Herne & Broomfield Local History Group

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS 2023/2024

2023 December 5th A Load of Old Gas - Mick Hills Herne Bay resident explores the stories behind and development of Herne Bay’s Gas Industry

2024 February 6th FOUNDING AMERICA - An illustrated presentation by Heritage and Learning Officer Martin Crowther on Cushman of Canterbury and the Mayflower Story

March 5th The Railway & Friendly Convalescent Homes Beltinge – Railway Historian Mark Jones looks at the philanthropic work of John Passmore Edwards

April 2nd The History of Bourne Park House Bishopsbourne - a Queen Anne style mansion with gardens featuring an 18th century Lime Avenue Illustrated talk by Dr Avril Leach

A MEETING NOT TO BE MISSED

This year commemorates 80 years of the D-Day Normandy Landings in 1944

May 7th Operation Fortitude - The Secret Success of D Day Illustrated talk by Len Howell; Part of the successful Military Deception Strategy by the Allied Army prior to the D-Day Normandy Landings on June 6th 1944

June 4th Sheppey WW1 Royal Naval Air Station Martin and Rosemary Hawkins from Eastchurch Aviation Museum look at the History of this important site in the First World War

July 2nd Outdoor Visit

September 3rd Local Renewable Energy Through Time – from Strode Park Electricity supply to 20th century technology H&BLHG Committee member John Davison explores the input of local engineering projects with National and European connections

October 1st History of your Village through Photographs, Documents and Ephemera - A History Group Presentation using Group Archives

More details and Venue to be announced

REMEMBERING HERNE’S WORLD WAR ONE

ROYAL NAVY HEROES

PERCY GEORGE KEEN is one of seven Royal Navy men of the sixty-six remembered on Herne’s WW1 Memorial. Percy born in 1889, came from a long established Herne family. His parents Alfred and Susan Keen (pictured with Percy) lived at Keens/Golf Cottages Eddington – near the site of today’s old Thanet Way roundabout. He joined the Royal Navy in 1909 as a Stoker and saw service with the Atlantic Fleet and North America and West Indies Stations. On January 24th 1918 then a Leading Stoker, Percy was on H.M. Steam Tug Desire towing two lighter boats (landing crafts) along the East Yorkshire coast to the Naval base at Rosyth when they were attacked by German U boat UB34. Sadly Percy did not survive his harrowing ordeal. He is also remembered on the Naval Memorial to the missing at Chatham.

FREDERICK (FRED) JAMES TAYLOR Petty Officer Stoker is another of Herne’s Royal Navy Heroes. Born in 1876 he signed up aged 20 and saw service in the China Seas and around the world. By 1906 he was part of the Channel Fleet defending the English Channel. Fred was discharged from the Navy in 1916 with ‘shell shock’ after a long and arduous service and was awarded the Long Service & Good Conduct Medal. He died in 1917 is buried in Whitstable Cemetery and also remembered on Whitstable War Memorial.

The full account of what happened to Percy Keen - his Petty Officer and crew, and Fred Taylor’s story are told in Herne’s Heroes - Remembering the Fallen on Herne’s WW1 Memorial first published in 2017 and still available (£15) from author and Herne & Broomfield History Group Secretary Sylvia McKean 01227 281257

Sylvia McKean

October 26th 2022