The indomitable Camberley Kate, aka Kate Ward, and her stray dogs in England in 1962.Camberley Kate was born in Middlesbrough on June 13, 1895. Orphaned before the age of ten, she was raised by an aunt in a strictly religious atmosphere. As a young girl, she entered the ministry and eventually found her way to Camberley. In later years, she once claimed to have been head chef at the RMC at the time of the Battle of the Somme, even though she was only 21 years old.She also mentioned 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 to be euthanized for lameness.Over time, the number of dogs in her home grew – some were tied to her door, others were left in carrier bags, and still others were brought to her by the police or other authorities. At the end of her life, she estimated that she had taken care of more than 600 dogs.Kate and her olive-green painted handcart with the inscription “STRAY DOGS” were a familiar sight in the area, as she pushed it from Yorktown to Camberley every day.
