He added that such an event would bring thousands of visitors to the town which would help the economy. Within a month Dover's Mayor, Councillor George Raggett, invited Louis to address the civic dignitaries.
The enthusiasm he engendered was such that a committee was set up under the secretaryship of Councillor H R Geddes. It was decided to hold the event in the summer of the following year in the grounds of the Priory of St Martin's, now Dover College. By this time a new mayor of Dover had been elected, Walter Emden. He differed from all his predecessors in that he was not a member of the Town Council, having been chosen under a special provision of the Municipal Corporation Act 1182. This allowed a burgess of another council to qualify and as he had previously been the Mayor of Westminster, he helped the Dover Pageant with many connections in the capital. The mayor was able to raise a considerable amount of sponsorship money to finance the event.
The first day of the pageant dawned sunny and warm and 2,000 performers mostly people of Dover led by Canon Bartram as King Arthur, portrayed Dover history.
The covered grandstand seated 5,100 people with prices ranging from 3/6d to 21s.
All tickets were sold for the six days of the pageant.
Although the event was so successful it was not staged again until 1983 in Connaught Park.
Marianne Sergeant played the part of a Saxon girl in the crowd aged 12 in episode 1 and 2 and she handed a key to Mayor of Dover Bob Tant the hand over to the next generation.
The return to the original venue of Dover College took place with the 1999 Dover Pageant.
