John Burke's Hastings, August 1999
Dover Castle |
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| Sunday 1st August 1999
After all the climbing up and down steps in the wartime tunnels, the rest of the family
didn't fancy the climb up all the earthworks that surround the castle. I wanted to see the view from
the walls though, so I climbed up alone whilst they headed in the opposite direction to find a cafe and
drink.
This is a WWII anti-aircraft gun placement. A similar one is seen below complete with Bofors gun. |
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The Bofors had seats for two operators who moved the gun with foot pedals -
one to swivel and the other to raise or lower.
Right: During the war it would have been radar towers. Today's equivalents hold
communications equipment. |
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If the gun placement was attacked from the air the crew ran down these
steps which afforded protection from machine gun fire and led into the shelter in case of
dive bomb attack.
Just what it must have been like to be so attacked; to hear the smack
of the row of bullets getting closer until fragments of lead and stone chips were flying
about you... |
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| My Grandad was stationed in the Far East during the War and was one of the crew working a
Bofors gun. The man standing directly behind him was hit and killed.
A few of the older cannon are still sited around the walls. This looks over the modern
ferry port in case Napolean should try to sneak in on the P&O Stena Line... |
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Dover is situated on the south-east corner of England, where ships that have come through the English
Channel turn to head north into the North Sea. During World War II this came to be known as
Hellfire Corner.
Ah yes... attentive readers will remember me saying that there was an English
Heritage event taking place at the castle this day. |
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Clubs and societies from all over the place had gathered to re-enact some of the battles
that took place at the castle
during the Wars of the Roses, the roses in question being the white rose of the house and county
of Yorkshire (Booo!) and the red rose of Lancashire (Hooray!!!) - er... guess which county I live
in...!
I was, by now, on my way to the castle keep, to try to find the rest of the family.
Shouts and the sounds of battle were coming from the keep - I hope they hadn't tried to jump
the queue in the cafe... |
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The keep was built by Henry II during the latter quarter of the 12th century.
83 feet high, the walls of the castle's stronghold vary in thickness between 17 and 23 feet.
A siege catapult was standing in the courtyard and can be seen left.
Some sort of squabble was going on around the corner... Let's see what's going on! |
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| The Wars of the Roses started when Richard II (York) took advantage of a feud
in 1398 and banished his cousin, the son of John of Gaunt (Lancashire) from England. With the
death of the father, he extended the banishment and seized the vast lands of the House of
Lancaster.
With sublime confidence in his divine right he then went off to Ireland, leaving the way
open for John O'Gaunt's son, Bolingbroke, to return and seize the crown as Henry IV.
Both men were grandsons of Edward III and to settle the issue Henry had Richard secretly
murdered in Pontefract. |
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Above the Yorkists get ready to ward off an attack by the Lancastrian force.
Left: the Lancastrians, wielding billhooks, the powerful British weapon that was not as long
or cumbersome as the pike, line up in formation.
In the meantime I've skipped one pic because, just as I took it, some
fool on the balcony let off a 15th century firearm and the whole of Dover was re-arming, thinking
that Hitler was making a comeback... The photo was somewhat blurred... |
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We'll have a look at the noisy cannon-artists later.
Left: "Sarge, can I be excused - I have a note from my mum..."
Right: battle is joined! |
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