Kember, E.
Edward Richard Kember, K/28775. was a Stoker 1st class in the Royal Navy serving on HMS Amaryllis

He died at Gillingham hospital on 8 October 1918 from enteric fever which he had contracted while serving in the Mediterranean where he had been three years. He was 24. He is buried at Buckland, Dover. D2708

Born on 15 June 1894 at 24 Oswald Road, Buckland, he was the son of the late William Henry and Sarah Kember nee Gann from Dover. He had a twin brother Robert Alfred*, who was wounded during the Great War

with thanks to Nigel Steggles

* see Stephen Kember

Kemp, S. J
Sydney John Kemp died on 29 July 1916 at Woolwich. He had been serving for three months with the Army Veterinary Corps. The "beloved husband" of Mrs Kemp he had been landlord of the "Rose and Crown" The Pier, Dover, for 18 years and before that a coachman with Sir William Crundall

He had returned to Woolwich on 25 July after a weekend leave and had been quiet and seemed ill. Although he was seen in bed on Thursday evening his bed was empty on the Friday morning and his uniform remained under his bed. He was found on Woolwich Common about fifty yards from the first Reserve Veterinary Hospital dressed only in shirt and socks. There was a blood-stained razor in his right hand and a severe gash in his throat which had severed the jugular and the windpipe along with two other slight gashes. The verdict was that the wounds had been self-inflicted; death was owing to syncope

He was buried at St James Grave N W 16 with the 3rd Buffs playing Chopin's Funeral march on the way to the cemetery. Three volleys were fired over his grave. Mourners included his daughters May and Bertha, and Mr Athol and Mrs May Kemp, his brother and-sister-in-law) and floral tributes included those from "his loving wife" and from his children

King, L. T.
Lewis Thomas King, 13070. He was a Serjeant in "D" company of the 10th battalion of the Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) He was the husband of  Ada Mary King who with their two children lived at "Belmont" Temple Ewell, and before that at Manor Road in Dover

Lewis King died on 31 August 1916. He was fatally gassed in action. The report from the Dover Express reads, "From the letter of a comrade to the widow it appears that he gave his life for the men in his charge. It became necessary for them to put on their gas helmets, and he, noticing that some of the fellows were having a bit of trouble in putting them on, he, instead of putting his own on properly, simply threw it over his head, and then assisted the rest of the men to get ready, and while he was doing this the gas came over and some finding its way under his helmet, began to choke him  

Getting to the dressing station everything possible was done for him and the doctor expected him to recover but having been suffering from his throat recently that made matters worse and he died very peacefully, however. The men of his Platoon sent a message to the widow expressing their deep regret and saying they realised what a good friend had been taken from them. The writer of the letter said that his Platoon idolised Sergeant King and thought him the finest sergeant in the regiment. He was a staunch and true friend and one of the best fellows that the writer had met"

Lewis King is buried in the Berks Cemetery Extension, Belgium. I D 3. His wife later remarried becoming Mrs Waite and moved to 4 Whitby Road, East Loftus, Yorkshire

Kirton, J. H.
James Hughes Kirton, M/8202, was a 3rd Class Electrical Artificer in the Royal Navy, last serving at the HMS Tarlair a shore base at Aberdour in Scotland. He was born on 7 November 1881 at Kilburn, and was 27 when he died from pneumonia on 9 November 1918 at the Naval Hospital, South Queensbury, Edinburgh. He is buried at St James with his son David on the right, K V 22

His parents were the late Mr and Mrs William Kirton from London. His wife was Mrs Violet Kathleen Kirton from 20 Marine Parade, Dover, who at the time of his death was at 7 Manse Street, Aberdour, Fifeshire. Their sons David and James Kirton lost their lives in World War II

At the bottom of James Kirton's headstone are the words "Until the day breaks and the shadows flee". At the bottom of David's is inscribed, "At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them".

picture - Mark Chapman

Kirkwood, G. F.
George Felix Kirkwood, 12064, was a Private in The Buffs 2nd battalion. He died from influenza when he was 19 on 27 March 1920 at Gibralter and is buried there in the North Front Cemetery. B 4718

He was the son of Mrs S Kirkwood 45 Tower Street, Tower Hamlets, Dover

The gravestone is at Charlton and reads: