End of the Month

Well it is some days since I posted and now it is the last day of May

The main event that took place on the 22nd was our visit to the East Riding to my old school at Swanland

We travelled the evening before and stayed at the TravelLodge near Cave so we arrived at the school well on time.

I was to present them with a picture of my brother Sgt Pilot Stanley ANDREW , who also attended the school. Some time ago the local MP David Davis presented the school with a Battle of Britain School Memorial Plaque in his memory and the Head has kept in touch.

When he heard I had pictures of Stan in Norway in 1940 with his Squadron the 46th, he asked for a copy. So I had a one framed to present

On arrival we also met the local East Riding Councillor and Chair of the School Governors, Helen.

But when we were ready it was announced that we would be watching a Dress Reshersal for the School Play - what an experience

The school hall was once our Village Hall, the stage has gone but a modern type stage for the play was in position.

Afterwards I had to speak and present the picture and was able to say that when I was a boy at the school I had performed in a Pantomine in the Hall, on the old stage, dressed as a Pirate

The Pantomine Picture

Afterwards we went to the village of Thorngumbald to meet my cousins Janet and Margery.

Janet has a most wonderful garden which is mainly due to the fact that she helped run her late Father and Mothers Nursery Garden and Garden Centre

I made a recording with my camcorder so will see if I can post the video here.

We stayed the night at Beverley which is a historic town and enjoyed the walk around that evening.

Next morning Cll Helen had arranged for me to have a private visit to the Councils new Treasure House. This contains the Archives, Library and Museum and the Archives are in a new section. I was shown the rooms where all the archive material is safely stored and around the offices and staff rooms. The Conservation section is not yet workig but appears to have a good space for this important work of conserving and repairing documents.

I was able to spend a little time using the computer search system and they found and copied for me part of the book I once deposited. It was written up in 1939-40 by my father who was Clerk of Swanland Parish Coucil, it shows the names and addresses of all who enlisted for voluntary service as Air Raid Warden, Firemen and First Aiders.

Also a list of emergency food rations and where they were stored.

We left Beverley before lunch and stopped en-route at the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington near York and had our lunch in the NAFFI

Then a quick look round - I am a member - especially in the Archives Hut and that of 609 West Riding Squadron with many pictures and records from their actions in The Battle of Britain

A most interesting 2 days to remember

A few days have gone by since my last Blog as it has been a busy time.

Last Sunday we went to Skipton where I was to help Sara with her garden, it seems nearly a year since I did anything so there was a big clear up in the back, cutting down the box hedge, emptying old soil from pots. Lots for them to take for composting.

The to the nearest Garden Centre and lunch at the adjoining Pub, nice Sunday Roast.
We bought a lot of plants, mainly for containers but it started to rain on the way back so I had to finish wearing my flat cap and still got rather wet

I had our Terriers with me and they were well behaved for once. No long walkies

On Tuesday we had a bevvie of lady visitors, a long standing friend from my daus with Cumbria Best Kept Village, Cumbria in Bloom and Rail users council. Her first visit here, an amazing lady and she was driven down by another friend of ours from Cumbria.

We we joined by two local friends of Roma's so had a good Lunch Party

This evening it was the AGM of The Friends of Lister Lane Cemetery in Halifax. This was the towns oldest private cemetery and contains and graves and monuments of many of Halifax' prominent citizens of the past. I volunteered some time ago to take care of the few war graves from World War One, only one War Grave by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, a Drummer bot from the Duke of Wellingtons [ our local ] Regiment, but a number of family graves and monuments to those who died in Gallipoli and Italy and well as France and Belgium

We had 3 more attending than last year, not many of our Friends will come to these meetings, but agreed good reports and financial statements as is necessary under Charity Law.
There was a overhead computer display show the Cemetery from 1999 to the present day, one big issue was ridding the area of Knotweed and removing trees that were damaging the graves and monuments

I will find some picture, Roma and I were in one on the display tonight.

Dave & Terriers watching the sheep at Broughton Hall

May Bank Holiday Week-end and very busy

On Saturday we went to Skipton to meet Sara and Dave at the Waterways Festival and Street Market on the Canal Wharf. They were at their friends 'Coffee House Cafe' and we were able to sit outside in the sunshine with the Terriers

I had a look around and was pleased to meet Lesley from British Waterways who has been helpful with Sowerby Bridge in Bloom. Also pleased to see The Rochdale Canal Society Caravan there with Brian, wonderful Secretary and Organiser.
Also Inland Waterways Branches, West Riding and Lancaster, both with stands so bought some of the IWA Christmas Cards showing Sowerby Bridge.

Met and had a quick chat with the Chairman of Craven District Council who I had met at last years Yorkshire Day at Penistone.

Then we went to The Bull PH at Broughton, s few miles outside the town and sat in their garden area for sandwiches and bottle of SA Wine.
We were able to have the terriers there and they enjoyed the company of another dog and the House dog who liked going for thrown sticks and bringing them back to me.

It is a nice location by the grounds of Broughton Hall, home of the Tempest family. I camped there in 1947 ? with Swanland Scouts and recall it rained most of the time except the day we hiked to Lothersdale and back.

So we were able to walk the Terriers, the first field, public footpath, had sheep so we had to keep them on leads, but over the river bridge they went loose, we tried to get them into the water but they were not really keen but enjoyed a run around

I had some gardening jobs this weekend and with the help of John next door I was able to cut the top off the Blue-gum tree as it was geeting too tall and they grow up again quickly. Luckily we have had some rain after a very long hot spell, the garden needs it and it saves me watering

On the computer I have been editing the camcorder tape using Pinnacle software and making a ' movie ! video.
This is my 3rd attempt so I am improving - it was taken on April 23d at the Dinner of the Royal Society of St George, Halifax & District branch

Today Bank Holiday, we went for Lunch to The Old Bridge Inn Ripponden, I claim to have been its first bar customer in 1963 ? when it was re-opened, and we were about to live in the area.
We have entertained so many visitors from Overseas, USA and Japan to mention 2 lots. It claims to be one of the oldest Pubs in Yorkshire and is next to the original Packhorse Bridge and the route of the Roman Road.

As it was Ripponden's Gala Day we walked there with the terriers and met a lot of people we know, Ripponden in Bloom, Gardening Club where in bought some Lily of the Valley plants, Church, bought books and School, Roma bought a cake, and Councillors we are friends with.

May 3rd was our Local Elections and so we voted but today we found our candidate lost by over 400 votes. He had held this ward for many years so that is sad.

Today we had another interesting lunch, a Restaurant in Sowerby Bridge named 12-04 and it is sited in a former Canal Warehouse that I personally saved from demolition in about 1972

We had the lease of the site in the Canal Basin from British Waterways and their engineer advised this building, known as The Salt Warehouse, was unsafe and best demolish

But is was a historic building maybe from the ' stable ' of John SMEATON, engineer of Leeds and well known for his Lighthouses.
Later it was declared a Listed Building by our Council

Before Restoration Started

During Restoration by the Trust

We started a Salt Warehouse Trust to finance the restoration and for a time the local Sea Scout Group were interested in using it, along with a Heritage Centre.
Sadly our Heritage Lottery would not support with grants but from the West Yorkshire County Council we had a grant enough to make the building safe

Later British Waterways and our local Council offered to take over the restoration and it is now used as the Restaurant and some offices.

Run by Michelle it is FIRST CLASS

Last night we went to see The Tempest, [ William Shakespear of course ] at the Viaduct Theatre at Dean Clough, Halifax. It gets its name being underground beneath the old factory entrance to Crossley Carpets

When Sir Ernest Hall was showing Barry Rutter round the building some yrs ago Barry said it would be a wonderful venue for a Theatre, so it came into being as the home of Northern Broadsides with Barry as Actor, Director and Manager.

The company now perform world wide and have even done Shakespear on the replica of THE GLOBE in London

A most enjoyable and amusing performance as every from the Company with Barry playing the major role of Prospero.

So here in Halifax we dont have to travel away for the best theatre in Yorkshire

Tonight I was at a Council Meeting of our Branch of The Royal Society of St George, as its Hon Secretary, we considered that St George's Day events had been a great success, our Battle of Britain Lunch will be on Battle of Britain Day September 15th at The Old Hall Restaurant, Todmorden, and then in October we will celebrate Trafalgar Day

Poppy & Jess

MAY DAY and week end over

One good thing about living here is the number of excellent Restaurants, many in updated pubs.
On Sunday we visited the Hinchcliffe Arms in Cragg Vale, named after the family who had the Cotton Mills there - long gone.
We used the Restaurant rather than the Bar and had 3 good meals. I had the Sunday Lunch menu of Lamb with nice selection of vegetables.

While the Ladies were chatting I took our 2 Terriers for a walk and found a footpath at the side of the Pub and discovered there was a Tennis Club, with pavilion and floodlights. The only access being this narrow footpath. I assume it was the Tennis Courts for the Hinchcliffe Family House. It is a popular walk as on our return we passed a group of 12 or so Ramblers all kitted out for their walk.

Our black & tan Terriers were from a litter on a smallholding near York and born last July, so they are sisters, but very different characters. The breed is cross Border and Patterdale, so one 'Poppy' is a Patterdale and 'Jessie' a Border. They do enjoy their walks.




As I am involved in researching family history I find Ancestry very helpful.
My father in laws family lived in Manchester and one sister married a John GRESTY and they had a son John Richmond Gresty who was killed in 1917 in WW1.
This weekend an Ancestry search found the family of John Gresty's mother, previously unknown to us, and provided 2 useful contacts to them.

On my side of the family I recently found an Andrew branch who emigrated from Yorkshire to Toledo Ohio and now have a new ' cousin ' to correspond with living in California

This is my first attempt at Blogging

On Thursday I drove down to Shrewsbury to visit a local Indpendent School and on Friday present them with a Battle of Britain Historical Society Memorial Plaque.
It was in the name of Flying Officer Eric Stanley LOCK DSO DFC & Bar who had one of the finest records of destroying enemy aircraft during and after the Battle of Britain.

I was able to combine this with my first visit to Shrewsbury, a wonderful historic city with many examples of restored buildings and plenty of floral displays

Friday afternoon I drove to Stoke on Trent and visited their excellent Museum and Art Gallery to see a preview of an exhibition in the Spitfire Gallery on Squadron Leader George H' Ben' Bennions DFC. He was born locally and it is possible they will erect a Statue to him.
Then to a school in Longton where a Plaque was presented by a local MP in Memory of Ben Bennions and Squadron Leader Ralph Carnell, both former pupils

I drove home in the early evening via the A53 [ never before seen so many Speed Camera posts in one stretch ] to Leek, Buxton, Glossop, Staleybridge & Saddleworth [ Should still be in Yorkshire not Oldham ]