Patch Dec 14.pptx - Lincolnshire County Council

Issue No 12
December 2014
Page 1
Brookenby’s Community Newsletter
Are you Hanging up a Stocking on
the wall?
For those born after 1965 the line above can mean only
one thing - Slade’s 1973 hit single, “Merry Christmas”.
For over forty years the single has been released, rereleased and played to death in every shopping centre
throughout the land, until the song has been embedded
into the very fabric of the British nation. As soon as you
hear the unsubtle tones of Noddy Holder and the gang
you know that Christmas is not far away.
So what has this got to do with Brookenby? Well,
thesong has a special meaning for Mr David Bishop who
Was a Sergeant at RAF Binbrook and once inhabited Room 14, West Wing in the Sergeants’ Mess (now part of
the Church) for a while. Mr Bishop has been a strong supporter of the entire aviation heritage movement at this
former RAF station. His written account of life on and off camp gives many interesting insights to what it was like
around this area during the 1980’s. David Bishop has recently updated his account and it can be found on the
Orford Bridge website; just google: “It’s Christmas at RAF Binbrook”. The 1987 Christmas Ball at RAF Binbrook
which Mr Bishop was so central in organising, was to be the last at the station and so destined to be a riotous
affair. Everything was coming to an end and the mess subscriptions were there to be used up!
The setting for the Ball was the Officers’ Mess - shown in all its glory in 1967 in the above picture, courtesy of the
Airfield Information Exchange (check out their excellent website). “Look to the Future, it’s only just begun” maybe
a Slade lyric but whatever the future was, it wasn’t a long one for the Officers’ Mess; it fell into disrepair and is
now demolished. And the same fate could befall the Sergeants’ Mess (now the community centre) unless the
activities that currently take place in it get as much support as possible.
The last month has been very busy for the volunteers at The Patch. Not only do the articles in thenewsletter have
to be researched and written but we also get requests from others doing their
own heritage work.
The lovely young lady on the left is Mike Wainwright’s mum, Irene Eleanor
Sheppard as she was in the war years. She was a Radio Telephony Operator in
the WAAF and was stationed at RAF Binbrook with 460 Squadron RAAF, and
later at RAF Blyton. Mike has a very informative website, (google: ‘Lancasterme699.co.uk’), and has loads of information about his father, Bomb Aimer Jack
Wainwright, complete with lots of memorabilia including the dreaded telegram
saying he was missing. However, there is a piece of information missing and
Mike wondered if anyone reading this might be able to help. His mum was given
the nick-name of ‘Inky’… and no-one is sure why. If anyone has any idea on this
please get in touch. More on this story in the New Year.
It’s not often that we are contacted by the son of a former Commanding Officer
but we are so pleased that Robin Sadler did just that. His father, Group Captain
Robert Sadler had a fascinating life including being a Staff Officer at Advanced
Air Striking Force HQ in France from 29th November 1939 till he was evacuated by air on the 18th June 1940.
Following a spell with the 301st Polish Squadron as Officer Commanding he was then given command of 142
Continued on page 2
A Very Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year To All Our Readers and Advertisers
Squadron until July 1941 where he oversaw their conversion to
Wellingtons, and therefore night bombing and navigation training. Robin
has kindly given us a copy of the Guide for Captains of Aircraft that his
father wrote and the pictures on the right, showing his father’s crew on
Wellington Mark IV Z1287 QT-Q taken in June 1941. Handwritten on the
back of the top photograph are the following names: Parkin (2nd W/O),
Harrower (W/O), Ferris (Rear Gunner and Squadron Gunnery Officer),
Sadler (captain), Bull (2nd pilot), Jacoby (Navigator and Squadron
Navigation Officer). Sadly this crew perished in 1942 after Group Captain
Sadler had left for various roles in the headquarters of 1 and 5 Group
(including an incredibly important role in neutral Turkey before returning to
RAF Binbrook as Station Commander on 13th September 1945). The
bottom picture on the right shows the flying crew and ground crew also
taken in June 1941.
Robin was only three but he remembers the housing at RAF Binbrook as
it was in 1946 along with all the sights and sounds of the airfield. Those
sights include the several hundred German PoWs put to work around the
station whilst awaiting repatriation. For Robin’s third birthday he got what
every small boy desires from a POW; a model Lancaster, a wheeled
quacking duck and probably best of all….a cuddly toy. One has to wonder at the thoughts going through the
minds of those Germans who were repatriated back to an East Germany; effectively into their enemy’s hands.
For one PoW, Helmut, it was not until the fall of the Berlin Wall that he could get in touch with the Sadlers again.
Can it really be 25 years ago that the wall came down? We cannot do Group Captain Robert Sadler’s story
justice in this short article so we will be doing a follow up feature for The Patch in the New Year as well as a full
article on the Orford Bridge website.
We also made contact with Julie McGarvey whose
father was on Lancaster ED658 which crashed in
October 1943 flying from Binbrook. Sgt Robert
McGarvey was a PoW at Stalag Luft IVB, Stalag VI
and Stalag 357 until he was repatriated in 1945. Both
Robert and his brother Alexander ended up in the
same camp and both brothers’ stories are fascinating.
Both gentlemen were strong swimmers; Robert was
capped for Scotland’s water polo team and Alex’s
stamina in the water not only saved his life but that of
a crew mate. Courtesy of Julie, the photo on the left
shows L-R Alexander McGarvey, his wife, Jean, and
Robert McGarvey outside Buckingham Palace when
Alexander was awarded the George Medal for his
actions.
As I write, various groups, including the RAAF 460th Veterans and Friends Group, are doing more research into
the story and when we have all the possible details, we will be putting it in The Patch.
And finally, in the New Year, we will be featuring a story on Lancaster EE138 which was shot down over Stadil,
Denmark. This story will not just be about the aircraft and the men who flew it, but also the 2004 project to put in
place a fitting memorial and information to support the work the local Danish people had been doing. The
project brought together the Australian Government, Danish Officials and crew relatives. For those of you who
can’t wait, please check out the brilliant
website: www.ee138.net
Roll on 2015!!
01472 840720
2
Brookenby Parish Council
At the meeting on 4th November, the following issues of significance were discussed:
• The budget for the year 2015/16
• On the Community Centre, a grant of £10,000 had been made from the CAF Fund to pay for a building survey
and feasibility study as to the potential future uses of the Centre. It was agreed to establish a working party
comprising Councillors and representatives of user groups, residents and other bodies who have been
involved in the project to date. Invitations to prospective members of this working party will shortly be sent out.
• Greater use of the Lancaster Room and whether it would be feasible to relocate the Sure Start Group into the
Thrift Room
• The external lighting on the Community Centre – it was agreed to accept a quotation for £650 to provide four
lights with sensors, but also to make further enquiries on the time flexibility of such lights.
• Central Lincolnshire Plan. The Council was unable at this stage to reach a considered view on the provisions
in so far as they might affect Brookenby but a form of words was agreed by way of a response
• Transfer of land in Swinhope Road/Dale View Road as proposed by Ian Jarvis. The Council agreed to accept
the generous offer of a land transfer subject to the necessary landscaping having taken place.
The Firework Party proposed for New Year’s Eve will not now proceed but we understand that it is hoped to
hold Guy Fawkes party in November 2015.
The next meeting of the Council will be held on Tuesday 2nd December starting at 7.00 pm. The Agenda for
that meeting together with Minutes of the previous meeting are usually posted on the noticeboard outside the
old shop a few days before the meeting. Residents may attend this meeting and ask questions in the public
forum which precedes each meeting. Any resident wishing to contact the Council should refer to the Parish
Clerk Sam Coulam on 399652 or write to samcoulam@talktalk.net.
Lest We Forget
The customary laying of wreaths
took place on Sunday 9th
November at the War Memorial on
Brookenby Technical Park attended
by representatives of Service
organisations, the Parish Council
and a goodly sprinkling of
residents. The service of
commemoration was led by
Methodist lay minister, Ken
Knapton, with prayers for the fallen,
a hymn, a poem read by Margaret
Quaggan: the usual two minutes’
silence was observed at 11.00 a.m.
(see also report at page 7)
Photo: John Brackenbury
3
Community Groups Update
Limelight Theatre
We will have our Christmas show on Sat/Sun 13th/14th December - both 2.30pm matinees
Tickets will be £3 adults and £2 children. The show will include 2 alternative nativity plays along with a selection
of Christmas music. Ron
Brookenby Camera Club
At the Camera Club's last meeting we concentrated on indoor photography. We learnt how to adjust the White
Balance to compensate for effects of artificial light. We also had to set our camera's ISO to get the right shutter
speed. John Brack
The Brookenby Camera Club would like to thank Manor View Stores for selling over £200 worth of the 2015
Lincolnshire Wolds Calendar. After expenses we hope to raise £100 towards our charitable donations. Since the
Wolds calendar first went on sale in 2011 it has made donations to:
• The Binbrook Youth Drop in Centre. £300
• Jamie's Paralympics project. £300
• Air Ambulance raffle. £200 bicycle.
• Brookenby Youth Camera Club. £200.
We are discussing the 2016 calendar and if we decide to continue with it we will aim to reduce the sale price by
a pound or two by redesigning it and reducing the printing costs. It currently costs around £350 to have it
printed. We would also like to thank all those who purchased the calendar.
The Brookenby Camera Club wish you a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Michael Edwards
RAF Binbrook Memorial Park.
Ray Whiteley has been planting 300 tulips in our Bomber Command Memorial Park for spring 2015.
These are to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the starvation of the Dutch people and the food drops
carried out by Bomber Command from RAF Binbrook - Operation Manna, the 70th anniversary of the liberation
of the Netherlands and the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII and peace. Ray chose the tulip, White Dream to
symbolise all three.
The tulip bulbs have all been donated by a nursery at Alfreton and there are a few more than 300, a further 200
daffodils will go in also to add to the 200 planted last year.
Ray has done all the planting himself and does a sterling job in keeping the Memorial Park looking so well kept.
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4
Community Groups Update (continued from previous page)
Happy Hearts
The Craft Fair held on 16th November raised £43 towards the costs of the Children’s Party. We would like to thank
all the stallholders, helpers and all those who attended on the day. The Christmas Bingo will be held on Saturday
6th December – doors open 6.45 pm for a 7.30 start. Donations of raffle prizes would be much appreciated: all
proceeds will go towards the Christmas Party. The Christmas Party is open to all Brookenby and Binbrook
children but we must have the forms completed and returned for eligibility to attend (see page 16). Sarah
St Michael & All Angels Church
7th. Church of England Communion.
14th.Methodist, lay-led
21st.Service of Lessons and Carols. If you enjoy singing carols, please join us....mince pies and coffee to follow.
All at 10.30am.
23rd at 3pm. Children's' Crib Service.
25th. 10.30am Morning Prayer, lay-led
Informal morning worship 9.30am every Tuesday, followed by singing group at 10.30. Bible study 2pm 8th and
22nd. All welcome. Jean Sinclair
Women’s Institute (Binbrook)
Hilary Harris, secretary of Binbrook & District WI who organised the Northwold WI group's VIP day at the races
was very pleased, of the 48 people who attended, over a third were either husbands or friends making it a very
inclusive event. All the ladies and gentlemen had the chance to dress up in their finery for the full day event. Tea
and coffee was freely available throughout the day, the hot soup and buffet lunch laid on in the private hospitality
suites kept everybody warm. The fine weather meant that many trips were made to the track side to get up close
to the horses as they circled the parade ring before racing. Lots of the group decided to have a go at betting, by
the many very happy faces at the end of the day, most were successful.
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5
Binbrook & District Women's Institute November report
Monthly meetings, 1st Thursdays of the Month (except January). 7 pm for 7.15pm start. Binbrook Village
(Queens) Hall – Plenty of Free Parking.
(male as well as female visitors are always welcome unless otherwise stated)
NEXT MEETINGS
Thursday 4th December 7.15pm - NO SPEAKER OUR CHRISTMAS PARTY. MEMBERS ONLY
Thursday 8th January 2015 - FRANK PRESTON – Making the most of your local butcher
An interactive talk including a quiz on what we have learnt.
Our November meeting got off to a lively start with much discussion taking place concerning the rumoured loss
of local amenities. As was said by us over a year ago - Please Use Them or Lose Them
On a lighter note, our speaker Rev David Leese gave us a delightful insight into how the world sees The
Nativity. There were lots of oohs and arrhs as he showed us just a small selection of the vast collection of
scenes he has purchased or were given to him from across the world. He told us that he now has about 160
sets, from tiny figures laid out in matchboxes to child size figures which were part of a shop display. Many
countries have the animals and shelters used in that area, for instance, the Arctic circle has an igloo with polar
bears and reindeer.
St Francis of Assisi is credited as the originator of The Nativity story, I'm sure he would have approved of its
world wide appeal, but maybe not some of the more quirky depictions, like the set of rubber ducks, including
three with crowns and Mary in her trade mark blue cloak.
The parish of Epworth in North Lincolnshire display many of the Reverends collection around the village in the
weeks leading up to Christmas. Every year a full sized thatched stable is erected outside the church filled with
live animals, such as chickens and sheep and of course a donkey.
Our Roll-a-Penny game will be at Binbrook Christmas fair on December 7th.
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Village Library
The Library (located just inside the Church premises)
contains a good selection of fiction and non-fiction
titles available without charge to anyone in the village.
Please feel free to borrow any and return when read.
6
Remembrance Sunday, 9th November 2014
Mr Doug “Jimmy” James, who flew 29 operations as a rear gunner with 460 Squadron RAAF during WW2, was at
this year’s Remembrance Service at the RAF Binbrook Memorial Park. Smartly turned out, Mr James was
wearing his “caterpillar club” tie and gold pin denoting the fact that his life was saved because of a parachute
jump.
jump. Interestingly, I was told by Mr James’
son-in-law that on his return he had to
locate the person who packed the
parachute and give them half a crown!
(Each parachute had a log book which gave
the name of the packer). Also at the service
was Mrs Joan Roddy, widow of Jack Roddy
who was a 460 Squadron armourer and a
founding member of the RAF Binbrook 460
Squadron Memorial. Her Grand-daughter,
Victoria, told me that Mrs Roddy’s wedding
dress was made out of a parachute and she
recalls that when she was at primary school
and they were studying WW2, she brought
Photo of Victoria Caswell, David Roddy, Mrs Joan Roddy and Doug James.
.
her grandmother’s dress in to show that rest of the class. The dress is still a cherished family heirloom. A morning
of mixed emotions for both these elderly people; it was truly a pleasure to meet them.
Before the laying of the wreaths, Margaret Quaggan read one of her poems dedicated to the men and women of
RAF Binbrook, and the Remembrance Service so inspired 12 year old Mary-Jayne MacCready that when she
returned home she wrote the following poem:
Remember when they Lived
Remember when they flew into war
Remember when they came back with not many more
We hope and pray at night
That they will be alright.
Remember when they came home and had only hours left,
The world had never slept.
A few years went by,
More people had to say goodbye.
We will always remember the people who fought war,
They will be with us forever more.
Remember when they lived.
Thanks to Cllr Margaret Quaggan, on Tuesday 11th November 2014 a further Remembrance Service was held at
the new memorial outside the Community Centre; led by the Reverend John Carr this service was hopefully the
first of many future 11th of November services.
For further reading on the Caterpillar Club and the history of parachutes please go to the following websites:
http://www.462squadron.com/images/images_caterpillar/The_Caterpillar_Club_Story.pdf
http://www.parachutehistory.com/eng/drs.html
7
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8
Blast From the Past
We came across an old copy of Brookenby News, the original newsletter for the village produced by
Brookenby Residents’ Association. This consisted of a single sheet of A4 paper – my, how we have moved
on! Amongst the interesting pieces reported were a Hallowe’en dance and a Bonfire Night; and four recent
births (clearly you were a fecund lot): “Daniel Smith to Steph and Nigel; Daniel Stephenson to Neil and
Jayne.” The two other names I don’t recognise – Luke Harding and another Luke of Canberra Crescent.
The issue was undated but I am guessing 1993? No doubt the two Dans will be able to tell us!
9
Toy
Library
Binbrook C of E Primary School
Advent Fair,
Thursday 4th December
from 5.30pm till 7.00pm
in the school hall.
Come and join Rachel from the Toy
Library for a fun, relaxed session where
children can play with a wide selection of
our toys and experience Messy Play
activities.
Toys can also be hired for a small charge.
Please contact me on 01472 398858 / 07590220420 / marieclark230@gmail.com or via Facebook
10
Being a Parish Councillor
Steve Turnbull is one of our newer Councillors, having joined the Parish Council in August this year. As a
resident of the village for a number of years, he felt he “….wanted to make a difference…”. Steve, who works at
Cordeaux Academy in Louth, reckons it takes about two hours a week of his time – attending meetings and
reading background material and feels he can manage this level of commitment quite comfortably alongside a
full-time job and his family commitments.
Asked about the downside of being a Councillor, he replied there was often a lack of understanding amongst the
village at large of the limited powers of a Parish Council – normally the PC just has direct responsibility for
footways and amenity areas – and that it is the District and County Council who wield the real powers, although
the Parish Council does have a consultative role in regard to planning matters and should act as a sounding
board for their local community for concerns in the area.
Unusually, for a Parish Council, for Brookenby there is direct responsibility for a large (for a village the size of
Brookenby) Community Centre which has brought its own set of challenges for the Council, the latest
developments in regard to which are reported at page 3.
Editor’s comment: The Parish Council will be subject to an election process next May; at that time it will be open
to any resident to offer his or her services. Why not come along to one of the monthly meetings and get a ‘feel’
for what goes on: if you have two hours a week to spare, why not give it a go next May?
Brookenby Youth Project (Diocese of Lincoln)
In our August issue we carried an advertisement for two part-time youth workers for a project to serve our
younger residents, by the Diocese of Lincoln – the Church of England body responsible for churches and
parishes across Lincolnshire. Residents may be wondering what has happened to this project which had in fact
been conceived as long ago as 2013 but had not reached any sort of resolution.
We understand that whilst the Diocese would be making the resources available for this project, they needed a
local body to undertake its management which would normally be Brookenby Church itself. However, a curious
notion had arisen in the Walesby Group of Parishes that Brookenby still falls within the parish of Stainton le Vale
(as did the old RAF Binbrook) and was not therefore a competent legal authority to administer the project. Not
unreasonably, Stainton le Vale felt it had insufficient personnel available and declined the offer. Ultimately
Walesby Parochial Church Council offered to undertake responsibility for the project, hence the delay in
proceeding.
The irony is that Brookenby has existed, effectively, as a separate parish since 1993 when the Church here
was established by John and Margaret Toyne – a fact I discovered after contacting the Diocese some weeks
ago, and was therefore in a position all along to manage the project. What a pity that this seemingly worthwhile
facility has been put at risk by a simple piece of misinformation!
At the present time we are not sure about the status of this project: the Diocesan Youth Office has been asked
to comment but as at the time of going to print (25th November) no reply has been forthcoming. To compound
the irony, many of our younger residents still remember with affection the ‘Brookenby Bash’ of 2009 and 2010 –
a week long series of activities run by Brookenby Church! Ed
QUIZ FOR DECEMBER
1.  What is the capital city of Turkey?
2.  Approximately how many turkeys are
eaten in the UK at Christmas?
3.  Who wrote the Little Match Girl?
4.  What was the Christmas No1 single
in the 2013?
5.  Which country sends the Christmas
tree for Trafalgar Square?
Answers from November: 1. Compiègne,
2. Tinie Tempah
3. Romeo & Juliet and Twelfth Night, 4.
Lift, drag, thrust and weight 5. Watford
11
Honouring their Courage
In the July edition of The Patch I put
together an article about Murray
and Eric Maxton, the only known
brothers to have flown in the same
combat aircraft during WW2. They
were in the 460 Squadron and
stationed at RAF Binbrook in 1944.
It is with great pleasure that I’m
relaying to you a message from
Murray’s daughter, Lorraine; Murray
and Eric Maxton were both
awarded the Legion d’Honneur on
Saturday 1st November 2014. This
is France’s highest decoration and
was given to the brothers and
The above photo shows L-R Murray Maxton, His Excellency Christophe Le Courtier, recently appointed
French Ambassador to Australia, and Eric Maxton. The photo is courtesy of Lorraine Marshall.
another airman, Tom Lofthouse, in recognition of the part they played on D-Day.
The ceremony was reported by The Western Australia and the following is an extract from the newspaper:
“The French Minister of Defence, Jean-Yves Le Drain, said: “Because we owe our liberty to you, France
wishes to express our utmost gratitude. Your acts of valour have never been forgotten. It is a great honour for
me to present this distinction to you.”
To a local reporter, Murray said: “It is absolutely wonderful to be recognised. It was pretty full-on in Normandy
at the time. We pulverised the German railways and muster yards and helped bring reinforcements up to the
front. I never dreamt of getting something like this, to get that was really great and to think it is a foreign
Government giving them to us — that has a lot of significance.” Obviously on the day there was sadness too
as both brothers remembered: "I'll be thinking of our ground crew, they were absolutely marvellous, they got no
glory like we've got and without them we'd never carry on," said Eric. "We think of the crew that we lost while
we were on there, we were pretty close mates" said Murray.”
Murray and Eric Maxton in 1944
'D for Dog' crew members Eric Maxton, Frank
Commins, Jack Pruss, George Bailey,
Murray Maxton, Bob Waterston and Frank
Houlgrave. Both photos supplied by Murray
Maxton and reproduced in The Western Australia.
12
Lincolnshire’s Finest – George Boole
Considered by many as the founding father of computing, George Boole was a
brilliant mathematician.
He is noted for his work on the area of logic known as Boolean Algebra.
George Boole was born on 2nd November, 1815 on Silver Street, Lincoln. The
house where he was brought up is now a solicitor's office. His father, John, was a
shoemaker and consequently the family was not affluent.
John Boole had a fine mind and a keen interest in science and mathematics. He
shared this passion with his son and by an early age George was solving complex
mathematical problems.
Boole soon had a reputation as a child genius - and not only in the sciences. He
soon surpassed his father's knowledge of Latin and a local bookseller became his
tutor. By the age of 12 George was translating extensive Latin texts.
His family did not have enough money for George to enter a grammar school and
so he attended a school on Michaelgate. By the age of 16 Boole was assisting in the lessons and at 20 he had
opened his own school and was supporting his family.
George worked in various schools around the country and in 1849 he became a professor of Mathematics at
Queen's College, Cork (later to become the University of Cork). He settled into life in Ireland and was well liked
by colleagues and students. He stayed there until his death and in 1851 was made Dean of Science.
George Boole's most important paper was published in 1854 and had the catchy title "An Investigation Into the
Laws of Thought, on Which are Founded the Mathematical Theories of Logic and Probabilities". This was the
paper in which he detailed the relationship between algebra and logic, and it is this study on which much of
today's computer technology is based.
His research and writing continued alongside his teaching and in 1857 he became a Fellow of the Royal
Society.
Boole died on 8th December, 1864. His health had been of concern for
some time and he suffered from an hereditary lung disease. One
November day he walked to school in the pouring rain and proceeded to
teach in wet clothes. As a result he contracted a chest infection which
ultimately turned into pneumonia.
It has been suggested that his condition was made worse by his wife's
attempts to help him. She subscribed to the widely held view that the cure
should match the cause and so while Boole took to his bed, she threw
buckets of cold water over him.
A memorial to Boole can be seen in Lincoln Cathedral. The Teaching
Window is dedicated to him and depicts his favourite passage from the
Bible - the calling of Samuel.
Volunteer Distributors required
We are eternally grateful to our dedicated band of volunteer
distributors but following Dave Riddall’s departure from the village,
we are looking for someone to cover Hunter Road and Merlin Road –
28 houses which should take no more than 15 minutes. Also it would
be helpful to have additional distributors to cover absences. Call Tony
as below if you can help.
Boole's House in Pottergate, Lincoln
Advertising rates
(All rates based on A4 page size format)
Size
per annum (12 issues)
per single issue
‘business card’ size
£25
--ｼ page
£60
£7
1/2 page
£105
£10
Full page
£180
£18
Advertising material can be distributed separately with each publication for £8 per item.
To have an ad inserted or to arrange deliveries of flyers, contact Tony on 399876, e-mail
anthonyprice1946@sky.com or deliver to 21 Dale View Road. All material to be submitted by 9.00 am
the 25th of each month for inclusion in the succeeding month’s issue.
Community News is an independent non-profit making venture under the direction of Wolds Events
and supported entirely by advertising revenue.
13
Times Gone By
We introduce a new feature to reflect the fact that 100 years ago covers the respective period in World War 1
and 75 years ago, the respective period in World War 2.
100 Years Ago – December 1914
1.  Ireland: Police seize newspapers accused of an
anti-enlistment campaign
3. Belgium: The country is put under the control of
the German Army
4. France: King George V meets King Albert of the
Belgians during a visit to the British Expeditionary
Force
6. E. Front: Germans capture the Polish city of Lodz
8. New York: Irving Berlin’s musical ‘Watch Your
Step’ opens at the New Amsterdam Theatre
9. Rome: Italy demands the South Tyrol from Austria
as the price of its neutrality
10. Stockholm: Nobel Prizes are awarded to Max
von Laue (Germany, Physics), Theodore Richards
(US, Chemistry) and Robert Barany (Hungary,
Medicine); no Peace or Literature Prizes awarded
16. Cairo: The UK declares Egypt a protectorate
21. Berlin: Socialists issue manifesto explaining why
they remain in the government, but they support
Karl Liebknecht’s refusal to vote more war funds
24. Europe: Germans have taken 578,000 Allied
prisoners
29. Belgium: Belgian newspapers halt printing in
protest at German censorship; Cardinal Mercier
calls for passive resistance
DEATH
8. German Vice-Admiral Count von Spee (b. 1861)
HITS OF 1914
• Keep The Home Fires Burning
• St Louis Blues
QUOTE OF THE YEAR
“The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall
not see them lit again in our lifetime.” Sir Edward
Grey on the eve of Britain’s declaration of war
75 Years Ago – December 1939
1.  Germany: Mass deportation of Jews from occupied
lands begins under the direction of Adolf Eichmann
4. France: King George VI visits British troops
6. London: Britain agrees to send arms to Fnland
10. Stockholm: Nobel Prizes go to Ernest Lawrence
(US, Physics), Adolf Butenandt (Germany) and
Leopold Ruzicka (Switzerland, Chemistry), Gerhard
Domagk (Germany, Medicine), and Frans Sillanpaa
(Finland, Literature). No Peace Prize awarded
13. Uruguay: The German battleship Graf Spee
reaches Montevideo harbour
14. Geneva: The League of Nations expels the USSR
19. UK: The first Canadian troops have arrived
22. UK: Women arms workers demand the same pay
as male counterparts
23. Moscow: Stalin sacks General Meretzkov, in
charge of the war against Finland, as Finnish
successes continue
24. Germany: Hitler spends Christmas with his troops
on the Western Front
28. UK: Food rationing is to be extended to sugar and
meat
31. Finland: The Finns claim they have pushed the
Russians back beyond the border on a 150-mile front
DEATH
12. US actor Douglas Fairbanks (b. 1883)
HITS OF 1939
• Washing on the Siegfried Line
• Over The Rainbow
QUOTE OF THE YEAR
“This is the people’s war. We are the fighters. Fight it
then. Fight it with all that is in us. And may God
defend the right.”
Jan Struther, Mrs Miniver
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Snow White
Well it’s the pantomime season again and no doubt somewhere in the UK,
Snow White and her seven little chums will be making an appearance on
stage. Back in 1943 at RAF Binbrook, another Snow White was taking
front stage but in this case it was a pigeon! This white feathered diva had
been promoted to Squadron Leader and awarded a DFC by the seven
man crew of “R” for Robert. Despite only being a year old she had been
involved in 100 operations, three of which had resulted in rescues.
The photograph on the left shows Snow White with Flight Sergeant Ivan
Baudinette, Wireless Operator. The photograph on the right shows Snow
White with some of the “R for Robert” crew:
Flight Sergeant Reg
Webster, Flying Officer
Owen Moore DFC, Flight
Sergeant Baudinette,
Flight Sergeant L
Deveridge and Flying
Officer R Naylor. Both
photos are courtesy of the
Australian War Memorial.
During WW2 it was recommended that 2 homing pigeons were
always carried in military aircraft in case of a crash. The pigeons
would be released with the co-ordinates of the survivors so that a
rescue could be instigated. Pigeons were also dropped behind
enemy lines to relay secret messages from resistance workers. Coloured coded disks and canisters enabled the
recipients to tell immediately from which military service the pigeon had been released from. In 2012, the national
newspapers reported that a skeleton of a carrier pigeon had been found inside a chimney in Bletchingley, Surrey
whilst the owner had been renovating his home. Inside the red canister attached to one of the pigeon’s legs was
a handwritten coded message addressed to "XO2", which is thought to be the code for RAF Bomber Command.
However, with all our modern day technology the message has still not been deciphered!
Although the DFC was an honorary award for Snow White there is an actual bravery award especially for animals
called the PDSA Dickin Medal. Created in 1943 by Maria Dickin, the founder of the People's Dispensary for Sick
Animals, the medal was awarded 54 times between 1943 and 1949 - 32 of which were to pigeons!
Some 6 months after the above photographs were taken, Flying Officer Owen Moore (second from left), was
awarded a real DFC for “Skill and fortitude in operations against the enemy”. He met his wife whilst they were
both serving at RAF Binbrook and Reg Webster (far left on the photograph) married Flying Officer Moore’s sisterin-law!
On a sadder note, Flight Sergeant Baudinette died along with all the crew on Lancaster PB557 AR-A2 “Aussie 2”
on 5 March 1945 whilst on an operation to Chemnitz, Germany. I’m making an assumption that from the date of
his death Ivan Baudinette must have been on a second operational tour.
For further information check out the following websites:
http://bombercommand.wordpress.com/binbrook-1943-home-of-460-squadron/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZfjbfe5SXM
News from Councillor Hugo Marfleet:
Stay warm and well this winter in Lincolnshire with Responders to Warmth:
Lincolnshire residents are being reminded of a scheme which is offering help and support to keep warm and
heat their homes this winter. Responders to Warmth offers: Heating repairs and support to find replacement
heating; Emergency oil filled radiator heating; Practical support and advice; Insulation; Heated electric throws,
thermal socks, hot water bottles; Support to join bulk oil purchasing schemes. Call the Responders to Warmth
helpline on 0845 606 4566 or visit www.responderstowarmth.org to find out more.
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Use it or Lose it
Editor’s note: As my good friends Jon and Nicola have said in the ‘lead’ article, as a village we must support the
various events and activities that take place in the Community Centre – without this support, then the Centre
cannot be viable and would have to close. Already this year we have lost two groups – Wolds Acoustic Sessions
and Friends4Friends owing to lack of support and sadly, the RAF Memorial Weekend in August and the recent
Craft Fair did not enjoy the level of support that they should have had from the village, in spite of the very
considerable efforts of the organisers.
Need any jobs done around the house?
• Painting & Decorating
• Household maintenance
• Gardening
• Garden Landscaping
• Fencing
Call Solutions on
07787701155
HAPPY HEARTS CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY 20TH DECEMBER (see page 3)
NOTIFICATION SLIP
My child(ren) would like to attend this party
Name(s)…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Age(s)……………………………....................(ALL UNDER 8S MUST BE ACCOMPANIED THROUGHOUT)
Address……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Allergies………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Contact e-mail/
phone*…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
*essential for the day itself
Signature of parent ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
RETURN TO 11 CANBERRA CRESCENT OR WOLD VIEW BAR
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