The service for Remembrance Sunday in Chandler’s Ford was lead by Rev Penny Thatcher. The Mayor’s representative was Counceller Bruce Tennent.
Debbie Pearce from Debbie Pearce Photography has kindly shared some photographs of the Remembrance Service at the Chandler’s Ford War Memorial with the community. She has captured pictures of the parade on Hursley Road and the service at St. Boniface Church. Thank you Debbie.
Credit: All photos Debbie Pearce Photography.
Remembering matters. There are some things we dare not forget. I believe in the truth of the saying those who forget history are destined to relive it. It is an honour and privilege to join in with the Acts of Remembrance for Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday. The television and radio coverage is moving (as it should be).
Long ago, my little sister and I had a holiday with our parents and grandparents in Dunoon, Scotland. Grandfather loved things mechanical, steam-driven and related to the sea, so the opportunity to sail aboard the Waverley, a paddle-driven steamship, was as close to heaven as he could get on this earth. He bought tickets lasting a week and we sailed the Clyde with him every day.
From Dunoon, the Waverley set across to Wemyss Bay for more passengers, and the adventure began. We approached the Isle of Arran, a misty blue hillock on the horizon. Gradually, it resolved into a mountain of colour, green bracken on the lower slopes, replaced by yellow gorse and then purple heather over the top backed by the blue sky. At Lochranza, groups of young people disembarked to visit the Youth Hostel. Would I ever be old enough to be considered a youth and leave for an adventure on an island? I hovered between childhood and being a youth, wanting to be considered grown-up.
We sailed on to Campbelltown and then by bus to Machrihanish, where North Atlantic rollers dashed against the rocky shore. Against the wind, the roar of the waves and sea spray like a fog on the land, we held bags of chips in our hands and felt good to be alive.
In the gloaming, we sailed the smooth obsidian-black waters of Loch Fyne with mountains on either side. We had a feeling of space and stillness on the quiet waters. Sheep grazed the hillsides, and white-washed cottages dotted the shore.
Later that year, the Scottish Nationalists removed the Stone of Scone from Westminster Abbey and took it back to Scotland.
Seventy or more years passed, and my sister and I embarked, once more, on the Waverley but in Southampton. On a beautiful sunny day, our cruise took us to Portsmouth, Yarmouth, around the Needles to Freshwater Bay and back. [Read more…] about Pure Nostalgia
It was a great pleasure to see The Chameleon Theatre Group’s latest production, Lilies on the Land, on Thursday 27th July 2023. Good to see a contingent from Chandler’s Ford Today – Janet and Ben Williams and Gopi Chandroth. (Do check out Gopi’s excellent review if you haven’t already – see in related posts below).
[Read more…] about Review – The Chameleon Theatre Group – Lilies on the Land
I recently had the opportunity to see the original of the St Boniface Monthly Parish Paper of March 1943. I was only allowed to handle it wearing gloves and then only briefly. Fortunately, its owner was kind enough to send me a scan of it, which I have read avidly, delighting in a piece of our parish history.
I imagine this was the forerunner of the parish magazine. It is just 4 pages, sized something near A5 (although in old imperial sizing, of course) and is priced 1d. There is a lot in it of interest to present-day readers.
It starts with an inspirational motto from Psalm 127 and then lists the names of the Vicar (Rev. Harold Fryer), churchwardens, PCC secretary and treasurer. It then outlines the Sunday services for the month. There are three services each Sunday with 8am Holy Communion and Evensong every Sunday, and Sung Eucharist and Mattins alternate Sundays.
The letter from the Vicar is next, where he encourages people to prepare for Lent. He also outlines his plans to change the schedule of Sunday services. [Read more…] about A Parish Newsletter from Days Gone By
Every writer has to carry out some research regardless of whether they write fiction or not. As I mentioned in my History in Stories post last week, the need for research crops up in every fictional genre. It perhaps is a more obvious need for the non-fiction writer.
[Read more…] about The Joys and Pitfalls of Writing Research
The Coronation of King Charles III is fast approaching. Are you getting ready yet? Any street parties, tea parties… in Chandler’s Ford?
We have found these pretty knitted dolls on Bournemouth Road.
[Read more…] about Getting Ready for the Coronation of King Charles III?
Following my recent discovery of Lordswood Lane and Chilworth Drove – bridleways that used to be more important routes – I had a look at a map and found that there are more of these than you might think. Or more than I thought.
For example, White Lane runs from Twyford in the vague direction of St Catherine’s Hill, and Silkstead Lane and Shepherd’s Lane can be found near Compton and Otterbourne. Even the pathways that lead through Boyatt Wood may follow routes that predate the houses. The footbridge over the railway at the end of Archers Road may even be a legacy of an access route that is older than the railway.
Twyford Waterworks, in Hazeley Road, was an Edwardian steam pumping station built to extract water from underground boreholes. Water is still pumped from those same boreholes today – though now using electrical power, and in a non-publicly accessible area of the site. The rest of the site, however, is a scheduled ancient monument under the care of the Twyford Waterworks Trust. During the summer months they hold regular open days to allow the public a fascinating glimpse into this section of our industrial history. [Read more…] about Twyford Pumping Station Open Days
Knitted postbox toppers are appearing around Chandler’s Ford. Have you seen them? These have brought a lot of smiles.
Chandler’s Ford u3a is celebrating its 25th Anniversary by erecting 25 toppers in Chandler’s Ford. Thank you Jill Mayes for sharing these photos.
[Read more…] about Chandler’s Ford u3a Celebrating 25th Anniversary
MARY’S STORY
Oh, I’m so tired. I’m glad I’m able to ride some of the time on Eysl, our donkey, though I do have to walk some of the time, to give him a rest too. I hope we’re nearly there. My back aches and I’ve had some pains – I wonder if that’s the baby coming. I haven’t mentioned those to Joseph – I don’t want to worry him. He’s already worrying about where we‘ll stay when we reach Bethlehem, what with so many people on the road going for the census, like us.
I’m tired and I’m afraid. I’m afraid of what people say about me being pregnant and unmarried. Afraid that the shame will mean we can’t find anywhere to sleep tonight. Afraid of what having the baby – the Son of God – will mean for the family. Will Joseph and I be able to have a normal family life? I’m afraid of what the future holds for us all.
I do love Joseph. I already did, when we got betrothed. But then when I had to tell him I was with child, I was sure he’d want to walk away. He told me he thought he might, but without making too much of a fuss. But he didn’t, he said he’d stand by me and the baby. He told me he had a dream where an angel told him to take me as his wife, that what I’d said was true – that the baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that it’ll be a boy and we’re to call him Jesus. And that he’ll save people from their sins. I’m not sure how that last bit works – but we’ll see. I wonder if it’s what the prophets foretold all those years ago. Could he be the Messiah? My little baby? [Read more…] about Mary’s Christmas Story – In Her Own Words
By Pawel Basisty
My name is Pawel Basisty and I’m member of Friends of Polish Veterans Association in Southampton. Our organisation is trying to make sure that our army veterans and important history dates are not forgotten but celebrated. Often we take part in the same events as British Legion.
This time we will celebrate the unveiling of the commemorative plaque for 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Hiltingbury Polish Dependants’ Hostel in Chandler’s Ford.
[Read more…] about Hiltingbury Polish Dependants’ Hostel in Chandler’s Ford
Local people in Chandler’s Ford have come together to honour those who served and to remember their sacrifice. Debbie Pearce from Debbie Pearce Photography has kindly shared some photographs of the Remembrance Service at the Chandler’s Ford War Memorial with the community. She has captured pictures of the parade on Hursley Road and the service at St. Boniface Church. Thank you Debbie.
[Read more…] about PHOTOS: Remembrance Sunday Tribute in Chandler’s Ford 2022
On Remembrance Sunday, many people gathered to remember those who have given their lives to protect our freedom.
Representatives from Scout groups across Chandler’s Ford, together with other local community groups, laid wreaths and attended a service of remembrance today at the parish church of Chandler’s Ford.
The service was held in conjunction with the Royal British Legion and the Borough of Eastleigh. It was led by the Rev Hayley Richens and the Rev Penny Thatcher.
[Read more…] about Remembrance Day Service at the Parish Church of Chandler’s Ford 2022
Today is Armistice Day. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month – a poignant moment in history.
This year’s events will be familiar and as moving as ever. I think this year they will seem more so I suspect to many of us given one familiar figure will no longer be laying a wreath at The Cenotaph.
It took me a long time to work out what my author voice was and why it was important to have one at all. I needed to work out just what it was I wrote, why I wrote it, and develop a writing style. You should be able to read an author’s work and “hear” their voice coming through their characters. It is not just about author style though that feeds into this.
My post last week was a reflective one, given the recent (and most moving) funeral of HM the Queen. Usually national reflection is sombre because it is usually connected to Armistice Day/Remembrance Sunday etc.
But reflection can take other forms and I thought it would be nice to have a look at favourites – favourite films, books, music, TV shows etc. The old saying “the past is a different country, they do things differently there” is true but sometimes it is nice to pop back for a visit! And doing that can remind you of things which are well worth bringing back to your recall again.
A group of us took the train to London last Sunday Morning, the day before the Queen’s funeral. We were very lucky that day as the train ran very smoothly. We bought the Super Off-Peak Return tickets, and it cost £25 for each of us. The direct train (The South Western Railway) ran from Eastleigh to London Waterloo. The train was fairly empty and we even had a whole carriage to ourselves. We all felt rather excited about this adventure as it was our first trip to London since the pandemic. Well I guess you might be asking, ‘How was the Queue?’ We didn’t go to London for ‘that’ queue, however we did see the queue of the queue of the queue and it was quite remarkable.
[Read more…] about A Special Trip to London Before the Queen’s Funeral
I suspect many of us will have been reflecting a lot over the last few weeks since Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, died. Rightly so too I think. Momentous moments should make us take time out to reflect. You need time to process something. We are not automatons.
The most urgent matter after the death of a Monarch is a meeting of the Accession Council. When King George VI died, the council met the same day to decide that Elizabeth was the rightful heir to the throne. They adjourned and met again a couple of days later when Elizabeth had returned from Africa. At the second meeting, she was asked to take the Oath. Next came the Proclamation.
For me, the Proclamation of Elizabeth as Queen was on a cold February day in 1952. It was an event presaging a brighter future. We assembled at school in Cheltenham while the mayor proclaimed the Queen in his broad rural Gloucester accent. He reminded us to sing ‘God save the QUEEN’, not King, and we became Elizabethans. Now we change back. I sang God save the King in Winchester on September 11th. We are now Caroleans.
In those days, city centres were being cleared of rubble from the blitz and slowly rebuilt. Some foods, sugar especially, were rationed, and hardly anyone had a TV or a car. Some public buildings, like our school, had central heating but it didn’t work. Wartime identification cards were abolished that year.
In the arts, The Archers was already established, and The Mousetrap opened; both are still running. The church of Rome banned the works of André Gide (who died 1951), while the Soviet Union executed thirteen Jewish poets. The diary of Anne Frank was published. In the sciences, Alan Turing published an important paper on Morphogenesis and was arrested for indecency. Experiments showed DNA to be the material of genes, not protein, as previously thought. Understanding DNA is one of the great scientific advances of the Elizabethan age. Two animals were sighted for the last time before becoming extinct. Britain declared that it had the atomic bomb. That winter, we suffered the Great London Smog, which killed thousands.
