News| Heroes remembered


downsmail.co.uk Memorial to heroic pilot Pease


AT the height of the Battle of Britain, a young man of just 22 revved up the engine of his stricken Spitfire to avoid crashing into homes in Kingswood.


This selfless act in the last sec-


onds of Flying Officer (Arthur) Peter Pease’s short life would be- come typical of the sacrifices RAF pilots made in the aerial conflict over Kent and which was forever captured inWinstonChurchill’s as- sessment of our debt to The Few. As Britain sent callowyoungsters


into the skies to repelAdolfHitler’s advancing hordes, so the new air- borne heroes, about 600 of them that summer, were freshly minted in an instant. On the afternoon of September


15, 1940, having been hit some- where above the county town, FO Pease had guided the Spitfire out towards


farmland where it


crashed. Hurtling earthwards, he found


just enough extra power to “gun” his fighter plane’s dying engine to take it beyond Kingswood’s homes, thus avoiding death or in- jury to countless residents. The dead pilot was still strapped into his seat when villagers ran to the wreckage.


‘The young pilot shone during his short volunteer service...’


Flyer had been tipped for a high office


PETER Pease was tipped for great things, having been born into a great northern fam- ily.


Dashing, clever and withmatinee idol


looks, he was a high achiever at Eton and Cambridge and he was talked of as a future cabinetminister, perhaps Foreign Secretary. After his death in Kent, his body was re-


moved and buried inMiddletonMyas churchyard, near Richmond, in Yorkshire. The Pease family were successful bankers,


coalmerchants, railway pioneers and politi- cians.


So, on February 15, a century to


the day after his birth, a more per- manent reminder was unveiled to this remarkable man’s memory at the junction of Gravelly Bottom Road and Duck Pond Road. For years, a lime tree hasmarked


the spot in the middle of farmer Nigel Edmed’s field, but nowame- morial, commissioned by a semi- retired law professor at


the


University ofCalifornia, JohnOak- ley, stands as a visible and accessi- blemarker. Prof Oakley, fascinated by the


Pease family’s colourful history, had made the bronze plaque, which was then inlaid to the gran- ite memorial at the Stone Shop of East Farleigh, run byGordonNew- ton. Helping to unveil the memorial


in front of a small, low-key gather- ing, Mr Newton – who is also a borough councillor – told how the young pilot shone during his short volunteer service. On August 30, 1940, he had


helped shoot down a Heinkel 111 and aMesserschmitt Bf109 on Sep- tember 3. Four days later, he was hit by enemy fire over London and forced


to crash-land in


Hornchurch, Essex. A week later, his luck ran out overMaidstone. Mr Newton laid a wreath to FO


Pease’s memory after borough councillor Gill Fort unveiled the plaque. They are pictured above. She said: “It is important thatwe


do not forget the sacrifices many youngmenmade during the Battle of Britain,whichwas fought in the skies above us here in Kent. “This is a fitting and thoughtful memorial to Peter Pease.”


100 tree tribute to mark end ofWWI


THE British Legion branch covering Bearsted, Thurnham, Leeds andHollingbourne is calling on the public to help create a unique livingme- morial to celebrate the end of the First World War. The charity, working with Hollingbourne


Meadows Trust, wants to raise at least £50,000 to plant an avenue of 100 trees in time for the centenary on November 11. The ambitious project – thought to be the only


one of its kind inKent –would see anAvenue of Remembrance createdwith 100 hawthorns and a “circle of peace” in silver birches on commu- nity land in Hollingbourne. The idea, code-named Project 100, was put


forward by RBL branch chairman Derek Davi- son and hiswife Jeanne, the district’s poppy ap-


8 Maidstone Weald March 2018


peal co-ordinator for 30 years.MrDavison (pic- tured right) said: “We are extremely proud to be involved in a unique living memorial such as this. “ But itwill only happen if funding is in place


in time.We hope everyone in the areawill con- sidermaking a donation.” Mr Davison is hopeful the appeal will be


adopted by the entire branch, which has in- cluded Bearsted and Thurnhamsince its branch closed in February 1989. He says the avenue will provide a dramatic


memorial – combining blood red berries inwin- ter with white flowers of peace in May – that will be readily accessible to all. It is proposed the memorial will be the cen- trepiece at the 30 to 40-acre popular public open


space, off Eyhorne Street, donated to accom- modate the project byHollingbourneMeadows Trust,which is also backing the project. Donations can be made at www.mydonate. bt.com/charities/hollingbournemeadowstrust.


Yo


Spotwhere a hero also fell LESS than amile away fromthe newly instatedmemorial to Fly- ing Officer Peter Pease lies an- other hero. Pilot Officer W P H “Robin”


Rafter, lost his life on Novem- ber 29, 1940, some weeks after the official end of the Battle of Britain. Itwas erected in 2002. PO Rafter was the son of Sir


WilliamRafter,ChiefConstable of Birmingham. He joined the RAF on a short service commis- sion in June 1939. During an action over the


Biggin Hill area on September 5, PO Rafter is believed to have been shot down inMarden. He was admitted to West


KentHospital,Maidstone,with head injuries and did not fly operationally again with the squadron until November 26, when he did so at his own in- sistence. He was killed when he


crashed at Kingswood in his Spitfire P7449. The plane was seen to drop


out of formation and crash to the ground. His familywere convinced he


had returned to duty too early and that he had blacked out from his unhealed head in- juries.


downsmail.co.uk downsmail.co.uk


News


downsmail.co.uk CCTV call to stop fly-tipping Are you getting the best sight test? Is your eyesight important?


CALLS for the installation of CCTV cameras to prevent fly-tip- ping on a country road have been made by the local borough coun- cillor.


What would you do without it? More often than not a visit


Burberry Lane, near Kingswood,


has been targeted by waste dumpers for years, but in recent months, the problem has become more acute withwaste often strewn across the middle of the road. Cllr Gill Fort, pictured right, said:


“Every month we are having toi- lets, sinks and construction waste dumped in the village, specifically in Burberry Lane. We are now thinking of installing cameras on private land to oversee the problem area.” A recent event in Burberry Lane


STAPLEHURST vineyard Hush Heath will send its sparkling wine to Canada after landing a deal with one of the world’s largest alcohol buyers. Hush Heath’s Balfour 1503 Clas-


to the


optician involves walking in, sitting down, waiting around, being rushed into a darkened room to read some letters on a chart, a light shone in your eyes and a new pair of specs.


Illegal fly-tipping is costing local authorities hun- dreds of thou- sands of pounds, says Cllr Gill Fort


saw a caravan burned out while a car remains on a footpath nearby,


Is this the best care for your eyes? Alisdair Buchanan of Buchanan Optometrists in Kent was voted UK Optometrist of the year 2017; he explains what they do differently at his practice: “From the moment you walk through the door, you notice we do things very differently to most opticians. The warm welcome, the relaxing smell, the beautifully appointed surroundings, the fantastic teas and coffees and that is before we even start on your eyes. You see, everything that we do in my practice is orchestrated to be the best. That is why we have invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in equipment to look after your eyes, to ensure any conditions or problems are detected


sic Cuvée is the first English sparkling wine selected for the Liquor Contril Board (LCBO) of On- tario’s Vintages Classics Pro-


dumped and torched. The church car park has also seen illegal dump- ing.


But it is also a problem in many rural areas, including Langley,


Vineyard ‘bubbling’ over deal


as early as possible. Most of the equipment we use is only available in a handful of practices around the country. However, the most crucial piece of equipment we use is our ears. We take the time to listen to your concerns and problems and then ascertain the best way to resolve these. You will never feel rushed at Buchanan Optometrists. Taking the time ensures you get the best care, advice and the most beautiful spectacles available. You are after all a walking advert for us. The range of stunningly beautiful spectacle frames has been chosen for their style, quality and comfort. We have dealt with our frame artisans for many years ensuring      support of our products. We do not just do eye tests and spectacles. We are


more than a year after itwas


gramme. The “significant deal” was announced as Prime Minister Theresa May was in Ottawa for talks with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on how the UK and Canada can further strengthen their ties to build the closest, freest


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trading relationship as the UK leaves the EU. Mrs May said: “It’s great to see


that English sparkling wine has been making a name for itself, not just in the UK but further afield too. “The news today that Hush


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Across Kent, local authorities are spending hundreds of thousands of pounds clearing up rubbish. According to one report £323,000


Headcorn and Chart Sutton. Last year, Maidstone Borough Council cleared 911 cases of fly-tipping and more than 163 have been recorded since April this year. The ap- proaching darker evenings will prompt a rise in illegal tipping.


leaders in treatments for dry or watery eyes, early glaucoma detection and Meares Irlen syndrome to name a few. My team of staff have been with me for many years assuring you of continuity of care. My practice has been in Snodland for over 57 years – a good heritage! There are good reasons we have become one of the most awarded opticians in the UK – Book your appointment to see why.


Join the thousands of happy clients


was spent dealing with almost 14,000 incidents in 2016-17. This is a sharp increase on the previous 12 months when just over 10,000 in- stances cost £244,000. Cllr Fort welcomed a joint initia-


tive by the Environment Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Stan- dards Agency to clamp down on unlicensed waste carriers. But she believes the high cost to small firms of disposing of construction waste at a transfer station is costing coun- cils dearly. Cllr Fort made her re- marks as one of the borough’s closest transfer stations at North Farm, TunbridgeWells, announced it will be closed for 10weeks.


Heath Estate will be supplying to Canadian consumers is hugely wel- come and they will be flying the flag for the high-quality of wine being produced in Britain.” Hush Heath owner Richard Bal-


four-Lynn said: “Hush Heath is a family-owned winery…and we are very excited to see our wines avail- able in the Canadian market."


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