Chris Talbot Posted 15 May , 2004 Share Posted 15 May , 2004 My Grandfather was stationed here in 1919 with the RGA, has anyone have any information on this establishment or better still photographs. It would also be of help if anyone knows which regiments etc were stationed there in April 1919 Many thanks Chris Talbot P.S. I assume that Tin Town Huts was a local name but that is the given address on his marriage certificate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reformbill Posted 22 May , 2004 Share Posted 22 May , 2004 No photos but a little information. Lydd was certainly used as a firing range and for training RGA Siege Batteries. 160 Siege Battery was there from 26th July to 26th August 1916. My father, a gunner, did not much like it as a posting. When his brother was posted to Bexhill for gunnery training in September 1917, having just been commissioned, he was thought to be lucky not to have to go to Lydd! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Thompson Posted 23 May , 2004 Share Posted 23 May , 2004 Postmarked 17 July 1915 Lydd, the postcard was sent to a Miss F. Turner.... it reads: "Dear F, This is one of the charming little damsels we play about with here. Nice and comfy little girl she looks doesn't she". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy Posted 24 May , 2004 Share Posted 24 May , 2004 About half of my working life was spent working from a quarry in Lydd, as such I got to know several local bits of what I thought was useless information, including Tin Town which if I was told correctly was the name given by the people of the town to the then new tin huts built in the early part of WW1 at Lydd army camp. Hope this is of interest David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem Posted 25 May , 2004 Share Posted 25 May , 2004 Hi Chris Hopefully I have managed to attach an image of Tin Town. The card is titled Tin Town Lydd and was published by GA Coopers of Maidstone. It is quite a common card and is sometimes for sale on eBay . Regards Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy Posted 26 May , 2004 Share Posted 26 May , 2004 Hello again Chris. Yesterday I was talking to a former work mate of mine who is now 82 apart from WW2 war service he has spent his entire life in Lydd, I made mention of your reference to Tin Town, he confirmed what I had told you but added that when the buildings were first errected for awhile they were unpainted and reflected the sun more so after it had rained, whilst I found it hard to believe re being not painted as when I was in the army EVERYTHING that was static got at least a lick of paint. As Lydd was not so built up with modern houses as it is today, when the huts were errected they could be seen from a long distance away, the other thing to which reference was made yesterday was something which had come up before when I worked from Lydd, but which I suspect is more a "local tale" than fact, it being that every UK based Gunner in WW1 had at some time been at Lydd, thought I should mention it. David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie171150 Posted 8 July , 2011 Share Posted 8 July , 2011 My Grandfather was stationed here in 1919 with the RGA, has anyone have any information on this establishment or better still photographs. It would also be of help if anyone knows which regiments etc were stationed there in April 1919 Many thanks Chris Talbot P.S. I assume that Tin Town Huts was a local name but that is the given address on his marriage certificate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie171150 Posted 8 July , 2011 Share Posted 8 July , 2011 Hi Chris Cannot tell you much about Lydd camp 1914-1918 but can tell you a bit about it now. It is now a training camp and ranges much in use for counter terrorism training. Last used as a garrison town in 1960s The then Welsh borderers were the last unit to be stationed there and left in 69. Royal tank corps were stationed there for a few years in the 40s. The huts known as Tin town were added to the main camp about the time you are talking of. They are in one corner of the camp on the other side of the parade ground from the main camp and are now known as Clark camp. I have one or two old photo's showing the married quarters situated within the camp will try to attach a couple.If i have no joy let me have your email address and i will send them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelS Posted 8 July , 2011 Share Posted 8 July , 2011 Lydd wasn't the only army camp to have a 'Tin Town' in the GW: Witley Camp - or at least parts of it - in Surrey was given the same epithet; it was to gain notoriety in 1919 when large part of it were wrecked during rioting by Canadian troops whose re-patriation had been delayed because of an English dockers' strike. I wonder how many other 'Tin Towns' there were at other camps? NigelS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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