Bøger udgivet af Loncastle South

Great Britain was at war with France after the breakdown of the Treaty of Amiens in 1803. Napoleon was ravishing Europe and there was great concern about an invasion across the English Channel. The authorities decided that they needed additional defences and a new department was set up by the War Office. They considered the south coast most vulnerable and began a large and expensive program of barrack building.This is a story about one such infantry barrack built in a small town in Sussex. I tell this story of the Barrack Master's Office and the building of the barrack. There is information about the comings and goings of the many regiments that visited Hailsham while the barrack was maintained.After the defeat of Napoleon many barracks along the southern counties were closed.This is a record of all the regiments that visited along with church burial records that have survived. Soldiers were dying of disease, accidents, fights and the occasional suicide. Life was very difficult for the regular soldier.

For a hundred and fifty years, Eastbourne operated its fire service. From the early days of hand pumps through to horse-drawn steam fire appliance to motor-driven engines. The service kept up to date with the development of fire fighting techniques. Firemen were volunteers, made up of local tradespeople and shopkeepers.The brigade arranged collections through the town for funds to support the service. And they paid the men a small allowance for attending fires and fire drills. With the forming of the Borough of Eastbourne, they retained some men on a salary. But still had volunteers helping in the fight against fire. Later they introduced a more professional service, with full-time firemen and new fire stations positioned throughout the town.With the coming of the railway in 1849, the town expanded and became a popular tourist location with numerous large hotels and many visitors throughout the season. The fire service kept up with the latest firefighting equipment. The officers in charge made it a priority to attend national and foreign fire brigade gatherings. Also, where possible, they attended brigade competitions. There were always good working relationships with other brigades around the county, and they arranged frequent competitive events for the fire crews.>1974 saw the amalgamation of the Eastbourne Fire Brigade into the East Sussex Fire Service. This ended the borough's control and development of the town's fire service.

This book is about the history of Town Halls in the county. There are over thirty towns and villages in Sussex with what we can call a Town Hall. Some still have their Town Halls, while others have lost them over time. In some cases, it has been replaced by a modern Civic Centre. In many towns, there have been more than one building used, yet others have not had a Town Hall for many years. With a village choosing to become a town, they had the choice to elect a mayor. Some did and some did not. One village covered in the book has had two mayors over a ten-year period but only in office for two hundred days! Most towns in the book have an accompanying photograph of the Town Hall with details of the town's prominent residents involved with local government. There is also information on council involvement in the set up of the Police, Fire and Ambulance services in the county.