December 20 20

Star in my Heart

Christmas is where you are...the chimes, the snow, All make a setting for the heart aglow. But Christmas is more subtle than all these, Something beyond the shimmering of trees, Something that reaches deep within the heart To find your song, though we are far apart. And if you hear my voice across the years Singing the song we both have learned through tears, Know that it holds the faith deep planted there, Nourished by your dreams and our one prayer. There must be miles between us, but a ray Shines through the darkness and we know the way. For where you are the Christmas star is bright.

Mary E. Linton

4ward Community magazine for Oldbury, Shepperdine, Kington and Rockhampton www.oos4ward.plus.com

EDITOR Chris Tymko, Fisherman’s Cottage, Cowhill, BS35 1QJ. Tel: 412152

PRINTED BY Oldbury Deckers Tel: 01454 412153

4Ward is an independent community magazine and material is published at the discretion of the editor. Articles for next month's edition should reach the editor or email [email protected]

NO LATER THAN 20 th OF THIS MONTH

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Oldbury Community Website www.oldburyonsevern.org.uk

Oldbury Memorial Hall 01454 413380 Contact: Karen Porter 07986 931893 [email protected]

Church Contacts

Thornbury & Oldbury www.arildachurcholdbury.co.uk 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

“The rain which had fallen almost incessantly for a week now ceased, and a pale winter sun shone faintly through the low clouds. Then, as we reached the crest of a steep slope, the sky suddenly cleared; and there, straight ahead, were the white walls of Bethlehem gleaming on a distant hill!”

This wonderful paragraph was written by an Oldbury man, Joseph Welsh, describing his first sighting of Bethlehem on Christmas Eve in 1917, after trekking through the Sinai desert. This is part of Joseph’s unpublished WW1 war memoirs, and continues inside. Our grateful thanks to the Welsh family for sharing them with us.

Joseph Welsh was a former Oldbury School pupil which leads very nicely into more news from the School Pigeon about how the children have been doing back at school after months of enforced closure. The Pigeon also brings us an announcement from headteacher Debbie Dix that she is retiring in December. We’d like to thank Debbie for all she has done for the school for many years and wish her all the very best in her retirement.

The Busy Bees have also been active, caring for our younger local children, who have been living up to their name and having a very busy term. We were deeply touched to see the photos of the little ones parading up to the church on Remembrance Day, all on their own, to lay a homemade cardboard wreath against the church door. It was a lovely gesture.

Sadly, an era comes to an end this month with the official closure of the Village History Group. It has been a fixture of village life for 25 years, with monthly meetings throughout the winter months and in its heyday putting on an annual exhibition in the Chapel. Our thanks and appreciation to Roger Howell, Jane Bradshaw, Meg Adnams and the rest of the committee for 25 years of expanding our knowledge of local history.

With so many Christmas activities curtailed this year we are delighted to bring you news of the proposed Nativity Trail in and around Oldbury, which is one fun activity we can all enjoy doing together. Chris 4-ward would like to thank everyone who has contributed articles and advertisements throughout the year, and wish them, and all our readers, a Very Happy Christmas!

Just as Mary and Joseph went on a journey to Bethlehem on that first Christmas, this year St Arilda's Church invites you to join our whole village in a collective journey along

The Oldbury. Nativity Trail !

Everyone can look out for characters from the Christmas story in and around the village from the 19th to 23rd December. Then from Christmas Eve we hope to display them all together outside St Arilda’s Church.

If your household would also like to make a large figure then please contact Amelia Sorrell on 07912757370 for further details and to find out which people and animals are still needed to make our village nativity trail complete! Oldbury Pigeon Hello readers!

It has been a very unusual start to the school year at Oldbury School. However, I am very pleased to report that all the children have learned the new Covid rules and have settled in well to their new classes. Although Covid numbers are rising locally and nationally, at the time of writing we are very happy to say that we haven’t had any cases within our staff team or with the children. We’ve been following social distancing rules within the school as much as possible, ensuring that the ‘infant bubble’ of children stays separate from the ‘junior bubble’ throughout the school day.

The ‘recovery curriculum’ which we followed in term 1 to ease the children back into school has now given way to our usual learning, which gives the children a sense of ‘normality’. This term Class 1 are learning about ‘Weather and the Seasons’ and Class 2 are learning about ‘Extreme weather and natural disasters – including volcanoes’. Normally, at this time of year, we would have had lots of visitors and visits planned but because of the current situation this has not been possible. However, we have managed to have online road safety workshops for all our children, delivered by the South Road Safety team. We were also unable to run our usual parents’ evening but we did manage ‘remote’ parents’ evenings, where we spoke to children’s parents over the ‘phone. Usual Christmas events may be curtailed, but we will still celebrate as we can!

We will be losing our Class 2 teacher, Abbie Stephens, during term 2. Abbie leaves us to begin her maternity leave and her baby is due on Boxing Day. We all wish Abbie and her family the very best for the future. And finally, a message from our headteacher, Debbie Dix: “ It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform you that I will be leaving Oldbury School to take early retirement at the end of the first week in December. For some months our school governors have been considering entering into a partnership with Primary School, which as another Church of village school is a very good ‘match’, sharing our values and ethos. There have been on-going meetings between the local authority and the two governing bodies, and everyone including myself agrees that this is a very positive way to benefit the staff and pupils at both schools. Knowing that Oldbury School will be in ‘very good hands’ in the future has made it much easier for me to take this opportunity to realise my own dreams, and I’m sure that this forthcoming time of transition for the school will be managed smoothly and successfully by our school governors. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Oldbury School, it is a lovely, happy little school and I will miss the children, staff and families very much. Thank you all for your support and I wish you all the very best in the future, Debbie Dix. ”

(There will be an update from Debbie all about her new life in our next edition, and we are sure you all join us in thanking her for all she has done for our children over the years and sending best wishes for her future.) Busy Bees

Hello readers,

We’ve been super Busy Bees since we started back at Oldbury Busy Bees pre- school and playgroup in September.

Despite coronavirus, we’ve managed to open our doors and have welcomed five new children who have settled in with our existing team of Busy Bees wonderfully. We’re constantly updating our policies around COVID-19 to ensure that our children, staff, parents and carers remain safe and protected.

So far this year we’ve learned all about autumn; we’ve played in lots of fallen leaves and made hedgehog-shaped bread rolls. We’ve made magic potions for Hallowe’en, marked bonfire night by making colourful firework pictures and celebrated Diwali by creating beautiful Rangoli patterns.

We also made a very special trip up the hill to St Arilda’s church on Remembrance Day, with a beautiful poppy wreath that the children had created using their handprints, to remember our fallen heroes.

All of this has been alongside all of the usual fun we have; playing with toys, dressing up, making and playing with play-doh, practicing yoga and doing lots of painting, drawing and reading.

And you might have seen us on one of our many rambles through the village and down to the river - give us a wave if you pass us on one of our adventures. We think it’s so important to get out and enjoy the countryside.

We’re now looking forward to all of our exciting Christmas activities - we’ve already started learning some of our favourite Christmas songs!

We are very lucky to have a new shed in our garden, to safely house all our outdoor toys. The shed was very kindly constructed by Philip and Ben Pearce, and we are very grateful for their hard work in putting this together for us.

We’re actively looking for new committee members. As a not-for-profit charity, we rely on volunteers to be part of our committee to remain open. There are plenty of ways to get involved, but right now we really need a vice-chairperson. This role would involve supporting the chairperson, and attending a monthly meeting to discuss the running of Oldbury Busy Bees. If you would like to be involved, please contact Denise on 01454 412466 or join in with our AGM (date TBC) - please contact us for details. Also, please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like a space at Busy Bees for your child. We’re open from 9am - 3pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

We wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Busy Bees Pre-School and Playgroup

Help this Busy Bee get back to the hive for lots of fun with friends!

Shop Spot

Hi everyone, we are very pleased to say that with the support of our volunteers we have managed to stay open during the November lockdown. As mentioned in last month’s Shop Spot, our two new round / easy-access tables were delivered in November and they have provided a nice addition to the Shop’s grass area.

As was the case last year, the Shop’s Christmas Hampers are already proving to be very popular with lots of customers having already ordered their hampers. All you need to do is select your products, we then arrange to pack them into a nice hamper and we then phone you when it’s ready for collection. We have some lovely Christmas gifts and products including many locally made. These include cider, honey and jams, and much more.

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer the Oldbury Shop Christmas stamps this year. The organisation responsible have failed to respond to repeated requests for confirmation they would still be doing the stamps this year. We can only assume the pandemic has had an impact.

Just a reminder to place your orders for Marie Baker’s lovely, and again very popular, Christmas cakes.

Over the festive period we will close the Shop on the 24th December at 1pm and re-open on the 2nd January 2021. We are sorry for any customer inconvenience but we want to give our trusty volunteers a well-earned rest (unfortunately there will be no newspaper deliveries over this period).

2020 has obviously been a difficult year for everyone, and the pandemic, as you would expect, has impacted the Shop. One of the main areas that impacted both sales and profits was the closure of the Café, however the subsequent and current sales of hot takeaway drinks have clearly helped. Although this year’s accounts are still to be finalised, the good news is that it would appear that our actual sales compare favourably with last year’s sales, and the even better news is that we will again make a profit, albeit a reduced one from previous years. When you consider the disruption caused by the pandemic and the reduced Shop hours this is fantastic news that we can all be proud of. With this in mind we again hope to be in a position to offer local charities and good causes donations from any surplus profits (as mentioned previously, we have already made donations to Thornbury Food Bank). So, if you have a suggestion, we would kindly ask you to submit your applications before the end of January 2021. Simply put your application in a sealed envelope addressed to myself and hand it in to the Shop. As always, we can’t promise to satisfy all applications; the Committee will meet in early February 2021 to review the applications and inform those people or organisations that have been successful. On behalf of the Shop Committee can I thank all the volunteers who have helped us to stay open through the covid pandemic and serve the community. People continue to tell us that the Shop has proved to be a lifeline for so many, and when you consider that we have also made over 100 deliveries to local people in isolation, this has really been a great achievement. Importantly we would also like to thank our customers and members for supporting the Shop through this difficult period, and it has been really rewarding to receive so many favourable comments from you. We also extend our thanks to Magnox (and the support of Council) for the very generous grant of £2800.

We normally hold our Annual Members Meeting (AMM), which is open to both members and non-members, in January. However, with the current pandemic regulations we are obviously unable to organise this at the present moment. The current view is that this will probably now take place after January, so we are currently considering all our options for when and how the AMM can be held. We will keep everyone posted on this.

Finally, on behalf of the Shop we would like to wish you and your families a Happy Christmas and Happy New Year. Let’s hope Father Christmas brings that vaccine so life can start to return to normal. Chris Awde

Retail Therapy

My aged Henry vacuum cleaner gave up the ghost so I needed to buy a new one. Vacuum cleaners are apparently considered non-essential items during Lockdown and all the electrical appliance shops were only open for Click and Collect. This was the first time I had tried it but I managed to follow the on-line instructions and order a new Henry from Curry’s and got an email back saying it was ready for collection. Then another long, tedious list of instructions arrived about parking in the designated area, texting your arrival and the order code, etc, then even more specifically - get out of your car, open your boot, then wait back in your car with the door closed. I drove to Curry’s, and parked up. The package duly arrived and a masked man loaded it into the boot - not exactly retail therapy, but even so I was feeling pretty smug and pleased with myself as I drove off around the car park looking for the way out. As I approached the exit I could see a man on foot sprinting across the car park towards it. We got to there at about the same time so I slowed right down to let him cross the road in front of me as he seemed in such a hurry - then he started signalling so I wound the window down. “Did you know your boot is wide open?” he called out, rather out of breath. Well, they didn’t include “Close the boot” on their list of instructions.... Chris Tymko Oldbury Parish Council Notes

On behalf of all the Parish Councillors and Committee Members can I wish every one of you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I know there will be some restrictions for all of us this year but hopefully we will get through this and come out the other side in the new year. I think it is appropriate to thank everyone in not just Oldbury, but also in Shepperdine, the Naite, Cowhill and Kington, for their part in keeping things ticking over during the pandemic and the lockdowns, and in maintaining all the services that we take for granted. Thank you one and all. As last year, I would like particularly to thank Christabelle and all her team for their hard work in publishing this wonderful magazine, it is very much appreciated.

Dog Bins and the Sailing Club Track. Is this fair? I seem to have spent an inordinate amount of time discussing this issue in the last couple of weeks. As anyone who walks down the Sailing Club Track at the weekends will know, the number of walkers has increased dramatically recently. While it has been increasing gradually over the last few years, the recent “lockdown” has shown a further marked increase. The majority of walkers come from Thornbury; it is a tarmacked track, dry to walk on, even when it is raining, and car parking is pretty good. It is the only track like that giving access to the river in the area.

That means the small dog bin gets full very quickly. As a Parish Council we have been trying to find a solution acceptable to both us and South Gloucestershire Council. There are no larger bins, so we either have to have the existing bin emptied twice weekly or have two small bins. We have chosen the former, for the present, as it is the cheaper option.

By the way, we also have a dog bin at West End and are in the process of having another put in at the Windbound, which Horizon are kindly paying to install. The total cost of emptying these 4 bins will be over £1000 p.a. which the ratepayers of Oldbury will have to pay through the precept (approx. £3 per household). Is it fair that Oldbury ratepayers should have to pay to remove Thornbury dog poo? Email me if you have a view on this.

Communications The communications group are redesigning oldburyonsevern.org.uk to make our community website more user friendly, with more information, and pages available for all local groups that want them. If you have any ideas, or want to put information in, please contact Sheila Bedford or myself.

Flooding and Planning Some progress was made on the flooding in Chapel Road, and we hope this will be resolved soon. Thanks to Ian Bell who has joined this committee.

Keith Sullivan for OPC 01454 417865 or [email protected] 26th November 2020

Amazon is sponsoring the Memorial Hall

As you may be aware, Amazon Smile sponsors charities up and down the country. Oldbury on Severn War Memorial Hall has applied for this, and has been accepted as one of their chosen charities.

How does it work? As an individual you have to register with Amazon Smile and then choose Oldbury on Severn War Memorial Hall as your chosen charity. To register just follow these simple steps:

• Follow the link to amazon smile https://smile.amazon.co.uk • Click on the yellow box ‘Get Started’ • Enter the organisation ‘Oldbury-on-Severn War Memorial Hall’ • Select the above organisation.

What happens next? Each time you make a purchase, Amazon will pay 0.5% of the net purchase price (excludes refunds and VAT) to the Hall.

You must remember to use smile.amazon.co.uk and NOT simply amazon.co.uk as otherwise the Hall will NOT receive any donations. Remember to enable Smile on the Amazon Shopping app on all your devices too, as otherwise purchases using the app will not donate funds to the Hall! On the app, select the Menu using ≡ at the top left; go down and tap on “Settings”, then tap on “AmazonSmile” and turn on Smile for your device.

Does it cost you anything? No. The only cost to you is the purchase price of the item(s) you have bought, plus any add-ons such as postage and packaging.

Pass the message on! If you are happy to do so, please pass this on to friends and family; the more who sign up for this, the better it is for the Memorial Hall.

Donations to 4ward

Many thanks for the various emails and letters we have had thanking us for the free delivery of 4ward and especially for 4ward by post. For those who wish to do so, there are several ways in which you can make a small donation towards our costs.

 Books of first-class stamp can be sent to: Vicky Collin, The Cottage, Pullens Green, Oldbury on Severn, BS35 1PW

 Cheques should be made payable to “4ward Magazine” and sent to: Rob King, 10 Swallow Park, Thornbury, , BS35 1LR

 To donate by BACS please email [email protected] for bank details.

Oldbury Village History Group

Oldbury Village History Group was started some twenty-five years ago and has been a regular part of the village’s winter routine. It has always depended on a small group of people to see to such matters as booking speakers, publicizing meetings, booking and preparing the Hall (and clearing up after meetings) and organizing refreshments.

Unfortunately, we all get older, and among this small group there are some with health problems. Attempts to recruit new committee members – three at least are required, and they should already have some commitment to the group – have proved unsuccessful, and the covid pandemic has made the problem worse. At a meeting of the existing committee on 26th October it was therefore decided to recommend to a special general meeting that the group should be wound up. It was hoped that this meeting would be held in February 2021 (see October’s 4ward), but this looks increasingly unlikely at present. It will be held as soon as is practical given the state of the pandemic, so please watch 4ward and the village notice boards.

This is sad, but those at the meeting felt it would be even more sad to see the group limp on without an adequate steering committee. Having seen this happen with other groups which then gradually faded away, ending while still a live group was felt to be the lesser of two evils. After all, we will be ending after two successes: our contribution to ‘A Forgotten Landscape’ and the serialization in 4ward of ‘Miss Bruton’s Oldbury’.

Jane Bradshaw

This is very sad news for the village but the current situation makes it very challenging for any group planning to meet regularly, especially one looking for a new committee.

4ward has worked closely with the History Group over many years, and we shall miss the regular updates sent in by Meg Adnams. Our collaboration with Jane Bradshaw and Iris Pitman on Miss Bruton’s Oldbury was one of our most popular ever series of articles, going on the feedback we received from our readers. We have long had plans to bring it all together as a booklet and we hope to work together in the next few months collaborating on this project. In the meantime we look forward to history group members continuing to share their knowledge, research and stories with us.

Chris Tymko

Church Services for December 2020

St Mary’s St. Arilda St. Mary St. Oswald Thornbury Oldbury Shepperdine Rockhampton 13th Dec 6th Dec 6:00pm No services at 27th Dec Morning Prayer 10:30am St Marys 10am Service of light present due to

20th Dec Morning Benefice Service 20th Dec 11:00am coronavirus Prayer with Carols St Pauls 9am Morning Prayer Booking required: 20th Dec 'Some' lessons with Carols Open as a and carols 01454260096 25 th Dec 11:00am place of St Mary's 6pm www.croftt.org.uk (livestreamed) All-age Christmas pilgrimage and 24th Dec Midnight Communion prayer, @ St Mary's (11.15pm) Communion Revd Joy Ludlow For details (livestreamed) phone 25th Dec Booking required via All-age Communion 01454 260316 St Pauls 9am Andrew Gazard Booking required See [email protected] http://www.thornburycof 07831 849742 e.org.uk/newsletter.html

Catholic Morton Baptist Thornbury Quakers Christ the King, Services restarted Christ the King, Due to the virus Thornbury.Thornbury. Chantrypandemic Community our & Morning Service Centrenormal on Sunday Castle Holy Cross, Sunday Mass Every Sunday MeetingsStreet have been Wotton Under Edge. 9.30am at suspended. Weekly please consult10.30am the website 10.30am meetingsSunday now on for up to date details 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

’’...and they shall name him ‘Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us’.” (Matthew 1:23)

2020 has been a really difficult year for so many of us, and with so many challenges to overcome. And then the threat that ‘Christmas might be cancelled…’

Thankfully, in my job, it is a delight to know with absolute certainty that cancelling Christmas would come more than 2,000 years too late! We cannot possibly cancel Christmas.

The story of Christmas is the story of a child born in a difficult time. A child who, when we tell his story, reminds us how God is with us. Whatever is going on in the world around us, the birth of Jesus tells us that God wants to be part of it with us. The story of Christmas is also the reminder that God calls us together in community; shepherds, and kings, and angels, and a small family from Israel, all gathered up together in one story.

This Christmas may look completely different from anything we have seen in the past, and I am really sorry not to be able to gather as usual in our carols at the pub, and again on Christmas Eve. Those moments will be missed. But, I pray, that however we celebrate it this year, in whatever ways we can, that we would know God longs to share in it with us. And, whether we are called to be community together, or community dispersed, meeting on screens and over the phone, I pray that we would know the joy of being gathered together in the story of God.

Wishing you a blessed and peaceful Christmas, whatever it looks like – Revd Joy

'Services through Advent and Christmas across the Benefice are going to continue. These may change depending on restrictions. If you are interested in knowing what we are doing, please email the church office ([email protected]) and ask to go on the newsletter distribution list. This is for all our churches and is the best way of keeping up to date with changes and links to join services online. These will include things like details for making your own Christingle (13th December), 'Some' lessons and carols (6pm Sunday 20th December) and an online Crib Service realised on Christmas Eve (with help from our local schools). 24th December - Midnight @ St Mary's (11.15pm) - Communion (livestreamed for those in their pyjamas).

You can also follow along with services and details on 'Thornbury, Oldbury and Shepperdine United Benefice' Facebook page, 'friend' 'Thornbury Benefice' on Facebook, or watch recorded services on YouTube on the 'St Mary's Music' page.'

Wishing you all a Peaceful Christmas Tales of Christmas Past

An excerpt from “Severnside Memories - Moses White of Littleton on Severn” by Christopher Jordan, published in 1979: -

“The Matilda made regular visits to Oldbury up to the early twenties with coal from which entailed crossing to deep water on the opposite shore and then back to Oldbury.

One Christmas (1909) they ran out of the coal at Oldbury and James and Moses (co-owners) were asked to take a load to the pill there, to George Jones at the Anchor. They arrived on Christmas Day and worked all day to unload. Mrs Jones was blessed with the arrival of a daughter, Julia, that day and when they arrived home, they found out that James was also blessed with the arrival of a child (a son, also called James).”

Mrs Jones’s maiden name was Annie Blanche Welsh. She was my grandmother and the eldest sister of Joseph Welsh.

Joseph Welsh – Christmas Eve in Bethlehem 1917

I was lucky enough to meet Great Uncle Joe - Joseph Welsh - when he visited Oldbury in the spring of 1959 after his retirement from a long and illustrious career teaching in Canada. I was just ten, and Uncle Joe was a big tall man and he certainly made a big impression on me from the moment he and his brother Jack, equally tall, turned up together blocking the light from the doorway as they stooped to enter. The whole extended family went into holiday mode, with family meals and gatherings to hear exciting tales of life in Canada and of rivers overflowing with salmon. Never being one to shun the limelight, I was delighted to discover Uncle Joe and I shared a birthday on 29 March.

What follows on the next page is part of Joe’s own WW1 memoirs which he wrote in 1964 during his retirement in Canada. Our thanks to the Welsh family, especially Daphne Hayden (Joe’s brother Harry’s granddaughter) who sent us an old cutting from a Canadian newspaper with the suggestion that Joe’s account of arriving in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve might make an interesting Christmassy article for our December edition. Also, her brothers, Edward (Ted), David and Robert Welsh, and Steve and Jane Welsh, of Welsh Orchards, Westmarsh Lane, who lent us their family copy of the complete memoir and have given us permission to print excerpts.

Chris Tymko Joseph Welsh Goes to War

Chapter I - Outbreak of the First World War

When the Great War began, I was an assistant-master in a Boys’ School in the city of Hereford and until that time had never given a moment’s thought to becoming a soldier but then I, along with a number of close friends decided to enlist. My school readily gave me permission to do so and also undertook to keep my position open for me until the war was over - a matter of a few months we all thought. How wrong we all were!

It was holiday time, with hot sunny weather, in 1914, when I made my way to a recruiting office where a huge poster carried the message “Your King and Country need you!”

Chapter II - Enlistment

On entering the Office I found no evidence whatever that I was included in that exhortation, for the Sergeant-Major in charge hardly spared me a look, but continued his work of sweeping the floor, emptying ashtrays, and performing other tasks of equal urgency. After I had waited for what seemed an age, he at last condescended to apply the physical tests laid down in army regulations. These included height, weight, hearing, eyesight, and posture, all of which with one exception, I passed without difficulty. The exception, to my astonishment was height, over which the S. M. had taken infinite care, after having noted my desire to join the Grenadier Guards.

"No Good", he growled after several minutes' exercise with a tape- measure, "The Guards won't take you - you're too short!" "How much too short?" I enquired. "One-eighth of an inch", he replied triumphantly. "The Guards won't take anybody under five feet, eleven and a half inches; and you're only five feet eleven and three-eighths!"

Bitterly disappointed and humiliated, I made my way across the City to the headquarters of the Herefordshire Regiment. Here I was readily accepted, and to my intense joy met several of my friends from the tennis-courts and cricket-fields. With them I was introduced to the Commanding Officer who welcomed us warmly. Thus began an interruption in my way of life as a civilian that lasted more than four years, and which took me to far-away places I might otherwise never have seen; but which I remember as clearly as though I had visited them last week.

In 1915 the Hereford Battalion was sent to the Mediterranean Front. Joe was wounded by a Turkish sniper during the Battle of Gallipoli. After a long convalescence in Malta, Joe re-joined his regiment in August 1916 during the battle for the Suez Canal. For the next sixteen months, by that time promoted to Sergeant, Joe was part of the great advance of the British Army across the Sinai Desert into Palestine. In December 1917, he was given the assignment of escorting a draft of reinforcements to Beersheba and Hebron. On December 24th, his party started their way down the road to Bethlehem.

Chapter XXI - Christmas Eve, In Bethlehem

The rain which had fallen almost incessantly for a week now ceased, and a pale winter sun shone faintly through the low clouds. Then, as we reached the crest of a steep slope, the sky suddenly cleared; and there, straight ahead, were the white walls of Bethlehem gleaming on a distant hill! Everyone forgot the trials and disappointments of past days, and all began singing carols and hymns. Then, when most of us had exhausted our limited repertoire, a youthful member of the draft, who only a few weeks earlier had been singing in the choir of his village church in far-away England, rendered with incomparable sweetness of tone and intensity of feeling, that lovely old hymn beginning:

"Earth has many a noble city, Bethlehem, thou dost all excel" –

Moving rapidly onward, we reached the outskirts of the City at dusk. But keen disappointment again awaited us: We were informed by a senior officer of our regiment who was there to meet us, that on no account were we to enter the City, but to find what shelter we could for the night among the surrounding hills. The rain, which had ceased only temporarily, fell with renewed violence so that we searched in vain for dry sticks with which to light a fire. Our supper, therefore, was not only cold, but also light, for our only food was the scraps that remained in our haversacks from our last ration-issue, at Beersheba four days before.

With boots, clothing, and blankets sodden, and hungry, cold, and foot-sore as we were, it was hard to realize that the hill-side on which we huddled together for warmth might well have been the one above which, on the first Christmas Eve, the Heavenly Host had sung the immortal words

"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth Peace, Goodwill to Men!"

But on Christmas Eve, 1917, no guiding Star shone above Bethlehem, and the only thing for us to do was to find what shelter we could from the wind and rain under a few stunted olive trees - and await with patience the Dawn!

Chapter XXII - Christmas Day In Jerusalem

It came at last, Christmas Day: and like the first Christmas, it too, brought tidings of great joy; though on this occasion, in a worldly way, for we received the news that our regiment was quartered in buildings in Jerusalem; that casualties during our absence had been light, and that mail from home awaited us.

No wonder that even the weakest and most weary member of our group was eager to begin the final stage of our march; and that as we moved off some sang, and others whistled:

"O Come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant!"

The road, or rather track, connecting the two most sacred Cities on earth was stony, steep, and tortuous, but we moved faster than at any time since the days of our early training in England. Our increased speed was due in part to the fact that we had little to carry, our packs, blankets, great-coats, and heavy equipment having been loaded on to transport-wagons that had been specially sent for that purpose.

But speaking for myself alone, I readily admit that a major factor in our faster progress was the spattering on the nearby rocks and stones of bullets, fired with us as targets, by enemy snipers lurking among the surrounding hills.

The setting sun was glowing red over the Mediterranean as we reached the entrance to the Holy City. Here we were met by a guide who conducted us to our billet where we found conditions far surpassing anything we had dared to anticipate. It was a modern building with stout walls and a solid roof, an extremely welcome sight to me, incidentally, as I had not slept under one since leaving Tigne hospital, almost exactly two years before! The rooms, heated by open fires and stoves, were warm and comfortable; dry clothing and bedding were issued to us, and hot food suitable to the Day was served in unstinted quantities. Then, to make our happiness complete, our dear old friend, the Sergeant Major, announced that all members of our party, both draft and escort, were to be excused duty for two days. Finally we lay on our mattresses to read our letters and open our parcels. In these activities, especially the latter, we received the altogether unnecessary aid of our comrades who had gathered around to welcome us back to the regiment.

Chapter XXIII - Journey's End

So ended the Day of Days! Happy Christmas? Never have I experienced one half as happy or as memorable. For it marked the end of a long, long, trail - a devious trail of two hundred miles and more, every yard of which I had covered on foot; most of it through soft sand, some of it over trackless hills, none of it over a smooth highway, and all of it threatened by the enemy never more than a few miles away.

Oldbury’s Roll of Honour 1914

Joseph Welsh and his brother Jack were both listed as volunteers for Lord Kitchener’s Army in 1914. Three of the men named would not come home - Private John Nash, Private Charles George and Private Bert Bowyer. One man, Frederick Bennett, served in the navy in both WW1 and WW2. Not surprisingly, his nickname was “Seaman”. Research by Sandra Grey Joseph Welsh – further background from historical records b. 29/03/1889 in Oldbury on Severn – d. 07/01/1969 in Edmonton, Canada

Joseph’s parents were Sarah Blanche Allen, from Oldbury, and William Welsh, born in Somerset, but whose parents John and Ann had moved the family around to find work in brick and tile making, which was dependent upon sources of good clay. Over 25 years, John and Ann had at least 11 children; in Somerset, in South Wales, and finally in Littleton on Severn, which explains how William and Sarah met. William grew up to be a tile and brick maker like his dad, and seems to be mentioned quite often in Mary Bruton’s Oldbury as a bit of a village character, but also a very hard worker:

“A wonderful worker was William Welsh, whose bricks and tiles were so neatly and accurately made that many more of them could be stacked in a given space than those of any other worker. He was exceptionally quick, too, and even with a good average of lost time would take home more wages than any other man – often a golden sovereign, an enormous weekly wage in those days.”

Joseph was the seventh of nine children born to William and Sarah between 1873 and 1894, although one, whom Joseph was named after, died in infancy. Whilst his three surviving brothers, Harry (of Seven Arches, Featherbed Lane), Gilbert, and John (Jack) inherited their father’s skills for working with clay, all spending time involved in the brick and tile industry, Joe must have been a particularly bright child academically because from Oldbury School he went to Thornbury Grammar School (where he was one of fewer than 30 candidates in the whole Diocese to pass the 1906 Diocesan Religious Knowledge exam), and then into his chosen profession of teaching. In the 1911 census Joseph, aged 22, was listed as an Elementary School Teacher for Hereford Education Authority, and when war was declared in 1914, he was an assistant master at a Boys’ School in Hereford.

Joseph enlisted in Hereford on 5 September 1914 when he was 25. His WW1 pension records survive, and in them the Herefordshire Regiment document their new recruit as being tall with good physical development and eyesight. The records chart his rise to the rank of Platoon Sergeant on 4 April 1916, and his service in Gallipoli, Egypt, Palestine and France, with a very good military character and no offences on his conduct sheet. He was injured firstly by a gunshot wound to his right hip in early September 1915 near the end of the August offensive at Gallipoli, which led to his hospitalisation in Malta; and secondly on 23 July 1918 in France, when he received a 1 inch circular gunshot wound to his left thigh from a bullet passing all the way through it, just missing his femur, that led to him being sent back to England to a hospital in Reading. His last role in the army was as an educational instructor in Milford Haven starting in March 1919, and he finally returned to civilian life on 30 September 1919, after over five years’ military service for his country. His latter wound was described as still causing him some pain on exertion when he was assessed for an army pension in 1920, leading to him being classed as having a 10% permanent disability. By the time the paperwork on this decision had been completely finalised, he was already in Canada, having sailed from Liverpool on the Cunard Line’s Carmania on 27 March 1920, just before his 31st birthday.

By 1923 Joseph Welsh had settled in Red Deer, located in central Alberta. He had married a fellow immigrant from England, but sadly his wife died in 1924 when their only son was just two years old. Despite this tragedy Joseph was able to continue to demonstrate his passion for teaching, firstly as an elementary school teacher, then as the principal of all the elementary schools in Red Deer. His career continued to flourish, as he rose to being principal of the elementary and junior high schools, and finally in 1951 he became the superintendent of all the schools except the high school, a post he held until his retirement in 1954, when a ceremony marking the occasion was attended by over 800 people from a total population of 6,000. In 1960, Red Deer named a newly built school as the “Joseph Welsh Elementary School” in his honour – quite something for a lad from Oldbury!

As well as his distinguished career in education, Joseph was a committed member of the Royal Canadian Legion, serving as president of his local branch in Red Deer, and chairing the annual poppy campaign for more than 20 years. In 1936 he was part of the great Vimy Pilgrimage, during which over 6,200 Canadian veterans and family members travelled to Vimy Ridge in northern France for the unveiling of the impressive Canadian National War Memorial there on 26 July by King Edward VIII. Five ships were contracted for the round-trip trans-Atlantic voyage from Canada, including the Montcalm , upon which Joseph set sail from Montreal on 16 July. After the ceremony at Vimy Ridge, the pilgrims visited the war graves of their comrades or lost loved ones throughout northern France, and were then welcomed to England by the British Legion for further events, including an address by the Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin and a garden party at Buckingham Palace. (A fascinating very detailed 18 page illustrated account of this trip can be read online by searching for “Brown and Cook Vimy” and selecting the result from canadianmilitaryhistory.ca near the top of the list.)

Joseph Welsh passed away in January 1969 aged 79 after a few years of poor health, and was laid to rest in Red Deer Cemetery, but he is still remembered there fondly. When the school named after him celebrated its 50th Anniversary, a 95-year-old former pupil of his shared her happy memories of her teacher’s wonderful storytelling and kind and gentlemanly manner, both with the current students, and also with his two grandsons, there to see how much his life and work had meant to so many people.

Research by Ruth Riddle Rockhampton Parish Council Notes

Cllrs met online on Monday 23rd November when they discussed the usual planning, highways and financial matters and also agreed the Parish Council budget and parish precept for the financial year 2021/22. Ward Cllr Matthew Riddle provided an update on various active consultations and Councillors agreed to meet again in early January in order to discuss and make comments on the Pedestrianisation of Thornbury High Street and Phase 1 of the South Gloucestershire Local Plan which was due to be published at the end of November.

Ward Councillor Riddle also provided information on help provided by South Gloucestershire Council to local groups, businesses, and individuals during the current pandemic. More information on this can be found at https://beta.southglos.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/health-services/covid19

Cllrs also approved donations of £45 each to 4ward magazine, 5 Alive magazine and Citizens Advice.

On behalf of Rockhampton Parish Council may I wish everyone a Happy Christmas and the hope that 2021 brings an improvement on 2020 and that we can all return to some sort of normality. James Carpenter, Clerk & RFO for Rockhampton Parish Council. [email protected] www.rockhamptonparishcouncil.org.uk

Rainfall

October

2020 2019 2018 136.5mm 176.5mm 47.5mm 5.37” 6.95” 1.87”

The latest from your library

Use Click and Collect borrowing, or please book for limited computer access. Details at www.southglos.gov.uk/librarychanges or call 01454 865022 .

Our free online library is always open 24/7 – Members can download a huge variety of eResources; simply log in with your library card number and select South Gloucestershire. See www.southglos.gov.uk/eresources

You can join the library online at bit.ly/joinLW - membership is free. Your Online Membership number will work for our digital services right away. Please enter an email address when you register, for control of your account. ADVENT A December Word Search

BABY This special seasonal puzzle is full of words connected with this December edition of BETHLEHEM 4ward. Be careful – one of the words listed BUSY BEES to the left is NOT hidden in the grid below! Can you work out which word is missing? CHRISTMAS COLOURING The missing word is: ______COMMUNITY C S E C I V R E S H S DRAW T N E V D A M A C Z C FESTIVE HALL F W P S I R M R E M Y HAMPER B T I D E T A B L E A HISTORY K X J Y S E S W G L N JERUSALEM P A R I S H B E S I C JOY Q S R D G F G Y F M I LIBRARY Z H R L L G N F S S L MAGAZINE MAZE C O M M U N I T Y U I NATIVITY W P A E O T R X Y Q B PARISH F Z G K H A U L T P R PIGEON E L A N I E O L I E A RAINFALL P H Z L W H L A V P R RECIPE D K I T S A O H I I Y SERVICES SHOP Y C N S F M C G T C B SMILE N Q E N T J E U A E A STORIES G V I J D O D T N R B TIDE TABLE Y A N O N Y R T J G Q TIFFIN R E P M A H Z Y C S Q TRAIL WORD SEARCH M E L A S U R E J G I

Festive Chocolate Chestnut Tiffin

These “more-ish” tiffins make a lovely treat for friends and family, or you can eat them all yourself - nobody will know as long as you wipe the chocolate off your fingers and from around your mouth!

This recipe makes about 20 tiffin squares. Prep time is approximately 20 minutes plus a couple of hours in the fridge.

Ingredients • 150g unsalted butter • 50g golden syrup • 50g caster sugar • 25g cocoa powder • 150g digestive biscuits • 60g of dried cranberries • 180g roughly chopped chestnuts ( Tesco do a 180g bag of Merchant Gourmet whole chestnuts ). • 225g chocolate - dark, milk, white or a mixture of these – as desired! • Edible sprinkles to decorate (optional ).

Method 1. Grease and line a 20cm × 20cm ( 8 inch ) square tin. 2. Gently heat the butter, sugar and syrup in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally until melted and well mixed. 3. Remove pan from heat, sift in cocoa powder, stir until mixed; set aside. 4. Place biscuits in well-sealed sandwich bag with air expelled and bash with end of a rolling pin until biscuits are roughly broken into smallish pieces. 5. Add the broken biscuits, cranberries and chopped chestnuts to the butter mix in the saucepan and stir until fully coated. 6. Tip the mixture into the baking tin and press down firmly using the back of a spoon to ensure the tiffin squares hold together once cut. 7. Use the rolling pin to break up the unopened chocolate, then place the pieces into a microwaveable bowl (if using different chocolate types use separate bowls ), and heat gently for 10-20 seconds at a time, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted. If preferred, put the chocolate into a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir frequently and make sure the chocolate does not burn! 8. Once melted, pour the chocolate over the biscuit mix in the tin and spread it out evenly with a spoon or spatula. (If using a mix of chocolates, swirl the different colours into patterns using a cocktail stick ). 9. Decorate with sprinkles if using. Place in the fridge for 2 hours or until set. Cut into equal sized squares and store in the fridge to keep it firm.

Karen Porter Colouring (for young or old!) kindly created for us by Lorna Page

Tide Table : Inward Rocks, . December 2020

Day High High High Moon Sunrise Sunset Low Low 2:58 AM 8:12 AM 3:16 PM 8:29 PM Tue 7:54 AM 4:04 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT GMT 1 1.60 m 10.94 m 1.46 m 11.05 m 5:32 AM 10:28 AM 5:54 PM 10:50 PM Sat 8:00 AM 4:01 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT GMT 5 1.76 m 10.65 m 1.68 m 10.27 m 6:14 AM 11:11 AM 6:38 PM 11:36 PM Sun 8:01 AM 4:01 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT GMT 6 1.96 m 10.16 m 1.89 m 9.72 m 12:31 AM 7:52 AM 1:00 PM 8:22 PM Tue Last 8:03 AM 4:01 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT / Quarter GMT GMT 8 9.17 m 2.34 m 9.13 m 2.20 m 5:03 AM 12:06 PM 5:31 PM Sat 8:08 AM 4:00 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT GMT 12 9.78 m 1.45 m 10.32 m 12:38 AM 5:59 AM 1:07 PM 6:25 PM Sun 8:08 AM 4:00 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT GMT 13 1.15 m 10.65 m 0.99 m 11.16 m 1:37 AM 6:49 AM 2:04 PM 7:13 PM Mon New 8:09 AM 4:00 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT / Moon GMT GMT 14 0.78 m 11.51 m 0.58 m 11.89 m 5:34 AM 10:35 AM 5:57 PM 11:01 PM Sat 8:13 AM 4:02 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT GMT 19 0.97 m 11.48 m 0.93 m 10.81 m 6:16 AM 11:24 AM 6:40 PM 11:52 PM Sun 8:14 AM 4:02 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT GMT 20 1.43 m 10.61 m 1.45 m 9.90 m 6:59 AM 12:18 PM 7:24 PM Mon First 8:14 AM 4:03 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / Quarter GMT GMT 21 1.93 m 9.71 m 1.98 m 4:05 AM 10:33 AM 4:34 PM 11:07 PM Fri 8:16 AM 4:05 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT GMT 25 8.02 m 2.97 m 8.25 m 2.86 m 5:03 AM 11:34 AM 5:28 PM Sat 8:16 AM 4:06 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT GMT 26 8.28 m 2.82 m 8.59 m 12:05 AM 5:52 AM 12:31 PM 6:14 PM Sun 8:16 AM 4:07 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT GMT 27 2.70 m 8.75 m 2.58 m 9.08 m 12:58 AM 6:35 AM 1:23 PM 6:55 PM Mon 8:16 AM 4:07 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT GMT 28 2.48 m 9.33 m 2.29 m 9.64 m 2:34 AM 7:48 AM 2:56 PM 8:07 PM Wed Full 8:16 AM 4:09 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT / Moon GMT GMT 30 1.95 m 10.48 m 1.69 m 10.66 m 3:16 AM 8:23 AM 3:38 PM 8:42 PM Thu 8:16 AM 4:10 PM GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT / GMT GMT 31 1.70 m 10.93 m 1.43 m 11.01 m JC 4x4 Ltd SPECIALIST IN LANDROVER

SERVICE • REPAIR WORK • DIAGNOSTICS • MOTs OTHER VEHICLES WELCOME

Call James 01454 261067 / 07966 086447

Pavilion For Hire Contact Denise Young 01454 419062

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 - Severn

Tree Surgery Professional care to all your Trees & Hedges

David Jones

0 1 4 5 3 511647 [email protected].

22 Leaze Close, Berkeley, Glos. GL13 9DA

Festive Period The Shop will close on 24th December at 1pm and Re-open on 2nd January 2021.

Church Road, Oldbury on Severn, S. Glos BS35 1QA Tel: 01454 501090 - Covid 19 Notice Opening Hours Run by volunteers Reduced opening hours for the benefit of MonExtended to Fri 8am to: -- 5pm - the community Saturday 9am 2pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday- 9Sunday am to 9am12:30pm 1pm As well as a great range

Thursday & Friday of basics at competitive 9 am to 1:30pm prices, we stock many lo- cal products. These in- Saturday clude: fresh veg, meats, 9 am to 2:00pm ice cream, honey, jams,

eggs and cakes. Sunday 9 am to 12:30pm We also sell newspapers, Café Inside Closed Hobbs House bread, plus Until further notice award winning wines &

beers. Takeaway New Volunteers Alwaysteas and Welcome coffees Come and see. available You may be Call Marie Stephens on: For updates check https://www.facebook.com/01454 411134 surprised! OldburyCommunityShopto find out more Supplied and Erected Neil Vizard 01454 419108 Janet Astle, Victoria, Colin and Alistair, wish all our local friends a Very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

We are not sending cards this year, instead we will be making a donation to our charity, St Peter’s Hospice. A very happy Christmas to you all.

FROM

JANE PERKINS & IAN BELL

TO ALL OUR FRIENDS.