 2010 06:5064910He might call you an old fart for complaining Vic !!
Roger - 11 August 2010 18:5964995Gentlemen Please
- 22 September 2010 21:5872058Well, as chance would have it - Mufti badge of the Dover unit. There were probably only about 200 of these made in 1915, so I was flipping lucky!
- 22 September 2010 22:0272061You brought it ?!
We definately need a WW1 interpretation panel for the Redoubt :)Been nice knowing you :) - 22 September 2010 22:0472062let's hope the recipients were as lucky and survived until 1918.
- 22 September 2010 22:0672063Came to an arrangement Paul simply because I'll probably never see another one. I know one came up for auction four years ago and Dover Museum has one. Who knows what happened to the others? Anyone got one in great grandfather's box in the attic?
- 22 September 2010 22:1372065As far as I have been able to determine, the Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps only suffered two casualties. One was a Leading Seaman who died of a heart attack after Easter Sports Day in 1915, his grave is near the entrance to St. Mary's Cemetery. The other was a young soldier who left the DAAC and joined the Lancashire Fusiliers and died on the first day of the Somme.
Sadly they were responsible for a local death though - that of a RE motorcycle despatch rider who was knocked down on his motorbike on Castle Hill whilst they were returning at dawn from searchlight duty at the Castle. Dover was in chaos due to a heavy air raid that night and he was carrying messages to the Castle at the time the Corps lorry hit him. Very sad. - 30 November 2010 21:5782509Two new photos for you. Neither are of the Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps but are of other local units. The first is from May 1918 and shows the 41st Anti-Aircraft Company of the Royal Garrison Artillery based at Oxney.
The second is a mixed group of officials from all different services - they probably had some connection with the port. Both photos were taken by Charles Harris of 77 London Road, Dover.
- 30 November 2010 23:1582514Been on eBay recently :)Been nice knowing you :)
- 1 December 2010 15:3782563Zeppelin gun battery men pictured in 1915, published in Dover Express 4 Jan 1983:
and here are some refs to anti-aircraft corps men, from my index:
BENT, H. (Able-Bodied Seaman) 3 Company "A" crew of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps RNVR March 1914 (on list in Dover Museum)
(Gunner) H.J.A. CAVE (RGA), "now in France" eldest son of Mr and Mrs J. CAVE of 30 Dour Street, Dover. His brother Gunner C.T.CAVE is serving in RGA Anti-Aircraft Section (Dover Express 24.3.1916 p.8)
G. CHAPMAN (Able bodied), 3 Company "A" crew, of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps R N.V.R. March 1915 (on list in Dover Museum)
J.R.P. CLARKE (Sub-Lt., RNVR), 3 company "A" crew, of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps, March 1915 (on a list in Dover Museum)
CAPPER H.D., (Lt-Com. R.N.,), 3 company "A" crew, of Dover anti-aircraft corps, March 1915 (on a list exhibited in Dover Museum, c.1990s)
(Bombadier) A.E.W. EDWARDS of 3rd Kent RGA, Anti-Aircraft Section who was called up at the beginning of the war (PHOTO of him) (Dover Express 4.2.1916 p.8)
A.J.FENN (Sergt, in R.G.A.), (PHOTO of him), "a Dover lad", "valuable services rendered with anti-aircraft service in UK, formerly a tram conductor. Son of Mr and Mrs FENN of 8 Magdala Road, Dover (Dover Express 18 Jan 1918 p.3)
FALGATE, A. (Able-bodied seaman) on 3 company, A crew of Dover Anti-aircraft Corps RNVR March 1915
On LIST (in Dover museum)
(L-S) E.J. GANDY, 3rd company "A" crew of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps, RNVR March 1915 (on a list in Dover museum)
(Able-Bodied) J.A. HOLYMAN, 3 company, A crew of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps RNVR March 1915 (on a list in Dover Museum)
HIDE, J. (P.O 1) 3 company 'A' crew of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps RNVR Mar 1915 (On list Dover Museum)
HOWDEN, I. D.C. (Lt.-Com RNVR) 3 company 'A' crew of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps Mar 1915 (On list in Dover Museum)
Frederick PARKER (Leading Seaman) of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps. Funeral. 2 photos of funeral (Dover Express 30.4.1915 back page)
(A-B) J.A. PATTERSON, 3 Company, A crew of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps RNVR March 1915, on list (Dover Museum)
(Able Bodied) S.D. PERCIVAL, 3 Company, "A" Crew of Dover anti-aircraft Corps R.N.V.R., March 1915 (on a list in Dover Museum)
A.E. PRITCHARD (Able Bodied), of 3 Company, "A" Crew of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps, Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. March 1915. (on list in Dover Museum)
W.J. PUDNEY (L-S), 3 Company, "A" Crew of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps, R.N.V.R. March 1915 (this wording on a list in Dover Museum. No more information)
F. RIGDEN (C.P.O.) 3 Company, "A" Crew of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps, RNVR, March 1915
(on a list in Dover Museum)
REDFERN, G. G. (C.P.O.) 3 company "A" crew of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps RNVR Mar 1915 (On list in Dover Museum)
RIPP, G. T. (A. B.) 3 company, A crew of Dover Anti-aircraft Corps, RNVR Mar 1915 (On list in Dover Museum)
A.R. SMITH (Able bodied) 3 company "A" crew of Dover Anti-aircraft corps RNVR Mar 1915 (on a list in Dover Museum)
C. SMITH (A-B), 3 company,A crew, of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps, RNVR, Mar 1915. (on list in Dover Museum)
(Able-Bodied) W.B. THORPE, 3 Company, "A" Crew of Dover anti-Aircraft Corps RNVR March 1915 (on list in Dover Museum)
W.J. TODD, (P-O 1), 3rd Company "A" crew of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps, RNVR, March 1915 (on list in Dover museum)
(C.P.O.) B.G. TURNER, 3 Company "A" crew of Dover Anti-aircraft Corps RNVR, March 1915 (on list in Dover museum)
R.H. WATTS (Chief Bos'n R.N.), 3 Company "A" crew of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps, RNVR March 1915 (on list in Dover Museum)
(Able-Bodied) A.E.WINN, 3 Company, A Crew of Dover Anti-Aircraft Corps RNVR March 1915 (on list at Dover Museum)---------------------------------------------------
Lincolnshire Born and Bred - 3 December 2010 15:0383048Thanks everso much for the information Kath and taking the time to type it out. I wonder what exactly this museum list refers to and why it was compiled? There is some information here that is new to me, so the above is much appreciated. It's helped plugged some gaps in the lists of who was stationed at each location I have been trying to compile.
Your list accounts for about a sixth of the Corps in 1915. There were three Companies each with an 'A' and 'B' crew - the list you have represents one of the two crews stationed at Langdon fort, the others being Dover Castle and the Drop Redoubt. Somewhere out there there must have been lists of the other five companies - I've been through the Dover Museum files and can't find them so sadly they may be lost.
The clipping actually depicts soldiers of the 3rd Kent Royal Garrison Artillery who manned the guns at the three locations - they would have been in direct telephone contact with the Dover AA Corps who operated the searchlights only. As they were a RNVR organisation, it was an unusual instance of inter-service co-operation. The Army was not particularly happy with the arrangement and pushed to takeover the RNVR role, which did eventually happen in August 1916.
Thanks again. - 3 December 2010 23:5683162Glad the list was of some use, Phil. It is only a small percentage, as you say.
I put the names into my E.Kent index as I saw them amongst other items, in Dover Museum.
Since I started my index many years ago it has been a case of opportunity to record names I see listed in various records.
I think the museum list was in a case displaying other WW2 items, not far from the doorway in the exhibition room.---------------------------------------------------
Lincolnshire Born and Bred - 25 January 2011 03:4590149This is Zeppelin L.12 mentioned in #50 above. She was damaged by shellfire from the Dover guns and limped across to the Belgian coast, losing gas all the way, finally ditching and being towed into Ostend by a destroyer. Either the Dover guns, the landing on the water or a subsequent attack by RNAS aircraft caused her to break her back and she was damaged beyond repair.
There is a copy of the Aviation Issue of Bygone Kent on Ebay at the moment, for anybody interested. It is packed with interesting stuff about Dover and elsewhere.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bygone-Kent-2-5-Coxwell-Dover-papermaking-Deal-Sheppey-/380309396361?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item588c34db89
- 25 January 2011 05:0090150Blast...to think I gave away a large number of old original postcards depicting airships at Hawkinge.At least I think it was Hawkinge near Folkestone...
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
