History – Page 8 – Journeys of Heart and Mind

Blast from the past… 11

We looked at Bayeux Cathedral inside and out and also took a look at the famous tapestry, then Omaha Beach. It was a great trip.

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Notes from bygone years – October..ctober..tober..ober…
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

October 2022 (1 year before publishing this article)

In October 2022, I visited Cirencester’s Roman amphitheatre to see a display by the Ermine Street Guard, a reenactment and experimental archaeology group that builds and tests Roman Army equipment. They’re often in demand for events all over the UK. There was quite a crowd on this day, most of them sitting on the arena slopes and giving a good idea of the amphitheatre’s size in a way that’s not so clear when it’s empty. The military display was excellent too and the weather was kind.

< Sep 2022 – Nov 2022 >

October 2021 (2 years before publishing)

In October 2021 my Mammillaria cactus was in full flower. I bought it in the 1960s as a gift for my girlfriend, Judy, when we were both still at school. It lived on her bedroom windowsill until she went to university in 1967; and when we were married in 1970 it moved with us into our bedsit in Bristol. It’s still going strong after all those years and is now getting almost too large to manage with seven flowering arms.

< Sep 2021 – Nov 2021 >

October 2018 (5 years before)

In October 2018 Donna and I spent some time at Westonbirt Arboretum, strolling amongst the autumn colours and taking photos of some of the best views. We love this place; I’ve known it since childhood and it never disappoints – at any season.

< Sep 2018 – Nov 2018 >

October 2013 (10 years)

In October 2013 we were in Edinburgh. Some friends were getting married there and we’d been asked to help. It’s one of our favourite UK cities so we spent a few days there after the wedding before returning home to St Neots. One of the places we visited was HMY Britannia, now permanently moored and open to the public. The photo shows the state dining room.

< Sep 2013 – Nov 2013 >

October 2008 (15 years)

In October 2008 I was working for Unilever at their Colworth research lab north of Bedford. I worked four days a week at this time, and one of those was from home. You can see my work laptop at the left of this photo, in a quiet corner of our conservatory.

< Sep 2008 – Nov 2008 >

October 2003 (20 years)

In October 2003 I visited Bayeux with two friends from work, Tony and Phil. We drove to Portsmouth where we visited HMS Victory, the Mary Rose and HMS Warrior and then took my car across to Cherbourg on the ferry. We looked at Bayeux Cathedral inside and out and also took a look at the famous tapestry, then Omaha Beach. It was a great trip.

< Sep 2003 – Nov 2003>

October 1998 (25 years)

In October 1998 Donna and I had a week’s holiday on the south coast of Turkey, at Fethiye. We had a good break (apart from 24 hours with bad tummies) and we mixed days by the beach with visits to interesting places. One of these was the ruined Greek town of Kayaköy.

< Sep 1998 – Nov 1998>

October 1993 (30 years)

In October 1993 I was working at Long Ashton Research Station as the Microcomputing Manager and Judy was teaching Biology GCSE and A-level at Cotham Grammar School. Our daughters Debbie and Beth were both at Backwell Comprehensive school.

< Sep 1993 – Nov 1993>

October 1988 (35 years)

In October 1988 I’d just redecorated Beth’s bedroom and she had organised the furniture and put her belongings back. She did a brilliant job, still at Yatton Junior School at the time. The photo shows the result in part.

< Sep 1988 – Nov 1988>

October 1983 (40 years)

In October 1983 I was researching fruit pollination at Long Ashton Research Station, mostly on plums and apples. Debbie was eight and was at junior school, Beth was five and had started school too. Judy was probably teaching by this time.

< Sep 1983 – Nov 1983>

October 1978 (45 years)

In October 1978 Debbie was three and the new baby (Beth) was only 5 months old. We were living in Yatton, near Bristol; at the time both were within the county of Avon.

< Sep 1978 – Nov 1978>

October 1973 (50 years)

In October 1973, the old family business was still active, the image is from their price list.

< Sep 1973 – Nov 1973>

October 1968 (55 years)

In October 1968 I was in my third year at the University of Bath, studying for a BSc in Horticulture. I sent a tape letter to my girlfriend Judy, at university in Aberystwyth. (Tape letters were a thing in those days, you recorded a message on a small reel-to-reel tape and posted it in a cardboard case.)

< Sep 1968 – Nov 1968>

October 1963 (60 years)

In October 1963 I visited Chedworth Roman Villa on a school trip and took a photo of the museum building on the site.

< Sep 1963 – Nov 1963>

October 1958 (65 years)

In October 1958, my sister Cindy turned seven; NASA launched Pioneer 1 into space; and BOAC flew the first transatlantic jet service, beating PanAm by three weeks. I was in my sixth and final year at junior school (Miss Taylor’s class).

< Sep 1958 – Nov 1958>

October 1953 (70 years)

In October 1953 I had settled in to my first term at junior school. I think I was quite happy by this time, enjoying learning to form letters and doing simple arithmetic, making some new friends, and playing in the playground.

< Sep 1953 – Nov 1953>

October 1948 (75 years)

In October 1948 I was two to three months old; although I don’t remember anything, of course, I’m told my grandfather took a bit of a shine to me. We were living at my grandparents home in Cirencester while Mum and Dad saved up a little money and put their names down for a council house on the Beeches Estate. Mum’s parents lived in Northern Ireland.

< Sep 1948 – Nov 1948>

October 1943 (80 years)

In October 1943, Dad joined Cirencester’s Air Training Corps (ATC), he’d long been interested in aircraft and was a keen model builder and flier as well as joining the ATC at school. I think that he was already intending to join the RAF as soon as he was old enough.

< Sep 1943 – Nov 1943>

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Dad’s diaries

I fell through my deck chair, mended it, and Faulks fell through it again later!

My father was given a pocket diary for Christmas 1942; he was sixteen at the time. This seems to have spurred him into writing short notes in very small, cramped handwriting; four days to a page and rather small pages made this essential. These diaries are an absolute treasure-trove.

The image below includes the dates 25th to 28th June 1943, and these form the basis of this short article.

Dad kept up his journal notes for about six years and the diaries are a fascinating glimpse into his life at the time, covering his last terms at school, his career in the wartime RAF and his posting to the Far East, followed by his marriage to my mother and my birth.

I wish there was more, but the record of those six years is a treasure in itself. I’ve been transcribing the entries as they are sometimes difficult to read.

Explanatory notes

Dad was in the process of taking his School Certificate exams at this time, more or less equivalent to today’s GCSEs. He had many friends, male and female, from school, family and others. Brenda (Bren) was a particularly close friend, perhaps we should say she was his girlfriend.

Guv and Nor are his parents, living in Cirencester some five miles from Rendcomb College where he was a boarder. Jill was his niece (therefore my cousin), Tim was Jill’s brother.

It’s amusing that he was asked to write an essay on bringing up children. It’s a good exercise for any pupil as it demands thinking around topics like discipline, appropriate punishments and so forth. A tricky task to write about this for a head master! The ‘small Martlet model’ mentioned is a miniature aircraft, carved from wood and painted. Lee-Browne was the Head Master at Rendcomb School.

The cigarette box also became a gift for Brenda, and the deck chair incident is very amusing – it seems the repair was not entirely satisfactory! We shall never know what was so mysterious about Ann’s ‘communication’ or why sitting next to Miss Finlayson was notable. Beach was my Dad’s maths teacher, and the B-17s were American bombers.

Day by day

Here’s the extract from 1943, slightly edited and expanded for clarity and readability:

Friday 25th June – I did my English Practical and French exams for School Certificate. I had a letter from Bren, and cycled to Cirencester to visit her, spending half an hour there. I called on Guv for his birthday and saw Jill there as well as Nor and Betty. Back at school I played tennis right into third prep with Weed, M. Wood, and J. Sumsion.

Saturday 26th June – I wrote an essay for the Head Master on, “How I intend to bring up my children”. Pilch and I played tennis for the games period. I bought a Mars bar and posted Bren’s birthday card and a small Martlet model, then went for a walk with Faulks. I played the Amp and went through the Inter Services Journal with Dickers. I also saw Tim who was staying here with the Lee-Brownes for a week.

Sunday 27th June – I revised History “spots” all afternoon under the Laburnum tree, and cut out black walnut to make into a cigarette box. I revised English in the evening. I fell through my deck chair, mended it, and Faulks fell through it again later!

Monday 28th June – We had Geometry and English Literature exams this morning. I watched some good flights by the Aegeus model and received a most mysterious communication from Ann. I sat next to Miss Finlayson, and saw Beach for ten minutes, then revised under the Laburnum and saw B-17 Fortresses fly over during third prep.

Blast from the past… 10

Dad had just bought Mum a battery-powered cat that ‘purred’ when you stroked it.

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Notes from bygone years – Lots of past Septembers
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

A year ago

I didn’t post to my blog in September 2022, so here’s an extract from my journal for 8th instead. We were on holiday in Wales along with Donna’s Mum, brother Paul and his wife Vanessa. It was an eventful day.

Queen Elizabeth II (Image from Wikimedia)

We drove into Tenby and unexpectedly bumped into our friends Simon and Carol! None of us had any idea we would be in Tenby that day, our friends live in Yorkshire!

At lunchtime I saw reports on my phone mentioning that the Queen’s doctors were concerned about her health. Later in the day her death was announced and it seemed very strange that Prince Charles was now King Charles III. I wrote in my journal:

[Elizabeth II] had such a long reign (the longest of any British Monarch) and she leaves King Charles III as the most aged new Monarch ever. She did her job extraordinarily well. It comes as something of a shock to be writing these words on this day in my journal. It’s a day that seemed always to be delayed and would never actually arrive – yet here it is.

Back in our holiday home in Llantissilio, we watched the news and caught up with some of the details of the day. There was also startling news from Ukraine with Russian forces abandoning a large region in Kherson and retreating in disorder in an even larger region near Kharkiv.

< Aug22 – Oct22 >

Two years ago

In September 2021 I wrote about a new song from a musician I know, Sarah Reynolds. The theme of the song is that when we seem to be facing defeat and are struggling just to hang on, hope may not be as far off as we imagine.

Take a look at the original post and listen to the song, ‘Wilderness’.

< Aug21 – Oct21>

Five years ago

In September 2018 we were on holiday with the family in Switzerland. I wrote a blog post about walking the bisses (irrigation streams). It was a fascinating day. Here’s a link to my post.

< Aug18 – Oct18 >

Ten years ago

In September 2013 I wrote about my project ‘Cruising the Gospel’.

The idea was to help and encourage people to read through the biblical books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, considering what we can learn about Jesus and about ourselves as we read. Anyone can follow along, reading and pondering small, manageable chunks along the way. (Read the original article)

< Aug13 – Oct13 >

Fifteen years ago

On 29th September 2008 I wrote to Elon Musk and SpaceX to congratulate them. Why? Because the previous day had seen them launch their Falcon I rocket successfully – after three consecutive failures! Read my blog post and message.

< Aug08 – Oct08 >

Twenty years ago

In September 2003 we visited my parents in Cirencester. Dad had just bought Mum a battery-powered cat that ‘purred’ when you stroked it. Mum loved having a cat, but Dad felt that at their age they shouldn’t have another one after the previous cat died. The pretend ‘cat’ was an amusing compensation, but I don’t think Mum was very convinced!

< Aug03 – Oct03 >

Twenty-five years ago

In September 1998 we were looking forward a few weeks to a relaxing holiday in Fetiye, Turkey. I’d been to Istanbul briefly on a school trip in December 1964, but I had never been to any other part of the country. A week on the Mediterranean coast sounded great and we hoped the weather would be kind.

< Aug98 – Oct98 >

Thirty years ago

In September 1993 I was working as the Microcomputing Manager at Long Ashton Research Station near Bristol. Part of my job involved networking PCs, here’s a message I sent asking for help. Click the image for a larger view.

Notice the ASCII art (text characters used to make larger ‘text’ or images, and the way a reply uses > characters to mark quoted text. All very primitive, all time consuming, and none of it necessary any more.

< Aug93 – Oct93 >

Thirty-five years ago

The 10^th September was Judy’s birthday, and in 1988 Debbie and Beth made her a birthday meal in the evening. It was quite a spread as you can see if you click on the thumbnail.

< Aug88 – Oct88 >

Forty years ago

In September 1983 we drove over to Cirencester on 17^th for Cindy and Paul’s wedding.

< Aug83 – Oct83 >

Forty-five years ago

The family records are blank in September 1978, the month that Debbie turned 3½. But on the world scene there were some significant events. Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat discussed peace and signed the Camp David Accords, and 122 rioters died in Tehran when the Shah’s troops opened fire.

< Aug78 – Oct78 >

Fifty years ago

In late 1973 John Jefferies & Son in Cirencester were preparing their Christmas hyacinth brochure, perhaps in September.

This would be issued later, mailed out to regular customers and available in their shop (now Vodafone) in the Market Place. The bulbs were grown in the dark in the basement of the Tower Street warehouse; the building still exists, converted into flats next to Minerva Court.

< Aug73 – Oct73 >

Fifty-five years ago

In September 1968 I was about to begin my third year as a student at the University of Bath. It was a sandwich course so required four years to allow for industrial placements.

< Aug68 – Oct68 >

Sixty years ago

In September 1963 I began my 5th year at Cirencester Grammar School. This was an important year for me and my school friends, with O level mock exams after Christmas and the real O levels to face in June.

< Aug63 – Sep63 >

Sixty-five years ago

In September 1958 I began my final year at Junior School. This would be the year of the important 11-plus exams that would decide whether we would go to the Grammar School in Victoria Road or to the Secondary Modern at Deerpark.

< Aug58 – Sep58 >

Seventy years ago

In September 1953 I’d been five for a month or so and I it was time to began my first ever school term. I went to Querns School, and was unhappy when my Mum left me on the first day. I cried later when the teacher told us that we would stop to eat elevenses. This was not a word I knew, and I heard it as ‘lemonses’. What I did know was that lemons are very sharp and I did not want to eat one!

The pupil’s entrance was along the little lane at the side of the school, shown in the photo. I remember walking up and down that lane very clearly indeed.

< Aug53 – Oct48 >

Seventy-five years ago

In September 1948 I was in my second month of life, and Mum and Dad celebrated their first wedding anniversary. It seems they didn’t waste a whole lot of time! I would have been getting my arms and eyes under better control by this time. Dad was busy with C&DMAC (a model aircraft club). His maternal grandmother’s second husband died on 19th, Dad always knew him as ‘Gramp’.

< Aug48 – Oct48 >

Eighty years ago

In September 1943 Dad shot a lot of starlings, apparently. He heard that he’d passed his School Certificate successfully, was active in the ATC, and had a busy social life.

< Aug43 – Oct43 >

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