August 20 21
Leave your worries by the shoreline,
And run your bare feet through the sand,
Let the water be a soft bed,
When you cannot bear to stand,
Make friends with flying seagulls,
And hold the sun up on your palm,
Before you duck beneath the water,
Where the world is mute and calm,
Tell the fish all of your problems,
As they all come swimming past,
When your lungs are close to bursting,
Swim above the waves and gasp,
Let the water hold your sadness,
And wash it right out to the sea,
So like a message in a bottle,
All your worries are set free,
And the sea might make you feel alone,
But the world has troubles too,
For how else do you suppose,
That the ocean got so blue?
Erin Hanson
4ward Community magazine for Oldbury, Shepperdine, Kington and Rockhampton
4ward is an independent community magazine and material is published at the discretion of the editor. Produced & distributed by volunteers. Articles for next month's edition should reach the editor no later than 20 th of this month.
EDITOR Chris Tymko, Fisherman’s Cottage, Cowhill, BS35 1QJ. Tel: 01454 412152 Cover Illustrations Lorna Page . Follow on Etsy, Instagram & Facebook. Email: [email protected]
Printed and Distributed Oldbury Deckers Tel: 07831 849742 Email: [email protected]
4ward Magazine Advertising Charges
Back Cover Whole page - £20 Half page - £10 Quarter page - £5 Inside Pages Whole page - £16 Half page - £8 Quarter page - £4 10% discount on all charges when paying for full year in advance. Cheques should be made payable to “4Ward Magazine”.
Advertising & Treasurer Rob King 07494209222 Email: [email protected]
4ward Website www.oos4ward.plus.com
Oldbury Community Website www.oldburyonsevern.org.uk
Oldbury Memorial Hall Chris Jennings 07740 934182 [email protected] Booking Clerk Peter Orford 01454 415346 [email protected]
Church Contacts
Thornbury & Oldbury www.arildachurcholdbury.co.uk Parish office 01454 281900 Wed, Thurs, Fri mornings Methodist www.thornburymethodist.org.uk Revd Simon Edwards 01454 418176 [email protected] Rockhampton Parish office 01454 260096 www.croftt.org.uk Christ The King Thornbury 01454 412223 www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk Morton Baptist Church 01454 413200 Willie Grey 01453 810491 Hilary Grigg Editorial
Life might slowly be getting back to normal but understandably most of our regular contributors are reluctant to commit themselves to future plans just yet. However, the good thing about this is it means that it has given us the space in our August edition to print more of our readers’ own articles and finally catch up with the backlog. This is absolutely my favourite thing about editing 4ward, that people feel able to share their stories, memories or research with the rest of us.
Meg Adnams tells us about her and the late Michael Riddle’s detective work, tracing what happened to an impressive-sounding church font that once stood in St Arilda’s and ended up in Fiji of all places! Catherine Burgess shares memories of her happy childhood growing up on a farm in Shepperdine and we also have Part 2 of ‘wild child’ Eddie Clapham’s ‘war’ memoirs, complete with some charming and evocative photographs from that era - the heroine of his story definitely being his long-suffering mother!
Poetry can also be extremely evocative, and I know it has brought comfort to many, especially during times of Lockdown isolation from friends and family. I was thrilled to find the poem featured on our cover this month by the talented young Australian poet Erin Hanson (born 1995). If you enjoyed it too, you'll be delighted to hear that she's written three books of poems, often linking the natural world with many of the feelings we all encounter, and whilst her work is much-shared digitally it certainly deserves an even wider audience. There is a nice representative collection of some of her work at www.theodysseyonline.com/25-of-my-favorite-eh-poems - if you like those as well, then her “Poetic Underground ” books can be ordered at any bookseller, but if you select “Oldbury-on-Severn War Memorial Hall” as your Amazon Smile charity, using www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=erin+hanson means that any purchase you might make would help a village asset too.
And finally, talking of village assets, we are very grateful for all the hard work that the members of Oldbury Parish Council have been doing on the Neighbourhood Plan and other important local issues, and we are delighted to report that their Chair, Keith Sullivan, is now out of hospital and recovering well at home. Best wishes, Keith, from all of us. Chris Jazz at the Hall Anyone?
I have for most of my life been a lover of music of any and all genres and my CD collection shows that to be a true statement. The bottom line, however, is that I have a huge and overwhelming love of jazz of all types.
It is because of the foregoing and the fact that I know, from discussions here and there in the village, that there are some who also are of a similar mind as I, that I’m proposing as follows.
Is anyone interested in joining a Jazz Club to meet in the Hall and to talk about and play jazz music? The objective would be to give a talk about a particular piece and to explain why it is felt to be so good. The subject matter would then be played, and an ongoing discussion held as to its merits or otherwise.
That is a very broad-brush picture, and it might well be that an alternate way of doing it would be agreed. In this first instance, however, all I am asking for is an input as to those who would be interested in forming such a club.
If you are interested, then please let me know via any of the means below.
E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 01454 412015 Ian Bell
Oldbury on Severn - Memorial Hall 100 Club
Draw Winners
June July 1st prize. £20 Ted Welch Chris Tymko 2nd prize. £15 David Goldie Sue Keedwell 3rd prize. £10 Ian Bell Tracy Beecher 4th prize. £10 Julie Wootton Roberta Acton
New members of the 100 Club are always welcome! Forms are available in the Shop, or contact Doug Mills or Angela Conibere at Christmas Cottage or [email protected] or 01454 413828
Oldbury Pigeon – Hello Readers!
All the children have enjoyed the normality of being back full time at Oldbury School, and since the Easter holiday they’ve experienced plenty of fun activities to enhance their learning. Our younger "Hedgehogs" class visited Westonbirt Arboretum and also enjoyed a movie afternoon, whilst our older "Foxes" class went on a trip to Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm. The whole school enjoyed the Inter House competition and “Little Red Riding Hood” - our end of year school play, whilst our "Great British Bark Off" competition raised £33.65 for Therapy Dogs. Year 6 completed a Level 2 Bikeability course to help them stay safe, and went on a trip to the Lake 32 Outdoor Centre at the Cotswold Water Park. Year 6 also marked leaving primary school in style with their leavers' service and other activities arranged to celebrate the time they have spent together here - they will certainly be missed and we wish them all well in their new schools.
Please could we remind everyone that the school site should not be accessed without permission outside of school hours, including by pupils during the summer holidays, for health and safety reasons. We wish everyone a very happy summer holiday and look forward to seeing you all again in September.
Shop Spot
Well thank goodness we have an air conditioning unit; with the extreme hot weather our volunteers and customers (and chocolate) have certainly needed it. We have also included another two easy-access tables on the grass area. The cost of these two tables has been covered by the generous donation made by Magnox. We are also buying two new coloured bins that will help the Shop’s recycling process. We currently recycle everything we can in the Shop, but the new bins will help the customers to help us.
We are still encouraging both our customers and volunteers to continue to wear masks inside the Shop. A number of new volunteers have started in the Shop which is great news for both the Shop and the wider Community. Although we have gradually extended our hours, we have no imminent plans to extend further at the moment. The opening hours are regularly monitored by the Committee.
Finally, a big thank you to Jenny Hales who has filled the Shop’s flower pots with lovely summer flowers. Chris Awde
Severn Vale Crib League
Sad news to report that Mo (Maureen) Joyce died in July. Mo was the crib league secretary and worked tirelessly to keep the crib league going. Many locals will also remember her and her late husband Bob as driving instructors. Gerald Porter BBQ Chicken Breast Marinade
Hopefully the BBQ weather may be here to stay for a while longer, so here is a quick and easy marinade for tasty...
BBQ Chicken Breasts (serves 6) • 6 chicken breasts • Jacket potatoes and salads of your choice to serve
For the marinade: • 100 ml extra virgin olive oil • 100 ml balsamic vinegar or other vinegar • 50 ml soy sauce (or Tamari for a gluten free version) • 50 ml Worcestershire sauce • 2 tbsp lemon juice • 100g brown sugar • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard • 2 tsp dried rosemary • Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions 1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a large bowl, and whisk or stir until well mixed. 2. Place the chicken breasts, 1 or 2 at a time, in a large plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin until flattened. 3. Once flattened, place the chicken breasts into the bowl containing the marinade and ensure they are all well coated with the marinade, then cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight if possible.
To cook on the BBQ: 1. Lightly oil the BBQ griddle then preheat. 2. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, one at a time, letting the excess drip off, and place on the BBQ. 3. BBQ each chicken breast, turning occasionally, for 10-15 minutes until cooked through. You can drizzle over any remaining marinade whilst you are still cooking them, to keep the chicken breasts moist. Ideally they should be lightly browned on both sides and succulent, but not pink, in the middle. Cut a slot in the middle of each chicken breast and ensure they are all fully cooked before serving. 4. Ideally cover the breasts with foil and let them rest for at least 5 minutes, before serving with the salad and jacket potatoes.
NB you can grill the chicken breasts if it is inclement weather. You can also use the marinade for slices of Halloumi cheese for a vegetarian version. KP
A suckling herd of Charolais cattle, calmly watching walkers on the Severn Way from the field next to Oldbury power station which overlooks the river. They are owned by farmer John Cullimore of Manor Farm, Morton. The Cullimore family have farmed in Rockhampton since 1907 but have only kept Charolais for the last 25 years or so. They have 150 of them, split into two herds. The bull in the photo is Billy, he’s 8 years old and has around 40 suckler cows in his herd. According to John, Billy is “a nice old boy” but Charolais cows can be feisty and are very protective of their calves. Farmer John is the Lord of the Manor of Rockhampton and owns the field that Shepperdine Church stands in, charging a peppercorn rent of 20p per annum. Chris Tymko
The Milkmaid
On many occasions I have been told When I was just four years old My father taught me to milk by hand ‘Twas before machinery came to the land. A little girl and a docile cow Indeed it made a wonderful show On my little wooden stool I sat Regularly performing this miraculous act Until one day she flicked her tail And did unpleasant things in my pail! Observing this outrageous bovine display My father laughed at my dismay So to my heels I immediately did take Deciding then a farmer’s life I would not make.
Ann Baiton (From the Forest of Dean) Childhood Memories of Village Life
I was born in 1949 to Lew and Mary Hall. We lived at Corner House Farm, Shepperdine. Dad was born there, where his mum had a shop. I was the eldest of five and had four younger sisters - Brenda, Valerie, Theresa and the youngest, Jackie. As a small child I can remember the Tilly lamp being lit, water was pumped out of the well, and the toilet was outside. When I was born Dad said he had to walk through deep snow to reach the public telephone box in Oldbury, so we had one of the first telephones installed and the neighbours were very grateful to use it.
Dad kept milking cows, sheep, chickens, and ducks who swam on the rhine so we always had plenty of eggs. Dad had 15 to 20 cows and I used to help get the cows in every day. We miked these by hand until milking machines came along. The milk lorry came every morning to collect the churns. Another job that me and Brenda loved doing was bottle feeding the baby lambs in front of the Rayburn.
Every week we had bread delivered by Mr English, meat from Pearce the butchers and groceries delivered to the door by Mrs Oseland and Leonard from Oldbury Stores. We had Mr and Mrs Hughes’ shop across the road for everything else. Joey the postman came in the morning on his bike and he would tell us of any births or deaths, as in those days we knew every single person in Shepperdine, Oldbury and Cowhill. Ernie Perry delivered the daily newspaper on his bike, but that was usually late in the afternoon.
Living on the farm was such a happy childhood: making dens with the hay bales, blackberry and apple picking, and going off with our fishing nets. I remember that hay making could be quite stressful - Dad cutting the grass with the mower then turning it and getting it baled and into the barn before the next lot of rain came. My sister Brenda and I used to take it in turns to drive the tractor. If the bales got wet, they had to be cut open and the hay spread out to dry all over again.
Every Sunday we cycled down to Shepperdine Church for Sunday School with Mrs Betty Grey and her daughter Elizabeth. Every Christmas they gave us a lovely party. I remember candles being lit on the Christmas tree, then we were all presented with a book and a present for attendance. The highlight of the year was the combined Sunday Schools’ outing to Weston- super-Mare. There was one coach from Shepperdine and two from Oldbury. Everyone would be so excited we would be standing up when the sea came into view. We went around the shops and down to the beach and we went on up the pier and had fish and chips before we came home.
I remember dressing up for the Church fete in the Rectory garden, and the village socials held in the Memorial Hall. Like Dad I went to Oldbury School as did my two sons and later two of my grandchildren. In Dad’s day, all the children had to walk the three miles from Shepperdine, but we had a school bus laid on, although I do remember walking when it snowed and the bus couldn’t get through.
I met my husband to be, Philip Burgess, at the Oldbury Youth Club. Four years later we were married at St Arilda’s church. When we came down the church path the gate was tied until he threw some coins over for the village children which was the tradition in those days. We had 25 very happy years living in Westmarsh with our sons Kevin and Andrew.
Catherine Burgess (nee Hall)
Nature Notes - Creatures of the Night - Glow Worms and Bats
The Cowhill side of the church hill and the church yard are famous for glow worms, the best time to spot them being on warm dark nights in late July or early August. I was hoping the recent hot summer, along with the rain earlier in the year and the abundance of snails on which they feed, would have combined to make this year a bumper year for glow worms. So far I’ve counted two or three most nights at the bottom of the hill and one, four and seven on the three nights I’ve been up to the church yard. Several other glow worm spotters were also out looking for them, but at least the glow worms are there, and being flightless the glowing females can’t fly off, so most people should be able to spot the eerie green glow of at least one. South Glos Council have a “no cut zone” between April and October and the church council and the volunteers who tidy the church yard now do their best to maintain the habitat of sunny banks with long meadow grasses and ivy-covered stones that glow worms are supposed to favour. But they are contrary creatures and don’t always seem to appreciate it and turn up in unlikely places - last year one glowed brightly in my garden for a couple of days on the concrete path between the laurel hedge and the wheely bin. The females are supposed to glow for up to ten nights, gradually fading after they have mated, but most seem to be around far less, often glowing for only one, two or three nights. Are they mated or predated - who can say?
Another animal always associated with mystery and warm dark nights is bats. After an absence of four years the pipistrelle bat roost that my ex- neighbour Mag Adnams counted for the bat survey each year suddenly returned to my house for the first time this month (July) since 2017. I’ve been counting between 60 and 80 of them emerging about 30 minutes after sunset from the same tiny hole under the roof at the highest point of the gable end. I’m absolutely thrilled to have them back but where have they been roosting in the meantime - does anyone know? Chris Tymko
Let's put the troubled times behind us and enjoy live music again!
We're excited to be supporting this series of concerts that brings top-quality music back to our community. It's COVID-secure, so why not remind yourself of the pleasure of live music again?
Chris & Nicki
PS Save the date for next year's Rockhampton Folk & World Music Festival, Saturday 18 June 2022
Oldbury to Fiji – the tale of the travelling church font
St Arilda’s church is well known for the position it holds overlooking the village, the countryside and the River Severn and for its wonderful views. However, the stories about the church are also worth telling and none more so than that of the font.
At some time, possibly during repairs and restoration in the early 1700’s following the Great Storm of 1703 when the steeple blew off, the font was replaced. The old font was taken out into the churchyard and much later found to be in use in Thornbury Castle gardens (possibly as a bird bath?) The new one was an impressive Grecian edifice with pillars and steps which was set in the centre of the church.
By the mid-19th century, the church was described as “little more than a ruin” due to a lack of funds to repair it. A thorough restoration was initiated in 1884-5 by Reverend Fox which included a national appeal. The high box pews were removed as well as the chancel screen. Tiles replaced the lead roofing. The original font was rescued and returned, leaving the Grecian font surplus to requirements. It was found a new home in what for many years served as the Anglican Cathedral of Suva in the Fiji Islands! How? Hereby hangs a great narrative - that of Sir John Bates Thurston.
John was a grandson of Horatio Thurston born in 1757, who was one of the well-known Thornbury Thurstons. John’s parents lived in Bath initially but moved to London, where John was born in 1836. He was to be the eldest of five children, having a younger brother Horatio and three sisters. Sadly, John’s father died at the age of 45 leaving the family in rather straitened circumstances. John had to leave school and, aged 13, was apprenticed to a firm of Liverpool ship owners. He travelled widely and became a valued crew member. In 1853 he saw a new opportunity, joining the crew of the “Ann Holzburg” and arranging for his brother Horatio to be a passenger. They set forth for the Australian Gold Rush and, confident of success, arranged for their mother and sisters to join them in time for Christmas that year. The two young men worked in the New South Wales goldfields at Hanging Rock and Peel River but with limited success. Horatio married and settled down to various entrepreneurial activities like shopkeeping and photography, and became the esteemed Town Clerk of Mudgee and the father of 10 children! Sadly, he died in an accident whilst horse riding.
John was later to marry twice, but meanwhile had itchy feet. He was a keen amateur botanist so joined a botanical expedition in 1864. They were shipwrecked on Samoa but the crew were rescued by a passing vessel bound for Sydney which stopped off at Fiji. On landing John discovered an advertisement for a job as clerk to the Consul. He impressed them, stayed on Fiji and was taken on and became a cotton plantation owner and eventually High Commissioner of the Western Pacific. He was held in high regard by the king of the Fiji Islands, Ratu Seru Cakobau. John was later to become “Viceroy of the Pacific”, bringing that region into the Empire and was knighted on behalf of Queen Victoria. He did much to improve the islands and his Botanical Gardens still remain open there.
John heard about the Oldbury font and arranged to have it despatched to Fiji where it was placed into the new building that was to serve as the Cathedral, which was consecrated in 1886. The first infants baptised in this font were John’s own son, Bassett, one of 5 surviving children from John’s second marriage in 1883, and Maurice Anthony, the son of Chief Justice Berkeley. A new modern cathedral was built in 1950 and both Mick Riddle and I wrote at various times to try and find out whether the Oldbury font still existed but received no reply. However, a visitor to our church here with a party from Stroud U3A, told me she had a cousin who regularly visited relatives in Fiji. Through her we were able discover it was still there in the former cathedral building, later called Holy Trinity Church. Wonderful news and great detective work!
John was much mourned when he died in 1897 aged 61 as he was en-route by ship to Sydney for medical treatment. He was admired for his diplomatic and executive abilities, and also for “His valuable services for the betterment of the natives” and his work to protect them from exploitation.
Meg Adnams
The new home of the former Oldbury font, pictured c.1905 Church Services for August 202 1
St Mary’s St. Arilda St. Mary St. Oswald Thornbury Oldbury Shepperdine Rockhampton 1st 10.30am Sunday 8th Sunday 15 th Please check All Age Morning Aug Aug locally for Prayer 6.00pm 6.00pm services in the 8th 10.30am HC Evensong Shepperdine Benefice th 15 10.30am HC patronal festival nd 22 10.30am HC Sunday 12 th Sep (St Mary’s day) or contact 22 nd 6.00pm 4.00pm [This will be moved Choral Evensong Outdoor Baptism to St Arilda’s if it is 29 th 10.30am service in very wet weather.] Benefice HC churchyard Rev Sue by email Booking required [email protected] Jenny Ovens on Booking required Booking required or 414727 or Andrew Gazard Andrew Gazard phone jennyovensbb@ [email protected] [email protected] 01454 600674 tiscali.co.uk 07831 849742 07831 849742
Catholic Morton Baptist Thornbury Quakers ChristChrist thethe King,King, Services restarted Due to the virus Thornbury.Thornbury. Chantry Community pandemic our & Morning Service Centre on Castle normal Sunday SundayHoly Cross, Mass Every Sunday Street Wotton Under Edge. Meetings have been 9.30am at suspended. Weekly please consult10.30am the website 10.30am Sunday for up-to-date details meetings now on Zoom.10.30am Further HolyBooking Cross, required. Wotton See details contact UnderDetails Edge at https://mortonbaptist.org Sheila Waters on https://www.ctk-Saturday For details 07738495776 (vigilthornbury.org.uk Mass) 16.30pm All church services subject to current coronavirus rules. Check before going! Christian Comment
“Keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 17)
We are very sorry we had to delay our much-anticipated weekend of ‘Vision and Hope’, although we are also excited and enthused for its coming between 8th - 10th of October. Vision for our communities is all about sharing together and talking together about who we are as a community, and where we think we are going. We are hopeful that we will continue to grow and flourish and share together in all kinds of ways, old and new, and to build together for the future.
That being said – building takes energy, and 2020 has not been particularly kind to any of us! However much we have all been doing and being from home in these past months, it is likely that every one of us is in need of rest and recovery. As the world begins to open up around us, even with the news of new variants and ongoing challenges, some of us will be feeling excited and enthusiastic. Many of us will be feeling tired and uncertain. And all of us may need a moment just to catch our breath. So, in these coming months we will be continuing slowly on our path, looking to small times of fellowship and sharing, worshipping together in quiet ways, and resting in the peace that follows the storm. We will take pleasure in the simple moments, celebrating with wedding couples, holding our first baptism service, meeting for prayer and praise.
It may be that things don’t move as fast as we might want them to. It may take us longer to get back on our feet than we first thought – and that is okay. Please do continue being patient and kind with one another, and with us, as we each pause to take a breath, and build our strength again for all the excitement to come...
Revd Joy and the church wardens
As many of you will know Revd Joy has recently taken some time off for ill health. She is recovering well, and is hugely thankful to all of you for your kind messages and prayers. She will be returning to work slowly over these coming months, so please don’t be surprised if you see a little less of her than usual, or if it takes her a little longer to reply to your queries.
With huge thanks also to those who supported our ministry in her absence, and who will continue to help in the coming months.
The decision has also been taken to continue with Covid precautions in our churches for the present time, at least until the proposed changes to the track and trace system come into effect on August 16 when the situation will be reviewed. Heritage Open Day and Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust Ride and Stride – Saturday 11 September
This year GHCT marks its 40th year of helping historic churches in our area. Our own churches have benefitted from such grants. The main fundraising event is “Ride and Stride” which will take place this year on Saturday 11 September, which coincides with Heritage Open Day. We very much hope that we will be able to open our churches on that day to welcome visitors, depending on Covid restrictions in place at the time. As in previous years, I intend to walk between the churches in our benefice to raise funds and I hope some of you may be able to join me again this year.
Details of the walk will be available nearer the time, in next month’s 4ward and St Mary’s newsletter. Last year many of you were kind enough to sponsor me and my companions, raising over £1,500 in all. I should be very grateful if you would like to sponsor me again.
The simplest way for you to do this is by visiting my Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thomas-keates4 which is the preferred method of donation. If you would rather donate by cheque, please make cheques payable to Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust. If you can Gift Aid, then please also leave your name , first line of address & post code with your donation which can either be given to me or left in an envelope in the church mail box (cash also accepted this way). Half the money raised will be returned to our benefice and be divided between our two PCCs.
Thank you, Revd Tom
St Arilda’s Pilgrimage
The Oldbury Congregation cooled down on a very hot Tuesday evening (St Arilda’s Day), after our annual pilgrimage from St Arilda’s to splash in the stream running from the well where, legend has it, St Arilda was slain. We enjoyed searching for the “blood-stained” stones as we recalled the Saint and her demise. Thanks to Christabelle’s sturdy stick none of us fell in! Some then went back to the Church at 10pm to hunt for the glow worms that are always prevalent at this time of year.
Martin Fardell kindly hosted us with refreshments in his wonderful garden at St Arild’s Cottage. It felt so special gathering together after lockdown for such fellowship and laughter.
Do join us next year on the 20th July.
Jacquie Rinaldi Oldbury Cricket Club “Cricket is basically baseball on valium...... ” Robin Williams.
In the Wednesday games, Oldbury beat Wickwar (Pratt Cup) scoring 172, with 5 batsmen each retiring on 25 runs, and in reply Wickwar were pegged back to 127 runs. The following week Oldbury beat Thornbury, with Oldbury scoring 175 and Thornbury only getting 65. Max Curtis and Jack Summerfield scored 46 and 69 runs respectively and Liam Pemberton and John Rodriguez both bowled well for Oldbury taking 3 wickets apiece. On 14th July Oldbury lost the last of the Wednesday fixtures against Patchway. Patchway scored a mediocre 126 runs and despite runs from C Boucher (42) and Tom Pullin (35), Oldbury could only manage a below-par score of 112 runs from 20 overs.
On Sunday 18th July Oldbury visited Hillesley. The home side batted first and scored a respectable 217 from their 40 overs with two batsmen being the mainstay of their innings, scoring 100 and 44 runs respectively. In reply Oldbury batted really well and reached the target in only 35 overs with Greg Welsher (75) and Sam Phelps (58) leading the way to victory. The touring side New Ash Green visited on 25th July. They have been playing against Oldbury since 1984 and the first fixture was arranged by the late Chris Barlow, for what was then an Oldbury Sunday pub side. On that occasion one of their bowlers, Phil Sumner, took 4 Oldbury wickets in 4 balls. This is listed as a notable achievement in their records and is displayed on their website. Not to be repeated this time, and in a 35 over game Oldbury ran out convincing winners. Oldbury got off to a stuttering start of 43 for 3 before Ben Riggs (29) and Olly Cooper (101 retired) took control of the game. Late strong innings from Hedley Garrett (36) and Greg Welsher (43) took the home side to 251 for 7. Although New Ash Green started well, reaching the century mark for the loss of only two wickets, the Oldbury bowlers stuck to their task and restricted the visitors to 210 for 7 from their 35 overs.
If there is anyone out there who can remember who played with Chris Barlow in that 1984 game then let me know - answers on a £10 note.
Fixtures for August and September (all are Sunday matches) are as follows:
1st Aug [H] Chipping Sodbury 5th Sept [H] Almondsbury 8th Aug [H] Uley 12 th Sept [H] President’s XI 15 th Aug [A] Failand & Portbury (11am start) 22 nd Aug [H] Staple Hill 29 th Aug [H] Old Down Estate
Gerald Porter President OOSVCC Eddie Clapham’s War Story - Part 2
It was now spring 1943 and father’s drawing office had been moved yet again, this time to Fry’s Chocolate Factory at Summerdale near Keynsham, so a more convenient site for the caravan was needed, together with a better car to tow it with. The faithful Austin 7 was laid up in one of the Redcliffe sheds and a 1935 Jowett Big 7 was acquired. This may not sound a very suitable car for towing caravans, but it was rugged and had a very low bottom gear. It also had a big advantage being made in Yorkshire, because father, being a proud Yorkshireman himself, thought anything made in Yorkshire had to be good.
In due course our caravan and Jowett went to West Tyning, about 2 miles NW of Bath Race Course and within easy cycling distance of the chocolate factory. West Tyning was a burnt-out house near the village of Upton Cheyney and we were able to park our caravan on the drive. The house and grounds were substantial, situated in open country on the edge of the Lansdown ridge with wonderful views out to the west. The house had been built with a thatched roof which had caught fire maybe only about a year before our arrival and only the walls remained. It had been requisitioned by U.S. Airforce personnel, stationed at the nearby Charmydown airfield at the time. There were large overgrown lawns, a vegetable garden and several undamaged sheds, some of which still contained things salvaged from the house before the fire fully took hold, a veritable treasure trove to my young eyes.
This became another typical Clapham campsite and father was in his element. He wasn't the only one; I have the fondest memories of this place, and having by this time reached the age of 7, I was old enough to make full use of my surroundings as only boys of this age know how to. Father would go off on his bike each morning singing happily to himself down Golden Valley, the first half of the journey being all downhill. Or at least this is what mother used to say, although she herself was somewhat less enamoured. Initially she had a seat on the back of her bike for Tony when she went down Golden Valley to Bitton to do the shopping. Going down was alright but coming back loaded must have been something else, as it involved a gain in height of very nearly 200 feet in 2 miles. It was while we were here that father bought a little bicycle banking sidecar which he thought would be just what mother needed. Tony would be able to ride in comfort and there would be plenty of room for the shopping. The bicycle with sidecar attached was not the easiest thing to manage at the best of times; heavily laden uphill it would have been next to impossible. It was also quite unstable and very awkward when being pushed. One round trip was more than enough for mother, and father ended up with a flea in his ear.
While at West Tyning I went to school in Upton Cheyney, an easy walk away. I was bullied here, which on occasion involved older boys pushing me into nettle filled ditches during the walk to school. I don't remember any fuss being made about this and certainly it didn’t sour my memories of the place.
One of the conditions of having our caravan here was that father should keep the lawns in a reasonable state and Tony and I would take part. Our job was to pack down the grass in the wheelbarrow to maximise the amount that could be carried in one load. We found that by sitting on top of the grass and really packing it into all the corners we could make fathers job of filling the barrow quite difficult. This was very useful as bedtime approached because we could negotiate for just one more barrow full and then make it take a very long time. Remember that father was up against long grass with a push-along mower of doubtful efficiency and two boys with a hidden agenda. In the photo of us doing this job we do look quite angelic but appearances can be deceptive.
Being in the country had real advantages because we were able to get around some of the problems brought about by food rationing. Every morning the farmer would put six pints of fresh milk in our jug left by the gate and we could have as many eggs and as much butter as we wanted from Barton Farm just across the road.
It was from Barton Farm that we acquired our first cat, Liddia, or Liddy Puss when we became more familiar. She had tortoiseshell colouring and very definitely became a much-loved member of the family. She was a prodigious producer of kittens and lived to a great age. At the caravan she developed great skill in hunting rabbits and would frequently be seen struggling up the drive dragging a rabbit bigger than herself. This she would deposit by the caravan step as if she knew that it would be a useful supplement to our diet. We were very grateful.
When the house burnt down, the roof and upper story floor had collapsed onto the ground into a great jumble of ash, charcoal and debris of all kinds. The lady of the house had quite a collection of jewellery and all the rubbish had been carefully sifted in order to recover the valuables. It was rumoured that not everything had been found, and guess who made it his job to be a treasure hunter. I was not supposed to do this and was ordered off, but the temptation was very great and I frequently succumbed. Unfortunately, it was not possible to go into that place without getting dirty so my misdeeds were always discovered. I never did find any valuables but there were all sorts of other things of interest and what I remember most clearly was finding lots of "E's" and "I's"; thin pieces of metal in the exact shape of these letters. Much later I came to understand that these were from the cores of wrecked transformers of the type found in radio sets of that era. A rather cleaner hunting ground was one of the sheds containing salvaged items. This shed was supposed to be locked but that didn’t turn out to be too much of a problem. Inside were fascinating things like microscopes, gramophones and even a pianola with lots of part-burned paper rolls. Writing this brings it all back and I have quite a good mental picture of the inside of that shed.
Father fixed up a shower, based on a watering can suspended from an apple tree, which he was quite proud of. He was also proud / impressed with the lengthening line of noticeably more verdant grass in the field next door which marked the progress of the trench for our daily bucket-and-chuckit activity.
Mother acquired a charcoal iron which she had to swing round her head to produce a draft to get it going. I remember once some burning charcoal got out and damaged the thing she was ironing and she burst into tears. It must have been one of many last straws. We still have this iron.
It was alright for father and me, our days were full of interest and variety but it was hard on mother. She was stuck in a tiny caravan in the middle of nowhere, with a small child and no facilities. Father's often-made comment that at least housework was reduced to a minimum probably didn't help much. But all would soon be well, because by this stage in the war the bombing threat was just about over and “Wycklands” was on the near horizon.
We moved to Wycklands, 261 Passage Road, Brentry, Bristol, (tel. 628247), for the winter of 1943/44 when I was coming up to eight years old. The house was built in the 30's along with most of the neighbouring houses and got its name from Wyck Court, the nearby big house taken over by the army during the war. The caravan went on the front lawn and the Jowett on the drive; there was no garage. Car and caravan were used for two subsequent summer holidays in Cornwall.
When we arrived, Wycklands was almost in the country with open fields at the back as far as Henbury village. It was a very pleasant place within easy cycling distance of father’s work, but I managed to cause a crisis almost as soon as we arrived. The downstairs windows had been protected from possible bomb blast by a wall of sandbags outside around each window, about two feet from the windows and extending up to their tops. It wasn't possible to see out of the windows but some light did get into the house over the tops of the bags. Of course, I had to climb up these bags and they fell over with me underneath. I was winded, but worse was feared, and I had to go off to hospital for a check-up. No real harm was done, and father demolished the rest of the sandbag walls, which provided a good source of sand for various purposes for years to come. First use was to fill the sandpit which father dug out in the back lawn for us to play in. I particularly remember Tony and I making complicated channels in this sandpit and then covering them with bits of board. We would then launch Liddy Puss and any kittens she may have had at the time into one of the entrances, cover it up and then see how long it took them to find their way through the maze to another exit.
The first school I went to from Wycklands was St Goar, a small private school on the Downs; Head Mistress, Miss Rose. Just why I was sent there I have no idea. I was at this school from Easter term 1944 to Summer term 1945 inclusive, I know this with certainty because I have my reports in front of me as I write, (they are not a pretty sight). The school required a uniform including a cap and I can remember going with mother to Maggs in Bristol to get kitted out. I travelled to St Goar each day by bus and on my 9th birthday, while on the bus, it suddenly struck me that this was a special day for another reason. The date was five consecutive numbers, 12-3-45, and there wouldn’t be another date like this for 100 years. Funny, some of the things you remember.
At the back of Wycklands, a flat-roofed bay window and double doors opened onto the back garden. From the top corners of this flat roof a steel tube structure extended out into the garden. This was intended to support an awning but it was never used by us for this purpose. Father used it as exercise bars and so did I, spending hours swinging hand-over-hand along them and turning somersaults. I was a keen climber of anything that could be climbed and my abilities in this respect would have been helped by all this swinging about. I was quite proud of the fact that I could get into every window in the house including the upstairs loo which only had a small horizontally hinged opening window at the top. Getting into some of the bedrooms required swinging for a short distance along the guttering from drain pipe to window sill; fortunately, I gave up this game before getting too heavy for the gutters.
The house had a good loft with a large trap door providing access. There was no ladder, but we could climb up the shelves in the airing cupboard which was immediately below the trap door. One of my very clear memories is of seeing mother having difficulty climbing onto the bottom shelf of this cupboard to reach something on the top shelf. She was having difficulty because she was getting ready in a bit of a panic to go into hospital to have Val, her third child. Needless to say, I was totally unaware of the stress and trauma that the poor soul must have been under at the time. Sister Val was born on 13th April 1945 and so we had an epic family event to match VE day which, although no one knew it at the time, was only three weeks away.
There is no doubt that the way our family dealt with the war significantly messed up my schooling. The frequent changes of school created a serious lack of continuity in subject matter and I must have found getting used to new surroundings, teachers and classmates very difficult, even if I didn’t realise it at the time. In fact, without really understanding why, I came to hate school.
The awful reports I kept getting term after term from St Goar must have finally prompted my parents to take action. This meant yet another change of school to Henbury C of E Boys’ School, an easy walk across fields from Wycklands. I was happier here; I already knew some of the children in my class and I liked the teachers. The stability of two years here and some private tuition at home from one of the teachers got me back on course, through the eleven plus and a place at Cotham Grammar School in 1947, so all was well in the end. It is also the end of my war story. But there is a sequel…
In the summer of 1964, I met my wife to be, Valerie Mayes, at a Bristol University Ski Club water-skiing weekend in Poole. Before the year was out, we were married and had a cottage in Oldbury-on-Severn. We had started house hunting some time before and had looked at a number of properties without success.
My mother was still in contact with friends she had made while we were living in Redcliffe, on the road between Thornbury and Oldbury, and she heard via Gladys Long that there was a cottage for sale in Oldbury called “The Old Forge”. I had always wanted a house in the country and this one sounded interesting so we went to view. We liked what we saw, negotiated a deal with the owner, Mrs Froomes, to include enough furnishings to start us off, fixed up a Council Mortgage at £14/month and then went off skiing to Italy for our honeymoon with the ski club which had brought us together. It was all so easy in those days.
Interestingly, our new property also included a bricks and mortar remnant from the war, all because the then-owner of The Old Forge was Wally Poole. Wally had been in the army and when war broke out, he soon found himself in charge of the local Home Guard. In 1940, when the threat of invasion was very real, the Home Guard were issued with real rifles and ammunition to help in the fight “in the fields and in the streets”. Now Wally needed somewhere secure to store his weapons and ammo so the obvious thing to do was to build a standard Home Guard Ammunition Store to Government Specifications in his back garden. The Specification called for brick walls, a reinforced concrete roof laid on top of corrugated iron sheeting, and a strong door which could be securely locked. It was still there when we bought the house and it is still there today.
These stores cropped up all over the country and if you Google “home guard ammunition store” and click “images” you will see pictures of other stores just like ours! 1940 Happy days at Moulerbeck
1942 Pitts Farm Cromhall
1941 us boys at Tortworth Rectory
1942 Mother struggling at Pitts Farm 1942 Pitts Farm camp site 1941 That bike with with Austin 7 etc 18” wheels
1944 That house in 1943 Hidden agenda at 2021 That ammunition Brentry with the gutters Upton Cheyney store
Colouring (for young or old!) kindly created for us by Lorna Page
Tide Table : Inward Rocks, River Severn. August 2021
Day High High High Moon Sunrise Sunset Low Low 2:13 AM 8:55 AM 9:14 PM Sun 2:42 PM BST 5:33 AM 8:58 PM BST / 9.11 BST / 2.31 BST / 2.54 / 8.60 m BST BST 1 m m m 1:24 AM 7:12 AM 1:56 PM 7:33 PM BST 5:41 AM 8:50 PM BST / 2.91 BST / 8.59 BST / 2.88 Fri 6 / 8.95 m BST BST m m m 2:26 AM 7:55 AM 2:52 PM 8:13 PM BST 5:42 AM 8:48 PM BST / 2.54 BST / 9.23 BST / 2.47 Sat 7 / 9.66 m BST BST m m m 3:18 AM 8:34 AM 3:40 PM Sun 8:51 PM BST New 5:44 AM 8:46 PM BST / 2.08 BST / 9.91 BST / 2.00 / 10.37 m Moon BST BST 8 m m m 4:03 AM 9:10 AM 4:22 PM Mon 9:27 PM BST 5:46 AM 8:44 PM BST / 1.61 BST / 10.56 BST / 1.55 / 11.00 m BST BST 9 m m m 6:42 AM 11:40 AM 7:00 PM Fri 5:52 AM 8:36 PM BST / 0.64 BST / 11.41 BST / 0.81 BST BST 13 m m m 12:02 AM 7:22 AM 12:25 PM 7:41 PM Sat 5:54 AM 8:34 PM BST / 11.46 BST / 0.80 BST / 11.03 BST / 1.02 BST BST 14 m m m m 12:49 AM 8:04 AM 8:25 PM Sun 1:15 PM BST First 5:55 AM 8:32 PM BST / 10.95 BST / 1.13 BST / 1.38 / 10.46 m Quarter BST BST 15 m m m 1:42 AM 8:52 AM 9:18 PM Mon 2:11 PM BST 5:57 AM 8:30 PM BST / 10.29 BST / 1.57 BST / 1.80 / 9.82 m BST BST 16 m m m 12:58 AM 6:15 AM 1:35 PM Fri 6:44 PM BST 6:03 AM 8:22 PM BST / 2.08 BST / 9.25 BST / 2.08 / 9.65 m BST BST 20 m m m 2:09 AM 7:16 AM 2:40 PM Sat 7:41 PM BST 6:05 AM 8:20 PM BST / 1.62 BST / 9.88 BST / 1.60 / 10.41 m BST BST 21 m m m 3:09 AM 8:08 AM 3:34 PM Sun 8:30 PM BST 6:06 AM 8:18 PM BST / 1.09 BST / 10.61 BST / 1.12 Full Moon / 11.16 m BST BST 22 m m m 3:59 AM 8:54 AM 4:20 PM Mon 9:15 PM BST 6:08 AM 8:16 PM BST / 0.66 BST / 11.25 BST / 0.76 / 11.73 m BST BST 23 m m m 6:30 AM 11:38 AM 6:45 PM 11:58 PM Fri 6:14 AM 8:07 PM BST / 0.87 BST / 11.15 BST / 1.14 BST / 11.03 BST BST 27 m m m m 7:03 AM 12:19 PM 7:17 PM Sat 6:16 AM 8:05 PM BST / 1.30 BST / 10.47 BST / 1.54 BST BST 28 m m m 12:40 AM 7:35 AM 7:50 PM Sun 1:01 PM BST 6:18 AM 8:03 PM BST / 10.23 BST / 1.78 BST / 2.00 / 9.67 m BST BST 29 m m m 1:24 AM 8:10 AM 8:28 PM Mon 1:47 PM BST Last 6:19 AM 8:01 PM BST / 9.35 BST / 2.29 BST / 2.48 / 8.84 m Quarter BST BST 30 m m m 2:14 AM 8:51 AM 9:16 PM Tue 2:41 PM BST 6:21 AM 7:58 PM BST / 8.49 BST / 2.80 BST / 2.95 / 8.08 m BST BST 31 m m m
Back to reality for the Arts?!
There’s no better way for the Armstrong Arts Group to re- launch the Thornbury Arts scene than with a spot of Jazz! The AAG has the perfect antidote to Lockdown Blues – a sparkling evening of jazz classics from the Jenner Jazz Quartet, with Gareth Williams (flute and saxes), Sam Foster (keyboard), Jim Pimpernell (double bass) and Jim Sanders (drums). Covid safety rules will be maintained. See our display advert on the next page for full details of this exciting event!
The AAG is not currently raising funds for the Armstrong Hall, but uses any money raised to keep some musical and theatrical events happening in the town. An October event is “in the pipeline” and to follow, on the 27 th November, we can all look forward to Michael Lunts’ much awaited “Christmas Crackers” musical evening. Keep the date, details to come……
Rainfall
2021 2020 2019 June 21.5mm 74.5mm 128mm 0.85” 2.93” 5.04”
Tree Surgery Professional care to all your Trees & Hedges
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Hire charge is £15 per 3 hour session including use of tables and chairs( Tables and Chairs can be used elsewhere for a hire charge of £3 per table And 50p per chair) Sorry no dogs allowed in playing field area Westmarsh Lane Oldbury -on - Sev-