Dymchurch

Dymchurch is a village and civil parish in the Folkestone and Hythe district of Kent, England. The village is located on the coast five miles (8 km) south-west of Hythe, and on the Romney Marsh.

Dymchurch
Dymchurch Beach
Dymchurch Location within Kent
Population	3,752 (2011)
District	Folkestone and Hythe
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ROMNEY MARSH
Postcode district	TN29
Dialling code	01303
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Folkestone and Hythe

History

The history of Dymchurch began with the gradual build-up of the Romney Marsh.

New Hall was rebuilt in 1575 after an earlier wooden structure was destroyed in a fire. It was used as a court room for the Romney Marsh area. The head magistrate was known as Leveller of the Marsh Scotts. It was there that the so-called Scot tax was introduced, levied on residents to fund maintenance of the sea wall. Those directly outside the boundaries and thus not eligible for the tax were said to have got away "scot free". Residents with land were required to grow thorn bushes for building of the wall, as thorn twigs were believed impervious to sea water. Failure resulted in an ear being cut off.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, smuggling was rife all along the south-east coast of England. Due to its remote location, Romney Marsh and the surrounding areas were amongst the busiest locations for illicit trade. This inspired Russell Thorndike to set his Doctor Syn smuggling novels in Dymchurch. Every two years a celebration of the novels is held, usually on August Bank Holiday.

Dymchurch played a significant rôle in the Anglo-French Survey (1784–1790), which linked the Royal Greenwich Observatory with the Paris Observatory using trigonometry. There were two baselines for the English part of the survey, on Hounslow Heath and on Romney Marsh. The Romney Marsh base-line extended from Ruckinge to High Nook, on the sea-wall near Dymchurch.

Dymchurch Martello towers

Main article: Martello tower

Several Martello towers were built in the nineteenth century as part of an Empire-wide coastal defence programme: most have since fallen into the sea or become dilapidated. Tower 23 was restored externally in the early 1970s and is currently a private residence. Tower 24 has undergone renovation and using Tower 23 used as a guide: in 1969 it became the first Martello tower to be opened to the public and remains as a museum of Martello Towers, owned by English Heritage. Tower 25 is possibly the only empty tower that is regularly maintained.

Dymchurch Redoubt

Main article: Dymchurch Redoubt

Two redoubt forts were constructed into the south coast Martello chain to act as supply depots for the local Martellos, and were originally described as "eleven-gun towers". A four-gun tower was originally proposed at Dymchurch, but this idea was revised at the Rochester conference of 1804. Dymchurch Redoubt was built between 1806 and 1809 to the same specifications as its Eastbourne counterpart, although Dymchurch does not have any caponiers. A caponier is a type of fortification structure. The word originates from the French word caponnière. It is a type of fortification structure which allows firing along the bottom of a dry moat that surrounds the main fortress.

The Dymchurch Redoubt

In 1908, Walter Jerrold described the village as "a quiet scattered village and a delightful place far from the madding crowd". It is typical of this part of the coast, having originally been a very small village which became a much larger settlement during the 1930s. Many of homes from this era were converted railway carriages: very few of these remain, although a few similar ones still exist in nearby Dungeness. Dymchurch is now a popular seaside resort complete with holiday camp, caravan parks, light railway station and amusement park. Today the village is relatively large and mainly dedicated to seasonal tourism.

Second World War

• On 24 August 1940, Dymchurch was bombed and the first local people were killed by enemy action, Alfred and Ada Austin. Their house, Sea Breeze, was rebuilt.
• The Observer Corps used Martello Tower 25 as a vantage post and it was from there, later in the war that the first V-1 flying bomb to fly over England was spotted.
• In 1942, the primary school suffered a direct hit from a bomb dropped from a plane. The teacher and pupils had escaped to the bomb shelter, and there were no reported casualties. In February 1944 a USAF Flying Fortress developed engine trouble while returning from a bombing raid and crashed into the police station, damaging several neighbouring houses in Lyndhurst Road. A soldier was killed and three people injured.
• In May 1944, 22 soldiers were killed by the explosion of anti-tank grenades at Dymchurch. The cause of the explosion was uncertain; at the inquest it was suggested that it may have been the heat of the sun, or a match-head falling into a box of detonators.

Folkestone and Hythe Herald 3rd June 1944

Grenades Explode : 22 Dead

Tragedy During Instruction of Platoon Major Gives Three Possible Explanations

An officer and 21 other ranks were killed and several others were wounded when three boxes of anti-tank grenades exploded whilst instruction was being given to a platoon, it was revealed at an inquest at Dymchurch on Thursday. Three possible explanations for the explosion were given by an Army officer - an 'Act of God', the heat of the sun, or a match head igniting in a box of detonators. The inquest was conducted by the Coroner for Romney Marsh, Major C. F. Krabbe, with an Assessor, Mr J. E. Chapple. They sat without a jury. A verdict of accidental death was returned in each case.

THE KILLED

The men killed were; Lieut. Guy Bracey Stephen Wilson (28), 7 Hutcheson Drive, Largs, Ayrshire; Sergt. Herbert Hill (23), 26 Adelaide Road, Elvington; L/Sergt. Robert Ketteringham (25), 48 Sterte Road, Poole; L/Cpl. John Phylokypros (24), 59 Turrell Avenue, near Donnington; L/Cpl. Stanley William Harwood (29), 99 Doncaster Road, Leicester; L/Cpl. Leonard Landsdown (29), Ladymead Bakery, Walcot, Bath; Pte. Wilfred Arthur Blackmore (21), 3 Blacklands Street, Bridgewater; Pte. Sidney Boatfield (37), 12 Glenavon Road, Mannamead, Plymouth; Pte. Cecil Bishop (29), 1 New Houses, Backgarden Street, Castleford; Pte. Francis William Chidgley (22), 59 Station Road, Fishponds, Bristol; Pte. Leonard Percy Dicker (19), 62 Fairlight Road, Ore, Hastings; Pte. Bernard Dean (20), 6 Water Street, Accrington; Pte. Percy Deverill (32), High Road, Broadchalke, Salisbury; Pte. Arthur George Foster (24), 29 Banbury Crescent, Southmead, Bristol; Pte. William Gibbs (18), 16 Carlow Road, Knowle West, Bristol; Pte. Alfred Hunt (26), 86 Byron Street, Derby; Pte. Ronald Lewis (21), 20 The Maudlins, Tenby; Pte. James Robinson (24), 133 Manchester Road, Mossley near Manchester; Pte. George Roberts, (21) c/o Dr Dwyer, Laburnam House, Taffenhall, near Chester; Pte. Dennis Sydenham (21), 97 Cheddon Road, Taunton; Pte. Norman Tucker (21), 23 Coronation Road, Rack Park, Kingsbridge, S. Devon; Pte. Robert Watson (29), 50 Orchard Road, Leigh Avenue, Enfield Highway, Middlesex.

C.S.M H. J. Smith said on Monday morning he was on duty with his company, and was present when a platoon, with Lt. Wilson, were paraded. The men in the platoon were to be instructed in anti-tank measures. A little later witness heard an explosion - rather too loud for one grenade - and he looked towards where the platoon should have been working on the beach. “I saw debris in the air where the men were working,”' witness said, “and I ran to the beach. I could see that a number of men had been killed and others injured.” Witness looked around, but could not see any grenades lying about. DETONATORS SEALED

Cpl. Clarence Ernest Oxby said he was one of the men paraded on Monday morning. Lt. Wilson was in charge of the platoon. “Lt. Wilson and Sgt. Hill fetched three boxes of anti-tank grenades and gave them to the first three men.” witness said. “We marched to the sea wall and halted. Sgt. Hill went over the wall first and supervised the handling of the grenades over the wall. “The detonators were inside a flat tin, sealed and inside the other boxes. I never saw a fuse at all. “We marched along the sea wall, and Sgt. Hill supervised the seating of the platoon on the steps. The boxes of grenades were on a step in front of the platoon.

DEMONSTRATION

“Lt. Wilson spoke to the class,” witness continued, “and said they would have to throw two grenades each as a prepared charge. “The lids of the boxes were open. Lt. Wilson said he would demonstrate how to prepare the grenade for a prepared charge. “He then took out a grenade and showed the class how to take off the pressure plate. “Lt. Wilson threw the plate down on the sand and put the grenade back in the box,” witness said. “Lt. Wilson then cut off a piece of safety fuse, eight inches long, took a detonator box from the grenade box, and with a jack knife he cut off the sealing wax.

HOW TO LIGHT A FUSE

“He took out a detonator and showed the class how to insert the fuse into the detonator. “He showed us how to secure the detonator and fuse, and later he took out the fuse and detonator. He put the grenade back in the box, took the detonator off the fuse and put it back in the detonator box. “Lt. Wilson said he would show us how to light the fuse in the correct way,” witness continued, “and he took up a box of vestas from his pocket. “He took the fuse and held it in his left hand with a match. With his right hand he struck the matchbox downwards. “The first match went out without lighting the fuse, and he took a second match from the box and struck it in the same way.

TERRIFIC EXPLOSION

“The fuse began to burn. Lt. Wilson was talking to the class when there was a terrific explosion.” Replying to the Coroner, witness said it would have been impossible for the head of the first match to have fallen into the box. “I was blown into the air and came down on the concrete,” witness added. “Lt. Wilson and Sgt. Hill were the only two standing when the explosion occurred.” Major Arthur William Vickers said Lt. Wilson was fully qualified to carry out the instruction.

POSSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS

There were three possible explanations for the explosion. One was the heat of the sun; the second was the possibility of the detonator going off from the match; and the third, an Act of God. A Coroner: You cannot rule out any possibility, however remote? Witness: No, sir. A chemical friction agent might have gone off through the heat. The Coroner said there was only one possible verdict to return - “Accidental Death.” It was not just an ordinary official feeling of regret when he said he expressed sympathy with the Commanding Officer, officers and men of the regiment, who had lost some grand men. The Coroner praised Cpl. Oxby for the very able manner in which he had given his evidence.

• Dymchurch underwent significant re-fortification during the Second World War, with bunkers and pillboxes. The gun platforms were encased in concrete for machine guns to be mounted, artillery emplacements constructed and an observation post erected. On the western extreme of the Hythe Ranges, during the 1970s the Redoubt was being used by the British Army for training soldiers for urban combat. The ranges remain in the possession of the Ministry of Defence.

Governance

Dymchurch is part of the electoral ward of Dymchurch and St Mary's Bay. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 6,291. In 2018, Thomas Quaye was elected to the Parish Council.

Famous residents and cultural connections

In January 1867, the Courier de Dieppe was spotted foundering in a gale off Dymchurch, with the crew clinging to the rigging and one by one dropping off into the sea. After repeated attempts, a line was thrown to the boat, but by this time there was only one of its crew left. The Reverend Charles Cobb, rector of the parish, volunteered to swim to the boat to try to save the last man. Encouraged by his wife and the gathered crowd, he dived into the troubled waters and swam the 50 feet or more to the vessel. He was then joined by a local coastguard, John Batist. Together they reached the trapped man, and managed to carry and drag him back to shore, where they received much applause for their heroism. The rescued man was the only survivor of a crew of four from the ship. Cobb was awarded the Albert Medal of the First Class and Batist was awarded the Albert Medal of the Second Class. The street nearest to where this heroic action occurred was later named "Charles Cobb Close" in his memory.

The artist Paul Nash settled in Dymchurch in 1919, and lived there for a number of years, painting a number of important paintings, as well as producing lithographs and wood engravings, based on the sea wall and the surrounding countryside.

Dymchurch is the setting for the opening and concluding scenes of 1964 film First Men in the Moon, although these sequences were not actually filmed in the town, nor on the Moon.

Transport

The main road into the village is the A259.

The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway was originally opened in the 1920s, but closed temporarily during the Second World War. Dymchurch railway station was reopened after the war by Laurel and Hardy.

Bus routes

Three main bus routes serve the area: the 100, 101 and 102 Dover to Lydd-on-Sea or Hastings via Lydd, operated by Stagecoach.

Tourism

Beach

Dymchurch has a blue flag awarded sandy beach and is surrounded by flat countryside that is well suited to walking and cycling. It has two nearby holiday parks, and an amusement park with "the usual offering of Ghost Train, Dodgems, Log Flume and other rides which will keep the whole family entertained".

The Dr Syn Books

Russell Thorndike, the creator of Doctor Syn, was born on 6 February 1885 in Rochester, Kent.

Thorndike was a British actor and novelist, best known for the Dr Syn of Romney Marsh novels, and brother of renowned actress Dame Sybil Thorndike. Thorndike's first appearance on stage was in Cambridge in 1904.

In 1914, Thorndike joined the army as a trooper in the 1st Westminster Dragoons, but due to being severely wounded at Gallipoli in 1916, he was discharged and returned to acting.

Touring the US with his sister and a theatrical company, a murder took place outside their hotel. The body was left all night on the street below their window. Unable to sleep, they passed the time by telling stories. The character of Dr Syn is said to have been created that night.

Due to his successful life as both a Shakespearean actor, a writer and playwright, in 1922 Thorndike played the leading man in his own Dr Syn play, which he adapted from his books.

During his lifetime, Thorndike created and published seven Dr Syn novels; he died on 7 November 1972.

Several films featuring Dr Syn were made in and around Dymchurch, including Doctor Syn (1937) with George Arliss, Captain Clegg – the lead character was renamed for legal reasons (1962) featuring Peter Cushing, and the Disney TV film The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1963) with Patrick McGoohan.

Russell Thorndike was buried in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul's Church, Dymchurch.

RH&DR

There is a railway station here, with frequent steam trains running along the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway.

Sea defences

Dymchurch has had a sea wall since Roman times, with the original development being constructed to protect the harbour at Port Lympne. The original structure is believed to have run for some 4 miles and to have stood 20 ft high. This wall, together with the Rhee Wall erected between New Romney and Appledore, ensured that the rich alluvial land deposited by the river Limen (Rother) which had initially been used as salt pans, slowly became rich and fertile farmland.

In July 2011, a new sea wall, built at a cost of £60 million, was officially opened by Chris Smith, Chairman of the Environment Agency. He announced that "the scheme was implemented by the Environment Agency as part of the wider Folkestone to Cliff End Sea Defence Strategy, the sea defence project which will protect 2,500 properties from flooding. The high cost of flooding underlines the importance of investment in reducing flood risk." He also added "The agency said storms and raised sea levels are due with climate change."

The wall between the High Knocke Estate and Dymchurch won a British Construction Industry Award in 2011.

The new wall allows pedestrians to walk the sea shore for the entire length of the village, approximately four miles, from Hythe Military Rifle Ranges in the East to St Mary's Bay Boundary in the West. Cyclists have the same freedom but must dismount for about 500m around the area of the public amenities. Dymchurch Wall

Population

The population has grown due to large development since 2001 and is estimated at 5820 (Est 2004). The village has one primary school which was rated "requires improvement" by ofsted in 2018. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is broadly average. Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic heritages is much lower than average, as is the percentage who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly average, although in some year groups it is much higher. The school caters for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage in a Reception class. The school has about 180 pupils. (Source: OFSTED Report 2011)

Buildings of note

The Norman church in Dymchurch

Dedicated to St Peter & St Paul, is classic Norman, built in about 1150. The first recorded rector was Richard de Bello in 1260. The church remained virtually unchanged for nearly 700 years. In 1821 the population of Dymchurch increased to the point where extensions and modifications were required, and the north aisle was extended and the nave re-roofed giving the church its present lop-sided appearance.

Commonwealth War Grave

The village holds one war grave from the Second World War – 1074227 Gnr Arthur William Heyhoe, 519 Coast Rgt, Royal Artillery, who is the only soldier buried in the Dymchurch cemetery under a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone. Arthur died, on 20 November 1940 his 28th birthday. He was serving as an anti-aircraft artillery Gunner overnight at Dover, and on the regrouping of his Battery in the morning, he was found to be 'Missing In Action', 'MIA'. His body was found later that day, having washed up on the beach at Dymchurch very close to where he is now laid to rest.

Arthur is also remembered on the war memorial at Tilney St Lawrence, Wisbech, Norfolk. Arthur's birth was recorded in Mitford, Norfolk. The local Branch of the Royal British Legion remember him every year.

Local media

Newspapers

Dymchurch has two paid-for newspapers, the Romney Marsh Herald (published by Kent Regional News and Media) and the Kentish Express (published by the KM Group). Free newspapers for the area include the Folkestone and Hythe Extra, part of the KM Group, and Your Shepway, part of KOS Media.

Radio

The local radio station for Dymchurch is KMFM Shepway and White Cliffs Country. The area is also served by the county-wide stations Heart, Gold and BBC Radio Kent. Cinque Ports Radio 100.2FM is the community radio station for Romney Marsh, Hythe and Rye and has been broadcasting since 7 March 2022. This replaced Shoreline FM which broadcast since January 2020 and is now an online radio service for Romney Marsh called Shoreline Easy

References

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  A view along the High Street
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  Donkey rides on the beach
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  The beach looking towards Hythe
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  A view of the High Street looking from Eastbridge Road

External links

• Community website

Media related to Dymchurch at Wikimedia Commons

BOOK: Eighth Airforce Bomber stories AUTHOR: Ian McLachlan / Russell J Zorn Chapter 9: The Dymchurch Bomber Recounting the story of the USAAF Heavy Bomber that crashed in Lyndhurst Road.