Gosport Society – Autumn Newsletter.

Dear Members,

Since the previous newsletter and the AGM on 14 June, quite a lot of Society activity has taken place. Events included a successful hog roast at The Fighting Cocks, a buffet lunch at Wakefield House kindly provided by owner Andrew Miles and attended by the mayoress and consort, talks at the Discovery Centre on topics such as “Napoleon’s Lost Soldiers” and “Spitfires of the Sea”, and ongoing participation by committee members in GBC, LRA and other voluntary association meetings. Of particular note – and concern – was the police/army community seminar in the South Hangar at Browndown on the future of public use of this MOD controlled training space. In September, much time was allocated to preparing a detailed response to the GBC planning division as part of the public consultation on the Town Centre and Waterfront Development (SPD) plans. Heritage and conservation matters continue to take up much committee time with the Daedalus and Fort Gilkicker developments stoking controversy. The Society continues to receive genealogical and historical enquiries from places as far afield as Australia. We acknowledge these and do our best to provide as much information as is available via our sources. Suggestions from members for talks and/or research continue to come in and all are welcome. Book sales continue to be healthy and help to keep the Society in the ‘eye’ of the public and the steadily increasing number of visitors and tourists to . Do keep supporting your Society and try to participate in forthcoming social events.

Best Wishes

Louis

Louis Murray. Chairman – The Gosport Society.

• Your Chairman recently spoke at a seminar of the SCA Trafalgar Dental Group held at Explosion Museum. The topic was: “The People of Gosport”. Central to the talk were some selected demographic statistics for the borough. I thought you might be interested in these indicators so they are provided as an appendix to this newsletter.

Honorary Treasurer’s Report

I completed the Gift Aid Return for subscriptions paid this current year in late summer and reimbursement has now been received from HM Revenue & Customs. We received £241.50 this year. As mentioned previously, if you have not completed a gift aid form for your annual membership subscription and would like to do so, please contact our Membership Secretary or me for further details. I am sure you will agree the income received by the Society is well worth while and our thanks to all those members who are tax payers and have agreed to gift aid their subscriptions.

Another regular task for me is to ensure the Charity Commission Website is updated with current Society and Committee information. This is all now fully up to date. Every week produces numerous financial tasks for me, which may be banking income for events, reconciliation of bank accounts or payment of invoices in respect of Society business. I also report monthly to the Committee on the financial status of our bank accounts and movements since the previous meeting.

Sue Blower

Honorary Treasurer

October 2017

Membership Secretary’s Report

I have recently become Membership Secretary, which was previously one small part of the duties carried out by Diane Furlong. I am happy to report that the Gosport Society has a steady membership, with three new members in recent weeks. The membership currently stands at 180.

If any member has a new email or has changed their email address perhaps they would contact me at [email protected] or telephone 02392 502951.

Sue Cook

From Brian Mansbridge

Daedalus and Solent Airport and Daedalus Waterfront.

Wates who will be building two hundred new homes in Daedalus next year held an exhibition in Lee-on-the-Solent recently for the public to view their outline plans. This will be Phase 2 of the planned development of Daedalus Waterfront, Phase 1 is Daedalus Business Park which is already half completed.

Phase 2 work, the house building, is expected to start in May 2018 (providing the planning process remains on track) with first occupation early in 2019 and the whole project finished by May 2020. This development is important to the reintegration of Lee-on-the-Solent by in-filling a big part of west Lee that was requisitioned out of the developing town to meet the military requirements of two World Wars. This left a muddled mix of administration buildings mostly unused and barely maintained since the closure of HMS Daedalus in 1996.

The houses are to be arranged in two plots of 100, outlined in red in the foreground of the Daedalus aerial view below, the West housing plot and the thinner red outlined strip toward the existing town is Daedalus East. The middle is ‘phase three’ development due later and probably another business park.

The housing developer predicts that their development will bring life back into the historic site using a building style and materials that will complement the remaining on-site ‘heritage buildings,’ (although these heritage assets will be subject to separate development). It was evident that there was an architectural effort to blend from the style of the adjoining housing in Lee-on-the-Solent with a transition to the more modern type units and flats that facilitate the requirement to include 40% affordable or starter homes.

Local residents attending the consultation were obviously keen to see how this is to be achieved and what their new neighbourhood might look like…. It seemed most were content to see the fairly open nature of the development although clearly not all held the same opinion about the architecture. Your GS/Lee Residents’ representative has already been talking with both the Council and the developers and we understand that our requests, along with those of local Councillors, has led to amendments that for example ensure that the regulation parking requirements are fully met. Some access queries have yet to be resolved.

Solent Airport Daedalus.

The plans for an air traffic tower and radar on the airfield were first revealed by Fareham BC in 2016 following their purchase of the airfield in 2015. It is understood that the position of this and the proposed MCA (Coastguard) satellite receiver system seem to be dancing around the airfield to different sites. It is quite possible this is due to potential mutual interference arising from the electromagnetic emissions (EMF) from the electricity interconnector (IFA2 and its cable to run across the airfield) as all these developments are either emitters of, or very sensitive to EMF. Recent trials have been held on high power cables of the type to be used underground across the airfield, to assess the effects, primarily on aircraft. The trial seems to indicate the screening will significantly reduce the effects but it is difficult to extrapolate the results from small-scale trials to the final installations. With two powerful EMF emitters and one sensitive receiver on the same airfield I suspect even the experts are scratching heads a bit over the possible interactions. Gosport BC at their recent Regulatory Board have voted to restate their objection to IFA2 seeking that FBC provide assurance, rather than be satisfied, that any EMF from IFA2 would not prejudice Solent Airfield safety, the Economic Zone development, any personnel or the wellbeing of nearby residents.

Finally a word about those intriguing plans that have been ‘leaked’ to the press and featured Lee-on-the-Solent in some way. The speculation of a Hovercraft service between Southampton and Portsmouth and scheduled flights between Solent Airport and Alderney in the Channel Islands….

Both these stories are “leaks” about ideas that are under consideration and by no means certain. The Hovercraft service is exploring an idea of providing an alternative for the Portsmouth to Southampton commute. At this stage Hovertravel is just preparing a business case for the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership who may be able to secure government funding to support a trial service. It is true that the islanders of Alderney would like a more reliable connection to the mainland and Solent Airport Daedalus is just about the closest for a direct island-mainland air-link, but it’s early in an exploratory idea at present.

Wakefield House Blue Plaque by Philippa Dickinson

The Gosport Society has had to make a decision to arrange for the removal of the commemorative Blue Plaque to Lord Wakefield, which was installed on the wall of 2. Wakefield House in July.

The generous donation of the house and grounds by noted entrepreneur and philanthropist, Lord Wakefield, to the National Children’s Home and Orphanage is not in doubt. However, no verifiable evidence could be found that Lord Wakefield ever lived in the house, which meant that the words ‘Lived Here’ should not have been included on the plaque.

After a thorough investigation in to the documentation behind the original nomination, it transpired that an assumption about the ownership of the house between 1929 and 1931 had been made in a secondary source. This was, unfortunately, accepted as ‘fact’ and carried through to the text on the plaque.

Discussions are ongoing about possibilities for finding alternative ways to recognise the historical connection between Gosport () and the National Children’s Home and Orphanage, which could include Lord Wakefield’s long-standing involvement with the charity – and the donation of the house and grounds.

The Gosport Society will be reviewing the criteria and processes for its Blue Plaque scheme in due course.

A Record Year for Gosport Heritage Open Days by Philippa Dickinson

Gosport’s Heritage Open Days 2017 (7-10 September) recorded 15,000 visitors to almost 90 separate free events. This was a record number of visitors, up 9.8% on the visitor numbers from 2016. Of the 89 events laid on this year, 47 were completely new events, which is a tribute to the huge variety of heritage assets in Gosport – and the extraordinary enthusiasm of the 407 local volunteers who give up their time to help with guiding, admin, promotion and all manner of different tasks which ensure that visitors have a good experience.

Visitors from all over the world

As one might expect, the majority of visitors came from the local area (Gosport, Fareham, Portsmouth, Southampton) but we also had visitors from all over the UK, from Europe and from places as far away as Mauritius and Hyderabad.

What’s so special about Gosport’s Heritage Open Days?

With 89 events this year, Gosport was second only to Brighton and Hove (124 events). Winchester (which has really embraced HODs over the last couple of years) held 66 events; Southampton 18; Portsmouth 15, Fareham 4. We have several visitors who tell us that they plan to be in Gosport for those four days each year as there is so much to see and do here.

There were a huge variety of events, from the traditional guided walks and talks to the more unusual – such as the new guided ‘Cycle-about’ of Haslar Peninsular, Heritage Pub quizzes and a classic vehicle display at . There were several music events, including a performance by Solent Brass on the ferry pontoon and an ‘Old-Time Music’ event at the Masonic Hall.

However, one of the key reasons why people come to Gosport during these four days is the number of events based in venues which are not normally open to the public. Events at , HMS Collingwood, the Admiralty Experimental Works at QinetiQ were all fully booked within minutes of booking open. And the 15 guided tours provided at HMS Sultan were as popular as ever.

Positive feedback

97% of visitors who completed the feedback forms described the experience as either ‘very enjoyable (87%) or ‘enjoyable’ (10%) and there were several very positive messages e-mailed to the organisers about individual events.

How much does it cost?

GHODS runs on a budget each year of under £2,000. In 2017, the expenditure was £1,200, making an average cost per visitor of approx. 8p. Funding comes partly from grants from all local County Councillors and partly from HLF project management fees. GHODs does not get any direct funding from the national Heritage Open Days organisation (although obviously benefits from access to materials, resources, advice and national publicity).

Hunt for a new Chairperson – and call for volunteers

Terry Rhodes, who has steered the GHODs Management Team and organisation for the past 6 years has announced that she is stepping down from the role of Chair. That will leave a vacancy which the team will be looking to fill. They are also keen to encourage anyone interested in joining the committee or helping with GHODs in some way, to get in touch. There are several interesting opportunities available from heritage guiding to various IT, marketing and admin roles. If you are interested, please contact [email protected].

2018 National Theme

Marking 100 years since the Universal Suffrage Act, the national organisation has chosen ‘Extraordinary Women’, celebrating women’s stories past and present as a major theme for next year. The GHODs Management Team believes that this could be a strong theme for us, too. We are looking for nominations of extraordinary women from Gosport to celebrate. Please send suggestions to [email protected].

GHODS 2018 - Save The Date: Thurs 13- Sun 16 September 2018

Shed Men Social.

The Society autumn social event took place on 14 November in the refurbished Jervis Gallery at St Vincent’s College. Around 50 members and friends enjoyed a good natter, a few drinks, and a finger buffet in the historic building that once housed a swimming pool. Nicely strung fairy lights along the geometrically unique iron roof trusses gave an additional glow to a relaxed and pleasant event.

Entertainment was provided by the choir of the Gosport Men’s Shed who have workaday premises on the St Vincent’s site. The choir sang lustily and everybody joined in the choruses of well-known sea shanties and traditional airs. The friendly camaraderie of the Shed Men shone through and the sing song was much appreciated by one and all. Thanks to Meg, Sue, Diane and Lee Hockaday, Business Hub Manager at St Vincent’s, for all the efforts they put in to create a convivial evening out for the members of The Gosport Society.

Gosport Heritage Open Days by Sue Courtney

On the weekend of the 9th and 10th of September 2018, my Yellow Dr. Martens and I ventured out to learn about Gosport as part of the Heritage Open Days. The selection of events on offer in Gosport was outstanding, so it was quite frustrating to have to choose only what could be fitted into the weekend.

In fact there were 89 registered events in Gosport, which represented over 40% of the Heritage Open Day events in the whole of ! We really do have a lot to be proud of.

Saturday was given over to the three HMS Sultan events. I was unsure how it would be organized and how all three would be managed in the time, but I needn’t have worried. The day was organized with ‘military precision’, which I suppose was to be expected! From the guards at the front gate on arrival to the staff around the site, everyone was polite and helpful.

My first tour was entitled ‘Gosport Airfield and Marine Engineering Museums’. I know nothing about engineering and I really wasn’t sure what to expect from this, but although the museums are small they are full of interest. I had no idea how important Gosport was in the development of aviation and of pilot training in both world wars. Indeed the Gosport Tube, invented in 1917 by Robert Smith-Barry at his School of Special Flying in Gosport, revolutionised pilot training. It was a speaking tube designed to enable flight instructors to give instructions to their students while flying. Before this was invented, if the instructor and trainee pilot wanted to talk to each other they had to switch off the engine!

I also learned that Charles Lindbergh flew into RAF Gosport (Grange Airfield) in the “Spirit of St Louis” after completing the first successful solo flight across the Atlantic. The flight, which covered some 3,600 miles, took 33 hours 30 minutes.

It was the aeroplane’s last flight as it was then dismantled at Grange by the RAF, and taken by road to Southampton docks, where it was shipped back to America.

My second tour was of Fort Rowner. The guide gave a very interesting talk as we explored the fort, which is sadly not in a great state of repair (although a group of locals dedicate a lot of time and expertise to clean, tidy and mend it). It is one of the few military establishments that has been used by all three services -the army, air force and navy - in its time. The information helped to make much more sense of my walk round Fort Brockhurst, where there is no such helpful guide.

The final part of my day at HMS Sultan was the Aircraft Tour. Now I am the first to admit that I know nothing about how engines work – and, if I am honest, I don’t really want to. However, the guide gave an extremely interesting and amusing talk and explained how the engine worked in a way that made sense to me (well, nearly). I thoroughly enjoyed his stories of the helicopters and aircraft.

It was a truly wonderful day and I would thoroughly recommend the three tours as being interesting, informative and inspiring. Who knew how important Gosport was in the history of aviation and of training pilots in both world wars?

Sunday meant a change of footwear as wellies were needed for the “Exploring Forton Lake Vessels” walk. It was led by Lauren and Therese from CITiZAN, the largest community archaeology project in the country. They are very knowledgeable and were able to point out little bits of wood that are the remains of long-lost wooden barges and tell tales of Vadne, a former Gosport to Portsmouth ferry and her varied life. The hulk of the Medina River Chain Ferry (1896 – 1909) is there, spectacularly rusty now, but once the home and workshop of Uffa Fox. There are also many hulks from WW2. The colours of the rusted metal and textures of deteriorating wood are quite beautiful.

The rusting hulk of the ferry boat Vadne. Photo by Alan Dent

I learned about the difference between a wreck (lost accidentally) and a hulk (deliberately dumped) and I will certainly return again to see more. It was a pity that there wasn’t an opportunity to view the hulks on the other side of the lake. However, if you would like to become a volunteer archaeologist for the CITiZAN project you can visit www.citizen.org.uk/get-involved to join and find a training session in the area.

As my wellies weren’t too muddy, I popped into the St. Vincent Museum on my way back to the car. It is very small (just a room) and isn’t open very often – a few hours on the last Friday of the month, in term time. It is crammed full of interesting artefacts so well worth a quick visit.

After lunch my yellow Dr. Martens went back on and I popped along to Fort Brockhurst to see the mini display. There were only ten, but they were all in absolutely pristine condition. There was even a Generation 1, new style mini, which really demonstrated how much bigger they are now!

The Mini display at Fort Brockhurst Photo by Alan Dent

While there I also popped in to see the wonderful display of old photos of Gosport, put together by Dave Rowland. Oh, the memories ……..

My last event was the “Feeding the Navy – Rum, Beer and Biscuits” guided walk around Cooperage Green and Royal Clarence Yard. We were treated to facts and anecdotes on all these aspects of feeding the navy and so much more. Terry Hinkley, our “amazing little raconteur” shared many stories, reminiscences and anecdotes from the past, which made for an absolutely fascinating afternoon.

What a weekend!

And what a pity that Heritage Open days don’t continue for the whole of the month of September (or all year)! I still wouldn’t have been able to attend all 89 events, but it would have been wonderful to fit some more in. I will just have to wait until next year to learn more about my amazing home-town of Gosport.

Speaker Programme: January – June 2018 by Malcolm Stevens

The programme of talks to be given at our monthly meetings up until the summer break in 2018 is as follows:

Wed. 10 January “Court Barn” speaker: Dennis Wren

The history of the Grade II listed 17th century former farmhouse in Lee-on- the-Solent, now owned by Court Barn Conservatives Club.

Wed. 14 February “National Coastwatch – Eyes Along the Coast” speaker: David Russell

The operational role of National Coastwatch and in particular, the Gosport Watch Station.

Wed. 14 March “The Story of The Schneider Air Races” speaker: Colin van Geffen

Covering the history of the Schneider Trophy from inception in 1912 to the last race in 1931 over the Solent when the British team won the trophy outright.

Wed. 11 April “Community Policing in Gosport” speaker: (Subject to Confirmation)

The talk by a member of the local police team will describe the work locally of the Hampshire Constabulary in community policing.

Wed. 9 May “Nelson Mandela & Robben Island” speaker: Rev. Colin Chambers

The presentation builds on the one given to the Society in March 2017 with insights on life inside the prison during Nelson Mandela’s internment.

Wed. 13 June “The Naval Division on the Western Front in World War I” speaker: Lt. Cdr. Alex Manning MA RN (Retd).

The little known story of the Royal Navy actions on land on the Western Front during World War I, including the contingent of Royal Marines from Forton Barracks in Gosport.

Our aim is to present a varied programme of topics, many of which are of local historical interest. I am currently putting together a programme for the following year (September 2018 to June 2019). To date four speakers have been booked and negotiations are in hand with several more. Details will be announced in the next Newsletter. However, if you know of any speakers that you consider our members would enjoy, then please let me know. [email protected]

Appendix

BOROUGH OF GOSPORT – SELECTED STATISTICAL INDICATORS.

Gosport Hampshire England

Mean Age 39.8 41.1 39.3

18-24 %age group 8.3 7.6 9.4

30-44 “ “ 19.8 19.7 20.6

65-74 “ “ 8.7 9.6 8.6

Borough Population = 85,000 (approx.). Aged 16-64 = 52,000. Retired = 13.4%

Ethnicity and Immigration.

Country of Birth Gosport Hampshire England

UK 93.9 91.6 86.2

Irish Republic 0.3 0.5 0.7

EU 2.3 2.6 3.7

Outside EU 3.4 5.3 9.4

Economics and Employment

Number of business enterprises 1920

Number of local business units 2335

Number of employees 20,000

Registered unemployed 1.3%

Home Ownership

Gosport Hampshire England

Owned 29.4 34.6 30.6

Mortgaged 35.9 36.9 32.8

Private rent 2.7 10.6 15.4 Social (council rent) 9.3 4.8 9.4

Social (Housing 7.1 9.0 8.3 Assoc.)

In Receipt of Benefits.

Gosport Hampshire England

General benefit 12.6 8.7 13.5

Gosport Jobseeker Benefit = 1.5 % .Gosport economically inactive = 4.3%

Socio Economic Status (categories AB/C1/C2/DE).

Gosport = 20% less higher and intermediate management/administrative/professional households than the national average.

General Health – Self-Reporting 2011 Census.

Gosport Hampshire England

Very Good 45.32 49.10 47.17

Bad 3.89 3.14 4.25

Life Expectancy 78.1 78.2 77.9

Education. (Dept. for Work and Pensions Criteria.)

Gosport Hampshire England

Unqualified 21.6 18.5 22.5

Level 4NVQ/GCSE 21.5 29.7 27.4

Reported Crime – Gosport Central.

Anti Social Behaviour 28.35

Bicycle Theft 3.19

Burglary 7.07

Criminal Damage and Arson 9.44 Public Order Offences 6.70

Shoplifting 5.19

Vehicle Crime 6.00

Violence and Sexual Offences/Drug Abuse 23.49 + 1.47