Folkestone Herald
10-1-1920
Local News
We regret to announce the death of Mr. Sidney (Sid)
Saunders, of the Fountain Hotel, Seabrook. Deceased, who was widely known, went
out on Tuesday night on business and did not return. The next morning the
deceased was found in a small greenhouse, having passed away suddenly in the
night. His death was due to natural causes. Much sympathy is expressed with the
family. The late Mr. Saunders came to Folkestone many years ago as a carpenter,
and was formerly proprietor of the East Cliff Tavern. He subsequently became
proprietor of the White Lion Hotel, Cheriton, the Railway Bell Hotel,
Folkestone, and the Fountain, Seabrook.
Folkestone Express
15-1-1921
Local News
Mr. J.G. Smiles, of Cheriton, the Chairman of the Elham
Board of Guardians and a member of the Cheriton Urban Council, about ten days
ago left for Switzerland for the winter sports. Early this week notification
was received from Switzerland that he had met with an accident, as a result of
which pleurisy had ensued. Mr. Roy Smiles, his son, who was in Scotland at the
time of the receipt of the news, returned to Cheriton, and has left for
Switzerland in order to be near his father.
It will be the sincere wish of Mr. Smiles` numerous friends
in Folkestone, Cheriton, Hythe, and the surrounding district that he will have
a speedy recovery.
Yesterday (Thursday) intimation was received that Mr. Smiles
broke his collar bone. His condition was more reassuring.
Local News
In another column reference is made to an accident to, and
the illness of, Mr. J.G. Smiles. Last (Thursday) evening information was
received from Switzerland that he was suffering from double pneumonia.
Folkestone Herald
15-1-1921
Local News
Many people will regret to hear that Mr. J.G. Smiles
(Chairman of the Elham Board of Guardians and a member of the Cheriton Council)
has met with an accident whilst on holiday with Mr. T. Fentiman, at
Grindelwald, Switzerland. Whilst enjoying the sport of tobogganing he fractured
his collar bone, and since then had developed double pneumonia. The latest
cable (received on Thursday) states that he is no worse and the fever is abating.
Mrs. J.G. Smiles and Mr. Roy Smiles (son) left this week for
Switzerland, where it was expected they would arrive yesterday (Friday)
afternoon. The many friends of Mr. Smiles will hope for his complete and speedy
recovery.
Folkestone Express
22-1-1921
Obituary
Last week we reported that Mr. J.G. Smiles, who resided at
Brier Lea, Ashley Avenue, Cheriton, was seriously ill in Switzerland with
double pneumonia, following an accident, which had resulted in a broken collar
bone and two broken ribs. We now regret to have to record his death, which took
place on Saturday morning, and the news of which was received later in the day
at Cheriton. His demise, we are sure, be received with the greatest regret of a
large circle of friends and acquaintances, not only in Folkestone, but in the
surrounding towns and district, for wherever Mr. Smiles went he was exceedingly
popular. He was always full of geniality, and wherever he went he speedily won
the affections of those who came in contact with him. His sympathy,
particularly for those who were in straightened circumstances, was very great,
and he was ever ready to help in alleviating the wants and sufferings of those
who, unfortunately, had to seek help. As Chairman of the Elham Board of
Guardians, he was particularly solicitous of those who had to seek assistance
of that body, but he always placed such people who had to come before the Board
at their ease in a quiet manner. He did great good by stealth, and many people
will be the poorer in friendship and in various other ways by his death.
Mr. Smiles went with Mr. Fentiman, of Folkestone, to
Switzerland to take part in the winter sports there shortly after Christmas,
proceeding to Grindelwald. On January 6th he was tobogganing when he
crashed into a fence, and the force of the collision was such that he sustained
the injuries previously mentioned. On Monday, January 10th,
pneumonia developed, and it was then that Mr, Fentiman wired to Mr. Smiles`
family at Cheirton stating that Mr. Smiles had met with an accident, and that
pneumonia had set in, and suggesting that members of the family should go out
to Switzerland. Mr. Roy Smiles, his son, had been to Scotland, and was at Leeds
on Tuesday. Mrs. Smiles and Roy Smiles decided to go out to Switzerland late on
Tuesday night, and they sought the aid of Mr. G. Harvey in obtaining passports
for them. Mr. Harvey proceeded to London by the eleven o`clock train on
Wednesday morning, and by one o`clock had obtained the necessary passports from
the Passports Office. He visited the French and Swiss Offices in order to get
them visaed, and the passports were in the possession of Mrs. Smiles and her
son shortly after six o`clock. They, however, decided not to proceed on their
journey to Switzerland until Thursday morning, when they travelled via Dover to
Calais. Unfortunately they arrived too late to see Mr. Smiles alive.
Mr. Smiles was 62 years of age. He leaves a widow and three
sons, Mr. Roy Smiles, the licensee of the White Lion Hotel, Cheriton; Mr.
Horace Smiles, who is in Australia, and who served in the Australian Forces
during the war; and Lieut. Eng. Percy Smiles, R.N. His eldest son, Mr. Joe
Smiles, died two or three years before the war from pneumonia, when about to
take over the Shakespeare Hotel, in Folkestone. Mr. Smiles` father is still
alive, and is 88 years of age. With Mrs. Smiles and the members of the family
the greatest sympathy of the whole community in the district will be extended.
Mr. Smiles had many activities, and was very keen on all
kinds of sport. He was an enthusiastic supporter of football, cricket, and
hockey, and one of his chief delights was to have a good walk.
Mr. Smiles associated himself a great deal with the public
life of the district. At the time of his death he was Chairman of the Elham
Board of Guardians, a position he had filled with conspicuous ability for eight
years. He was also Chairman of the Assessment Committee, the Finance Committee,
and the House Committee. He had been a member of the Board for 21 years, during
which time he had shown the greatest sympathy with those who had to seek
assistance from the Guardians. He had represented the Board frequently at the
meetings of the Poor Law Unions Association.
In politics Mr. Smiles was a Unionist, and an ardent
supporter of Sir Philip Sassoon and the late Sir Edward Sassoon.
As a member of the Cheriton Urban Council he had always been
characterised as one of the ablest representatives of the ratepayers, for whose
interests he had the greatest consideration. He had served on that body for
over eighteen years, and in this direction his loss will be deeply felt. He
associated himself with everything for the good of the community of Cheriton
and any good cause had his ready assistance. He was a vice president and the
Treasurer of the Cheriton Gardeners` Society. It can be truly said of
Councillor Smiles that he was a man who was fearless in his public duty and
imbued with the spirit to do the best he could for his fellow men.
Previous to going to Cheriton to take over the White Lion
Hotel in 1903, Mr. Smiles resided at the Railway Bell Hotel, Folkestone, and at
various times was connected with other Folkestone hotels.
Councillor Smiles was a sidesman at All Souls Church,
Cheriton, and was one of the managers of the schools.
At the meeting of the Elham Board of Guardians yesterday
(Thursday) a vote of sympathy was passed with the widow and family.
Folkestone Herald
22-1-1921
Obituary
There was a genuine ring in the feeling of regret expressed
by the local community as the news of the death of Mr. J.G. Smiles spread
through the town and district. He was a man honoured by his fellows above most
men. As Chairman of the Elham Board of Guardians, and as a member of the
Cheriton Urban District Council he had rendered valuable services to the
public, and his death is a distinct loss to both those authorities, who
thoroughly appreciated his sound advice and his native common sense. His
unfailing urbanity, his ready tact, his unvarying kindliness of heart, his
complete lack of ostentation – these were some of the characteristics which
combined to make him a loveable man who made friends wherever he went, and
among all classes of the community. There is no exaggeration to say that his
death is a real loss to his fellow citizens.
.JPG)
Local News
News was received on Saturday last that Mr. Joseph George
Smiles, of Brier Lea, Ashley Avenue, Cheriton, the Chairman of the Elham Board
of Guardians, had died at Grindelwald, Switzerland. The intimation was received
with deep regret on all hands. He was sixty three years of age.
As was stated in our last issue, Mr. Smiles met with a
serious accident while tobogganing at Grindelwald, whither he had gone on a
brief visit with his close personal friend, Mr. A. (Tommy) Fentiman, and
subsequently he had developed double pneumonia. He passed away at 3.15 on
Friday afternoon last week. His wife and eldest son (Mr. Roy Smiles) did not
arrive till ten a.m. on the following morning, their journey having been
delayed owing to the necessity of obtaining passports. Mr. George Harvey (who
was on intimate terms with the late Mr. Smiles) made a special journey to
London in order to secure the passports, which were promptly forthcoming. But
the mere fact of the necessity of obtaining the passports prevented Mrs. Smiles
and her son from starting as soon as they wished.
There were several formalities to be gone through at
Grindelwald, and the widow, Mr. Roy Smiles, and Mr. Fentiman did not arrive
home till Thursday night. The body was to follow by a later train and boat.
Mr. Roy Smiles kindly granted an interview to a Herald
representative, and in the course of his statement said: My dear father, in
company with Mr. Fentiman, left England for the winter sports at Grindelwald
(Switzerland) on the 4th instant, the accident occurring on the
following Sunday (January 8th). Snow was already on the ground, but
it rained and subsequently froze hard. Thus the surface of the hillsides and
roads was similar to a sheet of ice. It was under these conditions that father
tobogganed (face downwards) on the side of a slope (calculated at about two
hundred yards) which I can only describe for steepness as resembling Sugar Loaf
Hill or the sides of Caesar`s Camp. It is calculated by eye-witnesses that when
the accident happened my father was travelling at the rate of thirty miles an
hour. It was whilst gliding at this rate that the toboggan crashed into a
projecting fence, with the result that my father sustained not only a fractured
collar bone, but a broken rib. Assistance was at once forthcoming. A sledge was
secured, and he was driven to the Belvedere Hotel, Grindelwald, about three
quarters of a mile distant. Dr. P. Strasser was at once sent for and promptly
arrived. Immediate attention was given to the injuries, but double pneumonia
supervened. Two nurses for two days and nights, together with the doctor, were
in constant attendance at the bedside, but in spite of all their efforts, my father
passed away on Friday afternoon.
The greatest sympathy was extended to us by the visitors at
the hotel, and the villagers generally. The principal official or
representative of Grindelwald (Mr. A. Borhren) called at the hotel to express
the sympathy of the inhabitants, and also asked the acceptance of a laurel
wreath and flowers. Wreaths and expressions of condolence were also tendered by
the guests of the hotel, where a short and impressive service was held by the
resident chaplain before we left for England. It was a source of much
consolation to my mother that Mrs. Carpenter (late of Folkestone and Lyminge)
was staying at the hotel. She was devoted in her attentions, which proved a
great comfort to us both, and especially to my mother”.
The late Mr. Smiles came to Folkestone between thirty and
forty years ago, when he became proprietor of the Railway Bell Hotel (opposite
the Junction). He next took over the White Lion Hotel, Cheriton, subsequently
retiring and taking up his residence at Brier Lea, Ashley Avenue. He was for a
considerable period Chairman of the local Licensed Victuallers` Association,
and his wise and imparted conduct in the chair was fully recognised by his
fellow members. He took a deep interest in Poor Law administration, becoming a
member of the Board of Guardians in 1900, and subsequently representing
Cheriton. He showed such marked ability and aptitude for his duties that he was
chosen Chairman in 1913, a post he held up to the time of his death. In this
capacity he won both the warm esteem of his colleagues and also of the various
officials. Never did a sour word escape his lips whilst he was in the chair,
and if ever a “breeze” arose he was ever ready with his tact to smooth over any
difference. He was also a member of the Assessment Committee and here again his
advice was invaluable.
His interest in the inmates of Hill House was not
perfunctory. If ever a man had the true human touch in his character, it was
Mr. Smiles. It was his real delight to pay not only official, but private
visits to Hill House and Cottage Homes. His constant care was for the comfort
of the inmates especially those in the sick wards. Such words as “workhouse”
and “pauper” were scrapped for “Institution”, “inmates”, and so on. At the
Cottage Homes, amongst the children, his presence was always welcome. During
the war, when the inmates were boarded out at Tenterden, Eastry, Brighton,
etc., his visits were many, and he always remembered his duties to those
belonging to the Union who were also inmates of the Chartham Asylum.
As a member of the Urban District Council, Mr. Smiles was
constant, regular, and punctual in his duties, ever taking a keen interest in
all that appertained to the welfare of Cheriton. His aim was to secure
efficiency and to keep the rates within bearable limits. In this, with the
assistance of his colleagues, he succeeded. He was a regular worshipper at All
Souls Church, of which he was a sidesman.
Deceased was a member of the Masonic Order, and was widely
esteemed by his brethren.
He sustained a great loss in 1913, when he lost his eldest
son, Mr. Joseph Smiles, a bright young fellow who will be remembered, not only
as a lover of manly pastimes, but as a trooper in the Royal East Kent Yeomanry.
Councillor Smiles leaves a widow and three sons, Mr. Roy
Stuart Smiles, Mr. Horace Smiles, and Mr. Percy Smiles. One of these is in
Australia, and a few years back deceased went out on a visit to him. It was his
purpose, we understand, to have paid a return visit during the present year.
Mr. J.G. Smiles is survived by his father, who is in his eighty ninth year and
in good health. He lives with Mr. Roy Smiles.
Touching his private life it could be said of the late Mr.
Smiles it could be said that he was geniality personified. He abhorred the petty,
and was ever ready to discern the best and not the reverse in any man. There
was much good that he did openly, but there was a great deal more (known only
to his intimates) that he did by stealth. A useful citizen, a manly man, a kind
friend, the whole community is the poorer for his death. To his widow and
family we tender our heartfelt sympathy.
We are unable to state the date of the funeral owing to the
uncertainty of the arrival of the body, which is being conveyed by a later and
slower train. In all probability, however, the funeral will take place at St.
Martin`s Churchyard in the early part of next week.
Folkestone Express
4-3-1922
Local News
At the Police Court on Wednesday the following licence was
transferred: The Railway Bell, from Mr. G. Hoare to Mr. G.A. Clarke, Croydon.
Folkestone Express
11-3-1922
Adjourned Licensing Sessions
Wednesday, March 8th: Before Mr. G.I. Swoffer and
Colonel P. Broome-Giles.
The licence of the Railway Bell was transferred from Mr.
George Hoare to Mr. Arthur John Clark.
Folkestone Herald
11-3-1922
Adjourned Licensing Sessions
Wednesday, March 8th: Before Mr. G.I. Swoffer and
Colonel Broome-Giles, C.B.
The licence of the Railway Bell was transferred from Mr.
George Hoare to Mr. Arthur John Clarke.
Folkestone Herald
22-4-1922
Felix
Mr. J.A. Clarke, a one-time member of the Croydon Borough
Council and other public bodies in the well-known Surrey town, has, on his own
assertion, taken up his residence in Folkestone “all through drink”. This
gentleman, to put it briefly, has come to preside over the destinies of the
Railway Bell Hotel – his first venture in the licensing trade. A brief
reference has already been made in the Herald to our new citizen. Now through
the kindness of one who knows Croydon pretty well, I have been favoured with a
few details of Mr. Clarke`s public career, in recognition of which various
tokens of respect and tributes were offered to him on leaving the town in which
he had for so long pursued a life of usefulness. Councillor Clarke and his wife
were entertained at a banquet which was graced with the presence of the Mayor
and Mayoress of Croydon, aldermen, councillors, ratepayers, and Masonic and
other friends. Any speeches were made in praise of the departing guests,
Councillor Clarke being presented with an illuminated address and his wife with
a gold brooch.
Amongst other public presentations made to Councillor Clarke
was a case of pipes and a tobacco pouch by the inmates of Croydon Union in
token of his services on the Board of Guardians, on which he had served as a
member for several years. The gifts were handed to the recipient by a
septuagenarian inmate on the occasion of an entertainment in the Workhouse. It
was quite natural that Mr. Clarke, in acknowledgement, said he would ever
treasure the gifts, the funds for which included many pennies. The staff at the
Workhouse also presented Mr. Clarke with a pair of entree dishes (in
duplicate). The late Councillor is an out-and-out constitutionalist, and at a
farewell concert he was also presented with a solid silver cigarette case
suitably inscribed. Mr. Clarke, in acknowledgement, said he had been associated
with the Constitutional cause for a quarter of a century. He thought he was
born a Constitutionalist. His father was a soldier, his son was a soldier, and
he was a soldier. In this last connection ex-Councillor Clarke held the
position of staff farrier sergeant during the war, and his service on the
Franco-Belgian Front brought him into contact with soldiers under all
circumstances. He shared their hardships and dangers, and in subsequent years
has urged the claims of ex-servicemen to liberal treatment at the hands of the
community.
As Chairman of the Smallholders` Association Mr. Clarke
appears to have done good service, and this was recognised by the members, who
presented him with an illuminated address. Folkestone welcomes a gentleman of
this calibre. I have heard in some quarters that this ex-Councillor from
Croydon is looked upon as somewhat in the nature of a “dark horse” for the
“North Ward Stakes” in the event of a contest at the next election, but from all
I can gather Mr. Clarke has had his fill of public life, and desires to “stand
at ease” in this respect.
At
the transfer sessions held at the Police Court on Wednesday the following
licence was transferred: The Railway Bell, Dover Road, to Mr. F. Bean, of the
Duchess of Kent, Dover, from Mr. Clark.
Folkestone Express
14-4-1923
Local News
Folkestone Herald
14-4-1923
Local News
On Wednesday last the Folkestone Magistrates granted
application for the transfer of the licence of the Railway Bell,
Dover Road, from Mr. J.A. Clarke to Mr. F. Bean, of the Duchess of Kent, Dover.
At
the Folkestone Police Court on Tuesday, before The Mayor and other Magistrates,
the licence of the Railway Bell was transferred from Mr. Bean to Mr. Joseph
George Brown (late of the King`s Head, Cheapside, London.
Folkestone Express 22-11-1924
Local News
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