Another photograph from that first post-war Gala shows a theme-group of young teenagers on the market field with a serious message to impart – No More War!
Reference: WH0684
The location is Costells meadow and the driver of the lorry is Ted Boakes. Does anyone know what the theme was?
Reference: WH0690
The procession marched to Squerryes cricket ground where tea was provided for the children. They were afterwards, along with all the other children of the town, presented with medals, commemorative of the day, by the Honourable Mrs. Warde, Lieutenant John Warde and Miss Warde.
Reference: WH0693
In the Coronation year of Queen Elizabeth II, a smart new ‘Taylor Walker’ lorry from the Black Eagle brewery makes its way through Market Square. We are informed ‘Beer is Best’, but it is impossible to see what the theme of the float was.
Reference: WH0697
From Percy Reid’s ‘Churchill Townsman of Westerham’: “…Already on his second visit, Churchill’s interest in the carnival was obvious He chatted for some minutes with the year’s carnival queen Jacqueline Musaphia, commented to those near him that entries seemed more numerous than the year before, and gained great laughs from the crowd when, referring to ...
Reference: WH0700
The 1990 Gala procession makes its way along London Road heading towards Quebec Avenue. Note the children just casually seated on the trailer in a less regulated age. The Gala would last just two more years after this one and after the 1992 Gala the Committee called it a day. Why? The answer is not straightforward ...
Reference: WH0702
Gaily dressed horse-drawn floats pass the Constitutional Club in Sundridge on a wet summers afternoon in 1933.
Reference: WH0703
Such was the excitement that work on the proposed Westerham Valley Railway would begin at last, that Col. Warde ordered a banquet be held in the Public Hall to celebrate the momentous occasion for which they had waited so long. The date was set for Wednesday October 1st 1879, with work on the railway ...
Reference: WH0704
Peace Celebration Saturday July 19th 1919 The front banner proclaimed ‘This is the Town of Westerham’. The next banner simply said ‘These are the Men who manage the Town of Westerham.’ The following banner said ‘These are the Women who manage the Men who manage the Town of Westerham’ and the final banner said ‘These are the Children ...
Reference: WH0705
Peace Celebration Saturday July 19th 1919 Country-wide cities, towns and villages all celebrated peace on the same day in July 1919. In Westerham a victory procession moves round Green with the Town Band led by a Town Crier behind whom walked two young ladies in hooded cloaks carrying a banner that proclaimed ‘This is the Town ...
Reference: WH0706
In 2014 Westerham Town Partnership held an event called ‘Westerham remembers the Summer of 1914’ in which the shop windows displayed adverts and artefacts from what they had been at that time, the road was closed for a uniformed procession and a dedicated bunch of volunteers built a WWI trench in the garden of the ...
Reference: 0096
1948 was the year of the first post-war Gala and spelt a milestone for Westerham, along with the rest of the country, getting back on its feet again. Rationing was far from over at this point, and would continue until 1954/5 with some foodstuffs, including sweets!
Reference: WH0707
Victory Celebrations June Heath “…At the end of the war the community feeling here was terrific, there were parties at Charlie Sharp’s garage and in all the Pubs, everywhere was alive and, everyone was very friendly – the community feeling was something that I felt or noticed that I hadn’t so much through the war years, ...
Reference: WH0694