Stanford Evan Young of the Royal Highlanders of Canada was born in Sevenoaks.© The Centre for Kentish Studies
Staff at Kent County Archives are hoping a forthcoming exhibition of photographs depicting First World War soldiers and their families will help to identify many of the sitters – photographed in Sevenoaks between 1914 and 1918.
The remarkable haul of portrait photographs is about to go on display for the first time at Sevenoaks Library, as part of the second phase of the Their Past Your Future programme. They feature soldiers of various ranks and regiments, as well as photographs of female nurses, couples and family groups.
They came to light several years ago during renovations in a shop in Sevenoaks where almost 500 large glass plate negatives were discovered - some of them were even found in an old fireplace. The shop was once one of the photographic studios of the Essenhigh-Corke family.
Now the Centre for Kentish Studies (Kent Archives,) which acquired the collection, is using funding from the Their Past Your Future programme to digitise the collection for an exhibition at Sevenoaks Library Gallery in August 2008.
Staff at the archive hope exhibition visitors will be able to help them identify the regiments, individuals, locations or buildings featured.
2nd Lieutenant Frank William Blackmore, of the Oxford & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, won the Military Cross “for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty.” © The Centre for Kentish Studies
Jon Barker, at the Centre for Kentish Studies, is leading the research into the collection and has identified units from right across the British Isles and the former commonwealth countries that answered the call to bear arms in the 1914-18 war.
“When I started scanning them I didn’t know a great deal about the uniforms and badges, but the more I identified the more fascinating it became,” said Jon.
“I expected there to be local units - Kentish regiments - but when I got up to fifty different regiments I realised there was something unusual going on. Initially this led us to believe there was a staging camp in Sevenoaks and soldiers from all over the world were popping into the local photographer’s and having their portraits taken.”
Jon then enlisted the help of the web based Great War Forum and so far, with the help of a posting on website, 58 different regiments have been identified.
“The response has been tremendous – and from all over the world,” added Jon, “not only have they identified the badges and regiments, they have also identified some of the people in the photographs, which has really bought them back from the dead, as it were.”
Florence and Cecil Blinkhorne married at the Parish Church in Ightham in 1918. Cecil was in an Australian regiment. He and his wife settled in Australia in 1919© The Centre for Kentish Studies
However, resarch has revealed that many of the sitters are in fact people with strong local connections and staff at the archives are hoping to enlist the help of local people to identify more of the men and women in the photographs.
“As we went through them we realised it was less to do with the staging camp and that there were lots of connections to Sevenoaks – there was a chap called Edward Young in the uniform of the Royal Highlanders of Canada, but it turns out he was actually from Sevenoaks.”
There are also several photographs of men in voluntary aid depots, hospitals and recuperation homes dotted around the Kent area during the war.
Some of the large glass plates are also of sequences of photographs that reveal vivid insights into the character of the sitters.
“There is one particular set featuring a Lieutenant in the artillery – which features one with his family, then one with his dog, another one looking nonchalant and another looking more formal – it’s a sequence that will be featured in the exhibition and it really gives people a taste of his character.”
Colonel Charles Norman Watney of the Royal West Kent Regiment lived at Ivy Hatch Court. © The Centre for Kentish Studies
“Hopefully people will come in with their stories – obviously they will be passed down stories now – but the interest in this topic is huge and the amount of interest it generates is huge as well,” added Jon. “There will be a contact book at the exhibition for people to leave comments and contact details as well.”
Facing the Great War – the powerful images of Sevenoaks photographers, Charles and Henry Essenhigh-Corke, opens at Sevenoaks Library Gallery on August 1 2008 and runs until September 1 2008.
Anyone who thinks they may be able to help identify the soldiers in the photographs can also contact Jon Barker & Rob Illingworth at The Centre for Kentish Studies, Sessions House, County Hall, Maidstone ME14 1XQ. Telephone 01622 694363 email archives@kent.gov.uk
Also see the Kent Archives website for more details.
On Friday 8 August 2008 there are special events in Sevenoaks Kaleidoscope Gallery.
10.00- 12.00 am a children’s craft session with Anni Watson. Create moveable figures & the costumes of World War I. Booking is essential- 50p per child. No unaccompanied children.
2.00 pm, Rudyard Kipling, brought to life by author & historian Geoff Hutchinson. Tickets £3.00.
For reservations and tickets contact Sevenoaks Library on 08458 247 200.
