Linton and District History Society

2014 -2015

Yearbook

Published 14th May 2015 by the Linton and District History Society

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

Linton and District History Society 2014 -2015 Yearbook

CONTENTS

Chairman’s Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Retrospect on Programme for 2014-15: The Newsletters 2 Chapter 2 2015 Founders Lecture: Margaret of Anjou – John Reid 60

Chapter 3 2014 Chairman’s Lecture: Linton Life in 1914 – Fiona Morrison 62 Chapter 4 Lest We Forget – Roger Davies 78

Chapter 5 Anniversaries in 2015 ed. Richard Hoare 112

Chapter 6 Linton and District History Society: Information 124

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAIRMAN’S INTRODUCTION

Chairman’s Introduction

It gives me great pleasure to be part of the launch of a new venture for the Linton and District History Society – the Yearbook. The LDHS was founded in 1983. Its purpose is to host a lecture and fieldwork programme on historical topics which extends from the local to the international. The LDHS also provides a forum for local research and record keeping. The aim of the Yearbook is to celebrate what we have achieved over the previous year. It gives me an opportunity to thank all the people who work so willingly to make the enjoyment of History part of the community life of Linton and the area around it. I hope you enjoy reading about the society and all its activities. If you wish to join us, you would be very welcome.

Fiona Morison

Chairman Linton and District History Society . April 2015.

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Retrospect on Programme for 2014-15 The Newsletters

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER Number: 1 23rd September 2014

In many ways, the last week has been momentous in history for us all with the Scottish referendum. Although I would have qualified for a Scottish passport, I am delighted to be writing this newsletter with the 1707 Act of Union still in place for the foreseeable future. In their drive for independence, the SNP politicians were very successful in creating a romantic movement but conveniently forgot our shared history. Scottish wealth is not a recent phenomenon based on oil but had accumulated through the exploitation of the British Empire. Three cheers for Gordon Brown who amazingly does appear to have saved the Union. After such a scare, and with national parliaments now to the fore, we should all remind ourselves that the future security of this realm demands a . Winston Churchill would be worried as a new Cold War is brewing in Eastern Europe and the Middle East is again a powder keg ...... Thank goodness that light relief is available:-

THE NEW LDHS AUTUMN PROGRAMME 2014 is, of course, the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War. It only became the First World War after hostilities broke out again in 1939. The LDHS programme for the remainder of 2014 will accordingly have a strong but not exclusive focus on WW1. Apart from a selection of talks on WW1 topics I am very pleased that we also welcome back four excellent speakers in Heather Hurley (Herefordshire River Trade), Tim Ward (Roses round the door), David Harrison (William Hogarth and C18th ) and past LDHS chairman Lee Hines (A history of Maps and Map-makers). I hope that everyone’s historical tastes will be catered for!

LEST WE FORGET (Wednesday, 1st October) I must admit slight bias here as I shall be giving this talk. I have attached a poster which I shall be grateful if you can display or share with your neighbours and friends. The title is probably self-explanatory but essentially I have spent the summer months photographing all the WW1 memorials in the area, including Ross, and researching the story behind the names and regiments of the war dead. Although

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 2 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS time is limited on the night, I hope to cover in some shape or form- Ross, Weston, Hope Mansell, Lea, , Linton, Gorsley, Clifford’s Mesne, Brampton Abbotts, Upton Bishop and Kempley! If nothing else, hopefully you will like my new photos of this corner of Herefordshire. I certainly found the experience both humbling and enlightening.

DORIAN OSBORNE - THE ORIGINS OF WORLD WAR ONE (Wednesday, 8th October) LDHS is delighted that Dorian Osborne, who is an acknowledged expert on the First World War, has agreed to speak to us on the origins of the conflict. He will shed a new light on the political shenanigans of the time by all the major powers. Did Europe descend into war by mistake or by design? As you may know, Dorian has a collection of WW1 personal memorabilia that can probably rival the IWM! Copies of much of his material, particularly his postcard collection, will be on view in the Linton WW1 exhibition due to be held in St Mary’s church in November.

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

HEREFORD MUSEUM: The ‘Herefordshire in the Great War’ exhibition closes formally on 8th November. Admission Wednesday to Saturday (11am-4pm) is FREE. SOLDIER’S OF MUSEUM: This museum in docks has recently undergone a major Heritage Lottery funded refurbishment. Tracing the history of the Glosters there are some excellent exhibits from WW1 and WW2 but don’t miss the section on the Korean War! Open daily 10 til 5 admission is £4:75 (adult). More details on www.soldiersofglos.com . BRITISH MUSEUM: ‘MING - 50 YEARS THAT CHANGED CHINA’ EXHIBITION: This major exhibition explores a golden age in China’s history between 1400 and 1450 when the country was a global superpower. It is not just porcelain! The exhibition runs until 5th January and one not to be missed. Admission is £16:50 (adult). Open daily 10am-5:30pm (Fridays until 8:30pm). Admission to the general galleries is FREE. IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM (IWM) LONDON: ‘TRUTH & MEMORY’: This free exhibition covering the British art of WW1 opened to great acclaim in July and closes on 8th March 2015. The IWM boasts that this is the largest exhibition of such art since 1918 and includes famous works by Paul Nash and William Orpen. More information is available on www.iwm.org.uk. ROYAL ACADEMY: ‘GIOVANNI BATTISTA MORONI’ EXHIBITION (Opens 25th October): For those of you venturing up to London sometime after 25th October and before 25th January 2015 please make a note in your diary. The official RA website reads: “In 16th century Italy, Moroni was an artist ahead of his time. He is best known for his startlingly realistic portraits – important stepping stones in the development of naturalistic painting. Three centuries before Manet famously brought Parisian society to life, Moroni was immortalising the people of Bergamo in equally vivid fashion. He depicted a wide social spectrum, from aristocrats to workers; in fact, his iconic portrait, The Tailor, was revolutionary in the dignity it conferred on a man working with his hands. This remarkable painting is just one of the unmissable highlights of our career-spanning exhibition.” Admission is £13:50 and the exhibition is open Saturday to Thursday 10am – 6pm and Friday 10am – 10pm.

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NEWSLETTER Number: 2 3rd October 2014

As I am sure many of you will know, we kicked off the new 2014-15 programme with ‘Lest we forget’ last Wednesday evening in Linton village hall. If nothing else, I am hopeful that the audience will now be more informed when the names of the fallen are read out on Remembrance Sunday. As I mentioned in the last newsletter, I certainly found the experience of researching the many lives cut so tragically short by the Great War as both humbling and enlightening. Thank goodness we were not living in 1914. I wonder if someone will dig out my photographs in 2064 for the 150th anniversary? Anyway, we will continue next week with our WW1 theme before we welcome two prominent local historians with Heather Hurley and Tim Ward on 15th and 22nd October respectively. Both are distinguished authors and publish their work with the Logaston Press. Heather will talk about her latest book ‘Herefordshire river trade: Craft & Cargo on the Wye & Lugg’. As all readers of Tim Ward’s books will know, his postcard collection is fabulous! Although his newest publication is entitled ‘Ross on Wye Revisited’ he will be talking for LDHS on social history and the role of women in local employment through the decades up to the 1940s. His lecture is called ‘Roses round the door’. I can guarantee that all are in for a treat as I have helped to prepare Tim’s slides using his unique source of old Herefordshire postcards. The original postcards and old photographs used in his talk will also be on view on the night.

DORIAN OSBORNE - THE ORIGINS OF WORLD WAR ONE (Wednesday, 8th October) Dorian Osborne is an acknowledged expert on the First World War. He has conducted extensive research on the period over many decades and has an unparalleled insight into the various factors at play. LDHS is delighted that he has agreed to speak to us on a subject that continues to generate much controversy. Why did Britain go to war after the assassination of a minor Royal? Very few in this country had ever heard of Serbia let alone knew where it was. What was the real motive of our ally, the French? Dorian will shed new light on a war that would ultimately cost the lives of 720,000 British soldiers. For lovers of political history and murky international intrigue this talk is for you. LDHS committee members would also like to go on public record to thank Dorian for permitting us to use his WW1 memorabilia, and particularly his extensive Great War postcard collection, in our exhibition to be held in St Mary’s church in November.

HEATHER HURLEY - HEREFORDSHIRE RIVER TRADE: CRAFT & CARGO ON THE WYE & LUGG (Wednesday, 15th October) The story of the trade on the rivers Wye and Lugg had never been told in its entirety but Heather Hurley has now delved into the barge accounts and the papers

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 4 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS of businesses based on the banks of these Herefordshire rivers. Her talk will cover the extensive boat building, the type of craft, the cargoes, the families of boat owners, the masters and crew of the boats, accidents on the water, the development of wharves, the hiring of bowhauliers and the advent of the horse towing path! Heather will also discuss the felling and transporting of timber to supply the Royal Navy shipyards at Plymouth. For us, it will be an hour very well spent!

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

I am mindful that all the destinations mentioned in the last newsletter are still begging for a visit. Please note that the ‘Herefordshire in the Great War’ exhibition closes on 8th November. Entry at the Museum and Gallery is FREE. Admission Wednesday to Saturday (11am-4pm). BRISTOL DOCKS HERITAGE WEEKEND: Should you be in Bristol this weekend (4th-5th October) there is a celebration of Bristol’s recent maritime past with events for all ages at M Shed and Underfall Yard. The M Shed offers FREE admission and covers all of Bristol’s history. The museum is open Tue-Fri: 10am-5pm (Sat, Sun & Bank Holidays: 10am-6pm). If you are travelling even farther afield and find yourself in London please don’t forget the- WALLACE COLLECTION (Manchester Square W1): The ‘Great Gallery’ re-opened in September following a two year refurbishment. You may recall that art historian Kenneth Clark described it as “the greatest picture gallery in Europe” which is high praise indeed. Admission is FREE and the collection is open 7 days a week 10am-5pm. Another new exhibition opens on 16th October which I can’t wait to see concerning William Morris. It is being held at my favourite lunch time haunt in the capital- NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY: ‘Anarchy & Beauty: William Morris and His Legacy, 1860 – 1960’ will run until 11th January 2015. The exhibition ‘explores the life and ideas of the great Victorian artist, writer and visionary thinker William Morris’. I am all in favour of his ‘art for the people’ concept! The gallery opens daily 10am – 5pm, Thursdays & Fridays until 8pm. Tickets: £12.70 (Adult)

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NEWSLETTER Number: 3 10th October 2014

I have much enjoyed David Reynold’s recent three-part series on BBC2 ‘The Long Shadow’ tracing back Britain’s wariness about Europe to 1914 when we fought someone else’s war. The role nationalism and democracy played in the C20th in helping to shatter peace across the globe should also be a warning to us all. This series is still available on the BBC i-player. Could we be witnessing a step-change in British political history with the election of a UKIP MP for Clacton? On continental Europe there is also a strong movement supporting parties promoting nationalism and voicing anti-EU sentiments. Whether a wise move or a temporary aberration in the world of politics we cannot tell at this stage. However, we should remember that only in Western democracies can such parties be created. Anything that re-energises a stagnant political scene should be a good thing but are we prepared for the fall-out? In the General Election next May, the country faces a real challenge deciding our future role in Europe and thereby shaping the lives of generations to come. Will 2015 be a cornerstone year in British history? On a lighter note, I hope you have entered the ‘Unification Ballot’ to see Magna Carta next year at the British Library? Magna Carta is without doubt the free world’s most important legal document although in 1215 guise it caused civil war as King John could never accept its terms! Back to our Autumn programme. Last Wednesday night, despite battling with 12 million viewers for the final of the ‘Great British Bake-off’, a packed Linton Village Hall listened intently to Dorian Osborne’s talk on the origins of the Great War. All were surprised to learn that in our support of Serbia we were linking Britain and her Empire with a country that promoted state terrorism and committed horrendous human rights violations on its people. Incredibly, in the years before 1914, the French had lent monies to Russia to upgrade its railways specifically in order to transport its troops in a future war against Germany which many thought inevitable. Had Germany not invaded Belgium to get at France it is apparent that France would have invaded Belgium to get at Germany primarily to regain control of Alsace Lorraine! Britain went to war with Germany following her invasion of neutral Belgium. The British government claimed we were honouring a provision to defend Belgium that appeared in the 1839 treaty that had created the country. This was a flagrant lie to help win public support. Lenin’s appraisal that the First World War was caused by ‘imperialism’ seems a fair assessment, as each of the major powers feared the expansion of the other. Whilst many celebrate the 1904 Entente Cordiale, it effectively dragged Britain into a war that would cost its people dearly in lives and leave it bankrupt by 1919. Those damn Frenchies………! We now have a break in our WW1 season until Wednesday, 29th October when Lt Colonel Ian Gumm will be talking on the Ypres salient in 1914. Ian is the founder and CEO of In the footsteps BATTLEFIELD TOURS. He is a military historian and

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 6 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS author as well as a full-time battlefield guide. Previously Ian served in the Reserve of the British Army for over thirty years and had the privilege of commanding B (Rorke's Drift) Company of the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Wales. Rest assured he knows his stuff!

HEATHER HURLEY - HEREFORDSHIRE RIVER TRADE: CRAFT & CARGO ON THE WYE & LUGG (Wednesday, 15th October) Heather is one of, if not the most prominent local historian and a highly experienced speaker. This is the story of the historic trade on the rivers Wye and Lugg. Heather Hurley has delved into the barge accounts and the papers of the businesses based on the banks of these Herefordshire rivers. As outlined in the last newsletter, her talk will cover the extensive boat building, the type of craft used, the cargoes carried, the families of boat owners, the masters and crew of the boats, accidents on the water, the development of wharves, the hiring of bowhauliers and the advent of the horse towing path! Heather will also discuss the felling and transporting of timber to supply the Royal Navy shipyards at Plymouth. I hope that all will find her talk interesting and enlightening. As ever, I attach a poster and if you can display it somewhere prominently for the next few days that would be great and much appreciated. TIM WARD - ROSES AROUND THE DOOR (Wednesday, 22nd October) Tim Ward will be known to many as he ran a specialist shop selling old books and postcards in Ross for several years. He has used his extensive postcard collection to illustrate a number of books all on local themes. Tim’s newest publication is entitled ‘Ross on Wye Revisited’. On 22nd October, Tim will be talking to LDHS on social history. He will examine the role of women in local employment through the decades up to the 1940s in a lecture called ‘Roses round the door’. The original postcards used in his talk will also be on view on the night. I am personally enchanted by views of Herefordshire in former times when most worked on the land. You will not forget the faces on our Victorian and Edwardian forebears!

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

I am very grateful to Chris Barnett for the following recommendation after his recent visit: THE CHURCH OF ST MARY IN FAIRFORD, GLOUCESTERSHIRE: Fairford church “is an exceptionally harmonious and well-preserved English parish church. Funded by a wool merchant and consecrated in 1497, the church boasts the most complete set of medieval glass remaining in Britain, along with a fine set of misericords. The surrounding town is also well worth a visit, with its peaceful atmosphere, flowing river, and pretty stone buildings of Cotswold stone”. Chris says there is an excellent audio guide in the church, especially for the medieval windows, with voice contributions from many luminaries including Alan Rickman, Joanna Lumley, Jon Snow and Richard Wilson. Fairford is about 40 miles away and it sounds a great day out! ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS: I know a number of members plan to go to London each year to sample the sights and visit the museums. For your advance planning, the RA

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(Royal Academy) has just announced details of its 2015 programme. Highlights include: “Ai Weiwei, September 2015 Visionary, iconoclastic and increasingly political: when Ai Weiwei speaks, the world listens. Described as an artist, architect, curator, publisher, poet and urbanist, the exhibition will explore all possible facets of his career to date alongside a variety of work created specifically for the RA. Rubens and His Legacy, January 2015 Described as the ‘prince of painters’, this first major overview of Rubens's work and legacy will explore his influence on artists that range from Van Dyck and Gainsborough to Cézanne and Picasso. Set to be one of the biggest spectacles of 2015, this is an unprecedented opportunity to see masterpieces by Rubens side-by-side with the work of his artistic heirs. Richard Diebenkorn, March 2015 Revered as a post-war master in the US, Diebenkorn is known for his intricately balanced, light-drenched elegies to the West Coast. Joseph Cornell, July 2015 See some of this American pioneer's most remarkable ‘shadow boxes’, assembled from dime-store treasures which speak to a yearning for distant, idealised places and times. Jean-Etienne Liotard, October 2015 This exquisite show will introduce you to idiosyncratic Swiss artist Jean-Etienne Liotard. An artist in great demand at noble courts across Enlightenment Europe, Liotard was an eccentric and distinctive portraitist. Summer Exhibition, June 2015 The much-loved and largest open submission contemporary art show in the world returns once more – now in its 247th year! “ I reckon there should be something of interest @ the RA for everyone! THE ALMA, LINTON: As you may know, this CAMRA award winning pub has been a feature of the Linton society since the 1860s. It was also a key location in the establishment of the first agricultural workers union in Herefordshire. Landlords, Graham and Lin Webb, are shortly retiring to Dorset and there is some uncertainty over the future of the pub. Why not pay a visit, enjoy the hospitality of the pub and ponder what might be done to guarantee its survival as a watering hole for future generations? Finally, please don’t forget that the ‘Herefordshire in the Great War’ exhibition closes on 8th November. Entry at the Hereford Museum and Gallery is FREE. Admission Wednesday to Saturday (11am-4pm).

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NEWSLETTER Number: 4 16th October 2014

I am very much enjoying Simon Reeve’s ‘Sacred Rivers’ series on BBC2. The first two programmes on the Nile and Ganges have been excellent for both the photography and content. The course of the rivers are tracked from source to sea and the part they have played in history as fortunes have waxed and waned is expertly portrayed. This geohistory (or is it historical geography?) reminds me of the ‘World about us’ programmes of yesteryear. The final episode on the Yangtze is scheduled for 9pm this Sunday night (19th). Should Downton Abbey or Homeland be your first choice you can always catch up on the BBC i-player! Returning now to our Autumn programme, on Wednesday night we took a breather from WW1 topics and welcomed back local historian Heather Hurley to look at the history of the river trade on the Wye and Lugg. I had not appreciated that the use of the term ‘trow’ or ‘barge’ simply depended on whether you were on the lower or upper Wye. Those wealthy individuals holidaying on their Wye tours based on Ross must have kept a keen lookout for rafts of timber floating down the river! I found the number of wharves that existed in the early C19th along the Wye and Lugg quite staggering especially as these are spate rivers. From Heather’s photographs, it is clear the wharves at Brockweir have been most sympathetically restored and I recall that during WW2 the river was ringed by pillboxes at this point. Military planners feared a German seaborne invasion in 1940 from Eire taking full use of the navigable Severn and Wye (and Brockweir’s old wharves!). Heather has collected some excellent prints, all in the picturesque-style then in vogue, to help illustrate her talk. Although she has clearly done much research on her subject apparently many questions remain unanswered. Another new book is to be published next year and rest assured Heather will be invited back to Linton so we can hear all about it. After last week’s call-to-arms, I hope you have all entered the ‘Unification Ballot’ to see Magna Carta next year at the British Library? If not please go to www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/magna-carta and remember there is a deadline of 28th October.

TIM WARD - ROSES AROUND THE DOOR (Wednesday, 22nd October) From last week’s newsletter you will know that Tim Ward ran a specialist shop selling old books and postcards in Ross for several years. He has used his extensive postcard collection to illustrate a number of books on , Ledbury and Herefordshire in general whilst his newest publication is ‘Ross on Wye Revisited’. Heather Hurley used some of Tim Ward’s postcard collection in her presentation! I am delighted that Tim will be giving a premiere to his new talk at Linton village hall next Wednesday. His lecture is called ‘Roses round the door’ and looks at social history. He will use old postcards and photos to explore the role of women in employment in Herefordshire through the decades up to the 1940s. If you can please display the attached poster (in pdf format) promoting this event it would be

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 9 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS great. As mentioned previously, the original postcards used in the talk will also be available for inspection on the night. I am sure the audience will greatly enjoy this trip down memory lane to a time when most worked on the land…….. We return to our WW1 theme later in the month for Lt Col Ian Gumm and Malcolm Lewis:-

LT COL IAN GUMM - THE YPRES SALIENT IN 1914 (Wednesday, 29th October) Lt Col Gumm is now a full time battlefield guide but previously served in the Reserve of the British Army for over thirty years and had the privilege of commanding B (Rorke's Drift) Company of the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Wales. He is both a military historian and CEO of In the footsteps BATTLEFIELD TOURS. In his talk, Ian will be looking at the military developments on the Western Front in 1914 and, in particular, how the Ypres salient came to dominate proceedings for the BEF. There would, of course, be 5 Battles of Ypres during the course of the Great War. We can have no better guide to the Ypres salient than Lt Colonel Gumm!

MALCOLM LEWIS - THE MUSIC OF WW1 (Wednesday, 5th November) Just to flag for your diary that we are thrilled to welcome back Malcolm Lewis on Bonfire Night. Many of you will recall Malcolm’s excellent talk on the Edwardian composers in 2012. This will be an opportunity for you to strain those vocal chords and sing along with the music should you know the words!

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

THE STORY IN THE STONES (around and Clifford’s Mesne) in CLIFFORD’S MESNE VILLAGE HALL on Friday 17th October @ 7:30pm. This is a talk on local geology by Paul Evans. Admission is £2 and promises rock cakes in the interval! More details on www.cliffordsmesnevillsagehall.co.uk . BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE’S “HISTORY WEEKEND”: Those of you finding yourselves near Malmesbury this weekend should look at http://www.historyweekend.com/ for an outstanding list of speakers with many tickets still available and a discount for History Magazine subscribers. NATIONAL GALLERY “REMBRANDT: THE LATE WORKS” This major new exhibition opened on 15th October! The gallery in Trafalgar Square is open 10am-6pm daily and the Rembrandt exhibition will run until 18th January 2015. Whilst admission to the main gallery is FREE, entry to the Rembrandt exhibition is £18 (adult). MUSIC QUIZ in LINTON VILLAGE HALL on Saturday 18th October @ 7:30pm. This is a fun music quiz with optional fancy dress. Tickets are £6 including a hot chilli meal. BYO tipple. All proceeds are in aid of LDHS’s venue! Please ring 01989-720233 for more info and to book your seats…… THE ALMA, LINTON: Further to my note in the last newsletter just to let you know that a buyer has now been found, subject to contract, for our CAMRA award winning pub. No doubt many will be popping in at The Alma for a celebratory pint! As always, please don’t forget that the ‘Herefordshire in the Great War’ exhibition closes on 8th November. Entry at the Hereford Museum and Gallery is FREE. Admission Wednesday to Saturday (11am-4pm).

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NEWSLETTER Number: 5 23rd October 2014

Dan Cruickshank and “The Family that built Gothic Britain” (Gilbert Scott) is currently my top tip for your i-player if you have missed the original BBC4 TV broadcast. As the Beeb’s website says: ‘As good as any Dickens novel, this is the triumphant and tragic story of the greatest architectural dynasty of the 19th century. Dan Cruickshank charts the rise of Sir George Gilbert Scott to the very heights of success, the fall of his son George Junior and the rise again of his grandson Giles It is a story of architects bent on a mission to rebuild Britain. From the Romantic heights of the Midland Hotel at St Pancras station to the modern image of Bankside power station (now Tate Modern), this is the story of a family that shaped the Victorian age and left a giant legacy.’ Yes, not one or two but three Gilbert Scotts …… For an insight into modern China, I do hope you watched Simon Reeve’s trip down the Yangtze in the last of his ‘Sacred Rivers’ series on BBC2. The photography was excellent tracing the development of a super-power. This is clearly a country well on its way to global domination….. As you may know, 2015 is the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. Bernard Cornwell (of Sharpe fame) has now written a marvelous non-fiction book ‘Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles’ giving a thrilling hour-by- hour account of the battle. In the three days before Waterloo, the French army had beaten the British at Quatre-Bras and the Prussians at Ligny. Then, on the evening of the 18th June 1815, the French army was very close to winning Waterloo too! I have been very surprised by the correspondence revealing the close bond between officers and men. I judge it a first-class read (Christmas present?). Although with a RRP of £25 you can currently purchase the book for £9.69 on Amazon, including postage. Returning now to our Autumn programme, on Wednesday night (22nd October) we welcomed well-known local historian TIM WARD to Linton village hall. His new talk ‘Roses round the door’ was wonderfully illustrated with many old photographs and postcards from his extensive collection. He focused particularly on the role of women in Herefordshire’s rural workplace in the C20th up to the 1940s. I think all were amazed how Edwardian folk working in the fields kept their work attire so clean. This was a life without mains water, a sewage system or electricity. The early tractors also looked a bit scary to operate and there were, of course, no ‘Health & Safety’ regulations to protect the workforce. Many of the original photographs were quite small but by digitally scanning and enlarging the image I was very impressed with the detail shown in the slides. Clearly, keeping still for a long exposure was a big problem for early photographers! The pictures we saw were the fruit of five year’s collecting as very few photos were ever taken of this remote and impoverished county until more recent times. Indeed, Tim has no postcards of the Linton area pre- 1930. I am looking forward to his next book!

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LT COL IAN GUMM -THE YPRES SALIENT IN 1914 (Wednesday, 29th October) We continue our WW1 season with a talk on the first few months of the war and the creation of the infamous Ypres salient. The Belgians call it Ieper today but it was, of course, ‘Wipers’ to the British Tommy. I am sure many of you will have heard or seen in the news on Wednesday that the remains of 15 British soldiers who died in WW1 have been reinterred in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Bois-Grenier almost exactly 100 years after they were killed in battle. Their remains were found during drainage work in 2009 and DNA samples were used to identify 11 of the soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the York and Lancaster Regiment. The soldiers were reburied with full military honours. They are a reminder that similar events will continue in Flanders for many years to come such was the scale of losses with the majority having no known grave. Our speaker on Wednesday (29th) is Lt Col Ian Gumm - an eminent military historian and CEO of ‘In the footsteps BATTLEFIELD TOURS’. He is now a full time battlefield guide but previously served in the Reserve of the British Army for over thirty years and commanded B (Rorke's Drift) Company of the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Wales. In his talk, Ian will be looking at the Western Front in late Autumn 1914. This was the time before the trench defences were dug from the Swiss frontier to the North Sea coast. In particular, we will see how the Ypres salient came to dominate proceedings for the British Expeditionary Force. Those of you who have visited the Menin Gate will know that there will be 5 Battles of Ypres during the course of the Great War! As I said last week, from a military perspective we can have no better guide to the Ypres salient than Lt Colonel Gumm! As ever, if you can display the attached poster (in pdf format) in a prominent place it would be much appreciated. Please encourage your friends and neighbours to attend any full-time students are admitted FREE.

MALCOLM LEWIS - THE MUSIC OF WW1 (Wednesday, 5th November) On Bonfire Night, safe away from the fireworks, we welcome back Malcolm Lewis for an evening of music from the Great War period. As you may recall, Malcolm hails from the but has lived in Cirencester for over 30 years. He is currently the membership secretary of the Cirencester Recorded Music Society and is very well known for his talks on musical themes across the area. Malcolm gave an excellent lecture to LDHS on the Edwardian composers in 2012. As before, I expect the ‘LDHS chorus’ to join in and sing along with the music should you know the words (and I am sure you will …...)!

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

SLAD, GLOUCESTERSHIRE: I have recently been sent a list by AbeBooks of the Top 40 books considered as ‘must reads’. Included in just a handful of non-fiction books on the list is ‘Cider with Rosie’ “because this is the best representation of rural childhood that we’ve come across. A slice of English history that everyone should read.” I went to school in Stroud so Laurie Lee was considered as the local author and his prose has thrilled generations. If you get a free day why not visit Slad and Lee’s beloved ‘Woolpack’ pub? His

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 12 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS grave lies just across the road in the churchyard. The beauty of the Cotswolds in this area (Painswick, Sheepscombe et al) is always worth a visit. JET AGE MUSEUM (GLOUCESTERSHIRE/STAVERTON AIRPORT): This museum is open on Saturday and Sunday between 10am and 4pm. It can be found on the north side of the Airport, off Road East (B4063), at the traffic lights by Cotswold Motor Caravans. Two of the museum’s Gloster-built aircraft are currently on view- a Meteor, and the Cold War-era Javelin- whilst a fully-detailed reproduction 1925 Gamecock biplane is down the road at Brockworth with a replica of the first Whittle jet. Ongoing restoration projects include rebuilding an RAF Gladiator biplane which crashed in Norway in 1940 and a late World War Two Gloster-built Hawker Typhoon. The Jet Age Museum is the marketing name for the Gloucestershire Aviation Collection. MANCHESTER ART GALLERY- ‘THE SENSORY WAR’: I know it may be a bit far to go for a day trip but should you find yourself in Manchester sometime soon this is a must. This is a major exhibition marking the Centenary of WW1. It explores how artists have communicated the devastating impact of military conflict on the body, mind, environment and human senses. It brings together the finest works from Henry Lamb, CRW Nevinson, Paul Nash, Otto Dix, Nancy Spero, Richard Mosse and Omer Fast. The exhibition runs until Sunday 22nd February 2015 and admission is FREE. NATIONAL GALLERY- ‘MONET: THE WATER GARDEN AT GIVERNY ‘ (Room 43): This is top of my list of things to do when I am in London next week! The day after the Armistice was signed in 1918, Monet promised a group of paintings to the French nation as a 'monument to peace'. Known as the 'Water-Lilies' they continue, of course, to captivate visitors to galleries across Europe almost a century later. This display is notable as it highlights Monet's Giverny pictures from the National Gallery's collection which are being shown together for the first time in 17 years. Admission is FREE. As always, as time is running out, please don’t forget that the ‘Herefordshire in the Great War’ exhibition closes on 8th November. Entry at the Hereford Museum and Gallery is FREE. Admission Wednesday to Saturday (11am-4pm).

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LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER Number: 6 31st October 2014

As they say, variety is the spice of life and my top TV viewing from the last week was Tony Robinson’s new ‘Walking through history’ series with his programme on the Bronte family. Any walking was really coincidental but some marvelous scenery and this was Time Team (without the digging) meets ‘Who do think you are?’ for the Brontes. I certainly learned a lot about this famous family as one by one they succumbed to TB in a land of mills and moors. This was a sad story but I suppose it was inevitable that the three very accomplished writer sisters should have a 'nutter' brother. In Branwell Bronte, we have a railway buff who had a relationship with a Mrs. Robinson (long before Dustin Hoffman…….). In the next episode, Tony Robinson will be looking at ‘Victoria and Albert’s Highland Fling’. If you missed the Brontes the i- player link is: www.channel4.com/programmes/walking-through-history . In my trip to London earlier this week, I revisited the Tower of London to see how the installation ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ was progressing. I was very impressed! The last of 888,246 ceramic poppies will fill the Tower’s famous moat on 8th November and it will slowly begin disappearing after Armistice Day on 11th November. The ceramic poppies are available for sale at £25 plus postage (see link: https://poppies.hrp.org.uk/buy-a-poppy/ ). In the last few days, the Guardian art critic Jonathan Jones called the installation 'trite, fake and inward looking' and has seemingly been universally condemned. He does, however, have a point. We are remembering a horrendous and brutal conflict with something of great visual beauty. That being accepted, as an art work marking the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War it is outstanding. I am sure that all who have seen it will never forget the experience. The idea that each poppy represented a lost life from Britain and the Empire was certainly not lost on most visitors (and indeed from what I could hear many knew that 888,246 poppies was too few as 1.117M’ish actually died). My only gripe is that just across the road many visitors to the Tower poppies were using the two memorials to the lost merchant seamen in both World Wars as a fast-food picnic site. They were totally oblivious to the supreme sacrifice the monuments represent. A favourite hobbyhorse of mine is the fact that 14,000 merchant seamen died in WW1 and a further 24,000 in WW2 with only the sea for a watery grave. Virtually none of their names ever appear on a local war memorial. Those that survived, were not paid from the day that their ship was torpedoed and sunk! A selection of my photos of the Tower of London poppies and of the section covering the Lusitania from the WW1 Merchant Navy memorial will appear in our LDHS Great War exhibition “LINTON REMEMBERS” being held in St Mary’s church throughout November. Admission is FREE! A booklet under the LDHS banner in pdf format will also accompany next week’s newsletter giving details of all the names appearing on the Great War memorials in the Ariconium parishes. This year’s Remembrance Sunday falls, of course, on 9th November. Before we turn to our own programme calendar, I must mention that Monday (27th)

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 14 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS saw the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dylan Thomas in Swansea. For those of you venturing across the border, a series of events will continue in the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea for the next month or so. For those going farther afield I can recommend the Dylan Thomas trail in New Quay (). Thomas spent WW2 in this small seaside town and it is thought many of the characters in ‘Under Milk Wood’ were based on New Quay residents. This was another life and talent brought tragically short with his death at only 39 but we have been left with some wonderfully evocative poetry. OUR PROGRAMME: On Wednesday night (29th October), we welcomed Lt Colonel Ian Gumm as our guest speaker. Despite a late start we were soon entertained by a highly detailed examination of the fighting in the Ypres area during 1914. After the German reversal on the Marne it was indeed ‘a race to the sea’ in an attempt by both sides to outflank the other. In the days before trenches were dug stretching from Switzerland to the North Sea, the British Expeditionary Force fought bravely in the face of overwhelming odds along the Menin to Ypres road in October and early November 1914. The Oxford & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry ultimately saved the day in a crucial action before the Winter rains rendered Flanders impassable for any army manoeuvres ‘til the following Spring. This clash of German and British forces resulted in the Ypres salient and trench warfare. It was to be a centre of human carnage on the Western Front for the following four years. The Q & A session following Ian Gumm’s talk was one of the best I can recall and the audience greatly benefitted from interrogating a serving Army officer! Incidentally, he gave his time free of charge and LDHS has made a donation to his chosen charity- SSAFA (which provides lifelong support to the Armed Forces and their families). For those of you having trouble in knowing the difference between a battalion and a division or a brigade, the following may help concerning the structure of the British Army in 1914:- 4 ‘platoons’ (each of roughly 50 men) made up a ‘Company’ and 4 companies + HQ staff comprised a Battalion (i.e. 1,000 men). 4 battalions made up a ‘Brigade’ and 3 brigades form a ‘Division’ (approx. 18,000 men). 3 divisions formed a ‘Corps’! So now you know….. MALCOLM LEWIS - THE MUSIC OF WW1 (Wednesday, 5th November) We are delighted that Malcolm Lewis has agreed to return to speak to us for an evening of music from the Great War period. Malcolm is currently the membership secretary of the Cirencester Recorded Music Society but is very well known for his talks on a range of musical themes. In 2012, Malcolm gave us a lecture on the Edwardian composers which received a top rating from all those who attended and he also congratulated his audience for the quality of their singing! I feel sure that many of you will instantly recognise the tunes and lyrics from the songs associated with the WW1. With the death of Harry Patch we lost the last of the veterans of the Great War but the songs they sang have passed the test of time. As ever, I attach a poster (in pdf format). If you can display it in a prominent place for the next few days it would be much appreciated. Please encourage your friends and neighbours to attend. Full-time students are, of course, admitted FREE. THE 2014 CHAIRMAN’S LECTURE

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FIONA MORISON & ‘LINTON LIFE IN 1914’ (Wednesday, 12th November) I am sure this date is already in your diary. In what has become a highlight of our speaker programme, this year’s Chairman’s Lecture will examine a key question. What was life like in Linton in 1914? Fiona has extensively researched all the local archives to bring us a unique insight into local society and she will explore the impact of war on a closed agricultural community. Fiona is, of course, a highly accomplished historian and, as with her previous talks, we are guaranteed to be royally entertained. Make sure you don’t miss it!

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

‘FORESTERS AT WAR’ - CLEARWELL CAVES, GLOUCESTERSHIRE My thanks this week to Anne Palmer for bringing this new exhibition to my attention. Clearwell Caves is an Iron Mining Museum and this exhibition tells the fascinating story of army recruitment in the in WW1 and reveals how Forest miners dug under the German lines. The Forest of Dean Pioneer battalion included 300 miners! The exhibition will run until 2018. Normal admission is £6:50 (adult). ‘WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2014’ - NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM This is the competition’s 50th year. Intriguing animal portraits and dramatic landscapes are the order of the day. One to take your children/grandchildren/granny to! The exhibition runs until August 2015. Open daily 10.00- 17.50 Admission £12:70 (Adult) ‘HOGARTH’S LONDON’ - CARTOON MUSEUM (35 Little Russell Street WC1A 2HH) This is truly excellent! Compelling images reveal the highs and lows of life in London 250 years ago. David Harrison will be talking to LDHS on this very subject on Wednesday, 19th November. Open:Mon - Sat: 10.30-17.30 (inc. Bank Holidays) Sun 12.00-17.30 Admission: £7 (adult). GRAYSON PERRY ‘WHO ARE YOU?’ - NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY Whilst Monet’s ‘The water garden at Giverny’ at the National Gallery was top of my list of things to do this week, and it did not disappoint, I gained more of a fillip to my day by venturing up the road to the National Portrait Gallery. Grayson Perry’s 14 portraits are displayed haphazardly among the gallery’s normal collection. Entry is FREE! Entitled ‘Who are you?’ Britain’s probably best known potter explores the nature of identity with themes about ageing, gender and mental health. Whilst some of his work I would judge juvenile this is not true of the majority. His handling of dementia (the Memory Jar) and its impact of life-long relationships really makes you think. The Huhne Vase will no doubt not be welcomed in Lib-Dem circles. If you would like to see photos of all Perry’s work in this exhibition just ask to see my phone snaps! LINTON ARTISANS CHRISTMAS MARKET This is being held on Friday, 14th November in Linton village hall 6pm-9pm. Admission is FREE and refreshments are available. A leaflet is attached. An opportunity to mingle and to get your Xmas presents! FINALLY, please don’t forget that the ‘Herefordshire in the Great War’ exhibition closes on 8th November. Entry at the Hereford Museum and Gallery is FREE. Admission Wednesday to Saturday (11am-4pm).

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LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER Number: 7 6th November 2014

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

Only the monstrous anger of the guns.

Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle

Can patter out their hasty orisons.

No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;

Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, –

The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;

And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

What candles may be held to speed them all?

Not in the hands of boys but in their eyes

Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.

The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;

Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,

And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds. I am sure you will recognise the words of Wilfred Owen’s ‘ANTHEM FOR DOOMED YOUTH’ written in October 1917. It is, of course, Remembrance Sunday this weekend but this poem also gives the title to BBC 1’s new Great War tearjerker running throughout this week - ‘Passing Bells’ (i.e. a bell tolled after someone's death to announce the death to the world). Passing Bells has been filmed from the perspectives of two young men on opposite sides of the conflict and bucks the long tradition of painting the Allied forces as the ‘goodies’ and our German foes as the bad guys. Every night this week, each 30 minute episode covers one year of the conflict. It was far from a convincing start to the series with regard to historical accuracy. Notably volunteers arriving at the front only weeks after joining up! In truth, those enlisting in the King’s Light Infantry in August 1914 did not reach France until May 1915 as it took time to instill army discipline and to fire under pressure 15 aimed rounds per minute with a Lee Enfield rifle. However, I have warmed to the series with each episode learning to accept that this is not a documentary. The Battle of the Somme was not a bad effort for TV although this is no ‘Waterloo’ (I recall this 1970 film included some 15,000 Soviet foot soldiers and 2,000 cavalrymen as extras. This put director Sergei Bondarchuk in command of the seventh largest army in the world at the time! Fifty circus stunt riders were used to perform the horse falls which brought an epic quality to the battle scenes. Who can forget the shots of the French cavalry versus the British infantry squares???). I

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 17 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS suspect the emotional impact of Passing Bells will be steadily accumulating for many night after night. With two episodes to go as I write this newsletter who knows what may happen? As always, this series is available on i-player for those who missed it first time round.

For those of you demanding more fact than fiction, I can thoroughly recommend BBC2’s ‘Gunpowder 5/11: The greatest terror plot’. As the BBC’s blurb says: ‘For the first time, the inner secrets of the gunpowder plotters are dramatised using the actual words of their most senior captured leader Thomas Wintour, Guy Fawkes and state interrogators investigating the 18-month conspiracy in which a family circle of militant Catholic gentlemen tried to blow up King and Parliament…..The hopes, fears and plans for a Midlands rebellion, royal kidnap, the plotters' penetration of the king's bodyguard and Fawkes' attendance, sword in hand, at a wedding attended by the king in December 1604 are shown, as well as a dramatisation of the thrilling, forgotten story of the final days after 5/11 as the conspirators are hunted down and then face the terrible punishments reserved for traitors.’ MALCOLM LEWIS : I am delighted to say that Malcolm fully lived up to his star billing on Wednesday evening (5th) and our evening of music from the Great War period was both varied and first class. We certainly benefitted from his vast knowledge of recorded music. The LDHS chorus was also in good voice and the top chorister award on the night goes to June White for her singing of K-K-K Katy! I have always loved the works of George Butterworth and with regard to his local memorial please see the ‘Out and About’ section below. Incidentally, the CD recommended by Malcolm (Songs of World War 1) is available on Amazon for £3 including post and packaging ( the link is: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Songs-Of-World-War-1/dp/B00HSRNA6E ) THE 2014 CHAIRMAN’S LECTURE FIONA MORISON & ‘LINTON LIFE IN 1914’ (Wednesday, 12th November) Not long to wait now! Fiona has quickly established this lecture as a highlight of our speaker programme. What was life like in Linton in 1914? Fiona will explore the impact of the Great War on a closed agricultural community. She has extensively researched all the local archives to bring us a unique insight into a rural Herefordshire with no electricity, mains water or sewerage. Indeed, locally these were post-WW2 developments. As ever, I attach a poster (in pdf format). If you can display it in a prominent place for the next few days it would be much appreciated. Please make every effort to attend and support our chairman. You will not be disappointed! All your friends and neighbours are most welcome and full-time students are, of course, admitted FREE. DAVID HARRISON ‘WILLIAM HOGARTH & C18th ENGLAND’ (Wednesday 19th November) We welcome David back to Linton by popular request. David is a highly accomplished historian and speaker. He has previously talked us about the Chartist movement and indeed will be our guide on this subject for the LDHS trip to Monmouth in April

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2015. On this occasion, his subject is one of my favourite painters - William Hogarth - but in the wider context of England in the C18th. I find this a fascinating period which saw the onset of the industrial revolution and the development of our Empire.

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY Please note that the service at St Mary’s church in Linton commences at 10:50am on Sunday morning (9th). Fiona, as our chairman, will be officially representing LDHS during the service. A new LDHS booklet (in pdf format) on the Ariconium WW1 memorials was sent out earlier this week. If by any chance you did not receive a copy via e-mail please let me know. LDHS WW1 EXHIBITION Our own Great War exhibition ‘LINTON REMEMBERS’ is now on display in St Mary’s church during daylight hours and will remain so for the next three weeks. The exhibition covers all aspects of WW1 but we also have photos of the new poppy installation at the Tower of London. The official letters confirming the death in action of loved ones are particularly poignant. Please take time to ponder and appreciate that we are so lucky to be living in a far less turbulent era. Again, a big thank you to all who have provided WW1 memorabilia for use in our own exhibition. DEERHURST Should you find yourself on the A38 between Tewkesbury and Gloucester, the village of Deerhurst on the banks of the Severn is well worth a visit (when not in flood!). It is most famous for the Saxon Odda’s chapel but St Mary’s church also has a rare memorial plaque to the composer George Butterworth. I was there in May 2010. Please see the link: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1874690 I was walking the and it is these timeless buttercup strewn meadows nearby that inspired the poetry of Ivor Gurney (‘Severn and Somme’): http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1874186 LINTON ARTISANS CHRISTMAS MARKET A reminder that this is being held on Friday, 14th November in Linton village hall 6pm- 9pm. Admission is FREE and refreshments are available. The organisers are very keen that we should car share wherever possible and to bring a torch.

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LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER Number: 8 13h November 2014

For many, this has been a week of Remembrance in a centenary year reminding us that the freedoms we enjoy today were paid for by the sacrifice of young men fighting in wars during the C20th. I had the great honour of laying the community’s wreath at the Linton war memorial last Sunday in the November sunshine. Many in the congregation had also assembled in the churchyard earlier this year on the night of 4th August for the ‘Lights Out’ commemoration organised by Lynn Hodgson. I hope those named on the war memorials up and down the land can appreciate our efforts in 2014 in attempting to remember and appreciate their loss. Whilst the Great War may not have proved to be the war that ended all wars (essentially it was part one of a World War not concluded until 1945) we owe it to the dead of WW1 and WW2 that our generation should strive to live in peace and lead by example. We should not forget, however, that war is just an extreme form of politics and Britain was once the aggressor. Our Empire was built on the sorrow of weaker nations.

Poppies at the Tower: the blood swept lands and seas of red ‘Wave on numberless wave they came, an army of witnesses to stand before a sea of poppies, the most extraordinary and poignant memorial to our war dead that this country has ever seen. The installation of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London was more than just a centenary commemoration: it was a commentary on war, on our changing attitudes to the past, and on our modern selves; it was an art installation, a public demonstration and a national statement’ or so wrote Ben Macintyre in The Times. The BBC reports that over 5 million people have seen the poppies. Although the installation is now being dismantled many will be pleased to hear that we are being given an extra two weeks to see a key section of the carpet of poppies at the Tower including ‘The Wave’ and the ‘Weeping Window’. A more permanent exhibition of poppies will also be on display at the Imperial War Memorial. Much closer to home, a selection of photos of the Tower poppies are to be found in our own WW1 exhibition in St Mary’s church during November. There are also some new photos of the Queen at the Cenotaph last Sunday. I am hoping the ceramic poppy I have purchased from the RBL might become a family heirloom (much like my Great Uncle’s Deadman’s Penny). I suspect many will appear on e-Bay at very inflated prices…… I am pleased that Sheila Hancock’s idea of smashing the poppies to pieces with a tank as voiced on the Andrew Marr Show did not catch on! However, I do have much sympathy with her opinion as leaving the ceramic poppies ‘shattered and broken’ would better symbolise the sacrifice of these young men and the impact on those they left behind. I do wonder how many of the 5 million visitors to this stunning installation also attended a Remembrance Sunday service? PASSING BELLS….I was very disappointed with the concluding episode of this BBC TV Great War series. After a week’s viewing, I felt I was denied a more realistic and poignant final scene. This was no Blackadder finale but looked more like a

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 20 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS nightclub emptying in the early hours of the morning. I can, however, recommend TEENAGE TOMMIES. This one hour documentary on BBC2, narrated by Fergal Keene and based on the books of Richard Van Emden, successfully portrayed the grim reality of the Western Front. My only criticism is the BBC’s current obsession with revelling in the emotional grief of family members (as with the Ebola crisis in West Africa). Asking a now elderly relative to read aloud the letter from the War Department informing her mother that a shell-shocked brother had been shot as a deserter was a particularly cruel torture. The BBC i-player link is:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04pcmz5/teenage-tommies I note that the book ‘Teenage Tommy’ is available in hardback for £4.89 (a saving of 75%) + £2.80 pp on Amazon at:- http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer- listing/1783032871/ref=tmm_hrd_new_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=new&sr=&qid= The 2014 CHAIRMAN’S LECTURE- Always a highlight of our lecture programme and it was! On Wednesday night in ‘Linton Life in 1914’ we were treated to a wonderful insight into Herefordshire in the period leading up to the outbreak of the Great War. The extensive research carried out by Fiona provided a unique commentary on a largely agricultural community living in rural poverty whilst Ross, the shire’s second town after Hereford, was aspiring to prosper as a market town. Linton would have to wait some time yet for both mains water and electricity. It is a very big pity that a replay is not available on the i-player! OUR FUTURE PROGRAMME: DAVID HARRISON ‘WILLIAM HOGARTH & C18th ENGLAND’ (Wednesday 19th November) David is a prodigious author but also a highly accomplished historian and speaker. Many of you will recall his excellent illustrated talk about the Chartist movement. He will, of course, also be our guide for the LDHS trip to the ‘Monmouth Trail’ on 22nd April 2015. On this occasion his subject is one of our nation’s favourite and most talented painters, William Hogarth, but in the wider context of England in the C18th. Hogarth (1697 – 1764) was the leading painter of his time. However, he was also a printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist. Famously, he pioneered western sequential art. The popularity of Hogarth’s paintings at the National Gallery today confirms that his skills have passed the test of time and his work reflects a fascinating period in our island’s history. A poster is attached for your use! LEE HINES ‘A HISTORY OF MAPS & MAP-MAKERS’ (Wednesday 26th November) We are delighted that Lee, a recent chairman of LDHS, has agreed to speak on this compelling subject with illustrations from her own extensive collection of historic maps and charts. Those of you who have seen Nick Crane’s various TV series will appreciate the key role played by map makers in the development of this country. Sadly, with the Winter break nearly upon us, this will be our last talk before February

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2015!

CHRISTMAS SOCIAL with the ROSS PENYARD SINGERS (Wednesday 3rd December) Tickets are now available at £5!

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

LDHS GREAT WAR EXHIBITION ‘LINTON REMEMBERS’: No apologies for starting with our own exhibition currently being held in St Mary’s church. It is open during daylight office hours and will run for most of November. No admission fee! The display uses the material shared by LDHS members and local residents to cover all aspects of WW1 at home and abroad. The new LDHS booklet sent out last week by e-mail includes comprehensive details on all those named on the Linton war memorial (and the other Ariconium memorials). MR. TURNER: A number of LDHS members have now seen this Mike Leigh biopic of the artist JMW Turner starring Timothy Spall in the title role. All have given the film a ***** rating with Spall outstanding. IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM (IWM) & THE FIRST WORLD WAR GALLERIES: I am reminded that such has been my focus in past weeks on London art galleries that I have not recommended this truly excellent display at the IWM. It is well worth a day out to the Capital by itself. As to be expected, the exhibits in the WW1 galleries are both rare and a fascinating record of the time. Admission is FREE and this globally important museum near Lambeth North tube is open daily 9am-6pm. LINTON CHRISTMAS MARKET: Finally, please don’t forget to go to Linton Village Hall on Friday evening (14th) between 6pm and 9pm to see a whole host of local suppliers for this festive market. Admission is FREE and alcoholic refreshments are available. Please car share if you can and bring a torch. Your Christmas can start here…

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LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER Number: 9 20th November 2014

Although LDHS has now completed its run of Autumn lectures focusing on the Great War it is clear that the topic remains of key interest in the TV schedules. No doubt ‘War Horse’ is going to be repeated umpteen times before the 2018 centenary? For my part, I much preferred the book and stage play (although I thought that the cavalry charge led by Sherlock Holmes an exciting development). I did, however, thoroughly enjoy BBC2’s ‘War Of Words: Soldier-Poets of the Somme’. More poets and writers took part in the Battle of the Somme than any other battle in history including Siegfried Sassoon, Robert Graves, Isaac Rosenberg and JRR Tolkien. This 90 minute documentary looks at how these men served in the same trenches and even fought in the same attacks! The poetry and prose they produced has, of course, shaped the way people envisage the Great War. I was unaware of the importance of the work of Private David Jones. ‘Their poems, memoirs and fiction don’t just relate what happened; they take readers into the moment, evoking what it felt like to be there’. I could not agree more (especially with background music in the documentary from George Butterworth too). My other TV highlight was Tony Robinson’s ‘Walking through history’ series where this time he looked at the Channel Islands during the German occupation (1940- 1945). In this episode, starkly called ‘Nazi occupation: The Channel Islands’, we were treated to some wonderful coastal scenery under dazzling blue skies. Robinson (nee Baldrick), amidst parts of Hitler’s demonic Atlantic Wall, interviewed a number of elderly citizens from both Guernsey and Jersey who had witnessed first- hand the horrors of five years of occupation. This four day walk reminded me of my family holidays in the mid- 60s. When others were on the beach, I traipsed behind my father examining old subterranean German bunkers. In the gloom, it always looked as if his head was on fire as he smoked a pipe incessantly…. THE MAN WHO SHOT THE GREAT WAR: This one-hour programme, only broadcast on Ulster TV, reveals for the first time what has been described as 'the photographic discovery of the century’. This may be an exaggeration but we do see the quite remarkable story of a Belfast soldier who, against regulations, took his camera to war in 1915. His experiences were to have a dramatic and unexpected outcome many years later. HEREFORDSHIRE ARCHIVE ONLINE: If you do nothing else this week please look at http://www.herefordshirehistory.org.uk/ . ‘Herefordshire History’ is a project run by Herefordshire Libraries to digitise local material from archives, libraries and various museum collections. As you may know, this website opened on the 11th November and was initially developed as part of the county’s ‘Herefordshire in the Great War’ commemoration. Funding has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Local newspapers including the Hereford Times, Hereford Journal, Ross Gazette, Leominster News, Ledbury Guardian and Kington Reporter have been digitised from 1914 to 1919. The collections now available online should keep you busy for hours

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 23 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS during the cold/wet/windy winter months! If you want copies of any material I suggest ignoring the official website route (where a small 6” by 4” print costs £11). Simply ‘save’ to your own computer as a jpeg file before printing at home in a bigger format and at a far cheaper cost! MY FAVOURITE BOOK THIS WEEK? ‘Establishment and Meritocracy’ by Peter Hennessy. Will talent and hard work get you to the top or does class still rule? Lord Hennessy is Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary, University of London and a crossbench peer. He has also spent 20 years in journalism and as a TV pundit. I am biased, as you may recall he went to my old school and we had the same tutor Eric Pankhurst, but this book provides a real insight into contemporary British society. This short book is available in paperback on Amazon for £6.62 including post & packing (a saving of 36%). The link is: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Establishment-Meritocracy-Curiosities-Peter- Hennessy/dp/1908323779 . THE FUTURE OF LINTON CHURCH: My grand-father was a vicar although I am an agnostic. I gain my spirituality by looking up at the night sky. I do, however, recognise the importance of a church to any local community (irrespective of the witterings of Richard Dawkins). For me, this is not because I seek a quiet corner of Herefordshire as a final resting place nor do I see maintaining the value of my property as a crucial consideration. Fundamentally, I think of the time-scarred church as our link to past and future generations. It is an ancient building where family joys and grief have been shared for centuries in the circle of life we all follow. With declining congregations this has proved a luxury that many villages can no longer afford. However, I judge all communities to be socially and emotionally far poorer if implementing this cost-cutting exercise. Small dormitory settlements that have lost their church and pub have also lost their soul. With David Cameron’s ideas of the ‘Big Society’ floundering this is a national problem. Could Linton be next? A meeting is being held in Linton village hall on Monday, 24th November to discuss the future of the church. It starts at 7:30pm. If you live in the parish why not go along and discuss the issues? WILLIAM HOGARTH: We knew that David Harrison was a highly amusing speaker following his lecture to LDHS in 2013 on the Chartists. He did not disappoint us on his return to Linton with the inclusion of his old jokes enlivening a most humorous talk. I had known that Hogarth was considered the leading English painter of his day but I had not fully appreciated the detail of the composition within his sequential art works. Here was a man who could paint but who could also inflict wit and a social commentary worthy of Hislop’s ‘Private Eye’. As a cartoonist and humanist, unafraid of portraying the truth, I suggest William Hogarth could have prospered at any time in our history? We can all look forward to Wednesday, 22nd April 2015 when David will be the tour guide on our outing to follow the ‘Monmouth Trail’! OUR AUTUMN PROGRAMME: Lee, a highly respected past chairman of LDHS, is an acknowledged expert on this fascinating topic. She has widely researched her material over the course of many years. To this end, Lee has built up her own very extensive collection of historic

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 24 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS maps and charts. We are guaranteed an evening of discovery as we explore the development of map-making from the ancient Babylonians and Hereford’s Mappa Mundi to GPS and the Google maps of today. As usual, I attach a poster for your use. It would be marvelous if you could display it somewhere prominently for the next few days. As mentioned last week, this will be our last lecture before the Winter break. Those intending this year to go into hibernation please set your alarm clock for Wednesday, 4th February when the excellent John Putley will return as a soldier fighting in the Wars of the Roses! CHRISTMAS SOCIAL with the ROSS PENYARD SINGERS Wednesday 3rd December Tickets are, of course, available at £5 per head. Mulled wine will warm your extremities whilst we will also be serenaded by the Ross Penyard Singers with a selection of festive melodies! For those bursting with yuletide testosterone and needing the thrill of competition there will be a history quiz to reinvigorate those brain cells. Do come along and start your Xmas celebrations in fine company at LVH on the 3rd.

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

LDHS HISTORY EXHIBITION: No apologies for again starting with our own exhibition currently being held in St Mary’s church. The church is open during daylight office hours and our display uses the material discovered by LDHS members and many local residents to cover all aspects of WW1 at home and abroad. With Christmas fast approaching, please note the exhibition must close w/c 24th November. PORTSMOUTH DOCKYARD: It is clear that the new Mary Rose museum is becoming a top destination for LDHS visitors! This new £27 million museum, located just yards from Nelson's flagship, opened its doors to visitors last year. The museum provides a marvelous insight into Tudor life and is the centrepiece for Portsmouth’s historic dockyard. The Mary Rose is, of course, the only C16th warship on display in the world and the museum reunites her with many of her 19,000 artefacts and crew. More details are available at: http://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/maryrose/ . New for 2014 is the cruise across the harbour on a complimentary waterbus to see HMS Alliance which is now fully restored and ‘ready for patrol’ after a £7m refit. HMS Alliance is the only remaining WW2-era British submarine (HMS Ocelot at Chatham belongs to the post-War ‘Oberon’ class). An adult ticket for all the attractions (e.g. Mary Rose Museum, HMS Victory, HMS Warrior, HMS Alliance et al) is £28 but is available online for £21 (a 25% saving). This must represent excellent value for those interested in naval history and a nautical day-out (or a long weekend like Lee!). XMAS PADDINGTON TRAIL: As you may know, to help celebrate Paddington’s big screen debut on the 28th November, the NSPCC have created a new ‘Paddington Trail’ in London. This will consist of 50 bespoke Paddington statues across the capital each designed by a famous artist or designer including the author Michael Bond and David Beckham……… For those of you visiting London by train, First Great Western is sponsoring the statue between platform’s 8 and 9 at Paddington station (the bear, of course, in the book arrives at Paddington station following his journey from darkest Peru). The trail, which is bound to be popular with grand-children, will run until 30th December. The new film has, of course,

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 25 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS been rated “PG” but so was Toy Story! NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY- 14th TAYLOR WESSON PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT EXHIBITION: 'I'd advise you to go, view, smile and tut-tut, and then discuss’ - The Daily Telegraph. I have always enjoyed this annual portrait exhibition which has just opened and runs until 22nd February 2015. This year’s blurb says a ‘unique opportunity to see a selection of new works by some of the most exciting contemporary portrait photographers from around the world’ which sounds about right. NPG is open daily 10 ‘til 6pm with free general admission. However, there is an adult admission charge of £3 for the Taylor Wesson exhibition. For a sneak preview please go to http://www.npg.org.uk/photoprize1/site14/index.php . WOBAGE FARM CRAFT WORKSHOPS: Those of you who may have missed the very festive Linton Artisan’s Xmas Market in LVH please note that a Christmas Exhibition will be open at the Wobage workshops every Thursday, Friday and Saturday until the 25th December! More details are available at www.wobage.co.uk .

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LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER Number: 10 27th November 2014

*** CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR EDITION *** We wish you a Merry Christmas; We wish you a Merry Christmas; We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Good tidings we bring to you and your kin; Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year! ‘Tempus fugit’ (again) and LDHS has now completed its Autumn programme save for our Christmas social next week! With the Christmas break fast approaching, this is also the last newsletter I shall pen until late January but I hope you have enjoyed the content and been tempted by some of the recommendations. After Dan Snow’s excellent Channel 4 series on castles you might have thought that TV would turn to a different aspect of our medieval history but no! On BBC4 a new 3-part series on ‘CASTLES: BRITAIN'S FORTIFIED HISTORY' starts on Thursday, 4th December with ‘Instruments of invasion’. Historian Sam Willis will trace the story of Britain's castles and their unique role in our history, art and literature. Already underway is SECRETS OF THE CASTLE (with Ruth, Peter and Tom): This 3-part BBC2 TV series stars ‘historian’ Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Peter Ginn and Tom Pinfold in Burgundy learning the skills of medieval castle builders at Guedelon. They spent six months earlier this year working on a 25-year French experiment to build a medieval castle from scratch, using only the tools and materials available in the C13th. The two-man treadmill winch used to hoist half a ton up the tower is a fantastic creation! In the first episode, Peter and Tom were taught the skills of medieval stonemasons whilst Ruth set about equipping their simple wattle and daub hovel. She also made a traditional nettle, barley and vegetable pottage (me thinks a tad more Waitrose than Aldi’s?). With the long winter nights, I enjoy this type of ‘hands-on’ history and I can only marvel at the capability of our ancestors in constructing fortresses and cathedrals using just basic geometry and elementary equipment. Did you know that many English villages originated in the rubble of castle construction sites? In the second episode, they looked at war and weaponry including the dreaded trebuchet! Regular readers will know that I often rave about Tony Robinson’s ‘Walking through history series’ (WtH). After the tension of Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 win at the Abu Dhabi grand prix and the horror of Michael Palin’s role in the ghost story ‘Remember Me’ last Sunday you may also need some light relief! This week’s WtH episode, ‘King John's Ruin: Peak District’, involved a 70 mile stroll through Sherwood Forest and the Peak District in the footsteps of one of England’s most notorious kings. This is very topical with the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 27 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS coming up next year. I thought the programme provided a most congenial insight into the gruesome politics of the early C13th. Although not mentioned, King John is buried in Worcester Cathedral which is always well worth a visit. The cathedral is also famous for the Gerontius window- a memorial to Edward Elgar. If you want to gain a detailed understanding of these troubled times, to impress your drinking buddies or to add some historical intrigue to your Christmas Day banter, please read ‘1215: The Year of Magna Carta’ by Danny Danziger and John Gillingham. It is a very good read! I note second hand copies of the hardback are available on Amazon from just £0.01 plus £2.80 postage I am not an avid viewer of ‘Strictly’. I learned my lesson twirling (like a dervish) around the May Pole at primary school in Witney that anything involving repeated prescribed changes of direction is not really for me. It appears I am also a miserable failure at recognising a TV celebrity. However, I greatly enjoyed watching the repeat of Dr Lucy Worsley and Len Goodman attempting to perform the minuet in the first episode of ‘Dancing cheek to cheek’ called ‘The Devil’s work’. This stately court dance originated in France in the C17th but spread to England where it remained a hit for young couples in high society for centuries. THE LANDMARK TRUST (Holidays in historic buildings): The handbook for 2015 has just been delivered and the front cover photo of ‘The Library’ at Stevenstone () is also adorned by the strapline ’50 years 1965-2015 rescuing buildings’. As you may know, this is a great success story. The founder’s notion that extraordinary buildings could be saved for future generations and supported by people who stay in them has proved 100% correct. Even the handbook is a good read, irrespective of the 169 charismatic properties on offer across the kingdom for your long holiday or short weekend break. I judge this is a classy brochure, the cost is refunded when you book, and it will look good on your coffee table! Although these are far from budget lettings, you are always guaranteed a marvelous location and real atmosphere in a building you will never forget- hence the name ‘Landmarks’! As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, Anthony Gormley has been commissioned by the Landmark Trust to create five life-size standing sculptures in iron. These will be erected from May 2015 for public viewing at certain Landmark Trust properties (including Clavell Tower in Kimmeridge Bay, Aldeburgh’s Martello Tower and on the granite cliff at south-west point on Lundy Island). There will also be a ‘Golden Weekend’ (16th-17th May 2015) when 50 Landmark properties will be open to the public. These will include the Clytha Castle near Raglan and Field House (a gracious Cotswold farmhouse) near Minchinhampton, Stroud. More details on this fine organisation are available at: http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk Here be dragons! - A HISTORY OF MAPS & MAP-MAKERS: Although Lee Hines, a learned past chairman of LDHS, claimed not to be expert in her subject matter she could have easily fooled the enthralled audience. This was an excellent lecture on a wonderfully engaging topic and those who braved the awful November weather were very warmly rewarded. The audience are all now highly envious of Lee’s extensive collection of historic maps, many on show during the evening. I shall have to try and get my Ogilby map back from my ex-wife! We can all chuckle over the problems caused by GPS today but we would do well to recognise that an over-reliance on technology can have a downside….. LDHS AGM (25th March 2015):

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 28 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS Please don’t forget that to accompany our formal AGM in March we will also be looking at anniversaries falling during 2015 (e.g. Waterloo 1815, Magna Carta 1215, WW2 ending 1945, Gallipoli 1915 et al). Why not pick an anniversary yourself and compose a 3 minute resume covering its historical importance? There is plenty of time to plan and research your chosen anniversary. We hope to have a very informative time for the audience post-AGM! OUR AUTUMN PROGRAMME: CHRISTMAS SOCIAL with the ROSS PENYARD SINGERS (Wednesday 3rd December) If you have not yet purchased your tickets these are still available from any committee member at £5 per head. On the evening, you will be greeted by mulled wine and enjoy a festive performance from the highly-rated Ross Penyard Singers. A quiz will also be available to test your knowledge of world history with a prize for the winning team. Do come along on the 3rd! THE LDHS SPRING 2015 PROGRAMME: Our speaker programme kicks off again in February! JOHN PUTLEY ‘THIS BAND OF BROTHERS’ (Wednesday, 4th February) John Putley will return in full period dress as a soldier fighting in the Wars of the Roses! Those of you who attended John’s previous talks as a Roman medicus and a Tudor barber-surgeon will know exactly what is in store. A talk definitely not to be missed! PENNY PLATTS ‘A HISTORY OF HEREFORD’ (Wednesday, 11th February) Back by popular demand although this is the lecture Penny should have given earlier in last year’s programme but for the extreme weather and a power cut. Penny is a first-class lecturer, a working tour-guide in Hereford and an award winning photographer. In the absence of any further climatic intervention, this is bound to be another highly entertaining evening!

DORIAN OSBORNE ‘THE EAST LONDON GROUP OF ARTISTS’ (Wednesday 25th February) We are delighted that Dorian, whose father Cecil was a member of this inter-war group, has agreed to speak to us on this truly fascinating topic. This was a group of amateur artists from all walks of life who were mentored by Walter Sickert. Their innovative works were subsequently displayed in the Tate Gallery and the Biennale in the late 1930s. The retrospective exhibition held in 2014 received top-billing from the UK media! Looking forward even farther ahead to Wednesday, 22nd April 2015 this will be the first of our outside visits. Please note that David Harrison will be our tour guide following the ‘Monmouth Trail’ and re-living the life of some famous C19th Chartists.

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OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

LONDON CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: In case you were wondering, this year’s lights in Regent are themed around the film 'Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb’ but Bond Street and Covent Garden are always worth a special visit too. Oxford Street will sparkle for a 55th year along its full length and it boasts 1778 glowing white orbs. These decorations were used last year too. At least it is not a repeat of the Marmite theme from 2012! I note ‘The Independent’ is promoting the Rembrandt exhibition at the National Gallery as its top arts entertainment this Christmas. ‘This is the no-nonsense blockbuster historical show we have been waiting for’ and it runs until the 18th January. It is also included in the latest list of the top Yuletide recommendations from the ArtFund (as so often dominated by exhibitions in London!):- BRITISH MUSEUM: ‘MING: 50 YEARS THAT CHANGED CHINA’ MUSEUM OF LONDON: ‘SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE MAN WHO NEVER LIVED AND WILL NEVER DIE’ NATIONAL GALLERY: ‘REMBRANDT: THE LATE WORKS’ NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM: ‘WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2014’ NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY: ‘ANARCHY & BEAUTY: WILLIAM MORRIS AND HIS LEGACY 1860-1960’ TATE BRITAIN: ‘LATE TURNER-PAINTING SET FREE’ V&A: ‘CONSTABLE: THE MAKING OF A MASTER’ ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM (OXFORD): ‘WILLIAM BLAKE: APPRENTICE AND MASTER’ HEREFORDSHIRE ARCHIVE ONLINE: If it looks a bit iffy outside and Jack Frost has been around, stay in the warm and look at http://www.herefordshirehistory.org.uk . In particular, cast your eyes over the Great War editions of the Ross Gazette and Hereford Times. Hours of enlightenment on life a century ago for free…… For those connoisseurs of real ale, I must add THE ALMA . Graham and Lyn will be moving off to Dorset at the end of January. Change is inevitable for this local watering hole. Please make the most of your last Festive opportunity to sample the delights of this CAMRA award winning pub!

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LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER Number: 11 18th January 2014

May I wish all our regular readers

A Very Happy And Prosperous New Year! It appears that Christmas, and indeed 2014, has flown past. After our Winter break, this newsletter is primarily to remind you that our Spring lecture programme kicks off on Wednesday, 4th February. It does, however, also give me an opportunity to raise some topical items of general historical and political interest I suspect that the General Election to be held on 7th May will dominate the news media in the months ahead. Whilst the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act 2011 decided the date of the election, it is the new Electoral Registration and Administration Act that has lengthened the general election timetable from 17 to 25 business days. Making allowance for the Easter and Spring Bank Holidays, the dissolution of Parliament will now take place on 30th March 2015. This is some five and a half weeks before polling day! In many ways, of course, the election has already begun. Pensioner Bonds, for example, are a near brazen attempt by the government to buy the votes of the over 65s. Another hung Parliament looks on the cards but who will be the new deputy Prime Minister? Alex Salmon, Nigel Farage? Will the Lib Dems suffer annihilation at the hands of the British electorate? Could the loss of many of their traditional supporters be Armageddon for both David Cameron and Ed Milliband? Who will get the ‘protest vote’? Only time will tell….. I do hope that many of you managed to see some of the excellent exhibitions staged up and down the country over the festive period. For me ‘MING: 50 YEARS THAT CHANGED CHINA’ at the British Museum and ‘REMBRANDT: THE LATE WORKS’ at the National gallery were highlights. However, I can also thoroughly recommend ‘THE REAL TUDORS’ which will continue to run at the National Portrait Gallery until 1st March (see the ‘Out & About’ section). The many portraits of the wife- crazy Henry VIII and the jewel strewn Elizabeth I are simply stupendous. When it comes to the turbulent history of our Kings and Queens, and the volume of artefacts from their reigns available for display, it is clear that the Brits lead the world much to the delight of those involved in our tourist industry. Sadly, the world has not been at peace and the Ebola virus continues to ravage west Africa. I feel sure that had Ebola been endemic to the developed world, a vaccine would have been available long ago. The news of a terrorist outrage in Paris has again raised racial and religious tensions across the globe. Free speech is important but should we goad our targets? I am sure any extra-terrestrial life form looking down on earth would be amazed at the number of religions that have evolved at the top of the food chain and go on to express deep concern at the hate that often surfaces when there is inter-action between the various followers. Mankind has made terrific scientific advances over the last century but as individuals it appears

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 31 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS progress can easily be negated by aggressive religious intolerance or excessive capitalistic greed. As a species, exploitation of the weak and general xenophobia appears to have abounded in the 21st century not brotherly love. Will it ever change? My favourite TV program in recent weeks has been Dr Neil Oliver and BBC2’s SACRED WONDERS OF BRITAIN. In particular, he visited the Ring of Brodgar on Orkney - a mystical place I last visited in 2007. Oliver believes that the new findings on the Ness of Brodgar represent the most significant archaeological discovery of his lifetime! In an uncomplicated prehistoric landscape of jagged peaks and a network of small islands we now know that the holy site at Brodgar developed on what was then a narrow isthmus of land. Here Neolithic man could marvel at the beauty of the land, sea and sky. It appears that separate communities from across Orkney each dragged and rafted stone from their local quarries to build a simple hall (or temple?) for themselves near the circle of standing stones. We can speculate that this was Neolithic man trying to understand the cycle of life and to establish a working relationship with God and the environment. With life and death dependent on the whim of the weather surely this is human spirituality in its most basic form? The cynic tells me that by the time Stonehenge and the Pyramids arrived (5,000 BP’ish) such spirituality had been corrupted by wealth differentiation with political power controlled by individuals or their families adapting religious beliefs to meet their own needs. Politics and religion have been closely intertwined ever since with female bishops in the Church of England just the latest clash of human wills as factions strive for dominance. In case you are asking, I am still an agnostic. I have found that walking down Woodend Lane on a dark night and looking up at the majesty of the heavens is the best deterrent to fight off any thoughts of atheism. MAGNA CARTA: News has reached me that I have not been successful in the ‘Magna Carta Unification Ballot’ organised by the British Library to help celebrate the 800th anniversary. If you entered and won a ticket to see all 4 surviving copies on private display at the British Library in March do please let me know! Please note that the four original Magna Carta manuscripts will go on separate display in major exhibitions at the British Library, Salisbury Cathedral and Lincoln Cathedral during 2015. The outline details are as follows: BRITISH LIBRARY: ‘Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy’ from 13th March 2015. This features the British Library’s two original Magna Carta manuscripts. ‘This once- in-a-lifetime exhibition will explore the history and significance of this globally- recognised document, from its medieval origins through to what it has come to mean today.’ SALISBURY CATHEDRAL: ‘Magna Carta: Spirit of Justice, Power of Words’ from late February 2015. This exhibition will present the cathedral’s original 1215 Magna Carta manuscript in its historic context covering the struggle between King John and his barons and the legacy of Magna Carta today. LINCOLN CATHEDRAL: ‘Magna Carta: Power, Justice and Accountability’ from 1 April 2015.

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Lincoln Cathedral's Magna Carta will take pride of place in a new £22M state-of-the- art visitor centre. ‘Working in partnership with Lincoln Castle, its Magna Carta, Charter of the Forest and a related loan document will be on display in the Magna Carta vault with a double-height 'wall of word’ (whatever that might be!). Please don’t forget to read the book ‘1215: The Year of Magna Carta’ by Danny Danziger and John Gillingham. The price for second hand copies has increased since my original recommendation but is still available from Amazon from £1.48 plus £2.80 postage NOW FOR OUR SPRING PROGRAMME JOHN PUTLEY ‘THIS BAND OF BROTHERS’ (Wednesday, 4th February) I am delighted that our 2015 programme kicks off with John Putley. He will return in full period dress as a soldier fighting in the Wars of the Roses! Those of you who attended John’s previous talks as a Roman medicus and a Tudor barber-surgeon will know exactly what is in store. Pitched battles were no place for the squeamish. The term ‘Wars of the Roses’ was, of course, a Victorian invention for this most troubled time when success ebbed and flowed for all the main protagonists. Whilst Yorkists did have a white rose emblem it was left to the Tudors to promote the idea of a Lancastrian red rose to give greater credence to Henry VII and their Tudor rose as a merger of England’s two royal houses. Contemporaries would also not have recognised Bosworth Field as the end of the conflict as regular uprisings, supporting Plantagenet claimants, continued well into the following century. This is a talk definitely not to be missed! I attach a poster. It would be greatly appreciated if you could display the poster in a prominent place for the next few weeks. Please remember that full time students can attend for FREE! PENNY PLATTS ‘A HISTORY OF HEREFORD’ (Wednesday, 11th February) Back by popular demand. This is the lecture Penny should have given earlier in last year’s programme but for the extreme weather and a power cut in central Linton. Penny is a first-class lecturer, a working tour-guide in Hereford and an award winning photographer. Her slides are always top-notch. In the absence of any further extremes of climate or a threat from local volcanic activity, this is bound to be another highly informative evening! DORIAN OSBORNE ‘THE EAST LONDON GROUP OF ARTISTS’ (Wednesday 25th February) Dorian’s father Cecil was a member of this inter-war artists group based around Bow and Bethnal Green. It was a group of amateur artists fascinatingly drawn from all walks of London life. They were famously mentored by Walter Sickert. Their innovative works were highly regarded at the time and subsequently displayed in the Tate Gallery and the Biennale in Venice. The group was an early casualty of the outbreak of WW2 although many continued to paint as individuals after the war. The group was largely long forgotten but you may recall that a retrospective exhibition held last Summer at The Nunnery Gallery in London E3 received the highest accolades from across the UK media. We are delighted that Dorian has agreed to talk to us on this subject and to provide us with a unique insight into this historic group

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 33 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS and life in the ‘20s and ‘30s. This is a story to delight all lovers of British art and social historians. Please don’t forget that to accompany our formal AGM in March we will also be looking at anniversaries falling during 2015 (eg Waterloo 1815, Magna Carta 1215, Gallipoli 1915 et al). We would like as many members as possible to participate. Please pick an anniversary of your choice and then compose a 3 minute resume covering its historical importance for delivery on the night. With several months to go there is plenty of time to plan and research your chosen anniversary. We should have a very informative time for the audience post-AGM!

And looking forward even farther ahead, David Harrison will be our tour guide on Wednesday, 22nd April 2015 for our first outside visit of the season when we will follow the ‘Monmouth Trail’. We will re-live the lives of some famous C19th Chartists but also see the famous Monnow Bridge (dating from 1270) and the birthplace of Henry V in this historic border county town. Make a note in your diary now!

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON? WW1 THE DYMOCKS POETS COACH TOUR: A big thank you to Ginny James for forwarding details of this ‘daffodil’ trip running out of Ledbury on Tuesday, 31st March. Cost is £15 (including the coach fare). This will be an afternoon tour of the Dymock area, hopefully swathed in daffodils, and will be guided by Peter Arscott. It includes a visit to the exhibition in Dymock church. After tea at the village hall, David Jones will talk about the effect of the outbreak of war on the Dymock Poets. Coach leaves Ledbury Homebase at 12.45pm or the Market Hall at 1pm, and will return at approx. 5pm. Please note places are limited and If you wish to go please contact Jenny Silcock (01531 636594) as soon as possible. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY: -‘THE REAL TUDORS: KINGS AND QUEENS REDISCOVERED’ - This is a FREE exhibition only running until 1st March (when it leaves for Paris!). As the official blurb says: ‘This special display allows visitors to rediscover the well-known Tudor monarchs through the most complete presentation of their portraiture staged to date…… Works from the Gallery’s Collection are presented alongside exceptional loans and a prized possession of each monarch, as well as recent research undertaken as part of the Making Art in Tudor Britain project, to help visitors understand how and why such images were made. The search for a ‘real’ portrait of Lady Jane Grey in the sixteenth century is also explored through the display of a commemorative portrait of Jane that dates from the Elizabethan period.’ As stated previously, I thoroughly recommend a visit should you be in London in the next few weeks! BRITISH MUSEUM: -‘BONAPARTE AND THE BRITISH - PRINTS AND PROPAGANDA IN THE AGE OF NAPOLEON’ This is a FREE exhibition which opens on 5th February and will run until 16th August 2015. The exhibition focuses on the printed propaganda that either reviled or glorified Napoleon, on both sides of the English Channel. It also explores how his formidable career coincided with the peak of political satire as an art form. The exhibition includes works by British and French satirists. All were inspired by political and military tensions to exploit a new visual language combining caricature and traditional satire with the vigorous narrative introduced by Hogarth earlier in the century. 2015 is, of course, the 200th anniversary of Waterloo and the British Museum is recognising its significance with this most timely exhibition. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY:- ‘JOHN SINGER SARGENT - PORTRAITS OF ARTISTS AND FRIENDS’- This major exhibition opens on 12th February and will run until 25th May 2015.

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If you didn’t know: ‘John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was the greatest portrait painter of his generation. Acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic, he was closely connected to many of the other leading artists, writers, actors and musicians of the time. His portraits of these friends and contemporaries, including Auguste Rodin, Claude Monet and Robert Louis Stevenson, were rarely commissioned and allowed him to create more intimate and experimental works than was possible in his formal portraiture.’ The exhibition includes over seventy portraits covering Sargent’s time in London, Paris and Boston as well as his travels in the Italian and English countryside. Without doubt one of my favourite artists. Tickets are £14:50. THE ALMA- UPDATE:- The latest plans are that Graham and Lin will leave Linton on or around Monday, 16th February heading for a well-earned retirement in Dorset. A farewell evening is being held in the pub on Saturday, 7th February and this will now be combined with February’s ‘Music Night’ (normally held at The Alma on the first Thursday of each month). Howard Lower is co-ordinating a leaving present from the many grateful local drinkers. The Alma, with its roaring fire, has been an excellent hostelry for LDHS members wishing to partake of a post-meeting pint. Graham and Lin will be sorely missed! LINTON VILLAGE HALL: VALENTINE’S THEMED COFFEE MORNING Saturday, 14th February 10 am - 12 noon. Admission: £4.00 The revamped Village Hall website ( www.lintonvillage.com ) says “come and enjoy our delicious homemade heart-themed cakes and biscuits. ‘Feel the love’ with friends and loved ones.” Please support our LDHS venue. All monies raised are re-invested in improvements to the hall and experience says you are guaranteed to be royally fed and watered….. HEREFORDSHIRE ARCHIVE ONLINE: As the weather continues to be cold, wet and windy please don’t forget to log on and look at http://www.herefordshirehistory.org.uk . The photographic galleries are excellent and you can also read the Great War editions of the Ross Gazette and Hereford Times. Please let me know details if you read anything about Linton!

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LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER Number: 12 5th February 2015

Last Friday was the 50th anniversary of the state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill. Modern historians have been increasingly derogatory of his distinguished political career but even his biggest critics will agree that he was our greatest wartime Prime Minister. Sadly, most believe he went on far too long in office and his third ministry between 1951 and 1955 was a huge disappointment to the electorate. That being said, whatever his military failures (with the disastrous campaigns in Gallipoli and Norway to the fore) and economic disasters (returning Britain to the ‘gold standard’ at a fixed rate of $4.80 to the pound in 1925) today’s free world should be united and acknowledge the historical importance of his purple patch when Britain stood alone. Between the fall of France and December 1941, he galvanised Britain and her colonies with his energetic Pol Roger-fuelled leadership and splendid oration. We can also be very grateful for the English Channel! Although Winston has been called the Boris Johnson of his day, in 1940 he single- handedly led the fight against German aggression and the horrors of a cruel and barbaric Nazi regime. Holocaust Day should serve as a reminder to us all that the human species is capable of despicable acts. I still fear nuclear weapons getting into the wrong hands. Just one ‘dirty’ bomb - a so called ‘weapon of mass disruption’- exploding in the City could close central London for years. Incidentally, one of my earliest memories is playing football on the Leys recreation ground in Witney and seeing a Spitfire and Hurricane fly low overhead. It was the day Churchill was buried in nearby Bladon. We must wait until 2040 for the release of the ‘most secret’ official diaries and ministerial papers covering May and June 1940. One hundred years. Why the delay? By inference, it is clear that at the time of the Dunkirk evacuation many sympathies in the country were pro-Nazi (or at least very pro-British Empire). Circumstantial evidence already exists indicating that certain prominent individuals entered negotiations to reach an urgent, if treacherous, peace treaty with Adolf Hitler. The Royal family, including the then queen and her eldest son, and the land-owning aristocracy are implicated by association. Ummmnnn…..why did Rudolf Hess fly to Scotland in 1941? It is interesting the note that Churchill was not knighted until 1953, as part of QEII’s coronation celebrations, which is much in contrast to the knighthoods recently bestowed with far greater urgency on our sporting greats. Although it upset many Aussies, I was very pleased that the Australian PM, Tony Abbott, celebrated Australia Day (26th January) by announcing a knighthood for Prince Philip. At 93, I know he already has a shed-full of decorations with uniforms to match and is, of course, of Greek and Danish extraction but he has grown into the quintessential mad Englishman rousing the nation in this very PC world with his numerous faux pas. Rumour abounds that Prince Andrew was originally to receive this award but, alas, his lurid private life has let him down (alledgedly!). If there is a move to make Camilla our queen, why not a King Philip too?

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As expected, Magna Carta has been much in the news too. 43,000 people entered the ‘unification ballot’ held by the British Library. David Starkey has now provided a rigorous examination of its origin and historical importance in the BBC2 programme unimaginatively named ‘David Starkey’s Magna Carta’. (If you missed it see http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b05139m4/david-starkeys-magna-carta). Starkey confirmed long held views that, in essence, Magna Carta caused a civil war, did very little for the rights of the common man and in any event was redrawn in 1217 by Henry III with all the meaningful clauses withdrawn. With regard to our current freedoms and liberties perhaps we should look more to the 1689 Bill of Rights, passed in the wake of the Glorious Revolution, than this doomed piece of vellum from the reign of King John? My personal TV treat since the last newsletter has not been Wolf Hall (it’s too slow, plays with history upsetting our Catholic bishops and is a bit dark for me…..) but ‘The Restoration Man’ on Channel 4 with George Clarke. In particular, a couple have been renovating a dilapidated WW2 control tower at the former RNAS Fearn (or HMS Owl) some 25 miles NNE of Inverness. During the war this remote Scottish airfield was used by the Fleet Air Arm to train rookie crews flying Fairey Barracuda aircraft to drop torpedoes at mock naval targets in the nearby Moray Firth. My father was ex-Fleet Air Arm. Although only 19 when the war finished he had been taught to fly in Canada with the Empire Training School. Sub Lieutenant David Davies RNVR subsequently completed a course with 818 NAS (Naval Air Squadron) at HMS Owl in early 1945 before being despatched to the Pacific. I recall him pointing out the control tower when we sped up the A9 on holidays to Caithness in the 1970s. He had greatly disliked the ungainly Barracuda for all its handling vices and the threat to life it always poised on take-off. Very fortunately he never saw any active service spending VJ-day relaxing in the peaceful grandeur of Sydney harbour. This ‘Restoration Man’ episode is also memorable for some excellent coverage taken aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth as it nears completion in Rosyth dockyard. This new aircraft carrier is the Royal Navy’s largest ever ship and a passing salvo from Gordon Brown to boost local employment! It is destined to be completed long before its new strike aircraft- the F35 Lightning II - arrive. This ‘next-generation’ US-built strike fighter, has suffered from serious design flaws. Britain has currently bought three trial models of the jump jet version of the F35 with orders for more aircraft promised over the next few years, if MOD funds permit. 617 Squadron, better known as ‘the Dambusters’, should be the first operational RAF squadron. Flight trials with HMS Queen Elizabeth are planned but not before 2018. In due course, on paper at least, the Fleet Air Arm will form its own F35 squadron (809 NAS). Meantime, recent visitors to the Fleet Air Arm museum at Yeovilton will know that enthusiasts are attempting to rebuild a WW2 Barracuda from the pieces recovered from a number of wrecked aircraft across the land all lost in wartime on training missions. Although amazingly over 2,600 Barracudas were built, a record for a British naval aircraft, none of these have survived intact let alone airworthy. This rebuild is a long term project but when completed it will be a worthy addition to the famous aircraft on display at the Yeovilton museum. Sadly, too late for my Dad. If you don’t want to know the outcome of the renovation in the Restoration Man programme just yet please do not read the next line: With regard to the control tower renovation at Fearn, as is so often the case, it has gobbled up all available monies. Whilst complete on the exterior we must now await a follow-up C4

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 37 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS programme to see if the plans to complete the internal refurbishment will ever see fruition. JOHN PUTLEY ‘THIS BAND OF BROTHERS’ (Wednesday, 4th February) Our Spring programme kicked off with the return of our old friend John Putley as always regaled in period costume. This time he was a medieval foot soldier, dressed for battle and equipped with the gruesome tools of his trade. As is now the norm, he enthralled his audience with the accuracy of his portrayal and his knowledge of the period. Old Plantagenet rivalries surfaced with Howard Lower flying his Yorkist flag from the back of the hall! It goes without saying that we have booked John already for next year when he may come back as a highwayman……We do, of course, return to this period and the Wars of the Roses in our Founders’ Lecture on Wednesday, 18th March. John Reid’s talk is entitled "Margaret of Anjou-Harpy or Heroine?”. OUR FUTURE PROGRAMME PENNY PLATTS ‘A HISTORY OF HEREFORD’ (Wednesday, 11th February) Penny is a working tour-guide in Hereford and an award winning photographer. She has talked to LDHS in the past on a range of local topics and is now back by popular demand. On this occasion we will investigate the history of Hereford by taking a virtual tour along the banks of the and crossing Castle Green before entering the heart of the old city. This is a lecture not to be missed! DORIAN OSBORNE ‘THE EAST LONDON GROUP OF ARTISTS’ (Wednesday 25th February) LDHS is delighted that Dorian has agreed to give this talk about the inter-war artists group based around Bow and Bethnal Green in which his father was a prominent member. It was a group of some 100 amateur artists drawn from all walks of London life who were famously mentored by Walter Sickert. Their innovative works were subsequently displayed in the Tate Gallery and the Biennale in Venice in the 1930s but the group disappeared from sight at the outbreak of WW2. A retrospective exhibition held last Summer at The Nunnery Gallery in London E3 received top billing in the UK media. This is a unique story for all art lovers and social historians interested in C20th London.

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

“SOLDIERS OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE” MUSEUM For those out and about in downtown Glevum, just a reminder that this excellent military museum in (it is well signposted) is a good haunt for those not wishing to go shopping in Gloucester Quays! It also has a café. The Special Exhibition on ‘Recruiting for WW1’ will now remain until April. It does include some remarkable and moving photographs. The ‘Soldiers of the Month’ for February will be two Glosters from WWI. Joseph Harper- a Bristolian, who won a DCM in January 1915 with 1st Glosters at Givenchy- and William Hoadley -from Gloucester who fought with 2nd Glosters in early 1915 and was wounded. When he recovered he was posted to 7th Glosters and then killed

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 38 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS at Gallipoli. Future events at the museum will include a Battle of Waterloo exhibition which will run from April to September 2015. Admission is £4:75 for adults (with concessions for >60 years and students @ £3.75). Winter opening times are Tuesday – Saturday: 10am - 5pm (with last entry at 4pm). ROYAL ACADEMY For those London bound, the highly anticipated landmark exhibition ‘Rubens and His Legacy: Van Dyck to Cézanne’ opened on 24th January. It is well worth the trip! The exhibition explores Rubens’ career through themes, from lust to power, violence to poetry, and sees his masterpieces alongside the work of those he influenced- Picasso, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Delacroix plus many more! Tickets are £15. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY A note for the diary. The new ‘Wellington: Triumphs, Politics and Passions’ exhibition opens on 12th March. Admission is FREE. This is the first exhibition at the gallery devoted to the Duke of Wellington which, of course, marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo (18th June 1815). ‘The exhibition will illustrate the role of visual culture in creating the hero and includes a youthful portrait by John Hoppner, the iconic painting of Wellington by Goya and a daguerreotype photograph by Antoine Claudet taken on Wellington’s 75th birthday in 1844.’ BRITISH MUSEUM Another note for the diary! The ‘Defining beauty: the body in ancient Greek art’ exhibition will run from 26th March to 5th July. The official bumpf says: ‘Experience the brilliance and diversity of ancient Greek art in this major exhibition focusing on the human body. For centuries the ancient Greeks experimented with ways of representing the human body, both as an object of beauty and a bearer of meaning.’ The exhibition will feature over 120 objects including some of the most beautiful Greek sculpture to have survived from antiquity. Adult tickets are £16:50. THE ALMA As announced in the last newsletter, Graham and Lin will leave Linton on Monday, 16th February and speed off for a well-earned retirement in deepest Dorset. A farewell evening is being held in the pub this Saturday evening (7th February) to recognise the outstanding contribution made by Graham and Lin to Linton village life with a presentation due around 9pm. Their generosity over the years will be very difficult to replicate. For those of you wishing to start the celebration slightly earlier, the Six Nations Rugby Union championship kicks off at 8:05pm on Friday evening (6th February) with Wales vs England. Graham will be showing the match live in The Alma so why not grab a splendid pint (other drinks are available!) and enjoy the occasion with the benefit of a real country pub atmosphere. Can Wales beat an England “B” team……..? This game will soon be part of our sporting history.

LINTON VILLAGE HALL: VALENTINE’S THEMED COFFEE MORNING Saturday, 14th February 10 am - 12 noon. Admission: £4.00 ‘Come and enjoy our delicious homemade heart-themed cakes and biscuits’ says the revamped Village Hall website ( www.lintonvillage.com ) and if you can please do support this event at our LDHS venue. All monies raised are 100% re-invested in maintaining and improving the village hall.

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LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER Number: 13 18th February 2015

Later this year we will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. No doubt, crowds at air shows up and down the land will be delighted by the twirling flight overhead of a legendary Spitfire and Hurricane accompanied by the glorious sound of that Merlin engine. The defeat of the Luftwaffe in the long Summer of 1940 saved Britain from the threat of invasion but with hindsight it also proved the turning point of WW2. Out of general interest, and courtesy of the National Archives website, I have attached to this newsletter a copy of the minutes of a War Cabinet meeting that took place on 1st June 1940 during the tumultuous Dunkirk evacuation. In a few pages it provides a fascinating insight into the troubles of the time. The French, in particular, are slated by Gort. Our current EU partners live up to George W Bush Junior’s later assessment as ‘yellow-bellied, cheese eating surrender monkeys’! We should remember that Britain was facing its worst military humiliation in history with the BEF swept aside by the German blitzkrieg. Few expected the RAF capable of resisting the tide - but it did. Incidentally, the Heinkel He 113 mentioned in the text (page 342) was supposedly a very fast new Luftwaffe fighter. In reality, it only existed in Joseph Goebbel’s propaganda! The RAF was duped and reports of 113s being encountered and shot down persisted throughout the early years of WW2. Since Newsletter No.12 there have been a number of excellent history programmes on the TV and my SKY+ box has been working overtime. If only rival TV companies would not pitch their headline factual programmes against one another in the quest for ratings or advertising revenue! My top two programmes were THE MARY ROSE: A TIMEWATCH GUIDE with Dan Snow and MARY ARDEN: A TUDOR LIFE with Michael Wood on BBC2 and BBC4 respectively. In the former Dan Snow reports on the greatest maritime archaeology project in British history. Using 40 years of archive footage he showed how the Mary Rose was discovered, excavated and eventually raised combined with all the latest research on the ship and her crew. In my other choice, Michael Wood tells the story of Mary Arden, an ordinary woman in a time of revolution. Born during the reign of Henry VIII, Mary Arden was the daughter of a Warwickshire farmer. She subsequently married into a new life and the rising Tudor middle class in Stratford-upon-Avon. She had eight children, three of whom died young. Her husband became mayor only to be bankrupted by his shady business dealings. “Faced with financial ruin, religious persecution and power politics, the family is the glue that keeps them together until they are rescued by Mary's successful eldest son - William Shakespeare”! I found it all excellent viewing. Please note I do NOT include Wolf Hall although to my credit I have watched all the episodes. I suppose I am just not very good with period fiction and it drives me mad when an author plays with history to the detriment of the truth. Counter-factual fiction is fine if you change the names. Sir Thomas More deserves better! I suspect it will not be long before Hilary Mantel rewrites WW2 with Churchill the arch-villain and that nice Mr Hitler the long-suffering democrat and charity worker? I blame the

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 40 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS people who buy the books. On a brighter note (= reference to the £20,000 worth of candles burned during the making of Wolf Hall) I had the good fortune to be in London last week and took the opportunity to see the brand new SARGENT- Portraits of Artists and Friends exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Wow! This is a rare chance to see the works of a true master and to stare at the sheer opulence of the Victorian age. Acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic, he was an American, the publicity material declares with some justification that “John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was the greatest portrait painter of his generation”. The portraits of artists on display include his friends Claude Monet and Auguste Rodin. Please do not think it is just a recycling of Sargent’s pictures in the Tate and the National Gallery as their excellent examples are not included in this exhibition. Admission is £14.50 and well worth the investment! The exhibition runs until 25th May. I also found myself in Millbank and skipped lunch to visit the Tate Britain which boasts the world’s greatest collection of British art. I followed the “BP Walk through British Art” which starts in the 1540s. For lovers of history and art this should be a must for your “things to do list” if you are visiting London. Admission is FREE and you will see the work of every major British artist since the time of Henry VIII all displayed in a continuous timeline throughout the gallery. Please note that 2014 marks the 250th anniversary of the death of William Hogarth. Until 25th April Tate Britain will have on display all the works by Hogarth in the various Tate collections including his paintings, chalk drawings and prints. So much to see!!! On my way back to the City I detoured across a wind-swept Lambeth bridge to see the SOE memorial. This features a bust of Violette Szabo GC and stands opposite Lambeth Palace on the south bank. (Please see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3328261). As you may know, 5th February 2015 marked the 70th anniversary of her execution at Ravensbruck concentration camp. She was 23. Some 117 of the 470 Special Operations Executive agents sent into occupied France did not return and the scale of their sacrifice is rarely appreciated. As the memorial proudly declares, they were all brave volunteers and “their services were beyond the call of duty”. OUR FUTURE PROGRAMME: PENNY PLATTS ‘THE CITY OF HEREFORD REVEALED’ (Wednesday, 11th February) Back by popular demand Penny delivered, by all accounts, another excellent talk to a near packed village hall. Her knowledge of the history of Hereford is, of course, unsurpassed. Sadly, work commitments deprived me of the opportunity to see this lecture illustrated as usual with some of the speaker’s award winning photographs. I am delighted that Penny will be coming back to Linton in 2016 when she will be looking at the history of . IMPORTANT NEWS: For all those residents of Linton and environs please make a note in your diary to earmark the evening of Thursday, 4th June 2015 for a mystery speaker. This is not a LDHS event and full details concerning tickets will follow in the March edition of The Chimes. This will undoubtedly be the event of 2015 for Linton locals and one to tell your grandchildren. You will not be disappointed!!!!!

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DORIAN OSBORNE ‘THE EAST LONDON GROUP OF ARTISTS’ (Wednesday 25th February) A world premiere for Linton! This is the fascinating story of a group of highly talented amateur artists drawn from all walks of life that came to prominence in the 1930s but until very recently were largely forgotten. Based around Bow and Bethnal Green in the inter-war period they were subsequently mentored by Walter Sickert. At a time when modern art was to the fore, Sickert told his students to go out and simply paint the cityscapes and vistas that they saw. As such, their work is a historical record of pre-war London soon to be transformed for ever by the Blitz. Paintings by the group were displayed at the Tate Gallery and the Biennale in Venice. Sadly, the outbreak of war was to be the group’s nemesis although many went on to paint as individuals long into the post-war period. Cecil Osborne, father of our speaker, was a prominent member of the East London Group! Our talk on Wednesday, 25th February follows a retrospective exhibition ‘The East London Group of Artists 1928-1936’ held last Summer at The Nunnery Gallery in London E3. The exhibition received rave reviews in the UK media. This is a unique opportunity for all social historians and art lovers to hear about our rich cultural heritage and inter-war London. DAVID ALDRED ‘IN SEARCH OF WINCHCOMBE’S LOST ABBEY’ (Wednesday 4th March) We welcome back David Aldred to Linton following his earlier lecture in 2013 on Hailes Abbey. A history teacher by profession, David is now a very well-known speaker on the Gloucestershire Local History Association circuit. For those of you who don’t know Winchcombe it is a small town fitting snuggly to the east of Cleeve Hill. Winchcombe was once the capital of Mercia. The now vanished Benedictine abbey was founded in 798 AD for three hundred monks! In its heyday, Winchcombe Abbey owned 25,300 acres of prime agricultural land and lots of sheep. With the dissolution it was surrendered to the Crown and demolished in 1539. In his talk, David will explore the tragic history of the abbey. He will also look at the evidence left in the town by the many pilgrims who crossed the country to visit this grandest of religious sites. This is practical medieval history! Please note that on Saturday 16th May Anne Palmer has organised an official LDHS outing to the Cotswolds and will visit Winchcombe in the morning and Hailes Abbey in the afternoon. David Aldred will be our guide!

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

Well I hope you have already got the National Portrait Gallery and Tate Britain on your list? HAYNES MOTOR MUSEUM This is Britain’s biggest motor museum with more than 400 cars and motorbikes! The Haynes International Motor Museum at Sparkford, near Yeovil is tucked away next to the busy A303. The museum was originally opened in 1985 by John Haynes, founder of Haynes Publishing Group, who hoped it would run alongside his workshop manual business.

To all petrol-heads what’s on show is impressive representing motoring from the 1800s

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 42 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS right up to the present day. The American Collection packs all the muscle cars from the early 20th century onwards while the Vroom Room features a number of supercars. The MG and Morris Garage pays suitable homage to some classic models in British motoring history. The Red Room is a hall of red racers including cars driven by Michael Schumacher and Stirling Moss! Admission £13.95 (adult), £8.25 (children). Open every day 9:30am - 4:30pm. STOKESAY CASTLE (English Heritage) As the publicity blurb says, Stokesay Castle is quite simply the finest and best preserved fortified medieval manor house in England. Set in peaceful countryside just off the A49 near Craven Arms on the Welsh border, the castle, timber-framed gatehouse and parish church deliver an unforgetable view of the past. Lawrence of Ludlow, a wealthy local wool-merchant wishing to set up as a country gentleman, bought the property in 1281 just as the long Anglo-Welsh wars were ending. He thought it safe to raise here one of the first fortified manor houses in England, 'builded like a castle' for effect but lit by large domestic-style windows. Extensive recent tree-ring dating confirms that Lawrence had completed virtually all of the still surviving house by 1291, using the same team of carpenters throughout. More remarkably, the dating also revealed that it has scarcely been altered since…… Why not make the most of the recent fall in petrol prices with a Sunday afternoon drive to Stokesay??? Winter opening hours will run until 30th March: Saturday and Sunday only from 10am-4pm. Admission ticket: £6:40 (adult) & £16.60 (family- 2 adults and 3 children). TEWKESBURY ABBEY For those of you who walk along Linton ridge, the tower glinting in the sunlight to the right of Bredon Hill is Tewkesbury Abbey some 16 miles distant as the crow flies. Pevsner called it ‘probably the largest and finest Romanesque tower in England’. If you have never visited the interior of this splendid abbey you have missed an architectural treat! Built to house Benedictine monks, the Norman Abbey was near completion when consecrated in 1121. Embellishments to the long nave roof and the chancel were made in the first half of the 14th century in the ‘Decorated’ style. It was the scene, of course, of a gory execution after the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. Post-dissolution most of the claustral buildings and the Lady Chapel were quarried for their materials but the Abbey Church was sold to the parishioners for £453! Entry is free but visitors are asked to leave a donation towards the upkeep of the Abbey. It is well worth the trip….. ‘RUMBLE IN THE JUMBLE’ SALE Saturday 14th March @ 2pm This annual event held in Linton Village Hall draws discerning buyers from across the area such is its reputation for the merchandise on offer. The ‘Rumble in the Jumble’ is the top money raising event for our LDHS venue, helping to keep the building in fine fettle, so please donate any unwanted items (eg clothing, bric-a-brac) to this most worthy cause. For further information please call 0758 5663 138. More locally: KEMPLEY DAFFODIL WEEKEND Weekend of 14th & 15th March This is the 40th anniversary weekend! Kempley village hall will host teas and refreshments, stalls and walking tours! Every 20-30 minutes the Daff'n'Ride bus (with disabled access) will motor around the local Golden Triangle area bringing everyone back to the car parking at the village hall. St Edward’s Church will also display a free exhibition on the war memorial - ‘The Nine Sons of Kempley’’. All are asked to “come and enjoy a free day out

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 43 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS and contribute what you can”! [For those asking, the England vs Scotland “Six Nations” rugby match kicks off at 5pm on Saturday 14th March] And a note for the diary: ‘THE TRAVELLING MUSIC HALL’ Friday 24th April @ 7:30pm for 8pm The Linton Village Hall Committee has recently announced a series of occasional monthly music events featuring local musicians and performers. The first is ‘The Travelling Music Hall’. We are promised a fun-filled evening of old-fashioned variety music hall entertainment including tunes, ballads, comic songs, scrumpy and western, traditional monologues, and flashes of magic! Refreshments and a bar will be available. Tickets are £6. ……. and more musical events are planned for May and August!

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LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER Number: 14 18th February 2015

******************* Earth Hour ********************* Saturday, 28th March from 8:30 to 9:30 PM The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) hopes that millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour to show a commitment to take action on climate change.

Even if sceptical about this subject why not support this initiative and spend a few minutes considering the future of our planet and the environment our children’s children’s children*** will inherit?

When the Pilgrim Fathers left for the New World in 1620 they believed England was becoming over populated with an estimated 4 million inhabitants. England alone now boasts a population of over 53 million with some 8.6 million Londoners. I wonder what Ross and Linton will look like in 2050? Will the landscape be lush, a swamp or wasteland?

[*** My words not the WWF’s. “To Our Children’s Children’s Children” was the title given to a Moody Blues album issued in late 1969 said to be inspired by the moon landing with a “distinct psychedelic influence”. ]

In a similar vein, and as a keen geo-historian, can I please commend to you a programme ‘CLIMATE CHANGE BY NUMBERS’ to be shown on BBC 4 TV on Monday, 2nd March at 9pm. As the official BBC press release says: “At the heart of the climate change debate is a paradox - we've never had more information about our changing climate, yet surveys show that the public are, if anything, getting less sure they understand what's going on. This programme aims to remedy that, with a new perspective on the whole subject….. it hones in on just three key numbers that clarify all the important questions around climate change. The three numbers are: • 0.85 degrees (the amount of warming the planet has undergone since 1880) • 95 per cent (the degree of certainty climate scientists have that at least half the recent warming is man-made) • 1 trillion tonnes (the total amount of carbon we can afford to burn - ever - in order to stay below 'dangerous levels' of climate change) Understanding how scientists came up with these three numbers gives a unique perspective on what we know about the past, present and future of our changing climate.”

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Climate change is, of course, nothing new. Those travelling along the A40 between Ross and Weston-under-Penyard can see where the ice sheets rested on Penyard Hill some 10,000 years ago. Glacial till from the last ice retreat can also be found deposited in many fields around Linton. We could still be in an inter-glacial (or a shorter inter-stadial) period ……. Whilst listening to ‘Farming Today’ on BBC R4, at some unearthly hour, I have learned that scientists have discovered ancient wheat DNA in an underwater archaeological site off the Isle of Wight. The wheat DNA appears in 8,000 year-old Mesolithic sediment cores at Bouldnor Cliff near Yarmouth on the Solent. Why is this important? The find shows English hunter-gatherers must have traded with continental wheat farmers at least 2,000 years before archaeologists thought agriculture came to Britain! The discovery turns on its head the idea that Neolithic farmers arrived en masse from the east around 6,000BP and started a revolution in Britain by cultivating crops. When the wheat DNA was deposited at Bouldnor Cliff, the English Channel had yet to be formed by melting glaciers and Britain was still connected to mainland Europe! This week I thought we might have got a focus on books:- WHAT IS THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE BOOK? I was surprised to learn that this is the Bay Psalm Book printed in 1640, which sold at a Sotheby’s auction for £8.8 million ($14.2 million) in November 2013. The Bay Psalm Book was the first book printed in what became the United States and hence its great value. Such psalters have been produced since medieval times and usually can be illuminated with miniatures and decorated initials. The Bay Psalm Book, however, has little decoration with its psalms are simply translated into English from the original Hebrew text. Leading early scholars and ministers of colonial New England - John Cotton, Richard Mather and John Eliot among them - helped to produce the book on a press sent, along with paper and type, from England by a Stephen Daye, an indentured locksmith. The auction firm had been over-optimistic and estimated the sale price even higher at between £9 million and £18 million! The psalter was purchased by financer and philanthropist David Rubenstein. A short video is available from Abebooks on the link:- http://www.abebooks.co.uk/books/RareBooks/worlds-most-expensive-book/bay- psalm.shtml?cm_mmc=nl-_-nl-_-UPrpt08-h00-baypalAH-121214TG-_- 01cta&abersp=1#video

Incidentally, the world's most expensive paper document is Leonardo da Vinci's journal, Codex Leicester, which sold for £19.1 million ($30.8 million) in 1994! ‘MONARCHY & THE BOOK’ EXHIBITION at Lanhydrock, Cornwall A fire damaged book originally published in 1495, and which formed part of the evidence Henry VIII and his lawyers gathered in the 1530s to help win an annulment from Catherine of Aragon, has amazingly turned up in the old library at Lanhydrock, a National Trust mansion near Bodmin in Cornwall.

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The book is a summary of the theories of the medieval philosopher and theologian William of Ockham. The fly-leaf still carries the number 282 which corresponds with an inventory taken in 1542 of the most important of Henry’s books. Ockham wrote in Latin on the limits of the power of the pope and the independence of the authority of monarchs. Several pages in the book have key passages marked by secretaries for Henry’s attention, including one crucial section with a heading which translates as: “When it is permitted to withdraw from obedience to the pope”! In the 17th century, when many books were sold off from the royal collection, it was acquired by the Cornish scholar and chaplain, Hannibal Gamon. It transpires, he bequeathed the book to his friend John Robartes, first Earl of Radnor, who lived at Lanhydrock. The book will now be displayed in a new exhibition, ‘Monarchy and the Book’, when Lanhydrock reopens to the public on 1st March. It will run until November. Incidentally, those of you who greatly enjoyed Wolf Hall may have been surprised by my curt renunciation of Hilary Mantel’s approach to historical fiction. Just to say that famed historian Anthony Beevor has now expressly supported my viewpoint in the Daily Mail similarly denouncing her methods in twisting history. So that’s two against the rest of you. ‘MAGNA CARTA: LAW, LIBERTY, LEGACY’ King John is, of course, buried in Worcester Cathedral. However, those of you visiting the British Library this Spring to see the ‘Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy’ exhibition will now be able to see King John’s thumb and two of his teeth too! Apparently, in 1797 an antiquarian made a study of the body and members of the public simply helped themselves to parts of the skeleton. The thumb was returned to the cathedral in 1957. As the British Library press release enthuses at least the exhibition now has the remains of someone who was at Runnymede in 1215. However, it seems a bit too gruesome for me. *****ANNIVERSARIES***** Please don’t forget that we will be taking a look at anniversaries following this year’s AGM on Wednesday, 25th March. Incidentally, last Monday (23rd February) saw the 330th anniversary of the birth of George Frederick Handel (born Georg Friedrich Händel) in 1685. This British Baroque composer, although German born, spent the bulk of his career in London. On 26th February 1935, 80 years ago, a Heyford bomber flying in the main beam of a BBC short-wave transmitter sent back reflected signals to the ground, winning Robert Watson-Watt government approval to develop radar technology. The rest is history. *****TV HIGHLIGHTS***** The highlight of my TV viewing over the last week or so was Dr Janina Ramirez and ‘SAINTS & SINNERS: Britain’s Millennium of Monasteries’ on BBC 4 TV. As regular readers of this newsletter will know I am no theologian but I do enjoy programmes focusing on political and religious history as the two are so often intertwined. In the first of a three part series Dr Ramirez (in a number of fetching outfits to rival Bettany Hughes?) explored how monasteries evolved from a cult of extreme isolation and self-deprivation into powerhouses of Anglo-Saxon art, industry and learning. The “not plain-Janina” begins her journey on the desolate rock of Skellig St Michael off the S/W coast of Ireland and home to the oldest surviving

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 47 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS monastery in the British Isles. I last visited County Kerry and the Skelligs in 2003 and recall this was certainly living life on the edge with only the Atlantic swell for real company. Janina went on to contrast the early hermetic Irish-style monasticism in Anglo-Saxon with the later grand monasteries at Lindisfarne, Hexham and Whitby where a rival form of regimented, communal monasticism had been imported into Britain from Rome. In a holy struggle, Rome won. The victors would transform the culture and landscape of England until they too were destroyed by a new wave of barbarian invaders- the Vikings! As all the monks no doubt concluded, life doesn’t always give you the answer you want or deserve…… I am looking forward to seeing the second episode which now awaits me on my Sky+ box! DORIAN OSBORNE ‘THE EAST LONDON GROUP OF ARTISTS’ (Wednesday 25th February) We always aim to provide a varied and interesting speaker programme. Without doubt, in our meeting of 25th February we were treated to a unique insight into this very English school of art which had prospered in London in the inter-war years. Although the work of a group some 100 strong was not confined to London, for viewers today it does provide a wonderful record of the East End as it existed before the destruction of the Blitz. Famously, mentored by Walter Sickert, the group’s nemesis was the outbreak of WW2. Most surprisingly, although the East London group received in its time many top accolades and numerous wealthy patrons, it was very largely forgotten for some 70 years. However, a retrospective exhibition at the Bow Arts Centre in 2014 (which I attended!) following publication of David Buckman’s book ‘From Bow to Biennale’ has greatly renewed interest in all the artists. Another exhibition is now likely to be held in Southampton. Dorian’s father, Cecil, was the secretary of the group and from the pictures displayed he was clearly a very talented artist. We were very grateful to Dorian for bringing along some original paintings too! For one evening, Linton Village Hall was the focal point of new research shedding light on a movement now rightly assuming its place in the history of British art. OUR FUTURE PROGRAMME: RICHARD CANN ‘A HISTORY OF GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL’ (Wednesday 4th March) Following the late withdrawal of David Aldred due to ill health we are delighted to welcome back Gloucester-based historian, Richard Cann. He will be known to many of you as an expert on medieval stained glass. On this occasion, Richard’s talk will be entitled ‘Royal Connections: A brief history of Gloucester Cathedral’. By way of background, the cathedral was originally built as the abbey church. It consists of a Norman nucleus with additions in every style of Gothic architecture! Until 1541, Gloucester lay in the see of Worcester but the diocese now covers the greater part of Gloucestershire, with small parts of Herefordshire and Wiltshire. The cathedral has a stained glass window containing the earliest images of golf (some three centuries before the Scots claim to have invented the game……..). Gloucester Cathedral is an iconic building and a source of inspiration over the centuries irrespective of religious persuasion. This is a talk for everyone wanting to know more about the history of Gloucestershire’s most treasured possession.

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Please note that David Aldred still hopes to lead the official LDHS outing to the Cotswolds on Saturday 16th May. We will visit Winchcombe in the morning and Hailes Abbey in the afternoon. For more details on all our outings this Spring/Summer please see your LDHS programme card. Bookings are currently being taken! More information is available from Anne Palmer on 01989- 567252.

TONY CONDER ‘GLOUCESTERSHIRE RAILWAYS & DO YOU REMEMBER ADLESTROP?’ (Wednesday 11th March) Tony Conder returns by popular demand following his earlier talks on Gloucester docks and exploring Britain’s rich canal heritage from the air. His talk this time will be for all you steam buffs who dream of our railways in the halcyon year’s before Dr Beeching’s cuts. Tony will look specifically at the old railway network in Gloucestershire where Adlestrop is, of course, one of many stations that are no more (despite the poem of Edward Thomas!).

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

‘THE HEREFORDSHIRE SCHOOL OF SCULPTURE & ITS IMPACT’ Friday, 6th March 7:30pm Larruperz Centre in Ross Ross Arts Appreciation Society Tim Bridges will talk on this fascinating subject. Who has not marvelled at the delights of Kilpeck Church??? All are welcome. Visitors £4:50. More information from Sue Sharp 01432 840670. GLOUCESTERSHIRE & WARWICKSHIRE RAILWAY- ‘VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT FAIR’ Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd March Toddington Station GL54 5DT This is a chance to go behind the scenes and see what is on offer to anyone keen on volunteering to help restore this fine Cotswold railway. For more information please see www.gwsr.com . BRITISH MUSEUM - ‘Bonaparte and the British: Prints and Propaganda in the age of Napoleon’ Admission FREE and runs until 16th August 2015 The British Museum is open daily 10am - 5:30pm. If you are in London over the next few months please don’t miss this exhibition! It focuses on the splendid printed propaganda that either reviled or glorified Napoleon Bonaparte on both sides of the Channel. Napoleon’s rise to prominence coincided with the peak of political satire as an art form. Brilliant! Just a reminder of: KEMPLEY DAFFODIL WEEKEND Weekend of 14th & 15th March This is the 40th anniversary weekend and Kempley village hall will host teas and refreshments, stalls and walking tours! Every 20-30 minutes the Daff'n'Ride bus (with disabled access) will motor around the local Golden Triangle area bringing everyone back to the car parking at the village hall. St Edward’s Church will also display a free exhibition on the war memorial - ‘The Nine Sons of Kempley’’. All are asked to “come and enjoy a free day out and contribute what you can”!

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LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER Number: 15 11th March 2015

******************MICHAEL PALIN******************* There can only be one place to start in this edition with the fantastic news that none other than Michael Palin has agreed to talk in Linton on Thursday, 4th June in St Mary’s Church. Details have just been released in the March “Chimes”. “AN EVENING WITH MICHAEL PALIN” will start at 7:30pm and he will be talking specifically about his family’s history including, of course, his close links with Linton through his great-grandfather, Edward Palin. The latter was vicar of Linton from 1865 until 1903 and 2015 will therefore be the 150th anniversary of his appointment. Please note this is an opportunity to ‘Meet the Palins’ and definitely not a talk reminiscing about Monty Python. The audience will not see the return of the Spanish Inquisition but hear details of Michael’s latest research into his family. Monies raised will go to support St Mary’s Church. Tickets are £25 (including a buffet in Linton Village Hall after the talk). For tickets please don’t delay and contact Liz Denbigh on 01989 721014. Please note that the initial tranche of tickets will be restricted to residents of Linton and Bromsash or those with close connections to the village.

NEW PORTRAIT OF QUEEN: In case you missed it, the Royal Mint has unveiled a new coinage portrait of the Queen which will be in circulation from April. It shows a side profile of the 88-year-old monarch wearing the Royal Diamond Diadem crown that she wore during her coronation, and drop earrings. This is only the fifth definitive coin portrait to have been created during her 63-year reign. The previous four official portraits of the Queen appeared on coins in 1953, 1968, 1985 and 1998 respectively. Fate and luck always amuses me with the Royal Family. The Queen’s father was not born to be king and only became king when Edward VIII abdicated. However, his own father George V was not born to be king either! His older brother had died before he could inherit. This means we have been ruled by those not meant to rule over us for over a century………. MUSASHI (武蔵): This week SKY News has widely reported that the Microsoft co- founder, Paul Allen, and his research team have discovered the wreck of the battleship Musashi after eight years of scanning the sea bed. Hardly a house-hold name, the Musashi was the second ship of the Yamato class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy World in WW2. She and her sister ship, Yamato, were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed displacing 72,800 tons and armed with nine 18” guns. Laid down in 1942, and technologically very advanced, it

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 50 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS appears the Japanese ignored the key message from their own success at Pearl Harbour in that the aircraft carrier had replaced the battleship as the key capital vessel in a modern surface fleet. Indeed, the Musashi was sunk by American naval aircraft in the Battle of Leyte Gulf on 24th October 1944. It is estimated she received 19 torpedo and 17 bomb hits. Leyte Gulf is one of the biggest naval battles in history and ended in a decisive victory for the US Navy. Lest we forget, over half of the Musashi’s 2,400 crew perished along with dozens of valiant American naval flyers who carried out high risk dive-bombing and low level torpedo attacks through a hail of defensive fire. More information, including some excellent photographs of the Musashi, is available on the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Musashi CLARENCE BIRDSEYE: ‘Steve Wright in the Afternoon’ on BBC R2 has been discussing this famous old chap. Did you know………. Clarence Birdseye was born in 1886 in Brooklyn, New York. A taxidermist by trade, but a chef at heart, Clarence Birdseye wished his family could have fresh food all year. After observing the people of the Arctic preserving fresh fish and meat in barrels of sea water quickly frozen by the Arctic temperatures, he concluded that it was the rapid freezing in the extremely low temperatures that made food retain freshness when thawed and cooked months later. In 1923, with an investment of $7 for an electric fan, buckets of brine and cakes of ice, Birdseye invented and later perfected a system of packing fresh food into waxed cardboard boxes and flash- freezing under high pressure. The Goldman-Sachs Trading Corporation and the Postum Company (later the General Foods Corporation) bought Clarence Birdseye’s patents and trademarks in 1929 for $22 million. The first quick-frozen vegetables, fruits, seafoods and meat were sold to the public for the first time in 1930 in Springfield, Massachusetts, under the trade-name Birds Eye Frosted Foods®. Birds Eye frozen peas have been available in the UK since 1930 too! RICHARD CANN & ‘A BRIEF HISTORY OF GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL’: The late withdrawal of David Aldred demanded this change in our speaker programme. We are very grateful to Richard for both agreeing to speak at short notice but also for delivering such an excellent talk. Clearly, we benefitted from Richard’s long association with this majestic cathedral where he was once head chorister and is now a principal guide. His photographs were top notch, his detailed knowledge of the stained glass unrivalled and his understanding of the various periods of building highly illuminating - especially to those who have just viewed the cathedral from the busy ring-road! I aim to re-visit Gloucester Cathedral shortly……. MY FAVOURITE TV VIEWING: A relatively quiet week (too much work!) but I found the final episode of ITALY UNPACKED, now in its third series, as enthralling as ever. Andrew Graham-Dixon and chef Giorgio Locatelli continued their exploration of the Italian east coast travelling through the Veneto region from the Venice lagoon up to the WW1 battlefields on the Austrian border in the Alps. A splendid mixture of art history, fine architecture, rustic Italian food and fantastic views. What more could you ask of a travel programme? I hope you caught up with Dr Ramirez in ‘SAINTS & SINNERS: Britain’s Millennium of Monasteries’ on BBC4 TV? Was the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s inevitable? I think so.

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ANNIVERSARIES: 4th Mar 1890: The 125th anniversary of the opening by the Prince of Wales of the Forth Rail Bridge, the longest bridge in Britain (1,710 feet). On a far less happier note: 5 th March 1940: 75 years since six high-ranking members of Soviet politburo, including Joseph Stalin, sign an order for the execution of 25,700 Polish intelligentsia, including 14,700 Polish POWs. We know it today as the Katyn massacre. FINALLY…. To all you avid viewers of ‘Top Gear’, a curse on local resident Richard Hammond! Not only is his helicopter frightening the Field Fares and Redwings but I am finding everyone in the City is referring to residents of Herefordshire as “RS”. If you don’t know, Jeremy Clarkson says Bollitree-man Hammond is “RS”. It stands for rustic simpleton! Fortunately, my last minute proof check of a new business card spotted this addition by mischievous work colleagues who all collapsed with laughter when I pointed out the “error”…… In my youth, RS was synonymous with Ford competition vehicles and stood for Rallye Sport! OUR FUTURE PROGRAMME: TONY CONDER ‘GLOUCESTERSHIRE RAILWAYS AND DO YOU REMEMBER ADLESTROP’ (Wednesday 11th March) Following his earlier talks on Gloucester docks and exploring Britain’s rich canal heritage from the air, Tony Conder is returning by very popular demand. Tony will look specifically at the old railway network in Gloucestershire where Adlestrop is, of course, one of many stations that are no more. With steam trains galore, this is an evening of railway nostalgia. JOHN REID ‘THE 2015 FOUNDER’S LECTURE (Wednesday 18th March) MARGARET OF ANJOU John Reid has an outstanding reputation both as a speaker and as a career historian. What could be better than the subject matter of our annual Founders’ Lecture, the enigmatic Margaret of Anjou? She was Henry VI’s scheming queen during the turbulent times of the Wars of the Roses and saw her son slain in Tewkesbury Abbey by the rival forces of Edward IV. The Founders’ Lecture is always a highlight of our speaker programme and I can’t wait…….

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

DAVID STARKEY LECTURE ON ‘MAGNA CARTA’ The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury Tuesday, 30th June at 7:30pm I am very grateful to Lee Hines for forwarding details of this event which is bound to be a full house. Please book early! Tickets are £10.75 - £15.75. ‘TELLING STORIES OF THE GREAT WAR - ROSS & DISTRICT 1914-18’ The official launch of this exhibition will be held on Saturday 14th March at 10.30-11.30am in Ross Library. Admission is FREE.

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The exhibition will run in Ross Library from 10th March until 25th April. Material from the LDHS WW1 exhibition in St Mary’s Church has been lent to the Herefordshire Record Office for the display in Ross Library. LEIGH COURT BARN, LEIGH, WORCESTERSHIRE ENGLISH HERITAGE This amazing tithe barn can be found 5 miles west of Worcester on an unclassified road off the A4103. Opening hours are Thursday-Sunday 10am-4pm. Admission is FREE. I love old buildings and Leigh Court Barn was built in the early C14th to store produce for Pershore Abbey. It is the country’s largest cruck building being some 140’ long with 18 cruck blades, each made from a single oak tree. The shape of each cruck is determined by the oak tree from which it was sawn. The timbers are fixed with wooden pegs, not nails or screws. Radiocarbon dating places its construction about 1325. With the closure of the abbey in 1540, the farm passed into lay hands. Until relatively recently the need for large barns for storing and threshing grain remained unchanged and due to its size and sturdy construction, the barn has survived largely unaltered for almost 700 years. Wow! Well worth a visit next time you find yourself in Worcester….. ‘RUMBLE IN THE JUMBLE’ SALE Saturday 14th March @ 2pm As you may recall, the ‘Rumble in the Jumble’ is the top money raising event for our LDHS venue, helping to keep the building in fine fettle. Please donate any unwanted items (eg clothing, bric-a-brac) to this most worthy cause. For further information and collection of your items please call 0758 5663 138 or e-mail [email protected] . Refreshments are available on the day! A bit farther afield: ‘INVENTING IMPRESSIONISM’ National Gallery until 31st May Open daily 10am until 6pm Tickets £16 'Inventing Impressionism’ features 85 masterpieces from this artistic movement, all but one having passed through the hands of Paul Durand-Ruel, including three of Renoir’s famous 'Dances' and five from Monet’s 'Poplars’ series. "Without him we wouldn’t have survived" said Monet. So universally popular are the Impressionists today, it’s hard to imagine a time when they were not, but in the early 1870s they struggled. The one man who recognised their worth from the very beginning was Paul Durand-Ruel. He was an entrepreneurial art dealer from Paris and having discovered this group of young artists he dedicated the rest of his life to building an audience for their work, creating the modern art market in the process! Don’t miss it.

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LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY

NEWSLETTER Number: 16 18th March 2015

***************** JOHN REID **************** THE 2015 FOUNDERS’ LECTURE: ‘MARGARET OF ANJOU’ This year’s Founders’ Lecture takes place on Wednesday, 18th March in Linton Village Hall. We are very privileged to have a truly excellent speaker who is an acknowledged expert on this fascinating topic. John Reid’s lecture on Margaret of Anjou, the queen of Henry VI, will provide a direct insight into the politics of the Wars of the Roses and for the losers, the meaning of defeat. If Elizabeth I was the ‘Woman of the 16th Century’, her predecessor was undoubtedly Queen Margaret. A she-wolf in jackal’s clothing, her activities were central to English history in the 1400s. Please encourage family, neighbours and friends to attend. It all kicks off at 7:30pm in Linton Village Hall. All are very welcome! (And don’t forget all full time students can go FREE!)

With Easter nearly upon us, and only the AGM to go following our Founders’ Lecture, this will be the last LDHS newsletter this season. I hope you have enjoyed the varied content and the range of issues raised. My focus is normally writing for the specialist financial press so the LDHS newsletter is often a welcome release. By the time of the next issue we will have a new government following the General Election in May. The face of politics in Britain could be very different…….. As for Putin? I fear the worst. TALBOT’S WELL: As you may recall, 2015 is the 150th anniversary of Edward Palin being installed as the vicar of Linton. Furthermore, none other than Michael Palin is coming to Linton on Thursday, 4th June to speak to villagers in the church about his research into the Palin family history (see reminder in ‘Out & About’). Unsurprisingly, the history society wishes to recognise the 150th anniversary and Edward Palin wrote a poem called Talbot’s Well. The second verse reads: In Talbot’s Well o’ergrown with age: What thoughts the name suggesteth, How shift the scenes on nature’s stage, The stage how fair it resteth. Until 1962, Talbot’s Well on The Line (or lower Linton ridge!) was the main source of water for those living in Linton Hill. The immediate area is now officially a ‘village green’ in the ownership of Linton Parish Council. Sadly, although the hand-pump still exists, the well is indeed overgrown ‘with age’ and, in particular, by a dense cover of brambles. Following verbal permission from the parish council, LDHS will now co-

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 54 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS ordinate the tidying-up of Talbot’s Well by volunteers on Saturday, 21st March from 10am onwards. If you are free please come along, with your own gardening equipment, anytime on the day. Gloves are recommended! Restoring the appearance of the well to its former glory should be a fitting tribute to Linton’s most famous resident in such a landmark year. For more information give me a call on 0777 1812 793.

FUNERAL FOR A KING: It does seem a long time since 1485 (530 years to be precise) but there will be an internment of Richard III’s bones at Leicester Cathedral on 26th March. The body of the King had, of course, been in a shallow grave in a Leicester car park since the Battle of Bosworth. The discovery of the skeleton in the autumn of 2012 and the subsequent matching of DNA from the bones with descendants of the Plantagenet king's family caused a worldwide sensation. Richard’s skeleton had suffered ten injuries, including eight to the skull, at around the time of death. Two of the skull wounds were potentially fatal. He was 32 when he died. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, will be representing the Windsors (or should that be the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha’s? The family name of Windsor was only adopted on 17th July 1917 in order to deflect attention from their Bavarian roots during WW1). The internment will be shown live on Channel 4 causing a little consternation at the BBC. However, having invested in filming the excavation of the king’s remains, it appears C4 was always in pole position to win the TV rights. Jon Snow will host the event. An earlier programme on Richard III will be screened on C4 on Sunday, 22nd March. This will follow the monarch's courtege as it passes through the Leicestershire towns and villages Richard had visited when he was alive. If you wish to see more details please see the link: http://www.bosworthbattlefield.com . I wonder if all the pro-Tudor propaganda in Shakespeare’s plays may have influenced Buckingham Palace’s decision to send only a low ranking Royal to Leicester Cathedral?

TONY CONDER & ‘GLOUCESTERSHIRE RAILWAYS: Do you remember Adlestrop? What an excellent talk with some marvellous photographs taken in olden times across a county of many contrasts with the industrial Forest of Dean featuring prominently. Peter Attenborough’s opening rendition of Edward Thomas’s “Adlestrop” was also first rate. It was a trip down memory lane for me having lived in Witney (in Oxfordshire!) in the 1960s before moving to the Cotswolds and going to school in Stroud in the 1970s. Dr Beeching may have just been doing his job but the consequences were dire for rail commuters and train spotters. How quickly the English landscape has changed or should that be how quickly I have grown old? For next year, Tony will have a new talk looking at how canals responded to the threat posed by the railways. We are guaranteed lots more fantastic photos! MY FAVOURITE TV VIEWING: Unfortunately, the new MiFID-II (or the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) has been occupying most of my waking hours over the last week. I did, however, get to watch ‘NELSON IN HIS OWN WORDS’ on BBC2 with RSC actor Jonathan Slinger giving us a telling portrayal of our favourite Admiral. It is, of course, Nelson that hits the headlines before any World Cup with the media citing his most famous words “England Expects………”. I don’t think Nelson would have had much time for cricket but I feel sure he would have keel- hauled the current England team after their dismal display in the Antipodes!

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I had not appreciated that Horace Nelson, who later changed his name whilst in the Royal Navy to the far grander Horatio, was such a prolific letter writer. I recall being disappointed that letters from his wife now in the Nelson Museum in Monmouth had not been opened by the great man then infatuated with an ex-cortisan, Lady Hamilton. Human relationships are, of course, complex and love can prove only a transient experience. The evocative and timeless paintings by George Romney in the programme certainly showed why a man who had spent most of his life at sea was intent on catching up on lost time irrespective of the public scandal. It is a tragedy that Emma, mother of his daughter Horatia, should die shunned, penniless and alone in Calais. Slinger’s portrayal showed that there was far more to Nelson than his tag of Britain’s greatest naval hero. His devotion to duty is undoubted as his life proceeded with ever more bits of his body missing. I fear in today’s society he would have been labelled as disabled and pensioned off with a mobility scooter! However, Nelson saw his battle scars as a badge of honour and a billboard to the nation showing his personal sacrifice in defeating the French. However, in life’s ups and downs, he was quite ruthless in self-promotion. They say fortune favours the brave and Nelson’s strategies were always direct and unexpected. As Britons, we should be very pleased that this firebrand was on hand to defeat Napoleon’s navy. In another age, I wonder if his tactics might have earned him a reputation as being reckless with the lives of others? NELSON MUSEUM IN MONMOUTH: If you have not been there you may be surprised to learn that humble Monmouth is home to one of the best collections of Nelson memorabilia in the world. The link with the town goes back a long way as Nelson had visited the locality whilst surveying the Navy-sponsored forestry in the nearby Forest of Dean. The Nelson Garden at the rear of 18 Monnow Street was the venue of a tea party held to honour the then Lord Nelson in 1802. He proved the David Beckham of his day attracting a large and loyal following which continued long after his demise at Trafalgar in 1805. During her lifetime Lady Llangattock had been one such collector of “Nelsoniana” which in her case included a large quantity of personal letters originally in the possession of both Lady Nelson and Lady Hamilton. In 1923, her Nelson collection was bequeathed to Monmouth. The museum moved to its present premises, at the top of town in Priory Street, in 1969 when all the various Nelson material under municipal ownership was brought together under one roof. The centre piece of the collection is a number of blue leather volumes containing Nelson's letters to his wife from 1785 until 1800 with one containing Lady Nelson’s wedding ring in its cover. The museum is open daily all year, including Bank Holidays: Monday – Saturday 11.00am – 1.00pm & 2.00pm – 5.00pm Sundays 2.00pm – 5.00pm. Admission is FREE. Why not call in to this small museum next time you are travelling down the A40/A449 …… or, if you are going on the LDHS outing to follow the Monmouth Town Trail on Wednesday, 22nd April (with David Harrison) why not add the museum to your itinerary? Turning now to broadcasting history, did you watch the new version of POLDARK on BBC1 with Aidan Turner in the title role and Eleanor Tomlinson as Demelza? Turner was described by a female critic in The Times as “convincingly broken,

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 56 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS compellingly hunky” and this will probably make it top viewing for the ladies! I suspect that the earlier 1970s version, with Robin Ellis, will prove to be more faithful to the Winston Graham novels but n’er mind. The BBC TV’s last trip to Cornwall was for the disappointing ‘Jamaica Inn’, dubbed Mumble Motel in the papers. By comparison, I found Poldark a welcome addition to Sunday night viewing ending my weekend break nicely after the scripted chaos and razmatazz of Top Gear. I now find, of course, that the curse I placed on Richard Hammond in the last newsletter has proved more than effective. It appears that Top Gear will no longer be shown as the pugilist (or near-pugilist?) Jeremy Clarkson is suspended after a ‘fracas’ last week with a BBC producer in an argument over catering arrangements. Sounds like the antics from an old-style school canteen but it could be a stunt to boost viewer numbers and restore notoriety to the latest series? Personally, I think the BBC producer would do well to seek police protection and go into hiding. Meantime, I am sure Prince Philip will make himself available to stand-in for the Chipping Norton man ……. This Sunday, Top Gear will be replaced by a programme on the Red Arrows - the RAF’s amazing aerobatic display team. It just happens to be their 50th anniversary year after being founded in late 1964. Did you know anyone can request a display or flypast by the Team? The decision on where the Red Arrows perform is controlled by the Royal Air Force Events Team, based at RAF Northolt. Many flypasts are conducted by the team as they transit to and from the major airshows. They will be particularly busy on Battle of Britain Memorial Day on 12th July. This will mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain when the “Few” derailed the German Blitzkrieg and denied Hitler the conquest of Europe. Talking of……….. ANNIVERSARIES: 11th Mar 1985: 30th anniversary of Mohammed Al Fayed buying Harrods. 12th Mar 1935: 80th anniversary of the 30mph speed limit being introduced in built up areas. FINALLY…. We are very fortunate in having a number of members who regularly have given talks to the history society without charging a fee. Indeed, it is the monies raised at such lectures that boosts our limited budget and enables us to pay for the best outside speakers and to mount our own exhibitions. If you would like to give a talk on any history-related topic for inclusion in the LDHS 2015-16 speaker programme do please let me know. Don’t worry about the slides. Help is readily available to convert your material into a Powerpoint presentation. OUR FUTURE PROGRAMME: JOHN REID ‘THE 2015 FOUNDER’S LECTURE (Wednesday 18th March) MARGARET OF ANJOU Details, of course, adorn the opening paragraph of this newsletter. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING LDHS (Wednesday 25th March) starting at 7pm ‘to be followed by Richard Hoare and “2015 A Good Year for Anniversaries”)

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With our 2014-15 speaker programme complete it is time to finish our year with the obligatory AGM. Please note the AGM will start at 7pm and will, hopefully, conclude by about 7:30’ish. Richard Hoare, and others, will then take centre stage to look at “2015 Anniversaries”. Admission is FREE. Although we have a full schedule of outside visits we will not meet again in Linton Village Hall until Wednesday, 7th October when we will kick off with a local topic - ‘The History of The Alma’.

OUT & ABOUT: WHAT’S ON?

I hope you have already made a note about the Nelson Museum in Monmouth? And may even be considering a trip to the Bosworth battlefield? As Spring has arrived and fuel is cheaper than this time last year, I thought we might finish with some selected attractions over the border in south Wales:- CASTELL COCH Opening hours: 1st March - 30th June 2015 Daily 9.30am - 5.00pm Admission: £5.50 (Adult). Just a blitz down the A40/A449/M4 (Junction 32 & signposted) is Castell Coch (or Red Castle) immediately north of Cardiff. As you may know, Castell Coch is relatively modern and the by-product of a vivid Victorian imagination assisted by the untold wealth of John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, the 3rd Marquess of Bute. He was the King of South Wales coal. High Gothic was the order of the day and the ‘eccentric genius’ William Burges was given free rein by his paymaster to create a rural retreat to complement the opulence of his main residence, Cardiff Castle. It was finally completed in 1891, some decade after Burges had died. Now run by Cadw, you will see a fairy tale castle with dazzling ceilings, over-the-top furnishings and magnificent furniture. BLAENAVON IRONWORKS Another Cadw site but this World Heritage Site to the west of Pontypool (open daily from 10am-5pm) is FREE! When it was built in 1788 it was an integral part of Britain’s Industrial Revolution and at the cutting-edge of new technology. Here “charging” took place at the ‘furnace top’, with a mixture of coal, iron ore and limestone, before the “casting” of the molten metal in the yard below. The BBC television series ‘Coal House’ was filmed on site and thousands of visitors have now witnessed the tough existence of the working families that lived at the ironworks’ Stack Square cottages. Living and working conditions were essentially a boot camp but fortunes were made for the ironmasters. As you drive around the area you might recall the film ‘How Green Was My Valley’ based on the 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn. The pits may have closed in south Wales but the spoil tips and coal dust still dominate this bleak landscape. TRETOWER COURT & CASTLE Opening hours until 31st March: Friday and Saturday 10.00am - 4.00pm, Sunday 11.00am - 4.00pm (From 1st April - 1st November 2015 daily 10.00am - 5.00pm) Admission: £4.75 (Adult) I first visited Tretower Court on a school trip in the 1970s! For over 900 years this building has been altered, adjusted and adapted on each occasion keeping up with the style and tastes of the time. The Picards and the Vaughans who

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 58 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 1 NEWSLETTERS lived here were rich influential Welsh families and are considered by historians as the movers and shakers of their time. The sumptuous accommodation they created reflected their high status as Welsh gentry. When the Vaughans left in the C18th, Tretower Court became a working farm and sheep and geese replaced the lords and ladies. Today, Cadw has recreated a suite of rooms as they may have been in 1470 when the Vaughans were part of Welsh high society. As the official blurb says “experience C15th living at its best”. More locally and an urgent reminder: ‘AN EVENING WITH MICHAEL PALIN’ Thursday, 4th June in St Mary’s Church at 7:30pm. Tickets £25 (including buffet) This is NOT a LDHS organised event and for tickets you really must get your skates on and contact Liz Denbigh without delay on 01989 721014. All monies raised will go to support St Mary’s Church. Please note that the initial tranche of tickets will be restricted to residents of Linton and Bromsash or those with close connections to the village.

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2015 Founders Lecture: ‘Margaret of Anjou’ by John Reid

Presented on Wednesday 18th March 2015 at Linton Village Hall

Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England

Harpy or Heroine?

No Medieval queen of England has been more vilified, both by contemporaries and later historians, than Margaret of Anjou, leader of the Lancastrian faction during the Wars of the Roses 1455-71.

Taking their cue from Yorkist propagandists writing in the 1460s after the deposition of her husband Henry VI, Tudor commentators like Polydore Vergil, (1513), Edward Hall (1580), and especially William Shakespeare, portrayed the “She-Wolf” Margaret as vengeful, vicious, violent and implacable, almost solely to blame for the English loss of France, the Wars of the Roses, and the downfall of the corrupt and inept Lancastrian dynasty.

This portrayal of Margaret as a, “ cankered crocodile and subtle servant”, (Hall) an extremist partisan lacking judgement, albeit in more measured terms, has been substantially accepted by later authorities including titans of Medieval historiography as Stubbs (1878) and Tout (1904). Margaret’s biographer J.J. Bagley (1948) was also highly critical. Nor have female historians always been sympathetic. Anne Crawford (1981) indeed considered Margaret of Anjou to be, “an object lesson in how not to behave as Queen Consort.”

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A more nuanced evaluation of Margaret did appear in the works of Ralph Griffiths (1981) and A. J. Pollard (2000), while several women historians like P.A. Lee (1986), Diana Dunn (1995), Bonita Cron, Helen E. Maurer (both 2013), J.L. Laynesmith (2004), Lisa Hilton (2008) and Helen Castor (2010), have tried to redress the balance by emphasising the uniquely perilous problems this queen faced. There is no doubt that criticism has been more abusive of Margaret as a women who refused passively to accept Yorkist usurpation of royal power that she believed properly belonged to her husband and especially their son. There is, however, another tradition in the Margaret of Anjou story. Even her most vituperative critics grudgingly acknowledged Margaret’s indomitable tenacity and personal courage. Agnes Strickland (1840s), highlighted Margaret’s heroic response to adversity, but unsurprisingly, it is in her native France that the legend of the tragic and tireless mother has been popular. The apogee of this interpretation is, however, to be found in Meyerbeer’s rarely performed opera semiseria ‘Margherita d’Anjou’, first staged at La Scala Milan in 1820. Which of these portrayals of Queen Margaret is more accurate and just? Was Margaret of Anjou indeed a “She-Wolf”, a blood-spattered harpy? Or was she a tragic heroine who has been unjustly demonised merely for being a woman beset by unbearable problems, made a scapegoat for her feeble husband’s inability to rule and protect the rightful inheritance of their son?

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Chairman’s Lecture: ‘Linton Life in 1914’ By Fiona Morison

Presented on Wednesday 12th November 2014 at Linton Village Hall

Much of the information about Ross and the surrounding area comes from back copies of the Ross Gazette. This local newspaper gives us an impressive insight into life in a rural community on the brink of war in the summer of 1914.

What concerned and interested local people in the summer of 1914?

International issues included an article about radium treatment for cancer in Baltimore, the accidental injury to the Tsar’s sick son and the herring trade between Britain and Germany. In Germany, Prince Oscar the Kaiser’s model son, planned a morganatic marriage. Prince Henry of Prussia was to come to Great Britain on a state visit on 29th August 1914! The Tsarina was being comforted by Rasputin following an attempted revolution in Russia. The Chancellor of the Exchequer remarked on the cost of naval expenditure, backed by Winston Churchill. This was opposed by the Liberals led by David Lloyd George. Later in the year the Ross Gazette discusses taxation with reference to naval expenditure. Naval expenditure and exercises crop up in many issues. On 30th July 1914 the editor wrote, “Grave anxiety prevails with regard to the bellicose preparations in the Near East. Diplomatic relations between Austria and Serbia are broken off. The Serbian army has been mobilised. It is fervently hoped that hostilities will be localised and that conflict will not spread to other European countries. War fever, however, runs high in Vienna and Berlin.” Little did they know. The editorials made many references to the Empire. Good wishes were sent to overseas readers. In the paper is an article entitled Notes from Canada. Concern for the Empire is shown by articles about trade with South Africa, Newfoundland and Canada and a new Governor General appointed in Australia.

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Society in the Britain of 1914 was not fair and equal. In 1914 the average weekly wage was £1.40 and 5 million women worked. The school leaving age was 12. Life expectancy for women was 54, for men 50. The rich composed 1% of the population but owned 70% of the nation’s wealth. 1 in 20 people emigrated. Between 1904 and 1914 1.5.million men, women and children had emigrated to Canada. Of the 458,000 Canadian soldiers in the war, 50% had been born in Britain. Of national concern was the Irish Question, It was perceived that there could even be a civil war in Ulster. Ireland crops up in nearly every issue of the Ross Gazette. In July 1914 the editorial pleads that the government resolves this issue because it was obscuring all other issues of Empire. On 5th July 1914 a deputation of men from Herefordshire visited Ireland at the invitation of the Unionist Party. A Ross man, Mr. A. Dean was of the party and was shocked at the poverty he saw. He believed that the fault lay with the Dublin Corporation. If the Dublin Corporation could not deal with its own poverty, how could it rule Ireland? He also found the people to be under the thumbs of the priests. Upton Bishop held monthly meeting of local lodge of the National Conservative League at the Lodge Room Crow Hill. The issue under discussion was Home Rule for Ireland. Many women were fighting for the right to vote. Women’s Suffrage is mentioned in March 1914, when the king and queen were due to inspect firemen in Hyde Park. Such previous similar events had attracted the unwanted attention of the Suffragettes. Nationally there had been industrial unrest with severe disputes in the building industry. There was a building trade lock out and strike in January with 15,000 men protesting in Trafalgar Square. By March 1914 the Employers Federation with 6,000 members discussed another lockout after 20 weeks of industrial dispute. In July there was another demonstration in Trafalgar Square. On a more cheerful note, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s plans for the South Polar Expedition were published. Also the Air Race to Paris and return was held advising that a pilot could have luncheon in Paris and take tea in London.

National Social and Economic News.

The merits of electricity v. gas were debated in the Ross Gazette, reflecting a national interest in the new sources of energy. Because electricity was easier to switch off it was preferred. Ross Church was lit by electricity by 1914. National schemes were put forward by leading statesmen to improve conditions of the people. The Liberal Reforms of 1906-1914 were beginning to take effect. In the Midlands there was an outbreak of Swine Fever, Anthrax, Sheepscab and parasite mange - all had to be taken seriously in a rural community. The outbreak figures were collated by the Board of Agriculture. More locally, the Ross Gazette encouraged readers to support local industries, “thus helping to maintain good wages and contented workers”.

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Map made in 1891

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 64 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 3 2014 CHAIRMAN’S LECTURE LINTON LIFE IN 1914 What was Ross like on the eve of war in 1913/14?

Ross was a thriving retail, agricultural, business and commercial community with much variety. It had a population of 4,682 including 119 workhouse inmates. It had many shops and businesses and other commercial enterprises. There were many clothing retailers. For example, a shopper could buy clothing for hunting, riding and cycling from A.J. Kiddle, Market Place, Ross. and from T. Bannister and Co. 41 High Street Ross. Its telephone number 68. Bannisters sold overcoats, suits, shirts and underwear. Bunning and Sowersby advertised a huge winter sale of clothing “on account of the mildness of the early part of the season.” Messrs. Blake Bros. Ltd. Ironmongers was established in 1815 on the corner of what became Station Street. He sold appliances for lighting, heating and cooking, from cottage to castle. In Jan 1914 they sold off all their surplus stock to make room for new stock. This was a vast array of goods including lawn mowers and tinned paint. Blakes Ironmongers could also repair engines, boilers, agricultural machinery and implements. The store was in Station Street, the foundry on Broad Street and the agricultural implements depot bin the Cattle Market. E. Collins and Sons Smallbrook. Plumbers, water fitters, gasfitters and makers of sheet metal goods No town was complete without a pharmacy. At such a place the unwell could buy Horton’s “Benedict Pills” to cure anaemia. These were promoted by the Birmingham Hospital Dispensary – women could apply for a free sample. Also available was Que Rite for Rheumatism and Neuritis, Beechams Pills for stomach and a sluggish liver, Chlorodyne for asthma and Harrison’s Nursery Pomade to kill nits and vermin. J. Strange of 51 High Street sold fish, fruit, game and poultry. The shopper could go to Brown’s for seasonal fruit and nuts. Tunis dates were advertised in the early 1914. T.W. Purchas and Sons, was established in 1790, (Telephone 39), selling wine and spirit. Whisky cost 4/- a bottle against an agricultural labourer’s weekly wage of about 12 shillings. William Pulling and Co. were distillers of wine and spirits, bonded warehousemen and cider makers of Hereford and the High Street in Ross. Alton Court Brewery were brewers and sold beer and mineral waters Cars, motorbikes and bicycles could be seen in Ross, as well as many horse drawn vehicles. Passey and Hall Central Cycle Works traded on the Gloucester Road selling a black Sunbeam bike with 3 gears for £16. 16s. 0d, the Belsize for £225 and the Ford Poplar for £125. The Gazette carried a notice to all motorists – an advert for Oxygen Carbon Cleaner at a cost of 16/- at Barker and Casson Ltd. Automobile Engines Ross. Tel. 23 The rural life of south Herefordshire was dominated by agriculture in its many forms. Messrs. Cooper and Pearce of Albion Chambers, Market Place sold cattle, timber, sheep, pigs and cider equipment. Messrs. Dampier, Footitt and Bennett operated at Ross Stock Market selling cattle, sheep and lambs. In January 1914 alone they ran an auction 6 times. There was a sale of “Lamblin and Lamtabs” against husk by John Frost, and agricultural chemist from Monmouth. Timber sales from Parkfields Weston under Penyard, Eccleswall and Burton Farms were undertaken. There was a notice of the annual dinner of the Ross branch of the National Farmers Union to be held on 20/2/14 at 7pm at the Corn Exchange. The speakers were the Right Hon. Walter

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 65 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 3 2014 CHAIRMAN’S LECTURE LINTON LIFE IN 1914 Runciman, President of the Board of Agriculture and J. M. Parry, chairman of the Herefordshire NFU. They were to speak about the economics of milk production, swine fever, application of lime fertiliser and the corn market figures. The Ross Gazette also carried a telling article about The Rural Exodus to overseas dominions, especially Canada A thriving country town such as Ross had business, commercial, educational and legal interests. Rootes and Wintle, Bank Offices, Ross were linked to George Kemp, auctioneer. Bruton Knowles from Gloucester advertised in the Ross Gazette. J. Pearce, Pope and Sons from Gloucester also advertised. The Gazette gave notice of shares for sale in Alton Court Brewery and the Royal Hotel Ross. Alfred Hill, House decorator of 53 Broad Street advertised his change to larger premises at 44 Broad Street. He thanked the clergy and the gentry for their custom. A.W. Ursell 10 Cantilupe Road made Cornish Granite headstones. Ross had a busy post office. The Royal Mail was collected regularly from Bromsash, Linton and Upton, Lea, Aston Ingham, Aston Crews. There were sub post offices at Bromsash, Linton, Upton and Weston under Penyard. Ross Rural District Council met in chambers at 20 Broad Street. There were also Justices of the Peace which met for the Ross Petty Sessional Division. The Police Station was situated in Brampton St. with a superintendent, 2 sergeants, and 11 constables. Hereford County Council in conjunction with Harewood End Agricultural Improvement Society held special afternoon meetings for young farmers. The notice was placed by John Porter, organiser of Agricultural Education. Shirehall, Hereford. There were to be 7 meetings and farm visits with demonstrations between 2-5pm. All were invited, they were free. Ross Secondary School placed a reminder for the start of term at 10am on Tuesday 13th. January 1914. The headmaster was A.E. Barker BA BSc FCS. School evening classes were to commence on 12th. January. Ross High School for Girls took day pupils and borders. Gentile ladies and girls could learn to play the piano with Miss Lilian Sharman LRAM or Miss Nancy Yorah LRAM. A Dancing Academy existed at 6 Station St. led by Mrs. M.A. Read There was lots to do in Ross. At the Kyrle Picture Palace and theatre the programme constantly changed. A special star engagement was “The Lewis Trio” advertised as “clever, refined entertainment”. Jack Daunton, a comic, was to have “humour without vulgarity”. There were many showing of films. In one week there were 5 evening showings with 2 on a Saturday, 2 matinees i.e. 9 in a week. The cost was 1/- or 6d. or 3d. Films were advertised by the length so “The Struggle” was 9000 feet; ”Captain Jack V.C”. was 2000 feet.; “Heroine at the Moulin Rouge” was 8000 feet. At the Corn Exchange a play was performed on 3/1/14 “The Ever Open Door, a new drama of London life by Sims and Herbert about the plea for a child’s life in the slums. Cost 3/- and 2/-. The theatre could seat 750 people. More theatrical fun could be had by going on a GWR excursion to Bristol and London for the pantomime. A day return was 7/6d .

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Scenes of Ross-on-Wye Pre-First World War

St. Mary’s in 1911 Offices of the Ross Gazette in 1914

G & W Butcher Brookend Street (now Aldi)

Ross Cottage Hospital, now Goodrich Court Ross W orkhouse in Albion Street.

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For those who enjoyed dancing there were dances at Weston Rooms at 8pm for the cost of 1/6. Dances at Goodrich Reading rooms cost ladies 1/- and gentlemen 1/6d. The Ross Ball held at the Royal Hotel, was a grand affair with dancing and supper. The guest list was published, it was attended by the rector of Weston, but no-one went from Linton or Upton Bishop. Sporting interests were supported by GWR excursions to the English Football Swindon Town v. Manchester United. A day return to Swindon was 4/6d. New Year’s football matches were played at the Meadows and Over Ross. There were lots of local football teams; St. Mary’s Saturday 11, Ross Kyrle 11, Whitchurch, Upton Bishop, St. Mary’s Tuesday 11, Bellis Works, Goodrich, Ross St. Mary’s, Hoarwithy and Cinderford. The paper carried a notice from Ross Golf Club for forthcoming monthly medal. Hare Hunting was led by the Ross Harrier Pack - Lord Egerton has asked his farmer tenants to keep down the hares. The Ledbury Hunt went out 3 days a week. There were many places of worship in Ross reflecting many Christian denominations: Ross Parish Church/ Mission Room Ross/ Tudorville Mission Room/ HoM Green Church/ Congregational Church/ Baptist Church/ Wesleyan Church/ the Gospel Hall Henry Street/ RC Church of the Blessed Sacrament. The Men’s Own Brotherhood held an address on “Opportunities” at the town hall. The focus was on the folly of gambling and betting. Sunday School prizes were given for attendance and encouraging others to attend. Religious Tract Society held public lectures– its role was to distribute religious writing in 269 languages. A slide show was given by Mr. Ursell of the work in Africa, Asia, Korea and Japan. Charities were seen as “valuable”. Walter Scott and the Blue Coat School provided inexpensive education. James Baker gave £26.660 for the poor and Ross had many alms-houses. The dispensary and cottage hospital was situated in Gloucester Road. In 1913 it had 173 in patients, 434 outpatients and 114 casualties. The Ross Union included Linton. Its workhouse could house 200 inmates. The Board of Governors met every other Thursday and consisted of 12 members, many of whom were medical. The Christmas celebrations of 1913 at Ross Workhouse were reported. The matron and superintendent, Mr. and Mrs. Battersea reported that no trouble had been spared to give the inmates some festive cheer. “Comfort and sympathy” were conveyed to those patients in the workhouse infirmary. At the Ross Cottage Hospital the matron and her staff made Christmas as happy as possible. Ross Cottage Hospital received a Christmas gift of vegetables from Mr. Corbishley of Eccleswell Court and evergreens from Mr. Webb of Bollitree Castle. If you had toothache, a dentist was available at 43 High Street Ross. He advertised “painless dentistry every Thursday 11.30-6.30pm. Moderate charges, a lady always in attendance.” Patients in the Forest of Dean who were covered by the 1911 National Insurance Act were being neglected. The British Red Cross Society held 5 lectures for men only “First Aid to the injured”. These took place at Ross infants school led by Dr. A.J. Campbell at a cost of 1/-. At Ross Railway station the Station Master was Walter P. Roberts. There were many carriers, mostly working on a Thursday, market day, including those going to Linton.

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 68 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 3 2014 CHAIRMAN’S LECTURE LINTON LIFE IN 1914 Agriculture in Herefordshire

There had been a Golden Age of agriculture between 1800 and 1870. After that there was an agricultural depression. Some historians believed that Britain has never fully recovered from this. This deeply seated depression was the backdrop to much of life for the people of south Herefordshire.

What were the causes of general agricultural poverty and distress?

The Enclosure Acts between 1798-1865 resulted in the loss of 10% common land – essential to the poor. Those who suffered during this depression were landowners, farmers, farm labourers and village craftsmen and tradesmen who served the rural population. Villages suffered poverty and despair, many were ruined. Those who survived often did so by reducing production – the land in cultivation in England and Wales between 1878 and 1906 fell by 20%. Wheat acreage dropped by a half, and 250,000 farm labourers left the land – Linton is a good example. A simultaneous rise in population resulted in underemployment. Mop fairs (remnants are still to found in Tewkesbury and Ledbury) were common but also degrading for men and women. Mechanisation of mowers, steam ploughs and threshers also led to rural depopulation. Agricultural Sciences were developing – land drainage, chemical fertilizers and processed animal feeds, stock breeding – changing the profile of the agricultural labourer. There was a growing demand for skilled, better educated specialist workers. In the cities and towns, people increasingly had flushing lavatories, street lighting, gas and electricity. In rural areas such as Linton, people still relied on oil lamps, candles, coal fires and horses for power. Cheap imported wheat from the USA, Canada and Ukraine caused many problems in this area. In 1907, only 25% of wheat consumed in the UK was home grown. Refrigerated meat from Argentina and New Zealand was imported to feed the urban areas. The fall in imported food prices depressed farmers prices and in consequence their labourers wages. Some attempt had been made to give agricultural labourers allotments. It failed in Upton Bishop but had been more successful in Ross. This was at a time when the work was so hard that agricultural labourers needed 4000 calories a day. Farmers were reluctant to employ women on their land even before the war, other than in traditional roles of dairying and poultry keeping. When the Women’s Land Army was established, it faced much opposition – why? One opinion is that the realities of agricultural life were so harsh and farming methods so physically demanding, that men wanted to protect women from it

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 69 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 3 2014 CHAIRMAN’S LECTURE LINTON LIFE IN 1914 Bad housing was a constant problem. In 1867 the Royal Agricultural Commission had found that cottages in the Newent and Linton Union were, “generally deficient in both quality and quantity”. Again in 1892 a commission noted that Herefordshire’s cottages were amongst the worst in England. A tied cottage was not always rent free and the labourer had no security of tenure – losing a job or just having a disagreement with a farmer meant losing your home as well as an income. Eviction was a regular and constant threat.

Typical of the adverts in the Ross Gazette were for a cowman in Glewstone – a job which came with cottage and garden. In Weston a carter’s job also came with cottage and garden. In 1913 the first conference of all the Herefordshire Workers Union branches focused on housing. On 17th February 1913 Sidney Box came to Ross town hall to speak on housing. Many landowners were bitterly opposed to this. On May 20th 1913, the Gazette published a list of union demands covering wages, hours and housing.

Amongst many of the poor was growing antagonism to the Anglican Church for rebuilding churches when cottages needed rebuilding. Sidney Box was especially critical of the pampered clergy who had large vicarages and servants e.g. the incident of the vicar of Walford who in 1916 did not want his gardener conscripted and stated his case to a Military Tribunal!

Farm workers were very poorly paid. Brian Hatton, was a local artist who joined the Worcester Yeomanry and was killed in Egypt. His painting Out of Work 1905 reflects rural unemployment so war gave such men a chance to earn a living. Government enquiries in 1907 by the Board of Trade and by the Board of Agriculture in 1912 produced average wage figures of between 17 and 20 shillings per week over the country. How did this compare with Herefordshire? In 1910 in Herefordshire, farm labourers earned 12 shillings for a 54 hour week in winter and 60 hours in summer. In 1912 this had gone up to 14s 6d. There were some perks such as milk, wood, potatoes – but these were at the will of the farmer and his wife. Between 1870 and 1940, wages in Herefordshire and Norfolk were the lowest in the UK with only a short respite in the Great War. Things were made worse by lower seasonal wages and weather layoffs. In 1914 Sidney Box started a movement in the country which proposed strike action to demand a minimum wage of twenty shillings for a sixty-hour week, one shilling a week extra at threshing time, 4d an hour overtime and time and a half at harvest. Remember that the national average in 1912 had been 20s. a week! In 1916 a Minimum Wage Bill was proposed by the government. By 1918 government policy was a payment for farm workers at a minimum of 25s a week.

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Sidney Box b1873 at Walton. Sydney took it upon himself to organise meetings at Ledbury and Bromyard, and, as a result, the Herefordshire Agricultural Workers’ Union was formed.

By 1910 it had recruited some 10,000 members by focusing on individual disputes and providing legal assistance for members in trouble. In 1912, the union had built sufficient confidence to become the National Agricultural Labourers and Rural Workers Union. The badge shown here dates from that period.

A consequence of the general poverty was that many young men left the Herefordshire area to work in industrial cities, the Dominions and the army. In 1914 many volunteers were rejected as soldiers on the grounds of poor health – and yet they had a physically demanding life on the land. Of those who were accepted, war allowed men to seek an alternative life in the forces. After the rigours of farm work, soldering was easy. A man was fed, clothed and paid a regular wage. An injured man received free medical care and a pension as would his widow and orphans. Soldiers received a separation allowance which could go to his wife and children or his elderly parents. In spite of the 1906 Liberal Reforms, working class people had little access to a basic social safety net.

Out of work by Brian Hatton 1905 . Self portrait in 1909 born in 1887 in Hereford

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How did poor agricultural labourers try to improve their lives?

At this time there was a growth of working class movements, such as Chartism at Monmouth and Corse. Other working class groups became active – Forest of Dean coalminers and Hereford building workers were in industrial disputes in 1913. In February 1914 the county’s teachers went on prolonged strike. In March 1914 in Lydbrook, 160 tinplate workers and local suppliers had had no work for over a year at a loss to the local economy of £12,000 causing industrial unrest. All of these events might have affected the ill-fated planned strike for the farm workers in the later summer of 1914.

The growth of Friendly Societies often centred on a pub. In Linton these were not held at the Alma, but at members’ houses. The Linton Friendly Society lasted until 1948, but some survived much longer, as at Fownhope. Social and economic conditions led to the growth of the Workers Union led by Sidney Box. It had 98 branches in Herefordshire with over 5000 members. Rural WU members were often represented by urban shop stewards who did not fear reprisals by farmers. Farmers now felt threatened by the collective bargaining power of the unionised workers. In response, many joined the National Union of Farmers seeking collective support against the WU. In the spring of 1914, the farmers challenged the WU and few were prepared to give better wages and housing to their workers. The NFU met at the Kings Head in Ross on 4/7/14. Going against the trend, in South Herefordshire, the MP Captain Clive, said that he would work WITH the WU to fix better wages. The Ross Gazette sided with the agricultural labourers. So did public opinion, so much so, that an immediate 2s a week pay rise became common. Strike action was proposed across Herefordshire in May 1914, but of course patriotism replaced unionism.

What was Linton (and the surrounding area) like at the turn of the 20th century?

Administratively Linton was linked to Ross with an annual assessable value of £2,567

Linton:- population: 1871 924 1881 927 1901 708 1911 738 (In that year Upton Bishop had a population of 582 and Weston of 766) 1921 727

The Acreage of the parish was 2,775. The soil was described as sandy and loamy with a subsoil chiefly of clay and rock. The products were given as wheat, barley, roots and fruit. The rateable value was £3,500. This had been £3,888 in 1890.

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 72 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 3 2014 CHAIRMAN’S LECTURE LINTON LIFE IN 1914 Recruits sign up in St Ethelbert Street, Hereford, in 1914.

Most enlistees received some form of medical exam, even if minimal. One example, Thomas Edmed, working class, recalled: “doctor gave us a medical exam by pressing his head against their chest and then saying, ‘Now, go and kill Germans.'” Doctors paid “capitation fee” for each recruit who passed. Not paid for fails. Working class volunteers aggressively manoeuvred around the exam, with doctors eager to help

Bromsash or Broom’s Ash was listed as the old Ariconium of the Romans. Most villages had their own post office. There was a sub-postmaster, William J. Jones at Linton with 2 deliveries from Ross and 3 sent to Ross every working day. In Bromsash the postmaster was Albert Close. Telegrams could be sent from Upton and Lea. The Police Station was manned by Albert Tompkins. The Principal landowners were:

Captain J.W.C.Kirk of the Duke of Cornwalls’ Light Infantry, listed as Lord of the Manor of Linton Hall. Francis W. Herbert R.G. Howell Esq. Evan Neads Esq. Mrs. Hardwick Mrs. Inglis Burton Court was lived in by Col. the Honourable H.E. Dalzell C.B Eccleswall Court occupied the site of the old Eccleswall Castle. Now lived in by Joshua J. Corbishley, a farmer, not listed as gentry. It was owned by Joseph Jones Esq. of Cotton House, Wolverhampton.

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Scenes of Linton pre 1914

As in all rural parishes, the vicar was a man of considerable importance. The living at Linton was worth £334 to include 68 acres of glebe. In 1890 it had been £571 plus glebe. The patron was St. John’s College Oxford. The vicarage was built in 1867. The vicar in 1914 was the Revd. Norman Hatherley MA. He had been the vicar since 1909. He was assisted by 2 church wardens, L. Apsley Smith and Henry W.H. Price. He also had a sexton, William Wintle. Charities of £10 were distributed to the poor on Good Friday. The church spire had been repaired in 1913. This is typical of the clerical situation so criticised by Stanley Box. The school was built in 1873 at a cost of £750 and could accommodate 119 children but in 1914 it only had an average attendance of 44. William Webb was the master. In 1890 the average attendance had been 69. The nearby school of Gorsley Goffs was newer built in 1892 at a cost of £1,110 and was a British Society School.

Commercial enterprises included:

William Barrass The Alma Inn Mary Ann Brace Shop keeper at Bromsash William Brewer High House Farm Wilfred Cracknell Shopkeeper Arthur William Smallman Blacksmith at Bromsash Hubert Tarbath Court House Horse dealer Miss Emily Webb Dressmaker William James Webb Sculptor

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Linton School pre- War

The Talbot Well

In 1890 there had been a wider range of commercial enterprises, many of which were of an industrial nature such as E., M. Thomas – mechanical engineer, millwright and brass founder.

The major farmers and farms were:

1. William Brewer High House Farm 2. Frederick Chapman Darnells Farm 3. William Cummins Pinford 4. William Daniels Great Woodend 5. William Henry Davies Quarry House 6. Walter Day Fordings Farm 7. James Drinkwater Two Park Farm 8. James Reid Gammond Eccleswall Farm 9. Sidney Hardwick Revels 10. Richard Garrold Howell Linton Point farmer and landowner 11. William Jones Glebe Farm also postmaster 12. William Loveridge Little Woodend 13. Henry Niblett Pithouse Farm 14. John Parr Burton Farm 15. Henry William Hartleton 16. L. Apsley Smith Cothers 17. George Henry Watkins Haygrove

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How did local people immediately react to the outbreak of the war?

On 6th August 1914 the Ross Gazette editorial described the outbreak of hostilities as, “The most serious national event since 1870.” The tone of the editorial was a rallying one, but calm. Comfort for the troops was already being organised e.g. The Red Cross was already organising itself in the Lower School Room in Ross to send clothing and comforts to the troops. The outbreak of war led to recruitment drives in village halls and schools. As the war took hold, farm workers were not exempt from military service, as they would be in World War II. There was a constant flow of young men out of the villages as soon as they were of age. In August 1914, 500 Herefordshire workers enlisted, leaving farms short of labour. So many young men had left that the Herefordshire Football League abandoned many traditional matches until after the war. It was not only farm workers who enlisted. Estate workers, servants, sons of the gentry – and a whole way of life went with them which would never return. Depletion of male labour force on the farming communities was feared. Rural communities were jeopardised by the nature of war itself.

On 4th August 1914 Britain declared war and many local men from Ross enlisted to go off to fight and “do their bit”. - It would be over by Christmas

Many horses were immediately requisitioned but not accurately paid for. By 1914-15 thousands of horses had been taken from Herefordshire. Apart from the inevitable emotional distress, the rural areas generally did better during the war, especially after German submarines set up a blockade. Suddenly the countryside burst into production – grass was ploughed up, advisory committees were established, labour and machinery pools were set up. As a sweetener, in 1917, farmers were even guaranteed the price of wheat for 5 years.

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 76 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 3 2014 CHAIRMAN’S LECTURE LINTON LIFE IN 1914 The rural children also worked – by picking rosehips, crab-apples, blackberries, for livestock they collected horse chestnuts. Families knitted socks, collected eggs for soldiers, raised money to help wounded horses in France.

Everybody was far more involved in this war than in those previously fought. Little did the rural communities of Ross and Linton realise just how significant this war was to be and that it would not be over by Christmas 1914. But that’s another story.

The fraternisation across no man's land between enemy troops during the "Christmas Truce" of 1914 saw weapons set aside, yuletide greetings and gifts exchanged and even, it was reported, football matches played on the western front.

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‘Lest We Forget’ By Roger Davies

Presented on Wednesday 1st October 2014 at Linton Village Hall

Introduction

All the church memorials created in this area to honour the sacrifice of those that fell in the First World War were funded by public subscription. We can only guess at the impact of the loss of so many young men locally, particularly in a mainly agricultural society, but it is clear that families were numb with grief at the scale of the calamity. For many, the memorials must have represented a place of quiet reflection for a lost son or husband. Each Armistice Day commemoration, the memorials were surely a source of sadness tinged with pride for the community at large? The outbreak of the Second World War must have been galling for this generation who had lost loved ones fighting in what they believed was the war to end all wars. The majority of memorials are specifically dedicated to those from the parish who were killed in action. However, this link could be by birth, home address or place of work. As memorials were paid for by donations from parishioners it appears some named are not local and simply have a family connection. Several names appear on more than one memorial in the area confirming that this was a closely knit community. The British government had decided at the outbreak of war in 1914 that soldiers would be buried where they fell. This was a decision based on cost as a casualty rate of 40% had been forecast for the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) despatched to France. This proved an under estimation. Eventually, 720,000 British fighting men would die in four years of fighting in a war of attrition. Many have no known grave and are remembered as a name on a memorial along with thousands of their comrades. Numerous WW1 gravestones are inscribed simply with the words of Rudyard Kipling, ‘Known unto God’. Men from this area of Herefordshire fought in all the main theatres of the war including the Western Front, Gallipoli and Palestine. Numerically, most served in our local regiments- the , Glosters and foremost, the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) - which were all active recruiters in the county. I have attempted to identify all those named on the Ariconium memorials using the extensive Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) records and a number of other specialist website databases (e.g. Ancestry and Forces War Records). Herefordshire

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Council has also replicated the relevant CWGC records on its website. Whilst few difficulties have been experienced with the identification of the majority of individuals there are some that still remain elusive. The local agricultural labour force in the 1910s was essentially itinerant moving from farm to farm especially at harvest time. In tracking down individuals in the 1911 census, it appears a question of luck in which parish the many farm labourers and their families ended up on the night of Sunday, 2nd April 1911 (census day). Many shared common surnames (e.g. Jones, Taylor) and a ‘Harry’ could also be a Henry, Herbert, Humphrey or Hubert! Many adults at this time would have been illiterate and army records can often relate to an initial not to a first name. To illustrate the problem, 487 ‘H Taylors’ died in the Great War! Sadly, WW1 army records are far from complete with much being lost in 1940 in the London blitz with yet more sent for pulp to aid the war effort. The official regimental diaries are a fine source of general material but very rarely name individuals below officer rank. The Ariconium war dead were, of course, primarily privates although a few from a far wealthier background were commissioned. Conscription was introduced in 1916 for those aged 18 to 41 as voluntary recruitment had gradually declined. From this date, new conscripts could be sent to join regiments anywhere in Britain and we lost the primary local connection with the KSLI and the Glosters. Each year, some 500,000 young men reached their 18th birthday and by 1918 nearly half the British infantry in the field was aged 19 and under following the horrendous casualties at the Somme and Passchendaele. We can but hope that in the near future all those named on the Ariconium war memorials will be accurately identified. It has been a humbling experience in tracking down these brave men. Their sacrifice fighting for King and Country should never be forgotten. ASTON INGHAM (Church of St John the Baptist)

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Private Sidney Ralph BALDWIN 2nd Battalion South Regiment

Service number:50311 Died: 22 March 1918 Age: 19

Sidney, who stayed in Gorsley with his aunt Leonora Gibbs pre-war, died on the second day of Operation Michael, the big German ‘push’ in the Spring of 1918. The church memorial states ‘RWF’ (Royal Welch Fusiliers) but this appears to be incorrect. Memorial location: Pozieres Memorial (commemorating over 14,000 UK casualties who died on the Somme from March to August 1918 and have no known grave. Son of Richard and Matilda Baldwin.

Private Frank GOOCH 2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers

Service number: 4426 Died: 1 July 1916 Age: 20

Tragically, this was the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Frank was one of the 57,000 casualties in what proved to be the most costly single day in British military history. Frank was born and resided in Manchester. Memorial location: Thiepval Memorial (bearing the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of UK and South African forces who died in the Somme sector predominantly in 1916 and have no known grave). Son of Mrs. F. Gooch, of Chapmans Place, Kilcot, Glos.

CSM Thomas McCAIN Royal Engineers 50th Field Searchlight Company

(Company Sergeant Major)

Service number:28347 Died: 14 July 1917 Age: 39

A career soldier and recorded as an army engine driver in the 1911 census. Cemetery location: La Chapelette British and Indian Cemetery, Peronne (the 34th Casualty Clearing Station was at La Chapelette, east of Amiens, in July 1917). Son of Christopher and Sarah McCain.

Private George William PAUL 6th Battalion Australian Infantry

Service number:2281 Died: 15 August 1916 Age: 22

The CWGC grave records reveal no next of kin but George fought with the Australian Imperial Forces on the Western Front. Memorial location: Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (This is the Australian National Memorial erected to commemorate all Australian soldiers who fought in France and Belgium during the WW1 and especially to those with no named grave. The memorial was designed by Lutyens and unveiled by King George VI on 22 July 1938).

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Nephew of James Pearce of Ashton Ingham.

Driver Francis Humpidge WHEELER 2nd Brigade Royal Field Artillery (53rd Battery)

Service number:18719 Died: 5 October 1918 Age: 20

Francis is also remembered on the memorials at Christ Church, Gorsley and Clifford’s Mesne. CWGC records state ‘died of wounds’ some 5 weeks before the Armistice. Memorial location: St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen (Rouen had eight general, five stationary and one British Red Cross hospital for the duration of WW1. Most who died in these hospitals were taken to the city cemetery of St. Sever. The cemetery extension was created in 1916 and contains 8,348 Commonwealth burials. These include Francis but also Albert Drinkwater age 19 (Linton) and Henry Jones age 22 (Gorsley Baptist Church). Son of Mr. WH and Mrs. LH Wheeler, of Ivy-dene Cottage, May Hill, , Glos.

HOPE MANSELL (Church of St Michael)

Private Charles Henry CORBETT 4th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment

Service number:48044 Died: 30 November 1917 Age: 19

Memorial location: Cambrai Memorial, Louverval (The Cambrai Memorial commemorates more than 7,000 UK and South African servicemen who died in the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917 and have no known grave. James Mayo (Upton Bishop) died on the same day and is also named on this memorial).

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Son of Bertha Mutlow (formerly Corbett), of Perlieu Cottage, Star Beach, Ruardean

Sapper David Albert CORBETT Royal Engineers

Service number:21434 Died: 1 March 1920 Age: 27

Elder brother of Charles above and succumbed due to his war time service in 1920. We have no other details in the CWGC records. Son of Bertha Mutlow (formerly Corbett), of Perlieu Cottage, Star Beach, Ruardean

Private Allen GARDINER 3rd Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry

Service number:11161 Died: 22 June 1916 Age: 20

The 3rd battalion was specifically a training battalion for new recruits before they moved on to front-line units. CWGC records from May 2009 state: ‘This casualty has recently been accepted for commemoration by the Commission’. Allen’s gravestone is in St Michael’s churchyard near the main gate. Son of Joseph Gardiner.

Private Allen Gardiner’s gravestone in September 2014.

Private Alfred JONES ALFRED JONES HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED BUT RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN FOR HEREFORDSHIRE COUNCIL SUGGESTS HIS CHRISTIAN NAME WAS IN FACT ALBERT. IF CORRECT:-

Private Albert JONES 118th Company, Labour Corps

Service number:70419 Died: 30 November 1917 Age: 43 [transferred from 29th Battalion Middlesex Regiment (78351)] Formed in January 1917, the Labour Corps grew to some 389,900 men by the Armistice. The Corps was manned by officers and other ranks who had been medically rated below the ‘A1’ condition needed for front line service. Many were returned wounded. Cemetery location: Reninghelst New Military Cemetery (some 10 kms south-west of Ieper, Reninghelst was a suitable base for field ambulances for most of WW1. There are 798 Commonwealth graves in this cemetery). Stepbrother of Thomas Jones, of "Floyds," Lower Mascoed, Pontrilas, Hereford

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Lieutenant Alfred Cornelius 2nd Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment MARGRETT (at the outbreak of war known as ‘Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment)

Service number: Died: 1 January 1923 Age: 35

Died from effects of wartime mustard gas. Buried in St Michael’s churchyard. Husband of Florrie Margrett

William James MARSHALL Research has not identified William Marshall. However, a recent article in the Ross Gazette suggests he may have survived the war! A copy of the article is reproduced below:-

Second Lieutenant Percy Walter NORRIS 34th Battalion Machine Gun Corps

Service number: Died: 29 July 1918 Age: 30

The Machine Gun Corps was known as the ‘suicide squad’ as casualty rates were very high and no side gave any quarter to captured machine gunners. Cemetery location: Raperie British Cemetery, Villemontoire (Villemontoire is connected entirely with the victorious advance of the 15th and 34th Divisions, under French leadership, in the period from the 23rd July to the 2nd August 1918. The cemetery was created after the Armistice by the concentration of graves from across the battlefield. Many of the 600 graves relate to members of the Herefordshire Regiment). Husband of Kate May Norris, "Danygraig," Ystrad Mynach, Cardiff & brother of Alfred Norris. 2/Lt Alfred James Norris died in WW1 too. He served in the KSLI and died on 28 March 1918, age 22. In William Collin’s book ‘Herefordshire in the Great War’, published in 1919, he is listed with his brother as one of the two Hope Mansell war dead.

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- Ross Gazette article concerning William Marshall published in August 2014

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Private George Henry RUDGE 1st/4th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment

Service number:28589 Died: 13 June 1917 Age: 37

In ‘B’ Company and enlisted at Cinderford. Killed in action. Memorial location: Arras Memorial (commemorates almost 35,000 UK, South African and New Zealand servicemen who died in the Arras sector between the spring of 1916 and August 1918 and have no known grave). Son of Helen Probert.

Lance Corporal Evan TAYLOR 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment

Service number:8030 Died: 21 December 1914 Age: 25

A regular pre-war soldier. Born in Ross and enlisted in Gloucester. Died of wounds. Cemetery location: Tourcoing (Pont-Neuville) Communal Cemetery (Tourcoing is in the Lille district. There are nearly 200 graves in this cemetery from those who died in British hospitals). Son of William Taylor.

< The Hope Mansell Roll-of-Honour

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Lance Corporal Allan Young 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment

Service number:5575 Died: 9 May 1915 Age: 34

A pre-war regular. Born in Hope Mansell and enlisted in Newnham. Killed in action at the Battle of Aubers Ridge where the British Army suffered 11,000 casualties in one day. Listed at top of the Lea memorial by virtue of senior rank (lance corporal). Memorial location: Le Touret Memorial (commemorates over 13,400 British soldiers who have no known grave and killed in actions along a section of front line between Estaires and Grenay from the beginning of October 1914 to the eve of the Battle of Loos in late September 1915). Husband of Charlotte Emily Young. Harry ANDREW Research in CWGC records has not yet identified Harry. However, if h. Andrews could be:-

Private H Andrews 5th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry

Service number:12106 Died: 9 April 1917 Age: 27

Cemetery: TILLOY BRITISH CEMETERY, TILLOY-LES-MOFFLAINES Son of the late W. Thomas Andrews and Harriett Andrews

Gunner William Henry GUILFORD MM Machine Gun Corps (Heavy Branch)

Service number:205674 Died: 8 May 1917 Age: 29

Awarded the Military Medal for gallantry. The Machine Gun Corps were also known as the ‘suicide squad’. William died of wounds. Heavy Branch operated the early tanks! Buried in Lea churchyard

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Son of Mr and Mrs W H Guilford, of Newport, Shropshire; husband of Annie Lilian Guilford, of Hill Top Bungalow, Chessgrove, Longhope, Glos.

Private Alfred GWILLIAM 6th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry

Service number:12103 Died: 18 September 1916 Age: 30

A volunteer battalion raised in September 1914. Killed in action at the Somme. Memorial location: Thiepval Memorial (bearing the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of UK and South African forces who died in the Somme sector predominantly in 1916 and have no known grave). Son of George and Agnes Gwilliam.

Private Frederick John POPE 4th Battalion The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment

Service number:40507 Died: 25 December 1918 Age: 18

A pre-war territorial battalion. Fred, a new recruit, died on Christmas Day 1918 some 6 weeks after the Armistice. Buried in Lea churchyard. Son of John Pope, of Aston Crews.

Grave of Pte. Frederick Pope Grave of Gunner William Guilford MM

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LINTON (Church of St Mary the Virgin)

Sergeant John Arthur ADDIS 5th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry

Service number:11292 Died: 18 March 1916 Age: 20

Born in Linton Hill. A ‘groom gardener/domestic’ in 1911. Volunteered in August 1914 and first saw action at Ypres on 31 May 1915. Jack served entirely on the Western Front and endured some of the worst fighting of the war in the Ypres Salient in 1915. Jack was one of three killed (and 13 ‘other ranks’ wounded) on 18 March near Souchez from German shelling. German artillery units were able to control this sector of the front from two ridges which flanked the village – Vimy Ridge to the east, and Notre Dame de Lorette to the west. Cemetery location: Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez (Souchez is a village 3.5 kms north of Arras. The cemetery was much enlarged after WW1 and today the cemetery contains over 7,650 WW1 burials, over half of which remain unidentified). Son of J. C. Addis and Annie Addis, of "Redlands", Much Marcle.

Private Walter BYARD Depot Battalion, South Wales Borderers

[Formerly 135660 of 7th Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry]

Service number: 42209 Died: 11 February 1917 Age: 22

A farm labourer born in Linton. Volunteered in August 1914. Wounded fighting with 7 KSLI in France. Soldiers no longer considered fit for front line duties were transferred to depot battalions but it appears Walter succumbed to his injuries (possibly gassed?).

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Cemetery location: Birmingham (Lodge Hill) Cemetery Son of Eber and Mary Catherine Byard of The Routs Farm, Llanwern, Newport, Monmouthshire. Walter also appears on the memorial at Christchurch near Newport.

Private Albert DRINKWATER 1st/4th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment

Service number:203201 Died: 3 August 1917 Age: 19

Born at Two Parks farm, Linton and a farm hand in 1911. Recruited in Bristol and joined ‘A’ company. During the main Third Battle of Ypres, the Glosters attacked the German lines in the battle of Pilckem Ridge (between 31 July and 2 August 1917). The German counter-attack drove the British back before it was stopped by mud, artillery and machine-gun fire. Albert died of wounds in a Rouen military hospital. Cemetery location: St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen (This cemetery also contains the grave of Francis Wheeler (Aston Ingham)). Son of Thomas and Lucy Drinkwater, Two Parks Farm, Linton.

Private Sydney JEYNES 6th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry

Service number:25030 Died: 21 March 1918 Age: 28

A farm labourer born at Church View, Linton (see James Mayo at Upton Bishop). The Germans launched a major offensive in the Spring of 1918. The Battle of St Quentin in the southern Somme area raged for several days from 21 March. Extremely heavy losses were suffered by 6 KSLI and Sydney died from wounds during much confused fighting. The 53rd Casualty Clearing station used the Roye Cemetery at this time. Cemetery location: Roye New British Cemetery Son of Charles and Ellen Jeynes, "Church View," Linton.

Private Ernest Harold LANE 7th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry

Service number:13561 Died: 23 October 1918 Age: 26

A labourer born in Dymock and living in Newent in 1911. Died on the first day of the Battle of the Selle just three weeks before the Armistice as German resistance crumbled. Cemetery location: Vertain Communal Cemetery Extension (the extension contains 52 WW1 Commonwealth burials). Son of Mark and Sarah Ann Lane.

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Lance Corporal Henry William Bourne PALIN 1st Battalion Canterbury Regiment

New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

Service number:6/319 Died: 27 September 1916 Age: 31

The son of Edward and Brita Palin, late vicar of Linton. Born at the old Vicarage in Linton. Educated at Shrewsbury School. Emigrated to New Zealand in 1912. Volunteered as a farm hand to join the Canterbury Regiment. Fought at Gallipoli and died at the Battle of the Somme. Memorial location: Caterpillar Valley (New Zealand) Memorial (W of Longueval some 13 kms east of Albert. This memorial commemorates more than 1,200 men of the New Zealand Division who died in the Battles of the Somme in 1916 and have no known grave). Son of late Edward and Brita Palin formerly of The Vicarage, Linton.

Rifleman Thomas PROBERT 3rd Battalion 3rd New Zealand Rifle Brigade

Service number:21090 Died: 18 October 1917 Age: 31

Born in Much Marcle and lived at Revels Cottages. Brother of Clara Probert, who ran Linton shop and Post Office (as Mrs Lee). Emigrated to New Zealand and volunteered to fight with Rifle Brigade. In April 1916, the NZ Division moved to France. During 1917, Thomas would have fought at the Battle of Messines, the Battle of Polygon Wood and the Battle of Broodseinde before being wounded at the First Battle of Passchendaele (12 October 1917). He died from these wounds in a Boulogne hospital. Cemetery location: Boulogne Eastern Cemetery (this cemetery was used extensively by the Boulogne military hospitals and contains 5,577 WW1 Commonwealth burials). Son of Louisa Wintle of Revells Cottages, Linton.

Private Joseph George PUGH 7th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry

Regimental number: 24854 Died: 2 January 1917 Age: 28

Born in Byford, Herefordshire and living in Netherton (W of Ross) in 1911. A shepherd and drover, married to Emily. The 7 KSLI spent Xmas 1916 at Bus in the Serre sector near Baupame. ‘The condition of the trenches was very bad and the country round a sea of mud, rivalling the Ypres salient’ [‘History of KSLI in the Great War’]. Killed by artillery fire?

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Memorial location: Thiepval Memorial (bearing the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of UK and South African forces who died in the Somme sector and have no known grave). Son of George and Mary Pugh. Joseph also appears on the Llanwarne war memorial. H TAYLOR Research has not officially identified H Taylor. However, if Henry Taylor, a timber feller from Gorsley in the 1911 Census and a volunteer of August 1914, then quite probably:-

Private H TAYLOR 5th Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry

Service number:16163 Died: 16 June 1915 Age: 40

Memorial location: Ypres (Menin Gate) memorial Son of Charles Taylor, Gorsley Common.

Private Wallace WEAVER 7th Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry

Service number:13533 Died: 21 March 1916 Age: 23

Born in Linton, the son of a ‘jobbing gardener’. In 1911, Wallace lived with his parents near the Cross in Bromsash and worked as a domestic gardener. Like Walter Byard, Ernest Lane and Joseph Pugh he had volunteered to join 7 KSLI in September 1914. The battalion first saw action in the Ypres salient in the winter of 1915-16. On the 21 March 1916, Lt CV Townsend was killed out on patrol with the snipers he commanded near the Mound at St Eloi. Was Wallace with him? Cemetery location: Dickebusch New Military Cemetery (This cemetery near Ieper was used by fighting units and field ambulances and contains 624 WW1 burials). Son of George and Naomi Weaver, Near The Cross, Bromsash.

7 KSLI near Arras March 1917

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LINTON CHURCHYARD THOMAS PROBERT New Zealand Forces “who died of wounds in France September 18th 1917 aged 31”

HENRY WILLIAM BOURNE PALIN “Killed at the Somme Sept 27 1916 Pro patria

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Memorial to JIMMIE MAYO in Linton churchyard. His name appears on the Upton Bishop war memorial.

UPTON BISHOP (Church of St John the Baptist)

Charles Henry GIBBONS - is a cause of some debate. The only CWGC record that fits is:- Corporal Charles Henry GIBBONS Royal Warwickshire Regiment Depot Battalion

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Service No: 9036 Died: 19/07/1916 Age: 31 Cemetery: BIRMINGHAM (LODGE HILL) Husband of Elizabeth Ann Gibbons, of 50, Elist St, Nechells, Birmingham. However, this appears incorrect! We do know that at the outbreak of WW1 the Gibbons family lived at White House, Upton Bishop. The Ross Gazette published on 17th September 1914 lists Charles as serving in the Herefordshire Regiment. We have a copy of the medal card of Charles H Gibbons which shows he was given a new service number in 1917 again whilst serving with the Herefords (235225):- This would indicate that Charles had served at Gallipoli and in Palestine. Records at the Herefordshire Regiment museum suggest this Charles Gibbons also served in the 5th and 7th battalions KSLI. Sadly, research in the CWGC records has not as yet yielded any confirmation. Did Charles die from the effects of gas?

Private William Thomas GRUNDY Wellington Regiment New Zealand Expeditionary Force

Service number:42092 Died: 26 November 1917 Age: 30

Like so many who emigrated for a new life in New Zealand, William returned to fight for Britain and the Empire. The Battle of Passchendaele had finished in early November. Cemetery location: Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery (is located 12 Kms west of Ieper and it became a natural place to establish casualty clearing stations. The cemetery contains 9,901 Commonwealth burials from WW1). Son of J. and M. Grundy, of Crews Court, Upton Bishop.

Sergeant John HUCKSON 1 st/1st Battalion Herefordshire Regiment

Service number:174 Died: 3 November 1915 Age: 32

The low service number indicates already a regular soldier when the Herefordshire Regiment became a territorial unit in 1908. Killed by a sniper whilst ‘wiring’ at Fort Conan, a sand-bagged strong point, in the Gallipoli campaign. Memorial location: Helles Memorial (This memorial serves the dual function of a Commonwealth battle memorial for the whole ill-fated Gallipoli campaign and a place of commemoration for the 21,000 Commonwealth servicemen who died there and have no known grave). Husband of the late Laura Huckson.

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Private Frank James JONES 1 st/1st Battalion Herefordshire Regiment

Service number:235245 Died: 26 March 1917 Age: 26

Frank died fighting in Palestine: ‘On 26 March 1917, the 53rd Division bore the brunt of the First Battle of Gaza. It had to advance across exposed ground, withstanding shrapnel, machine gun and rifle fire, to capture the Turkish fortifications. Despite gaining the advantage towards the end of the day, the British commander called off the attack so that the division's casualties, close to 3,500, were suffered in vain.’ Memorial location: Jerusalem Memorial (commemorates 3,300 Commonwealth servicemen who died during the WW1 in operations in Egypt or Palestine and who have no known grave). Son of Bertha Jones of Probyns Hill, Upton Bishop.

Private James MAYO 5th Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment

Service number:36212 Died: 30 November 1917 Age: 19

Jimmie Mayo was born in Linton at Church View cottages in 1898. He is also remembered on his parent’s gravestone in Linton churchyard. Memorial location: Cambrai Memorial, Louverval (The Cambrai Memorial commemorates more than 7,000 UK and South African servicemen who died in the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917 and have no known grave. Charles Corbett (Hope Mansell) died on the same day and is also named on this memorial. Son of J. and Elizabeth Smith, of 1, Bamford Cottages, Upton Bishop.

Private Hubert POWELL 6th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry

Service number:12120 Died: 23 October 1915 Age: 26

Hubert’s name also appears on the Kempley memorial. The 6th was a war-raised “Pals” battalion formed in Shrewsbury in September 1914. It had fought with distinction at the Battle of Loos in September 1915. Cemetery location: Rue-Du-Bacquerot No.1 Military Cemetery, Laventie (Laventie is a village 6 kms south-west of Armentieres and the cemetery contains 637 Commonwealth burials). Son of Thomas and Hannah Powell.

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Private Albert Edward BOURTON 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards

Service number:25368 Died: 8 December 1917 Age: 21

The Guards regiments retained their very strict recruitment standards throughout the Great War and were greatly admired by the Germans for their discipline under fire. Albert had fought at Passchendaele but died of wounds when his battalion was engaged at the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917. Memorial location: Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery, Manancourt (This cemetery near Bapaume was begun in 1917 and used mainly by the 21st and 48th Casualty Clearing Stations posted at Ytres. The cemetery contains 1,838 Commonwealth burials). Son of Albert and Kate L. B. Bourton, of Ivy Cottage, Lower Weston, Nr Ross.

Corporal Ernest William CARPENTER 119th Brigade Royal Field Artillery

Service number:5193 Died: 29 September 1918 Age: 31

In ‘A’ battery normally equipped with 18 pdr field guns. The village of Langemark was captured from the Germans in September 1918 in the final phase of WW1.

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Cemetery location: Cement House Cemetery (This cemetery is located in Langemark, north of Ieper. There are now 3,592 Commonwealth graves with 2,425 of the burials unidentified). Brother of Charles Carpenter, of Springetts Lane, Weston under Penyard.

Private James CLOSE 11th Battalion Border Regiment

Service number:27722 Died: 18 November 1916 Age: 19

James originally volunteered for the Herefordshire Regiment but with no prospect of early action agreed with his comrades to join the Border Regiment as replacements for casualties suffered on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Sadly, James fell with many ex-Herefords in the Battle of the Ancre in which the Border Regiment helped capture the village of Beaumont-Hamel. This was the final action in the long Battle of the Somme that had raged for three months but ended abruptly when the winter snows arrived on 18 November. Cemetery location: Waggon Road Cemetery, Beaumont-Hamel (contains 195 WW1 burials including 46 belonging to the 11th Battalion Border Regiment). Son of William and Elizabeth Close.

2nd Lieutenant Charles Edwin DAVIS 14th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment

Service number: Died: 15 September 1918 Age: 22

The 14th was a pioneer battalion and sadly Charles drowned whilst on active service. Cemetery location: Mont Huon Military Cemetery, Le Treport (Le Treport is a small seaport 25 kms north-east of Dieppe). Son of Samuel and Elizabeth Davis of 28, Russell St, Gloucester. Native of Weston under Penyard.

Private Edward GOODE 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment

Service number:285208 Died: 20 September 1918 Age: 19

Born in Linton at Bayton Cottages (demolished in the 1960s). A farm labourer, his family lived at Bury Hill in WW1. Originally, served with the Monmouthshire Regiment with service number 315044 but joined the Glosters to replace wartime losses. The 1st battalion had fought at the Battle of Epehy on the Hindenberg line on 18 September. Cemetery location: Vadencourt British Cemetery, Maissemy (Maissemy is a village about 5 kms NW of St.Quentin. This cemetery was extended post-Armistice concentrating several smaller burial grounds in the vicinity). Son of Henry and Mary Goode of Bury Hill.

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Driver Albert Thomas GURNEY Army Service Corps attached 40th Field Ambulance

Service number:T/37856 Died: 25 May 1916 Age: 21

Amara was occupied by the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force on 3 June 1915 and it immediately became a hospital centre. The accommodation for medical units on both banks of the Tigris was greatly increased during 1916. Albert may have died from disease. Cemetery location: Amara War Cemetery (IRAQ) (Amara is a town on the left bank of the Tigris some 520 kms from the sea! This cemetery contains 4,621 WW1 burials but in 1933 all the headstones were removed as salts in the soil were causing them to deteriorate. A screen wall was erected in its place with the names of those buried in the cemetery engraved upon it). Son of Albert and Eva Gurney.

Private Arthur GURNEY 8th Battalion The Queen's (Royal West Regiment)

Service number:24301 Died: 6 December 1917 Age: 25

Arthur Gurney’s father was Albert Gurney’s grandfather. Arthur had fought at Passchendaelle. At the time of his death his regiment was engaged in the Battle of Cambrai. [See also Albert Bourton] Cemetery location: Jeancourt Communal Cemetery Extension (Jeancourt is a small village situated approximately halfway between Peronne and St. Quentin. The village was a German hospital centre but in Allied hands in December 1917. The cemetery extension contains 492 WW1 Commonwealth burials but also 168 German graves). Son of William and Sarah Gurney.

Lance Corporal Arthur George HALL 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards

Service number:20995 Died: 11 July 1916 Age: 23

Like Albert Bourton, served with the Grenadier Guards in Flanders. The Guards Division has the unusual distinction of being formed in France in August 1915. The various Guards units that had been with other divisions were brought together to create a feared formation. It remained on the Western Front throughout the rest of the war. Arthur died of wounds fighting with the 2nd company 3rd battalion near Ypres. Cemetery location: Ferme-Olivier Cemetery (This cemetery 7 kms NW of Ieper was used continuously by field ambulances between June 1915 and August 1917. The cemetery contains 408 Commonwealth WW1 burials). Son of George and Mary Hall, natives of Weston-under-Penyard.

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Corporal Frank J HALL 12th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment

Service number:36802 Died: 2 October 1917 Age: 23

Arthur Hall (see above) was a cousin. Frank had originally enlisted in Hereford and served with the 2nd line 1st battalion Herefordshire Regiment (service number: 3241). He transferred to the Glosters to replace wartime casualties. Frank died during the Battle of Polygon Wood which took place in the second phase of the Third Battle of Ypres between 26 September and 3 October 1917. Memorial location: Tyne Cot Memorial (The Tyne Cot Memorial is one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders which cover the area known as the Ypres Salient. It bears the names of almost 35,000 officers and men with no known grave). Son of Charles and Martha Hall, of Palmer's Flat, Hopes Ash, Ross, Herefordshire.

Lieutenant Robert Dennis HUDSON 109th Battery Royal Field Artillery

Service number: Died: 25 January 1916 Age: 22

Appears as Dennis Hudson on the W-u-P memorial. The first German phosgene attack took place near Ypres on 19 December 1915. It is not known if Dennis was affected but he was subsequently killed in action. The 109th battery was part of XXIII Brigade from the outbreak of war and served exclusively in Flanders. Each regular battery consisted of six guns, normally 18 pounder field guns. Cemetery location: Dickebusch New Military Cemetery (The New Military Cemetery near Ieper was begun in February 1915 and was used until May 1917 by fighting units and field ambulances. It contains 624 WW1 burials). Son of Commander WJV (RN) and Mrs. EH Hudson, of Frogmore, Nr Pontshill, Herefordshire. Brother of Erris (see below).

2nd Lieutenant Henry Erris HUDSON 9th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment)

Service number: Died: 18 June 1918 Age: 19

Appears as Eris (only one ‘r’) on the W-u-P memorial. Awarded the Military Cross for gallantry with citation published in London Gazette although sadly not yet traced. On attachment to the 9th battalion which fought with the 33rd Brigade. This battalion had lost many of its officers in the Third Battle of Ypres in late 1917 but in June 1918 the Allies were again on the offensive. Memorial location: Loos Memorial (The Loos Memorial commemorates over 20,000 officers and men who died in the Loos area and have no known grave). Son of Commander WJV Hudson (RN) and Mrs. EH Hudson, of Frogmore, Nr Pontshill, Herefordshire. Brother of Robert (see above).

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Private Robert Frederick JONES 77th Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps

Service number:77905 Died: 11 August 1917 Age: 27

Died of wounds. Cemetery location: Reninghelst New Military Cemetery (The village of Reninghelst, some 10 kms SW of Ieper, was occupied by Commonwealth forces from the late autumn of 1914 to the end of the war. It was sufficiently far from the front line to provide a suitable station for field ambulances. There are 798 Commonwealth WW1 burials). Husband of Mrs. WH Clarke (formerly Jones), of River Cottage, Wyastone Leys, Monmouth.

Private Frank Edgar KEDDLE 4th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment

Service number:202875 Died: 7 September 1917 Age: 21

Frank’s POW record reveals he was captured in April 1917. He died in hospital in Tournai from dysentery and tuberculosis. Cemetery location: Tournai Communal Cemetery Allied Extension (Tournai was captured by the German II Corps on 23 August 1914 and the town remained in German hands until 8 November 1918). Son of Jonas and Laura Keddle

Sergeant Wallace LONGFORD 1st/1st Battalion Herefordshire Regiment

Service number:235655 Died: 19 April 1917 Age: 29

In ‘A’ company, Wallace had fought at Gallipoli in 1915-6 before fighting in General Allenby’s Egyptian Expeditionary Force in Palestine. He died at the Second Battle of Gaza. Gaza did not fall until the Third Battle of Gaza in November 1917 when the city had been reduced to rubble. Wallace’s medals are to be found in the Herefordshire Regiment Museum at the Suvla Barracks in Hereford. Cemetery location: Gaza War Cemetery (This cemetery contains 3,217 WW1 Commonwealth graves). Son of James and Elizabeth Longford. Born at Weston-under-Penyard.

Private Arthur Cyril MAYO 14th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment

Service number:32005 Died: 25 August 1917 Age: 21

The 14th (West of England) battalion was formed on 22 April 1915 as a ‘bantam’ battalion by the Citizens’ Recruiting Committee in Bristol. ‘Bantam’ battalions recruited men who were under the minimum 5’ 3” height. Army records indicate

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Arthur was born in Ross and enlisted in Hereford. He had previously served with the Herefordshire Regiment (service number 1694). During 1917, Arthur had fought in the pursuit of the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line. He died from wounds at the Third Battle of Ypres (or Passchendaele) which had commenced in July and would run to the November. Cemetery location: Villers-Faucon Communal Cemetery (This communal cemetery 12 kms NE of Peronne contains 227 WW1 Commonwealth burials and 91 German graves). Son of Eleanor Mayo, of Webb's Cottages, Upton Bishop, Herefordshire.

Gunner Albert PRICE 28th Brigade Royal Field Artillery

Service number:74359 Died: 14 April 1917 Age: 27

In ‘A’ Battery. Killed at Vimy Ridge two weeks before his brother Oliver. Vimy Ridge was captured by the Canadian Corps on 9 April 1917 and remained in British hands until the end of the War. Cemetery location: Bois-Carre British Cemetery, Thelus (The village of Thelus stands on Vimy Ridge, near Arras. This cemetery was new in April 1917 and contains over 500 WW1 burials). Son of Henry and Mary Ann Price of Weston under Penyard.

Private Oliver PRICE 7th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry

Service number:32737 Died: 28 April 1917 Age: 29

Served with Thomas Putt (see below) and both died in April 1917. Oliver died of wounds at the Battle of Arras two weeks after his brother Albert. This was a British offensive which lasted from 9 April to 16 May 1917. Cemetery location: Duisans British Cemetery, Etrun (The village of Etrun is 9 kms W of Arras. This cemetery was used by the 8th Casualty Clearing Station and most of the 3,207 WW1 Commonwealth graves relate to the Battle of Arras). Son of Henry and Mary Ann Price of Weston under Penyard. Husband of Mary Marfell Price of Bromsash Villa, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire.

Private Thomas E PUTT 7th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry

Service number:14614 Died: 7 April 1917 Age: 25

Killed in action just before the Battle of Arras. Served with Oliver Price (see above) who died later in the same offensive. Cemetery location: Beaurains Road Cemetery, Beaurains (This cemetery was begun a few days before Beaurains was captured by Commonwealth forces on 18 March 1917 and now contains 331 WW1 Commonwealth burials.

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Son of Thomas Henry and Mary Ann Putt, of 5, Dairy Cottages, Weston under Penyard.

Corporal Edward Charles SAUNDERS 1st/5th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment

Service number:240723 Died: 16 August 1917 Age: 32

Born in Ross and recruited in Gloucester. Charles lived in London Road, Cheltenham and was a newsagent in 1911. A signaller in the Army, he was killed at the Battle of Langemarck during the Third Battle of Ypres (or Passchendaele). Memorial location: Tyne Cot Memorial (The Tyne Cot Memorial is one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders and specifically the Ypres Salient. It also bears the names of Frank Hall and almost 35,000 other officers and men with no known grave). Son of Mrs. Elizabeth Kitchener of Alms Houses, Pontshill, nr Weston under Penyard.

Private Horace Victor George SCUTT 1 st/4th Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry

Service number:35336 Died: 13 August 1918 Age: 19

After serving in the Far East from the onset of WW1, 4 KSLI went straight to the Western Front in July 1917. The battalion fought around Messines during the German Spring offensive of 1918 and went into the line near Bethune in August 1918 where Horace died of wounds. Cemetery location: Chocques Military Cemetery (Chocques is 4 kms NW of Bethune. The No.1 Casualty Clearing Station was based in Chocques. This cemetery now contains 1,801 WW1 Commonwealth burials). Son of ER and LL Scutt, of Ivy Cottage, Weston under Penyard.

Gunner Charles SPARROW Royal Garrison Artillery G Corps Ammunition Park

Service number:78548 Died: 27 November 1918 Age: 31

Charles died of pneumonia in the weeks following the Armistice (Spanish flu?). The Royal Garrison Artillery was responsible for the heavier calibre guns on the Western Front. Buried in the old Ryeford Baptist Chapel burial ground. Son of Alfred William and Eliza Sparrow of Pencraig Cottage, Pontshill.

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The grave of Gunner Sparrow at the old Ryeford Baptist Chapel burial ground

Private Arthur William WHITBY 11th Battalion Royal Fusiliers

Service number:2241 Died: 17 February Age: 28 19178

In ‘B’ company. Operations by British forces in the Ancre area of the Somme sector recommenced in January 1917. Arthur was killed in action during this trench warfare. Memorial location: Regina Trench Cemetery, Grandcourt (Regina trench was a German earthwork. This cemetery was completed after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields of Courcelette, Grandcourt and Miraumont. Most date from October 1916 to February 1917. It now contains 2,279 WW1 Commonwealth burials). Son of Arthur (and late Mrs E) Whitby of Bill Mills, Ross-on-Wye.

Private John Gordon WILKS 13th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment

Service number:18156 Died: 22 March 1918 Age: 35

Please note ‘Gordon Wilkes’ on the Weston memorial but recorded as ‘Wilks’ with the initials JY in CWGC grave records. Such variances in written records are not uncommon. Born in Pontshill and enlisted in Cinderford. The 13th, was the pioneer ‘Forest of Dean’ battalion. Killed in action during the German offensive of Spring 1917. The Germans recaptured Peronne on 23 March 1918. Memorial location: Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension (There are 1,595 WW1 Commonwealth graves in the cemetery extension). Son of Elizabeth and Henry Wilks.

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PHOTOGRAPHS OF VARIOUS MEMORIALS AND CEMETERIES MAINTAINED BY THE COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION (CWGC)

LISTED ALPHABETICALLY BY CEMETERY OR MEMORIAL NAME

Arras Memorial Beaurains Road Cemetery, Beaurains

Bois-Carre British Cemetery, Thelus Boulogne East Cemetery

Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery, Cambrai Memorial, Louveral Souchez

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Cement House Cemetery, Chocques Military Cemetery Langemarck

Dickebusch New Military Cemetery Duisans British Cemetery, Etrun

Ferme-Olivier Cemetery, Ieper Gaza War Cemetery, Palestine

Helles Memorial, Gallipoli Jeancourt Communal Cemetery extension

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Jerusalem Memorial Le Touret Memorial

Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery Loos Memorial

Menin Gate (Ypres) Memorial Mont Huon Military Cemetery, Le Treport

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Peronne Communal Cemetery extension Poziere Memorial

Raperie British Cemetery, Villemontoire Regina Trench Cemetery, Grandcourt

Reninghelst New Military Cemetery Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery Manancourt

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Roye New British Cemetery Rue-du-Bacquerot No.1 Military Cemetery, Laventie

St Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen Thiepval Memorial

Tourcoing (Pont-Neuville) Communal Tournai Communal Cemetery Allied Cemetery Extension

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Tyne Cot Memorial Vadencourt British Cemetery, Maissemy

Vermelles Cemetery Vertain Communal Cemetery Extension

Villers-Faucon Communal Cemetery Waggon Road Cemetery, Beaumont- Hamel

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Photographs of the ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ installation commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of WW1. Tower of London, 28th October 2014

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With contributions from Roger Davies, John Franklin, Lee Hines, Fiona Morison, Dorian Osborne and Ann Palmer,

We will be reminded of many anniversaries this year especially those of World War One and also the final days of World War Two. But there are also some other important historical events that helped to shape the world we now live in and which are worthy of commemoration and reflection. There are many other anniversaries to observe and this is only a selection.

The Twentieth Century

1990 Reunification of Germany - 25 Years Ago The Reunification Treaty which united East and West Germany once again was signed on 31st August 1990. Various other treaties and agreements were signed to clarify Germany’s eastern border with Poland and NATO’s freedoms in Germany and limitations on NATO expansion eastwards.

1965 Start of the US-Vietnam War - 50 Years Ago The United States started to move troops into South Vietnam in 1965 to support a Nationalist regime fighting against communists in the north. Winston Churchill died on 24th January 1965 and a State Funeral took place on 30th January 1965. After long but fruitless negotiations with Alec Douglas Home and then Harold Wilson concerning the post colonial constitution for Rhodesia, Ian Smith declared unilateral independence from Britain on 11th November. The National speed limit of 70 mph was introduced in Britain and Ken Dodd topped the best selling record charts with ‘Tears’.

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1955 The Fishfinger - 60 Years Ago In 1923, with an investment of $7, Clarence Birdseye, an American scientist and explorer, invented and later perfected a system of packing fresh food into waxed cardboard boxes and flash-freezing the contents. Then the frozen fish finger was first produced in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, in a Birds Eye food factory in 1955. When fish fingers were first launched few people had freezers so they had to be cooked straight away. By 1960, a fifth of the population had a freezer and by 1965 the proportion had risen to half

1945 End of World War Two - 70 Years Ago Seventy years ago this year, the Second World War was coming to an end with the Russians entering Berlin in April, VE Day on 9th May and, later, two atomic bombs were dropped on Japanese cities bringing an end to the war in Asia and VJ Day on 15th August. Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt attended the Yalta conference in February 1945. Stalin agreed to enter the war against Japan in exchange for concessions on territories in Manchuria and in Eastern Europe. Franklin Roosevelt died suddenly on 12th April 1945 and Vice President Harry Truman was sworn in as President. King George VI was on the throne, Winston Churchill having led the country through five years of the war lost the General Election and Clement Atlee took over during the Potsdam Conference in July.

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The End of the Second World War and the Start of the Cold War

The Yalta conference in February 1945; (right) The Potsdam Conference in July 1945(below right); and The British take the Japanese surrender in Vietnam in September 1945. (below left)

The Americans refused to allow the French to take the Japanese surrender in Vietnam, wanting Chiang Kai Shek the Chinese Nationalist leader to occupy Vietnam. The British disagreed and finally they took the surrender in Hanoi on behalf of the French government in September 1945. Un-briefed concerning the agreements at Yalta earlier in the year, relations between the new US President Truman’s team and the Russians rapidly deteriorated over German surrender terms and Russian occupation of territories in Eastern Europe and then in northern China and Korea. By the end of 1945, the cold war was fast developing.

1940 Dunkerque and the Battle of Britain – 75 Years Ago For Britain, 1940 was a terrible year; the British and French armies hardly delayed the German advance through Belgium and across France. The British army was defeated first in Norway in May. This lead to the resignation of Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister. Winston Churchill took over, forming a Conservative/Labour coalition just before the evacuation at Dunkerque (27th May to 4th June) succeeded in rescuing most of the survivors of the British Expeditionary force, but with little of their equipment. With the fall of Belgium, France, Denmark and Norway, Britain stood alone without an army to defend itself and reliant on the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force to repel invasion. The Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940 was probably the greatest

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 114 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 5 ANNIVERSARIES IN 2015 triumph of the Royal Air Force. But it was also a triumph for British aero-engineering, radar technology and wireless interception.

1915 Trenches, Gallipoli, Zeppelins & U boats – 100 Years Ago The First World War began to get serious in 1915, the British Army expanded from 250,000 to 2,600,000, still all volunteers. The deadly fighting in France and Belgium caused hundreds of thousands of casualties, and many British, Australian and New Zealand troops took part in the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign. Rupert Brook died in a French Hospital in Greece on his way to Gallipoli. Brooke was one of the most important of the Dymock poets. Zeppelins bombed England, the first attack was on Great Yarmouth and a German U-boat sank the Lusitania. Gas attacks were first reported early in 1915 and the British Army first used gas at the Battle of Loos that raged from 21st September to 13th October. 61,000 British troops died including a large proportion of the remaining pre-war regular soldiers. Herbert Asquith remained Prime Minister throughout 1915 but would be replaced by Lloyd George the following year. King George V had been on the throne for five years and would

LINTON & DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY page 115 of 128 2014-2015 YEARBOOK CHAPTER 5 ANNIVERSARIES IN 2015 remain there until he died in 1936 The sinking of RMS Lusitania on 7th May by the German U-boat U20 caused outrage. 1195 people lost their lives, mainly British and Canadian but more than one hundred Americans. The Lusitania lies in one thousand feet of water off Kinsale in Ireland. “The Soldier,” by Rupert Brooke (1887-1915)

If I should die, think only this of me: That there’s some corner of a foreign field That is forever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam, A body of England’s, breathing English air, Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. And think, this heart, all evil shed away, A pulse in the Eternal mind, no less Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given, Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day; And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness, In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

Before The Twentieth Century

1865 Alice, Salvation Army, the end of the Civil War in America and Edward Palin comes to Linton-150 Years Ago

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) was published by Macmillan

The Salvation Army was founded as the East London Christian Mission by former Methodist minister William Booth and his wife Catherine.

General Robert E Lee the American Confederate Army surrendered on 9th April. Although some local fighting continued throughout the year, this is regarded as the end of the American Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on 14th April 1865.

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Robert E Lee Ulysses Grant Abraham Lincoln The Main Protagonists in the American Civil War

The railroads played an important role for both sides. But the railways in the more indutrialised north ran both north-south and east-west providing faster access to all parts of the conflict; while in the south, the railways ran mainly to the coast and Mississippi valley.

The Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 – the image (left) of chivalrous warfare and the reality; a mass killing field (right)

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Edward Palin was born on 21st November 1826 in Islington. In 1844, he achieved a scholarship to St John’s College, Oxford and it proved to be his home for the next 18 years. He was ordained a priest in 1855 by the Bishop of Oxford. From 1856 to 1861 he was a perpetual curate at St John the Baptist’s Church in Summertown, Oxford. However, in 1861, a personal crisis was about to brew. Edward met his future wife Brita in Switzerland in 1861. Sadly, fellows at this time in the university had to be celibate. By 1865, after much soul searching, Edward had decided to give up academic life and marry the much younger Brita. That year, the vicar of Linton (Thomas Curtiss) died leaving the St John’s College living vacant. This created an opportunity for Edward to leave Oxford and to marry. On 19th December 1865, Edward Palin was instituted and inducted as vicar in St Mary’s, Linton. Edward and Brita were subsequently married in Paris but not until 1867 when she was 23 (and Edward 41). Edward died on 4th November 1903, aged 78, in the Linton vicarage he had totally rebuilt. So ended the life of Linton’s most famous resident and philanthropist. Queen Victoria had been on the throne for thirty-seven years and Lord Palmerston was Prime Minister until his death on 18th October. Lord Palmerston, founder of the Liberal Party, was succeeded by his Foreign Secretary Lord John Russell.

1815 Waterloo, Emma and the Davy Lamp – 200 years ago The Battle of Waterloo ended Napoleon’s one hundred days of freedom after his escape from Elba. Napoleon had been forced to abdicate on 6th April 1814 after several military defeats and the taking of Paris at the Battle of Montmartre on 30th March 1814. He was exiled to Elba and the victorious allies (Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria) set about discussing the redrawing of the borders of Europe at the Congress of Vienna. The discussions became squabbles and Napoleon seized the moment and returned to France on 1st March 1815. The French army quickly rejoined his ranks and the new King Louis XVIII was deposed. The allies had to remobilize their armies and a new invasion was planned for July 1815. Napoleon quickly expanded his armies and marched towards Belgium with the intention of defeating the British and Prussian forces there. Fighting lasted several days from the Battle of Ligny and Quatre Bras on 16th June to the defeat of the French army by the British and Prussian armies Battle of Waterloo on 18th June. Napoleon fled first to Paris and then to the west coast before finally surrendering to Captain Maitland of HMS Bellerophon and being taken first to Torbay and then

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Plymouth before being transferred to HMS Northumberland which set sail for St Helena on 7th August 1815. The allies had once again to fight their way to Paris against continuing resistance from the French army and the war finally ended on 20th November with the Treaty of Paris King George III was on the British throne but his son, later George IV, had been Prince Regent for four years. Robert Jenkinson 2nd Earl of Liverpool had taken over as Prime Minister in 1812 after the assassination of Spencer Percival. Jenkinson would serve until 1827. Sir Humphry Davy had discovered that a flame enclosed inside a mesh of a certain fineness did not ignite firedamp. The screen acts as a flame arrestor; air (and any firedamp present) can pass through the mesh freely enough to support combustion, but the holes are too fine to allow a flame to propagate through them and ignite any firedamp outside the mesh. The news about Davy’s lamp was made public at a Royal Society meeting in Newcastle on 3 November 1815, and the paper describing the lamp was formally presented on 9 November. For it, Davy was awarded the Society’s Rumford Medal. Emma by Jane Austin was published in December 1815. It was the fourth of her novels and last to be published before her death in 1817. Two others: Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, were published posthumously.

1765 HMS Victory and the Stamp Act - 250 Years Ago HMS Victory was launched at Chatham. Although now in dry dock, HMS Victory remains in commission in the Royal Navy. Emma Lady Hamilton who would become Admiral Nelson’s mistress was born in . The Stamp Act was passed which attempted to raise taxes in the American colonies to pay for the British Army defending the colonies from French incursions from eastern Canada. This led to unrest in New England and eventually to the start of American War of Independence in 1775. King George II dismissed George Grenville as Prime Minster replacing him with the Marquis of Rockingham.

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1715 First Jacobite Rising and founding of the 10th Royal Hussars – 300 Years Ago The first Jacobite rising in Scotland of the Old Pretender Prince James Edward Stuart and the march south that led to the Battle of Preston where the Hanoverian forces defeated the Jacobite incursion at the conclusion of a five-day siege and action, the last battle fought on English soil. The 10th Royal Hussars (The Prince of Wales’s Own) were formed in 1715. They would fight at Culloden and later through the Seven Years War, the Peninsular War

and at Waterloo. They took part in the Battle of Sebastapol in the Crimea, saw service in India, Afghanistan, the Boer War and both First and Second World Wars King George I was on the throne, James Stanhope was First Minister and Robert Walpole was First Lord of the Treasury. These two offices would later be combined as Prime Minister The Three Choirs Festival traditionally count their events from 1715 although, it is likely that the first was before 1715.

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1665 The Great Plague - 350 Years Ago

The Great Plague of London reached its peak in 1665 and lasted through into 1666 when the Great Fire put an end to the epidemic. More than 100,000 had died. The monarchy had been restored in 1660 and the coronation of Charles II took place in 1661. His relations with Parliament were turbulent and it is difficult to identify a chief minister who survived long enough to be recorded. Samuel Pepys was writing his diary and was secretary to the Navy Board. England was at war with the Dutch.

1315 Great Famine and the Scottish Invasion of Ireland 700 Years Ago A very wet Spring and Summer in 1315 led to failed harvests across Northern Europe, including Britain and Ireland, and to the Great Famine which lasted for several years. The early 1300s were noticeably colder and wetter than the last part of the previous century. Everyone knows about the Battle of Bannockburn which is, of course, a landmark in Scottish history. However, few will be aware that after this victory Robert the Bruce decided to expand his war against the English and Edward II by sending an army under his younger brother, also called Edward, to invade Ireland. Ireland had been given by Papal decree in 1155 to the Plantagenets. Robert had been invited by some of the native Irish to drive out the English settlers. In return, they would crown his brother Edward as High King of Ireland. However, Bruce's main mission in Ireland was to create a second front draining the English of money, men

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and materialsThe “Bruce campaign” turned out to be a three-year expedition from Edward the Bruce’s landing in May 1315 to his death in late 1318. However, all the action in the campaign was focused in 1315. Edward II’s man in Ireland was The Lord Lieutenant Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March. Ultimately, he would go on to depose Edward II and indeed was responsible for his death with the poker at Berkeley Castle! THE CAMPAIGN: On 26 May 1315 Edward and 6,000 men landed at Larne and immediately faced an army under the Earl of Ulster with the forces commanded by Sir Thomas de Mandeville. The Scots won a resounding victory. Subsequently, in early June, some thirteen northern Kings met Edward Bruce at Carrickfergus and swore fealty to him as King of Ireland. At this point Bruce ruled much of eastern and mid-Ulster. In late June 1315, Edward went south from Carrickfergus and attacked Dundalk. He massacred the population. In July, two separate armies opposing Bruce met up but Bruce refused to give battle and retreated rapidly northwards. Both sides experienced severe shortages of food and supplies. Desertion and treachery followed! The Great European Famine of 1315–1317 also affected Ireland and disease became widespread in his army and across the general population. In November 1315, Bruce marched south via Dundalk and advanced to Kells, where he was met by our friend Mortimer. The Battle of Kells was fought on 7th November 1315, with Mortimer being decisively defeated by Bruce. Mortimer promptly set sail for England to urge the witless Edward II to send reinforcements! However, with Winter the campaign of 1315 ground to a halt. Several years of scorched earth warfare followed with Bruce and his allies failing to hold on to the areas they had conquered. His army fed itself by pillaging and became increasingly unpopular. Edward the Bruce was finally defeated and killed at the end of 1318 at a skirmish called the Battle of Faughart in County Louth. His head was given to Edward II on a spike as a present. So ended another sad story in the long and tragic history of Ireland.

1265 First English Parliament and the Battle of Evesham 750 Years Ago In January, Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, convened the first English Parliament which included the Knights of the Shires and the Burgesses of the Boroughs making it the first representative parliament in England. But, it was short-lived and Simon de Montfort was defeated and killed in August at the Battle of Evesham by the future Edward I. The Battle of Evesham was very bloody and is regarded as the end of the era of Chivalry.

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1215 Magna Carta 800 years Ago Magna Carta was signed at Runnymede on 15th June 1215 by King John and the leading Barons of England who were in revolt and aided by the Scots and French King wanted to replace John. The drafting of Magna Carta was intended to limit the King’s power. King John was relieved of any commitment to Magna Carta by the Pope who condemned the idea of limiting regal powers and excommunicated all the Barons who signed. The Barons then sought to get rid of John altogether and open civil war resulted. On John’s death the following year, William Marshall Earl of Pembroke and Castilian in Chepstow declared himself Regent for John’s young son Henry who was crowned in Gloucester Abbey. Marshall issued a reduced version of Magna Carta and committed Henry to it in an attempt to foil the Barons’ rebellion. It has been amended and re-confirmed many times over the centuries. Richard de Clare Earl of Gloucester and Henry de Bohun Earl of Hereford were both signatories to the Runnymede charter and both excommunicated by the Pope for doing so. Magna Carta did not apply to the County of Cheshire where Ranulf, Earl of Chester produced his own charter.

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Programme 2014-2015

Wed. 1st October 2014 Roger Davies Lest We Forget

Wed 8th October 2014 Dorian Osborne The Origins of World War One

Wed 15th October 2014 Heather Hurley Herefordshire River Trade

Wed 22nd October 2014 Tim Ward Roses Round The Door

Wed 29th October 2014 Lt. Col. Ian Gumm The Ypres Salient

Wed 5th November 2014 Malcolm Lewis The Music Of World War One

Wed 12th November 2014 The Chairman’s Lecture Fiona Morison Linton Life In 1914

Wed 19th November 2014 David Harrison William Hogarth & 18th Century England

Wed 26th November Lee Hines A History Of Map Makers

Wed 3rd December LDHS Christmas Social Penyard Singers

Wed 4th February 2015 John Putley The Band Of Brothers

Wed 11th February 2015 Penny Platts A History Of Hereford

Wed 25th February 2015 Dorian Osborne The East London Group Of Artists

Wed 4th March 2015 Richard Cann A History of Gloucester Cathedral

Wed 11th March 2015 Tony Conder Gloucester Railways & Do You Remember Adlestrop?

Wed 18th March 2015 The 2015 Founders Lecture John Reid Margaret Of Anjou

Wed 25th March 2015 AGM and Members Evening

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LDHS Outings Programme for 2014 to 2015

Wed 22nd April 2015 Monmouth Town Trail with reference to David Harrison the Chartists

Sat 16th May 2015 Winchcombe and Hailes Abbey David Aldred

Sat 6th June 2015 Avoncroft Museum of Buildings Coach trip Back to Backs Museum Birmingham

Wed 1st July 2015 RAF Cosford Coach trip

L.D.H.S. Officers

Chairman Fiona Morrison

Treasurer & Archivist Peter Attenborough

Programme Secretary Roger Davies

Outings Secretary Anne Palmer

Secretary Gail Whyte

Yearbook Editor Richard Hoare

Chairman’s Report to AGM 25th March 2015 2014-15 has been a special year for the nation, indeed for many countries in Europe and their past respective Empires. The whole country soberly - and I think with much dignity - commemorated the outbreak of World War One. Who will forget the poppies at the Tower of London, a brilliant way of demonstrating the vast amount of loss and grief that people suffered because of the war. Closer to home, several members of the society took part in the Lamps go out in Europe commemoration in the churchyard of St. Mary’s in August, and then later in the year, the Service of Remembrance in November around the village war memorial . Roger Davies prepared a wonderful and informative exhibition mounted in the church to coincide with 11th. November – Armistice Day. My thanks go not only to him, but to all the people in the area who so generously lent or gave us material to include in the display. He also produced a searching and poignant document to commemorate all those men from the local area who died during the war. Some of the work which Roger and I prepared will be part of the spring exhibition mounted in Ross Library by the Hereford Records Office, to mark World War One. This is part of an HRO programme that has taken place across the county. Our own speaker programme for 2014/15 reflected this anniversary. The lectures by Roger Davies, Dorian Osborne, Lt. Col. Ian Gum, Malcolm Lewis and myself, all reflected aspects of the war. I hope that the membership found these lectures of interest and usefully added to the huge output of material from the

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BBC and other media sources. It is our intention to include, on an occasional basis, more material on the war to coincide with special events between 1914- 1918. The remainder of the programme was the more traditional mix of local and national history. Nevertheless, it was a programme of contrasts; John Putley (who will return in another guise in 2016) made an impressive, if frightening Medieval soldier. And on a gentler note, many LDHS members enjoyed the talk by Penny Platts as she took us around more familiar territory of Hereford. Founders’ Lecture. This was given by John Reid and explored how difficult it is for Historians to reach a fair and balanced view of a key character from the past, in this instance Margaret of Anjou, about whom so many conflicting views have been expressed. We are making steady if slow progress with the archive material. Help will be forthcoming from the HRO once they have completed their move to the new site at Rotherwas. The committee has been hard at work this year. As well as all the invaluable work done by Peter, Roger, and Anne, Richard Hoare has dedicated much time to the creation of a new venture, the LDHS Yearbook. This would be a good moment to express my personal thanks and that of the Society for the work done by all of the committee. The Society only functions because we are a team of people who give one another friendship, help and support. We are still in need of a Secretary and an Outings Secretary. We can only function as a society with help from many people. Fiona Morison Chairman LDHS

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NOTES

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NOTES

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