BALLOON OVER RAINHAM 

On June 12th 1889 the Chatham & Rochester News  reported that "the inhabitants of the little town of  Rainham were aroused from their usual quietude by  the appearance of a monster balloon  to the delight  of numerous onlookers a descent was made, both old  and young seemed quite amazed at the novel sight". As early as 1880 a successful balloon flight had  carried three passengers all the way from Ashford to  Crediton in Devon. 

Balloons, however, were not altogether unknown in  this area, for one of the pioneers of military  ballooning, Major James Templer, had bought Abbey Court Farm (then apparently known as Lidsey Farm)  at Lidsing in 1883. Templer, together with Captain  C.M.Watson, had started an army ballooning school  at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich in I878, using his  own balloon ‘Crusader’ and a grant of £150 from the  military authorities. The whole operation was  transferred to Chatham a year later, and it was from  the RE Barracks that cylinders of hydrogen were  carried by wagon to Lidsing, where in accordance  with Templer’s orders a deep pit had been excavated  near The Harrow, from which a balloon could be  inflated and launched. A separate wagon carried the  balloon itself, together with a drum on which was  coiled the wire rope (incorporating a telephone wire)  which would anchor the inflated balloon to the  wagon. 

The use of balloons for military reconnaissance was  already well-established - the French employed them  during the Napoleonic Wars, and they had also  proved useful during the American Civil War. When  British Forces were fighting in the eastern Sudan in  i885 a detachment of balloonists from the Royal  Engineers under Major Templer took part. A  contemporary report related that on the 25th March ‘a  balloon accompanied the convoy to the zeriba [a  fortified camp], and probably frightened the natives,  as no attack was made’. Unfortunately high winds  generally made it impossible to employ the balloon,  The Chatham & Rochester News had carried an item  about Major Templer in April 1888, when the soldier  had been court-martialled at Brompton Barracks  charged with ‘disclosing secrets of military  ballooning to persons unknown’ (believed to be  connected with the ltalian Government). But he was  honourably acquitted, and obviously no stigma was  attached to his name, for he married the following  year.  Templer’s men were unkindly referred to as  ‘Balloonatics’, and certainly flights were not  without risk.

ln December 1881 Templer and two  others (Mr.A.Gardner and Mr Walter Powell) were  carrying out meteorological observations: air  temperature at different heights and amount of snow  in the air. They set out from Bath and travelled over  Somerset and Dorset, but as their vessel approached  Bridport the wind threatened to carry it out to sea.  They attempted to land and Templer jumped out,  holding the valve line, and tried to release the valve.  The reduction in weight lifted the balloon several  feet off the ground so that when Gardner jumped, he  broke his leg and the balloon rose still higher,  Templer, desperately trying to maintain hold of the  line, urged Powell to climb down, but the rope was  torn from his hands, and Powell, himself a keen  balloonist with his own balloon and a private  gasworks to inflate it, was carried away, never to be  seen again. 

Despite such incidents many flights were very  successful. as the Rainham occurrence  demonstrates, and the British Army continued to  experiment with both balloons and giant kites. An  article in Bygone Kent (Vol.l6 No.8) has several  excellent photographs showing army wagons and  balloons, and remarks that it was not unusual to see  these over Lydd, ‘with one, two, or even three men  suspended from them in light baskets’. Ballooning  at Lidsing, though, had ended by the close of the  nineteenth century. 

RAD 

 More information about James Templer here

MEMORIES OF RAINHAM

l have lived in Rainham most of my life give or take a few years when I lived on the Isle of Sheppey. When I was growing up in the 60s Rainham like most places did not offer much in the way of entertainment. Of course there were the pubs: the Cricketers, the White Horse and the Green Lion and the local cinema. People called the cinema, the Bug Hutch, it was in the building now occupied by Gerald Luckhurst shop on the High Street. I remember going there with my Nan when I was about 8 years old it was 9d a ticket. When the cinema was first converted to a shop Liptons went in - our first big grocery store.

As a child in the 60s there wasn’t a lot of money about, not like today, so to get some pocket money I took a dog out for a lady who lived along Tufton Road. He was a scruffy dog named ‘Boy’. We had a lot of fun especially when I used to take him along Berengrave path to scrump blackberries and damsons. I got into a lot of trouble especially if the farmer happened to see us. I came home with bramble cuts when we had made a quick escape. I took all the fruit to my mum who made jam and fruit chutney.

My mum was an excellent cook her pastry actually melted in your mouth especially when she made her famous blackberry and apple pie. My dad loved walnuts so I used to check the weather forecast and if it said rainy and windy conditions I knew that was the correct time that the walnuts would drop. There is a big house in Webster Road that had two walnut trees near the road (now long been cut down). When I was about l0 years old I often went on my way home from school just to see if any nuts had fallen l could take a short cut through an unmade road called the pokey, into Tufton Road. My dad was very pleased if I came home with walnuts.

One particular day I set off to Webster Road I had a jumper on which was too big for me but it was brilliant for storing nuts in. I waited and looked up at the walnut trees, the wind was blowing, the rain came down with such a force I had to hide behind a car, I waited and waited until finally the nuts fell. I collected them all up and put them in my jumper and was just about to tum and go home when I heard a shout - Mr Mountain who lived in the big house came out with his black Labrador and called - where are you going with my nuts? He frightened the living daylights out of me so much I immediately dropped all the nuts and ran home. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me and told my dad what had happened. In between deep breaths I remember my dad saying that if the nuts were dropping over the Wall on to the road I could pick them up and have them.

I took this in and thought right I’ll go and get them. Can you picture the scene a ten year old with attitude! I ran round the pokey and not looking where I was going bumped into Mr Mountain taking his dog for a walk, I told him what my dad had said. At first he didn’t say anything just looked at me then he smiled saying your dad is quite correct you may go and pick up the nuts. And I did and every day after that till all the nuts had gone. I remember this incident as if it was yesterday especially as I now work as a gardener in this big house and I don’t need to scrump walnuts anymore because the lady who lives there gives me some every year for Christmas from the other trees in her garden. But this year there are no walnuts as the squirrels have had them all - greedy little monkeys. But funnily enough there seem to be a lot of young walnut seedlings popping up all over the garden so perhaps the squirrels hid them last year and forgot Where they had put them.

Denise Hazelden
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OASTHOUSE THEATRE - 50 years young! 

Some people might say that the Oasthouse Theatre is  Rainham’s best kept secret! Many residents of Rainham  are not even aware that they have a theatre right on their  doorstep and if they are aware many think we are based at  the Community Centre by the station.  However, for the past 50 years the Oasthouse Theatre,  tucked away in Stratford Lane off the High Street (almost  opposite lvy Street) has been the home of the Rainham  Theatrical Society.

This intimate theatre, housed in a  Grade ll listed building, seats just 72 people and offers a  wide variety of drama, comedy and variety.  The Rainham Theatrical Society (or the RaTS as they are  more fondly known) were founded back in I948 and used  to perform in St Margaret’s Hall, Orchard Street and the  Co-op Hall, both of which have since been demolished.  Early in l96l agreement was reached for the group to  perform in the newly opened Rainham Library but this  was not deemed viable. However, a few months later,  Mary Hopkins (who was the secretary of the group) saw  an advert in the local paper announcing that part of an  Oasthouse in Stratford lane was for sale.

The Oasthouse  belonged to local landowner and farmer, Jack Clark and  part of it was still being used as a working Oast (this  continued until the late 70s). The group had always  dreamed of owning their own theatre and now they had a  chance to turn that dream into a reality!  After discussions with the owner the group decided to  take on the task of converting the Oasthouse into the  ‘First Oasthouse Theatre in the World’. Initially lack  Clark gave the group the building rent free and they held  a series of fundraising events to help with the renovation.  Monthly subscriptions were 2s.6d so members were asked  to buy a lino tile for 2s.6d to help raise more funds. They  even had their name engraved on it for posterity!

In June  1962 outline planning permission was granted by  Gillingham Borough Council and it was full steam ahead.  However, there was a minor set back when Jack Clark  asked the group for a weekly rental of £5. This did not  deter them and they continued to work day and night  (often into the small hours) on the conversion and  fundraising to help pay for the rent and building costs.  They obtained some lighting and carpets from the Globe  Theatre in Chatham and some seating from the local naval  barracks canteen. Finally after months of hard work the  theatre was ready to open the doors to the public for the  first time! The opening took place on 8th November I963 with a production of ‘Billy Liar’.

A specially invited  audience included Cllr Michael Lewis (who is still an  honorary member today), William Poulton, President and  Irene Weller who performed the opening ceremony and  cut the 2 tier cake. Brenda Pearson (who is still an active  member of the society) was the first person to appear on  the stage playing the part of Grandma. As the curtain  opened, a ripple of applause ran through the tiny  auditorium marking the achievement of the society’s  dream.....and the rest is history!

Dean Caston