Looking back to explorehistory of army camp

Southwick Heritage starts its new season of talks on September 12 with '˜Rusty Nails '” exploring the history of Shoreham Army Camp'.
Training for War, Shoreham Army Camp 1914- 1919. Worthing Museum  exhibition on Shoreham Army Camp which has recently been discovered and served as a training camp during the First World War.
Worthing, Sussex.


Picture : Liz Pearce 250415
LP1501312 SUS-150426-164622008Training for War, Shoreham Army Camp 1914- 1919. Worthing Museum  exhibition on Shoreham Army Camp which has recently been discovered and served as a training camp during the First World War.
Worthing, Sussex.


Picture : Liz Pearce 250415
LP1501312 SUS-150426-164622008
Training for War, Shoreham Army Camp 1914- 1919. Worthing Museum exhibition on Shoreham Army Camp which has recently been discovered and served as a training camp during the First World War. Worthing, Sussex. Picture : Liz Pearce 250415 LP1501312 SUS-150426-164622008

The talk will see Hamish Macgillivray explore the history of Shoreham Camp.

The Southwick Society said that 102 years ago this month, thousands of young men arrived at Shoreham railway station, marched up Buckingham Road and began erecting tents on the fields north of the Upper Shoreham Road between Holmbush and Buckingham Farms, including what is now Buckingham Park.

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These men were still in their civilian clothes because there were no uniforms for them. They were some of the first to answer Field Marshall Kitchener’s call for volunteers to form a huge new army to fight the German armies invading Belgium and France.

These new soldiers began intensive training in and around Shoreham, Southwick and Portslade.

Nigel Divers, secretary of the Southwick Society, said, “The camp made an important contribution to the Great War and had a great effect on Shoreham and Southwick.”

The camp has long since disappeared under houses, roads and Buckingham Park but thanks to a Heritage Lottery Grant, Worthing Museum and Art Gallery organised a team of volunteers and students to find the forgotten history of the once huge First World War Shoreham army camp.

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In the talk, curator Hamish Macgillivray will show behind the scenes discoveries and a glimpse into army training conditions and morale 100 years ago.

The talk will be held at Southwick Community Centre in Southwick Street, starting at 7.30pm. The event is open to all and the admission price is £4 person (£2 for members of the Southwick Society).

Nigel Divers, Southwick Society secretary, said: “This is the first event in the society’s monthly programme of Heritage Talks and we would like to invite everybody who is interested in our local heritage. Our October talk will be about Shoreham Fort and in November we will hear about Petworth House and Park”.

For more information, telephone 07837 713474.

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