Brewing throughout the war…

Shepherd Neame kept on brewing beer throughout war -despite rationing of ingre-dients.

The fortitude of the British people was typ-ical of our dogged stoicism but morale was aided by a variety of pleasant distractions such as hop-picking and beer.

As beer was one of the few items not rationed during the war, Shepherd Neame was kept especially busy supplying the much-appreci-ated ale, but with fewer members of staff and working with rationed ingredients.

By 1940, 75 employees were away in the forces although efforts were made to recruit replacements. Dorothy Shuttle, for example, who worked in the brewery's wine and spirit department, was promoted to forewoman when foreman Charlie Derby joined the RAF.

Other members of staff served in the Home Guard and the Royal Observer Corps, while some worked as special constables or fire-watchers.

Two Ere-watchers were stationed on top of the brewhouse in Faversham every night, charged with keeping a keen look-out for incendiary bombs and to extinguish any early fires with hand-operated stirrup pumps.

Three bombs fell on Faversham during the Blitz, destroying homes. But the brewery remained untouched.

In all, 25% of Shepherd Neame pubs were damaged in the war.

Three were destroyed: the Coach & Horses in Canterbury, the Freemasons in Canterbury and the Westcliff Tavern in Ramsgate. The latter wasn't rebuilt until 1962.

The Sportsman in Seasalter forged a place in history when it became involved in the last battle on British soil on September 27, 1940, when soldiers exchanged fire with a downed Luftwaffe crew close to it.

The soldiers from the London Irish Rifles would later take their unhurt prisoners for a drink at the pub.