Eggbuckland & Friends Ringing Tour to Ypres 16
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Founded 1925 President - BarryMaurice OSBORNE Sharland www.devonbells.co.uk Devon Calls Oct/Nov 2018 Eggbuckland & Friends Ringing Tour to Ypres OFFICERS th th 16 – 19 July 2018 President: Barry OSBORNE It was in the summer of 2017 that we first Memorial and the bell tower was funded by Sir President-Elect: learned of the James Knott in John BARNES bells of St. memory of his Chairman: George's two sons. The James STEER Memorial Church tower was Vice-Chairman: in Ypres, Belgium. originally Ian AVERY The eight bells designed to Hon. Secretary: had been house bells for Rachel AVERY displayed on the full circle Hon. Treasurer: back of two WW1 ringing but it is Clive WARD lorries at Dorset's believed there Web Master: Dr James KERSLAKE annual Great were Training Officer: Steam Fair as insufficient Graham SHARLAND part of their 300 funds for this at Publicity Officer mile journey the time. The Victoria TUCKER from Taylor's of project to Loughborough to finally install a Assistant Secretaries Back row L-R:- David Trout, Andy Cleave, Tony Jeffrey, Linda the Anglican set of bells as a Stuart BENNIE (North) Steer, Paul Hext, Rebecca Hext, Martin Sharland, Sue Ashton, Church in the fitting William CAREW (South) Graham Pascoe, Hilary Trout Devon Calls: Flanders town of memorial to Editor: Colin ADAMS Ypres. Dave's Front row L-R:- Jane Sample, James Steer the fallen of Technical Eds.: James GRANT interest was the Great War Elinor D’ALBIAC piqued and he began to investigate further. was initiated by Alan Regin, Steward of the Rolls of Honour of the Central Council of The church of St. George's was built between Church Bell Ringers. It is known that at least Inside this issue 1927 and 1929 as a memorial to the many 1,400 bell ringers died during The First World British and Commonwealth soldiers who lost Roll of Honour 4 War. The project received support nationally their lives on the Ypres Salient battlefields of Editorial 6 and internationally and raised more than the First World War. It served the British Private Tom Eggins 7 £195,000 from public and charitable donations. community that remained in Ypres after the Autumn Avery 8 The bells, each cast with a poppy motif around war, many working for the War Graves Chardstock Invitation 8 the shoulder and inscribed with the names of Commission, and a school ran there between Carol Service Announcement 8 fallen soldiers, were dedicated on 22nd October 1929 and 1940. The architect was Sir Reginald Exeter Cathedral’s Bells 9 2017. 2018 Results 10 Bromfield, who also designed the Menin Gate Kingsteignton Teams 11 COPY for “Devon Calls” is always welcome and we rely on you to submit articles AGM Announcement 11 Deadline for next edition- 20th January 2019 We would be very interested in including “Letters to the Editor”. Articles and letters should be sent to the Editor: Colin ADAMS - [email protected] Eggbuckland & Friends Ringing Tour to Ypres—continued from page 1 It seemed fitting to try and ring these bells during the where we left our cars and walked into the centre. We spent centenary year of the end of WW1 and to remember the the afternoon exploring the town with its beautiful core of ringers from our own county who had died as a result of the medieval and renaissance buildings. The most impressive of conflict. With the help of Alan Regin we found the names of these was the magnificent Cloth Hall, actually a complex of 63 Devon bell-ringers from the Roll of Honour, along with buildings, now home to the 'In Flanders Field Museum'. The details of their home tower, age, regiment, date of death and oldest part of the complex is The Belfry Tower, housing a where they are commemorated. After discussion with The carillon of 49 bells which sound out sweetly across the Devon Association the committee market square. It is hard to kindly offered to pay for the believe that the whole town of wreath that we wished to lay on Leper, to give it the correct its behalf at the Menin Gate Flemish name, was left totally Memorial. Dave duly devastated by the end of the commissioned a wreath from the war in 1918 and was incredibly Lady Haig Poppy Factory, to rebuilt stone by stone during incorporate the association logo the 1920s and 30s, as close to at its centre, and made final the original architecture as arrangements with the ringing possible. After a lot of walking captain at St. George's. and a little refreshment, beers all round and waffles and ice- And so it was that a group of cream for some, soup for twelve ringers from Devon set off others, we headed back to the on a foreign adventure on 16th hotel to get spruced up for the July 2018. To break up the long evening ceremony at the Menin journey to Folkestone we were to The Menin Gate Memorial Gate Memorial. ring at a few towers conveniently situated just off our route. The The Menin Gate Memorial to first of these was Goodworth the Missing is a huge concrete Clatford in Hampshire, with a structure faced with red brick picturesque village centre and a and stone panels engraved with pretty set of eight bells to match. the names of men from the UK After another hour on the road it and Commonwealth forces who was time for lunch at The King and died in the surrounding Queen on Caterham's High Street battlefields and have no known before ringing at St. Marys. This grave. The sheer volume of the 13cwt set were hung in 1994 and columns of names, over 54,000, were delightful to ring. It was a Laying our wreath at the Last Post ceremony is a sobering sight when you shame that they could hardly be think these are just the names heard outside, being heavily of those without a proper baffled possibly to avoid putting resting place. The Last Post has off the croquet players in the club been sounded at 8pm at the opposite. The final tower of the gate every evening since 1927, day was St. Martin's, Cheriton in with the exception of the four Kent, another light eight that year period of German went well but were not the most occupation in the Second World tuneful of peals. The front bells War. were difficult to hear and the As our party met near the gate second had a tendency to jump its at 7.30pm the traffic had wheel. After checking in at our already been stopped and a hotel close to the Channel Tunnel crowd was building. Many Terminal we ended the day with schools and associations were dinner at the nearby Britannia represented at the ceremony Inn. The Devon Association wreath and this evening there were On Tuesday morning our three cars set off for 'Le Shuttle', a about a dozen groups in all, each consisting of up to three new experience for many of us and one that proved to be a people. Jim, as the Association Chairman, was to lay our very straightforward and speedy way of crossing the Channel. wreath with Tony Jeffrey and myself accompanying. As we Leaving the Calais terminal on the other side our little convoy were given our instructions the crowd grew larger and ahead became more spread out as we drove through a flat rural of us members of the New Zealand Defence Force stood in landscape of fields mostly of corn, maize and hops. Without a full ceremonial regalia holding two huge wreaths of fresh working 'Satnav' Martin inadvertently took a, literally, more flowers. scenic route to Ypres but we were all reunited at the hotel 2 Eggbuckland & Friends Ringing Tour to Ypres—continued from page 2 As the hour approached the four buglers arrived and a displayed on the Memorial to the Missing. It was my first visit sombre air fell on us all as we contemplated our task of to one of the largest War Commission Cemeteries in the remembrance. On the stroke of eight the buglers began to world and a very poignant experience to stand among the play The Last Post and surely no-one could fail to be moved rows and rows of immaculately tended headstones and by the plaintive sound which reverberated through that Hall remember the young men beneath them, most unidentified. of Memory. The New Zealanders The roads back to Calais were very were the first to cross The Hall and quiet and we were able to get an lay their flowers at the base of the earlier shuttle train than planned and short flight of steps leading to the book into our hotel in Folkestone by ramparts, followed by many poppy early evening. We dined at The British wreaths. Soon it was our turn and I Lion, the oldest pub in the town, think the three of us all felt quite followed by further drinks at The emotional as Jim laid the Devon Harbour. We decided to take a Association wreath, with the different route back to our hotel which attached list of names, in pride of was on The Leas, but we found place right in front of all the ourselves on an unlit path below the others! cliff and ended up overshooting the After all the emotion we were St. George's Memorial Church hotel by some way with a steep climb ready for a drink and sampled to boot before we found our beds. some Trappist beer in the town before enjoying a delicious The return journey home was again broken up with a few meal at a typically Flemish tavern to end a long and eventful towers along the way, the first of these being the estate day.