Folkestone Herald
7-9-1940
Local News
At the Folkestone Police Court on Tuesday the Magistrates
granted a protection order to Mr. P.E. Wootton, of the Guildhall Hotel,
Folkestone, in respect of the Martello Hotel, Dover Road. It was stated that
Mr. R.L. Chapman, the licensee of the Martello, would shortly be going into the
Army.
Folkestone Herald
24-4-1943
Local News
At Folkestone Police
Court on Wednesday, the Magistrates agreed to the transfer of the licence of
the Guildhall Hotel, Guildhall Street, from Mr. P.E. Wooton to Mr. R.P.
Rawlings, of Messrs. Mackeson's, Ltd.
Note: This does not
appear in More Bastions.
Alderman R.G. Wood
presided with Alderman J.W. Stainer, Mr. P. Fuller and Mr. P.V. Gurr.
Folkestone Herald
31-7-1943
Local News
For a breach of the Lighting Restriction Order, Mrs. Amy
Wootton, of the Guildhall Hotel, was fined £1 by the Folkestone Magistrates on
Tuesday.
Folkestone Herald 6-1-1945
Local News
Four members of the R.A.F. Regiment who stole a firkin of beer from a Folkestone hotel
were fined at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court last Friday. Alfred Jennings, Samuel Campbell,
Stanley Jones and Stanley Kempson Boyle pleaded guilty to the theft of the barrel of beer, valued £2 12/6, the property
of Mr. Ev P. Woottcn, licensee of the Guildhall Hotel. Jennings, who
was further charged with stealing a glass tankard, valued at 2/3, denied the
theft.
P.C. Farrier said at 10 p.m. on December 23rd
he was in Rendezvous Street when he heard a disturbance coming from the passage
by Messrs. Lewis Hyland's premises. By the light of his torch he saw two airmen, one
carrying a firkin of beer on his back. He challenged them and the one who was carrying the beer dropped it
and ran into Rendezvous Street. He caught the other man (Jennings) and asked him
where they had obtained the beer, and he replied “I will show you”. At the Police Station he searched
Jennings and in his right hand overcoat pocket he found a mug which was later
identified by Mr. Wootton as his property. Later he charged Jennings with stealing the mug and
he replied "All I can say is this; in the pub I took off my overcoat and
before leaving put it on again. I did not know the glass was in my pocket”.
Percy E. Wootton, licensee of the Guildhall Hotel,
said shortly after 10 o’clock on December 23rd he found the firkin of beer was missing from the
saloon on the public side of the bar. There was an exit from the saloon bar to the back
of the Town Hall.
D. Sergt. Bates said on December 24th
he saw Jennings and told him that he was making enquiries about the theft of
the brer. Defendant replied ‘’Yes. I was helping Campbell to take it away when
the policeman came along”. Later he interviewed Campbell, and he said "During the evening I went down to the lavatory in the pub and
helped some other men to take the beer outside. I don’t know who the other men
were. I later told Jennings about it and we were taking it away when the
policeman stopped us”. Witness next saw Jones, who said “I was in the pub with Campbell and
Boyle and took the barrel from the bar and took it outside”. Later he saw
Boyle, who said “Yes. I was with them. We took the barrel from the bar”.
Campbell said they had had some drinks that evening
and what they did was more of a seasonable prank than anything else.
An officer said all the men had good characters.
The Chairman (Alderman N.O. Baker): You regard it
more or less as a seasonable occurrence than anything else?
The officer: Yes, a seasonable prank.
The Chairman told the defendants they had done a
very silly thing. Everybody knew it was Christmastime, but they belonged to the
Air Force and should have thought before doing such a thing. They had given a
lot of trouble, and had deprived the licensee of the beer at a time when it was
in short supply.
Each would be fined £1, and Jennings a further 5/-
for the theft of the mug.
Alderman Baker sat with Dr. Esme Stuart.
Folkestone Herald
24-3-1945
Local News
Two R.N. Commandos, Frederick James Edwards and
Thomas Lee, appeared before the Folkestone Magistrates on Tuesday charged with
robbing with violence from L.A.C. Alfred Williams, and stealing his wallet
containing £1, correspondence and a cigarette case, altogether valued at £2.
Defendants appeared before Alderman W. Hollands
(presiding), Alderman N.O. Baker and Dr. Esme Stuart.
After evidence had been given by a detective
officer, accused were remanded in custody until next Tuesday.
D. Const. Peck said on Saturday last at 11 p.m. he
went to a billet in company with an officer, who checked the roll. On a landing
he saw Edwards, dressed in underclothing, come out of his room and go to the
lavatory. Shortly after Edwards returned to his room. A quarter of an hour
later, accompanied by a duty officer and L.A.C. Williams, the complainant,
witness again visited the billet, and in the seventh room they entered Williams
pointed to three men, two of them being Edwards and Lee. Williams said “These
are three of the men who were in the public house”, and indicating Edwards and
Lee, he said “These are the two men who assaulted me”. Witness told defendants
that the airman who had just been in the room had been assaulted and robbed of
his wallet and cigarette case and that he had pointed them out as the persons
responsible. Edwards immediately said “I don`t know anything about it”. Lee
said “Nor me”. Witness then went to the lavatory to which he had seen Edwards
go, and on the top of the cistern he recovered an empty wallet and a
handkerchief. He showed the wallet to Williams and then went back into the room
to show it to Edwards, telling him where he had found it, and that he had seen
him (Edwards) go to the lavatory. Edwards said “I didn`t put it there”. The
following day he charged defendants, and Edwards said “I had nothing to do with
it because I was with Lee all the time, and we came back together. I never saw
the airman after we left the Guildhall”. Lee said “I know nothing about it. I
left the pub at closing time and we went back aboard with Edwards and the other
two of our boys. I never saw the airman when I left the pub”.
As stated, defendants were remanded for a week.
Folkestone Herald
31-3-1945
Local News
Two R.N. Commandos were committed for trial at the
next Kent Assizes when they appeared before Folkestone Magistrates` Court again
on Tuesday, charged with robbing with violence Leading Aircraftsman Williams,
R.A.F. Accused were Frederick James Edwards and Thomas Lee.
Mr. T.T. Cropper, who prosecuted, said it was
alleged that defendants robbed Williams of a wallet containing £1 and a
cigarette case. At the first hearing, added Mr. Cropper, D. Const. Peck gave
evidence that he went to defendants` billet the same night, and there L.A.C.
Williams identified defendants as the two men who had assaulted him. The
Magistrates would also remember that while the detective was standing on a
landing Williams, it was alleged, came out of his room and went across to a
lavatory. Later in the lavatory an empty wallet was found.
L.A.C. Alfred Williams, R.A.F., said on March 17th
at 9.10 p.m. he went to the Guildhall Hotel, Folkestone. Among those in the
public bar were four R.N. Commandos, Edwards and Lee being among them. Witness
was accompanied by L.A.C. Hignell. He left the hotel at 10 o`clock, hignell
being in front, and Edwards was behind following Lee. He (Williams) was going
to the Central Station to get a taxi. Edwards, who was standing outside with
witness, called Lee, and the three of them walked along Guildhall Street. He
was in the centre, and Edwards and Lee
had an arm linked with his on either side. After they passed Moncrieff`s
shop Edwards pushed him into a doorway. Holding witness, Edwards told Lee “to give
it to him”. Edwards held him and Lee started hitting him about the face and
head with his fist. Edwards`s arms were round him. Witness`s eye was blackened,
and he was marked on the nose and the other eye by Lee`s blows. Edwards then
said to Lee “Have you got the lot?”, referring to his wallet and cigarette
case. Lee replied “Yes”. The case and wallet were taken from his tunic pockets.
The wallet contained a £1 note. Edwards and Lee afterwards made off. As witness
came out of the doorway he contacted a soldier, and about four minutes later he
saw P.C. Harman to whom he reported what had happened. At the police station he
received attention for his injuries. At about 11.30 that night he went with a
detective to a building in which he visited several rooms. In one of them he
identified Edwards, Lee and another Commando as having been in the Guildhall
Hotel earlier. He also picked out Edwards and Lee as the men who had attacked
him; neither defendant said anything. Afterwards he was shown his empty wallet
by the detective.
By Edwards: From the time they left the public
house to the end of the attack about 15 minutes had elapsed.
L.A.C. John Q. Hignell, R.A.F., said on the
following day he attended an identification parade at the Town Hall. There were
about eight R.N. Commandos lined up and he picked out two who were in the
Guildhall Hotel the previous night. Edwards was one of those, but he could not
be quite definite. Witness said he left the room and returned again later. On
that occasion he picked out Edwards, Lee and another as having been in the
public house the night before.
Able Seaman J. Kelly, R.N. Commando, said on the
night of March 17th he was in the Guildhall Hotel. Defendants were
also there. He left at 10 p.m., and as he was coming out of the bar a soldier
pushed him. There was an argument for a time, and then witness started making
his way back. He had walked about 30 yards from the public house when
defendants came up behind him. On arriving at their billet they all turned in.
Later a police officer visited the room. Before that witness had left the room,
but he could not be sure whether anyone else had done so.
Replying to Edwards, witness said it was a fairly
dark night.
P.C. Harman said at 10.10 p.m. on March 17th
he was on duty in Sandgate Road when he was approached by Williams, who was
bleeding from a cut on the bridge of his nose, and from another cut under the
right eye.
Both defendants said they did not wish to make any
statement at that stage.
The Magistrates committed defendants for trial at
Kent Assizes, granting legal aid.
Alderman W. Hollands presided, with Alderman N.O.
Baker and Dr. Esme Stuart.
The following licence was transferred at a
sitting of the Folkestone Magistrates on Wednesday last week: Railway Bell,
from Mr. Leonard Barker to Mr. Horace Justin Cornelius Reader.
Folkestone Herald
13-10-1945
Local News
Folkestone Gazette
25-4-1956
Local News
A heavy fireproof steel safe containing nearly £100 in
cash, stolen from the Railway Bell public house, Folkestone, as dawn broke on
Monday, was apparently smashed open with axes and a pick in an adjoining yard.
Residents in the
neighbourhood of the lock-up premises told the Gazette they were awakened by
the noise of blows out did not pay much heed to them as they are
accustomed to similar noises from the nearby Junction Station shunting yards.
Other neighbours said the noise appeared to come from two or three men seen in
the vicinity of the yard at the time who were seemingly chopping wood.
Police are anxious to
receive information
(other than that already
obtained) from anybody who
saw or heard anything between 5 and 6 a.m. on Monday.
Discovery of the theft was made by a man who went
to the yard around 6.30 a.m. for his car which he parked there overnight. The
safe, the front of which then resembled a mass of twisted metal, was lying
empty in the yard, and silver and copper coins were scattered around it.
The landlord, Mr. H. Reader, who lives nearby but
does not reside on the premises, was informed and the police were immediately
called.
The thieves apparently gained entry through a door
of a room, at the rear of the bar, where the safe was kept in a comer. A wooden step at the back door was
found to be broken, presumably by the weight of the safe, in the course of its
removal to the yard. The
room had been thoroughly ransacked and a Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund
collecting box in the saloon bar had also been emptied.
Mr. Reader informed the Gazette that the safe contained
nearly £100 in takings, thrift club money and old age pension token forms. Some wine appeared also to have been
stolen or consumed from the bar, he said. “Several attempts to break in have been made in
past years”, added Mr. Reader, but this is the biggest loss I have suffered”.
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