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BRISTOL-HANNOVER COUNCIL HEUTE www.Bristolhannovercouncil.org.uk SPRING 2013 TIME TO CELEBRATE! Bristol-Hannover Council rejoices in the prospect of an air-link between Bristol and Hannover, and congratulates BMI on their initiative. Bristol-Hannover Council was founded in 1947. Since then many thousands of Bristolians have travelled to Hannover, a city then of ruins, of necessity by circuitous routes and using different forms of transport. There they have always been enthusiastically welcomed, and in the same way many thousands of Hannoverians have visited Bristol. Since the early days there have been regular exchanges of schoolchildren, students, trades unionists, choirs, theatre groups, sporting groups, youth and church groups. These continue to flourish. Without a direct air link they have all taken place with inconvenient and not easy travel arrangements and at considerable cost. The facility of a direct air-link will be of the greatest convenience to those many English and German groups and to the many families and individuals in the West Country who enjoy visiting Hannover and its surrounding area of great beauty and interest, and to those from Lower Saxony, the second largest German state, for whom the West Country is a particular attraction. It is particularly fitting that we in Bristol have a direct link with Hannover, from which our Royal Family came in 1714 in the person of King George I, when the two countries were united under the same crown with their successors in the Personal Union, something which is still today highly valued and celebrated in Hannover. Bristol-Hannover Council believes that the appointment of a voluntary Bristol-Hannover tourist officer would be highly advantageous, to inform the tourist officers in Bristol and Hannover of the new air-link and its many benefits, and to encourage the promotion of new tourist and commercial links between the two cities, particularly supporting the many international Trade Fairs which are held in Hannover. If any member would be able to take this on, please let us know. Bristol-Hannover Council has an exchange of citizens every year – this year a group will come from Hannover, in 2014, the year of the 300th anniversary of the accession of the Hannoverian George I to the English throne, a group of Bristolians will visit Hannover, where great celebrations are planned. We also celebrate in Bristol, usually in February, ‘Rosenmontag’ or Fasching, perhaps more widely known as Mardi Gras, we support the German Christmas Market, we meet for an Annual Dinner and on less formal occasions socially and to watch German films. We publish a newsletter HEUTE with our events and news, and more information can be found on our website at bristolhannovercouncil.org.uk. SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE DUE FOR 2013-14 – please complete a membership form (enclosed) if you do not pay by Direct Debit, and send with your subscription to our Treasurer, Katerina Seery. (page1) GUY DRIFFIELD OUR INDOMITABLE DUO Bristol-Hannover Council was very saddened to Members will remember that we were asked by learn of the death of Guy Driffield who had been Hannover to discover some of those children who a stalwart member since the beginning and for donated shoes to Hannover children in 1947, as many years its Treasurer. He was born on 25 some of the recipients would like to trace them to April 1924 in Cologne, of a Yorkshireman father thank them. We did announce this in the POST and French-Swiss mother. On the outbreak of the but received no response. But our two Second World War he was on a school trip to indomitable members, Lynne and Frank, didn’t Italy, taking part in a gymnastics display, when give up there. They took themselves to the he was urgently summoned home to flee with his Central Library and went through every copy of family to England, where he studied German and the EVENING POST and EVENING WORLD (I French at Oxford. On graduation, he was guess they left out the Saturday Greenuns and appointed a member of Staff at Colston Boys’ Pinkuns of that time.) Just imagine it! But they School and later was appointed Head of Modern found many references to the early stages of the Languages at St Thomas More School. On Hannover Exchange and photocopied them and retirement he continued as an active member of have produced a dossier of 19 A4 pages which BHC and in his later years continued to take a forms a precious document reflecting our early keen interest in our activities. Ann Kennard years. represented BHC at his funeral and sent The EVENING POST published a letter ‘to condolences to his widow, Helga and family. cheer up the dear children of Hannover’ written by a nine-year-old boy, which was discovered in a WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON heap of gifts received by Bishop Hans Lilje on his Yes, again we won the Paul Garland Trophy for visit in 1947. He wrote, winning the annual Bristol International ‘We are sorry that your town was badly Twinning Association Quiz. Our star performer bombed, and that in winter you have very bad this year was Gerard, our Secretary. The weather, so we have collected many gifts so that problem is, this means we have to set the you can go to school and perhaps to Sunday questions for next year’s Quiz! School.’ This was written by Robert Burfoot of ----- Hillfields Park Junior School. He continues ‘We Our annual Rosenmontag Party on 11 February hope it will soon be repaired and gradually built was a success and much enjoyed by all those who up again, and, when we grow up and you grow celebrated with us, including the Lord Mayor. up, there will be peace between Germany and our ----- Isles.’ IF ANY READER OF HEUTE CAN Plans are now well underway for the visit of our IDENTIFY ROBERT, PLEASE LET US Hannover friends in June. They arrive on KNOW! Thursday June 6th, and on the following day we CHOCOLATE and SHOES have arranged for them a visit to the City Record Miss D. I. Porter, headmistress of Mina Rd. Office. On Saturday June 8th we visit Tyntesfield School, motored six pupils to Bristol Youth House and on Sunday hope to visit Beeses Tea Committee offices, Great George St., where they Gardens. On Monday 10th is the Reception by the met the Hannover Bishop, who was imprisoned Lord Mayor, followed by a meeting of the two by the Nazis, and sentenced to death. committees, with a Farewell Dinner in the Movietone camera shots, to be published in a evening. The party leaves on Tuesday June 11th. magazine for Germany, were taken as the ----- children, Terry Dicks (10), Maurice Merchant At an International Women’s Day event at the (1O), Colin Jeston (10), Nina Harris (10), Jean City Hall, Ann met and chatted to the Workman (9), and Eileen Pearce (9) shook hands granddaughter of CROFTON GANE. Is that with the Bishop. name familiar? He was one of the Famous Five of They told him the chocolate they gave him for the Goodwill Party and was the first Chairman of the children of Hannover had been saved from Bristol-Hannover Council. their sweet ration. The school had collected over ….. 100 pairs of shoes. Requests from Hannover for links with Choirs, Councillor R. St. John Reade, vice-chairman Orchestras and Drama Groups keep coming in Bristol Education Committee, reported that over and are being dealt with by committee members. 400 pairs of shoes had already been collected in This can only strengthen BHC. local schools. AN UNWILLING MIGRANT but, unfortunately, she died taking a walk in He didn’t really want to come here, but he made Herrenhausen gardens a few weeks before Queen up his mind to endure it. Although he had been Anne died. (Her statue marks the spot.) So we got told on August 5 at two o’clock in the morning George instead. that he was to migrate to London, he lingered as But the great achievement of the Georges (I, long as he decently could in Herrenhausen and II, III, IV and William IV) was that they gave us sauntered for many a day through its prim walks. our Constitutional Monarchy. Unlike the He reluctantly began his journey on August 31 monarchs of any other country, they stood back and travelled from Hannover (as our visitors will from ruling and left the affairs of running the travel in June) via Holland, and reached The country to their ministers and parliament. For Hague five days later, but the exertion of the this we must be eminently grateful, and celebrate journey so far had been so great (or his the 300th anniversary of their arrival with joy. unwillingness to go any further) that he stayed We speak with respect of the Georgian period there until September 16th when he embarked (particularly of its architecture and literature). and reached Greenwich two days later. When he Hannover too is celebrating the anniversary of arrived it was raining and foggy. He did not come the Personal Union of Britain and Hannover with alone, but brought his two favourite mistresses five extensive exhibitions. There will also be with him. Not his wife. He had already divorced significant exhibitions in London, and here in her and shut her up in the castle of Ahlden. He Bristol the Bristol-Hannover Council must told everyone he met how much he disliked celebrate the arrival of George I. England, its people and its ways. He spoke very The Personal Union came to an end when little English and those who surrounded him Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837.

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