Dunkirk - The Margate End

DUNKIRK

THE MARGATE END

Not knowing of the researching to make any of these films I sat fascinated watching the 18th and 19th February editions waiting to see how much Margate would feature as a major unloading point.
At the time my parents ran a 40 people (all sent home that week, took in 6 army sergeants) a week guest house at 26 Gordon Road (Halfway up on the East side). All of the buildings still exist, with photos taken
at that time including one group in the back garden of Walter Cook, myself and my mother's younger brother Charles Tringham, Royal Signals, before he embarked with BEF to France, he escaped on the Medway Queen from Cherbourg. At Strathside(Eastern Esplanade, bottom of Godwin Road)were Aunt Ethel Jarvis and Squadron Leader Jarvis ex RFC and their only daughter, my cousin Maureen (now living at 18 Home Pine House, Sandgate Road, Folkestone, Kent CT2 2XA 01303 250919 no e-mail) also full of memories of the Dunkirk operation.
However the main point of the not previously told story is that my Dad came home with Squadron Leader Jarvis (who became the station adjutant when the WAAF were killed at RAF Detling) telling that the troops that had swum for it were walking down the jetty with no clothes on.
My mother of good Baptist upbringing grabbed our large Marmet pram and piled it high with best quality blankets, with my sister Pauline, then only three and a half years old under the blankets and me at seven and a half years old trying to stop this load running away down Fort hill where we went to hand them out by the Droit Office. I have a photo taken at the spot where we stood on the jetty.
This was in the final days of Dunkirk - we never saw the blankets again. Uncle Sid and Maureen also distributed their blankets. Days later my complete school (holy Trinity Infants) was evacuated by train from Margate, a packed steam train all day via Olympia finally pulling in to Litchfield cattle market, Staffs and being allocated to a farmer and his wife (Mr & Mrs Lewis at Hints on A5 Lower Bangley, some went home but my mother and sister arrived at Kinver, South Staffs in October and took me off the farm which I loved.
My dad Walter who had trained ARP/CD took our huge valve Murphy radio set to the ARP post in Dalby Square where I had the devil of a job to persuade the CD/police to let me have it Feb 27 1945 when we returned from the Midlands.
Dad by 1942 signed up for RAF at Cardington, Beds (1616321 LAC Cook, born 15/3/05, died 7/10/87 aged 82). I, after Canterbury College of Art Training also joined the RAF at Cardington as 4134265 LAC and was promoted CPL Cook substansive when they wanted to keep me in, but had too much graphic training to discard. I am now 71, the 1938 Murphy radio still works perfectly in my office at home. Best wishes to producers, pity I didn't know about it earlier

BernardACook@aol.com 01245 225819

p.s. I still have my 2 complete RAF uniforms

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