THE ANNUAL JOURNAL OF THE GUILD OF RAILWAY RINGERS

JANUARY 2013

Including: WINTER TOUR DETAILS - LEAMINGTON & WARWICK DETAILS OF 2013 TOURS AGM REPORT & MINUTES FROM 2012 NEWS & REPORTS FROM 2012 PAGE 2

A MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY,CHRIS MEW

Firstly, a very Happy New year to all our members and others who have supported the Guild activities during 2012. We haven’t got the distractions of the Jubilee or the Olympics this year so hope that there will be good attendance at the scheduled meetings which are as follows:-

 February 23rd - Warwick and Leamington area (see page 3)  April 27th - Basingstoke area (along the old Basingstoke & Alton Railway)  July 13th - Guild AGM on  September 7th - Southend on Sea area

Please come along and make these days successful and we are always open to suggestions for additional outings or practices.

The autumn meeting held last September visited towers in West Yorkshire and included Dews- bury 8 (now a Minster) and Huddersfield where we found the 10 quite hard work. This was fol- lowed by Brighouse 8, Mytholmroyd 8 where our skills were tested ringing the 3rd without a stay AND Yorkshire tail-ends! Final tower was Todmorden a light 6cwt 8 which were probably the best bells of the day. All the trains ran to time and it was interesting seeing Brighouse served by HST in the form of a Grand Central service to Kings Cross.

Huddersfield church (above) - where the ring of 10 were found to be hard work!

Mytholmroyd (left) where the band had to contend with Yorkshire tail ends and a broken stay on the 3rd! Peter Munday examines someone else’s handiwork! PAGE 3 WHEELTAPPER

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN,CHRIS BASSETT

Firstly I would like to wish all members a very Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you at future meetings. The programme for 2013 as agreed at the AGM 2012 in Brighton is as follows:-

February 23rd –Warwick and Leamington (organiser Chris Mew).

April 27th –Basingstoke –Alton (organiser Martin Boult)

July 13th –Severn Valley Railway (organiser Russell Maiden)

September 7th –Southend (organiser Peter Rayner or Gerry Bacon)

Attendances at Guild meetings appears to have fallen over the past year, one reason was definitely the Royal Wedding which meant a change of date for the April meeting. As to other reasons, it could be due to a general result of the recession or the actual numbers of railway ringers within the industry and heritage railways falling. It is up to us all to encourage new members and to bring along friends to our events as they are always pleasurable and enjoyable days out.

To make ringers more aware of us I am in the final stages of going live with our website, I will dis- tribute details to all members via the Secretary as soon as the website is launched.

At the next AGM on the Severn Valley Railway in July, the Guild will need to agree its meeting pro- gramme for 2014. If we start now, there will be plenty of time for you to research potential venues. Please give this some careful thought and research where you would like to go and the public trans- port accessibility. Bring along a rough plan of your proposal for discussion at the AGM (or send it to the Secretary by the end of June). For your assistance, please refer to the “Guidelines for Tour Or- ganisers” (see page 8).

As I have now been in the post of Chairman for nearly 20 years, I think it is about time someone else took up the reins. Please have a serious think on this subject and if you can think of some one suit- able then approach them (twist their arm if need be!!) and bring their name forward at the AGM.

Chris Bassett. GUILD WINTER MEETING TO LEAMINGTON & WARWICK - SATURDAY 23RD FEBRUARY 2013

The first meeting this year will be to Warwick and Leamington –details are:

Train to Warwick (NOT Warwick Parkway) - Marylebone dep 0906; Reading dep. 0910; (both change at Leamington); Birmingham Moor Street dep, 09.34 or 10.15 (both direct).

IMPORTANT NOTE – Train tickets can be purchased with “Plusbus” facility for Leamington /Warwick area at £3.30 which can then be used on buses.

WARWICK, St Nicholas 8, 15 cwt Warwick St Mary 10.45 –11.30

WARWICK, St Mary 10, 24 cwt 11.45 –12.30

Lunch Weatherspoons , Warwick Square also real ale at Boars Head, Lakin Road.

Train Warwick dep.14.04 Leamington Spa arr 14.09 Bus No 67 from Leamington Parade to Lillington Post Office

LILLINGTON, St Mary 8, 9 cwt 15.00 –15.45

Bus No 67 return from Post Office to Leamington Parish church

LEAMINGTON SPA , All Saints 8, 12 cwt 16.15 –17.00

Trains from Leamington Spa: To London Marylebone 17.03 (arr 18.47); 17.48 (arr 19.16) To Reading 17.00 (arr 18.07); 17.38 (arr 18.39) To Birmingham New Street 17.12 (arr 17.48)

It would help if you could tell the Secretary if you are coming to the meeting. 150 CELEBRATIONS &MALLARD’S 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF SPEED This year will see a number of “Anniversaries” the first of which has already taken place –the opening of the world’s first underground railway from Paddington to Farringdon on 10th Janu- ary , 1863. To mark the 150th anniversary a railwaymen’s quarter peal was rung at St Giles in the Fields, London on 12th January.

St. Giles in the Fields, London WC Saturday 12h January 2013 1260 Grandsire Triples 1 - Richard Casserley 2 - Nick Cant 3 - Robin Grant 4 - Edward Mould 5 - Chris Bassett 6 - Chris mew (cond) 7 - Stephen Jakeman 8 - John Manley

Arranged by the Guild of Railway Ringers to mark the 150th anniversary of the world’s first un- derground railway opened between Paddington and Farringdon on 9th January 1863.

One of particular interest to all LNER and steam enthusiasts is the 75th Anniversary of Mallard’s record run in June 1938. The is marking this with a line of 6 preserved A4 pacifics and a photo of a previous parade of 4 of them is shown below: PAGE 6

APEAL AT CREWE WITH CJBOWEN - COOKE ESQ ON THE 6TH!

Going back into archives, in 1906 a perhaps unique peal was rung at Christ Church , Crewe by a band made up entirely of employees of the London and North Western Railway. The details are as follows and what is more remarkable that it included C J Bowen-Cooke (below) the Loco Superinten- dent who was later responsible for the design of the “George Fifth” and “Claughton” passenger classes and development of Webb’s 0-8-0 freight locos.

On Saturday December 13th , 1906 At Christ Church , Crewe in 2 hrs 59 mins (Tenor 21 cwt) 5040 Grandsire Triples (Holt’s Ten-Part) Joseph Kettle Treble S Harding 5 Richard T Holding 2 C J Bowen-Cooke, Esq. 6 Richard Langford 3 Rd.Thomas Holding, sen 7 Albert Crawley 4 John Dentith Tenor Conducted by R T Holding , senior GRRMEETING ORGANISATION GUIDELINES

DATES OF MEETINGS Dates of forthcoming meetings shall normally be decided at the AGM and are to remain set unless outside influences prevent the date being maintained.

GUIDELINES FOR ORGANISERS When organising a meeting the following must be taken into consideration: - The initial meeting point must have National Rail access or by public transport from the National Rail Network. A / museum / other means of transport (i.e. Tram etc) at the venue, whilst desirable is not obligatory. Other non-railway related places of interest / attractions can be offered as part of the meeting itinerary. A favourable balance towards time spent ringing/number of rings of bells against time spent at Non- ringing activities should be achieved. Consideration must be given to walking time, distance and elevation between points in the itinerary to ensure that all members (with varying levels of fitness) can keep to the time schedules. Consideration should be given to the provision of additional vehicular transport e.g., car sharing, taxis, mini-bus hire, public bus timetable or coach hire. The overall charge to those attending (to include administration, Ringing World adverts (for possible costs then consult the Hon Treasurer), tower fees and transport if provided) if possible should be kept to less than £15 per person per meeting day.

VENUES FOR MEETINGS

At the AGM or later at any non business meeting, the proposer must give an outline of the Meeting Plan to- gether with estimated administration / transport costs and the name of the organiser, before any proposition can be voted upon by the membership. Propositions with Meeting Plan can be sent at any time to the Hon Secretary. COSTINGS

As far as possible all meetings should be self funded. However, financial subsidy may be available if additional transport is needed. Contact with the Hon Treasurer in advance of the arrangements publication date to check if a subsidy can be made for the event from Guild funds.

PUBLICATION / ADVERTISING OF MEETING ARRANGEMENTS

Final arrangements of a meeting must be in the hands of the Hon Secretary at least 8 weeks prior to the meeting date. The Hon Secretary will place relevant adverts in the Ringing World, Campanophile and circu- late to the membership. Information will also appear in “The Wheeltapper” if an edition is imminent. PAGE 8 WHEELTAPPER

2012 AGM HIGHLIGHTS The 2012 Annual General Meeting was held on July 7th in Brighton with 16 members attending. Considering that it was July the weather on the day was very dismal with periods of showers. Ring- ers made their way by train and bus to Aldrington where the 6 bells were rung to a mixture of doubles and minor methods.

It was then time to return to Brighton and ring on the 10 bells at St Nicholas. The bells were put to good use with Stedman Triples and Grandsire Caters and Yorkshire Major being rung. The weather brightened for a short period when most of the members walked down into the city to sample the newly opened Weatherspoons.

With the weather turning worse some keen members sampled the Volks Electric Railway with a return trip from the Aquarium to the Black Rock station at Brighton Marina. The Volks railway is the oldest operating electric railway in the world and is of 2 foot 8 ½ inch gauge.

Members Gavin Bennett, Tony Manktelow and Richard Casserley boarding the Volks Railway train for a trip to Black Rock.

The Annual Meeting was held in the belfry of St Peters Church. All officers were re elected to their existing posts: Chairman; Chris Bassett, Secretary; Chris Mew, Treasurer; Sue Bassett, Inde- pendent Examiner for the accounts; Dave Wilkinson. PAGE 9

2012 AGM HIGHLIGHTS

The main discussion occurred over dates and where the venues should be for the 2013 meetings. These were decided upon as:-

Winter Meeting –February 23rd –Warwick and Leamington Spa Spring Meeting - April 27th –A coach tour with ringing at towers on the closed Basingstoke / Alton line. AGM –July 13th –Towers on the Southern end of the Severn Valley Railway Autumn Meeting - September 7th - Ringing at a selection of towers from London to Southend –in- corporating a ride on the Railway.

Ringing then continued at St Peter’s with Stedman and Grandsire Caters, Cambridge Major and Call Changes. Thanks were recorded to the incumbents and tower captains of the towers visited and to Gavin Bennett for making local arrangements.

Chris Bassett CHAIRMAN

MINUTES OF 2012 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD at St Peter’s Church, Brighton on 7th July 2012

The 2012 AGM of the Guild was held in the Brighton area, ringing being arranged at the towers of Aldrington, Brighton St Nicholas and Brighton St Peter where the AGM was held.

The Chairman welcomed members to Brighton and the 2012 AGM.

Apologies for absence had been received from : Peter and Ann Munday, Helen and Michael Manktelow, Stuart Bamforth, Ken Baker, Gerry Brown, Tony Crabtree, Ian and Heather Griffiths, Dave Hawkins, Chris Hutchinson, David Ingram, Colin Johnson, Andrew Leleux, Tony Skilton, Paul Smith, Chris Worley and Robin Grant

Deceased members: There were none to report.

The minutes of the 2011 AGM had been previously circulated and there were no matters arising. Gavin Bennett proposed and Gerry Bacon seconded that the minutes be agreed as a correct record and this was carried. PAGE 10

2012 AGM MINUTES (CONTINUED)

The financial statement was presented to the meeting and Sue Bassett proposed and Nick Cant sec- onded that the accounts for 2011 be adopted. This was carried.

Rule changes: There were no proposed.

Election of Officers: All the existing officers were willing to stand for election and it was proposed by Gerry Bacon and sec- onded by Russell Maiden that the officers be re-elected en bloc. This motion was carried, the officers being as follows:

Chairman : Chris Bassett Secretary: Chris Mew Treasurer: Sue Bassett Examiner: David Wilkinson

Election of new members: There were no new members to be proposed.

It was noted that some existing members were now two years in arrears with subscriptions which, if not paid would under the rules result in membership lapsing. Payment would be pursued.

Members leaving the Guild It was recorded that David Pobjoy had resigned due to ill health.

Future meetings: Secretary drew attention for need to support any agreed meetings and the importance of keeping of dates in diary. Looking forward to 2013 the following dates were, after discussion, agreed: February 23rd –Warwick and Leamington (organiser Chris Mew). April 27th –Basingstoke –Alton (organiser Martin Boult) July 13th –Severn Valley Railway (organiser Russell Maiden) September 7th –Southend (organiser Peter Rayner or Gerry Bacon)

Any other business –no others matters were raised. Vote of thanks –Chris Bassett thanked Gavin Bennett for making the arrangements for the day.

The meeting was then formally closed. PAGE 11

GUILD OFFICER CONTACT DETAILS

Chairman - Chris Bassett: Oooops!

23 Hanmer Way, STAPLEHURST, Kent, TN12 0NR. Telephone 01580 891917. Email: [email protected]

Secretary - Chris Mew:

82 Coventry Road, WARWICK, CV34 5HH. Telephone 01926 402273. Email: [email protected] One should never underestimate how Treasurer - Sue Bassett: wrong publicity people can get things, the photo below shows a tee-shirt for the Alaska Railway depicting the preserved 23 Hanmer Way, STAPLEHURST, Kent, TN12 0NR. Southern Railway Maunsell Class S15 No. 841. Telephone 01580 891917. Email: [email protected] Guild Website

Wheeltapper Editor - Tony Manktelow: Listen out for an announcement on the forthcoming launch of the GRR website! 19 Bull Close, BOZEAT, Northamptonshire, NN29 7LR. It will have links to all previous issues of Wheeltapper as well as all Guild news and Telephone 01933 665113. events. The Secretary and/or Chairman Mobile 07771 612321 should announce this soon! Email: [email protected]

COPY DATES FOR WHEELTAPPER The next edition of Wheeltapper will appear in 2014! It will appear at roughly the same time (i.e. early January). Please let me have any contributions through the year and I will bank them for use in the annual issue! Last orders, or if you like, the copy date for the next issue is 25th December 2013!

Tony Manktelow, Wheeltapper Editor THE GUILD OF RAILWAY RINGERS

Guild Secretary 82 Coventry Road Warwick

Phone: 01926 402273 Mobile: 07786 728509 E-mail: [email protected]

GUILDDIARY—MAKEARECORD OFTHEDATES

23rd February 2013: GRR Winter tour to Leamington & Warwick

27th April 2013 GRR Spring tour to the old Basingstoke to Alton line

13th July 2013 GRR AGM on the Severn Valley Railway

7th September 2013 GRR Autumn meeting to the Southend-on-Sea area of

Please note that other events can be held in ad- dition to these dates. Please feel free to volun- teer to arrange a tour!

This is a plea from both the Treasurer and Sec- retary, if you have changed your address, tele- phone number(s) or email please let us know or you will be complaining why you don’t receive Guild information!

Chris Mew - Secretary

Our very own Gerry Bacon captures the Olympic spirit during the torch procession through the UK in the summer of 2012. The torch travelled on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and Gerry managed to get his hands on the thing on its route to London! PAGE 13

2013 GUILD SUBSCRIPTIONS

GUILD OF RAILWAY RINGERS’ SUBSCRIPTION FORM 2013

Subscriptions for 2013 are now due. Payment can be made via internet banking but cheques or cash are equally welcome if you prefer. Please use this form to notify the Guild Treasurer of your payment to Sue Bassett, 23 Hanmer Way, Staplehurst, Tonbridge. TN12 0NR or email the relevant details to [email protected]

Name......

Amount paid...... Full/Associate £8 but if under 16 or over 65 £4

Postal address......

Email address......

Telephone(s)......

Receipt required? Yes/No Date......

Your reference to identify an electronic payment ...... (suggest your surname & postcode) Payment to: The Guild of Railway Ringers Bank: Santander Sort Code: 09-01-28 Account: 04981067