Folkestone Step Short Memorial Arch (#0334)

Memorial arch on the Step Short Road of Remembrance in Folkestone. The Step Short monument honors the millions of men shipped out through Folkestone in WWI. The monuments name is derived from the command to ‘step short’ as men marched down the slope to the waterfront.

Folkestone’s relationship to WWI was intense. Early in the war it became host to 65,000 Belgians fleeing the war, it also had a large military training camp, but its most prominent importance was as the main embarkation point for soldiers (both UK and Canadian) sent to France and Belgium. Actual attacks on Folkestone were minimal, though there was one bombing raid that killed 71.

Sources:
Step short: www.stepshort.co.uk/projects/renovating-road-remembrance
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Folkestone

(Part of a documentation of 2018 exploration/reflection on Brexit and populist movements in Europe, keyword Europe2018)