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News from the Parish of Kingsley, Northampton
JUNE 2020
www.stmatthews-northampton.org.uk
Services at the Parish Church of St Matthew CURRENTLY SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS. PLEASE SEE WEBSITE AND NOTICE BOARD FOR UP TO DATE INFORMATION ONCE LIFTED.
Sundays 9.00am Mass, with homily (with traditional language) 10.15am The Parish Mass (sung) 5.30pm Evensong — according to The Book of Common Prayer
First Sunday in the month 10.15am All Age Mass for the Parish Family 5.30pm Choral Evensong When the choir is on holiday (coinciding with school holidays and half terms) Choral Evensong is replaced with Congregational Evensong
Second Sunday in the month 9.00am and Laying on of hands and Sacrament of Anointing is 10.15am offered in the Lady Chapel 5.30pm Congregational Evensong
Third Sunday in the month 5.30pm Choral Evensong with Congregational Benediction
Fourth and Fifth Sundays in the month 5.30pm Congregational Evensong
Weekdays (During the winter months of November to March, held in the Parish Centre) Morning and Evening Prayer are said publicly at 9.00am and 5.30pm daily
Monday 7.00pm Mass (on Bank Holidays at 9.30am) (Healing Mass and Devotions on the first Monday in the month) Tuesday 9.30am Mass (suspended for the foreseeable future) Wednesday 9.30am Mass (followed by coffee) Thursday 9.30am Mass Friday 12 noon Mass Saturday 9.30am Mass (Walsingham Cell Mass on second Saturday in the month)
Major Feast-Days Procession and Sung Mass at 7.30pm
(Always held in church. The morning Mass may be cancelled — refer to literature in church)
Sacrament of Reconciliation, commonly known as Confession, is celebrated in the Lady Chapel by appointment with the clergy. They are also available for advice and guidance on any matter of concern. All aspects of the sacrament are in confidence.
Church Opening Times: from April to October on Saturdays from 12noon until 2.30pm. Otherwise by appointment with the Parish Office.
Worship Calendar for June
Date Observance Intention
1 S Justin, M Our schools 2 Feria The scientific community 3 Of OLW The Shrine and Society 4 Feria The NHS and care homes 5 S Boniface, B & M The medically and materially vulnerable 6 Of the BVM Home/school learning
7 TRINITY SUNDAY The Parish 8 Feria Those able to work from home 9 Feria Our desire to return to ‘normal’ 10 Feria The ministry of healing 11 S Barnabas, Ap Encouraging one another 12 Feria The pharmaceutical industry 13 Feria Those who must use public transport
14 CORPUS CHRISTI Thanksgiving for the Holy Eucharist 15 Feria For statisticians and analysts 16 S Richard of Chichester Our designated charities 17 Monthly Requiem The Faithful Departed 18 Feria Families parted from one another 19 Feria The Emergency Services 20 Feria The tourist industry
21 SECOND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY The Parish 22 S Alban, M Those who suffer for their faith 23 S Etheldreda, Ab Praying with others whilst alone 24 Birth of S John the Baptist Our willingness to point to Christ 25 Feria Those living alone 26 Feria Long-term changes to patterns of living 27 S Cyril of Alexandria, B & Dr For teachers and their families
28 SS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES Our Cathedral 29 Feria Our Government 30 Feria Those experiencing hardship
The Church prays for the community daily Please include these topics in your daily prayers
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June Pastoral Letter
Time to Connect
We live in a world of connection. It’s easy to emphasise our disconnectedness, especially at times such as these. But with all the language we have heard about isolation and distance, we find hope in our recognition of one another’s humanity.
When I overhear people talking, they talk about the same things. The same turns of phrase, the same anxieties, the same observations being made about the world. Yes, there are differences of opinion. Yes, we have different lifestyles. But some experiences we all share. We share a world. We share fear. And we share the possibility of hope.
For some of us, physical isolation is no new thing. A downturn in health may lead us to find our social world shrinking… but also enlarging. Because when we can’t get out and meet face to face, we look to other ways of connecting. And there you find others also needing to reach out, others in need of comfort and company. You might discover someone who has been waiting for you to walk into their world. Someone who needs that light you carry inside you.
You may love the digital world and all it offers. You may find it daunting. You may emphasise its strengths; you may focus on its weaknesses. It’s a human construct so, of course, it has both! As we have been looking to reach out to one another, we may have needed to push ourselves out of our comfort zones, to exercise wisdom in new arenas. And those arenas need us.
For if the wise, the thoughtful and the loving do not walk into a room, how can that room be transformed or be the best place it can be? As we look to ensure that people do not feel alone, we look to find the healthiest and safest ways of practising connection and community. This may mean getting things wrong. It may mean imperfect solutions (but aren’t they all just a little bit imperfect and messy? After all, we are all human.)
We are called to love. To show love to one another and our world. We may need to get a bit creative. To make a bigger effort. To work out what is helpful to one person and not to another. To vary our ways of communicating depending on another’s needs and skills. For some, for example, digital communication is the ‘perfect imperfect solution’. For others it is impractical, unhelpful and frightening and they have needed you to pick up the phone or talk through a window. For many, it will be somewhere in between. Let’s take advantage of our tools of communication but keep things as simple as possible, so that we don’t exclude people. 2
Love is the key. How are we showing love to one another? This isn’t about being the most impressive, the most streamlined, or even the most efficient. It is about being the most loving. How can we love our neighbours – all of them, all those connections we make in our varied lives – in the most genuine, respectful and helpful way possible?
Lord, teach us to love teach us to show compassion stir our hearts and transform our minds to see how we can shine your light into the murkiest, most muddled places in our world. Amen.
Your sincere friend and parish priest,
SOLUTION ON PAGEON SOLUTION 41
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Changing world, changing Church
“Things won’t be the same afterwards.”
“We will have to get used to a new normal.”
With those, and many similar expressions, we all realise that COVID-19 has changed everything. One statistic that struck me just yesterday (I write on the last day of April) was that more Americans have died so far of this dreadful disease than in the two decades of the Vietnam War. By the time you read this, that figure will be much higher. Similarly, we are seeing far too many people taken from us, not least in care homes. And we know that, whatever relaxation is applied to the lockdown, severe restrictions must remain for some time to come. Things won’t get back to pre-COVID “normal” for the foreseeable future.
That applies to the Church as much as to the world. During these strange last few weeks, we have had to learn to do things differently. Many of our clergy have been wonderfully creative in enabling worshippers to carry on with corporate worship in different ways. Many have been particularly good in enabling the ‘poorest’ (those without computers, smartphones or internet) to access worship. Well done to them. We just don’t know how long this will last – when we can get back to anything like the old “normal” in our church buildings.
I hope – and I have some evidence for this – that this situation is forcing important questions to be asked (and even answered). What is essential for corporate worship? How can we ‘do church’ in our homes? How can we be the Church without the building? How can we best support the ‘poorest’ or the ‘weakest’ among us? It would be good if those questions lead to permanent changes, as well as temporary ones.
That final question, about the ‘poorest’ and the ‘weakest’, relates very much to the world, as well as the Church. The financial cost of this coronavirus will be immense. We should be campaigning, and doing all we can, to ensure that the burden falls heaviest on those most able to afford it. That is the Christian way.
With best wishes
Produced by the Diocesan Office, The Palace, Peterborough PE1 1YB Tel: 01733 887000 +Donald Email: [email protected] Bishop of Peterborough
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“I want to ride my bicycle…”
Ed and Sarah take a rest during their Thames rowing challenge
All being well (COV1D-19 permitting), Ed Condry, Assistant Bishop in this diocese, will be taking part in PrudentialRideLondon 2020 on Sunday 16 August. The challenge is a 100-mile bike ride, following the route of the 2012 Olympic Road Race course. Ed has previously completed a number of long-distance cycle events across Europe, and is taking on this ride to raise money for Christian Aid. He spoke to us recently. What has inspired you to take on this challenge? My wife Sarah and I have long been supporters of Christian Aid. We have organised many fundraising events over the years, from our time in the curate’s house in St Peter’s Weston Favell nearly 40 years ago. With no Christian Aid Week collections and physical events this year, the need is greater than ever. This is the fourth time I have done the Prudential 100 bike ride. I love cycling and have been on a number of long rides across the UK and Europe. Have you had personal experience of the work of Christian Aid? I have seen their work when visiting churches in Tanzania and South Sudan. I know how valuable Christian Aid is around the world. With the Coronavirus lockdown, collections, events and donations are going to be hard-hit. Door-to-door collection looks like a probable casualty. The need is still as great, if not greater, than ever.
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Are any other people doing this challenge with you? I am one of a team of riders from around the country who will be supporting Christian Aid in our bright red cycling shirts. There will be 20,000 cyclists all together, raising money for hundreds of charities. Could you tell us more about the details of the course? The course follows the Olympic cycle route from London 2012. It will start at the Olympic Park in east London very early in the morning. The course then leads out through Richmond Park, threads its way out through south west London, and then over the North Downs – including the famous 2.5km Box Hill climb – before returning along the Thames to The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace. It’s a wonderful bike ride. I understand that you love rowing too. Isn’t there an Olympic link there? Yes, I won silver at the annual British Rowing indoor championships last December held in the Olympic Park velodrome. It’s held on those infernal Concept2 rowing machines you find in gyms, so it's a sport for masochists! It's pretty serious and the GB Olympic team often take part, although clearly I won in an age category not against those guys! Sarah and I also rowed the length of The Thames a few years ago. How have you been coping with the coronavirus lockdown? The pandemic lockdown has emphasised how much we need family and friends, and how much we miss them. I have been doing a lot of walking the dog, cooking, gardening and reading. I have also taken up pottery, and have spent happy hours in the shed throwing pots on the wheel. I am longing to get back to church, community and worship. I am lucky to have a rowing machine as well as an old road bike on a static trainer in the shed, so I have been able to keep reasonably fit – very necessary in order to cycle 100 miles! Going to the shed to the rowing machine most days is one of the ways I preserve what is left of my sanity! What are you planning to do if you are unable to do the cycle ride outdoors due to COVID-19? If the event is cancelled then I shall cycle the lanes around Byfield where we live. I can find a 10 or 20-mile lap which I can follow the requisite number of times to make up 100 miles. I shall probably do a few of the miles on our tandem with Sarah. Sarah has a dog trailer for her bike so we might attach it to the tandem for the last few miles, and then Maisie the terrier can take part! Failing that, I’ll just have to cycle 100 miles in the shed – which is a lot harder! How much money are you hoping to raise? As much as possible! £1000 would be a great encouragement, but any support would be marvellous. The JustGiving address is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/edwardcondry2.
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Hospital Prayers
For Medical Staff
O Lord Jesus Christ, who alone hast power over life and death, over health and sickness, give power, wisdom, and gentleness to all thy ministering servants, our doctors and nurses, that always bearing thy Presence with them, they may not only heal but bless, and shine as lanterns of hope in the darkest hours of distress and fear; who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
For Myself in Hospital
Grant, O God, that amidst all the discouragements, difficulties and dangers, distress and darkness of this mortal life, I may depend on thy mercy, and on this build my hopes, as on a sure foundation. Let thine infinite mercy in Christ Jesus deliver me from despair, both now and at the hour of death. Amen.
Bishop Thomas Wilson (1663–1755)
From Pocket Prayers for Healing, compiled by Trevor Lloyd, Church House Publishing.
Bishop Thomas Wilson 7 FSMM Quiz Night Keith Hirst On Saturday 2 May we experienced our Inaugural Friends of St Matthew's Music Interactive Virtual Quiz. This is a first, both for the Friends and for the members of the Church of St Matthew's, Northampton. For many attendees this was their first foray into an online gathering using the Zoom service (many other social platforms are available)! Our director of music, Justin Miller, volunteered to host the quiz and did so admirably, also managing to control the sound levels with judicious use of the mute button! The quiz was won by Nigel and Thelma whose reward was also virtual! Keith Hirst, Chair of the Friends, thanked Justin for a very well bal- anced and enjoyable evening and Keith also thanked everyone for attending.
Following the success of the quiz and VE day virtual tea we decided until further notice to have fellowship after the live streamed Sunday morning mass. So around 11.15am grab a drink and head over to Zoom via the following link https:// us02web.zoom.us/j/8907598916 If using the app the meeting id is: 890 759 8916 there is no password. Hope to see you there. Gary Drinkwater.
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Weekday Scripture Readings for June
Our weekday scripture readings, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament, taken from the 'Additional Lectionary’ which was constructed by the Church of England principally for use in Cathedrals at weekday Evensong.
Monday 1st Zechariah 2.10-end John 3.25-30 Tuesday 2nd Genesis 13.1-12 Romans 12.9-end Wednesday 3rd Genesis 15 Romans 4.1-8 Thursday 4th Genesis 22.1-18 Hebrews 11.8-19 Friday 5th Isaiah 51.1-8 John 8.48-end Saturday 6th Exodus 34.1-10 Mark 1.1-13
Monday 8th Exodus 2.1-10 Hebrews 11.23-31 Tuesday 9th Exodus 2.11-end Acts 7.17-29 Wednesday 10th Exodus 3.1-12 Acts 7.30-38 Thursday 11th Ecclesiastes 12.9-end Acts 9.26-31 Friday 12th Exodus 34.1-10 Mark 7.1-13 Saturday 13th Exodus 34.27-end 2 Corinthians 3.7-end
Monday 15th Genesis 37.1-11 Romans 12.9-21 Tuesday 16th Genesis 41.15-40 Mark 13.1-13 Wednesday 17th Genesis 42.17-end Matthew 18.1-14 Thursday 18th Genesis 45.1-15 Acts 7.9-16 Friday 19th Genesis 47.1-12 1 Thessalonians 5.12-end Saturday 20th Genesis 50.4-21 Luke 15.11-end
Monday 22nd Isaiah 32 James 3.13-end Tuesday 23rd Judges 13.2-7, 24-end Luke 1.5-25 Wednesday 24th Malachi 4 Matthew 11.2-19 Thursday 25th Jeremiah 6.9-15 1 Timothy 2.1-6 Friday 26th 1 Samuel 16.14-end John 14.15-end Saturday 27th Isaiah 6.1-9 Revelation 19.9-end
Monday 29th Ezekiel 34.11-16 Psalm 125 Tuesday 30th Proverbs 1.20-end James 5.13-end
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A less well known saint of the month... St Etheldreda – Abbess of Ely
Contributed by The Very Revd Michael Tavinor, Dean of Hereford [extract from Shrines of the Saints (Canterbury Press, £19.99)]
In 673 Etheldreda, daughter of Anna, king of East Anglia, established a convent on an island among the Fens and served as its abbess until her death five years later. During her last illness, in 679, Etheldreda endured a tumour in her throat, which she interpreted as punishment for her youthful pleasure in wearing splendid necklaces.
About 685, Abbess Sexburga, the saint’s sister, resolved to translate the bones of Etheldreda from their wooden St Etheldreda Indomitable Saint of the Fens coffin in the community cemetery to a more suitable shrine. She sent some monks to the deserted Roman camp at Grantchester, where they found a beautifully carved white marble sarcophagus, with which they returned to Ely with much rejoicing. On 17 October 695 the abbess and nuns saw the miraculously incorrupt body transferred to a new tomb set inside the abbey church itself. In addition to the discovery of Etheldreda’s body as incorrupt, contemporary witnesses suggest that the wound caused by the tumour had been miraculously healed. The site of the original grave remained marked by the appearance of a miraculous spring.
In 870 the devastating Danes invaded Ely. Supposing the marble chest to contain treasure, one of them with repeated blows cracked the stone cover and his eyes immediately emerged from their sockets. No one else dared to touch it and the body of the saint remained undisturbed.
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With the building of the new choir by Abbot Richard (1100−07) it became necessary to remove the shrine, and in 1106, with great pomp the marble shrine was solemnly translated to a position behind the high altar. At the same time the bodies of St Etheldreda’s sainted relatives were moved – St Sexburga, St Ermenilda, her niece, and St Withburga. At the service, Bishop Herbert of Norwich preached a sermon on the life and miracles of the saint. At that exact moment, a terrifying storm is said to have broken out. Archbishop Anselm, who had been unable to attend the ceremony, heard the thunder from Canterbury and uttered a dire warning that few of the participants who had viewed the body of St Withburga would survive the year. Former site of the shrine of St Etheldreda
The only evidence of the appearance of this shrine – still with its Roman sarcophagus − appears to be on a painted panel dating from the fourteenth or fifteenth century. The panel, found doing duty as a cupboard door in Ely, probably originally served as a retable or altar piece in the conventual church. The last of the four scenes of Etheldreda’s life shows the placing of the body in the marble coffin, the sculptures on it being consistent with Roman design of the time of the occupation of Britain.
Friends of St Matthew’s Music 100+ Club
Congratulations to the lucky winner of £50 in our MAY draw — Number 87, held by Chris Ludford-Thomas You too could win the single prize of £50 in our monthly draw if you had a number! For just £3.00 a month you’d be in with a chance, whilst also helping pay for our Director of Music’s salary.
For full details and a form, please email [email protected]
Jonathan Starmer
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SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID-19 PLEASE PHONE CONSULTANTS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
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Book Review
The Jesse Tree by Linda Hurcombe (Orphans Publishing £7.99)
“Be kind to your parents though they don’t deserve it – remember they’re grown-ups, a difficult stage of life.” Linda Hurcombe tells this multi-layered story through the eyes of Robin Swallow, rising 14 years old, intelligent, witty, and wise for her age. Her father has disappeared, believed dead in action abroad; her mother decides to move Robin and her brother Zach, plus their dog, out of London to live in a ‘rural backwater where nothing ever happens’ – except that such a lot does: a recent murder of the lord of the manor house nearby, perpetrator currently unidentified; and, at a busy gypsy encampment, Robin’s getting to know young Summer Locke, a Roma who was a friend of the murder victim.
Hurcombe’s novel is beautifully written, with vivid but economical descriptions, and excellent dialogue that works for both adult and teenage readers. I was impressed by a remark in the Author’s Note: “Fiction needs to be realistic, unlike reality, which is often so bizarre as to be inconceivable.” But this novel also deals with the bizarre and the unusual, and makes the little-known world of the Romany Gipsy, Summer’s own family environment, vividly real.
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And the People Stayed Home A prose poem by Kitty O’Meara
And the people stayed home. And read books and listened, and rested and exercised, and made art and played games, and learned new ways of being and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows.
Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.
And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless and heartless ways the earth began to heal.
And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.
The retired American teacher and chaplain published this poem on her blog, under the post title ‘In the Time of Pandemic’. It was sent to Dorrie Parker by a friend.
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St Matthew’s Residential Homes Singing Group
This group was formed over fifteen years ago, with the aim of entertaining the residents of the homes within our parish.
We visit four establishments each year – Oakwood Nursing Home (8 The Drive), St Matthew’s Nursing Home (21-23 St Matthew’s Parade), The Crescent Care Home (3 The Crescent), and Margaret’s Rest Home (30-32 Kingsley Road).
Currently there are fourteen singers in the group (including some of our Methodist friends from across the road), but there are occasions when not all of them may be able to attend. Therefore we would welcome new recruits to join our happy band.
If you would like further details, please contact Jonathan Starmer (telephone 01604 406009, or email [email protected]). Alternatively, please feel free to turn up to as many of the sessions as you can manage.
We meet at the homes, where we are expected any time after 2.00pm, ready for a 2.15pm start. We sing Old Time Favourites, encouraging the residents to join in with us. We finish between 2.45pm and 3.00pm, and are usually treated to refreshments.
The dates for the rest of this year 2020 are as follows: Please note that due to the Covid-19 Coronavirus the group is suspended until further notice, but please pray for the Residents in these Homes
Wednesday 3 June The Crescent Care Home Monday 13 July Margaret’s Rest Home Wednesday 2 September Oakwood Nursing Home Thursday 8 October St Matthew’s Nursing Home Wednesday 11 November The Crescent Care Home Wednesday 9 December Oakwood Nursing Home Tuesday 15 December St Matthew’s Nursing Home Thursday 17 December The Crescent Care Home Monday 21 December Margaret’s Rest Home
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Olive Stirling has become a great grandmother for the tenth time – Freya, the daughter of James who is Olive’s youngest grandchild, was born on Friday 1 May, weighing in at 7lbs 12oz. Mum Marguerette and baby Freya are both doing well. James was allowed to stay for the birth and then returned in the evening to take his new family home. This is James’ first daughter; he is already the father of two boys. Meanwhile, Denise and Nick Bailey are grandparents again – their latest is Benedict, born 14 days late on Monday 11 May, a brother to Max. Mum Charlotte and baby Benedict are both doing well – as is proud dad Dan!
Next month’s magazine
Contributions to our magazine are always appreciated so let us know what you / your group are up to! If you don’t have the confidence to write something yourself, just let us have the details and we’ll write it for you.
Please email files to: [email protected]
When attaching photographs to the email address please send no more than 7mb -worth per email, otherwise it jams the system! Thank you.
Deadline for the JULY magazine is SUNDAY 14 JUNE
Editor: Dorrie Parker Layout and production: Gary Drinkwater
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Episode 1: 2018 with Pirrial Sheila Rotherham
Early in 2018, I received a call from my friend Pirrial in Australia. Would I like to join her for a few days in July to visit Buckden Towers, and then possibly on to Durham and Scotland? Her visits always mean adventure, so, of course, I jumped at the invitation. During this initial conversation, she asked me if I had read Katherine by Anya Seton*. I hadn’t, but now can heartily recommend it.
When I discovered Katherine to be buried in Lincoln Cathedral, I suggested we carried on up the A1 from Buckden to Lincoln. This meant Pirrial spending one day instead of two in Durham – she had a tight schedule, but was excited by the thought of Lincoln, so I booked an overnight stay for us.
On Sunday 8 July 2018 I drove to St Neots Railway Station and waited for Pirrial’s train to arrive. She had attended a SCP conference in Canterbury, and then had explored Walsingham. We enjoyed three quiet days at Buckden Towers, the Palace where Queen Katherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, stayed when he banished her from court. Our ancient and beautiful rooms were up a windy, worn and uneven wooden staircase.
On Monday Pirrial’s clergy friend, Sian, joined us for lunch at the ancient George Inn just down the road. We discovered St Mary’s, the Church of England Parish Church, nearby where John Newton (Amazing Grace) had been ordained. Next day Pirrial and I enjoyed lunch at the equally ancient Lion Inn (opposite the George) and explored the grounds of the old palace.
On Wednesday we investigated St Neots. Pirrial’s watch strap needed repairing – it was important for her to have the right time to hand with all the various trains she would be catching. We were having no luck, when we came to an unmade lane with a row of picturesque cottages down one side. A lady was just emerging from one, and we told her our dilemma. She invited us in, rummaged in a drawer, produced fuse wire with which she proceeded to attach the watch back to its strap, made us a welcome cup of tea and told us something of the history of the town. After leaving her with grateful thanks, and exploring further, we stopped for an evening meal at a Frankie & Benny’s restaurant, looked after by Victoria, a helpful and friendly waitress from Hungary. 18
We spent some time just sitting and meditating in Queen Katherine’s Garden – beautiful and tranquil – as well as sharing prayer times and meals in our lovely rooms. Can you spot the Agnus Dei?
We were sad to leave Buckden Towers on Thursday morning, but excited by the prospect which awaited us in Lincoln…
*Katherine is a 1954 historical novel by American author Anya Seton. It tells the story of the historically important 14th-century love affair in England between the eponymous Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the third surviving son of King Edward III.
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CALL AND COLLECT
86 Kingsley Park Terrace
01604 717648
Monday - Saturday
8am - 1pm
Breakfasts, Sandwiches, Paninis, Cakes, Hot and cold drinks.
Cakes made to order for all, gluten and dairy free too.
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Recommendation John Bandy has used the handyman who advertises in our parish magazine, and wants you to know how good he was, how quickly he attended and how reasonable he was. So do please support our advertisers!
New Servers in waiting… Three adults offered themselves to join our serving team but robes need to be purchased before they can take up this important role. If you are able to help towards the cost of the new robes (£686 including VAT) it would be much appreciated. Thank you. Churchwarden
May’s Wordsearch Answers
Last month Fr Nicholas gave us the ultimate teaser – a Wordsearch with no clues as to the subject matter...! So, how did you get on? They were all varieties of Ice Cream:
BUBBLEGUM CARAMEL CHOCOLATE HONEYCOMB MINT PISTACHIO ROCKYROAD STRAWBERRY VANILLA
SUSPENDED
We meet in the Parish Centre on the first Monday of every month at 1.45pm ready for a prompt 2.00pm start, and play till about 4.00pm– so normally get in three games. We play for fun! It only costs £3 including refreshments, and there’s always room for more members! Why not you?
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Testing Time for a Beekeeper Dave Wilson
May is a testing time for a beekeeper, as the bee population in a hive grows beyond belief. With the onset of the early blossom, the queen goes into overdrive in laying eggs, resulting in a huge expanse in the brood box of eggs, sealed brood, pollen and honey. The hive consists of a queen, worker bees and male drones. Taking into consideration the above, this results in little to no room being left in the brood box. I personally use the British National Hive with one brood box and two supers. (The brood box being where the queen lays her eggs and the supers being where the bees store honey.
The life span of worker honeybees ranges from five to seven weeks. The first few weeks of a worker’s life are spent working within the hive, while the last weeks are spent foraging for food and gathering pollen or nectar.
I have two hives, one hive having a Buckfast queen. The Buckfast race is the result of the crossing between the Italian Honeybee (Apis Mellifera Ligustica) and the West-European Honeybee in England, a sub-species of the Apis Mellifera Mellifera. This careful and painstaking work was completed by Karl Kehrle OSB OBE, known as Brother Adam, who was a Benedictine monk, beekeeper, and an authority on bee breeding. The Buckfast bee has been bred to help reduce swarming and to aid with a good yield of honey.
My other hive I fondly call the local Horrigan’s. A locally bred queen with a lively personality and subsequently lively offspring. (This hive has just been re- queened with another Buckfast queen with the intention of gaining a further calmer hive).
I visited my two hives this morning to be greeted by a few thousand or so honeybees flying towards me – I didn’t know if I should duck, run or have a panic attack. The native black bee Apis mellifera mellifera swarm finally rested in a tree just past my hives. Being the well-experienced beekeeper that I am, I decided to go for... catching the swarm. Suited and booted and smoker in hand, I approached the swarm with trepidation (not too sure if I was more scared of them or them of me).
With nuc box (nucleus box, being a small brood box holding five frames) in hand, I decided to cut the branch and place the swarm into the nuc. All went well except for a few of the little darlings that decided they were going to hang out on the remaining branch; those I shook into the nuc. I left the nuc on the
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ground and decided to carry on with a little bit of allotmenteering, quite proud of myself for having completed the task in hand. My view was to return in an hour and to relocate the nuc into an adjacent apiary. Unfortunately, best made plans and all that... as I was watering the runner beans, yes, you guessed it, the swarm had decided to relocate (swarm again) and came flying towards me and rested in an apple tree nearby.
I therefore decided, as it was now early evening, I would come back in the morning bright and early and have a second go at catching the swarm.
Nobody told me that beekeeping would be so much fun! I had been stung three times, my pride wounded that I’d had to catch the swarm a second time, and finally trying to second guess the actions of totally wild animals. Since then I have caught several swarms on the allotment and surroundings, some successful and others not so (as the queen and her scouting bees choose where their next home will be, with or without human intervention.) It goes without saying, the above shows a passion to ensure the humble honeybee continues to exist and help with pollination of our plants and crops.
Quiz questions on honeybees (Answers on page 35)
1 What unique behaviour does a bee use to communicate the location of food to the other bees in its colony?
a Posts directions on the highway b Buzz at them c Performs a waggle dance d Places an ad in the paper
2 What does an unfertilized bee egg produce?
a Grandchildren b Queen c Male drone d Nothing
3 How many wings does a honeybee have?
a 4 b 6 c 2 d 2 and half
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4 How many eyes does a honeybee have?
a 1 b 5 c 2 d 4
5 The queen bee is the only bee who can produce both male and female bees.
a True b False
Wordsearch Can you find the words listed in the grid? They may be written in any direction. Again, Fr Nicholas gives you not a clue! Good luck…
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Kingsley’s Fallen – one of our WW1 men – a short story Martin and Lindsey Stone
ROBINSON, Ralph, Lieutenant, 206th Squadron Royal Air Force (previously Flight Sub Lieutenant Royal Naval Sir Service), died during an air crash in a bomb laden DH9 on the 12 April 1918, he was aged 19
Ralph was born to John and Maud at Northampton in Q2/1899 and lived at St Matthew’s Parade with his father who was a leather merchant, and his four siblings Elsie, Ivy, John Rowland, and the youngest Kitty Rita. There was also a live-in nurse and a servant. Ralph had lost his mother in 1908, the same year that his youngest sister Kitty Rita Robinson was born.
All the indications are that by the time Ralph commenced military service his older brother John Rowland Robinson had already volunteered for the army and attested into the 7th Battalion, the ‘Mobbs Own’ battalion, of the Northamptonshire Regiment. John Rowland deployed to France on 1 September 1915 and later transferred into the UK based Royal Defence Corps, which in essence covered roles that the territorials would have offered in less difficult times. John Rowland Robinson survived the war and appears to have returned home at the end of it relatively unscathed.
Ralph, listed with 167 other men on the St Matthew’s Northampton memorial screens who were lost during the two world wars, was to have a very different war. We have some of his original service documents and also some additional period background records, so we do know with some precision where he served and what became of him. We have been fortunate in recovering a photograph of Ralph which is copied below, together with a photograph of the aircraft type that he was flying on the day he was lost.
Sub-Lt R.Robinson (RNAS) e-Havilland AirCo (DH) 9 25
From a military perspective we first find Ralph in the August 1917 edition of the Navy List (listing active service officers), and we can see that he had been selected for a commission and flying training with the Royal Naval Air Service. His nephew is able to tell us that his mother, Ralph’s youngest sister Kitty Rita and probably nine years of age at the time, was there at the train station with the family to see him off on his adventure. He is also able to remind us that although Ralph was slim and slight of build he was a very keen footballer and well able to hold his own and to score goals. We know that after training Ralph was posted to No.6 Squadron RNAS which morphed from a squadron flying single seat scout aircraft (Nieuports and Sopwith Camels) on the Western Front, into 206 Squadron which had been allocated the new two seat DH9 aircraft which were rigged for photo-reconnaissance and bombing missions and considered a replacement for the DH4. They commenced war fighting operations with the DH9 in April 1918, the same month as the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service merged to become the Royal Air Force. However, the planned power plant for the aircraft was not ready in time and the aircraft were initially fitted with an engine that was to prove unreliable and underpowered, more so than the DH4 aircraft it was expected to replace. Broadly that is to say it would have had 15% to 20% less power, 2,000ft less altitude, and was considerably more reliant on repair and test. Despite these limitations the aircraft as it developed towards the armistice later in that year became known for its ability to ward off attacking aircraft when flying in larger formations, and was attributed with some kills of enemy aircraft. But by this time we had already lost Ralph.
Ralph’s nephew is able to provide us with some useful added detail and tell us that he went to the naval basic training establishment at HMS Crystal Palace on or near his eighteenth birthday and was there selected for basic flight training at RNAS Chingford commencing on 14 July 1917, then onwards to flight school at RNAS Cranwell on 15 September of the same year (not everyone would realise that RAF Cranwell was initially a Royal Navy requisitioned and run flight school). Ralph had now qualified as a navy pilot ready for further training on war fighting aircraft and received his first promotion in January 1918, approximately six months after his eighteenth birthday. Then on 30 January 1918 he was sent to RNAS Manston, denoted in his service record as Manston, Bombers.
In a February 1918 edition of the London Gazette and in readiness for his first operational training unit he is listed as follows, I quote: Admiralty, 28th January 1918, RNAS. Temp.Prob.Flt.Offr to be Temp.Flt.Sub Lieut. – Ralph Robinson. 26
The Gazette is unusually opaque in the way the full entry reads, and goes on to suggest that he was to have qualified and been promoted the month before. Potentially he needed a further period of training to prepare him for his new role in France.
Ralph was sadly not to survive for long once he deployed to the Western Front the following month, 13 March 1918. He commenced operations flying a DH4 from RNAS Dunkirk, and then from period records and within the website GreatWarForum.Org we can find, I quote: FSL (later Lt) Ralph Robinson of 6 Squadron RNAS and later 206 Squadron RAF who died in DH9 (serial no.) B7617 on 12th April 1918 when the machine crashed near the aerodrome, caught fire and the bombs exploded, his Gunlayer, G Woodgate, escaped unhurt.
From the 206 Squadron war diary and records we can deduce that Lieutenant Ralph Robinson RAF was to fall during an operation in support of the army during the Battle of the Lys, itself a subset of the 4th Battle of Ypres during the German spring offensive. Ralph is buried at St Omer in a Commonwealth War Graves maintained cemetery known as Longuenesse Souvenir Cemetery, indicating that he may have died of injuries received during the crash, as St Omer was a centre for medical support with six hospitals and six Casualty Clearing Stations covering mainly British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand forces. The possibility of him losing his life to injuries received is supported within additional records that suggest he actually died on 13 April. He had earned the British War Medal and the Victory Medal and his father would also have received an inscribed Death Plaque. We would be delighted to hear from any family member or St Matthew’s parishioner that can further add to Ralph’s story.
Attributions and sources can be found in the covering paper printed and filed at the St Matthew’s Church Northampton memorial chapel. Additional information and also copy, including the master electronic and hard copy files with the author.
-northampton.org.uk
All enquiries to office@stmatthews
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VE Day 1945 : Memories Our older worshippers!
Jean Collins: I can remember VE day – I had scarlet fever so I was in an isolation hospital in Worthing West Sussex. I was very young and was given a flag to wave. I remember sitting up in bed and was told to wave my flag. Nobody thought to tell me why so I thought it all a bit strange !
Richard Alcock: There are even earlier memories for me since I was being coached on the advances of British and American troops through France and Germany following D Day in 1944 and so VE Day was eagerly awaited. Thus the eventual victory celebrations were not, in themselves, a surprise. The scale of rejoicing was! My strongest memories were of the street parties where my family lived (in Queens Road, Banbury)... music, singing, dancing, fancy dress on the part of some of the grown-ups, all seemingly spontaneous and exciting, organised out of nowhere, actually I think by the manager of the Co-op in our street, a Mr Stevens. But what I remember most keenly, as a ten year old boy, was the food – tasty spam sandwiches, jellies, tinned peaches, ice cream – quite simple fare to us today, but almost glamorous in taste to me and my friends. The party seemed to go on for a long time. I don't know how many other celebrations followed, but I seemed to be looking forward to VJ Day next and not far away!
Sheila Rotherham: I remember Dad driving me and my brother round the blitzed streets in nearby Hockley – we lived in Handsworth, Birmingham. On one of the bombed buildings there was a huge V sign in red, white and blue chalk. How they got up so high to do that I can't imagine. I don't think there was a party in the road where we lived. I think my brother or I would have remembered that!
Jean Duncan: I have only a hazy remembrance of VE day as I was only 5 at the time and I think some memories are mixed up with what my mother spoke about over the years and what I think my older sister said. I do remember there was some kind of street celebration which it seemed everyone went to. A trestle table covered with cloths which went the length of the street. I suspect it was only half the street – Coventry Road in Queens Park Bedford was a very long road indeed.
Somehow fireworks also come to mind but that must have been later in the day or even another occasion. The firework memory, whenever it 28 was, remained a clear one as someone let off a Jumping Jack near to where our family was standing and it really frightened us. It would not be allowed under the Health and Safety regulations of today. This particular firework , once ignited, just took a random path along the street and you had to jump clear. I think we probably went home after that!
Ros Catlin: Memories of VE Day are of flags strung across minor roads, of the church bells ringing, and of street parties. These latter of course didn’t happen on the day as they took some organising, but again they took place on the minor roads which were closed to traffic. Long trestle tables stretched the length of the road, and we children sat either side of them, while the adults served us. I think the anticipation was as enjoyable as the actual party itself, because parties had not been regular occurrences during the war. These anyway were novel; to have a meal in the street! I don’t remember much about the food – sandwiches and jelly – but the novelty and carefree atmosphere – no air raid siren to disturb us – were uppermost, and remain in the memory.
Jean Millard: I was six and eight months in May 1945. I lived in Wolverton. I remember we had a street party and the children went in fancy dress. My Mum got me an ATS uniform to wear and I wouldn't wear it and I wore a pink ballet dress and thought that was amazing. Mum was so disappointed because the ATS uniform was far more appropriate. I can vaguely remember the whole street coming out waiting for Neville Gascoigne to come home from a prisoner of war camp and he didn't come for whatever reason. I remember the bitter disappointment everyone felt. We did have a celebration when he finally came. This was not the same day as the street party. Everywhere was highly decorated with bunting and union jacks.
Derek Watson: My father was on leave by the time VE Day had been declared and I can remember Mum and Dad, my brother and myself travelling by underground to Central London, joining the vast crowds and circulating very slowly around the west end of Whitehall, Trafalgar Square and ending up at Charing Cross. Being only 9 and 7 years of age my brother and I were overawed by the celebrations and I suppose were lucky we didn't get separated from our parents. We didn't remain in London all night, but trying to get the Tube train home late that evening was another experience. As shown by the recent BBC news pictures for the 75 years celebrations, there was hardly any space in the streets for dancing, but the vast crowds in the Strand, Charing Cross, Whitehall, Embankment and Trafalgar Square managed it somehow. The din was tremendous with music and singing coming from all quarters and the crowds shouting to each 29
other when trying to climb obstacles above ground level to get a better view of the celebrations.
All these goings-on 75 years ago are still clear in my mind and, being so young, I then wondered what all the celebrations were for, but now being older it was understandable when thinking of the huge numbers of service men and women killed or injured, and the suffering and devastation at home. My mother, brother and myself were evacuated to the Victoria Park area of Northampton.
Doreen Brown: VE DAY was the day Arthur and I got engaged – he was on embarkation leave that week and had asked my parents for their permission a few days before, but we were not allowed to marry until I was 21. I was then 17 and he was in army training, having been called up on his 18th birthday six months earlier. We’d known each other for a few years; we were Methodists and went to Sunday School where Arthur played the organ, and his family lived near my aunt. On VE Day he met me after work and came round to my house. I was sitting on my bike when he gave me the ring! My oldest brother was home at the time too, so four of us went to London to join in the jollifications and got the last train home at midnight. He was home for two weeks before being sent to Java and Singapore.
Fabian Robertson: My mother kept virtually all the letters her five children wrote home from the 1920s until she died in 1980. My eldest brother David (1922-1963) was a Sergeant in the Intelligence Corps. I have the letter (in its original envelope) he wrote on ‘VE Day’ and postmarked Field Post Office 872 BLA 9 May 45 (and stamped Censor No 14798):
Dear Mummy and Daddy
It is 4pm on V.E. Day and we have just been listening to Churchill on the wireless and naturally thinking so much of you doing the same. Well it’s come! It’s hard to believe that all our efforts in Europe are now finally crowned with success. There is a terrific tendency ‘in the circle in which I move’ to treat the whole thing coldly with marked cynicism and a shrug of the shoulders – huh so that’s that over. But as I vainly try to point out it is a terrific achievement that in less than a year after the invasion Germany should have been decisively crushed.
Admitted there is still Japan. Admitted Europe is in a frightful state and it will need all our efforts to prevent it from starving this winter. But surely we can spend some time in congratulation and enjoyment.
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Anyway I do not intend to let this dismal talk get me down and I’m sure you feel the same; of course THE day will be when I get my demobilization papers! By the way leave prospects are brighter and there is every chance I may come in the latter part of June.
This is just a brief note but I felt I must share the day with you as best I can.
All my love and thoughts. Your soldier son. David
Whilst my eldest brothers David and Mark were serving in the Forces on 8 May 1945, I was a 10 year old at school on the Isle of Wight between Ryde and Seaview. The classroom windows were very close to the shoreline of the Solent with only a few trees sloping away between. The noise of all the small and large ships sounding their horns continuously was so loud that of necessity lessons were suspended. I remember the whole school listening to the King’s Speech on the wireless and the headmaster giving a talk. In the evening we heard various BBC programmes and watched the search-light and rocket displays from ships in the Solent.
Liz Eliot: At the age of five I was evacuated to Ystalyfera, a small village in mid-Wales about 13 miles from my home in Swansea which had suffered heavy bombing, to live with my grandparents. I have no memories of VE Day itself as there weren’t any street parties there, but I do have vivid memories of during the war: Barrage balloons over Swansea Bay. Taking my doll’s cot and nurse’s uniform when I was evacuated. The sandbagged dining room, where Mummy spoke to Daddy on the telephone for just three minutes a week. He had developed a stammer and she cried. Grandma and Pops listening to the 6.00pm News every night – it seemed to be all about Nazis. I then had to go to bed so ran across the landing and leapt onto my bed, scared that there was a Nazi underneath who would take me away! Picking up shrapnel in Mumbles cemetery, fallen there from the bombing flat of Swansea. Mr Ironside, the Postmaster, giving me my sweet ration each week – five boiled sweets in a small triangular paper bag. Grandma made me offer them to the Aunts who came to tea! Our Christmas tree, which was branches cut from the allotment hedge wrapped in ivy… 31
And a note from Sarah Oughton: I remember, in the past, my mother, Ann Walker, talking about rationing – powdered eggs, she said, were good in cakes and made reasonable scrambled eggs!
An article about rationing tells me there were three categories: Vital foodstuffs: tea, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, meat – amounts varied depending on supply. Variants for specially dietary groups: including vegetarian and kosher. There were points set against things less easy to supply, tinned meat and fish, dried fruit and rolled oats. Unrationed foods: fruit, vegetables, fish and game. Some things virtually disappeared – exotic fruits including bananas and anything else bulky that was habitually imported. Alcohol was around! Although beer, the staple drink of many, became weaker and pubs frequently ran out!
The Red Arrows above Byron Street at 10.23am on Friday 8 April.
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75th Anniversary of VE Day: Rummaging for mementoes Nicholas, OGS
Gary’s invitation to join the VE Day Anniversary Zoom Tea Party prompted me to look again at some old items I’d inherited with a World War 2 association.
The first was a ‘pile’ of twelve old pennies that had been melted together by the heat of a German bomb dropped on the City of London. My grandmother used to look after children in the London Underground during The Blitz and she picked up the welded pennies one morning on her way back home to Islington (it was unfashionable in those days!) My grandfather stubbornly refused to sleep in any other bed than his own.
My father was called up to serve in the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars (Churchill’s old regiment). As part of the 8th Army he served in North Africa, then Sicily, and from 1943-1945 as part of the Italian Campaign. He clearly developed a great love for that country, its culture and its people.
This photograph dated 22 November 1944 shows him (in the middle) sitting on the edge of the Trevi Fountain in Rome. It was sent to my mother, back in Barnard Castle (Co Durham) ‘from your loving sweetheart’.
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In my ‘archive drawer’ I also found a fascinating account of the Italian Campaign – illustrated with sketches drawn at the time by Eric Manning.
The book informs me that The Royal Armoured Corps (which included the 4th Hussars) took part in every battle and were continuously in action throughout the Campaign.
A few weeks before the end of the War, my father was almost fatally wounded at Trieste near the Yugoslav border. He was standing waist high above the top of his tank and a sniper shot a bullet through his chest and out of his back – just missing the heart. My father said that he owed his life to a Polish surgeon and the newly available Penicillin powder.
The silver lining in that dark cloud came in the form of a spell of convalescence in Naples. As a morale booster, wounded troops were invited to a concert at the Opera House and my father found himself in one of the boxes at the very edge of the stage. He was already a lover of opera, so you will appreciate that it was one of the greatest moments in his life when the renowned tenor,
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Beniamino Gigli, came over to him in his box and seemed to sing specifically to him for about a minute.
The final Item I found in the draw was this:
‘The King’s Badge’ awarded to those soldiers who were wounded in battle.
Unlike some of my other relatives (who saw little action in the War) my father rarely spoke about his wartime experiences. I think that some of them were very grim.
He did, however, speak with great pride of how he had been sung to by the great Beniamino Gigli in the Opera House at Naples.
When I took my father’s funeral in 2007 we ended the service with Nessun Dorma in a recording by… Beniamino Gigli of course!
Answers: to bee quiz on page 23
1 c Performs a waggle dance. 2 c Male drone 3 a 4 4 b 5 5 a True
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32nd St Matthew’s Multi-Aged Unit Mandy Ludlow
Well, this is the second article written in ‘lockdown’ – a word never been used by us before.
We have now settled into a pattern so that each week we still have regular meetings on a Monday, though obviously in a very different format. Each week we send out ‘a meeting’ – this could be a challenge badge, a skillsbuilder or unit meeting activity, and is sent via email, WhatsApp and Facebook. We then ask girls to send in pictures, videos or blogs of what they have done. So far this seems to be working well. You may ask why we have not done meetings virtually via Zoom or similar? I recently attended the Commissioner Conference on Zoom and whilst as members of Girlguiding we can use these platforms it does have its own challenges in that we still need to have two leaders on the call, both of whom need to have done the required Safespace trainings. More importantly we have to remember that not all the girls come from the same backgrounds; when they are with us on a Monday we are all the same, doing the same thing, wearing the same uniform, girls can be themselves. We need to remember that on a virtual call, backgrounds of people’s homes are seen and this could lead to some girls perhaps being embarrassed or even ashamed of their homes. Also we do not know who else would be in the room at the same time as the meeting. Therefore as a leadership team, knowing the diversity of our girls, it was decided not to do virtual meetings for the time being, concentrating on putting together things the girls could do at home. So far we have done a Rainbow Challenge Badge, where everything had a theme of Rainbows – this included food, science experiments and craft. VE Day was celebrated by the girls too with two Challenge Badges completed.
As a Leadership team we are managing to keep in touch but have three leaders supporting children in education plus one who works for the NHS.
Our next Challenge Badge will be Keep Calm and Wash Your Hands – yes, all about soap and washing hands.
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One day in time… Mary Wallis
Isolation, a strange experience to the first part of our year! However, it’s allowed us the opportunity to take time and enjoy life without racing from one activity to another. Of course, it does have implications for those who work which may be a constant cause for concern to them.
I am enjoying this time and have taken this opportunity to create a number of greeting cards. As you know I make cards to sell in church, for church funds. I encourage you all to take a look at them and buy! This will help, in a small way, to offset the money not raised from parish centre lettings and church concerts.
During this time many crafting firms have been providing demonstrations online. I have taken advantage of this. Of course, I am, as always, tempted to buy new craft items! The firms have set up challenges. We have to make something from card. The criteria may be shape, colour or a theme. It takes you out of your comfort zone and with the time to do this..!
A craft prize is offered so with this in mind I have taken up the challenges. Never won and never will, it’s a lottery if your name is picked out of the hat… I’m just not a lucky person in a ‘lottery’. Anyway, using a new background stamp I made a simple card. It showed the background stamp really well. I posted the card, with several others, on one of their sites. During the day I received a message asking if I would be happy for them to use my card to promote the new stamp. Of course, I said yes.
I enjoy making cards and this gave me a boost because it’s quite lonely putting your ideas out for scrutiny. The card will be for sale so hopefully someone will like it and buy it.
Enjoy this time of isolation – when it’s over we will all be back on the treadmill once again..! 38
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SOLUTION TO SUDOKO (page 3)
41 Parish Office 27A The Drive, Kingsley, Northampton NN1 4RY (within the Parish Centre) Telephone: 01604 791251 Email: [email protected] Parish Administrator: Anita Speake Office opening hours: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 9.30am till 12.30pm, 1.00pm till 4.00pm; Wednesdays CLOSED
Ministry Team Parish Priest The Revd Canon Nicholas Setterfield [email protected] Honorary Assistant Priest The Revd Canon Nicholas Gandy OGS [email protected] Honorary Assistant Priest The Revd Canon Peter Garlick
Parish Officers Churchwarden Mary Wallis PCC Secretary Donald Cran [email protected] PCC Treasurer Donald Cran
St Matthew’s Trust David Waller [email protected]
Particular Responsibility Safeguarding Officer Sarah Oughton (Assistant: Ben Drouet) [email protected] Verger Gary Drinkwater Head Server Seymour Franklin [email protected] Sacristan Patricia Sykes Stewardship Recorder Polly Matthews Banking & Gift Aid Office Electoral Roll Officer Seymour Franklin Archives Patrick Rawlinson Website & Magazine Editor Dorrie Parker [email protected]
Music Department Director of Music Justin Miller [email protected] Parish Organist Jonathan Starmer Friends of Keith Hirst St Matthew’s Music [email protected]
Parish website www.stmatthews -northampton.org.uk