Crondall chronciles autumn2011
Transcription
Crondall chronciles autumn2011
CRONDALL CHRONICLES THE MAGAZINE of the CRONDALL SOCIETY AUTUMN 2011 NEW PEPPONE'S ADVERT 12/8/11 P � 10:54 Page 1 Allow Us To Arrange The Perfect Event For You We Create A Menu That Suits You From Buffets To Full A La Carte � Two Delightful Dining Areas � Full Entertainment Licence � Picturesque Surroundings � Ideal For Marquees � Dining Al Fresco On Our Terrace � Free Customer Parking 01252 852103 Bowenhurst Golf Centre Mill Lane, Crondall, Farnham 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 1 Crondall Chronicles The Magazine of the Crondall Society AUTUMN 2011 Edition LXXVIII MISS CAROLINE MONTGOMERY Caroline Montgomery, daughter of Mr & Mrs Bruce Montgomery of Dippenhall Street, is to marry Lt Ryan Coatalen-Hodgson RN at All Saints Church in December 2011. Caroline is a veterinary surgeon with Cathcart & Winn, Farnham. 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 2 Lord Bramell & The Falklands Gap Year Travels “On the Margins’ AGM of the Crondall Society Chairman’s Notes Summer Frolics & Into Autumn 26 30 34 36 40 43 CRONDALL CHRONICLES “The Crondall Society aims to support a pleasant environment in which people can live together and expect a good quality of life” AUTUMN 2011 EDITION 78 Each year, two editions of Crondall Chronicles, the Magazine of the Crondall Society are published: one in the Spring and the other in the Autumn. Contributions are to be emailed to the editor by mid February and by mid July each year. The editor is John Maclean ([email protected] tel 850699). Subscription to the Society that includes payment for these two annual publications, becomes due on 1st April each year. It is £8 annual family and £5 annual single membership payable to Section Representatives who kindly deliver your magazine within their respective distribution areas. The membership secretary is Dick Wilkinson ([email protected] 850272). Your committee is listed in this edition. CONTENTS What’s on? Council and MP Reports Village Personalities Royal Wedding Golf & 3 Peaks S/Ldr Matt Roberts DFC Crondall Business 90 years ago Crondall War Memorial (Part 3) Crondall Harvest 2011 Lucky Escapes Orienteering on Horseback 2 2 2 8 11 12 13 14 17 22 24 25 The Crondall Chronicles is the continuation of the Crondall Society Magazine that was first published as a newsletter in April 1973 by Major Tony Steward. The publication sought to meet one of the objectives of the Society namely to ‘stimulate interest in the village’. As pictured at the Village Fete, your editor or Chronicler as the title he now prefers, is always on the look out for stories, anecdotes or records of village life. Contributions do not necessarily have to refer to events in Crondall. For instance, in this edition two gap year travels are featured. Jack went East encountering tigers in Thailand whilst Fergus went West and climbed to Machu Picchu, that wonder-of-the-world built by the Incas. COVER PICTURE The cover picture shows William Passmore striding almost effortlessly in this year’s Crondall Triathlon. The event is held annually in June finishing outside The Plume of Feathers. As always, it provides participants and spectators with lots of enjoyment and sense of achievement as well as benefitting local charities with the money it raises. William lives opposite the village shop. He is clearly a natural athlete having run at junior District and County level. His father Mark indicates that the cricket season needs to come to an end so that William has time to compete in some more track events! Printed by Arrow Press, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7UG Tel: (01252) 722790 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 WHAT’S ON? Saturday 24 September – 7.30 pm Safari Supper This is a ‘Saints and Sinners’ event in aid of All Saints church restoration. Tickets @ £30 each for delicious menu and wine can be obtained for Alison Thomas 850188 Thursday 29 September – 7.45 pm Oasis Global This is a Parish event. Oasis provides opportunities for youngsters to volunteer as part of a church or community-based placement serving diverse, urban communities in UK and around the world. The talk will focus on Uganda 2013 to visit, support and fundraise for the work of the Oasis Trust there. Wednesday 12 October – 8 pm Quiz Night at The Horns This is a Crondall Society event that should be lots of fun to attend! We are booked into The Horns, Bowling Alley for a Team Quiz Evening. Our memory banks will be tested in the gentlest way, throughout this jolly evening! 21 & 27 October – WW1 History Talks in Fleet & Odiham 8 pm Fri 21 Oct - Crondall’s Fallen by Tim Wilson at Baptist Church Hall, Clarence Road, Fleet (organiser tel 613148). 7.30 pm Thurs 27 Oct - Odiham VCs by Sir Christopher Wallace at Cross Barn, Palace Gate, Odiham. (Tickets from Dress Agency, Odiham). Royal British Legion event Friday 18 November - 8 pm “In the steps of Mallory and Irvine” at Clare Park, followed by Cheese and Wine This is a not-to-be-missed event to hear the exploits of one of our leading adventurers. Major Keith Reesby, Army Air Corps is a Lynx helicopter pilot with eventful tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prior to his MoD desk job, he and rugby international Josh Lewsey took on a huge challenge. We follow them in their attempt to climb Mt Everest via its North Ridge in the footsteps of Mallory and Irvine. Apr (date to be announced) - Farm Tour Society Members have been invited on a privileged springtime tour of Clare Park Farm. Page 3 PARISH COUNCIL By Colin Hebbron, Chairman w w w. C r o n d a l l pc.gov.uk This is now live and is the authentic web site of the Parish Council. Local Development Framework (LDF) In its previous issue, we published the challenge by the Leader of Hart District Council to contribute to its emerging LDF. Covering the period 2006 to 2026, the LDF reluctantly accepted a target of 4400 new dwellings averaging 200 per year within Hart. Given the pressure for rapid, unacceptable and irreversible development along the M3, your Parish Council views the LDF as a positive instrument against an inevitable free-for-all that would otherwise occur. We duly responded with a recommendation drafted by Cllr Chris Dorn, that a total of 15 – 20 new dwellings, reasonably phased (which is the equivalent of 27 houses including 9 already built in the plan period) would be acceptable. This is for all types of houses whether developed privately or under an ‘affordable’ scheme. Your feelings, at our Council Open Day on 10 Feb 2011, provided clear messages against further development. So the Parish Council has gone out on a limb in order to assist HDC meet its objectives. We judge there is a feeling of village helplessness at the aggressive nature of housing development about to take place at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks (QEB) in neighbouring Church Crookham. 872 dwellings will eventually cover this grassy MoD site formerly occupied by Gurkha Regiments. The wooden, unobtrusive soldier accommodation will be bulldozed and replaced by Taylor Wimpey with a variety of their off-the-shelf urban designs. The result will impact massively on traffic, schools and other amenities in our area. It’s akin to having a cuckoo in our rural nest! 3 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 4 FARNHAM PHYSIOTHERAPY & SPORTS CLINIC 20 Firgrove Hill, Farnham www.farnham-physio.co.uk ❏ Sports injuries ❏ Neck and back pain ❏ Post operative rehabilitation ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ Arthritis Joint disorders Headaches RSI Quality assessment and treatment – Manual therapy – Electrotherapy Acupuncture – Exercise and Ergonomic advice Other Treatments – Chiropody/Podiatry – Pilates – Sports Massage Reflexology – Hypnotherapy 01252 726479 Centre PhysioFirst MEMBER OF THE ORGANISATION OF CHARTERED PHYSIOTHERAPISTS IN PRIVATE PRACTICE The Curtain Workshop Handmade Curtains A Complete Soft Furnishing Service Adaptation and Alterations Fabrics ❃ Tracks Poles 31 Harvey Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 9TN Tel: 01252 516788 4 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 The Potholes of Pankridge Street The Potholes of Pankridge Street are no more. Unbelievably, after 18 months of cajoling by Cllr David Argent, a gang of road menders from Amey turned up to re-tarmac them. Previously, the same gang had closed Dippenhall Street to spend ten days on resurfacing the footways. From your viewpoint this was probably a strange set of priorities and you might, have pointed out better requirements for the County to spend its money – sometimes government procedures seem difficult for the average citizen to follow!! Autumn 2011 Onwards then into the Autumn, managing our responsibilities within the relatively small £45K precept allocated for 2011/12. We look forward to initiatives, such as those being developed by the Crondall Project Association for recreational facilities for our village 8 – 14 year olds. You may also notice continuing deployment of SID (Speed Indicator Device) as a traffic calming measure. Otherwise we anticipate business as usual. John Brown – Groundsman to Ewshot & Crondall Parish since 16 July 1990 John Brown We are bidding farewell to the services of John Brown who retires on 3rd October. Born in Croft Cottage tied to Itchel estate, he followed in the footsteps of his father George and his grandfather Ben (of Hannam’s Farm in the 1920s). Over forty years ago and during the Page 5 only period in his lifetime he spent away from the village, he married Gail who is verger of All Saints. For more than twenty years, John has been a stalwart in keeping our estates and those of Ewshot in good order and in all weathers. Many in the village will miss John and his unsung work of cutting, trimming and clearing up. Thank you John, we have all appreciated your efforts. Sean O’Gorman has been appointed as John’s successor – congratulations Sean! Sean is also a native of Crondall and is very keen to develop on John’s efforts. HART DISTRICT REPORT Councillor Chris Simmons Local Development Framework (LDF) In the last publication, our District Council leader, Ken Crooks reported on the Local Development Framework that underpins all of our planning decisions. At the end of July, a consultation version of the LDF was published. This is pretty much as Ken described; notably Hart District have been obliged to follow the South East plan and build 220 dwellings per year. Whilst the district council seek comments from the Parish Councils, they also welcome comment from the general public. To this end there are three public exhibitions in September including one at Fleet Shopping Centre on the 10th September. Meanwhile, the Government has issued draft National Planning Policy Guidance to consolidate national planning advice to reflect its agenda for growth. One key area is how future housing requirements should be addressed. Last year the Government was of the view that housing should be provided to meet local needs. The new emphasis is very different. In the consultation document it has moved towards delivering housing that meets demand. In the case of Hart District, rather than 5 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 simply being obliged to follow the South East Plan delivery requirement of 220/dwellings/annum, we could be required to deliver around 1,542 dwellings/annum! It remains to be seen how Hart district council will respond to this; and indeed how it will affect the Local Development Plan. I will keep you appraised through the Crondall Society. Boundary Commission The Boundary Commission has been carrying out a review of Hart District council so that the number of voters represented by each councillor is approximately the same. It has now published its draft recommendations. These suggest that Hart should have eleven district wards, with each ward having three councillors. The report proposes that Crondall is consolidated with Odiham, South Warnborough, Long Sutton and Greywell into a new ward named Odiham. Ewshot will join Crookham Village, the new QEB development and parts of Church Crookham to become the new Crookham Village ward. Waste Collection In a recent cost saving exercise Hart with Basingstoke and Deane have been in negotiations with Veolia Environmental Services (VES) to provide waste collection services. As a part of these negotiations, I am pleased to advise you that at no additional expense to Hart, we will be reinstating the fortnightly glass collection a little later on this year. COUNTY NOTES by Councillor Jonathan Glen, County Councillor for Hook and Odiham We have had to make with some pretty tough funding decisions as there is simply not enough money to go around. 6 Page 6 There is a £55 million funding gap as a result of central government’s withdrawal of cash subsidies and the only way to balance our books is to reduce our expenditure, which means jobs and salaries. Staff costs account for 51% of our budget of £715 million, excluding schools (funding for education is ring-fenced and will not be affected). Savings will be achieved by cutting 25% of the 600 senior management posts, putting a freeze on recruitment, and re-negotiating current contracts to drive down costs. In total1200 staff redundancies have been identified. Despite cuts elsewhere, Hampshire County Council is spending an extra: – £350,000 to increase the number of social workers – £250,000 to look after children in care and improve their reading abilities – £600,000 to give employment to care leavers who are not in employment, education or training – £350,000 to allow bus fare concessions for all pensioners to be available from 9am daily, and travel tokens restored for all people with disabilities – £1 million to restore the ‘Aiming High’ budget for children with disabilities – £300,000 to restore grants to voluntary organisations serving children – £1 million to be allocated to Adult Care to restore 8 Senior Practitioner posts and appoint 3 Senior Nurses to be Clinical Coordinators in 3 large stand-alone nursing homes; £50,000 to stroke associations to replace the withdrawal of Government funding; £50,000 to hospices for carer support; £180,000 for a voucher scheme for carers and the establishment of a Home Carer respite scheme. – HCC is also keeping all of the County’s libraries open as well as making no increase to the Council tax. Please feel free to contact me on 07860 843 278 or my personal email at [email protected]. I also hold a monthly surgery at Dickson House, Hook on the first Saturday morning of each month. 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 PARLIAMENT By the Rt Hon James Arbuthnot MP for North East Hampshire Localism Twenty years of Parliamentary experience teaches one to be fairly sceptical about the coinage of a new term or phrase. When the ‘Third Way’ floated before me, mercifully briefly, a few years ago, the citizens of Crondall might well have heard a distant groan. I confess to having taken a sharp intake of breath when more recently, ‘localism’ appeared before me. But I have changed my mind and I thought you might be interested to hear why. The Localism Bill promises good things for us all. It is part of the Government’s desire to see individuals in villages like Crondall have more of a say in how things are done in their area. Ten years of Labour have left us with less say than ever before in how we run our lives. I have read letter after letter from constituents becoming increasingly frustrated at not having a say in things that materially affect them. We have all grown used to watching responsibilities being taken away from local Page 7 people and ceded centrally to bureaucrats who have no direct and understanding of our wishes. The Localism Bill will, I believe, go a long way to redressing this. Supply of Local Authority Service Town and parish councils already have a wide range of powers and responsibilities at their disposal. But the Localism Bill will push this further. It will, for example, reform the planning system to give local neighbourhoods far more ability to determine the shape of the places where we live. Every community will have the right to have a neighbourhood plan. Town and parish councils will have a leading role in bringing the plans together. The Bill also includes a community right to challenge. This will enable voluntary and community bodies, as well as parish councils and local authority employees wishing to deliver the service as mutual, to express an interest in running a local authority service, which may trigger a procurement exercise for that service. The Bill also contains provisions for a community right to buy. You will be able to identify and nominate assets of community value for listing by the local authority. Details about the Bill are still being debated in Committee in the House of Lords. But I believe it will make a positive difference to all our lives, and help us embrace the opportunities taking more responsibility for our own lives will bring. 7 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 VILLAGE PERSONALITIES Profile of Ann Wayre A gardener and bird-lover, a traveller and walker, a seamstress and water colourist, but most of all a giver. At 85, Ann Wayre shares with Mo Farrell a few reflections on a life well lived. Ann Wayre can often be seen walking along Pankridge Street, at church or at village events. Having lived in Crondall for the past 35 years, she is a familiar figure to many, and she, in turn, claims to know most longstanding residents. Few villagers, however, will be aware that in 1993 she was awarded an MBE, because Ann doesn’t shout it from the rooftops. In fact, her reserve and modesty are her trademarks and she would rather see the focus on others. Maybe that’s why she was drawn towards helping other people. It began with voluntary work in hospitals and after her divorce from distinguished ornithologist and otter conservationist Philip Wayre in 1959, Ann began her long association with the Red Cross of which she is a life member. A distinguished service medal and a devoted service medal were early accolades but it was her committed sixty years of service to the charity that yielded her the MBE, some satisfaction that her hard work had been recognised - and the chance to shake the Queen’s hand. Specifically, the award was given for her organisation over 22 years of holidays for the physically disabled. Living in Norfolk at the time, she was able to co-ordinate week-long breaks for up to 600 people at Pontins near Lowestoft. It was, she says, “wonderful work”, and one can only imagine the joy that such holidays would have given to the many 8 Page 8 hundreds of guests over the years. Great camaraderie was generated during these holidays and special events were put on to entertain the holiday-makers. Ann recalls one particular favourite of an elderly wheelchair-bound woman. A former dance teacher, she grabbed the opportunity to take part in wheelchair dancing saying emotionally to Ann afterwards that she’d never imagined she would ever dance again. It was moments like that made Ann realise how important her work was. “I’ve sympathetic towards people less fortunate than I am, particularly the disabled. I’ve always been very grateful for my health and strength and it was just one way of repaying for being so lucky.” “I’m actually a reasonably private person and I don’t go looking for social things. I’m not a party person and I can’t do small talk, but I like doing things with people.” When she moved to Crondall to look after her disabled sister, Ruth Battersby, she threw herself into village life. She joined the newly formed Crondall Society and acted as a section representative, a task she did for thirty years; she took up church embroidery and completed a real labour of love, a set of liturgical colours, and she set up the local Phyllis Tuckwell support group. After Ruth’s death in 1987, Ann decided to stay in Crondall. “I liked it here and had got involved in many activities. I’m a complete countrywoman. I would hate to live in a town. My favourite place is Scotland where I like to be on open moorland.” A shock diagnosis of bowel cancer in 2004 forced Ann to slow down but with so many interests, she couldn’t be stopped for long. She has made a remarkable recovery, helped enormously, according to her consultant, by her fitness. Walking three times a week with the Farnham Ramblers, often up to seven miles at one go, is an enduring pleasure “as long as they don’t go too fast”. She’s also an inveterate traveller, taking walking and birdwatching holidays to far-flung corners of the world such as the Galapagos Islands, Nepal, the Antarctic and New Zealand, and she does all but her most heavy gardening herself. 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Ann’s quiet zest for life is insatiable, but slowly as “my legs get more and more feeble”, she is opting for less physically exhausting pursuits. She can’t bear idle hands while watching TV and keeps them busy with patchwork baby quilts. She has made a staggering 500 and has raised £4,000 for the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice. She also knits jerseys for African orphanages and helps at Crondall Seniors, a monthly lunch and tea club for the elderly. She “dabbles” in watercolour painting, enjoys her four grand daughters and two greatgrandsons, and in between wishing she had read more of the classics or done a design course, and revelling in the bird life in her beautifully maintained garden, she frets about “keeping her marbles”. CRONDALL ENTERTAINERS LOSES TWO STARS Bob and Deborah Hammond have recently moved from The Borough to Rye in East Sussex. They were both actively involved in the restoration and day to day running of the Old Gym. However as we all know, Bob and Debs have been key players in the Crondall Entertainers. Bob especially has acted, written, produced and directed many shows over the past years. Once, when asked how he wrote his pantomimes, Bob muttered ‘well, it just happens’. At that point, Debs was immediately driven to explain what it was actually like to be married to a pantomime author: “Pah” I thought to myself, “if only it did just happen!” The panto is performed in February so auditions are in the previous November with the set builders crying out for the script by August. Once the dining room table has been established as the office extension complete with laptop, the fun starts. I believe some wives are greeted in the morning with ‘Good morning, Darling, did you sleep well?’ Not me. I get up at 7 am to ‘Do you know any crocodile jokes?’ Next, Bob has grabbed a pen and notebook and is scribbling furiously. Yes, the radio is playing and Bob has found the perfect song for a gang Page 9 of 10 year-olds to sing. This is then followed by a one-way ‘discussion’ on a dance to accompany the song and by this time I have probably put my head under the pillow. After much wringing of hands and several re-writes, the panto first-edition is considered complete and I breathe a sigh of relief for a couple of months. Auditions then take place. A chorus of 6 small girls has now become 12 girls, the cast has doubled in size and the laptop is replaced by a sewing machine. Yes, you’ve guessed it, as the wife of a panto author who has now become the show director, I am now in charge of costumes. Its time for me to make twenty pairs of velour trousers, twenty shirts and twenty hats whilst trying not to drop the pins. Eventually February arrives. The show goes on and it all becomes worthwhile as the audience laugh and cheer, the costumes sparkle and the cast bring the show to life. Now, bless him, his pantos have been published. Any spare time is now spent traipsing up and down the land to watch several versions of them all, whilst he mutters under his breath or occasionally laughs with joy when the performers do something unexpected and wonderful. The outstanding entertainment Bob and Debs produced will surely be much missed by all of us. Bob and Debs in ‘Another Comedy Review’ 9 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Bartley Heath Pottery North Warnborough Michael and Lesley Dixon Showroom Open Mon-Sat 10.00am–5.00pm For a range of handmade stoneware pottery. Commemorate Plates made to order. Saturday morning clay workshops for children. Telephone Lesley for details 01256 702163 email [email protected] www.bartleyheathpottery.co.uk Page 10 Made to Measure Roller, Vertical, Venetian and other internal blinds Alterations to Roller and Verticals also undertaken Fitting service available FOR FREE QUOTATION Tel/Fax: Farnham 01252 723566 8 Downing Street, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PB email: [email protected] 10 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 ROYAL WEDDING By Izzy Harrison-Butler & Heather Shepherd Wow, what a party! The weather turned out fabulous, the church bells were ringing, the street was decorated and The Borough was buzzing with party-goers. The bunting cut out by many of the children, Stepping Stones and sown together by Joyce Scannell was so amazing we didn’t want to take it down afterwards! Crazy Corin entertained the children with magic, Cathy Harrison painted their faces and we made £600 on the raffle that contributed towards the final total of £805 (after all outgoings and a £150 donation to the Ovarian Cancer charity) going to Crondall Primary School for its new kitchen. We released 220 red, white and blue balloons up into the sky. The winner of the Page 11 balloon race is still undecided as no one has yet found a balloon and written in! Oliver Withers impressed the crowds with his skill on a unicycle. The Plume together with the New Life Church provided food and beverages throughout and donated some of the proceeds to our charities. We enthusiastically encored Richard Kemm and Olivia Martin for their splendid rendering of ‘Whispering Grass’. Young boy band Glitch then entertained everyone with their talented act. No Crondall event would be the same without our much loved Dale Fontaine rocking the crowd on the dance floor. It was also Dale and Dee’s wedding anniversary. There were soooo many to thank for their hard work and ability to pull together an outstanding village event, attended by at least 600 that had fun and contributed so effectively to the celebration day of the Royal Wedding. Street Party in The Borough 11 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 12 GOLF ACADEMY ON WORLDWIDE TV Gavin Grenville-Wood, our professional at Oak Park and Crondall resident, has been filming a sequence of lessons that will be shown on Sky TV this autumn. Through the Golfing World web site, the videos can be downloaded onto one’s personal computer, for a more in depth study. The combination of this modern viewing technology offers a very good example of how TV together with digital downloads from a web site can hugely enhance instruction and skill teaching. The picture shows Gavin with the film crew on the tee of the 10th hole at Oak Park as he describes how to apply Course Management techniques to his pupil’s shots. The tenth is a particularly difficult 543 yard par 5 requiring not just power and direction but consideration on how exactly to tackle it within one’s own capabilities. It provides excellent teaching terrain So the message is ‘Watch Gavin’ on TV at Crondall Oak Park as he guides us through essential golfing drills to correct and improve our putting, pitching, chipping, fairway and driving abilities from the comfort of our armchairs! Show times are daily at 12.30pm on Sky Sports 4. Crown Golf Academy TV Show THREE PEAKS CHARITY CHALLENGE By Linda Tyler The Challenge The Three Peaks Challenge is a popular mountaineering event in the UK attracting increasing numbers every year. The objective is to climb Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scarfell Pike the highest mountain in England, and Snowdon in North Wales within 24 hours. This includes driving time which is roughly 10 hours leaving 14 hours to ascend and descend the peaks themselves. BOWENHURST BOARDING KENNELS & CATTERY Bowling Alley, Crondall Modern Individual Dog Kennels with covered runs plus Menu & Music Business hours 10am to 12 noon, 4pm to 6 pm 7 days a week ALDERSHOT 850541 12 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 13 3rd Peak Achieved! The Summit of Snowdon Linda, David, Granjina, Katherine, Alexander, Colin Ben Nevis is the highest of the three peaks at 1344 metres. It has one main path starting close to sea level at Fort William, meaning a much greater vertical ascent. Scarfell Pike from Wast Water in the Lake District is an ascent of 989 metres. Snowdon using the Miners track is some 800 metres. This makes an overall total of more than 3 ‘vertical’ kilometers. together with Katherine (their daughter) was also our support team. The aim was to raise money for Diabetes UK as Katherine Carswell is diabetic Crondall Team and The Charity Colin and Alexander (son) Carswell, myself and David (son) had to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in 24 hours. Grajina, Colin’s wife, was our driver and The Result Unfortunately David sustained an injury on Ben Nevis and was unable to climb Scafell Pike but rejoined us for Snowdon. Our sponsors were mostly from Crondall and we raised over £1500 for Diabetes UK. We completed the challenge with just 16 minutes to spare! Donations still accepted! Please support Diabetes UK at www.justgiving.com/davidcharlestyler SQN LDR MATT ROBERTS DFC 13 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 14 CRONDALL BUSINESSES NINETY YEARS AG0 From advertisements in The Crondall Fete Brochure 13 July 1921 A Souvenir Brochure of the 1921 Crondall Fete in Fred Cowdery’s possession, contains many local business advertisements. It is hugely informative in providing an insight into the way the local economy ticked. Here is a selection of the Crondall based advertisers, showing the various trades represented in the village in those days. It is nice to see we had our own bakery and a trip to the vicarage could secure you a basket of apples. Parsons the Butcher was located where The Withies are now built. Mr Long in Bowling Alley delivered all manner of dairy produce and Snuggs the Farrier was in Dippenhall Street. We had our own cycle shop in what is now 2 The Borough. Although not advertised, Albie Ralph had a little boot and shoe shop just along from there. Workers coming in from the fields in the evening could leave their boots with him for overnight repair and re-studding. 14 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 15 Crondall Stores There is an ambitious list of goods advertised as being available in the Crondall Stores. Note that there is a redeemable coupon for certain cash purchases. For those not familiar with ‘old’ money, it represents an 8.3% discount. I wonder if Nippy would still honour it ninety years later if any reader were to cut it out and present it? The Price of Things Thumbing through the brochure, it gives some of the prices at the stalls. Tea is 2d per cup. Given that beer was then about 6d a pint, this represents £1 in today’s money. Calculated in the same way, a ham sandwich is £1.50. It cost this much to put one’s hand into the Lucky Dip Tub - no doubt with a prize assured. A glass of ginger beer and a bun was in the region of £2. The winner of the veteran’s running race (over 45s) received five shillings or the equivalent of ten pints of beer. It was probably worth getting into training for! 15 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 16 FARNHAM COACHES • 29-70 Seat Coach Hire • • Corporate, Executive & Wedding Travel • • UK & European Day Hires and Tours • • Fully Uniformed & CRB Vetted Drivers • • Professional & Reliable Service • TELEPHONE 01252 724010 Odiham Road, Ewshot Farnham GU10 5AE www.farnhamcoaches.co.uk [email protected] ROOFING SERVICES (Established 27 years) ● ● All types of guttering repairs and renewals Chimneys taken down and rebuilt or pointed in ● Lead work valleys and flashings ● Tiling and slating ● Flat roofing with hot bitumen ● External painting For a free estimate call Bill on Home 01252 843273 ■ Mobile 07967 257787 Based in Hartley Wintney 16 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 CRONDALL’S WAR MEMORIAL (PART 3) By Tim Wilson In this issue I am covering two men who joined the services as regulars several years before the start of WWI. They are Lieutenant Patrick Maxwell Lefroy Royal Navy and Sergeant Harry Toogood, Corps of Military Police. PATRICK EGERTON LT MAXWELL LEFROY RN 1888-1915 Page 17 Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan Scotland and launched on 27 January 1910. The identical design of the Beagle class marked a return to smaller more flexible ships which were coal burning as the Admiralty were concerned about the availability of oil stocks. They were the last of British destroyers to be thus fuelled. They had a top speed of 29 knots and a complement of 96 men. Most of the 16 destroyers were involved in the Dardanelles campaign. All 13 surviving vessels were scrapped after the war by 1921. † Born on 8th August 1888, Patrick was the sixth son of the squire of Itchell Manor, Charles James Maxwell Lefroy and his wife Elizabeth Catherine. His father Charles was a wealthy man with a London home as well as Itchell Manor and he owned the Court and substantial farmland. Patrick was educated at home as a boy and was destined to follow in an elder brother, Cecil’s, footsteps as a commissioned officer in the Royal Navy. In May 1903 at the age of 15, he joined the training vessel HMS Britannia in the Dart as a naval cadet. On completion of the course he was graded very good in ability and zealous in knowledge. His first drafting was to HMS Duncan in the Mediterranean a fast lightly armed battleship with a crew of 700. There followed a succession of assignments in different stations including the China Seas. His reports were in the most part classified ‘promising’, ‘intelligent’, hardworking’, ‘a keen and good officer excellent physique’. All except one assessment where one can only think he must have upset his CO, who marked him ‘a fair signaller, appears rather stupid requires confidence’. From 1910 to 1913 he was an instructor on the training vessel HMS Hecla where once again he gained a ‘very good’ mark. After a short spell aboard the battle cruiser Blenheim in the Med, he joined one of the 16 Beagle class destroyers – the HMS Mosquito on the 19th May 1913 where he served until his death two years later. HMS Mosquito was built by Fairfield HMS Mosquito HMS Mosquito and the Dardanelles Campaign Winston Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, favoured opening an alternate front as the Western Front developed into a stalemate and trench warfare resulted in high level of casualties. Our Russian allies were keen to establish a breakout of the Black Sea into the Mediterranean. The Turkish Ottoman Empire, neutral at the start of the war, had thrown their lot in with Germany in November 1914 and threatened to cut off access to the oil reserves in the Middle East and even stir up trouble in the Indian sub continent. The Germans were pumping massive amounts of armaments and training into increasing the fighting efficiency of the Turks as their new allies. In Oct 1914, the Turks had closed the Dardanelles to Allied shipping. From the outset the Allies’ strategic aim was to force an entry through the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmara and seize Istanbul. This role was assigned to the Royal Navy using submarines and surface ships aided by the French Navy and a small number of Russian ships. 17 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 18 The Dardanelles were defended by a system of forts and mobile artillery. The outer defences lay at the entrance to the straits and proved vulnerable to bombardment and raiding, the inner defences covered the narrowest point of the straits. Beyond this the straits were virtually undefended. The foundation of the defences, however, was a series of 10 lethal minefields laid across the straits containing 370 mines. Crew of HMS Mosquito cheering submarine E11 after her exploits in the Sea of Marmora The Gallipoli peninsula and the Dardanelles showing the lines of mines, the anti submarine nets and mainland forts. There were a number of attempts to break through this defensive barrier using submarines. It was a challenging assignment complicated by the nature of the fast currents from the Black Sea into the Mediterranean and the temperature and density differences of the two bodies of water as the colder water of the Black Sea mingled with the warmer water of the Mediterranean. Furthermore the depth of the seabed was very variable and the British submarines carried only primitive instruments. The first attempt was made by Lt Norman Holbrook in December 1914 with a crew of 13 and 4 torpedoes. Holbrook maneuvered his way through five lines of mines and loosed a torpedo into the Turkish battleship Messudieh protecting the mines as she lay at anchor in San Sighla Bay. She had just been fitted out with the latest armory from the German Navy. She took a direct hit and rolled over in shallow water in seven minutes. 18 Thirty seven crew out of 700 lost their lives. It was a well timed morale boost to the Allies and Holbrook was rewarded with a VC. It paved the way for more submarine attempts, the most spectacular of which by submarine E11, succeeded in breeching all the defences and causing havoc in the Sea of Marmara. The Turks boosted their defences by adding a submarine net and a further line of mines in Erin Keui Bay running parallel to the shore to counter the route taken by Allied submarines returning from attempts to break through the main line of mines. They also developed drifting mines carried along in the fast flowing currents that they let slip towards the attackers. A first attempt was made on 1st and 2nd March 1915 to clear the minefields by trawlers manned by civilians. The trawlers were under the protection of 4 destroyers namely Basilisk, Grasshopper, Racoon and Mosquito supported by light cruiser Amethyst. Despite being carried out at night the attacking force came under withering fire as they were caught in the searchlights of the Turkish and German guns. The operation had to be abandoned having failed to reach the minefield. A second attempt was made on 10th-12th March involving HMS Mosquito but again this failed in the face of devastating firepower of the enemy guns. The civilians on the mine sweeping trawlers refused to continue under fire and had to be replaced by marines. Charge of the Light Brigade (Royal Navy Style) Vice Adm de Robeck, Commander Allied Fleet, planned a major offensive for 18 March 1915 using battleships from both the RN and the French navy together with supporting 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 19 battle cruisers to soften up the Turkish garrisons. Ottoman fire began to take its toll with 4 British and French ships all suffering hits. The French battleship Bouvet struck a mine and sunk within a few minutes killing 600 men. Later in the day two more British ships were disabled after hitting mines, but were able to disgorge most of their crews before drifting helplessly into the shallows. With three other ships severely damaged it was a major setback to the Allies and a significant morale boost for the enemy. SERGEANT HARRY † TOOGOOD Military Police 1885-1915 Sinking of HMS Irresistable by floating mines and shore batteries on 18th March 1915. Probably witnessed by Lt Lefroy from the decks of HMS Mosquito that stood by her De Robeck was distraught at the most serious loss of men and ships since Trafalgar and pleaded for a land based attack on the Gallipoli peninsular to support a naval advance through to Istanbul. This set in motion the disastrous Allied operation known as Gallipoli which cost so many lives of British and Commonwealth troops. The next act of the immense and tragic drama of the Dardanelles began on 25th April when, in the still mists of dawn, flotillas packed with troops moved silently towards the desolate beaches of the Gallipoli peninsula. On that very day that Lieut. Maxwell Lefroy was killed on board HMS Mosquito. It is likely that he was hit by Turkish fire from the many batteries overlooking the Dardanelles. Unfortunately the log of the Mosquito is missing for those crucial days leading up to the 25th April. Lt Lefroy was probably buried at sea. His elder brother Captain Cecil Maxwell-Lefroy was serving in the Dardanelles at the same time but it is not known whether they had been able to meet. Harry was born in 1885 in Brighton the son of William and Mary Toogood. William was a grocer’s assistant. His connection with Crondall is somewhat tenuous but he had an address here whilst he was stationed at Aldershot in 1911. He may well have been a lodger in the village as he does not appear to have been married. Maybe he had a sweetheart who ensured his name appeared on our memorial subsequently? At 16 years, Harry was too young to join the ‘Red Caps’ as the military police corps later became known, but his attestation papers dated 27 December 1900 show him applying as a private in the 1st Regiment of Life Guards. Mounted Military Police, Aldershot 1904 On 1st October 1904 Harry was accepted as a private in the Military Mounted Police that with the Military Foot Police, formed the Corps of Military Police (gaining its ‘Royal’ warrant in 1947). We can glimpse Harry’s 19 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 activities through the daily log book of the Corps in those early days. As a L/Cpl, he was sent from Ewshot to Farnborough as a casualty on 6 Oct 1910. On 30 June 1911 and evidently fit again, he was ordered to be i/c of kits for horses leaving Aldershot by train to Windsor Park and instructed to include ‘nosebags with feed of corn’. In Sep 1912, he was sent from Farnborough to Swaffham with Horse No 73 as part of 2nd Infantry Division. On 6 Oct 1912 there is an entry indicating the expiry of an 8 year assignment. He was reengaged, where we find him in Tidworth and moving to Curragh on 23 May 1913. Some 16 months later, he was back in Aldershot and promoted to Sergeant on 5th August as war began. Range of Sgt Toogood’s Duties At the outbreak of war the Corps of Military Police (CMP) both Mounted and Foot had a total establishment of 3 officers and 508 warrant officers and NCOs. At mobilization it was increased by 253 reservists mainly ex policemen. When the BEF went to France, each division had one Assistant Provost Marshal (APM) of the rank of Major and 26 NCOs. By the end of the War the establishment had grown to 12,000. In the early days, the CMP did not have well defined job descriptions and regular officers regarded them with some suspicion and wanted to use the manpower as they saw fit. It needed a degree of tact and diplomacy to stand firm to stick to their allotted tasks. In the early fighting especially after the retreat from Mons, the BEF were in considerable chaos so much of CMP time was taken up with dealing with lost or bewildered stragglers who had become separated from their units. Gradually a system evolved of establishing stragglers’ posts. Other key jobs included directing traffic, dealing with military crimes, controlling civilians in the battle area and patrolling rear areas and ports. The CMP also Page 20 had to organize enemy POWs, making sure they were debriefed by intelligence before passing them on to holding stations. Another task was to seize enemy carrier pigeons! As the war progressed, CMPs had the distasteful task of arresting deserters and dealing with those found guilty in the courts martial. Throughout the war more than 3000 death sentences were passed of which 346 were carried out. The list of offences is instructive: desertion was the most prevalent with 2005 death sentences and 272 executed. Then came sleeping at post 449 and only 2: cowardice 213 and 14: disobedience 120 and 4: murder 118 and 74: mutiny 55 and 15: striking a senior officer 49 and 4; casting away arms 6 and 2. The MPs were required to supervise the executions but not to supply the firing squads who would normally be provided from the prisoners’ own unit. Overall the CMP suffered 375 casualties. Sixty-five received the Distinguished Conduct Medal and 260 received the Military Medal. Sgt Harry Toogood was actively involved from the start. He survived the first chlorine gas attack of the war on 22 April 1915 at Zillebeke but was killed in the 2nd Battle of Ypres on 29th June 1915. The exact circumstances of his death are not recorded but he rests in a grave in Perth Cemetery China Wall outside the village of Zillebeke and is of course commemorated on our Memorial in Crondall. References The National Archives in Kew provided source material for Patrick Maxwell Lefroy, together with census details. Logs of various ships on which he served were consulted. The Royal Military Police Museum at Southwick Park Fareham were extremely helpful in giving me access to their archives and I am grateful to Lt Col JH Baber the Curator and Mr Richard Callaghan the Museum Archivist for their assistance in researching Harry Toogood’s service record.Any errors of fact are however mine alone. Germans surrendering at Ypres in 1915 to become POW’s under CMP responsibility 20 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 MARK HOWARD COPPICE CRAFTSMAN/HURDLE MAKER WATTLE FENCE PANELS, ROSE ARCHES, CONTINUOUS FENCING, MADE FROM HAZEL USING TRADITIONAL SKILLS SEASONED LOGS SUPPLIED Hannams Farm Cottage, Itchell Lane, Crondall, Farnham, Surrey GU10 5PR Tel: 01252 850791, Mobile 07702 152529 Page 21 PERSONAL TAXATION SERVICES Income tax and self assessment Tax returns and repayment claims Friendly service – low fees Barrie Turner 160 Tavistock Road Fleet Hants GU51 4HG 01252 816815 [email protected] 21 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 22 THE CRONDALL HARVEST 2011 as narrated by Giles Porter The end of July was sunny, promising a good start to the harvest. Subsequently it turned out to be the worst August since 1993 but all is now safely gathered in. Oil Seed Rape came first and the picture shows the Combine with its attendant tractor/trailer at Wimble Hill Fantastic Electronics Its clever computer system maximizes coverage, avoids the machine missing out little strips and provides a read out of all the key metrics. These include hours logged, fuel used and most importantly the crop yield in tons per hectare. Cutting &Threshing The Claas Combine Harvester on our Clare Park Farmland moves through the crop at about three miles per hour using its hydraulic ‘auto contour’ device to cut the stalks at the same height. It then threshes and cleans the grains using rotating blades, drums, sieves, and elevators. The grain collects in a tank that is periodically emptied into a trailer hitched to a tractor alongside. The chaff, having gone through a conveyor system known as straw walking, can be baled for animal bedding. This big beast is used to harvest all the cereal crops in our fields with subtle adjustments. For instance rape requires fairly lethal side cutters to slice the crop precisely along a given path whereas wheat and barley need to be politely nudged aside using a different fitting. Your chronicler reckons that sitting in its cab is as awe inspiring as being invited into the cockpit of a jumbo jet. But its electronic wizardry cannot do everything. Constant monitoring is needed to ensure maximum efficiency whether this be reducing unwanted debris amongst the corn or ensuring a valuable 22 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 harvest is not thrown out the back of the machine. Typically the ups, downs and sideways cant across a field requires sharp eyed adjustment of sieve control so that all the grain is distributed evenly across the mesh rather than clogging to one or other side. Certainly handling the Combine with its 10 metre wide cut and a variety of power take off units connected to a vast 600 horsepower Mercedes engine is not a job for an amateur. Page 23 The Ubiquitous JCB These days, farmers use JCBs as much as tractors. A JCB is indispensible for lifting, shifting and as a platform for keeping the drier and its parts working properly. Behind-thescenes maintenance also includes round the clock contractor cover for any repairs or replacements during this hectic period in the farming calendar. Huge Drier The grain is then delivered to the drier. It is first weighed when still in its trailer then dumped into a special chamber where buckets on a conveyor belt shovel it into the cleaner. It is then conveyed to the wet bin, drawn out underneath and up into the business end of the drier. It is then carefully dried to the desired moisture content. It steadily fills the dry hopper, the trailer then takes it to its storage barn or it continues on its way through pipe work to the adjacent barn. Keeping the pipes open Drying at Clare Park Farm Results We continued working until a deluge on 17th August brought us up short. The moisture content of the grain shot up from an acceptable 15% to levels that required the dryer to work at full power. This dismal situation continued to the end of August. We deliver our wheat to Hovis in Southampton and our barley to Cirencester where will be turned into malt.The beans, linseed and potatoes have all performed well and were the last to be harvested. Our neighbouring farmer’s spuds should also be finding their way into the local supermarket! By kind permission of the Porter family, members and friends will be invited to tour Clare Park Farm in Springtime 2012 on a date yet to be chosen 23 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 LUCKY ESCAPES Sam Watson – Saturday 30th April 2011 At about two thirty in the afternoon, young Sam was standing in the Oast House kitchen (Eastbridge), about to go into the adjacent conservatory to play with his toys. All of a sudden there was an almighty crash. He found himself looking at an enormous tree lying on its side. Its huge branches covered in their new springtime leaves, stuck out in all directions There was virtually nothing left standing of the conservatory. Glass and wooden struts were mixed with bits of brick, carpet and furniture. The tree filled the whole space, out into the garden and reaching up towards the roof of the house. The tree formed part of nearby woodland and presumably had suffered from the unusual spring drought we all experienced. Page 24 His colleague shadowing him with the tractor/trailer unit suddenly noticed a flicker of flame. It was just visible on the side of the combine and he immediately contacted Jason by mobile phone. Jason grabbed the large extinguisher mounted on the cab. Fire is not uncommon with tinder dry straw and hot working parts. Every effort is taken to minimise this risk, such as air blasting debris on a regular basis. Normally Jason’s quick reaction would have done the trick. To his horror he saw that a pipe had been breached and diesel was beginning to flow everywhere. At this stage, with several hundred litres of inflammable fuel in the tank, he could be forgiven for running! The inevitable happened and up it went. One minute it was a fully working, shiny painted harvester ready to do its job on many hundreds of acres of arable crops. The next it was a smouldering blackened wreck, burnt to a cinder. In the process, the tyres blew up so that many Crondall residents thought that a salvo of shells had landed! The Hants Fire and Rescue Service were quickly on the scene. Their highly efficient team also dampened the surrounding crops before the fire began to swathe through them. A replacement had to be located and delivered leaving little or no time for Jason to reflect on his close escape. A replacement was indeed found and delivered to maintain harvesting as the weather permitted. Sam with his sister Isobel in front of the fallen oak that could so easily have landed on top of him Jason Harrison-Butler – Wednesday 3rd August 2011 It was an early afternoon when Jason of Penn Croft Farm took over the controls of his 2009 Claas Combine to give one of the drivers a break. He began cutting again, driving up the field that used to lead to Clifton Cottages now long since demolished to the East of the Well Road. This was the first wheat field to be harvested. 24 The Penn Croft Harvester 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 ORIENTEERING ON HORSEBACK By Diana Maclean Page 25 house. The horses are individually ‘coralled’ using temporary fencing and they happily munch the new grass on arrival. Looking across a campsite, it sometimes reminds me of what a wagon train might have looked like at sundown in the wild west! For the past three years, I have been orienteering on my horse Murphy. Competitions are designed to test navigational competence, control of horse’s paces and ability to tackle a variety of obstacles. This type of event began when the French wanted to focus training and development of professional guides to support their highly organized equestrian tourist industry. This is why the competition is known as Le TREC or ‘Technique De Randonnee Equestre De Competition’. It was adopted by the British Horse Society about twelve years ago and now there are events all around the country. On hills near Offa’s Dyke Cooling off after the ride, Pembury, South Wales Throughout the summer season, I have been taking Murphy to a variety of these venues. Organisers usually pick a rather special piece of countryside and get permission from local owners for riding across their land. This means that with our compasses and maps, we can find ourselves riding over all sorts of different terrain not necessarily confined to bridleways. Recently I have been high in the Welsh mountains, the Peak District, on the rolling hills and fields of most of the Home Counties. Le Trec events attract riders of all ages and abilities. We set up camp sometimes in the grand parklands of a castle or mediaeval The orienteering part of the competition requires absolutely accurate map marking and the ability to get round a course of about 20 Kms without too many missed tickets. There are check-points often concealed until one correctly passes through little flags on either side of the track. Mischievously, there are false tickets showing that you have deviated from the route if you have recorded them. For the top classes, a variety of grid references and bearings have to be calculated and the route for these competitors can be anything up to 40 Kms. Managing one’s horse on rough terrain, trying to determine the route with rain dripping onto the map and the wind doing what it can to blow away the confidence of both horse and rider can be testing. But then there are those glorious days, with wonderful views over delightful parts of the UK countryside that make it all worthwhile. There are two other phases that can boost one’s points. One is the Control of Paces designed to demonstrate the degree of control a rider has over the horse, first in canter and then in walk. The rider must canter the horse as slowly as possible along a marked corridor 25 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 then turn around and walk the horse back as fast as possible. No marks are given if the horse breaks from the set pace. The second is a series of obstacles, designed to test the obedience, confidence, courage and balance of the horse and the correctness of the rider’s aids. The course consists of up to 16 obstacles, to be tackled in a certain order and within a set time. These may include jumps, ditches, water, steps and dismounted tasks. Approaching an obstacle Its marking system rewards riders who negotiate everything with accuracy and genuine horsemanship. For instance the smooth and controlled way of opening and closing a gate is a frequent favourite with the judges. Le Trec is not a hell-for-leather cross country event. There are even time penalties for riding too quickly within the time set for each leg as well as too slowly. This year the National Championships are being held in September on the somewhat intimidating upland of Dartmoor. 26 Page 26 LORD BRAMALL ON THE FALKLANDS CAMPAIGN A riveting account of the 1982 war given by Field Marshal Bramall for the All Saints Restoration Fund Appeal. Earlier this summer, Field Marshal Dwin Bramall recounted to a packed audience in the village hall those heady days when our Armed Forces retook the Falkland Islands from the invasion and occupation by Argentina. We were privileged to hear Dwin’s personal account of the political and strategic aspects of the campaign from his position of Chief of the General Staff (i.e Head of the Army) during those momentous spring days some 29 years ago. Remarkable by Any Standards In the era of the Cold War, the UK Armed Forces were suddenly faced with engaging in major land, sea and air battles some 8,000 miles away in the South Atlantic. It was launched from a ‘standing start’, with virtually no warning and it presented huge logistic problems with long, unhelpful lines of communications. Whilst it met time-honoured criteria of a just (or appropriate) war, it needed to be dealt with swiftly and decisively once the decision had been taken to meet force with force. As a key player within the Chiefs of Staff Committee, Dwin considers the good politicomilitary cooperation and the clarity of the command chain contributed very effectively to our eventual success. Maggie Thatcher was clearly won over to the advice and support this Committee provided. Following a fateful day on 31 March 1982 when the Argentine intentions became obvious, Dwin related how senior military figures sped back to London and eclipsed of the deliberations of the Cabinet and its officials with their positive and purposeful attitude. The First Sea Lord, Sir Henry Leach, gate-crashed the cabinet meeting and stated there and then that the Royal Navy could sail a Task Force to the South Atlantic and in his 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 opinion, we should do so otherwise our national name would be mud. This was just what the Prime Minister wanted to hear! Getting Underway Diplomatic efforts to resolve the impasse, especially those by the US Secretary of State failed to impress either side. The Argentines were the first to reject the final draft after which, President Regan who had been dithering for nearly a month, threw the United States’ support firmly and helpfully behind our country’s determination to get the Falklands back. Meanwhile military planning proceeded apace. Dwin considered all three Services cooperated magnificently and even instanced the British dockers who rallied marvellously with a sort of WWII spirit. Dwin then recounted how the Army elements were made up including the despatch of 5 Brigade, with its Gurkha Battalion and Welsh and Scots Guardsmen taken off Public Duties, sailing away on that grand liner Queen Elizabeth. Back in London, the War Cabinet was formed. It approved vital Rules of Engagement that clarified how far we were actually at war with the Argentines, particularly in the early Page 27 stages whilst diplomatic exchanges were taking place. In Dwin’s words “the Prime Minister was everything a war leader should be – well informed, decisive, ready to take key decisions and prepared to take risks if the results would justify it” The Chief of Defence Staff was always in attendance and became the second strongest person in this Cabinet. Maggie Thatcher met with Dwin and other Service Chiefs of Staff collectively and at regular intervals, a clear omission in Whitehall machinery these days. The Engagement Dwin then elaborated on the five phases of the engagement. They were based on strategy evolved by the Chiefs, striking a balance between giving the Task Force protection whilst avoiding escalating the conflict too early. The phases involved sailing to the area, retaking South Georgia, establishing an Exclusion Zone, positioning to get within striking distance then effecting a landing. All the time the risks were high because of the air threat in particular. A big concern and one that influenced the location of the landing, was the potential for the Argentines to launch sea-skimming missiles. Dwin stressed to the Dwin with Jane Nicholson (organiser, “Saints & Sinners” appeal evening 27 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 28 The Alfred Free House 9 Bishops Road, Upper Hale 01252 820385 Farnham’s Newest Free House Having just purchased the freehold our aim is to become known for our ‘Real Ales’ along with our now established home cooked food. We currently have 5 Real Ales – we hope to grow to 10 Very soon! If you are a fan of the great British pub come along for a visit. 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 PM that, once the troops were ashore, they would not be so vulnerable and ‘more than a match’ for the opposition. And so it all unfolded. Special Forces reconnoitred the landing sites and successfully raided the airstrip on Pebble Island where the Argentines had based maritime recce aircraft. There were naval losses on both sides, notably HMS Sheffield and the Belgrano. The Prime Minister achieved full support of parliament and the country for the landing that went ahead on 21st May. Sadly the logistic ship Atlantic Conveyor carrying 14 Chinook helicopters, vital to lifting troops eastwards towards Stanley was sunk. The Commando term ‘yomping’ then entered our language to describe the 56 mile slog in three days carrying 80 pounds loads. The commander of the bridgehead was encouraged to ‘take the war to the enemy’ and 2 Para with 300 men secured the surrender of 1,000 Argentines at Goose Green in a battle where the CO won his posthumous VC. Lt Col David Chaundler, then living at Church Street Crondall, was parachuted in to take over command of that battalion. Setbacks with the loss of RFA Sir Galahad and 48 Welsh Guards were compensated by a superb night attack by the Commandos on 11th/12th June. They captured Mt Harriet and Two Sisters features west of Stanley. 3 Para seized Mt Longden and 2 Para attacked Wireless Hill. The Scots Guards captured the formidable Mt Tumbledown after a ferocious battle against experienced Argentine Marines Page 29 and 1/7 Gurkhas drove a now fleeing enemy off Mt William, with the enemy propelled by fearsome tales of the possibility of having their heads lopped off by kukris! 11,000 Argentinians surrendered and 700 had lost their lives. There were 253 British Servicemen killed and 450 wounded or injured. In his praise to 2 and 3 Parachute Regiments as their Colonel-in-Chief, Dwin concluded with these words “In the years ahead and when you are old men (particularly when you are old men), you will be able to say as they said after Waterloo, after Alamein and Arnhem: I marched and fought and won in the Falklands and showed to the world the incomparable quality and professionalism of the British Army and the strength of the regimental system”. Nearly 30 Years On Dwin’s response to questions from the floor (after we had all enjoyed a delicious supper) showed he had lost none of his incisive and inquisitive acumen. These days, it is clearly a source of regret that vacillation and indecision has left the Services in a somewhat confused state. Dwin was able to crystallize how this has come to be and offered his own opinions of what is now needed. We are priviliged that he and Avril, Lady Bramall are our neighbours in the village. We are all surely hugely indebted to him for being at the military helm at the time and playing such a key part in ensuring its incredibly successful outcome. The Chiefs – Falklands War, 1982 29 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 FERGUS’ O’CALLAGHAN’S GAP YEAR TRAVELS Since January, Fergus has been travelling extensively with chums Matt and Ed in South and Central America as part of his gap year. On leaving school last year, he worked in London to pay for his trip. Their itinerary included Argentina, Brazil, Chile (Patagonia), Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Panama and Nicaragua. Oh yes, and a conservation project with animals in Costa Rica before returning in August – Whew! Here are extracts from his emails with some added text that paints an exciting picture of his adventures: Football Coaching in Argentina We are here to coach children from very poor backgrounds. Their willingness to learn is exceptional. These youngsters see a career in football as the only way out of poverty. Of course only a tiny percentage of them will make it even up to the first rung of the ladder so it is bound to be pretty tough going for them. We are located in the centre of Buenos Aires on the well known Santa fe road. We take part in all physical and fitness sessions including drills and strategy techniques which is extremely tough. Most of the coaching and training takes place in the afternoons so we often go and help with a government project in the morning looking after younger kids. Swimming with them ends up as a survival test for us when they all cling to our necks! We have being staying with a widow who is generally very welcoming but has her moments. She cooks real authentic Argentinian food for us every night and often have long discussions on all sorts of topics in my halting Spanish and her smattering of English over our supper. Carnival Time in Salvador Salvador is known as Brazil’s “capital of happiness” due to its easy going population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. Carnival is amazing although the beaches in 30 Page 30 Salvador aren’t too pretty during carnival due to the water being slightly polluted and the streets becoming an open sewer. The theme for this year’s 2011 carnival has been percussion with drumming vibrating through all the downtown areas. We couldn’t afford a Camerote – a viewing position where you can watch all the floats come past - so we followed one of the Blocos (or street parties) in and amongst the samba mayhem and buying beers and caipirinhas at killer strength!! E Mail from Rio We are now spending time on Ipanema beach in Rio. Its absolutely boiling, especially when we decide to play football with the locals, which generally consists us of chasing the ball or accidently hacking them to the floor. If we walk far enough we can our way to the well-known Copacabana beach. Ed and myself are staying in Leblon one of the more affluent yet delightful areas But it is draining our funs. We are now off to visit Christ the Redeemer, the Favelas (shanty towns and home to at least half the population). We went up Sugar Loaf mountain but picked the worse day as it was cloudy and we had no view at all! Fergus with a local man E Mail from Patagonia Our next adventures took place in Torres del Paine in the far south of Chile, where we trekked for three days. It is a National Park between the Andes and the Patagonian steppes. We found it rather like the nice parts of Scotland. 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 31 We hiked eight or nine hours per day and it was tough. We also stopped for water breaks from the fresh flowing rivers Once whilst cooking supper, Ed started a fire that lit the tinder dry bush. Someone from a log cabin nearby saw it and helped with his extinguisher. Had he not, Torres Del Paine would be cinders and we all would have been persona non grata in the country! Email from Bolivia Bolivia’s history has been tumultuous ever since the country gained its independence from Spanish rule in 1825. On its Andes slopes it is cold, arid and in some places nearly impenetrable. Its wealth comes from silver and tin mines. Its Eastern half is covered in vast valleys and plains, rolling hills and lush rainforest, home to over 40% of all the Earth’s known wildlife. We have just come back from a fantastic 3 day river boat tour in the jungle. When swimming, I was towed along by a pink dolphin until I got cramp and was dragged towards the crocodiles on the side! We also went on a salt flat tour in a big 4X4 from Chile to Bolivia which was awesome but freezing and many suffered from altitude sickness. In my opinion we covered the most beautiful terrain in South America thus far. Death Road connects the Amazon rainforest to La Paz and is reckoned to be the most dangerous in the world as it winds through very steep hillsides and atop cliffs. It is 10 ft wide, goes downhill for 40 miles and has no guard rails. We cycled it and survived…..just. Ed came flying past me, lost control and was saved from a huge drop by hitting the only sign for miles! Email from Peru We have just completed the Inca trail reaching Machu Picchu on the 4th day, woke up at 3.30 am so we could be amongst the first up there. For years it was a lost city high in the mountains with miles of roads, terraces, thousands of steps and several temples. Now it is a wonder of the world – quite incredible. Email from the Costa Rica Conservation Project We have volunteered to join a programme to On mountain near Machu Picchu help protect wildlife and wildlife habitats in Costa Rica, while learning about the relationship between wildlife and environmental conservation. I found myself in control of the monkey section for a couple of days. I saw a one armed monkey named Tarzan kill four frogs by throwing them against a tree, as well as picking a cat up swinging it round in the air then releasing. This kept me on my toes! Monkey Business Email from Nicaragua I am now on my own in Nicaragua with no Spanish speaker and have been closely searched by the police with not much clue as to what was going on. However I have climbed the two volcanoes on the island of Ometepe and watched a bull fighting. I also managed to clock 72 kilometers an hour going down a volcano in Leon on a toboggan which was fun in the extreme! It was homeward bound via North America. There I met my family who had flown out from Crondall and despite my traveller’s complexion, they recognised me! 31 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 GAP YEAR TRAVELS – ASIAN LEG – JACK O’CONNOR The regulars in The Plume of Feathers will remember Jack of Dippenhall Street pulling pints to fund his Far East trip. The razzamatazz of Bangkok clearly came as a bit of a shock. ‘The drive across the city to our accommodation was a terrifying experience – incredibly busy and noisy. We were mobbed by touts and traders as we walked along Koah San Road. But my colleagues and I found fantastic bars and hawker food stalls serving fresh authentic Thai dishes for less than 50p. Jack elaborates: ‘Patpong Road is famous for its ping pong shows but it is in a rough area. Yet there are so many amazing ornate temples clean, glittering, quiet and a complete contrast to the poverty we saw throughout the city’. We then travelled to Kanchanaburi, the home to the infamous bridge over the river Kwai with its war museum and memorial. We made several trips whilst staying there; we spent the best part of a day at a beautiful seven tier waterfall where you swim in each pool and can slide down to the next level. We went elephant trekking and also spent a day at the tiger temple where monks care for abandoned tigers. A long day’s travel took us to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the site of many large ancient temples. We were guided by a Tuk Tuk driver for the equivalent of £3 for the day. We then moved to Koh Samui Island. We stayed in an A frame hut on the beach just metres away from the sea where a local man 32 Page 32 would wake us in the morning with fresh fruit and a large bag of weed (which we declined!) The night life was fantastic with entertainment from live dancers and Thai boxers. A moped trip during the day was a brilliant way to see the rest of the island and the beautiful scenery. A trip by boat took us to Phi Phi Island with some of the best snorkelling to be done in Asia. There are no cars on the island and you can walk across it in under 10 minutes. At night the beach bars hosted entertainment such as limbo dancing, fire dancing and glow skipping. It was also one of the most badly affected by the Tsunami where 1 in 5 of the population was killed and its impact is still evident in many places. Malaysia In the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, we visited tea plantations, strawberry farms, honey farms and rose gardens as well as a reptile and insect farm. The crazy keepers literally threw scorpions at us so that they stuck onto our T-shirts! We then travelled through Malaysia arriving in Kuala Lumpur to stay with friends of my parents for some well deserved luxuries such as a bed and hot water. The main tourist attraction was the Petronus Towers but, be warned, you will pay up to £12 for a pint of beer there. Next to Singapore where we took a tourist bus around the island. With its high rise buildings and its clean and quiet streets, it was very different to the Asia we had just travelled through. A month on the east coast of Australia, followed by an activity tour of New Zealand’s North and South Islands before returning to England via New York is another story! Well ‘gapped’, I am now off to Bristol University for my three year degree course. 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 33 FARNHAM ANTIQUE CARPETS SPECIALISTS IN ANTIQUE & DECORATIVE CARPETS PREVIOUSLY AT THE LION & LAMB YARD IN FARNHAM NOW BASED WITHIN THE OLD PARSONAGE, CHURCH ST. CRONDALL ALL CARPETS AND RUGS CAN BE SEEN IN YOUR OWN HOME ANTIQUE & MODERNCARPETS RESTORATION CLEANING VALUATIONS WWW. FARNHAMANTIQUECARPETS.COM 01252 851215 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 “ON THE MARGINS” Working with anti-social youth by Nathan Roberts Following the AGM in May, Society members were treated to a presentation by Nathan Roberts. For the past decade he has worked with youngsters in UK and abroad who cross the boundaries of social norms and become a problem to their communities. His latest project, currently being pioneered in Brighton, is called Band of Brothers. It is based on giving potential miscreants experiences that are designed to reverse their downward spiral of anti-social behaviour. Nathan introduced the concept of the Negative Millionaire. This was someone who, usually by his 40th birthday, had cost the country and the taxpayer £1,000,000 as he progressed through the Criminal Justice System. Calculated in 2007, these costs were around £30K for each high court trial and £45K per year in prison, to say nothing of the hidden costs to victims. Nathan used the masculine gender simply because 90% of the population of prison and remand homes were boys and men. The overall cost to the taxpayer was in the region of a staggering £4.33 Bn annually with at least half of the prison inmates being habitual re-offenders. Nathan recommended reading Iron John by Robert Bly published in 1990. It illustrates a youth’s first anti-social forays influenced by an urge for some sort of initiation in his attempt to become accepted with a group. In parts of Africa where Nathan has worked, he became familiar with the saying “If a young man fails to be initiated into the tribe, he might burn down the village just to feel the heat!” This behaviour is apparent in most cultures resulting in damage to society and sometimes to the perpetrator, including self harm and even suicide. In his book, Bly’s cites four attitudes that 34 Page 34 underpin anti-social motivation. These are cravings for risk taking, an inability to visualize its inevitable consequences, a buzz of ego-centricity and disassociation from the natural world. Nathan then showed a short video that described how his team, Band of Brothers applied the antidotes during intensive weekend courses held on the Sussex Downs. The testimonials from participants, initially believing they were being taken for a ride by ‘a bunch of nutters’ showed how their opinion soon changed. They found themselves becoming appreciative of society’s norms, gaining a sense of belonging, respect and status. They were even able to articulate upbeat descriptions of themselves – a useful prerequisite for any job interview. Dan Gill, Anti-Social Behaviour Caseworker based at Hart District, complimented Nathan on his ability to identify and explain clearly what needed to be done. Dan’s first message to the Society was to report any anti-social behaviour. The method for doing this was to dial 101 to notify the police. Congregating outside the village shop did not in itself constitute bad behaviour. However shouting abuse at passers-by could be Harassment under Section 5 of Public Order Offences Act 1986 justifying a 999 call for immediate officer response. He described how he worked with PC Derek Morrow of the Safer Neighbourhoods Team, especially on cases where the perpetrator was already known to the Safer Hart Partnership. There were many questions and views put forward from the floor. It became clear that the problem existed in Crondall and, in the view of a lady in the audience “these boys are scary”. Dan agreed with one observation that identified Hart’s duty to fund youth care homes whereas prison funding was a central government’s remit. This meant that a youth having committed a crime, was then effectively ‘off-the-books’ of local responsibility and theoretically this could reduce the incentive of a local authority to increase support measures to help him stay on the correct side of the law. However, Dan indicated he had heard of proposals, to provide a skate board or similar facility for Crondall youth. 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 35 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Light and Refreshing with less than half the usual level of alcohol Ideal for spring and summer Page 36 38th Annual General Meeting of THE CRONDALL SOCIETY Minutes of the Meeting held in the Church Rooms On Wednesday 18th May 2011 at 1930 hrs 1. Minutes of the Previous Meeting The minutes of the meeting of 12th May 2010, which had been published in the Autumn 2010 Society Magazine, now renamed Crondall Chronicles, were taken as read and approved. 2. Chairman’s Report Robin Collet opened the meeting by introducing the village policeman, PC Derek Morrow, and David Gill, the Anti-Social Behaviour Coordinator at Hart, who were in attendance for the later discussion on anti social behaviour. He then began his report by saying this had been another relatively quiet year for the Society with unusually no major planning issues or inquiries. He noted that the Committee, which had remained unchanged except for the departure of Neil Fagan, was working well. He then highlighted three points: Already tried and enjoyed by many Crondall Residents Now available at the Village Store In a Chardonnay version also 36 a) Gift Aid: The Chairman thanked all Society members who had completed the Gift Aid forms and particularly thanked James Burchett, supported by Dick Wilkinson, for introducing and managing this arrangement. He noted that the Society had received £2,100 in Gift Aid covering the previous 5 years which was a welcome increase to its funds, which would appear in 2011 accounts. b) Society Magazine: The Chairman paid tribute to the hard work done by John Maclean in editing the Society Magazine which all agreed was a much improved publication. c) Society Website: Thanks were given for the work done by Charmian Hickman in developing the Society’s website, hopefully to be up and running 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 before long. The Chairman also thanked the Section Representatives who had done such a magnificent job for the Society over the past year, especially as this involved the additional work of introducing Gift Aid donations. On behalf of the Committee he thanked the retiring representatives Ann Wayre, Roger Thompson and Robbie Streeter and welcomed new ones Roger Withers, Richard Hutchinson, Jonathan Trotman and Judith Arnold. He complimented Jonathan Glen as our County Councillor for the work that he had done over the past year and also welcomed Chris Simmons who, as a relatively new Councillor at Hart, was in attendance. He noted that Alan Behagg, the Society Secretary was also a Parish Councillor and said that this link with the Parish Council worked well. The Chairman briefly reiterated the four principle aims of the Society: • To stimulate public interest in the village • To promote a high standard of planning and architecture in the village Page 37 • To secure the preservation, protection , development and improvement of features of historic or public interest in the village • To keep a watching brief and a careful eye on the general amenity of, and in, the village having particular regard to the threats posed by traffic, both vehicular and aircraft. The Chairman then returned to the activities of the Society over the last 12 months and drew attention to the following: Circulation of House Location Map A new House Location Map had been circulated to all homes in the village in Autumn 2010. The Society Magazine David Judge had been successful in increasing advertising revenue for the magazine by 80% in the past 2 years. The School The Society remained concerned about the allocation of secondary school places and RANGER’S FURNISHING STORES Established 1895 A traditional furniture shop selling top quality furniture and carpets offering excellent service * Parker Knoll – Suites & Chairs * Celebrity – Recliners * Cintique – High seat chairs * Sutcliffe –Teak dining furniture * Corndell – Contemporary oak * Staples – Pocket sprung beds * Dunlopillo – Latex beds & pillows * Axminster – Quality carpets FREE DELIVERY 105-106 West Street, Farnham Next to Post Office Telephone : 01252 715185 37 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 was in close contact with the chair of governors, Oli Beavon, on this matter. The Chairman noted that the Society was sponsoring another Competition at the School this year and thanked Charmian Hickman for arranging this. Crondall Events Community Interest Company: This continues to be a successful venture within the village and has organised r many key events including the annual fireworks display and the summer fete. The Chairman noted that the film shows had ceased because of the absence of a person to run them and appealed for volunteers to do this in the future. Aircraft: The Society remains concerned about developments at Farnborough and is greatly assisted by the expertise of Gordon Keyte in addressing this matter. Sadly a recent application to increase the number of flights from 25,000 to 50,000 had been approved. Planning: QEB: The Chairman advised that a new application for 872 houses was before Hart. Although a primary school was in the original plans, this had been removed at the request of HCC, with them preferring an increased Education contribution to be used partly to expand two other nearby primary schools. The increased traffic at peak school hours appeared not to be a consideration. For similar reasons the percentage of affordable houses for this project had been revised by Hart from 40% to 25% and this allowed a higher Section 106 contribution to go to Hart – apparently pinpointed for education. The planning meeting at Hart to discuss this application had been fixed for 1st June at the Harlington centre. LDF: With the scrapping by the Coalition government of the South East Plan local authorities were developing their own plans and Hart was no exception. The Parish Council had submitted a response to the Hart consultation on this matter and in this it 38 Page 38 said it supported the development of a total 15-20 new dwellings over the period of the Plan – which runs until 2026. Anti-Social Behaviour: The Chairman chose not to expand on this as the evening speaker was to give a presentation on this topic after the AGM. Conservation Area Proposal Statement: The Chairman noted that this had now been re-issued and that the new version contained almost all the recommendations advanced by the Society. Parish Boundaries: It was noted that the parish had been split a year ago and that Crondall and Ewshot were now separate parishes with new Councils. Elections last year saw 8 councillors appointed in Crondall without an election as there were only 8 volunteers. The next elections will take place in 2012. Meanwhile a review of ward boundaries for the District is taking place. Travellers site at junction of Crondall Road and A 287: The Chairman explained the background to the establishment of a travellers site in Crondall Road. He explained that Hart had issued a permanent stop notice and an enforcement order for the travellers to leave but that this was later appealed to the Planning Inspector who confirmed the enforcement but extended time for compliance until January 2012. Subsequently the travellers had put in another planning application which was turned down but the only reason was a difference in Section 106 contribution. Discussion on this was still ongoing and yet another planning application had been submitted by the travellers. In summary, the Chairman considered it unlikely that the travellers would be forced to leave the site. Traffic: The Crondall Traffic Action Group (CTAG) remains active and closely linked to the Parish Council. Charmian Hickman and Mark Watkins lead on this for the Society. 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Social Events: Over the past year the Society had arranged a visit to St Cross in Winchester (Thanks to Jeremy Taylor), manned a stall at the village fete and organised a very well attended footpath walk (thanks to Mark Howard). In addition there had been a presentation on the new South Downs National Park by Oliver Plunkett at Clare Park. For 2011 the Society has the following planned: Saturday 25th June – Stall at village fete. Wednesday 12th October – Quiz night at The Horns Friday 18th November – Clare Park event Other plans included a farm walk and a Brewery visit, but dates for these had yet to be confirmed. All these social events had been organised by Ali Howard to whom we owe a huge load of thanks. 3. Treasurer’s Report: James Burchett presented the accounts. He explained that over the past year the Society’s income had remained relatively static at £3,716 (last year: £3,504) but that expenditure had increased to £3,420 compared with last year (£2,643) largely due to the increased cost of producing the Society Magazine. The Society had assets of £8,417 in its account of which £1,000 was allocated to the Crondall Book At the conclusion of this item the Society agreed to adopt the accounts, proposed by Tim Wilson and seconded by Betsy Ashton. 4. Election of Independent Examiner Following a short discussion Gerald Mansfield was appointed as the Independent Examiner of the accounts for 2012. Proposed by Jeremy Taylor, seconded by Betsy Ashton. Page 39 Chairman’s post which remains vacant 6. Election of Executive Committee: The following were elected to the Executive Committee: Charmian Hickman Ali Howard Mike Jefferies David Judge Gordon Keyte John Maclean Jeremy Taylor Robin Tyler Dick Wilkinson Proposed by: Tim Wilson. Seconded: Brenda Sullivan 7. Any Other Business: There being no other business, the Chairman once again thanked the Committee members and Representatives for their hard work over the year. 8. Presentation to Ann Wayre The Chairman outlined the contribution and support Ann Wayre had made and given to The Society in so many ways as from the founding meeting in 1972, not least as Section Representative first at the Court and then in Pankridge Street when she moved there, from which she was now retiring. In recognition of this, on behalf of The Society, he presented her with a bouquet of flowers After a break for wine and cheese, there was an interesting illustrated talk on the The Rites of Passage for Young People given by Nathan Roberts followed by a lively discussion on anti-social behaviour and how to address this in the village. The meeting ended at 2200hrs, over 40 people having attended. 5. Election of Officers: The following, having been nominated, were elected: Chairman: Robin Collet Secretary: Alan Behagg. Treasurer: James Burchett. No nominations were received for the Vice 39 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 CHAIRMAN’S FINAL NOTES 2011 Page 40 C.S. EMBLING THE CABINET REPAIR SHOP Woodlands Farm, Blacknest, Alton Hants. GU34 4QB Robin Collet Chairman of the Crondall Society Office Telephone: Frensham Surrey (01252) 794260 FREE ESTIMATE OR QUOTATION As usual, so much has been covered in this issue – and there is little to add to this and the very full notes of the AGM set out above Perhaps to update on a few • QEB (Queen Elizabeth Barracks). The proposal to build 872 houses has been approved by Hart • The further planning application by the Travellers for their unapproved site at the junction of the A827 and Crondall Road has now been approved by Hart, after a recommendation by the planning officers to do so. There is a feeling by some that Hart were influenced less by full planning considerations, but more from wishing to tick a box of “finding” a site for Travellers and that is was the easier answer. • You may recall that for the Silver Jubilee in 1977, trees were planted to waymark the public footpaths – Whitebeam Sorbus Aria – the Jubilee trees. Not least, with the Diamond Jubilee coming up next year, we are considering replanting any failed trees and any other ideas. Please give us any thoughts you may have. • A study has been done for HCC of various ideas for the A287 Redfields Lane crossing. The Parish Council is considering this too. We expect to respond in due course. • We bid a sad farewell to David Judge who has been a stalwart committee member for advertisers who subscribe to The Chronicles. He and Barbara are moving to Huntington and we wish him the very best of continued good fortune. As always, any comments you have are very welcome and we look forward to seeing you at our future events. 40 WE CAN COLLECT AND DELIVER www.embling.f2s.com [email protected] Antique Restoration ● French Polishing ● Other Finishes Business Hours: Monday to Friday 8am-5pm 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 41 THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIETY Appointment Appointee Chairman Robin Collet Hon. Secretary Hon. Treasurer Membership Sec Editor, News Architecture PCC Liaison & CECIC District Council Liaison Parish Council Liaison School Liaison & Traffic Advertising Traffic Events & Publicity Airfields Other Members Address The School House, Wimble Hill Alan Behagg The Coach House, Dippenhall St. James Burchett 2 The Borough Dick Wilkinson Fanlings, Croft Lane John Maclean The Georgian House, Eastbridge Mike Jefferies The Oast, Dippenhall St Robin Tyler 2 Townsend Cott, Dippenhall S Chris Simmons 4 Beacon Hill Road, Ewshot Alan Behagg The Coach House, Dippenhall St. Charmian Hickman Manywells, Pankridge St Appointment Vacant Mark Watkins Ali Howard Gordon Keyte Jeremy Taylor SOCIETY WEBSITE The Orchard ,Well Rd 6 Church Hill Terrace Cherrybank, Dippenhall St Hannams Barn, Hannams Farm Clo Tel No E-Mail 850824 [email protected] 850629 [email protected] 852027 850272 850699 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 850215 851416 [email protected] 625563 [email protected] 850629 [email protected] 851743 [email protected] 850404 851777 851346 850181 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] To be found on www.crondallsociety.co.uk THE CRONDALL SOCIETY WELCOME ABOUT US EVENTS JOIN US COMMITTEE MEMBERS SECTION REPS LINKS DOWNLOADS CHRONICLE WELCOME Formed in 1972, the Aims of The Crondall Society are: - To Stimulate Public Interest in the Village - To Promote a High Standard of Planning & Architecture in the Village - To Secure the Preservation, Protection, Development and Improvements of Features of Historic or of Public Interest in the Village - To Keep a Watching Brief and a Careful Eye upon the General Amenity of, and in the Village, having Particular Regard to the Threats posed by Traffic, both Vehicular and Aircraft 41 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 42 FOOD FOOD TO TO DINE DINE FOR FOR Bed & Breakfast at The Georgian House Eastbridge Catering for: Business Lunches– Christenings Funerals – Weddings Birthday Parties Professional High Quality Service Menus Tailored to Your Requirements Excellent Food Reasonably Priced “Available to take the hassle out of entertaining in your own home or work place” www.the-georgian-house.co.uk Tel: 01252 850699 Elaine Tookey 01252 612316 0771 211 4860 www.foodtodinefor.co.uk Email: [email protected] 42 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 43 SUMMER FROLICS s e . e e During an evening in mid August when it was low tide, Sandy and Pat at Cheeks Farm Livery, Wimble Hill organised a beach outing to Hayling Island. Taken by her father, this picture of Rachael Alton riding Sox captures all the fun of the occasion. Rachael lives at The Hollow near by Heath Lane, Crondall. Some seven horses together with a number of extra riders took part in bare back riding (to avoid ruining the leather saddles). It proved a great experience and a huge amount of enjoyment for all the riders and horses! INTO AUTUMN As new advertisers in The Chronicles, your editor called Farnham Stoves for a final check on layout. Frank’s recorded message gave a hint of the enthusiasm that he and Gill clearly have for their local, family-run business. It apologised for not picking up the phone but indicated that he was either out on a job or stuck somewhere up a chimney! We subsequently discussed their service that will ‘deliver toasty days and cosy nights in front of a stove that will look good for years and give pleasure with the warmth that it delivers’. Frank also pointed out that a modern wood burner delivers provides energy efficiency and cost saving that cannot be achieved in an open hearth. With the nights drawing in, the vision of home fires seems to be good one to conclude this Autumn Edition of The Chronicles. Has summer really flown by so quickly? IN THE LOOP But don’t forget to keep me, your Chronicler, ‘in the loop’ for any exciting activities occurring during this coming winter. I guarantee to be there with my camera and pen poised to record it! [email protected] tel 850699. 43 89616_Crondall_Aut 2011 ver 2 1/9/11 10:43 Page 44 Aidan McEvoy Fine Furniture specialises in designing and making bespoke furniture, from dining tables to jewellery boxes. We create furniture and Interior room schemes to the highest standards of exceptional craftsmanship, that will be enjoyed by many a generation to come. Free consultation at your home or in our Farnham workshop. 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