October 3rd, 2009
HIGH HALDEN — There’s not a lot to say about today. I visited four, no five, churchyards looking for tombstones. The first was at Egerton from whence the Russells came. From Egerton I went on to Pluckley, and from Pluckley to Little Chart.
The church at Little Chart was in ruin due to a doodlebug that was shot down and there were not many tombstones left to see as a result.
My next stop after Little Chart was Westwell. One half of the churchyard was well kept, the other half was decidedly less so—overgrown to the point that I was able to give myself a big fright by disturbing a brace of phesants that took to the air with a lot of sqwarking and beating of wings.
One tombstone at Pluckley gave me a clue that led me to my next churchyard at the medieval market town of Lenham. Nothing definite found here but certainly a parish to look into further on Tuesday at Maidstone.
OK, I’ll admit my ignorance – what’s a doodlebug??
Doodlebug was the nickname given to the first version (V1) of flying bomb that the Germans launched at Britain during the Second World War. They were relatively slow and could be shot down by the Royal Air Force unlike the later V2 rockets.
well, Jennie, you’re obviously too young to know what a doodlebug is!
Jennie.. you may have heard these being referred to as a Buzz-bomb also.