Ann Berry writes to let us know that the Step Short First World War Project is progressing well:
In the last few months we have set up our website www.stepshort.co.uk. Within the site, members of the public can become members of the project through Paypal.
We have photographed and are in the process now of digitising the 42,000 names of the troops who signed eight books on the Harbour Mole Cafe, set up to give the troops their last cup of tea and coffee before leaving for the Western Front.
Once this is completed the public will be able to access the names. Those who are members of Step Short will be able to access them freely, whilst others will have to pay to do. Although all will be able to see the photographed pages, but they will not be in any order. They are just as written at the time, but nonetheless extremely moving to look at.
This is why the digitisation is so important for those wishing to trace any relatives who may have signed the books when they left from Folkestone Harbour during the Great War.
More recently, we have acquired a lease from the Council to open up the old Visitor Centre near the Harbour in Folkestone for the Step Short project.
A film, which is being made over the summer period, will feature many of the projects we are involved in.
We continue to support Canada Day on 1 July each year and the Annual Ceremony is held at Shorncliffe Camp. Our local schoolchildren continue to lay flowers at each Canadian grave. The children have done this since 1917. During the Great War there were 40,000 Canadians billeted in this area.
Step Short has visited local schools and given talks to the children on the Canadians' role in WW1. This was followed up by a short film of a boy who, at the age of 14 years joined up after hearing the call of Lord Kitchener saying "Your Country Needs You", but the young lad was killed when he was 16 years old.
We are now in the process of examining if we can erect an arch over the Road of Remembrance, or near by to the area that some eight million troops marched down. Plus we are looking at a time line. All this is in the process of discussion with the Council. Funding, especially now, has become a big issue.
This year we will once again be holding our (third) Annual Commemorative March down the Road of Remembrance in Folkestone on Sunday, 7 August 2011, starting from the Grand on the Leas at 11.00am. We hope that many of you will join us there.
Article and images contributed by Ann Berry, Vice Chairman, Step Short Project.
You can see a slideshow of the images to accompany the article contributed by Ann below. Please use the expand icon to see the images full screen. Press "Esc" on your keyboard to return.
