Paddock Wood Social Life between the Wars WW1 & WW2

Written by a resident. Date unknown

The end of hostilities brought hopes of more prosperous times.

The local Council started a building programme. ‘Homes for Heroes’ was a common slogan.

Prior to the war there were only ten Council Houses in the area - six in Church Road and four at Catts Place. By 1921 schemes were afoot to extend the Church Road site by six houses and Catts Place by four. Later schemes taking Mount Pleasant , St Andrews Road and Church Road were carried out and in consequence Paddock Wood had begun to grow, but in general life went on as quietly as before 1914. Markets flourished for another 10 years and no additional industries apart from the established ones connected with the railway and agriculture were forthcoming.

In 1921 under the leadership of Mrs Morgan a branch of the Women’s Institute was formed and held its inaugural and subsequent meetings in the Parochial Hall. Two of the members who attended that inaugural meeting are still -at time of writing- amongst us)

To Paddock Wood this new organisation began to be recognised and took an active part in most things connected with the social life of the village and neighbourhood. They formed among their members a Linen League, which undertook to supply 100 pillow cases each year to the local Hospital, and they continued this work until the state took over the management of the Hospitals. In order to gather funds for this purpose Garden Parties were held in Mascalls House grounds and in Mascalls Meadow (now the Memorial Playing Fields). This provided evidence of the continuation of the desire to help those in need probably the spirit of comradeship which developed amongst members of the armed forces carried into civilian life.

Members of the Institute provided a member of the Parish Council (Brenchley Paddock Wood & Matfield were one Parish divided into wards) and deliberations affecting the life of the village were worked out. The provision of street lighting and the St Andrews Recreation Ground were in no small way due to the Institutes influence.

Besides these activities their meetings entertained the members . The branch had a choir and a drama group, both often entertained the public either at special concerts or bazaars held with the sole object of raising funds either to purchase materials for the Linen League or to entertain the elderley people of the Parish to an annual treat. The Drama Group trained by Mrs Whittaker often presented scenes from Shakespear - while the choir- besides folk and character songs performed at Kent Music Festivals in the sections for women’s choruses.