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Wellingtonia Issue 7 : Second Quarter 2010 FREE ISSUE! Newsletter of the Wellington History Group, rediscovering the past of Wellington in Shropshire EDITORIAL IN THIS ISSUE ****************** elcome to the latest issue Page of Wellingtonia, which 2. Admaston Home Guard (as usual) is packed with W 3. Taking the Plunge items of interest to everyone wanting to know more about the 4. My YM history of the Wellington area. 6. Izzy Whizzy So much has been happening 7. Brief Encounters recently that, at times, it’s difficult 8. John Houlston: to keep up with events. Whenever possible, we try to give Victorian Travel Agent information to the local Press 10. The French Connection without falling into the trap of 11. 14 Market Square creating ‘wishful thinking’ history: Is this Wellington’s Cultural 12. Location, Location it’s very easy to pass odd Icon of the Twentieth Century? 14. Rebuilding Britain comments which can be See page 6. misinterpreted or misconstrued, so 16. Workhouse Woes the best we can do is use these Below: Archaeologists Tim Malim 17. Furniture Adverts pages to set the record straight or (left) and Laurence Hayes resume 18. 100 Years Ago: 1910 give a more reasoned assessment excavations at the rear of Edgbaston 20. Announcements for a variety of features which House in Walker Street. Many more Contact Details have been uncovered. finds have been recovered, including Two areas worth a special these animal bones (bottom right). mention are the further excavations of the garden behind Edgbaston House which continues to yield remarkable finds, and recent refurbishment work at 14 Market Square, where stonework and timber carvings present us with challenges in interpretation. As ever, we welcome articles to be considered for inclusion in future issues of Wellingtonia: everyone is an historian with a story to tell or research to be passed on, so please help us. The next issue will be published on our web site before the end of September, all being well. In the meantime, remember to visit the site to see what else has been posted for your enjoyment. Visit us at www.wellingtonhistorygroup.wordpress.com the drive. Despite repeated ADMASTON HOME GUARD George Evans requests he refused to move it so Dad told the lads to shift it. They picked it up and put it on the Soon after the lawn. He came out and remonstrated but was told if he beginning of the Last World didn’t keep it out of our way, next War, the government time it would be in the lake. announced the formation of There were frequent weekend the Local Defence ‘exercises’, often against Ken Volunteers. This is how Hunt’s platoon, who were mostly fitter than our lot but we usually Admaston rose to the managed to outwit them. challenge. One day they attacked Wellington passenger station and meeting was called in the we had to defend it. Which way Village Hall at would they come? Would they Wrockwardine. Major attack through the cutting from A the goods depot in Bridge Road, Herbert of Orleton Hall, who owned most of the village, took or from the east under the Victoria the chair and proposed that a Eric Evans Road Bridge? We had a tip-off that Ken was platoon be formed to defend had Sgt. Hubert (Lobby) Fisher, Wrockwardine and Admaston buying ropes from Walter Davies’ deputy Head of Coalbrookdale ironmongers. ‘Ah!’ said Dad. ‘He’s from the Nazis. This was agreed High School, so neither the and names of volunteers were coming over the wall from the Platoon Commander nor his Bull’s Head Yard.’ So he did, and taken. Eric Evans was voted the Sergeant was able to march with Platoon Leader. This is how my their whole platoon was wiped their men. out by our (pretend) machine guns Dad’s Army began. Along with the uniforms came At first the platoon had no mounted in the churchyard. the name, Home Guard and Younger readers will need an old arms at all, except for the odd proper sounding military ranks. personally owned shotgun, made map to understand. The Platoon Commander became On another exercise the ‘Hunt for shooting rabbits and rats, not Lieutenant; I found myself Nazis. Dad’s gun is shown below. Mob’ attacked our headquarters at saluting my Dad. This is a very The Spa. Our men were deployed Their uniforms consisted of an strange thing – a British soldier armband with the letters LDV. I all over the fields, behind trees but finding himself elected to be a with instructions to make their wasn’t allowed to join because the military officer, especially as his lowest age was 17 and I was 16. I presence obvious. previous rank was corporal. Mum Ken’s ‘boys’ did as expected – could hardly expect Platoon bought him a swagger stick to go Commander Dad not to know they advanced down the stream with his new status. valley that led almost directly to that. However, I was allowed As soon as I was 17, I joined along as a sort of unofficial their destination and had plenty of them. By that time I was working cover. Great! We knew exactly platoon runner. in the offices at Sankeys. We met Eventually bits and pieces of where they were. This was a sewer in a disused stable at Admaston outflow, so we could smell them uniform and weapons were sent, Spa, a small room we could just including Canadian Ross rifles and coming. Our machine guns – about cram into. For some years actually a couple of football rattles Great War Lee Enfields, with there was a hole in the ceiling different sized ammunition, which – kept them out of the fields and made by a rifle bullet someone let in the stinking water. They were was confusing. There was a lot of off by mistake. One man who drill of the kind that made the unpopular with their women-folk lived at the Spa house insisted on when they returned home. men used to obeying commands parking his little Austin 7 car on without thinking. Admaston Home Guard fought The Volunteers the most successful were a mixture of campaign in the young lads waiting history of warfare. to be called up, men They defended not fit enough for their territory service and old throughout the war and neither soldiers with Great The gun that won the war ... War experience. Dad suffered nor had been wounded inflicted any on the Somme, as casualties. Beat that, Hitler! 2 Wellingtonia: Issue 7: Second Quarter 2010 TAKING THE PLUNGE Allan Frost Enter Wellington Public Baths But the Baths’ main use was (above, seen during the 1920s with for swimming. Not only was it a its changing rooms along one side clean (literally!) sport but it was of the pool). Erected in 1910, the one which helped reduce the pool was demolished just a few death toll of folk drowning in, for years before his death when the example, the River Severn or in present facility was built. one of a countless number of Delving further into the history pools dotted around the area, a Researching family of the Baths, the extent of their dangerous legacy of mining and history needn’t be just a list importance to the population of other economic activity. the town during its earlier years Over the decades, Les was a of names, dates, addresses can be judged by the advert below regular at Wellington Baths. He and occupations. which appeared in a 1913 edition taught many children to swim Why not try to put aspects of of the Wellington Journal. Besides and, although not a competitive your ancestors’ pasts in a swimming, it offered hot baths at a swimmer (he could maintain a historical context? time when few homes had steady breast stroke for ages), he plumbing, let alone a bath. did manage to win several badges and a medal. he little chap above was William Leslie Frost, 1913- T1984, a draughtsman living from 1938 until his demise at 74 King Street. That’s about all the details some folk enter on their family trees. Interesting, but not very inspiring, is it? He was my dad, known as Les rather than Bill. The photo shows him wearing The silver medal (above, left) the latest in infant fashion: a was a major achievement. That maroon knitted top, shorts and there were only two swimmers in cap. How do we know the ‘suit’ is the race doesn’t diminish this maroon when the original photo is noteworthy achievement, black and white? Because he fell although the fact that the winner into water which had flooded the only had one leg might. However, cellar at his parent’s bakery in the Diamond Badge (right) New Street, that’s how. The dye in awarded as part of the early 1980s the wool ran, leaving Les’s skin an Sport For All scheme was interesting shade of maroon for something special as recipients several days! had to swim a million yards The photo is an important within a specific period to receive aspect of a thread which ran it ... and not many folk did. throughout my father’s life. Yes, it Les set a record no one else can taught him not to wear woollen now beat ... he was, apparently, clothing if the dye was likely to the only person ever to swim two run if it got wet, but the most complete lengths of the pool important lesson was that deep under water without coming up water, even if it’s within the safe for air.

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