Annals for 2017
10th January 2017 AGM
41 Members Attended
24th January 2017 An Apple a Day
By Tom Froggatt
Tom Froggatt, one of our longest standing members whose talk was to be 'An Apple A Day'. Sporting a splendidly appropriate tie, with large coloured apples of different varieties, Tom began by telling us that apples had originated in Central Asia and more particularly in Kazakhstan. They were carried from there by being spread by wild horses to neighbouring areas that had a suitable climate with a frosty period to enable the seeds to germinate.
When the Romans came to Britain, they did not find our native crabs to their taste, and so brought their own varieties of apple with them. After they had left in the fifth century, most of the apples in Britain were grown by the monks who used them for making cider as well for eating. The Normans introduced some of their local varieties, in particular the Costard. Once growers were producing more than enough for their own needs, and started selling the surplus, they became known as costermongers – hence today's costermongers.
The Wars of the Roses had led to a decline in the growing of apples and pears and Henry Vlll brought in new varieties from France, but the most common type in England at the time remained the Queene.
Apples are in the same family as roses and Tom explained the processes of grafting and budding which are common practices with professional, and many amateur, gardeners. He then passed on to
pruning (everyone has their own 'right' way!); the necessity for pollination – there being very few self-fertile varieties; the problems with trying to raise new varieties from seed; the need for a cold period for a seed before it can germinate; ideally, a cold spring to persuade the buds to burst.
Still more, with details and explanations included:
The process of grafting was practised 3500 years ago.
UK production is tiny in world terms, but the climate ensures good texture and flavour.
Needing more land, but good land is expensive because of competition from horse owners
When trying to produce new varieties, problems with cross pollination can arise.
DNA testing is now possible, and of the 100 samples Tom submitted, 56 were returned as 'Unknown' varieties and names have to be found for them!
Marketing presents difficulties and supermarkets have special requirements.
Apple pips contain cyanide and birds will not eat them.
How to tell when an apple is perfectly ripe.
Some varieties need to be eaten soon after they have been picked, while others store well.
There were plenty of 'Questions' these covering several of the topics about which Tom had spoken. The vote of thanks was given by our Chairman who had been brought up on apples – his father (R S Martyr) having founded the Pershore College of Horticulture.
By Andrew Steadman
7th February 2017 GREAT WALL OF CHINA
By Colin Richards
Colin was for 25 years Conservation Officer for the former South Shropshire District Council. With the advent of the 2-tier system in Shropshire of he moved to Shire Hall in Shrewsbury to carry out basically the same job, but he has more recently ceased working for Shropshire Council and set up a business with his 2 sons to carry out building restoration projects.
During his time with South Shropshire he needed to obtain suitable materials such as stone from local quarries and lime from local sources, but no firm provided suitable bricks and tiles to match those used on many of the old buildings, such as were needed in houses in Broad street and Castle Square. He therefore set up a suitable kiln at Acton Scott “Victorian Farm” obtaining grants and help from the Northcott Brick and Tile Co.
Once the kiln was up and running, Prince Charles got to hear of it and asked Colin to go to Romania (Transylvania) where he, Prince Charles, has a house, and where old-style bricks and tiles were needed to renovate old farm buildings which had fallen into disrepair during Nicolae Ceausescu’s terrible Communist regime under which it was illegal for farm buildings to be repaired. (This policy was to force the population off the land and to work in factories and live in high-rise blocks in towns and cities.) Colin set up several kilns in Romania and Poland and with the help of experienced workers from Treasures trained the local inhabitants. Colin also took apprentices with him on his trips obtaining grants to fund their visits. Clearly, he gained much experience in brick and tile making using more traditional methods.
Out of the blue, Colin received a ‘phone call from Windfall Films which was making a documentary for the Discovery TV Channel about repairs which were taking place to the Great Wall of China. Apparently the mortar and bricks being used were cracking and Colin was asked to go to China to see if he could solve the problem. He was told that he had to be very diplomatic in dealing with the Chinese overseers that the mortar being used was mainly rice and lime, and he had to travel on a Tourist Visa. Although this visit was arranged in a rush, Colin did have time to carry out some research beforehand.
The Wall was built between 1386 and 1610 as a defence. The builders themselves were sometimes under attack and unfortunately the building standards varied from one Province to the next. However, Emperor Ming standardised the materials etc. during his reign. To make it easier to defend, the wall was built in a serpentine fashion, rather than in straight lines, and all trees and bushes nearby were removed. The Wall fell into disrepair in the 18th and 19th centuries but during the Cultural Revolution it was released that it was a Tourist attraction, so efforts were being made to restore it.
To prevent bricks cracking when the Wall was originally built, the builders had devised a system of cooling the kilns quickly using water in channels ls in the kiln walls. When the firing was finished water was poured into these channels and a cloud of water vapour was formed around the bricks. It was this system which was being replicated. Luckily, on first firing it turned out that 95% of the bricks, which turned grey during the water vapour cooling, were usable.
Colin also had to persuade (very diplomatically) the overseers that the mortar mix of mainly rice and lime was not suitable. The workers themselves knew the correct mix, but they had to do what their overseers told them. He carried out experiments and demonstrated the correct mix, which included sand and clay as well as rice, so the work could be carried out successfully. All this had to be carried out in the presence of a local Party Official, who reported back progress several times a day.
At the end of this successful work, thank offerings were made to the Gods, and there was a “party”. Colin learnt that the beer was not only weak (2% alcohol) but foul -tasting. (It transpired that the locals agreed with this and had set up their own illicit stills.)
The documentary was successfully made and shown on the Discovery Channel, and Colin, although suffering various deprivations, such as sleeping on a concrete bed heated by air warmed by a fire outside his room, and wearing wellington boots several sizes too small. enjoyed a very worthwhile and unusual experience. But he was glad to get back to his business (CJR Heritage Services) in South Shropshire and Herefordshire!
By Barry Treeves
41 Members Attended
24th January 2017 An Apple a Day
By Tom Froggatt
Tom Froggatt, one of our longest standing members whose talk was to be 'An Apple A Day'. Sporting a splendidly appropriate tie, with large coloured apples of different varieties, Tom began by telling us that apples had originated in Central Asia and more particularly in Kazakhstan. They were carried from there by being spread by wild horses to neighbouring areas that had a suitable climate with a frosty period to enable the seeds to germinate.
When the Romans came to Britain, they did not find our native crabs to their taste, and so brought their own varieties of apple with them. After they had left in the fifth century, most of the apples in Britain were grown by the monks who used them for making cider as well for eating. The Normans introduced some of their local varieties, in particular the Costard. Once growers were producing more than enough for their own needs, and started selling the surplus, they became known as costermongers – hence today's costermongers.
The Wars of the Roses had led to a decline in the growing of apples and pears and Henry Vlll brought in new varieties from France, but the most common type in England at the time remained the Queene.
Apples are in the same family as roses and Tom explained the processes of grafting and budding which are common practices with professional, and many amateur, gardeners. He then passed on to
pruning (everyone has their own 'right' way!); the necessity for pollination – there being very few self-fertile varieties; the problems with trying to raise new varieties from seed; the need for a cold period for a seed before it can germinate; ideally, a cold spring to persuade the buds to burst.
Still more, with details and explanations included:
The process of grafting was practised 3500 years ago.
UK production is tiny in world terms, but the climate ensures good texture and flavour.
Needing more land, but good land is expensive because of competition from horse owners
When trying to produce new varieties, problems with cross pollination can arise.
DNA testing is now possible, and of the 100 samples Tom submitted, 56 were returned as 'Unknown' varieties and names have to be found for them!
Marketing presents difficulties and supermarkets have special requirements.
Apple pips contain cyanide and birds will not eat them.
How to tell when an apple is perfectly ripe.
Some varieties need to be eaten soon after they have been picked, while others store well.
There were plenty of 'Questions' these covering several of the topics about which Tom had spoken. The vote of thanks was given by our Chairman who had been brought up on apples – his father (R S Martyr) having founded the Pershore College of Horticulture.
By Andrew Steadman
7th February 2017 GREAT WALL OF CHINA
By Colin Richards
Colin was for 25 years Conservation Officer for the former South Shropshire District Council. With the advent of the 2-tier system in Shropshire of he moved to Shire Hall in Shrewsbury to carry out basically the same job, but he has more recently ceased working for Shropshire Council and set up a business with his 2 sons to carry out building restoration projects.
During his time with South Shropshire he needed to obtain suitable materials such as stone from local quarries and lime from local sources, but no firm provided suitable bricks and tiles to match those used on many of the old buildings, such as were needed in houses in Broad street and Castle Square. He therefore set up a suitable kiln at Acton Scott “Victorian Farm” obtaining grants and help from the Northcott Brick and Tile Co.
Once the kiln was up and running, Prince Charles got to hear of it and asked Colin to go to Romania (Transylvania) where he, Prince Charles, has a house, and where old-style bricks and tiles were needed to renovate old farm buildings which had fallen into disrepair during Nicolae Ceausescu’s terrible Communist regime under which it was illegal for farm buildings to be repaired. (This policy was to force the population off the land and to work in factories and live in high-rise blocks in towns and cities.) Colin set up several kilns in Romania and Poland and with the help of experienced workers from Treasures trained the local inhabitants. Colin also took apprentices with him on his trips obtaining grants to fund their visits. Clearly, he gained much experience in brick and tile making using more traditional methods.
Out of the blue, Colin received a ‘phone call from Windfall Films which was making a documentary for the Discovery TV Channel about repairs which were taking place to the Great Wall of China. Apparently the mortar and bricks being used were cracking and Colin was asked to go to China to see if he could solve the problem. He was told that he had to be very diplomatic in dealing with the Chinese overseers that the mortar being used was mainly rice and lime, and he had to travel on a Tourist Visa. Although this visit was arranged in a rush, Colin did have time to carry out some research beforehand.
The Wall was built between 1386 and 1610 as a defence. The builders themselves were sometimes under attack and unfortunately the building standards varied from one Province to the next. However, Emperor Ming standardised the materials etc. during his reign. To make it easier to defend, the wall was built in a serpentine fashion, rather than in straight lines, and all trees and bushes nearby were removed. The Wall fell into disrepair in the 18th and 19th centuries but during the Cultural Revolution it was released that it was a Tourist attraction, so efforts were being made to restore it.
To prevent bricks cracking when the Wall was originally built, the builders had devised a system of cooling the kilns quickly using water in channels ls in the kiln walls. When the firing was finished water was poured into these channels and a cloud of water vapour was formed around the bricks. It was this system which was being replicated. Luckily, on first firing it turned out that 95% of the bricks, which turned grey during the water vapour cooling, were usable.
Colin also had to persuade (very diplomatically) the overseers that the mortar mix of mainly rice and lime was not suitable. The workers themselves knew the correct mix, but they had to do what their overseers told them. He carried out experiments and demonstrated the correct mix, which included sand and clay as well as rice, so the work could be carried out successfully. All this had to be carried out in the presence of a local Party Official, who reported back progress several times a day.
At the end of this successful work, thank offerings were made to the Gods, and there was a “party”. Colin learnt that the beer was not only weak (2% alcohol) but foul -tasting. (It transpired that the locals agreed with this and had set up their own illicit stills.)
The documentary was successfully made and shown on the Discovery Channel, and Colin, although suffering various deprivations, such as sleeping on a concrete bed heated by air warmed by a fire outside his room, and wearing wellington boots several sizes too small. enjoyed a very worthwhile and unusual experience. But he was glad to get back to his business (CJR Heritage Services) in South Shropshire and Herefordshire!
By Barry Treeves
21st February 2017 KAREN to KAREN
By Say Paw Cannan & Sarah Dixon
Not many members of the Club had heard of the Karen tribe in Burma, let alone their perilous existence as a persecuted minority on the borders of Myanmar (as Burma is now known). In their introduction, our speakers put us in the picture geographically with a map showing the tribe’s position on the eastern part of the country bordering Thailand and explained that the Karens were the third biggest ethnic population in the country with a population estimated between 6.5 and 8 million. Today more Karens live outside Burma than inside. Tragically the Karen people have been caught in civil war between Burma’s ruling military government and various Karen rebel factions for over 60 years, with over 100 ethnic groups being ethnically cleansed. In World War 2 when the Japanese invaded the Burmese government sided with the invaders, the Karens were loyal supporters of the British, amongst whom Colonels Wingate, Peacock and Seagrim and Major Abbey all gave glowing reports of the Karen’s loyalty, bravery and useful local knowledge. In 1947 the British handed power over to the Burmese without listing the Karen’s rights for an independent state and The Karen National Union (KNU) was established. The Karen were going to have to fight for their land to be returned to them. The first government, led by U Nu was supposed to be democratic but was never stable and in March 1962 was overthrown in a military coup by Ne Win who abolished the nation’s democratic constitution and established military rule. Say then, with some excellent photographs, gave us a fascinating insight into Karen lifestyle and her extraordinary personal history. Born in a Karen village in Thailand she had no birth certificate however her family were able to give her a good education at the local Karen school and later at a missionary boarding school. After leaving school she moved to the Karen headquarters in Manerplaw in Burma to help her parents in the foreign department as an administrator and translating for foreign visitors. In 1995 she then went to Chang Mai to work with a missionary as his secretary and was given an illegal Thai identity. Later whilst working for an NGO she met and married an Englishman and moved to Bangkok where her husband paid for her to have a new illegal identity card in the name of Jojo. When the family moved to UK her nationality status was now as an illegal person in Thailand and to leave she had to be deported, so she surrendered herself to the authorities, was officially deported, passed to immigration and, with the help of the British embassy, was finally able to bypass red tape and get her paperwork stamped. The present situation is that the Karen are living in nine refugee camps or precariously outside official recognition. More than 140,000 are living in these camps, supported in primitive conditions on meagre government rations, supplemented by whatever they can grow for themselves. Unsurprisingly suicide rates are high. In 1949 the Karen Women Organisation (KWO) was formed, a community based organisation of Karen women working in development and relief in the camps and with IDP and women inside Burma. Members gave generously towards a ‘Sponsor a Teacher’ appeal.
By Charles Spottiswoode
By Say Paw Cannan & Sarah Dixon
Not many members of the Club had heard of the Karen tribe in Burma, let alone their perilous existence as a persecuted minority on the borders of Myanmar (as Burma is now known). In their introduction, our speakers put us in the picture geographically with a map showing the tribe’s position on the eastern part of the country bordering Thailand and explained that the Karens were the third biggest ethnic population in the country with a population estimated between 6.5 and 8 million. Today more Karens live outside Burma than inside. Tragically the Karen people have been caught in civil war between Burma’s ruling military government and various Karen rebel factions for over 60 years, with over 100 ethnic groups being ethnically cleansed. In World War 2 when the Japanese invaded the Burmese government sided with the invaders, the Karens were loyal supporters of the British, amongst whom Colonels Wingate, Peacock and Seagrim and Major Abbey all gave glowing reports of the Karen’s loyalty, bravery and useful local knowledge. In 1947 the British handed power over to the Burmese without listing the Karen’s rights for an independent state and The Karen National Union (KNU) was established. The Karen were going to have to fight for their land to be returned to them. The first government, led by U Nu was supposed to be democratic but was never stable and in March 1962 was overthrown in a military coup by Ne Win who abolished the nation’s democratic constitution and established military rule. Say then, with some excellent photographs, gave us a fascinating insight into Karen lifestyle and her extraordinary personal history. Born in a Karen village in Thailand she had no birth certificate however her family were able to give her a good education at the local Karen school and later at a missionary boarding school. After leaving school she moved to the Karen headquarters in Manerplaw in Burma to help her parents in the foreign department as an administrator and translating for foreign visitors. In 1995 she then went to Chang Mai to work with a missionary as his secretary and was given an illegal Thai identity. Later whilst working for an NGO she met and married an Englishman and moved to Bangkok where her husband paid for her to have a new illegal identity card in the name of Jojo. When the family moved to UK her nationality status was now as an illegal person in Thailand and to leave she had to be deported, so she surrendered herself to the authorities, was officially deported, passed to immigration and, with the help of the British embassy, was finally able to bypass red tape and get her paperwork stamped. The present situation is that the Karen are living in nine refugee camps or precariously outside official recognition. More than 140,000 are living in these camps, supported in primitive conditions on meagre government rations, supplemented by whatever they can grow for themselves. Unsurprisingly suicide rates are high. In 1949 the Karen Women Organisation (KWO) was formed, a community based organisation of Karen women working in development and relief in the camps and with IDP and women inside Burma. Members gave generously towards a ‘Sponsor a Teacher’ appeal.
By Charles Spottiswoode
7th March 2017 SHROPSHIRE & STAFFORDSHIRE BLOOD BIKES
BOB HALL
Set up 3 years ago, Bob’s presentation described the way the Blood Bikes Group supports the work of the NHS in the outer West Midlands area. All the members are volunteers and their work is paid for by donations from members of the public. Nationally, the organisation was established in 1962 to improve the image of bikers who back then were regarded as a ‘bunch of yobs.’ In 2010 a system was set up to coordinate the work being done by the many Blood Bike Groups nationwide.
Blood Bikers provide a service of urgent deliveries across our region. They deliver blood samples, platelets, medical notes, bone marrow, faecal matter and frozen breast milk. The riders have all passed an advanced rider qualification. They will have been trained in blood handling, attended courses for new members and made familiarisation and buddy runs. They must not break speed limits and do not use blue lights.
There is a fleet of 10 clearly marked bikes they can use but some, like Bob, choose to use their own machines. In extreme weather conditions, they may use their own cars instead. The service operates all year on a 24/7 basis, providing the NHS with an out-of-hours emergency service. They pay £10 pa for membership.
Controllers work from home using mobile phones and computers. They are the link between the NHS and the riders. The bikes are fitted with a tracker to aid this. Bob then outlined the process termed, ‘A Shout,’ which the service follows from the initial call for a biker to their safe return home, constantly overseen by a Controller. Fundraisers work tirelessly to provide the funding required to run the service.
The annual costs total £70 000 per annum. The savings to the NHS are £100 000 a year. Since its inception, the local Group had successfully completed 5751 deliveries. Members raised many questions during and at the end of Bob’s presentation We all found it enlightening, informative and became much more aware of the work of the SSBB.
The talk was warmly appreciated and members, as usual were pleased to make a financial contribution to the Charity bucket.
By Martin Thomas
BOB HALL
Set up 3 years ago, Bob’s presentation described the way the Blood Bikes Group supports the work of the NHS in the outer West Midlands area. All the members are volunteers and their work is paid for by donations from members of the public. Nationally, the organisation was established in 1962 to improve the image of bikers who back then were regarded as a ‘bunch of yobs.’ In 2010 a system was set up to coordinate the work being done by the many Blood Bike Groups nationwide.
Blood Bikers provide a service of urgent deliveries across our region. They deliver blood samples, platelets, medical notes, bone marrow, faecal matter and frozen breast milk. The riders have all passed an advanced rider qualification. They will have been trained in blood handling, attended courses for new members and made familiarisation and buddy runs. They must not break speed limits and do not use blue lights.
There is a fleet of 10 clearly marked bikes they can use but some, like Bob, choose to use their own machines. In extreme weather conditions, they may use their own cars instead. The service operates all year on a 24/7 basis, providing the NHS with an out-of-hours emergency service. They pay £10 pa for membership.
Controllers work from home using mobile phones and computers. They are the link between the NHS and the riders. The bikes are fitted with a tracker to aid this. Bob then outlined the process termed, ‘A Shout,’ which the service follows from the initial call for a biker to their safe return home, constantly overseen by a Controller. Fundraisers work tirelessly to provide the funding required to run the service.
The annual costs total £70 000 per annum. The savings to the NHS are £100 000 a year. Since its inception, the local Group had successfully completed 5751 deliveries. Members raised many questions during and at the end of Bob’s presentation We all found it enlightening, informative and became much more aware of the work of the SSBB.
The talk was warmly appreciated and members, as usual were pleased to make a financial contribution to the Charity bucket.
By Martin Thomas
21st March 2017 Ray Morris
Hops: grown and processed at Burford Mill Farm
Tenbury Wells
Ray began his talk by noting that within living memory the number of hop growers in England numbered 2600+; the figure now is just 400.
The historical record shows that beer was brewed as early as at least 2000 years ago but the use of hops in brewing was introduced to this country during the 15th century, possibly by refugees from the Continent escaping religious persecution. In the next century it was described by Henry VIII as “the wicked weed”, one of the many references to hops and hop growing throughout the centuries.
It was during the 18th century that the government first imposed a duty on hops. At this time pubs relied upon local hops to make their own beer for there were no large breweries supplying beer in huge quantities. From the 1870’s a number of hop strains began to increase in popularity and these became used by brewers nationally; a number of these are still used today, perhaps the most famous being the Fuggles hop – also grown and processed at Burford Mill Farm.
In the 1950’s new hops were introduced, mainly for brewing Larger: larger production is still very important. The growth of micro-breweries has moved some way to redress the balance, however: local examples quoted were the Ludlow Brewery and the Sun Inn at Corfton. There is a significant growth in these small breweries internationally, with the USA making a particular contribution.
He then reflected on the changes in hop production in the Teme Valley. Before the Second World War and in the years following it, 6000 people annually were involved in hop picking, with many arriving from all parts of the country; hop picking was an opportunity to live in the countryside for a period and also earn money at the same time. He described how the fields were occupied with either hops or caravans and when pay day arrived, the queue to receive your pay was often two miles long.
From the late 1950’s, however, machines were increasingly used in hop gathering; labour was difficult to find, partly because better wages being paid in the factories.
Ray then showed a video recorded at his farm: this showed the processes involved in hop growing and harvesting. The technique of erecting hop lines was explained but of particular interest was the importance of the drying them in the kilns. A number of the kilns at the farm date from the mid-late 17th century. The introduction of the hops into the kiln, and the subsequent raking to ensure that they were turned and presented a level surface before the heat was introduced was a very good example of the care needed in producing hops ready for brewing; Ray noted that a very small number of damp hops can cause problems. It is necessary to keep them in the kiln for 8-10 hours to dry; judging when the process had finished by rubbing the hops between your hands and smelling them, is a real skill. They are the bagged-each bag is known as a pocket and weighs about one and a half hundredweight and worth between £600 to £800. They are stored in a shed before being moved to a warehouse. Hops can be kept for several years in cold storage.
A most interesting talk that the members thoroughly enjoyed
By Mike Wise
Hops: grown and processed at Burford Mill Farm
Tenbury Wells
Ray began his talk by noting that within living memory the number of hop growers in England numbered 2600+; the figure now is just 400.
The historical record shows that beer was brewed as early as at least 2000 years ago but the use of hops in brewing was introduced to this country during the 15th century, possibly by refugees from the Continent escaping religious persecution. In the next century it was described by Henry VIII as “the wicked weed”, one of the many references to hops and hop growing throughout the centuries.
It was during the 18th century that the government first imposed a duty on hops. At this time pubs relied upon local hops to make their own beer for there were no large breweries supplying beer in huge quantities. From the 1870’s a number of hop strains began to increase in popularity and these became used by brewers nationally; a number of these are still used today, perhaps the most famous being the Fuggles hop – also grown and processed at Burford Mill Farm.
In the 1950’s new hops were introduced, mainly for brewing Larger: larger production is still very important. The growth of micro-breweries has moved some way to redress the balance, however: local examples quoted were the Ludlow Brewery and the Sun Inn at Corfton. There is a significant growth in these small breweries internationally, with the USA making a particular contribution.
He then reflected on the changes in hop production in the Teme Valley. Before the Second World War and in the years following it, 6000 people annually were involved in hop picking, with many arriving from all parts of the country; hop picking was an opportunity to live in the countryside for a period and also earn money at the same time. He described how the fields were occupied with either hops or caravans and when pay day arrived, the queue to receive your pay was often two miles long.
From the late 1950’s, however, machines were increasingly used in hop gathering; labour was difficult to find, partly because better wages being paid in the factories.
Ray then showed a video recorded at his farm: this showed the processes involved in hop growing and harvesting. The technique of erecting hop lines was explained but of particular interest was the importance of the drying them in the kilns. A number of the kilns at the farm date from the mid-late 17th century. The introduction of the hops into the kiln, and the subsequent raking to ensure that they were turned and presented a level surface before the heat was introduced was a very good example of the care needed in producing hops ready for brewing; Ray noted that a very small number of damp hops can cause problems. It is necessary to keep them in the kiln for 8-10 hours to dry; judging when the process had finished by rubbing the hops between your hands and smelling them, is a real skill. They are the bagged-each bag is known as a pocket and weighs about one and a half hundredweight and worth between £600 to £800. They are stored in a shed before being moved to a warehouse. Hops can be kept for several years in cold storage.
A most interesting talk that the members thoroughly enjoyed
By Mike Wise
4th April 2017 Jonathan Adams
Picture This / Copy That
Jonathan’s initial interest in pictures he described as ‘tinkering’ at the age of nine, including two early lessons on perspectives. More seriously he started using oils in his mid-teens with very old equipment.
O levels, A levels and university followed, culminating in an ‘undistinguished’ law degree. After a job in retail he tried selling a few pictures in London, mostly oil paintings. In 1982 he embarked on a two year course in Sussex which provided an apprenticeship in restoration. He learnt that being able to paint copies of Old Masters would be a vitally important starting point for acquiring the techniques of restoration. After sharing a studio for several years in Hastings with Robert van Eyck, a notable artist and art restorer, he moved in 1991 to Ashford Carbonel, setting up his studio in the Primitive Chapel.
Jonathan explained the process of restoration in some detail, and it soon became clear that knowledge of chemicals was an important requirement for his craft. His work is entirely with oils: water colour paintings involve a totally different scientific process. Surface dirt and grime are removed using a special soap soluble in water, adding white spirit, applied with a swab. Depending where a painting has been hung or stored, there may be a variety of surface grime, including tobacco smoke, soot and cooking waste! Next discoloured varnish is tackled with solvents, starting with the mildest and working up the scale as necessary. All the solvents need care, including toluene, methanol, ethanol and (a last resort) acetone at the top end. Some colours eg black, red and green are more difficult to work on than others.
To repair a tear or to restore canvas there are many devices available, giving amazing results in skilled hands. However, if two thirds of a painting is missing, then it cannot or should not be restored. He then showed some pictures illustrating repair and restoration work, followed by views of his studio with a lining table covered with an aluminium sheet, incorporating a vacuum pump with and thermostat to control and maintain the temperature. A successful restoration can last up to 100 years or more. We also heard about one or two of his more unusual commissions, including a call from the SAS barracks at Gredenhill, near Hereford, where an important regimental portrait had fallen off its (flimsy) hook! Jonathan has recently also been employed on “Fake” a Sky Arts TV series, when invited to provide a “fake” painting to be placed among ten masterpieces in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, for gallery visitors to spot the difference.
As usual, colleagues had ample questions, including one on copyright and copying an artist’s signature.
Appropriately, the vote of thanks was delivered by Graham Till, a former chemistry teacher, who concluded aptly that “art gets to you”
I would add finally that once again we witnessed an example of the talents that Ashford Carbonel seems to offer, a source assiduously tapped by our Speaker Program Secretary Bob Tilt.
By Mike Haines
Picture This / Copy That
Jonathan’s initial interest in pictures he described as ‘tinkering’ at the age of nine, including two early lessons on perspectives. More seriously he started using oils in his mid-teens with very old equipment.
O levels, A levels and university followed, culminating in an ‘undistinguished’ law degree. After a job in retail he tried selling a few pictures in London, mostly oil paintings. In 1982 he embarked on a two year course in Sussex which provided an apprenticeship in restoration. He learnt that being able to paint copies of Old Masters would be a vitally important starting point for acquiring the techniques of restoration. After sharing a studio for several years in Hastings with Robert van Eyck, a notable artist and art restorer, he moved in 1991 to Ashford Carbonel, setting up his studio in the Primitive Chapel.
Jonathan explained the process of restoration in some detail, and it soon became clear that knowledge of chemicals was an important requirement for his craft. His work is entirely with oils: water colour paintings involve a totally different scientific process. Surface dirt and grime are removed using a special soap soluble in water, adding white spirit, applied with a swab. Depending where a painting has been hung or stored, there may be a variety of surface grime, including tobacco smoke, soot and cooking waste! Next discoloured varnish is tackled with solvents, starting with the mildest and working up the scale as necessary. All the solvents need care, including toluene, methanol, ethanol and (a last resort) acetone at the top end. Some colours eg black, red and green are more difficult to work on than others.
To repair a tear or to restore canvas there are many devices available, giving amazing results in skilled hands. However, if two thirds of a painting is missing, then it cannot or should not be restored. He then showed some pictures illustrating repair and restoration work, followed by views of his studio with a lining table covered with an aluminium sheet, incorporating a vacuum pump with and thermostat to control and maintain the temperature. A successful restoration can last up to 100 years or more. We also heard about one or two of his more unusual commissions, including a call from the SAS barracks at Gredenhill, near Hereford, where an important regimental portrait had fallen off its (flimsy) hook! Jonathan has recently also been employed on “Fake” a Sky Arts TV series, when invited to provide a “fake” painting to be placed among ten masterpieces in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, for gallery visitors to spot the difference.
As usual, colleagues had ample questions, including one on copyright and copying an artist’s signature.
Appropriately, the vote of thanks was delivered by Graham Till, a former chemistry teacher, who concluded aptly that “art gets to you”
I would add finally that once again we witnessed an example of the talents that Ashford Carbonel seems to offer, a source assiduously tapped by our Speaker Program Secretary Bob Tilt.
By Mike Haines
18th April 2017 Spring Lunch
Fountain Inn, Tenbury Wells
The excellent spring lunch was attended by 39 members and their guests,
Fountain Inn, Tenbury Wells
The excellent spring lunch was attended by 39 members and their guests,
2nd May 2017 Was it yesterday
Professor Lalage Browne
Professor Browne is already know to the members for her recounting her experiences from travelling west to east across Africa, so that in one respect it was quite within character to get a taxi from Shrewsbury to Ludlow when her more regular means of transport failed her.
It was almost as though the theme continued in today’s talk. Entitled “Was it yesterday” she described how as a teenager she was cycling from the Brecon Beacons home in Shropshire when she stopped in Wigmore. She noticed in the church a second hand book for sale for a shilling. What caught her eye was the author’s name A M Browne - her father’s name, but she was not prepared to spend a whole shilling.
Subsequently she mentioned it to her father who confirmed that he had written it as any account of his experiences in the First World War – a subject that he had never discussed before. She felt that it illustrated his humor and is full of poignancy.
He and his friend from university Bevill Quiller-Couch joined the Royal Artillery subsequently awarded an
MC in 1917. The citation stating it was for putting out a dangerous fire in an ammunition pit and saving a man’s life – an interesting sense of priorities.
The book emphasized the respect the officers had for their men. His senior officer Captain Williams was most concerned with the hardship they stoically put up with standing in trenches full of water with no decent boots.
Neither officers nor men knew what was going on. They were suffering the conjecture and confusion along with the horrors of war in the trenches, compared with what was being reported in the newspapers. These had been claiming victory. The sad reality of a Scottish Pipe band which would have led a battalion of men back from the front only headed numbers amounting to a platoon.
The fighting was that far from England and letters home apart from assurances, asked for food and flypapers. Officers had five course meal bit featured some very unusual ingredients and the final whisky has an unusual lineage having been stored in dubious containers. Lt Browne had a high regard for the stretcher bearers who risked their own lives carrying casualties back. When realizing the one they were carrying was dead they put him out of the trench and when back for another who was still alive.
An odd story was that the troops were originally ferried to the front in London Buses, still with their destination boards on display, leading to the song ‘Farewell Piccadilly Goodbye Leicester Square’
The final sad note was that the author’s good friend Bevill died of flu just four weeks before his wedding to May Cannon the poet.
Questions followed and it gave Prof Browne the opportunity to expand on the position of women in the work place and how they were expected to give way to returning men both in job and pay levels. She also commented on the effects on Society in general from the loss of so many potential leaders.
By Iain Field
Professor Lalage Browne
Professor Browne is already know to the members for her recounting her experiences from travelling west to east across Africa, so that in one respect it was quite within character to get a taxi from Shrewsbury to Ludlow when her more regular means of transport failed her.
It was almost as though the theme continued in today’s talk. Entitled “Was it yesterday” she described how as a teenager she was cycling from the Brecon Beacons home in Shropshire when she stopped in Wigmore. She noticed in the church a second hand book for sale for a shilling. What caught her eye was the author’s name A M Browne - her father’s name, but she was not prepared to spend a whole shilling.
Subsequently she mentioned it to her father who confirmed that he had written it as any account of his experiences in the First World War – a subject that he had never discussed before. She felt that it illustrated his humor and is full of poignancy.
He and his friend from university Bevill Quiller-Couch joined the Royal Artillery subsequently awarded an
MC in 1917. The citation stating it was for putting out a dangerous fire in an ammunition pit and saving a man’s life – an interesting sense of priorities.
The book emphasized the respect the officers had for their men. His senior officer Captain Williams was most concerned with the hardship they stoically put up with standing in trenches full of water with no decent boots.
Neither officers nor men knew what was going on. They were suffering the conjecture and confusion along with the horrors of war in the trenches, compared with what was being reported in the newspapers. These had been claiming victory. The sad reality of a Scottish Pipe band which would have led a battalion of men back from the front only headed numbers amounting to a platoon.
The fighting was that far from England and letters home apart from assurances, asked for food and flypapers. Officers had five course meal bit featured some very unusual ingredients and the final whisky has an unusual lineage having been stored in dubious containers. Lt Browne had a high regard for the stretcher bearers who risked their own lives carrying casualties back. When realizing the one they were carrying was dead they put him out of the trench and when back for another who was still alive.
An odd story was that the troops were originally ferried to the front in London Buses, still with their destination boards on display, leading to the song ‘Farewell Piccadilly Goodbye Leicester Square’
The final sad note was that the author’s good friend Bevill died of flu just four weeks before his wedding to May Cannon the poet.
Questions followed and it gave Prof Browne the opportunity to expand on the position of women in the work place and how they were expected to give way to returning men both in job and pay levels. She also commented on the effects on Society in general from the loss of so many potential leaders.
By Iain Field
16th May 2017 Russia in the bad old days
Jeremy Hardwick
Looking through a box of memorabilia amongst which was a packet of particularly unpleasant looking cigarettes; Jeremy recalled a memorable visit to the Soviet Union in 1959. Three years earlier the Hungarian revolution had been suppressed by the Soviets, the Beatles were still at school and Nikita Khrushchev was about to bang his shoe on a desk at the United Nations.
Having spent his National Service years in the Far East and now at the end of his first year at University, Jeremy felt the wanderlust again and so signed up with 30 other students to go on a trip to Russia, all arrangements made, visas, tickets, travel, accommodation etc. organised by the NUS they left from London by ferry to Belgium, meeting some Oxford students on the way travelling in an old London bus.
This was the time of the cold war and the east sector of Berlin, the best architecturally, was occupied by the Russians but unfortunately for them their War Memorial was in West Berlin and thus had two sentries, one to see that the other did not defect! Jeremy had left his documents on the train in Warsaw, encountering Edward Viscount Corvedale as he hurriedly returned to retrieve them!
It was a three day journey to Moscow through countryside of sandy tracks and Collective farms which were mainly villages of wooden buildings. The stations were immaculate. Much of the manual labour was being done by women. Arriving in Moscow the group was greeted with flowers but the hotel was poor with its food of spam-type meat, hard bread, poor cheese, rubbery sausage and weak tea. They learnt from their Komosol guide Sasha, that the Russians had assisted the Hungarian people to put down the rising against them and he, for example, could not go to England since we would not issue the required visas and so on. In the’ Moscow News’ of September 2nd was a report of a visit by Gaitskell and Bevan and an article on Franco the bloody dictator who was shamefully an ally of the west. The Daily Worker and the Times newspapers were also available. His memories of Moscow included purchasing a hat from Gomme requiring three visits to different desks to make the purchase, an exhibition of the ‘Glorious Achievements of Russian Agriculture’ which included a hand push garden mower and machinery obviously copied from the west. Most interesting was the exhibit of a model of the Sputnik launched in 1957. Russian ice-cream was excellent! So too was the Moscow Metro which was clean and litter free with plenty of gilt and marble but empty seats were grabbed by the quickest and strongest. Churches were preserved as museums containing Icons and paintings. etc.. Chekov’s and Stalin’s wives were buried here in St Basil’s Cathedral but only old women showed overt signs of religion. Sasha explained that you could not be a Christian and a Communist. Statues of Lenin and Stalin stood just outside the Kremlin and Red Square was really no more than a parade ground. Moscow University was a block of 38 stories, surmounted by a red star with two clocks each with its thermometer. Students rooms were 11m sq. for younger and 12m sq. for older ones.
It was an eleven hour journey to St Petersburg founded by Peter the Great (1703). Here they visited Peter’s log cabin, built by himself, and the naval ship ‘Aurora’ where the 1917 revolution began. The city was besieged for one year by the Germans (WW2) but never surrendered. The Hermitage, once part of the Winter palace, was Catherine the Great’s ‘place of quiet’ and now contains work of every major artist including a picture of every Russian general involved in the war against Napoleon(329) and one of Wellington all painted by George Dawes the English artist. The summer palace was 10 miles away toward Finland. Both palaces were the residences of the Czars. The two Cathedrals, St Isaacs, looking like St Pauls, also doubling as the Town Hall and St Peter, both now museums The Oxford bus stood empty in a street near Nevsky square! Many nationalities attended a dance at the end of the tour and there was much discussion of the issues. Jeremy found that the female students in general were for more willing to discuss, argue and listen than their more dogmatic male counterparts. In summary the message seemed to be that Russians did not want a third World War because Communism will prevail by peaceful means
It was a two day return to Moscow where the exit was uncomfortable and protracted.
The talk was evocative and illuminating although no-one wanted to accept one of those memorabilia cigarettes.
By Graham Till
Jeremy Hardwick
Looking through a box of memorabilia amongst which was a packet of particularly unpleasant looking cigarettes; Jeremy recalled a memorable visit to the Soviet Union in 1959. Three years earlier the Hungarian revolution had been suppressed by the Soviets, the Beatles were still at school and Nikita Khrushchev was about to bang his shoe on a desk at the United Nations.
Having spent his National Service years in the Far East and now at the end of his first year at University, Jeremy felt the wanderlust again and so signed up with 30 other students to go on a trip to Russia, all arrangements made, visas, tickets, travel, accommodation etc. organised by the NUS they left from London by ferry to Belgium, meeting some Oxford students on the way travelling in an old London bus.
This was the time of the cold war and the east sector of Berlin, the best architecturally, was occupied by the Russians but unfortunately for them their War Memorial was in West Berlin and thus had two sentries, one to see that the other did not defect! Jeremy had left his documents on the train in Warsaw, encountering Edward Viscount Corvedale as he hurriedly returned to retrieve them!
It was a three day journey to Moscow through countryside of sandy tracks and Collective farms which were mainly villages of wooden buildings. The stations were immaculate. Much of the manual labour was being done by women. Arriving in Moscow the group was greeted with flowers but the hotel was poor with its food of spam-type meat, hard bread, poor cheese, rubbery sausage and weak tea. They learnt from their Komosol guide Sasha, that the Russians had assisted the Hungarian people to put down the rising against them and he, for example, could not go to England since we would not issue the required visas and so on. In the’ Moscow News’ of September 2nd was a report of a visit by Gaitskell and Bevan and an article on Franco the bloody dictator who was shamefully an ally of the west. The Daily Worker and the Times newspapers were also available. His memories of Moscow included purchasing a hat from Gomme requiring three visits to different desks to make the purchase, an exhibition of the ‘Glorious Achievements of Russian Agriculture’ which included a hand push garden mower and machinery obviously copied from the west. Most interesting was the exhibit of a model of the Sputnik launched in 1957. Russian ice-cream was excellent! So too was the Moscow Metro which was clean and litter free with plenty of gilt and marble but empty seats were grabbed by the quickest and strongest. Churches were preserved as museums containing Icons and paintings. etc.. Chekov’s and Stalin’s wives were buried here in St Basil’s Cathedral but only old women showed overt signs of religion. Sasha explained that you could not be a Christian and a Communist. Statues of Lenin and Stalin stood just outside the Kremlin and Red Square was really no more than a parade ground. Moscow University was a block of 38 stories, surmounted by a red star with two clocks each with its thermometer. Students rooms were 11m sq. for younger and 12m sq. for older ones.
It was an eleven hour journey to St Petersburg founded by Peter the Great (1703). Here they visited Peter’s log cabin, built by himself, and the naval ship ‘Aurora’ where the 1917 revolution began. The city was besieged for one year by the Germans (WW2) but never surrendered. The Hermitage, once part of the Winter palace, was Catherine the Great’s ‘place of quiet’ and now contains work of every major artist including a picture of every Russian general involved in the war against Napoleon(329) and one of Wellington all painted by George Dawes the English artist. The summer palace was 10 miles away toward Finland. Both palaces were the residences of the Czars. The two Cathedrals, St Isaacs, looking like St Pauls, also doubling as the Town Hall and St Peter, both now museums The Oxford bus stood empty in a street near Nevsky square! Many nationalities attended a dance at the end of the tour and there was much discussion of the issues. Jeremy found that the female students in general were for more willing to discuss, argue and listen than their more dogmatic male counterparts. In summary the message seemed to be that Russians did not want a third World War because Communism will prevail by peaceful means
It was a two day return to Moscow where the exit was uncomfortable and protracted.
The talk was evocative and illuminating although no-one wanted to accept one of those memorabilia cigarettes.
By Graham Till
30th May 2017 Three members short talks
Tuesday is Indigo Blue by Colin Kelsey
The talk was about a peculiar and rare condition which affects about 4 in 100 people called Synesthesia. This is the unusual or unexpected blending of the senses where stimulation of one sense triggers sensation in another sense.
An example might be someone ‘smelling’ the colour of someone's tie or ‘feeling’ the green of grass.
There are some 150 identified forums of synesthesia, the most common being grapheme-colour synesthesia where the person perceives individual letters or numbers as having very specific colours.
There is also colour-sequence synesthesia where the person perceives days of the week or months of the year as having specific colourations.
There is also chromesthesia which occurs when the person hears specific musical notes or tones and they experience either a visual image or a taste sensation. The artist Kandinsky is said to have been synesthete and painted a number of pictures based around hearing music.
Various other strange combinations were explained regarding touch and taste
Synesthesia is involuntary, unconscious, automatic and very stable over time.
Synesthetes are thought to possibly have ‘extra’ neurological connections resulting in normally separate and distinct sensory channels becoming linked - resulting in the brain receiving two different sensory messages simultaneously.
Fortunately this condition is not life-threatening!
Education – Past and Present by Tony Martyr
Tony told us of his experiences being educated at a Jesuit School, the teaching method being governed by fear and the cane. Although he failed his 11+ he did get his ‘O’ levels and then served an apprenticeship for 5 years.
Despite his difficult early education he made his way and eventually became Visiting Professor of Mechanical engineering at Bradford University.
He compared his education with that of his grandson who he takes to school occasionally. His grandson looks forward to school as a happy occasion and enjoys it, and not with fear and dread as did his grandfather.
Reflections on a 1960s scientific discovery by Ian Bott
The subject of this talk was a discovery made in the Royal Radar Establishment in Malvern in 1962. The discovery, which was patented, was of a novel device with which to generate millimetre wavelength electro-magnetic radiation. This wavelength is part of the electromagnetic spectrum that extends from X-Rays , through optical wavelengths, infra-red wavelengths, microwave radar wavelengths to long wavelength communications such as those at Wooferton. Millimetre wavelengths sit between infra-red and radar wavelengths. In the early 1960s there was no means of generating significant power at mm wavelength. The RRE experiment pioneered a device, (later called a Gyrotron), that provided a new way of generating power, one that has over the past half century been developed to generate more than a megawatt. This capability is now used, amongst other things, to heat the plasmas required to produce nuclear fusion for the generation of clean electricity. The talk detailed the history of the invention and how it involved Russian work behind the Iron Curtain, the KGB, NASA, Yale University, the initial absence of the theoretical explanation of the experimental results, and the recent acceptance that the experiment pioneered the Gyrotron.
By Bernard North
Tuesday is Indigo Blue by Colin Kelsey
The talk was about a peculiar and rare condition which affects about 4 in 100 people called Synesthesia. This is the unusual or unexpected blending of the senses where stimulation of one sense triggers sensation in another sense.
An example might be someone ‘smelling’ the colour of someone's tie or ‘feeling’ the green of grass.
There are some 150 identified forums of synesthesia, the most common being grapheme-colour synesthesia where the person perceives individual letters or numbers as having very specific colours.
There is also colour-sequence synesthesia where the person perceives days of the week or months of the year as having specific colourations.
There is also chromesthesia which occurs when the person hears specific musical notes or tones and they experience either a visual image or a taste sensation. The artist Kandinsky is said to have been synesthete and painted a number of pictures based around hearing music.
Various other strange combinations were explained regarding touch and taste
Synesthesia is involuntary, unconscious, automatic and very stable over time.
Synesthetes are thought to possibly have ‘extra’ neurological connections resulting in normally separate and distinct sensory channels becoming linked - resulting in the brain receiving two different sensory messages simultaneously.
Fortunately this condition is not life-threatening!
Education – Past and Present by Tony Martyr
Tony told us of his experiences being educated at a Jesuit School, the teaching method being governed by fear and the cane. Although he failed his 11+ he did get his ‘O’ levels and then served an apprenticeship for 5 years.
Despite his difficult early education he made his way and eventually became Visiting Professor of Mechanical engineering at Bradford University.
He compared his education with that of his grandson who he takes to school occasionally. His grandson looks forward to school as a happy occasion and enjoys it, and not with fear and dread as did his grandfather.
Reflections on a 1960s scientific discovery by Ian Bott
The subject of this talk was a discovery made in the Royal Radar Establishment in Malvern in 1962. The discovery, which was patented, was of a novel device with which to generate millimetre wavelength electro-magnetic radiation. This wavelength is part of the electromagnetic spectrum that extends from X-Rays , through optical wavelengths, infra-red wavelengths, microwave radar wavelengths to long wavelength communications such as those at Wooferton. Millimetre wavelengths sit between infra-red and radar wavelengths. In the early 1960s there was no means of generating significant power at mm wavelength. The RRE experiment pioneered a device, (later called a Gyrotron), that provided a new way of generating power, one that has over the past half century been developed to generate more than a megawatt. This capability is now used, amongst other things, to heat the plasmas required to produce nuclear fusion for the generation of clean electricity. The talk detailed the history of the invention and how it involved Russian work behind the Iron Curtain, the KGB, NASA, Yale University, the initial absence of the theoretical explanation of the experimental results, and the recent acceptance that the experiment pioneered the Gyrotron.
By Bernard North
27th June 2017 Visit to RAF Cosford Museum
The visit was attended by eight members and guests
The visit was attended by eight members and guests
th July 2017 Not Yet Passed
Jim & Jenny Mitchell
Parked just outside the main entrance there was a 'BMW R1200 GS Adventure' motorbike – could one of our more sporty members have taken delivery of something more exciting than a sedate saloon now that summer is here? It turned out not to be the case, and the bike in fact belonged to our speakers of the day, Jim and Jenny Mitchell from Church Stretton.
After a period in the Royal Corps of Signals, Jim and Jenny, who was not from the Signals Regiment., set up a business in estate agency which they ran for 17 years before selling out in 2013.
After training in south Wales for off-road motor cycling and meticulous preparation and planning, the two of them spent eight months in the saddle travelling from Ushuaia at the southern tip of South America to Prudhoe Bay, the northern terminus of the Pan-American Highway in Alaska, a 25,963-mile adventure.
They had to travel south from Buenos Aires, the southernmost point to which their bike could be flown, to Tierra del Fuego, a distance of 2,000 miles, before they were able to begin their journey north. In the early days, the wind was unbelievably strong, but as they travelled north, the condition of the roads became the major hazard – with a four-day hold-up at one point while a rock fall was dealt with.
They traversed the Atacama Desert, held a large Mitchell family reunion in Santiago (where Jim has many relatives), passed by Lake Titicaca, into Peru, with an opportunity to visit Jim's grandfather's grave, crossed the equator with a picture of Jim in the northern hemisphere and Jenny in the southern, and then into Colombia from where they crossed into Central America.
Five months had been spent in South America by this time, and six weeks were devoted to Central America before they entered Mexico and headed up Route 66 towards Canada and the finishing line in Alaska. The journey encompassed the Grand Canyon, Las Vega, Bryce National Park, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone Park. Then Canada, through Edmonton, Dawson City, into the Arctic Circle, and up to Coldfoot – their northernmost point, at which they turned south tor Seattle whence they flew home with 'Bertie' (the bike) to follow later.
Jim and Jenny had been sponsored in aid of Shelter Box, a charity that has boxes placed in strategic places around the world, ready to give emergency disaster relief when serious need arises.
The many videos we had seen had given a really good idea of the adventure and had left little time for questions, but Jim had been so full in his explanation of the various scenes that that was a small price to have to pay.
The next trip will be through Scandinavia to the North Cape before turning south to cover the Baltic States. It is to be hoped that they will tell us all about that in due course.
By Andrew Stedman.
25th July 2017 James, Charles, George and 5283 Others
Clare Crackett, Andy and Lynn McEwan
It happens that this year, St Chad’s Church in Shrewsbury, is celebrating its 250th Anniversary, although this is not the original building, there having been a civil and military church since the 12th Century.
It is the first Church in the UK to sign the Armed Forces Covenant to provide to provide both individual and corporate support to the armed forces. It has a KSLI Chapel which houses the Rolls of Honour for all of those who died in WW1 and WW2 for the whole County of Shropshire.
The Roll has been compiled by Clare with considerable help from Neil Evans and Phil Morris who have been carrying out research for 15 years. It lists names of the fallen village by village or town by town, but there are unfortunately discrepancies, partly because records from WW1 were destroyed in the blitz during WW2.
The James in the title died at home from the wounds he received in the war and is buried in St Andrews Church, George is buried in Acton Scott and Charles is buried at Claverley. All died 100 years ago today the 25th July 1917. St Chads has a Memorial Service each week for those who died in the war 100 years ago that week, so in time all 5286 will be remembered.
There is a leather bound copy of the Roll kept at St Chads, but paper back copies, A4 about 3cm thick are available, it’s also on Twitter (@Shropshire WW1) and online (@WW1 Restinpeace). Versions are available for researchers. Unfortunately 113 of the fallen have not been identified.
The leather bound Roll also has several blank pages so further entries can be added
Andy McEwan (www.wildstrawberry.com) is acting as Artist in Residence and has arranged that all of the names are projected on to the Shrewsbury Town Hall each 11th November. He is also compiling an audio event called ‘One Voice ’so that all of the names can be heard in a darkened space through which the public can pass, each name being read by a different person. Club members were asked to contribute to this exercise by making a recording, each member saying the name of one fallen person.
Very poignant, especially as the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele occurred a few days after this talk.
By Barry Treeves
Jim & Jenny Mitchell
Parked just outside the main entrance there was a 'BMW R1200 GS Adventure' motorbike – could one of our more sporty members have taken delivery of something more exciting than a sedate saloon now that summer is here? It turned out not to be the case, and the bike in fact belonged to our speakers of the day, Jim and Jenny Mitchell from Church Stretton.
After a period in the Royal Corps of Signals, Jim and Jenny, who was not from the Signals Regiment., set up a business in estate agency which they ran for 17 years before selling out in 2013.
After training in south Wales for off-road motor cycling and meticulous preparation and planning, the two of them spent eight months in the saddle travelling from Ushuaia at the southern tip of South America to Prudhoe Bay, the northern terminus of the Pan-American Highway in Alaska, a 25,963-mile adventure.
They had to travel south from Buenos Aires, the southernmost point to which their bike could be flown, to Tierra del Fuego, a distance of 2,000 miles, before they were able to begin their journey north. In the early days, the wind was unbelievably strong, but as they travelled north, the condition of the roads became the major hazard – with a four-day hold-up at one point while a rock fall was dealt with.
They traversed the Atacama Desert, held a large Mitchell family reunion in Santiago (where Jim has many relatives), passed by Lake Titicaca, into Peru, with an opportunity to visit Jim's grandfather's grave, crossed the equator with a picture of Jim in the northern hemisphere and Jenny in the southern, and then into Colombia from where they crossed into Central America.
Five months had been spent in South America by this time, and six weeks were devoted to Central America before they entered Mexico and headed up Route 66 towards Canada and the finishing line in Alaska. The journey encompassed the Grand Canyon, Las Vega, Bryce National Park, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone Park. Then Canada, through Edmonton, Dawson City, into the Arctic Circle, and up to Coldfoot – their northernmost point, at which they turned south tor Seattle whence they flew home with 'Bertie' (the bike) to follow later.
Jim and Jenny had been sponsored in aid of Shelter Box, a charity that has boxes placed in strategic places around the world, ready to give emergency disaster relief when serious need arises.
The many videos we had seen had given a really good idea of the adventure and had left little time for questions, but Jim had been so full in his explanation of the various scenes that that was a small price to have to pay.
The next trip will be through Scandinavia to the North Cape before turning south to cover the Baltic States. It is to be hoped that they will tell us all about that in due course.
By Andrew Stedman.
25th July 2017 James, Charles, George and 5283 Others
Clare Crackett, Andy and Lynn McEwan
It happens that this year, St Chad’s Church in Shrewsbury, is celebrating its 250th Anniversary, although this is not the original building, there having been a civil and military church since the 12th Century.
It is the first Church in the UK to sign the Armed Forces Covenant to provide to provide both individual and corporate support to the armed forces. It has a KSLI Chapel which houses the Rolls of Honour for all of those who died in WW1 and WW2 for the whole County of Shropshire.
The Roll has been compiled by Clare with considerable help from Neil Evans and Phil Morris who have been carrying out research for 15 years. It lists names of the fallen village by village or town by town, but there are unfortunately discrepancies, partly because records from WW1 were destroyed in the blitz during WW2.
The James in the title died at home from the wounds he received in the war and is buried in St Andrews Church, George is buried in Acton Scott and Charles is buried at Claverley. All died 100 years ago today the 25th July 1917. St Chads has a Memorial Service each week for those who died in the war 100 years ago that week, so in time all 5286 will be remembered.
There is a leather bound copy of the Roll kept at St Chads, but paper back copies, A4 about 3cm thick are available, it’s also on Twitter (@Shropshire WW1) and online (@WW1 Restinpeace). Versions are available for researchers. Unfortunately 113 of the fallen have not been identified.
The leather bound Roll also has several blank pages so further entries can be added
Andy McEwan (www.wildstrawberry.com) is acting as Artist in Residence and has arranged that all of the names are projected on to the Shrewsbury Town Hall each 11th November. He is also compiling an audio event called ‘One Voice ’so that all of the names can be heard in a darkened space through which the public can pass, each name being read by a different person. Club members were asked to contribute to this exercise by making a recording, each member saying the name of one fallen person.
Very poignant, especially as the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele occurred a few days after this talk.
By Barry Treeves
22nd August 2017 Visit to Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway
Seventeen Members and their guests had an enjoyable time exploring and travelling on the train
Seventeen Members and their guests had an enjoyable time exploring and travelling on the train
5th July 2017 Around the World in 60 days or thereabouts
Paul Hayward
Paul opened by saying that he was an architect, he studied at Cardiff and initially concerned that joining Probus would result in the club having two architects. This was not held against him.
He was very aware that the club has recently enjoyed a talk by a couple who rode a motorbike from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska, as his talk was about going round the world on a motorbike and many other means.
His desire to become ‘a biker’ leads him to hire a bike in High Wycombe and to pass the driving test in West London. He claims the lady examiner was kind. Interestingly this was on a 750cc machine. After being tutored by a police trainer he passed his Advanced Riding Test.
A number of tours were carried out, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Northern Spain, during the course of which he had two crashes one of which wrote of his machine.
The idea was conceived to visit New Zealand for 3 weeks. His planned itinerary London-Dubai-Sydney- Aukland and on to the South Island where he would hire a bike. This was done through a UK based company. The return leg of his journey would be to fly to San Francisco and then by train across the US.
He showed some amazing photographs taken in Dubai of tall buildings, fountains and shopping centres. On to Sydney where he changed planes to Air New Zealand. Their safety video is like nothing seen before! Hired a car in Aukland and was pleased too that he was able to design a logo for a friend’s business. Tourist attractions were enjoyed then the ferry to South Island and by train to Christchurch. He showed some very sad shots of the damage caused to the town by the 2011 earthquake. After taking a jet boat ride in Queenstown he made a tour of the local lake on a very old steam ship.
On riding back to Milford Sound he made a video of the spectacular coastal views by means of a camera attached to his helmet
Due to the time constrains Paul was not able to conclude with his journey crossing North America but he has promised too at a later date.
By Iain Field
Paul Hayward
Paul opened by saying that he was an architect, he studied at Cardiff and initially concerned that joining Probus would result in the club having two architects. This was not held against him.
He was very aware that the club has recently enjoyed a talk by a couple who rode a motorbike from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska, as his talk was about going round the world on a motorbike and many other means.
His desire to become ‘a biker’ leads him to hire a bike in High Wycombe and to pass the driving test in West London. He claims the lady examiner was kind. Interestingly this was on a 750cc machine. After being tutored by a police trainer he passed his Advanced Riding Test.
A number of tours were carried out, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Northern Spain, during the course of which he had two crashes one of which wrote of his machine.
The idea was conceived to visit New Zealand for 3 weeks. His planned itinerary London-Dubai-Sydney- Aukland and on to the South Island where he would hire a bike. This was done through a UK based company. The return leg of his journey would be to fly to San Francisco and then by train across the US.
He showed some amazing photographs taken in Dubai of tall buildings, fountains and shopping centres. On to Sydney where he changed planes to Air New Zealand. Their safety video is like nothing seen before! Hired a car in Aukland and was pleased too that he was able to design a logo for a friend’s business. Tourist attractions were enjoyed then the ferry to South Island and by train to Christchurch. He showed some very sad shots of the damage caused to the town by the 2011 earthquake. After taking a jet boat ride in Queenstown he made a tour of the local lake on a very old steam ship.
On riding back to Milford Sound he made a video of the spectacular coastal views by means of a camera attached to his helmet
Due to the time constrains Paul was not able to conclude with his journey crossing North America but he has promised too at a later date.
By Iain Field
5th September 2017 Mature Driver: the story continues
Martin Thomas
Martin began by drawing attention to the aims of the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM): of particular importance is that of keeping mature drivers safely as long as possible.
A series of statistics provided a fascinating background to the main thrust of his talk; these included: Five million drivers aged 70+ are licenced to drive as are one million drivers aged 80+.
These figures increase by 10,000 a month
Only 5% of these have points on their licences.
Only 4% of older drivers (ie70+) are involved in serious accidents. The average mileage driven by this age group was 5511 miles per annum.
These figures clearly show that older drivers are far safer on the roads than is generally thought However, older drivers are more prone to making errors, particularly when there is fast moving traffic; misjudging the speed of traffic has been identified as the main reason for this.
An IAM report on older drivers is supportive of the mature driver, making the point that “continuing to drive is associated with health aging and general well-being”. It is certainly true that most elderly people confirm that driving is extremely important to them but 94% of those questioned agreed that GP’s should be required to inform patients if their medical condition brought into question their ability to drive safely.
Martin returned to a point made in an earlier talk, when emphasising the importance of including ICE (IN CASE OF EMERGENCY) numbers in mobile phones. He noted that, in the event of an accident, finding these contact numbers is one of the first measures taken by the emergency services.
The issues of driving for those who are disabled was dealt with in a very positive manner: disabilities and impairments are easily overcome so you can continue to drive. He then talked through the way that vehicles can be adapted; there seems to be a solution to every problem. DON’T GIVE UP!
Having asked “are you fit to drive” two members responded to Martin’s question by saying they had taken tests and assessments to seek the answer. In both cases the answer was positive: one major benefit of the exercise was that their confidence when driving was increased.
Martin circulated to all present a very useful list of Driving Resources for Older Drivers. He ended his talk by saying that he has been making enquiries about the possibility of holding a refresher driving day for the Ludlow Probus members, a suggestion that was met with enthusiasm.
This was a most interesting and entertaining session enjoyed by all present.
By Mike Wise.
19th September 2017 The Rifle past, present & future
Craig Hassen
Craig began his career his Army career upon leaving school in 1996, joining the Green Jackets, his local regiment. Courses led to promotion firstly to corporal, then to sergeant. His service of twenty two years has included time in Afghanistan and Northern Ireland. He has now reached the highest
Non-commissioned officer rank of WO1 (Warrant Officer Class 1) and is about to begin a program which should lead to promotion to commissioned officer rank. His record is therefore one of starting at basic entry level and working his way up through the ranks on his chosen profession. He hopes to remain in the army until 55 when he will have to leave the service.
The core of Craig’s presentation was based on a DVD produced by the Ministry of Defence which sets out in considerable detail the Army’s Leadership Code or Doctrine. The reasons for its necessity and in depth explanation of its purpose formed the first section of the film. The present Chief of General Staff (GCS) is intent upon (1) improving the Army’s “match fitness” (2) improving the Army’s Command Culture and (3) every soldier living the Army’s Values and Standards. The Army has its own ideas, customs and social behaviour and a long history of change in all those areas.
Craig described social behaviour as a “massive issue” in recent years, challenging the fundamental importance of behaviour towards others being firmly based on a set of moral principles. The problem of excessive drinking has been a huge, but the present CGS has acted to reduce its prevalence in large measure.
The Army’s Values were then listed:-
- Courage (physical and moral)
- Discipline (self-discipline?)
- Respect for others
- Integrity
- Loyalty
- Selfless Commitment
The Army’s Standards:-
- Appropriate behaviour (no bulling or discrimination)
- Lawful (criminal & military law)
- Professional
The modern Rifles, now the largest infantry regiment, was formed on the 1st February 2007. It contains five regular battalions and three reserve battalions and has lost more men since WW2 than any other regiment.
Many of the Probus members retained strong memories of their National Service experience and provided ample questions for Craig, who provided honest answers. Ian Bott’s thoughtful vote of thanks gave us the opportunity to express their appreciation for a lively and authoritative account of modern day army experience.
By Michael Haines
3rd October 2017 Autumn Lunch
The Cliff Hotel, Dinham, Ludlow
Thirty 35 members and guests enjoyed an excellent lunch at The Cliff Hotel, Dinham
17th October 20 Eat your heart out David Attenborough
Bernard North
Unlike David Attenborough Bernard’s encounters with Malayan wildlife were coincidental, happening as he carried out his work as a Railways Engineer and Surveyor working for the East Coast Railways in the 1950s. He indicated on a map where the various encounters took place and pointed out the central, very wild area of Penang.
He soon came into contact with the wildlife of which, for example there are 400+ varieties of mosquito. A gecko occupied each house, generally on the ceiling from which it fell to the floor with a ‘plop’ the sound giving rise to its Malayan name. Cockroaches were up to 4ins long. One evening, 100’s of flying sausage ants flew in filling the room so that Bernard retired to bed protected by his mosquito net. Next morning the floor was covered with their wings the bodies having been eaten by geckos.
Because of terrorist presence, he was inspecting a reservoir accompanied by an armed guard. Fortunately one of them told him to stop at once. In front of him a 2ft long Krait was hanging from a tree. These are venomous and a bite kills within 12 – 24hours. There are 130 different kinds of snake of which 30 are poisonous.
Stag Beetles 4”-5” long made a peculiar humming sound and the children loved to hear it as they carried them about in their pockets.
While surveying for the construction of a rail extension to collect Magnetite from a mountain of it 150 ft high, he lived in a camp with 20 Japanese. For privacy he had walked to the edge of the compound and found himself urinating on a 4 foot green iguana. These can move quickly, have sharp teeth and can deliver a serious bite. The consequences ……… !
High Jungle boots with a built in tongue were worn but even so, on one occasion he removed a boot to find inside a 2in leech and much blood. In the nearby creek, cattle leeches 5ins long were found. (He showed a picture of one resting along a man’s arm.) He also encountered 3 monitor lizards, like crocs. Which again are fast and vicious.
Bernard met his future wife at Betu Lada in Kuala Kri- Kelantin state and it was here he heard the Malayan Tiger which is heard but seldom seen they being an endangered species with just a few 100s left.
Workers provided with free of rent bungalows near their work were refusing to live in them and wished to live in town some distance away. The reason was a plague of scorpions and he was shown one dangling from a length of string! Bernard ordered fumigation as the solution. Furry Hawk Moths 6ins long, attracted by light at night, coming in and flying rapidly round the room were another nuisance. Pallacid Hawk Moths could be 15ins long!
Change Perah-Pehay, surrounded by Jungle was a parking siding used to allow up trains to pass down trains at a point on the single line. Here houses were built on brick pillars so were cool and large animals could pass. Elephants love salt and one detecting salt in a kitchen wrecked it while searching for it. Other animals around were herbivorous 6ft long tapirs, and the Saladong Gaur Bull, the 2nd largest animal and which Tigers do not attack! Tame monkeys were trained to climb trees and drop the coconuts to be collected on the ground.
On visiting ‘Welcome to Jahore Zoo’ Bernard was met by a monkey which bit him! He watched an Orange –Outang peel a banana in one hand! Years later he saw but did not step on, a monocle cobra which being full length and not coiled was not in a position to strike. This snake was responsible for the highest snake bite fatalities in Malaya.
When driving early in the morning he approached a large shape in the mist. When close he saw it was an Asian elephant standing across the road basking in the warmth from the tarmac. Horn blowing did not move him! It was only when Bernard got out in his snow white shirt and shorts did it slowly amble away!
Andrew Reynolds in his vote of thanks complimented Bernard on a ‘Tour de Force’ and at the same time for putting the flesh on and capturing the spirit of those days.
By Graham Till
Bernard North
Unlike David Attenborough Bernard’s encounters with Malayan wildlife were coincidental, happening as he carried out his work as a Railways Engineer and Surveyor working for the East Coast Railways in the 1950s. He indicated on a map where the various encounters took place and pointed out the central, very wild area of Penang.
He soon came into contact with the wildlife of which, for example there are 400+ varieties of mosquito. A gecko occupied each house, generally on the ceiling from which it fell to the floor with a ‘plop’ the sound giving rise to its Malayan name. Cockroaches were up to 4ins long. One evening, 100’s of flying sausage ants flew in filling the room so that Bernard retired to bed protected by his mosquito net. Next morning the floor was covered with their wings the bodies having been eaten by geckos.
Because of terrorist presence, he was inspecting a reservoir accompanied by an armed guard. Fortunately one of them told him to stop at once. In front of him a 2ft long Krait was hanging from a tree. These are venomous and a bite kills within 12 – 24hours. There are 130 different kinds of snake of which 30 are poisonous.
Stag Beetles 4”-5” long made a peculiar humming sound and the children loved to hear it as they carried them about in their pockets.
While surveying for the construction of a rail extension to collect Magnetite from a mountain of it 150 ft high, he lived in a camp with 20 Japanese. For privacy he had walked to the edge of the compound and found himself urinating on a 4 foot green iguana. These can move quickly, have sharp teeth and can deliver a serious bite. The consequences ……… !
High Jungle boots with a built in tongue were worn but even so, on one occasion he removed a boot to find inside a 2in leech and much blood. In the nearby creek, cattle leeches 5ins long were found. (He showed a picture of one resting along a man’s arm.) He also encountered 3 monitor lizards, like crocs. Which again are fast and vicious.
Bernard met his future wife at Betu Lada in Kuala Kri- Kelantin state and it was here he heard the Malayan Tiger which is heard but seldom seen they being an endangered species with just a few 100s left.
Workers provided with free of rent bungalows near their work were refusing to live in them and wished to live in town some distance away. The reason was a plague of scorpions and he was shown one dangling from a length of string! Bernard ordered fumigation as the solution. Furry Hawk Moths 6ins long, attracted by light at night, coming in and flying rapidly round the room were another nuisance. Pallacid Hawk Moths could be 15ins long!
Change Perah-Pehay, surrounded by Jungle was a parking siding used to allow up trains to pass down trains at a point on the single line. Here houses were built on brick pillars so were cool and large animals could pass. Elephants love salt and one detecting salt in a kitchen wrecked it while searching for it. Other animals around were herbivorous 6ft long tapirs, and the Saladong Gaur Bull, the 2nd largest animal and which Tigers do not attack! Tame monkeys were trained to climb trees and drop the coconuts to be collected on the ground.
On visiting ‘Welcome to Jahore Zoo’ Bernard was met by a monkey which bit him! He watched an Orange –Outang peel a banana in one hand! Years later he saw but did not step on, a monocle cobra which being full length and not coiled was not in a position to strike. This snake was responsible for the highest snake bite fatalities in Malaya.
When driving early in the morning he approached a large shape in the mist. When close he saw it was an Asian elephant standing across the road basking in the warmth from the tarmac. Horn blowing did not move him! It was only when Bernard got out in his snow white shirt and shorts did it slowly amble away!
Andrew Reynolds in his vote of thanks complimented Bernard on a ‘Tour de Force’ and at the same time for putting the flesh on and capturing the spirit of those days.
By Graham Till
24th October 2017 REPORT on PROBUS CLUB DRIVING REFRESHER DAY
Martin Thomas
At the Meeting about Mature Drivers on September 3rd, members were offered the opportunity to attend a Driving Refresher Day. A sufficient number expressed an interest for the event to go ahead. This was to be organised by Herefordshire Advanced Drivers who are official providers of IAM Roadsmart training courses.13 members plus 4 guests reported to Leominster Golf Club to spend a day updating their knowledge and having an on-road observed drive. The programme involved participating in workshops which covered topics such as The Highway Code, seasonal driving challenges, dealing with traffic situations and legal matters pertaining to driving. Everyone was allocated a qualified and trained Observer who accompanied them on a drive involving country roads, town work and a high speed main road. During the drive unsafe driving habits were pointed out and advice given to help safer driving. On return to the venue, a discussion summarised the driving standard shown and written feedback was provided. Each section was graded from ‘needs to improve,’ to’ good. ‘Participants were asked to complete a written EVENT EVALUATION before leaving. These are summarised as follows: The venue was rated mainly good or excellent and was deemed to be good value for money (£40 per person). Some background noise from the public area made hearing problematic for some.
Course instructions, content coverage and presenter knowledge were rated good or excellent. Observer helpfulness and clarity of advice were highly rated, excellent/good.
Comments/Suggestions
Many facets were covered and anything which updates and helps to correct bad habits has got to be good for all road users. A very worthwhile day, probably ought to be repeated as I get older.
Splendid day. Efficient and friendly. Helpful and instructive, now to work on it!
I have learnt a lot which was enjoyable, very well organised too! Overall worthwhile. I will certainly think about what I am doing. Lots to think about and put into practice, most informative.
What did you find most useful?
Coping with roundabouts. The opportunity to refresh my driving skills and learn about the current safer driving skills. The observed drive, very helpful and reassuring.
Driving assessment. Identifying some bad habits. The observed drive and sessions which dealt with driving principles with lots of examples. Guidance on safety issues when driving Observed drive and the ‘Better safer ‘driving course with David.
What did you find least useful?
The session on winter driving could have been halved in length. ( 2 responses)
From now on, what would you find most useful in advancing your driving skills further?
More thought for road positioning and anticipation. Becoming a member of IAM Herefordshire. Greater observation. Periodic meeting with IAM members and reading some of the very useful literature which I neglect. Practise! Increasing ability to read the road, maybe try another course.
Additionally, 2 members plus a wife and partner attended a Refresher Driving Day held in Leominster on October 10th. Their feedback was also very positive. The 2 members were embarrassed that their accompanying lady scored better than them on the observed drive.
Another member made his own arrangements for a Mature Driving Assessment with I am Roadsmart. This consisted of a 1 hour drive with an Examiner on board who assessed 12 aspects of his driving abilities. Our member scored very positively. He was told that the Examiner felt safe being his passenger and now feels highly reassured to continue driving.
All the members and their guests who participated in the Driving Refresher days are to be highly commended for the time and commitment shown to becoming safer drivers. Safe driving!
By Martin Thomas
Martin Thomas
At the Meeting about Mature Drivers on September 3rd, members were offered the opportunity to attend a Driving Refresher Day. A sufficient number expressed an interest for the event to go ahead. This was to be organised by Herefordshire Advanced Drivers who are official providers of IAM Roadsmart training courses.13 members plus 4 guests reported to Leominster Golf Club to spend a day updating their knowledge and having an on-road observed drive. The programme involved participating in workshops which covered topics such as The Highway Code, seasonal driving challenges, dealing with traffic situations and legal matters pertaining to driving. Everyone was allocated a qualified and trained Observer who accompanied them on a drive involving country roads, town work and a high speed main road. During the drive unsafe driving habits were pointed out and advice given to help safer driving. On return to the venue, a discussion summarised the driving standard shown and written feedback was provided. Each section was graded from ‘needs to improve,’ to’ good. ‘Participants were asked to complete a written EVENT EVALUATION before leaving. These are summarised as follows: The venue was rated mainly good or excellent and was deemed to be good value for money (£40 per person). Some background noise from the public area made hearing problematic for some.
Course instructions, content coverage and presenter knowledge were rated good or excellent. Observer helpfulness and clarity of advice were highly rated, excellent/good.
Comments/Suggestions
Many facets were covered and anything which updates and helps to correct bad habits has got to be good for all road users. A very worthwhile day, probably ought to be repeated as I get older.
Splendid day. Efficient and friendly. Helpful and instructive, now to work on it!
I have learnt a lot which was enjoyable, very well organised too! Overall worthwhile. I will certainly think about what I am doing. Lots to think about and put into practice, most informative.
What did you find most useful?
Coping with roundabouts. The opportunity to refresh my driving skills and learn about the current safer driving skills. The observed drive, very helpful and reassuring.
Driving assessment. Identifying some bad habits. The observed drive and sessions which dealt with driving principles with lots of examples. Guidance on safety issues when driving Observed drive and the ‘Better safer ‘driving course with David.
What did you find least useful?
The session on winter driving could have been halved in length. ( 2 responses)
From now on, what would you find most useful in advancing your driving skills further?
More thought for road positioning and anticipation. Becoming a member of IAM Herefordshire. Greater observation. Periodic meeting with IAM members and reading some of the very useful literature which I neglect. Practise! Increasing ability to read the road, maybe try another course.
Additionally, 2 members plus a wife and partner attended a Refresher Driving Day held in Leominster on October 10th. Their feedback was also very positive. The 2 members were embarrassed that their accompanying lady scored better than them on the observed drive.
Another member made his own arrangements for a Mature Driving Assessment with I am Roadsmart. This consisted of a 1 hour drive with an Examiner on board who assessed 12 aspects of his driving abilities. Our member scored very positively. He was told that the Examiner felt safe being his passenger and now feels highly reassured to continue driving.
All the members and their guests who participated in the Driving Refresher days are to be highly commended for the time and commitment shown to becoming safer drivers. Safe driving!
By Martin Thomas
31st October 2017 Health and housing in Ludlow
Derek Beatty
Derek’s talk illustrated with photographs showed the link between the health of the working classes and the condition of the housing they lived in between 1850 and 1960. He clearly demonstrated that due to the unsanitary conditions and the harsh life they lead, as shown in the pictures of women prematurely aged, contributed to high infant mortality and untimely death.
Water and Disease:
The dual supply system in the 19th century was the same water course in Ludlow that existed as far back as the 13th century. At the beginning of the 19th century a pump was installed at the bottom of Mill Street but the water still came from the river. This meant that some people were drinking river water at the Linney that was virtually pure sewage!
This resulted in regular out breaks of Typhoid. Corve Street was one of the most well to do areas but in
1875/76 Typhoid broke out here. A new Single System being opened in 1880. This occurred in Belle View Terrace and a new Single System was opened in 1890.
In 1890 polluted milk and a variety of outbreaks of typhoid in Ludlow resulted in another new Single System being opened in 1901.This saw the end of typhoid in Ludlow.
Smallpox:
In this period smallpox mortality rates were 30% to 80% with most survivors left scarred for life with 5% going blind. From 1903 to 1933 the town council supported the Isolation Hospital in Rock Lane. Such was the fear of it that an outbreak in Worcester in 1902 led to all visitors to Ludlow Fair being health checked before entry into the town. An Immunisation Programme was implemented in the 1920’s and its success led to the closure of the hospital in 1933.
Mortality Rate and Housing conditions:
In the late 19th century the National Mortality Rate fell whereas in Ludlow it went up, in some part due to the attitude of the Town Council.
In 1932 the mortality was due to; Infant mortality, Scarlet Fever, Diphtheria and Tuberculosis.
The common factor was poor housing conditions. The building of courts and yards such as Drews Court off Corve Street was used to house the Glove Making Industry. Workers came in from the countryside on the promise of higher earnings. The Burgage homes with workers buildings behind were constructed in the 1760’s. This design of property caused human overcrowding with large numbers of children, newlyweds living with parents, extended families sharing a house or room in a house. This problem became more acute after the Napoleonic Wars when the Glove Industry ceased.
Even in 1911 there were examples of four generations living in the premises in Broad Street. Additionally, some families took in paying lodgers to relieve their poverty causing greater overcrowding. Prostitution increased and Lower Galdeford was a known area of brothels.
Infant Mortality, defined as death before the age of 12, saw the National Rate in 1890 being140 per thousand while in Ludlow it was160 per thousand.
Ludlow’s Illegitimacy Rate in 1911 was 15%and still 11.5% in 1921.The stillbirths were twice the National Rate in 1946, partly due to incest.
Other factors leading to a turning point in the social health in Ludlow has been traced to 1921;
The role of the street midwife
How infants were fed where mothers didn’t know how to feed a child
The opening of a Child Welfare Clinic in 1921 ahead of the rest of the country. Notably within two years Infant Mortality in the town halved. In part pasteurised milk and cleansing creams supplied Shropshire County Council had a significant impact. No part was played by the Town Council again.
Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria outbreaks still occurred during the interwar years. They were highly infectious and frequently led to closure of schools. There was a need to isolate patients and overcrowded homes did not help. The nearest hospital was at Monksmoor near Shrewsbury and places were only provided when Ludlow Town Council paid for treatment. Few cases were referred and following an outbreak patient’ homes had to be fumigated with sulphur and either lime washed or repapered.
In 1921 Ludlow had 88 cases of diphtheria and 66 of Scarlet Fever. This was the result of the ‘scandal’ of the Town Councils decision not to send the patients to Monksmoor. The County Council stepped in with the Ludlow Isolation Hospital being built in 1921 at Smithfield the site of a rubbish dump! The
Derek Beatty
Derek’s talk illustrated with photographs showed the link between the health of the working classes and the condition of the housing they lived in between 1850 and 1960. He clearly demonstrated that due to the unsanitary conditions and the harsh life they lead, as shown in the pictures of women prematurely aged, contributed to high infant mortality and untimely death.
Water and Disease:
The dual supply system in the 19th century was the same water course in Ludlow that existed as far back as the 13th century. At the beginning of the 19th century a pump was installed at the bottom of Mill Street but the water still came from the river. This meant that some people were drinking river water at the Linney that was virtually pure sewage!
This resulted in regular out breaks of Typhoid. Corve Street was one of the most well to do areas but in
1875/76 Typhoid broke out here. A new Single System being opened in 1880. This occurred in Belle View Terrace and a new Single System was opened in 1890.
In 1890 polluted milk and a variety of outbreaks of typhoid in Ludlow resulted in another new Single System being opened in 1901.This saw the end of typhoid in Ludlow.
Smallpox:
In this period smallpox mortality rates were 30% to 80% with most survivors left scarred for life with 5% going blind. From 1903 to 1933 the town council supported the Isolation Hospital in Rock Lane. Such was the fear of it that an outbreak in Worcester in 1902 led to all visitors to Ludlow Fair being health checked before entry into the town. An Immunisation Programme was implemented in the 1920’s and its success led to the closure of the hospital in 1933.
Mortality Rate and Housing conditions:
In the late 19th century the National Mortality Rate fell whereas in Ludlow it went up, in some part due to the attitude of the Town Council.
In 1932 the mortality was due to; Infant mortality, Scarlet Fever, Diphtheria and Tuberculosis.
The common factor was poor housing conditions. The building of courts and yards such as Drews Court off Corve Street was used to house the Glove Making Industry. Workers came in from the countryside on the promise of higher earnings. The Burgage homes with workers buildings behind were constructed in the 1760’s. This design of property caused human overcrowding with large numbers of children, newlyweds living with parents, extended families sharing a house or room in a house. This problem became more acute after the Napoleonic Wars when the Glove Industry ceased.
Even in 1911 there were examples of four generations living in the premises in Broad Street. Additionally, some families took in paying lodgers to relieve their poverty causing greater overcrowding. Prostitution increased and Lower Galdeford was a known area of brothels.
Infant Mortality, defined as death before the age of 12, saw the National Rate in 1890 being140 per thousand while in Ludlow it was160 per thousand.
Ludlow’s Illegitimacy Rate in 1911 was 15%and still 11.5% in 1921.The stillbirths were twice the National Rate in 1946, partly due to incest.
Other factors leading to a turning point in the social health in Ludlow has been traced to 1921;
The role of the street midwife
How infants were fed where mothers didn’t know how to feed a child
The opening of a Child Welfare Clinic in 1921 ahead of the rest of the country. Notably within two years Infant Mortality in the town halved. In part pasteurised milk and cleansing creams supplied Shropshire County Council had a significant impact. No part was played by the Town Council again.
Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria outbreaks still occurred during the interwar years. They were highly infectious and frequently led to closure of schools. There was a need to isolate patients and overcrowded homes did not help. The nearest hospital was at Monksmoor near Shrewsbury and places were only provided when Ludlow Town Council paid for treatment. Few cases were referred and following an outbreak patient’ homes had to be fumigated with sulphur and either lime washed or repapered.
In 1921 Ludlow had 88 cases of diphtheria and 66 of Scarlet Fever. This was the result of the ‘scandal’ of the Town Councils decision not to send the patients to Monksmoor. The County Council stepped in with the Ludlow Isolation Hospital being built in 1921 at Smithfield the site of a rubbish dump! The
site was chosen as there were WW1 army huts with two opposing wings joined by a central hub which allowed Nursing and Facilities to be positioned in the centre with a Diphtheria Ward in one wing and the Scarlet Fever in in the other. Visitors were not permitted to enter, but as they were single storey buildings patients could be seen through the windows.
Tuberculosis:
Thirteen percent of milk carried TB. In the 1950’s children were sent to the Ludlow Livestock Market at night to milk the cows for free and bring the milk home. TB and housing conditions in the town meant that there was no cure for TB until antibiotics and a vaccine were developed. The treatment was good food, sunlight, fresh air and rest. Housing conditions were a significant factor on TB in Ludlow. In 1931 the government enabled towns to build council houses to reduce slum housing. Ludlow Town Council was reluctant to build any as the cost of them meant increasing the Rates. Some of the worst slum areas were Maunds Yard, Mill Street, Lower Galdeford and The Linney. The Ludlow Advertiser became a source of change when it wrote of the conditions and shamed the Town Council to begin building council houses five years later in 1936.
The 1970’s and 1980’s saw improvements’ in health with grants for improvements including the eradication of slum housing in places such as Lower Broad Street as late as the 1980’s. It is noteworthy that the creation of the NHS didn’t in itself bring huge improvements.
By Martyn Way
Tuberculosis:
Thirteen percent of milk carried TB. In the 1950’s children were sent to the Ludlow Livestock Market at night to milk the cows for free and bring the milk home. TB and housing conditions in the town meant that there was no cure for TB until antibiotics and a vaccine were developed. The treatment was good food, sunlight, fresh air and rest. Housing conditions were a significant factor on TB in Ludlow. In 1931 the government enabled towns to build council houses to reduce slum housing. Ludlow Town Council was reluctant to build any as the cost of them meant increasing the Rates. Some of the worst slum areas were Maunds Yard, Mill Street, Lower Galdeford and The Linney. The Ludlow Advertiser became a source of change when it wrote of the conditions and shamed the Town Council to begin building council houses five years later in 1936.
The 1970’s and 1980’s saw improvements’ in health with grants for improvements including the eradication of slum housing in places such as Lower Broad Street as late as the 1980’s. It is noteworthy that the creation of the NHS didn’t in itself bring huge improvements.
By Martyn Way
4th November 2017 THE BELLS THE BELLS BUT I’M NOT QUASIMODO
Peter Sell
Peter started bell ringing at 12 years of age. His father was the vicar of Fownhope Church in South Herefordshire, a bell tower was close by and he became involved. Thus began an obsession with ringing which has continued to do so to date, a total of 58 years.
Bells are and have been a dominant sound for centuries, originating in China 4000 years ago. Deemed the musical instruments of the gods, Italian monks created the first European bells. On reaching the British Isles, superstitions started forming around them, the best known being their use to bless a marriage.
Early bells were hand bells made from bronze, a 4:1 mixture of copper to tin. Founders continued to develop their bell making skills making them larger and more tuneful. Inscriptions have been engraved on bells since medieval times. Latin was used before English and religious phrases gave way to names of donors and clergy.
The largest British bell cast was for the 2012 London Olympics. It is the largest harmonically tuned bell in the world weighing almost 23 tons. The largest full circle bell is in Liverpool Cathedral and weighs 82cwt. Big Ben is possibly the most famous bell worldwide. Sadly, it cracked just 2 months after entering service and it took 3 years to repair. It does not sound quite right but not many people would realise that.
Following the Reformation bell technology made great strides, in particular the ability to spin it through 360 degrees which enabled full circle ringing in England. By the 17th century, ringers soon realised that the order of ringing could be changed to make different tunes. Peter then warned that his upcoming explanation of change ringing would be hard to follow! Nevertheless, members got the general idea. The ringers have to memorise very complex changes, some lasting several hours. Members were mesmerised by the videos showing bell ringers performing their ringing programmes.
The UK, mainly England is the home of full circle change ringing. There are 5000 towers with full circle rings of 5 bells or more. St. Lawrence’s Church in Ludlow has 10 bells, the heaviest weighing 17cwt. Cast mainly in Gloucester, 2 more were cast in Croydon in 1935. All bell towers sway and this became a major problem resulting in lighter bells installed, 2 from the Whitechapel foundry and 2 redundant bells from Kidderminster providing 10 in total. There are 3 more used when the automated 13 bell carillon, installed in 2013, is rung.
Peter and Cherry are part of a very active community of bell ringers nationwide. They travel widely to different venues to ring. Ludlow is so popular with ringers and it is sometimes overwhelmed with visitors wishing to ring there.
Peter was inundated with questions as a result of the interesting presentation he and Cherry made.
By Martin Thomas
Peter Sell
Peter started bell ringing at 12 years of age. His father was the vicar of Fownhope Church in South Herefordshire, a bell tower was close by and he became involved. Thus began an obsession with ringing which has continued to do so to date, a total of 58 years.
Bells are and have been a dominant sound for centuries, originating in China 4000 years ago. Deemed the musical instruments of the gods, Italian monks created the first European bells. On reaching the British Isles, superstitions started forming around them, the best known being their use to bless a marriage.
Early bells were hand bells made from bronze, a 4:1 mixture of copper to tin. Founders continued to develop their bell making skills making them larger and more tuneful. Inscriptions have been engraved on bells since medieval times. Latin was used before English and religious phrases gave way to names of donors and clergy.
The largest British bell cast was for the 2012 London Olympics. It is the largest harmonically tuned bell in the world weighing almost 23 tons. The largest full circle bell is in Liverpool Cathedral and weighs 82cwt. Big Ben is possibly the most famous bell worldwide. Sadly, it cracked just 2 months after entering service and it took 3 years to repair. It does not sound quite right but not many people would realise that.
Following the Reformation bell technology made great strides, in particular the ability to spin it through 360 degrees which enabled full circle ringing in England. By the 17th century, ringers soon realised that the order of ringing could be changed to make different tunes. Peter then warned that his upcoming explanation of change ringing would be hard to follow! Nevertheless, members got the general idea. The ringers have to memorise very complex changes, some lasting several hours. Members were mesmerised by the videos showing bell ringers performing their ringing programmes.
The UK, mainly England is the home of full circle change ringing. There are 5000 towers with full circle rings of 5 bells or more. St. Lawrence’s Church in Ludlow has 10 bells, the heaviest weighing 17cwt. Cast mainly in Gloucester, 2 more were cast in Croydon in 1935. All bell towers sway and this became a major problem resulting in lighter bells installed, 2 from the Whitechapel foundry and 2 redundant bells from Kidderminster providing 10 in total. There are 3 more used when the automated 13 bell carillon, installed in 2013, is rung.
Peter and Cherry are part of a very active community of bell ringers nationwide. They travel widely to different venues to ring. Ludlow is so popular with ringers and it is sometimes overwhelmed with visitors wishing to ring there.
Peter was inundated with questions as a result of the interesting presentation he and Cherry made.
By Martin Thomas
28th November 2017 A day in AD79
Paul Olver
The talk started with the speaker showing maps explaining tectonic plate movement in the Pacific Ocean and then across Europe. He emphasised that such movement is continuous and contributes significantly to the cause of earthquakes across the world. It is also fundamental to the appearance of volcanos.
AD79 was the year in which the volcano Vesuvius erupted, causing considerable damage to the Italian cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. An aerial view of the crater of Vesuvius was shown and it was pointed out that a later volcano has replaced the one responsible for so much damage: the new volcano could be clearly seen emerging from the centre of the previous one. The last eruption of Vesuvius took place in 1944 but it is still active. Using further maps, Dr Olver pointed to the potential for volcanic activity around the Bay of Naples and beyond. Amongst those mentioned was Etna, a huge volcano that, on eruption, has released magma streams of extreme heat – well over 1000 degrees C. The Stromboli volcano erupts every day. It was no surprise to learn that the area around Vesuvius is the most dangerous in Europe.
Two of the most fundamental products of volcanic activity are huge quantities of lava and ash; the height and distance that these fragments can travel, having been released from volcanic pressure, has resulted in them being called bombs. Samples of both types were passed around: the lava examples were heavy whilst the ash bomb was very light.
The eruption lasted two days and the strong wind blowing to the south-east carried vast quantities of ash the eight kilometres from Vesuvius to Pompeii. Archaeologists at Pompeii have established that the average depth of ash over the city is twelve feet. The ash fall was very sudden and stopped an evacuation of the citizens to the city’s amphitheatre that was underway. Many of the citizens who had escaped the ash fall returned to the city only to be victims of a second eruption, when the volcano released rivers of pyroclastic – fast moving rivers of hot gas and volcanic debris that can reach speeds of well over 60 MPH
Volcanic lava eventually becomes very fertile and many Italian vineyards are situated on areas of lava.
The Italian authorities are constantly monitoring the situation regarding volcanic activity; Dr Olverend his fascinating talk by noting that the events of 79AD were relatively insignificant when compared, for example, with the huge Krakatoa eruption when the world’s weather was changed.
By Michael Wise
Paul Olver
The talk started with the speaker showing maps explaining tectonic plate movement in the Pacific Ocean and then across Europe. He emphasised that such movement is continuous and contributes significantly to the cause of earthquakes across the world. It is also fundamental to the appearance of volcanos.
AD79 was the year in which the volcano Vesuvius erupted, causing considerable damage to the Italian cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. An aerial view of the crater of Vesuvius was shown and it was pointed out that a later volcano has replaced the one responsible for so much damage: the new volcano could be clearly seen emerging from the centre of the previous one. The last eruption of Vesuvius took place in 1944 but it is still active. Using further maps, Dr Olver pointed to the potential for volcanic activity around the Bay of Naples and beyond. Amongst those mentioned was Etna, a huge volcano that, on eruption, has released magma streams of extreme heat – well over 1000 degrees C. The Stromboli volcano erupts every day. It was no surprise to learn that the area around Vesuvius is the most dangerous in Europe.
Two of the most fundamental products of volcanic activity are huge quantities of lava and ash; the height and distance that these fragments can travel, having been released from volcanic pressure, has resulted in them being called bombs. Samples of both types were passed around: the lava examples were heavy whilst the ash bomb was very light.
The eruption lasted two days and the strong wind blowing to the south-east carried vast quantities of ash the eight kilometres from Vesuvius to Pompeii. Archaeologists at Pompeii have established that the average depth of ash over the city is twelve feet. The ash fall was very sudden and stopped an evacuation of the citizens to the city’s amphitheatre that was underway. Many of the citizens who had escaped the ash fall returned to the city only to be victims of a second eruption, when the volcano released rivers of pyroclastic – fast moving rivers of hot gas and volcanic debris that can reach speeds of well over 60 MPH
Volcanic lava eventually becomes very fertile and many Italian vineyards are situated on areas of lava.
The Italian authorities are constantly monitoring the situation regarding volcanic activity; Dr Olverend his fascinating talk by noting that the events of 79AD were relatively insignificant when compared, for example, with the huge Krakatoa eruption when the world’s weather was changed.
By Michael Wise