This is the story of the Taylor Family during WW1.

Frank Taylor was Ken Taylor’s father. He was born in 1895 and lived with his family in St David’s Road, Ramsgate. At the age of 18 he was working as an apprentice butcher in the London Central Meat Company in Broadstairs High Street (which is still trading today) when he joined the Royal Artillery in 1914.

Below is a picture of three of the brothers, Frank in the middle with Syd and Percy.

He is also pictured here on horseback aged 19.

Frank saw active service during the Gallipoli Campaign (also known as the Dardanelles Campaign) against the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and in Mesopotamia. He recalled incidents of the Gurkha soldiers sneaking up during the night to cut the ligaments of the Turk’s horses to hamper their progress.

Frank returned home and went on to raise three children with his wife Irene. He went on to become manager of the same butcher’s shop where he had worked before the war (see below: Frank is on the right closest to the window) and he was later able to open his own shop in St Peter’s in 1934. Frank died in 1980

Ken’s mother Irene worked as a dressmaker in Margate and, aged 15 remembered Zeppelins coming in over the town.

Courtesy of Broadstairs and St Peter’s Town Memory Book – Memories recalled by Mr Ken Taylor

Percy can be seen in the picture below with his brothers Frank and Sydney.

He served with the Kent Cyclists in Europe as well as on the North West Frontier in India.

Percy returned home from the war but later died from wounds inflicted during the war. He was buried with his father in St Lawrence Churchyard.

Courtesy of Broadstairs and St Peter’s Town Memory Book – Memories recalled by Mr Ken Taylor

Sydney can be seen in the picture below with his brothers Frank and Percy.

Sid served in the Royal Horse Artillery as can be seen below:

From the next photo, we can see Sid wrote a postcard to his friend Dusty with an interesting photo regarding the angle of a stamp and its meaning.

Courtesy of Broadstairs and St Peter’s Town Memory Book – Memories recalled by Mr Ken Taylor

Charles Taylor was the youngest of the brothers. He enlisted in 1917, to serve in France with the Dragoon Guards. He later transferred to the Machine Gun Corps and then the Tank Corps.

He too was to see service in India before leaving the service in 1926.

Courtesy of Broadstairs and St Peter’s Town Memory Book – Memories recalled by Mr Ken Taylor.

Not much is known regarding ‘Dusty’ Miller but we know that he was served as Private Henry Miller M M 3rd Battalion the Buffs East Kent Regiment. We can also determine he was a friend to Sydney Taylor as evidence from the postcard sent to Dusty in December 14th 1919. The front of the postcard has an interesting photo regarding the angle of a stamp and its meaning. (see below)

The transcribed text reads:

‘Dear Dusty, Just a card to let you know that we are all A1 hoping this will find you the same. Please take note of the stamps on the other side. From your old pal Sid’

‘Mr & Mrs Miller, School Farm Cottages, Faversham, Kent’

We also have a picture of Dusty’s Certificate of Honourable Dicharge (see below)

The picture reads:

‘A555 Private Harry Miller M M 3rd Battalion the Buffs (East Kent Regiment) Served with honour and was disabled in the Great War. Honourably discharged on 13h September 1918’

Dusty died in 1991 and below is a picture of Dusty’s memorial bench.

Images courtesy of Broadstairs and St Peter’s Town Memory Book – Memories recalled by Mr Ken Taylor