Before the outbreak of the First World War, Newhaven was a key point in travel between Britain and Europe. Newhaven was the departure port for the railway and steamship link from London to Dieppe.

Passengers could ride the train down from London before boarding one of the twice daily steamships that would cross the channel in just under three hours. As a result, it was a key port for tourism and travel.

At the outbreak of war in 1914, the government quickly took control of Newhaven Port and it was closed to the public; all passenger services to France were suspended.

Because of its location on the East Sussex coast, Newhaven was ideally placed to deliver supplies across the sea. However, in the early months of the war, the requirements of the military and the desires of private shipping companies often collided.

During 1914 and the early part of 1915, Britain was operating under a system often referred to as ‘Business as usual.’ Whilst the country may have been at war, the government did not want the conflict to prevent the normal running of the country. They hoped that the war would be swiftly won without disrupting trade and commerce.

Instead of ‘Business as usual,’ the new controls at Newhaven Port provided an example of what would be known as ‘Total War‘ where the government could control any public or private business or property to support the war effort.

Following the decision to take control of Newhaven’s harbour, steamships were changed to transport of supplies across the channel. These supplies included ammunition, clothing, food, and horses. The return journeys from France would often include hospital ships returning wounded men to Britain.

By October 1915, 45 transport vessels were involved in taking supplies across the channel. Around 6,000 tonnes of supplies were being delivered to France by these ships every day and this number would rise as the war continued. In order to maintain the constant levels of shipping, additional workers were sought to load ships at the quayside. Newly employed Chinese Labourers were used at Newhaven Harbour after 1917. By February 1918, 100 women were employed to work the docks. Within a month this number had risen to over 400.

Because of the ammunition supplies passing through Newhaven, the dock was under the control of the military. Newhaven Fort was constantly guarded by soldiers throughout to protect the port and surrounding coastline. The greatest fear regarding Newhaven, however, was the effect an attack on the town might cause.

Alongside the guards at Newhaven Fort, eight boy scouts kept watch from the clifftops from 6am until 10pm every day and also acted as messengers. Patrolling above them were seaplanes and also airships from Polegate. These searched for German U-Boats that might be hiding in the channel and also kept watch for any incoming German planes and bombers.

Commander P.B. Garrett from the Naval Transports Office was keen to emphasise the huge danger of an attack on the port from either the air or by torpedo:

I would like to point out that it appears extremely essential that the ammunition Transports should never, when loaded, be allowed to remain in this harbour, as in the event of an air raid and a bomb being dropped on to any of these vessels the destruction of the whole of the quays and most of the town, would be the inevitable result. In consequence I am using the vessels that can leave at almost any hour of tide and larger than those now used could not be used to advantage.

By the end of the war, Newhaven Port had played a huge role in supplying the army abroad. 866,021 train trucks had delivered supplies to the quayside at Newhaven. These supplies had been delivered to France by 165 ships making a total of 8,778 voyages. Over 6 million tonnes of supplies including 2.6 million tonnes of ammunition were delivered to France during these supply trips.

However, this effort was not without a cost. The names of 99 people who lost their lives whilst delivering supplies to France were inscribed on the Newhaven Transport Memorial following its unveiling in 1920.

Questions to ask your students

1) What was Newhaven Port used for before the war?

2) Why was Newhaven Port important during the war?

3) How many tons of supplies left Newhaven Port during the war?

Images

Click here to download a copy of this resource: First World War – Newhaven Port – teachers

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The creation and name of the modern south coast town of Peacehaven are heavily connected to the events of the First World War.

The town was originally planned as a ‘Garden City by the Sea’ by its founder, the businessman and entrepreneur, Charles Neville. His aim was to create a town on the South Downs by the sea, where members of the public and ex-soldiers would be able to purchase plots of land upon which they could build homes.

Soldiers had, since the very start of the war, been told that the defence of places like the South Downs was an important reason to volunteer for military service and had been promised ‘homes for heroes‘ when the war came to an end. However, these homes were never built. The breaking of that promise convinced people of the benefits of buying their own land. However, the actual process and evolution of Peacehaven was far more complicated than it might at first appear.

First established in 1916, the name of the town itself was changed several times through a series of competitions run by Neville. During each competition, Neville would choose the winning name and whomever had submitted it would receive £100 (a large amount of money at the time) and a free plot of land to build on. Additionally, the runners up would also receive free plots but would have to pay a £50 fee in order to claim them.

There were 12,500 runner up plots available meaning that those ‘runners up’ claiming them promised a significant amount of money for Neville. The nature of this competition led to Neville being sued by the Daily Express newspaper, over suggestions that it was a scam. The Express eventually won the lawsuit but by the time they did, the publicity had already ensured that Neville had achieved his goal.

The first name of the town chosen was New Anzac-on-Sea as a tribute to the soldiers from Australia and New Zealand (Anzac stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) who were fighting overseas. Many of the roads in the town were also to be named after particular battles during the war such as Mons or Typres. However, it was soon decided that names so linked to death and suffering were not suitable. The term ‘Anzac‘ was viewed as particularly sensitive after the number of Anzac casualties during the battles at Gallipoli. In response, Neville held yet another competition which was won by Ethel Radford from Leicestershire who suggested the name ‘Peacehaven’.

For many people who would claim the plots of land, building on them proved to be expensive so, for a time, Peacehaven had no proper layout. In the post-war period, town planners and social commentators would come to regard Peacehaven as embodying many of the worst aspects of Britain at the time. In the following years, Peacehaven would eventually grow into a recognisable town.

The town became further noteworthy for being the point on the south coast through which the Greenwich Meridian Line, which British clocks are set to, enters and exits the country.

Peacehaven remains the only town in the United Kingdom to be named after peace.

Questions

1) Who founded the town of New Anzac-on-Sea?

2) Why was the name ‘New Anzac-on-Sea’ changed?

3) What is the town called today?

Images

The Meridian Monument in Peacehaven

Click here to download a copy of this resource: First World War – New Anzac-on-Sea – students

The post New Anzac-on-Sea appeared first on WW1 East Sussex.

Cooden Camp was a military training camp established in Bexhill at the start of the war. The early occupants of the camp were housed in tents in the Lower Camp near the parade ground, whilst wooden huts were constructed in the Upper Camp at the end of 1914.

The role of Cooden Camp changed throughout the war. In September 1914, new recruits for the Royal Sussex Regiment stayed in the camp. They were clothed, equipped and trained at Cooden Camp until the summer of 1915.

In September 1915, 700 men from the South African Heavy Artillery, arrived at Cooden. In the following weeks these men were joined by a small group of Australian soldiers as well. By the summer of 1916 the Royal Garrison Artillery controlled the entire site and the camp remained a training post for the next 18 months.

In January 1918, Cooden Camp’s duty changed again. The artillery units were replaced by Canadian Engineers, who turned the camp into a Canadian military hospital for wounded soldiers. Canadian troops were already a familiar sight in Bexhill during the War, as a Canadian Training School and Trench Warfare School were established at the Metropole Hotel on the seafront.

The first 131 patients arrived at Cooden Camp in March 1918 to receive treatment. The hospital itself had room to care for 2000 casualties. The main function of the hospital was to allow injured soldiers to recover before returning them to France.

Sport and recreation were a big part of life at the hospital as it was a way to build spirit and morale. It was believed that if soldiers had confidence in one another on the sports field then they would have confidence in one another on the battlefield.

The Princess Patricia Canadian Red Cross Hospital also had its own Concert Party, known as the ‘Parakeets,’ who entertained the sick and wounded at Canadian hospitals across Sussex. The hospital remained open until February 1919. The V.A.D hospital established as part of the camp in 1914, also operated until January 1919.

Questions to ask your students

1) Which town was Cooden Camp opened near?

2) Soldiers from which different countries stayed at Cooden Camp?

3) What was the main role of the hospital at Cooden Camp?

Images

Click here to download a copy of this resource: First World War – Cooden Camp – students

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