‘German waiters, Belgian refugees and the Kaiser’s brother…’
Follow in the footsteps of the late local historian and writer Keith Pybus as he rediscovers the town’s WW1 history…
This is a short walk around the town but does include a steep climb to the town’s war memorial.
Among the early ‘battles of the War’ was that between German waiters from The Hotel and members of the football club. On their recall to the Kaiser’s Reserves, the waiters, fighting a rearguard action, were pursued to the ‘new’ (opened earlier in 1914) station. They made a hasty departure ‘under fire.’ Once at the Channel, they found the border closed. Word was sent that the waiters might be returning. An all-night vigil was kept at the station to greet any returning ‘invaders.’
Sympathy for the Belgians at the invasion of their neutrality was strong. Two refugee families were housed in The Tower Buildings, which once stood across the A49 at the junction with Sandford Avenue. Expenses were met by individual donations and fund-raising concerts in Church Stretton.
Mijnheer Hermans, the head of one Belgian family, was an artisan blacksmith. The Council encouraged him to continue in productive work. He made the ornamental gates at the entrance to the recreation park. At the unveiling in May 1915, they were freshly painted in green and gold and bore the inscription ‘These gates the work of M. AC Hermans, a Belgian guest of this town in consequence of the European War.’
The town’s story continues in Keith’s excellent leaflet (download below).