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Dover Regatta 2007
A WEEKEND AT THE SEASIDE
August 11th and 12th - and the weather looks good. The Regatta's
an annual event in Dover, when the length of the beach and
promenade comes alive with seaside fun. Here are some
crews preparing for the dragon boat races.
In the background is the famed Dover Castle, and beside it the
Roman lighthouse, Pharos, and St Mary in Castro church
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Our stand was on the promenade. We
shared a tent with Fairtrade, by kind courtesy of Dover
Town Council. |
Set up and ready to go! As well as
the mobile exhibition, we brought war-time memorabilia
from our various collections, including Great War silk
postcards sent from the Front, and a 16mm projector
complete with loudspeaker. |
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| Many people were interested in finding out more
about our Dovorian casualties ... |
...including the lovely Carnival Court of Dover - who
smiled the whole day through! (Such glamour - Maggie
confessed to feeling rather star-struck afterwards!) |
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Ah, and speaking of Dover stars ...
most supportive of the Dover War Memorial Project stand
was our Mayor, Bob Markham.
In "mufti", and in regalia, he was at
the Regatta all weekend. He did us the honour of throwing
the dart at the board to select the winner of the
coffeemaker, kindly donated to the Dover War Memorial
Project for fund-raising.
(Thankfully, his aim is much better
than Maggie's - whose top score from the oche is always
double-floor!) |
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Providing the energy to party the whole weekend was a super Latin market and many other goodies besides
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...while the Tigers Free Fall team provided many thrills, landing with accuracy right on the
target |
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So none of them needed the services of
the Sea King air-sea rescue!
Meanwhile, back at the Dover War Memorial
Project stand ...
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.. here is someone who knows more than most about
the sea. This is Admiral the Lord Boyce, GCB OBE DL, Lord Warden and
Admiral of the Cinque Ports and Constable of Dover
Castle. He had a distinguished Naval career, becoming a
submarine commander and, in 1998, First Sea Lord and
Chief of Naval Staff. In 2001 he became Chief of Defence
Staff, and was appointed as Lord Warden in 2004. His
immediate predecessor was Queen Elizabeth, the Queen
Mother.
Lord Boyce visited our stand several times, and we
were both thrilled and greatly honoured that he
should have chosen to spend much time speaking to us
about the Dover War Memorial Project. |
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There were many attractions on the
promenade and in the gardens behind. Model motorboats, a
funfair, and the very popular South Eastern Working
Newfoundlands. This one's a Landseer, named after the
artist who often painted the black and white variety. As
they demonstrated both days, they love the water, and are
natural life guards.
Events went on into the night.
The first day of the Regatta finished
with a a fabulatastic fireworks
display, with the fireworks launched from the beach. |
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They could have heard and seen them in
France! |
The Reverend Dr Michael Hinton also visited
us. He once was my brother's headteacher (oo-er!), but his much
greater claim to fame is as creator of the world-selling
"100-Minute Bible".
Dr Hinton is also an active member of
Christians Together in Dover, and it was they who held the
closing event of the Regatta. Hundreds of people attended the
seafront Songs of Praise, during which the sea was blessed and
prayers spoken for the maritime life of Dover.
At the end of a brilliant weekend, we sang of freedom while
seeing boats on brilliantly blue water leaving the harbour. For
us, at the Regatta to commemorate and honour all those from our
frontline town who had lost their lives in war, it was most
moving. We remembered all those other boats that had left our
home, filled with those who fought and died for our futures; we
looked across to France, and thought of two volunteers, who were
at that moment over there, visiting the graves of those who had
fallen; we thought of how once even the sunny sky overhead was a
battlefield black with clouds of planes defending our homes.
We sang in the sunshine "Freedoms to share; Peace to the killing
fields".
We have so much for which to be thankful. May we never
forget.
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all pictures by Simon John Chambers
with thanks to the organisers, Andy, Michelle, Gill, and Dover
Town Council
Next year's Regatta - 2nd and 3rd August 2008
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