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Preparation

It is here that I make another, planned, departure from the original route. Though the 129th arrived from Glasgow in Blandford Camp, Dorset, and then went in succession to Folkestone, Kent, then to WestonSuper Mare in Somerset, and then to Swanage, and then to Dorchester (again in Dorset), criss-crossing back and forth across the south of England for six months of training and gear prep, Mark and I have only a few days, making the criss-cross to match the order in which the 129th moved difficult, if not foolish, so we’re doing it in an efficient order, hitting Folkestone first and then working our way west, and then hitting the middle on the way back east.

The Itinerary of the 129th AAA Gun Battalion, January to June 1944 (sort of, thanks to Google Maps)

And so today we visited Folkestone.

It’s a breezy town right on the southeastern edge of the country, its beaches extending into the English Channel. Though the town proudly boasts a rich history around its role in World War I, there is next to nothing to be found about it in regard to World War II, even though the German Air Force bombed it several times.