We honour the memory of all our ancestors who played their part in World War One at home or away.
So we are pleased to present short biographies of all those whose names we have found in the military records.
Gathering at the Orangery
On the evening of the Saturday, thirty three of us gathered at the Orangery in Margate for dinner.
Not only was a fine time had by all but a surprise announcement was made.
Margate Lifeboat Men
When we visited the Margate lifeboat, Nick Smith, the archivist, had extracted the names of Emptages from the RNLI records, with their dates of service. He also provided a list of notable services and some historic photographs. This is an attempt to identify those Emptages.
Gathering at St Nicholas at Wade
On the Sunday of the Gathering weekend, several of us visited the church at St Nicholas at Wade, where Henry Emptage and Ann Peal were baptised in 1737 and married in 1763. Ten of their direct descendants were at the Gathering, including four who had flown from the USA.
Gathering at the Lifeboat
In recognition of our mariner heritage, we arranged a group visit to the RNLI’s Margate lifeboat for the Saturday afternoon of the Gathering.
David Lindsey Emptage 1944 – 2018
The very sad and untimely death of David Lindsey Emptage has left a great hole in the Emptage family. Just as walking on a beach leaves footprints in the sand, so David has left footprints in our hearts.