Trifle Not Thy Time Is Short
Young Ivor Bains, like many other young children in Folkestone, had been evacuated to South Wales early on in the war, but when he reached the school leaving age of 14 he decided it was time to seek employment and return to Folkestone. He had no idea what job he wanted to do, as opportunities were not great due to the wartime conditions existing in the town, but his mother managed to find him a job as delivery boy for a local butcher.
But on Sundays he attended Christ Church in Sandgate Road where he was Head Choir Boy. On Sunday morning May 17th 1942, he was just setting out from home to attend church when what were known as German Luftwaffe ‘tip and run’ raiders swept in and dropped several bombs. After the explosions, Ivor noticed that the sky in the direction of Christ Church was filled with smoke and dust and hundreds of little white objects were all fluttering in mid air. He didn't realise it at the time, but those were pages from the hymn and prayer books.
On reaching the church Ivor was met with a scene of near total devastation. The main body of the church was totally destroyed, leaving only the tower at the Western left standing. Gravestones in the church yard had been been uprooted, and were lying in piles of rubble in the roads nearby.
Luckily there were only two fatalities - the verger Mrs Ansell, and an early worshiper who had arrived 20 minutes before the usual Sunday service. So the casualties could have been far worse since the church would have been full, troops already being formed up on the Leas in order to march to church as usual on Sunday.
The church tower has been preserved and remains as a monument on the site which is now a Garden of Remembrance. Below the clock are the words ‘Trifle Not Thy Time Is Short’.
Trifle Not Thy Time Is Short
Young Ivor Bains, like many other young children in Folkestone, had been evacuated to South Wales early on in the war, but when he reached the school leaving age of 14 he decided it was time to seek employment and return to Folkestone. He had no idea what job he wanted to do, as opportunities were not great due to the wartime conditions existing in the town, but his mother managed to find him a job as delivery boy for a local butcher.
But on Sundays he attended Christ Church in Sandgate Road where he was Head Choir Boy. On Sunday morning May 17th 1942, he was just setting out from home to attend church when what were known as German Luftwaffe ‘tip and run’ raiders swept in and dropped several bombs. After the explosions, Ivor noticed that the sky in the direction of Christ Church was filled with smoke and dust and hundreds of little white objects were all fluttering in mid air. He didn't realise it at the time, but those were pages from the hymn and prayer books.
On reaching the church Ivor was met with a scene of near total devastation. The main body of the church was totally destroyed, leaving only the tower at the Western left standing. Gravestones in the church yard had been been uprooted, and were lying in piles of rubble in the roads nearby.
Luckily there were only two fatalities - the verger Mrs Ansell, and an early worshiper who had arrived 20 minutes before the usual Sunday service. So the casualties could have been far worse since the church would have been full, troops already being formed up on the Leas in order to march to church as usual on Sunday.
The church tower has been preserved and remains as a monument on the site which is now a Garden of Remembrance. Below the clock are the words ‘Trifle Not Thy Time Is Short’.