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This is an account of an incident witnessed by Ron Spearpoint in Folkestone
It was typed by Fiona McNeill of the Folkestone Heritage Team and added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Folkestone Herald: Folkestone War Diary 12/05/1945
"August 14th 1940: Dive bombers attack and sink Folkestone Gate lightship"

Memories of a War-Time Action

DEATH OF A LIGHTSHIP

On this particular morning I was in [Folkestone] Town
I decided to walk through Holmesdale Terrace on to the Leas to look down on my fathers old home, which was number 6 Marine Crescent and to see what was happening in the Channel. Whilst leaning on the wooden rustic fence [I looked down at] at the Lightship, which was moored just West of the Victoria Pier and about a mile out. It seemed strange and somewhat eerie for as far as I could see I was the only person on the Leas.

Suddenly the quiet turned into screams as four Stuka dive bombers appeared out of the clouds from the West...When [they were] almost over the beach they banked right, headed seawards and bombed the Lightship across the beam.

As the planes continued towards France almost at sea level, three or four Hurricanes or Spitfires (not certain, as I ducked!) zoomed over the Leas Pavilion just above the roof tops, guns blazing as they pursued them. (I think the tail-end Stuka was shot down as great plumes of smoke appeared coming from the sea.) When the spray subsided the crew [of the lightship](all, I hoped) took to the lifeboat. It seemed a matter of minutes before a high speed rescue launch [arriving from Dover] was on the scene. [It] picked them up and headed back [to Dover.] The Lightship finally began to founder.

Shaken, I made a quick retirement to the 'East Kent Arms' and swiftly downed a couple of beers!

From Ronald H Spearpoint
Folkestone

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