NEWSLETTER 13th OCT 2019
REMINDER OF PROPOSED 2020 OVERNIGHT TRIP TO ROCHESTER
As announced in the last Newsletter we are exploring the possibility of arranging a group trip to Rochester in Kent, with an overnight stay, visiting the historic Chatham shipyard complex on the return journey. The outward journey would be on Sunday 6th September 2020, staying overnight in a Best Western Hotel and returning on Monday 7th September via Chatham. The cost for half-board and entrance fees for Chatham dockyard would be £145 per person for double room and £165 per person single room. The hotel books up very quickly and to ensure that we have enough people to justify making this trip we need to know very rapidly how many of our members and friends would be interested in it. Isobel Gill will be asking members at the meeting on Friday 18th Oct to indicate their interest. If you are unable to come to Friday’s talk but you are interested, or have any queries, please contact Isobel Gill on 01926 640426, or email: isabel.mirador.gill@gmail.com or reply to this Newsletter email. If there is insufficient interest we will have to abandon this proposal.
Forthcoming talk
Our next talk on Friday 18 October 2019 is Constabulary Tales: my early years in the police by Alan Benjamin. The way England was policed a generation ago is now the subject of dramatic TV shows like The Sweeney, Life on Mars and Endeavour. Alan Benjamin will tell us like it really was, based on his early experience as a police constable in south Warwickshire.
Report on Friday 20th September talk
Our first evening talk after the summer break entitled Shadows of the Past: WWII, was given by Paul and Terry Gaunt, cousins of our Vice-Chairman Roger Gaunt, about the exploits of Roger’s uncle, Phillip “Tubby” Gaunt, as a WWII bomber pilot. Paul Gaunt has written a book about his father’s career, from training to a crash landing in Croatia. We heard how Tubby worked his way up from aircrew to pilot, and from Hampden bombers to Wellingtons. The statistics were grim: during the 5 years of war out of every 100 airmen in Bomber Command, 51 were dead, 3 injured, 12 PoWs, with only 24 of every 100 still on active service. Tubby’s many hazardous operations included the raids on the battleship Scharnhorst and attacks on Berlin, a ten-hour round trip in an unheated plane. His wartime flying came to an end when he crash-landed in a snowstorm during a raid supporting partisans in Croatia. If you came you will have heard the end of that story, and the journey Paul Gaunt himself went on in order to collect the evidence to tell it. It was extraordinary to see contemporary photographs of the crashed plane, taken by Tito’s partisans who smuggled Tubby and his crew back to safety. Paul tracked down the individuals who saved his father, including the partisan photographer and the guide. It was inspiring to see how Paul brought Tubby’s preserved logbooks to life, to illuminate one of many extraordinary tales of individual experiences in WWII.
If this talk prompted any KDLHG member with WWII recollections they could share please note the national project run by James Holland to collect oral histories of the Second World War (go to WarGen (http://wargen.org). If you have any doubts about the value of oral history then November’s talk by Helen Lloyd should convince even the most sceptical.
Report on Launch of CAPTURING KINETON’S PAST: the collected essays of Peter Ashley-Smith, 4th October
Over 50 people attended the launch of the book of essays by the late Peter Ashley-Smith. There were representatives of the many spheres Peter inhabited, including the Dugdale Society, the Friends of Warwickshire County Record Office, the Regent Club, the Warwickshire Local History Society as well as many of our own members, and his family and friends.
Your Chairman introduced the evening, followed by our President Robert Bearman, the editor of the volume, then Gill Ashley-Smith. and finally David Beaumont, whose collection of pictures and postcards provided many of the attractive illustrations.
Gill and Robert between them brought the project to fruition and on behalf of Peter, signed many of the books purchased during the evening.
Refreshments were provided, and thanks are due to Ilona, Isobel and Catherine for the smooth running of the evening, and the washing-up.
The book is an attractive 128 page paperback with 55 illustrations, retailing at £9.99. Gill has generously agreed to donate any profits to the Group so please buy copies for yourself, and get them as Christmas presents! It is obtainable at our evening meetings, or from Bishops Estate Agents, Flower Thyme and Seccombes Estate Agents in Banbury Street, or Fishers Hair Studio in Bridge Street, or by replying to this email, or through kinetonhistory@yahoo.co.uk
World War 2 Oral Histories. A website founded by broadcaster and historian, Dan Snow, and author and broadcaster, James Holland, WarGen (http://wargen.org) is a crowd-sourced online repository of oral-history from the people who lived through World War 2. As well as containing varied stories from this fast disappearing generation, this group is now looking for individuals to join their volunteer team as interviewers in their local communities. They are also eager to hear from people who might have their own stories to tell. If you are interested in either becoming an interviewer or sharing your story, please contact Shane Greer at shane@wargen.org
Other Events
Thursday 17 October. Warmington Heritage Group. Annual roundup of members’ activities: Stephen Wass on his continuing Hanwell excavations; Kevin Wyles on recent work in Tysoe; and David Freke on graffiti in local churches. 7.30 pm Warmington Village Hall. Members free, visitors welcome £2.00 on the door
Thursday 17th October. Warwick Market Hall Museum. Curator Sarah Wear: Show and Tell: the Edgehill Hoard, 1.00 – 1.30pm. Free
Thursday 24th October. Warwick Market Hall Museum. Dr Stanley Ireland discussing the South Warwickshire Hoard II, recently acquired by the Museum. Doors open 7.00pm to allow time to view the hoard, talk begins at 7.30. Tickets £7.50, bookable online from the Museum webpage: http://heritage.warwickshire.gov.uk/museum-service
Monday 11th November. Warwick Market Hall Museum. Simon Jarman OBE Europe After WWI, 6.00-800pm . Tkts £7.50 bookable online from the Museum webpage: http://heritage.warwickshire.gov.uk/museum-service
Last chance to ee Southam Heritage Collection’s Playtimes Past exhibition at Southam. Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 10.00 – 12.00. Ends late October. Free
KDLHG Committee Matters.
Next committee meeting. The next meeting of the committee will be on 18th November at 7.30, at Catherine Petrie’s home.
DF 13.10.19