The indomitable Camberley Kate, aka Kate Ward, and her stray dogs in EThe indomitable Camberley Kate, aka Kate Ward, and her stray dogs in England 1962.Camberley Kate was born on June 13, 1895 in Middlesbrough. Orphaned before the age of ten, she was raised by an aunt in a strict religious atmosphere. As a young girl she went into service and eventually found her way to Camberley. In later years she once claimed to have been head cook at the RMC at the time of the Battle of the Somme, even though she was only 21 years old at the time.She also wrote that she knew what it was like to be homeless.In 1943, Kate bought a cottage in Yorktown and soon took in her first stray, a dog that was about to be euthanized because of lameness.Over time, the number of dogs in her home grew – some tied to her door, others left in carriers, others brought to her by police or other authorities. By the end of her life, she estimated that she had cared for more than 600 dogs.Kate and her olive green handcart marked “STRAY DOGS” were a familiar sight in the area as she pushed it from Yorktown to Camberley every day.She died on August 4, 1979. May she be resting in Paradise, surrounded by Dogs that love her.
