Sunny Dymchurch
A home from home

Didn't we have a lovely time, the time we went to Dymchurch? Well for those of you that went, by all accounts a good time was had by all plus it was reported the food was good. This was I believe because the boys all got two sausages.

Dymchurch was the large holiday camp that Goldings used to attend, well that was for the boys who did not have a home to go to. It used to be an Army camp during the last war. The camp was situated in Kent between Hythe and Dungeness, and is about 100 yards from the beach. Only one of the huts still exists today, in its day it was one of the biggest summer camps of its time in England. The camp itself covered about 2 acres and seemed to have every think you would want to do on Holiday, plus it had girls.

A Junior School Camp, 1961

This account of the Junior School Camp was written by Derek Hutt and taken from his camp diary. The camp, held during the Wimbledon period, was an experiment which proved a complete success, and our many thanks are due to the local scout troops who loaned the camping equipment, and staff and departments at Goldings who helped to make it so.

F. S. S.

THURSDAY, 29TH JUNE. The advance party arrived at the camp site. The first duty of this party was to put up the marquee which would be used to store the food and other supplies until the proper storage tents were in position.

The main party consisting of about twenty boys set off on foot from Goldings at about 10:15 a.m. This party arrived at about II:30 a.m. and the whole party set to and rigged eleven tents. Six of these tents were accommodation, two were store tents and the remaining three were used for staff and first aid. The field kitchen and fire we erected, and a position for toilet, greasepit, and salvage located. Fresh water supplies together with wood were obtained. At 2 p.m. we had our first camp lunch and 6 p.m. our first tea in camp. By 7 o'clock our camp was well established.

FRIDAY, 30TH JUNE. Reveille was at 6:30 a.m. and 'Gunfire' (tea) 7 a.m. approx. After 'Gunfire' camp duties had to be carried out by different sections of boys. The camp duties lasted from dinner time to the next day dinner. Our first breakfast was cereal and boiled eggs which were cooked by Mr. Newton.

The camp duties continued again until II o'clock when we had inspection. We then had a talk on camp life. After dinner we played games until the staff had finished their dinner.

After dinner and when the washing up had been done, it was time for our daily school lesson. When this had finished we had tea and then from after tea until 9 o'clock it was our free time. Nine o'clock was supper time and for supper we could have one or the other and sometimes both, soup and cocoa, following this we washed our own cup and put it back, and at 9:30 p.m. prayers and then to bed.

SATURDAY, 1ST JULY. On Saturday we did much the same as on Friday, except in the afternoon we went to Farmer Vigus's farm to pull up dock leaves from his barley field. When we had finished this he gave us £2 for helping him. We had pulled up approximately 30 tons of docks altogether. When we arrived back we received our pocket money; it was too far and much too hot to walk to the nearest shop, so Mr. Sheppard took a list of the things the boys wanted and he went for them in his car. The rest of the day finished the same as Friday.

SUNDAY, 2ND JULY. Sunday was the most important day of the camp. Our important visitors for the day were Mr. T. Burgess, who is the District Commissioner for Scouts, the Headmaster, Mr. Wheatley, and Mrs. Wheatley, and Mr. Powell. Mr. Burgess came to inspect the camp and he was most impressed with the gadgets made by Mr. Newton and the boys.

For the remainder of the morning we were visited by Hertford Sea Scouts, who invited us to sail with them on the river nearby, and we came back to enjoy a good roast dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Wheatley, and other members of staff were invited to tea, and for this meal the boys had strawberries and cream which had been bought with the £2 we had earned helping the farmer the day before. Mr. Newton had prepared salad for the staff and visitors. After tea we had competitive Highland games. Mr. Nixon came along in the evening and conducted a short evening service.

MONDAY, 3RD JULY. Early morning duties were the same; after breakfast when the duties were finished we started to pack the things we did not want and after dinner we played games all the afternoon. After tea we took the marquee down and for the rest of the evening we sat around the camp fire on which we roasted some potatoes and ate them.

TUESDAY, 4TH JULY. Tuesday was the busiest day of all. Before breakfast we took most of the tents down and after breakfast we took down the remainder, including the latrines, washing equipment, and kitchen. By the time this was finished the lorry arrived to take some of the equipment to Bengeo Scout Troop Headquarters. After dinner the fire was removed and the grease pits were filled in and marked 'foul land' . Finally the lorry returned to take the remainder of the equipment and the boys back to Goldings where we arrived at 3:30 p.m. Everybody voted it a smashing' camp.

DEREK HUTT

Photo taken August 1949

Sydney Bracken remembers: The annual holiday at Dymchurch provided us with an opportunity to meet with members of the opposite sex. We used to congregate in the Beach Cafe, sharing a cup of espresso coffee between all of us, which satisfied the owner for so long before one of us would have to purchase another cup to prolong our stay. We would gather around the juke box whilst one of our number would fiddle with the machine to get free plays (Goldings boys were a resourceful breed). Ogling the local 'talent' sometimes caused fights with the local youth but victory was always ours.

JOURNEY TO DYMCHURCH 1953

Dymchurch! The name conjures up visions of pouring rain, howling wind and an altogether dismal atmosphere. Many boys say "Going to Dymchurch? Don't forget your umbrellas." However this year Dymchurch was eagerly awaited despite the 'digs' at the weather by the pessimist and there was great excitement when the coaches arrived.

Soon we were on our way through the 'busy metropolis', Hertford and I think no one had any regrets at leaving it behind for three weeks, except perhaps a lone Romeo sad at the thought of leaving his Juliet even for so short a space of time. After a time we found ·ourselves threading our way through London towards the Blackwall tunnel. I must confess the Blackwall Tunnel holds some thrill for me as I think there is nothing like travelling through such a feat of engineering in comfort. Through the tunnel and we were soon on the southern outskirts of London.

Gradually the shops and factories gave way to residential buildings until finally there were left only the remote cottage and public house. We were in Kent, the county, I think, which is the most beautiful in Southern England. Green hills and pasture lands roll away into the distance as far as the eye can see. On goes the coach, past orchards that have stood for countless years, past the hop fields and fields of corn bright in the summer sun. Finally Dymchurch and our journey's end; we were glad to stretch our legs and breathe the sea air. We had three weeks stretching far ahead of us but we knew they would pass far too quickly. But on that Saturday the sun was shining, a breeze was blowing from the sea and three weeks seemed a long time.

B. Steeples

DYMCHURCH 1950

We started from Goldings at half-past ten on 4th August. It was a very sunny morning fit for the occasion. The journey was very pleasant and across Kent the orchards were laden with fruit.

When we arrived at Dymchurch we all jumped out of the coaches to get a bed each in the huts, only to be brought out again and paraded in an orderly fashion. We had a low camp beds to sleep in, with two shelves above our heads to receive our clothes. After we had settled down, most of us went for a swim in the sea, which was quite calm.

Reveille was sounded at half-past seven every morning. We had to get up and wash, then fold our clothes before going to breakfast. After breakfast we had a kit inspection, the Headmaster walking round each bed to see that it was neat and tidy. Then we stripped to the waist and did half-an-hour's P.T. with Mr. Patch. All the rest of the day we could spend, as we liked, going down to Dymchurch, or swimming, or going to Dover or Folkestone for the day if we had enough money. If we wanted we could play football or cricket.

On the Monday of the last week we all went on an outing to Dover. Some went round Dover Castle and harbour, while others went to see the cricket match between Kent and Derbyshire, but rain stopped play for most of the day.

In the second week of our stay the boys played the Staff at cricket, the Staff having a mixed team of males and females. The boys won.

On Friday, 26th August, we started on our long journey home, fit and well from our 1950 Dymchurch Camp.

L. Brotherwood

The above Deibler photo taken in the 50s can you name names?
the photo was  taken by Scoffer Howitt in 1948

Dymchurch had such a good name for summer holidays that boys would rather come to summer camp than go back home. Regarding the sausages, we had three.

Due to the cost of the extra sausages the boys had been eating, in 1965 Dymchurch was no more. This is part of the editorial of summer 1965.

It is Always pleasing to be Able to write about changes for the good, and one function that had become more or less traditional at Goldings, the summer camp at Dymchurch, now will be only a memory. There may well be some old boys who will think his sad, but I feel sure they will agree that it is far better to get all the boys away to their relations and friends and enjoy a complete break from school. This change came about, without any fanfare of trumpets, at Christmas when all boys went 'home', and it is now the policy of the School to get all boys away for the Christmas, Easter, and Summer holidays. This scheme also enables house parents to enjoy a well‑earned break. One other down side, the boys would never see Skip in shorts. Photo shows Skip with Gordon Hollier who sent in the photo.

Note: This was the thin edge of the wedge, giving the staff time off at Christmas, Easter, and Summer holidays, what ever next. This was two years before our school had to close!

Dymchurch's other claim to fame is it has the 'World's Smallest Public Railway' with fair paying customers. First opened to traffic in July 1927 at a cost of £1,100 now covering a distance of 13.5 miles from the picturesque Cinque Port of Hythe, near the channel tunnel, to the fishermen's cottages and lighthouses at Dungeness.