War Memories of Hythe Kent

These memories have been told to me by my mother, now aged 87, who lived in Hythe with her parents. She remained there for the first part of the war before being called up to work in munitions. She worked at the ICI in Southall and also at HMV making aircraft radios.

The following are some of her recollections of that time, told in her words.

I remember evacuees coming from London, thinking it was safe for them in Hythe. My mother took in two children but it was not long before the decision was made that they would be safer away from the coast. They were moved, together with Hythe children, to Wales.

I have vivid memories of the Battle of Britain and the dogfights high in the skies above.

One day in particular I was coming home with my Dad when a German fighter came over the hills behind Hythe followed by a Spitfire. The German plane getting lower, and the pilot still firing, my Dad pushed me into a doorway. The plane was so low by now that I could see the pilot. I believe he crashed into the sea about ½ mile off shore. My mother was oblivious to what had happened to us and when we got home wanted to know what all the noise was. As you can imagine my Dad's reply was not repeatable!

One very upsetting occasion was when a Lancaster bomber came very low over our house, its bomb doors open and losing height all the time. My mum and I didn't expect it to clear the hills but it did and crash landed at Lympne airfield. Sadly I believe the rear gunner was killed.

On another occasion when I was working in Lovick's bookshop in Hythe High Street, Stade Street Bridge was bombed. The smell from the stirred up mud was awful and we even had dead fish in the High Street.

A bomb also fell in St Leonards Churchyard and shops in The Arcade and Prospect Road were destroyed with loss of life.

I was then called up to war work in London. In order to get home to see my parents I needed a pass and the police were always at the station checking.

Afterword from Jessie's daughter.

I was born in 1948 and clearly remember the bombsite in the centre of the High Street. I used to play on it whilst my mother was shopping in Sainsburys which used to be next door. There was a flight of steps at the back as I remember and it was covered in buddleia. This was not built on until the late 1950s or early 60s when a small parade of shops was erected there.

I also remember the Bailey bridge which replaced the Stade Street bridge, and the new permanent bridge being built in the mid 1950s.

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