Issue 42 Autumn edition 2018 InHousethe Journal of the Lincoln Cathedral Community Association Bomber Command RAF100: memorial Remembering heroes Page 6 Page 8 Meet the Assistant Curate, Rachel Revely Elaine Johnson Born and brought up in Newcastle, for training for ordained ministry, Rachel Rachel did a music degree at Newcas- moved to Westcott House in Cambridge tle University followed by an MMus for three years. During this time she stud- which specialised in musicology and ied theology through the Cambridge Di- composition. vinity Faculty, and completed a Bachelor After that, she worked in music for of Theology for Ministry. After complet- two years, teaching singing and leading ing training Rachel was appointed to Lin- choirs, which took her around the north coln Cathedral, where she was ordained of England and Scotland. She led a com- deacon on 30th June this year. She is very munity choir in Edinburgh, which fo- glad to be serving her curacy here and is cused on using singing for wellbeing and excited to be part of such a vibrant, wel- fun in a respite centre for people with HIV coming and faithful community. and Hepatitis C. Rachel’s three-year curacy and housing Whilst exploring her vocation, she took in the Cathedral Close are funded by the a post in the North Scunthorpe Group Diocese of Lincoln of parishes as a pastoral assistant for a Welcome to Lincoln Cathedral, Rachel. year. After successfully being selected We are delighted to have you with us! The Cathedral’s ‘RAF100’ Dinner was held on 10 August in the presence of the Lord-Lieutenant of Lincolnshire and 400 guests. Pride of place was taken by a full-size replica Spitfire Mk 1a, in the colours of 611 Squadron whilst at RAF Digby in 1940. The aircraft fought over Dunkirk and in the Battle of Britain, and was later flown by Sergeant (later Group Captain) Wilfred Duncan Smith, a highly-decorated fighter pilot and father of Iain Duncan Smith, past leader of the Conservative Party. AVM Paul Robinson 2 Woodbine Willie Muriel Robinson The purple poppies project at Heck- wrote poetry about his experiences ington, with its commemoration of which are still in print in ‘The Unuttera- military chaplains, reminded me of ble Beauty’( I have my father’s copy if an- Woodbine Willie, whom my father yone would like to borrow it). Many are used to talk about with admiration. very long narrative poems but others are Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy was nick- short and punchy, and would have spo- named Woodbine Willie by the troops ken powerfully to a wide audience, such he supported as a chaplain in World War as this one: One, whom he did his best to keep sup- A Scrap of Paper plied with cigarettes (still at that time Just a little scrap of paper seen as a health benefit!). Studdert Ken- In a yellow envelope, nedy, an Anglican priest with a parish in And the whole world is a ruin, Worcester, volunteered as a chaplain at Even Hope. the outbreak of war when he was around Although initially a supporter of the 30. His ministry included such an act of war, Studdert Kennedy’s experiences bravery that he was awarded the Military in France changed him and by 1918 he Cross in 1917, the citation reading: was a Christian Socialist and pacifist. IN For conspicuous gallantry and devo- the 1920s he went to work for the In- tion to duty. He showed the greatest dustrial Christian Fellowship and toured courage and disregard for his own safe- the country, dying after being taken ill ty in attending to the wounded under on a tour in Liverpool. The then Dean heavy fire. He searched shell holes for of Westminster refused him burial at our own and enemy wounded, assist- Westminster Abbey because he was ‘a ing them to the dressing station, and his socialist’ though in fact Studdert Kenne- cheerfulness and endurance had a splen- dy belonged to no political party. More did effect upon all ranks in the front line recently the Church has recognised his of Army chaplaincy in Amport House, trenches, which he constantly visited. contribution as a chaplain, including Hampshire, but also as a preacher and During the war, Studdert Kennedy by a significant display at the Museum poet; his feast day is March 8th. Purple poppies? What’s that about? Muriel Robinson I was intrigued a few weeks ago to see whop have suffered in all conflicts, from a notice in my local wool shop (Number the apparently millions of horses who Four, in Burton Road- well worth a visit died in World War One to modern day by the way!)asking for us to knit or cro- mine sweeping dogs, and including ‘ci- chet purple poppies for Heckington for vilian’ casualties such as the thousands of the commemorations of the centenary family pet dogs put to sleep at the begin- of the Armistice this November. ning of World War Two in England follow- So I asked why- and was given not just ing a government pronouncement about an explanation but a sheet of patterns. the unavailability of pet food under ration- For this they need 10,000 red and purple ing. There are pictures online of celebrities project, the poppies will be displayed in poppies, and when I left Lincoln for the and their dogs wearing purple poppies St Andrew’s Church, Heckington from summer they had already got some 6,000 and attempts in Australasia to establish a October 27th to November 11th. Current from knitting and crochet groups across national day of remembrance. Heckington thinking is apparently to have artwork of a Lincolnshire. are also using the purple poppies to re- horse surrounded by the purple poppies. The purple poppies are to commem- member the 5,000 military chaplains, 179 If there is enough interest, we could look orate the animals who died in the Great of whom were killed during their ministry at organising a little trip to see these as an War- especially dogs, horses and carrier and all of whom must have been scarred LCCA outing? And if we time it right, ru- pigeons. Increasingly purple poppies are by that experience, I’m sure. mour has it that Heckington Windmill has being recognised as being for the animals If you want to see the outcome of the an excellent tea rooms. 3 Thankful Villages in Lincolnshire Margaret Campion The term ‘Thankful Villages’ was Great Wars all returned home again. why that was. The answer, of course, was coined in the 1930’s by Arthur Mee to The first Thankful Village we discov- “We are a Thankful Village” and that was describe a village which the Great War ered, quite by accident was Bigby, right the first time I heard the term. had left unscathed, or, at least, every- up in North Lincolnshire. It is recorded The first doubly thankful village we one who went off to war had returned that ten men enlisted in the first war found was Flixborough, also in North although some must have been trau- and four in the second but although all Lincolnshire where 36 men enlisted in matised by the experience in one way returned home from the first war, there the first war all of whom returned; I have or another. was one fatality in the second. We had not discovered how many enlisted in In Lincolnshire four villages are in this noticed that there was no War memo- the second war but apparently all who category and two of those are described rial in the village or churchyard and it did so returned. There is a window in as ‘Doubly Thankful’ since all those who was this fact that caused me to ask the the church commemorating the Doubly enlisted in both the first and second charming man who opened the church Thankful status of the village. Sadly, of course, in 1974 there was a dreadful ex- plosion at the Flixborough Oil Refinery when 28 men lost their lives so perhaps Flixborough today no longer feels either thankful or lucky. Minting and High Toynton are two vil- lages near to Horncastle; Minting is a tiny village with a church and pub and all the 14 men who enlisted in the Great War re- turned home and I hope the village gave them a great welcome with free drinks in the Sebastopol Inn, which itself is a reminder of the equally brutal Siege of Sevastopol in 1854. High Toynton on the way to Skegness is our second doubly thankful village. They waved goodbye to 14 of their men folk in the first war and five in the second and joyfully wel- comed them all back home again. There is another tiny hamlet, also very near to Horncastle called Wadding- worth which consists of a farm and a tiny church (now privately owned) from where 2 men enlisted and both returned home but, because of the size of the hamlet, it is not considered a village and is therefore not included in the lists of Thankful villages, although I am sure the farmer and the men employed on the farm were equally pleased to welcome their sons home again. 4 Bishop Edward Hicks, Bishop of Lincoln 1910-1919 Muriel Robinson We are all familiar with the signed from the presidency of name of Edward King, but I con- the Church League for Women’s fess to not having been aware of Suffrage in 1919 when they vot- his successor, another Edward, ed in favour of admitting women until recently when I was in the to the priesthood.