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On one occasion John and his mates were on the cliffs at Capel, watching the progress of a convoy of ships through the Straits of Dover. It was a very clear day, and they could easily make out the four gun emplacements at Cap Gris Nez on the other side of the Channel which were all firing at full blast. The ships were being unceasingly bombarded — and inevitably an oil tanker was hit, and set completely alight. The tanker was beached on the Warren, where it was burning out.… Whilst the lads were watching this a shell hit the cliffs about a hundred yards from where they were standing — near the big house. They escaped unhurt apart from being showered with lumps of chalk, but the black smoke from the tanker blacked out the town of Dover for several days.

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