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Council visits French town to pay tributes
ADELEGATION from Maidstone Council went to France as part of the centennial anniversary of the start ofWorldWar I. Councillors Brian Mortimer, Dan
Daley, Gordon Newton and David Pickett are visiting the French vil- lage of Montauban in the Somme, to lay wreaths in memory of the many soldiers who died fighting for our freedom. The self-funded council quartet,
along with French-speaking Colin Leith from Coxheath, was due to meet civic dignitaries in Mon- tauban, which was “adopted” by Maidstone at the end ofWorldWar I, in memory of the 10th RoyalWest Kent Regiment which was de- ployed there in 1916 – many of them never to return. After the war, as part of a na-
tional plea for British towns to adopt and help reinstate French vil- lages, Maidstone paid for the build- ing of awater tower in Montauban to help counter a heatwave and drought, while 1,000 cider apple trees were also shipped over to
Cllr Brian Mortimer with the medals awarded to his grandfather
help replant the devastated or- chards in the Somme. The water towerwas officially opened in 1925 by the then Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Frederick EdwinWallis. The visitwas especially poignant
for Cllr Mortimer, whose grandfa- ther Sgt William Mortimer served with the Old Contemptibles in France. As well as the British War Medal and Victory Medal, he was awarded the 1914 Star and a Mili-
tary Medal for an act of bravery – all of which are now framed, along with old family photos, and take pride of place in Cllr Mortimer’s Coxheath home. At the time, the family lived in Folkestone and, after being wounded in 1917, Sgt Mortimer was sent home on leave for two months. He then returned to the front line until the end of the war the following year. He died in 1942 at the age of 56,
from the lingering effects of the mustard gas to which he was ex- posed during the war. Cllr Mortimer said: “I feel very honoured and proud that my grandfatherwas among those who fought for the freedom we have today. It is only right that we should remember them on this, the centenary of the war.” The Maidstone delegation was
due to lay a wreath at the war me- morial in Montauban and another in the localwar cemetery, aswell as visiting the water tower, which is no longer in use.
WorldWar I | News Lights go out
in village MORE than 200 people packed Harrietsham Church to mark the centenary ofWorldWar I. Harrietsham History Society or- ganised a presentation of excerpts from the parish magazines of the time, highlighting life at the start of the war, and the WI provided food made fromwartime recipes. The evening culminated in the lighting of a single candle to re- member the 29 men and women with a Harrietsham connection who lost their life during the four- year conflict. A collection raised more than £300 towards restoration of the warmemorial.
Booklet tribute FORMER Mayor ofMaidstone and ex-Chart Sutton parish councillor Mike FitzGerald has compiled his own 20-page tribute to the fallen in the village. Mike, of Laxton Drive, asked de- scendants to share their memories for a booklet, distributed with the parish magazine in August. He said: “Iwas keen to record the honour and contribution and sacri- fice made by the people of Chart Sutton during the GreatWar.” The booklet also includes the village Roll of Honour.
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