WW1 At Home: Shorncliffe Cemetery

Posted on February 10, 2024 by

24 Comments

Returning to the History of the First World War we find on our doorsteps, we visit Shorncliffe in Kent to record an episode onsite. Here during the Great War were an Army Garrison, along with a major training centre. We discover the important role of the Canadians at Shorncliffe, the men of the Chinese Labour Corps who had their camp here, and also discuss the first Gotha Bomber raid on Britain by the Germans in 1917.

LOCATION MAP:

Podcast Extras: WW1 Images

Podcast Extras: Shorncliffe Today

Category: Kent WW1, Podcast Episode, WW1 at Home

24 Comments on “WW1 At Home: Shorncliffe Cemetery”

  1. Thanks for an interesting listen. The full Doogan story has many layers to it, well worth checking out. CWGC volunteers run tours of the cemetery as do one or two local historians; the Shorncliffe Trust offers tours of the remains of the redoubt, training area and cemetery.

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  3. As it is Chinese New Year. For part of the First World War the Biship of Hunan, China was a Canadian Soldier at Shorncliffe. He took part in the ceremony to consecrate part of the main CWGC Section.ā€‚A Dean of Shanghai’s ashes were scattered in the cemetery after WW2.

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  4. Private Fred Wykes, (Great Uncle Fred) 60th Battalion CEF spent time at Shorncliffe before being shipped to France and Belgium and was killed by a sniper on 21st April 1916

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  6. Thanks again for the Canadian content, Paul. Shorncliffe Cemetery houses more fascinating stories from The Great War. The collateral damage of the war is on displayed here along with the multitude of interlinked lives that met in a lessor known cemetery on the Channel Coast. BurkešŸ‡ØšŸ‡¦

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  7. Thanks for another great episode, Paul. Always so interested to hear the stories of our Canadians. I canā€™t imagine the heartache of losing a 17 year old son. We will remember them. šŸ‡ØšŸ‡¦

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  8. Thanks for a fascinating podcast Paul. I was drawn to Pte Doogan’s story because I will be visiting the battlefield where he won his VC next month (Laings Nek) on a guided Boer War battlefield trip. While there is sadness in the loss of his two sons he seems to have lived a full and to a degree a colourful life. He had 10 children in all and was an innocent party to a bigamous marriage! Also, Major Brownlow, the officer whose life he saved at Laings Nek, thereby winning his VC, left him an annuity of Ā£20 per year. Not a life changing amount though as according to the Wikipedia entry it was worth Ā£600 in 2005.

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  9. Really enjoyed the podcast, having visited the barrack at Shorncliff, St Martinā€™s Plain and Sir John Moor Barracks numerous times. Regrettably I did not visit the cemetery at Shorncliff and really wish I had having listened to your really interesting podcast.

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  11. Paul,

    Thanks forā€‚the interesting account of the Gotha Bombers.ā€‚While the battles in the trenches were strictly military conflicts between proper soldiers, the air raids were meant to kill civilians as well, against conventions -and served as a pointer to future wars (e.g. current times!) where the common man would be equally vulnerable.

    Vij

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  12. When I was researching the WW1 career of my G.G. Grandfather who was in 1st Bttn East Kent Regiment, I recall the war diary states that news of the Gotha raid on Folkestone reached the men and a retaliatory trench raid was carried out.

    Carlos

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