Obituary Index
Page Last Updated on:
Brynley Shackleton
25th September 2022 Frampton Cotterel
Ryan Price 1927 - 2020
Picture from
the Striking Competition at Dyrham in 1999.
Ryan
was born near
St David`s
in Pembrokeshire.
When
he
was
5,
his family
moved
to
the mining
villages
of
South
Wales.
Just after the
end of the
Second World
War,
whilst serving
his apprenticeship
as
an electrician,
he
was asked if
he
would like
to
learn
to
ring to
help make
up
a band
to
get the
bells sounding
again
at
St Sannan`s,
Bedwellty
in
Monmouthshire.
This
was in
the late
40’s
and by
the early
50’s
his name begins
to appear
in
Peals. He
was
an
enthusiastic ringer and
the band
progressed quickly.
His
son
Andrew recalls
Ryan
telling him
about the
band
practising
methods by
tapping their
feet whilst
waiting
at
the bus
stop to
take them
up
to
Bedwellty.
In
1951
he
stood
in
a
Peal
attempt, successfully ringing
5040 changes
of
Grandsire Doubles
but unfortunately this was
not recognised
as
a
Peal
because it was
rung
with
7,6,8 cover
bells. Consequently his first
recognised Peal was
Plain Bob
Major
at
Cowbridge
for
the
Llandaff &
Monmouth DA
on
18
August 1951.
He
met and married Eileen
in 1950,
she
also
became a
ringer,
and they
settled in
Cardiff
joining the
St
John`s
band.
The
then
lived
for a while
in
Tenby
where they
both rang;
before returning
to Bedwellty where
he
became
Churchwarden
and
In
1965,
Ryan’s
work with the
CEGB
took
him to
Bristol. He
and his
family
set
up
home in
Mangotsfield. He
began
mover in the recasting
of the
bells.
He
rang
42 tower
bell peals,
the final
two being
Stedman Cinques
and Grandsire Cinques rung
for the
G &
B
at
St
In
1991, the Price
ringers re-formed
in
order to
make
a recording
on cassette tape
to raise
money for
the recasting
of
Jennifer Rogers 17th December 1932 - 11th October 2020 Abson and Wotton Branch
Jennifer learnt to ring when she went up to Oxford
University. She had previously read Dorothy Sayers ‘The Nine Taylors’ and was
recruited by the Oxford University ringing society during their search for new
recruits. In those days University practices were held in New College and where
she was taught to handle a bell.
Ringing had to compete with several other of her
interests and after mastering bell control and plain hunt, Jennifer abandoned
ringing to take up, as she described, more restful student-like pursuits.
It was some twenty five years later having married Mike
and with more-or-less independent children, she visited her local tower, Abson
on their open day resulting in her returning to bellringing again. The G & B
Annual report notes she became a member of Abson tower in 1978 and remained so
until 1999. During this time she was tower secretary for 15 years and also took
responsibility as tower captain at Pucklechurch for two years after Edward Mould
left to live in London, although there is no record that Jennifer was ever
formally a member of that tower. Jennifer rang four peals, 2 at Pucklechurch in
1979 and 1981, one at North Cerney in 1979 and one at Dyrham in 1980.
Jennifer was responsible for initiating several
non-ringing related events while living in Abson including the bellringer’s
annual ball.
In 2000 Jennifer and Mike moved to Uley where she joined
the Dursley band in 2001. Sadly Mike died in 2003. She is recorded as ringing 89
quarter peals at Dursley before she felt uncomfortable standing still for such
long period of time, her last quarter being in July 2015. Included in her 89
quarter peals were 6 of the standard Surprise Major Methods, not including
London or Bristol but these could be included in spliced at a practice if she
felt in the mood. This problem with balance would eventually cause her to have
to give up ringing. Her last ring was most likely to have been at a Tuesday
Simulator practice at Dursley in 2019. Even when not ringing Jennifer would
enjoy the après gathering in the Old Spot afterwards.
Jennifer served as secretary to the Wotton-under-Edge
Branch for 5 years from 2003. To commemorate the 100th Anniversary of
the Branch in 2010, Jennifer masterminded, edited and published a book ‘Wotton
Surprise’ to mark this event. It raised over £500 toward the G & B bell fund.
Her final illness was quite short and eventually
diagnosed as leukaemia. She died in Gloucester Royal hospital on Sunday 11
October. Her funeral was at Uley, where she had regularly worshipped, on Monday
2 November, attended by her family and by invited representatives of her many
interests. Numbers were limited to 30 people but others stood outside the
church, in the rain, where the Service was relayed by speakers. She was buried
in Abson.
Frank B
Albert Gough (Bert) Wapley
Waiting Obituary
Valerie
J Woodman
1938 - 23rd July 2019
Almondsbury
Val learnt to ring at Almondsbury when young but then gave up the exercise for
some years. When she
restarted she was proud to ring for weddings especially
when one or both of the couple was a villager.
Determined to prove she could
do so, she rang a quarter peal in June 1998. After her return she was a faithful
supporter of the tower for many years, always arriving with a smile and never
grumbling. She only stopped
when a breathing problem made it impossible for
her to climb the many stairs to the ringing chamber.
Anne Massey, Winterbourne, South
Gloucestershire 1936 - 2016
Anne Massey learnt to ring following her retirement in the
mid 90’s. She was not a prolific ringer but was a comitted and regular member
of the Winterbourne band, always present for service ringing and for weddings.
Anne rang at Frenchay for practices and also at a few other towers. She was
taken ill and died on 18th May, whilst away on holiday in Cornwall.
Anne’s commitment to Winterbourne bells and many other aspects of Church life in
Winterbourne will be greatly missed.
Rev
John Shepheard-Walwyn 18th October 1916 - 12th
December 2015
John was born in Yorkshire in October 1916.
He grew up near Bath as his father had a parish
near there.
At the age of 8 he fell off some wallbars in
the gym which caused a detached retina.
Repair of detached retina was in its infancy at
the time and, despite being in the care of a leading surgeon in Lucerne, he was
blind by the time he was 12 years old.
John’s ringing career started whilst
he was at Oxford University.
He was persuaded to ring by his good friend
Gerry Bromley who was also blind and had started at Oxford a year earlier and
had already learned to ring.
He
took any opportunity he could to ring, not allowing his blindness to deter him
from accessing a ringing chamber, it being no deterrent to him that the access
might be up a wall mounted ladder encased in a safety collar or a series of
walkways across a church or cathedral roof.
After Oxford he went to Wells
Theological College and was ordained at Rochester Cathedral in 1940 and ordained
priest in 1943.
In 1944 he became curate at Holy Redeemer
Lamerbey, Sidcup.
There he met Anne Gillespie, who was the parish
worker, and they married in 1949.
From there they moved to Edenbridge, where John
continued to ring on practice nights.
He was delighted in 1976 to be asked to take
part in the service for the re-dedication of the bells. His move to Rosherville
in 1956 meant that ringing took a lesser place in his life, as the church had no
bells.
In 1961 the family moved to a rural parish in North
Devon, Westleigh with Horwood.
St Peter’s Church, Westleigh had a 12 cwt. ring
of 6 and John established a change ringing band here, despite comments from one
or two former ringers who didn’t think much of that “scientific ringing”.
He had a ready made source of recruits in his
seven children, all of whom he taught to ring. His enthusiasm rubbed off to
varying degrees on his children. Two have continued as active members of their
respective local bands and others dip in and out of ringing.
In his last parish, Harberton with
Harbertonford, he was involved in the restoration of the bells, another 6 bell
tower.
The restoration was completed just before he retired.
John joined the Cumberland Youths in September 1960 and in 1964 he became a
member of Guild of Clerical Ringers.
The Low Week ringing tours were a fixture in
his calendar for many years.
He was very proud when he was made an honorary
life member of the guild.
His last tour was in 2008 when he was 91, a
year before he emigrated to New Zealand to live with his youngest daughter.
When he retired John and Anne moved to
Bristol and he rang at Frampton Cotterell.
He also became a member of the FarCited group,
who met midweek to ring at towers in the Bristol area.
Throughout his ringing career he was
recognised by anyone who rang with him as being an excellent striker. When
visiting a new tower at the age of 91 a local ringer commented that he was a
better striker than anyone else there.
In 2011 John visited
Wellington Cathedral on a practice night, and although by then he was no longer
able to ring, and had not rung for over 3 years he was delighted that he had
been able to follow the 2nd through a touch of Cambridge Major.
Lois Kelly (Daughter)
Christopher
King Gallop 10th February 1943 - 13th April 2015
Bitton Tower
Chris lived in Bitton all his life and
started ringing at about the age of 8, following in the footsteps of various
members of the Gallop family.
He became Tower Captain probably in the late
sixties and taught many to ring along with me and John Leighfield.
Although I took over from Chris he continued to ring from time to time
and last rang on Easter Sunday the week before he died. We had great respect for
each other and shared a joke about him shrinking in old age and having to stand
on a box.
Marlene, Andrew and Ian (wife & sons) received lovely tributes from
a number of Bitton ringers commenting on how learning to ring had helped them to
make friends locally and elsewhere in the country and world. A great way to
socialise and learn a skill which is like riding a bike, never forgotten.
Chris made Bitton Tower a fun place to be, like a youth club in the early
seventies, with many social outings from mystery trips on the train to places
like Broadstairs or Rhyl and meals out to Rode on New Years Eve, for which works
paid 6d or non workers 3d (pre decimalisation)
Chris died of a heart attack
after returning home from practicing with his jazz band, which unfortunately
clashed on a Monday night with ringing.
I will miss Chris greatly but thank
him for teaching me to ring.
Sue Jay
David
Perrett 8th April 1923 - 13th July 2013
A member of Bitton Tower, Rural Branch
and a long serving member of the Farcited group
when he was well, passed
away at the age of 90 on the 13th of July.
David Robert Perrett – otherwise known as DRP passed away
in July after a long illness. David
was born in Bitton at the Meadows Farm on the 8th April 1923. His
parents, Stanley and Dorothy were dairy farmers and his grandfather owned the
Springfield brewery at Upton Cheyney.
He attended Bitton School
and Bristol Grammar School and studied at the Royal Veterinary College
qualifying as a vet on 4th July 1944.
He then joined Perrys practice at Staple Hill where he became a Partner
then Senior Partner remaining there until he retired in 1988.
David had a well known love of pigs and
although he generally worked with farm animals he was often locally considered
the Bitton villagers’ own personal “small pet vet”.
David married Maureen in 1954 and they had three daughters, Anne, Sarah and
Ruth. It was his daughters who
introduced David to ringing because they had all been ringers in Bitton since
they were teenagers. Having said
that, David’s father, Stanley had also been a Bitton bellringer and David felt
he should fill in the generation gap!
So, once he retired he took up bellringing, among many other things.
As well as ringing regularly in Bitton he became an original member of the
Farcited band and he joined the magistrate’s bellringing association (being a
magistrate and later Chairman of the Bench at Staple Hill and Yate).
He also rang with the Perrett Family Association and apparently when out
ringing with any of these groups he often met farmers who also rang, so the
different parts of his life often overlapped through bellringing.
At Bitton the records show David rang 6 quarter peals, his first in 1992
and his last in 2003 to celebrate his 80th birthday.
Most of these quarters he rang with at least one of his daughters, some
with all three, and even one quarter with his grand-daughter, Rachael.
Not content with just ringing the bells, David became involved with
maintenance and together with Tony Smale they completely repainted the bell
frame at Bitton. He was also the G&B
branch MC Rep for three years from 1996-1999.
Of course, he also threw himself into the socialising associated with
ringing (even after he couldn’t ring due to problems with his hands and heart),
and was one of the Bitton band with an April birthday.
Many quarters are rung in honour of this birthday month in Bitton, and
birthday cakes are often produced for consumption at the pub after practice.
Long may this tradition continue - and always remember David too!
Many people
have described David as a gentleman. Many people have mentioned his wonderful
sense of humour and the tales he could tell. Quite a few mention the fact that
time spent in his company was often over a pint of beer.
He was very much a local community person and had the wonderful ability
to get on with all walks of life and generations.
He always referred to
himself as a simple Cow doctor. We know that he was far more than that - a fine
vet, a wonderful family man, a loyal friend and colleague, a huge part of the
local community – and of course, a bellringer!
Ruth Ogilvie (Nee Perrett)
Arthur
George Robbins 9th May 1922 - 19th January 2013
Died aged 90 an Olveston Ringer for over 40 years.
Arthur was born on 9TH May 1922 at Tockington,
Gloucestershire.
He was a lorry driver/ concrete despatcher at the local
quarry of Olveston until his retirement in 1976. He married June Fowler of
Tytherington on 22nd September 1956 at St James Church, Tytherington
and made their home at Woodview, Olveston.
Arthur
started to ring the bells shortly after his marriage after gentle persuasion
from his wife June, who was a bell
ringer from Tytherington. Percy Parker the tower Captain at that time, taught
Arthur to ring the bells. Arthur became Captain at Olveston in 1966 and
maintained the bells and wound the clock up to 2005. Up to the last two years of
his life Arthur’s visits to bell ringing became less frequent and died very
peacefully on 19th January 2013. He was very passionate with regard
to Sunday service ringing and apart from the annual holiday or illness, he would
not miss Sunday ringing or attending Evensong.
After a packed funeral service
earlier in the day, a quarter peal half muffled of 1260 changes of Grandsire
Triples was rung in Arthur’s honour.
June Robbins and Philip
Coward
Margaret Scudamore 2019 Coalpit Heath Waiting Obituary
William Frederick
Scudamore
Fred Scudamore of Coalpit Heath died on Christmas Day 2010. He was born in 1927
Fred was born in 1927 in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire. He spent all his early
days in Llandeilo until he was called up for National Service in 1945 when he
joined the RAF. During his National Service, Fred was posted to the RAF
station at Pucklechurch and whilst there in 1947 he met Margaret whom he was
later to marry at Mangotsfield in 1950 and then to have two children Jane and
Keith.
Fred was demobbed from the RAF in 1948 and subsequently joined the
Gloucestershire Police Force and over the years was stationed at Coleford,
Staple Hill, Winterbourne, Woolaston, Cirencester, back to Staple Hill and
finally at Bridewell in Bristol. Fred retired from the Police Force , as a
Police Inspector, in 1977 and then worked in the retail trade with Littlewoods
and Dorothy Perkins as a security advisor until full retirement in 1992.
There were two main interests in Fred’s
life, bell ringing and Freemasonry.
Firstly bell ringing. Fred started bell ringing in 1943 at Llandeilo when the
ringing of bells during World War 2 was lifted. Over his working life,
depending where he was based, he rang at Mangotsfield, Winterbourne, Lydney,
Cirencester and finally Coalpit Heath where he rang for 42 years.
During the early 1970’s
Fred was the driving force to get the bells at Coalpit Heath increased from 6 to
8. This project was achieved in 1975 to give this church a fine peal of 8
bells.
Fred held numerous posts within the Gloucester and Bristol Diocesan Association
of Bell Ringers. Three high profile post being Life Vice President to which he
was elected in 1953, Honorary Secretary from 1956 to 1958 and Ringing Master
from 1966 to 1971. It was during his time as Ringing Master that Fred got the
6-bell striking competition started. The competition needed a trophy so Fred
approached the Diocesan Board of Finance for help, this led to a silver bell
trophy being financed from the bequest of W I Croome. Hence the name of the
competition became known as the Croome Trophy. The first competition taking
place at North Cerney in 1968, the church where W I Croome worshipped for many
years.
Fred was the second generation of ringers in the Scudamore family. He taught
his children, Jane and Keith, to ring and then helped his grandchildren,
Samantha, Kristian and Russell to ring. There have now been four generations to
ring within the family.
Fred did not keep records of his peals but his last peal was on his 75th
birthday in 2002 where he was very pleased to ring in the first peal of his
eldest grandson Kristian, giving a three generation peal within the Scudamore
family for the second time, the first being in 1966 when he rang with his father
Ralph and son Keith. His last peal was no mean achievement for him as he was
starting to having problems with his legs and standing for any length of time.
He was glad to have completed it and rung a peal with his grandson.
As a Policeman and bell ringer Fred joined the National Guild of Police
Ringers. Again he held high profile posts within this guild. Being President
from 1973 to 1976 and also a Life Vice President.
Fred’s
second interest was that of being a member of the Freemasons. Whilst a
Policeman he joined the bell ringers lodge, Clavis, and became Worshipful Master
for the year 1992. When Fred took full retirement he also joined the local
Lodge, Lyegrove, at Chipping Sodbury. Again he held the post of Worshipful
Master at Lygrove for the year 1995.
Fred had many friends around the country and will be missed by them. Most of
all he will be missed by his wife Margaret, children Jane and Keith and also
his grandchildren Samantha, Kristian and Russell.
Keith Scudamore
Thomas
T. Walters of Coalpit Heath 1929 – 2009
Thomas Walters (Tom),
died from the effects of a long period of poor health, he had been resident at
the Penworth Lodge medical home, following the death of his wife Joan.
Tom was well known in the South Gloucestershire (Bristol Rural) area, regarded
as a thoroughly helpful person with numerous interests. He was during his
working life an aeronautical flight and electronic control engineer.
Unfortunately information on these subjects was very limited, due to his
involvement with the Ministry of Defence, we are aware of his involvement in the
design of flight controls for the Concord built at Filton.
Tom was born at Iron Acton, in Gloucestershire as it was then, with an education
at Rendcomb college near Cirencester in the late Forties. Whilst at college he
became interested in bell ringing – which became his leisure activity. He became
proficient in ringing with a good standard of bell control and method ringing (5
bell). During his long association with ringing he was most active in local
towers and bell maintenance, there are stories of Tom and his contemporises
removing bells from towers (officially) and transporting them around
Gloucestershire, you should hear his contemporaries when they are together
relating those stories. His other life long interest was horology, and he
maintained and serviced Frampton Cottrell's church clock for many years.
He served his national service in the army, engaged in the electronics of army
equipment. On leaving the services Tom joined the Bristol Aircraft Company at
Filton. He was employed in the use of electronics in the flight control of both
manned and unmanned flying objects.
His Sunday ringing interests were firstly at Winterbourne and then at Frampton
Cotterell following the rehang of the bells in 1962. After his stroke he lost
the main use of his left hand side, arm and leg, and was then unable to then
climb the stairs at Frampton, he made a very courageous partial recovery when
many of his friends spent time with him ringing hand-bells.
Tom was determined to return to his activities and with the help of his wife he
was able to use a disabled person’s tricycle for journeys around the villages of
Coalpit Heath and Frampton Cotterell.
The next challenge for Tom was to ring again; Coalpit Heath was his nearest
tower and also had a ground floor ring so he could get there on his tricycle.
Firstly the ringers had to curb Tom’s enthusiasm, it far out-weighed his
abilities in the early practice sessions.
The ringers succeeded so well that Tom was able to ring single handed as long
as he did not have to stand for too long, he was able to cycle to church on
Sunday mornings and ring for service again.
Tom Walters’s funeral took place at St Saviours Coalpit Heath Parish Church with
open ringing of Grandsire triples to mark the occasion. Ringers from South
Gloucestershire ringing the bells, the church was full for the service with his
many friends and acquaintances from over the years.
Tom will be missed and is missed; he was a good servant to the branch and the
art of bell ringing.
May peace be with him in his new place of rest?
Fred Scudamore and Tony York
Tom
we are told made the Bristol Rural Branch Chairman's Gavel which, as you can
see, is a clapper and two bells as the anvils.
James
Anthony Bennett, born 6th October 1937 - 28 January 2009.
Tony, at the age of three was evacuated with his mother to
Elm Tree Farm, Tortworth, Glos and it was at St Leonard’s church, whilst
attending services, and he first heard the sound of a church organ. This was
the beginning of a life long love of classical music and his love of organs.
As bombing ceased in the war, Tony and his mother moved
back to Swansea, where he learnt to handle a bell aged 10 at Sketty.
The family then moved to Bristol where his father took up the appointment as the
city engineer.
After the war Tony went to a prep school and the Clifton
College, and only took up ringing again, when he went to Bristol University to
study medicine in 1956. He lived in Stoke Bishop but rang at Henbury and
Westbury-on-Trym as well, as with the UBSCR at St Michael's Bristol.
Most of the readers of this journal will not have heard of
Tony Bennett – this is because the bulk of his ringing was done during the late
1950’s and 1960’s. Tony’s first quarter peal was Bob Minor for Easter 1958. His
first quarter as conductor was Grandsire Triples at Henbury in May 1958.
Thereafter he rang with the UBSCR and he became the chief conductor of the
monthly quarter peals at Henbury.
Tony rang his first peal, out of a total of approximately
fifteen, which was Grandsire Triples at Henbury in Jan 1958 (conducted by Philip
Gray). This was rung less than 2 years after he had started change
ringing (in Sept 1956). He arranged many ringing outings for the Henbury
ringers in the early 1960s and also some ringing weeks. A particularly
strenuous one involved only 8 ringers, lasted 4 days, and rang at some of the
heaviest rings of bells in Dorset! Transport was by minibus driven by Tony.
Tony was, indirectly the instigator of another type of
ringing tour which became enormously popular. Following his final exams in
1962, he and another Old Cliftonian medical student took a week’s holiday by
canal barge. He wrote a hilarious account of his trip in a letter to a friend
who was then living in Brighton, and the letter concluded with the remark ‘A
ringing tour by barge might be an attractive possibility’. The friend liked the
idea, and, with the help of a fellow Sussex ringer, Tony planned the very first
ever ringing tour by barge in 1963. This led to at least 3 members of that
first tour developing a lifelong interest in canal barges, and, to many other
ringing groups and societies arranging barge tours over the years that followed.
After qualifying as a doctor in 1962, his life was much
like that of all junior housemen at the time, with long working hours and little
time for ringing. He worked at Greenbank Hospital, Plymouth and the at Ham
Green hospital near Bristol where he developed an interest in Lung function and
produced an apparatus to measure lung function in patients. His interest in
this led to his lifelong career in Anaesthesia and he went to the University of
Liverpool to study under Professor Gray. He did find time to join the Liverpool
University Society and rang at St Francis Xavier, church there.
Continue obituary click here
Maurice
Beazer died 2009ringer at Wapley.
Trying to obtain an obituary
Andrew
(Andy)
Fox 1948_-_2007
Andy died in Frenchay on Tuesday the 14th
of June 2007, he had not been really well for a couple
of years, after He had his knee operated on he expected to be full of the joys
of spring but unfortunately his health determinate.
His funeral took place at Westerleigh on the 21st of May with muffled ringing by
his many bellringing friends.
The church was packed with standing room only, below is the synopsis
of Andy's life that his brother Tim gave during the service. (I have edited this
input webmaster)
Andy was always a church member and he and I spent a lot of time in Westerleigh church.
We came to Sunday school together, took confirmation classes and sang in the choir,
needless to say Andy did not have a wonderful singing voice, but it was better
than mine.
Andy and I went to the village primary school as Pete our elder brother had
done, our younger sister Pauline also followed the same route, but sadly is no
longer with us, I enjoyed school but Andy hated it.
He would have been the first to agree that he was not the greatest academic in
the world, but he had a great talent for numbers and could tell where each car
had been registered, he always remembered family birthdays and anniversaries.
When Andy left school he went to work at Barley Close Farm for Harold Shiles.
He the spent many years working at Nichols Cow Mills with two local ringers John
and George Lawrence,
he also kept in touch the many friends he made whilst working there.
When a local friend Geoff Younger started his Talau adventure Andy joined him to
work in the warehouse, Andy made friends and Geoff found him totally reliable as
a worker.
Andy was not a great lover of sport but he did spend many years doing long bike
rides with his friend Bob Facey, and took part in a charity ride in France.
His main loves in life was his bell ringing and had been a ringer for 46 years,
his home towers were Wapley and Westerleigh, he was a member of the Rural Branch
and attended most branch events and outings before he became ill. He also
attended on occasions the Farcited group events especially the annual Christmas
outing. He was also a member of the Moonrakers and had been on the last two
years tours to Essex and East Yorkshire, his highlight on last years tour was ringing at York Minster,
however this was his last Moonraker tower as he was taken ill the following day.
He was a member of the Buffs and he enjoyed having a few pints in the Old Inn
Westerleigh with his friends. Andy had many other activities, he was always
ready to help out, he helped with the Wapley flower festival, he collected until
his illness for the annual poppy collection, and gave blood for over 40 years.
Finally
Andy was kind, generous and outgoing.
He would not want us to mourn but to celebrate his life.
He will be sadly missed by all his friends and especially his family.
Revelations 21 & 22
When we leave this earth, the love that we've given and received remains behind
to light the lives of those we touched.
Many thanks to Tim Fox for the input I have used to produce Andy's obituary.
Next obituary click here
Gerald Walter Daniel Smart 1908 -2006
Gerald
Smart of Coalpit Heath died in 2006. He was born in 1908.
Gerald was born in Coalpit Heath village in April 1908, and had a lifelong
connection with St Saviours Parish Church as a choir member – Cross Bearer – and
Bell Ringer. A life-time service to the ‘Church’ of 89 years. One of his
proudest moments was being awarded the ‘Queen’s Maunday Money’ for services to
both church and community in April 1989.
Gerald left school at the age of 14 years, entering the coal industry at the
local collieries. During the war years he served in the fire service with his
duties in the Bristol City area. following the closure of the local collieries
he joined the Local Authority School Meals Service.
Gerald was one of the original ringers at St Saviours in the early 1920’s when
there was a peal of four (4) bells. He became a good six bell ringer taking part
in a number of peals up to Surprise Minor. In 1975 the bells were augmented to
eight, this caused Gerald problems, and he found great difficulty in moving
into eight bell ringing. Gerald was a member of the G & B from 1952 – 1976.
His main interest then turned to singing and he joined the Frampton Male voice
choir, although he did ring when their were not sufficient numbers to ring for
Sunday service. In recent years he attended the Farcited midweek group for some
of the monthly outings. He carried out his choir duties to within weeks of his
death. Gerald hoped to live to reach a 100 years, but this sadly was not to be.
The funeral service was well attended by the local community. The bells were
rung ‘open’ by Rural Branch members and local ringers, before and after the
service.
Gerald was buried within the hearing of the tower –
Well done thou good Servant.
Ken Weeks
1939 - 2004
Kenneth
George
Weeks
died
on Saturday
7th August
2004,
he
was
born
on 9th June 1939Ken was born in Clifton
Bristol and his early years were spent in Stapleton, from where his
father
a fireman mother moved to
West Harptree. It is said that this move
in
his early
life instilled in
Ken
his
life
long
passion for fishing
with the views over
Chew Valley
Lake.
Ken’s
Mother and
younger sister Janet now live in
Castle Cary.
Ken’s early
years were formed in
the Chew Valley
and he was apprenticed as a motor mechanic to
Henley’s
in
Bristol
and
we
are
told
he
travelled
daily
to
work
on
his
motor
bike.
He
later
moved
to
Dunlop
as
a
vehicle
inspector
where
he
worked
for
about
thirty
years, he
also
drove
coaches
for
National Express
and during
this time other
private coaches for
outings for
Kingswood Holy
Trinity and
Warmley churches. Many
of
our members
will also remember him
driving the
coach
for our branch outings and some of the
escapades
such
as
getting stuck in
country lanes
and
heading
for
red
traffic
lights through the
cones at a high rate
of knots. Ken set up on his own
in
business
in Warmley repairing
and preparing vehicles
for their
MOT.
Ken’s introduction
to
ringing
was in
1963
when
his
ringing girlfriend
Dian
Rogers
took him
along
to a
Warmley Practice and
subsequently Tony
Gibbs
taught
him to
ring,
Ken and
Dian were
married in
August 1964 but sadly they split up some
25 years later.
It
is
said
that
the
Warmley
ringers
were
at
their
peak
at
that time
under
the tower
captaincy
of
Tony
Gibbs
and
consequently
Ken
as the
only
learner made
rapid
progress.
His
first peal was
at Warmley
St Barnabas on Monday 9th April 1965 when he rang
the
third
for
Plain
Bob
Doubles.
There were five first
pealers
in
the band,
and
they
were all Sunday
service ringers.
He also rang the tenor for the local band
to ring a peal 118 doubles
variations a year later.
Over
the
years
Ken had
an
interest
in
many
of the
local
towers
perhaps
the first
involvement
in
a
rehang
would
have
been
at
Warmley
when the
Warmley six were replaced by
eight from
St George in east Bristol.
This was carried out
in 1976 by
the bellhanger
Arthur Fidler,
aided by
Tony
Gibbs
the
tower
captain
and
his
Warmley
team.
Later
Ken
was
instrumental
in
having
Syston’s
bells rehung
and shortly after this
Ken was
made
an
Honorary Life
Member
of
Bristol
Rural
Branch.
He also held various branch
officer
posts over the years which included
one year as ringing
Master,
two sessions amounting to five years
as chairman,
and two
sessions as MC
rep amounting
to seven
years. Ken
became a
member of the
Bath
branch of the
Bath and Wells
Association in 2000 and
held
officer posts as Chairman, Ringing Master and bell maintenance contact up
until his
death. He was
also
instrumental in putting together
a
band at St Nicholas
Kelston for the millennium
ringing.
Ken had other interests including playing
skittles, which he played on a regular basis and as we
alluded to earlier, his
life long
interest
in
fishing on the Blagdon
and Chew valley lakes, he spent a considerable
amount of time right up until
the last few
weeks at the lakes. Ken
died
after
a
long
illness
which
he
fought very bravely
and thought he had
won, but unfortunately
it
returned.
We
all
have
a
lot
to
thank
Ken
for, his unbounded enthusiasm for ringing and all its subjects, the
number
of
people
he
taught to
ring over
the years, which must go into
dozens, most of them
probably being younger ringers,
the help and guidance
he has given to all of
us
and the memories
he
has
left
with
us
for
ever.
Ken leaves a daughter and two sons Kate,
Andrew and Martyn.
I am sure the
members of
the
two
branches
Bath and Bristol Rural
will all offer
their heartfelt
sympathy
to his
family
and friends
in their sad
loss?
Tony York
Bristol Rural Branch Secretary
Anne Catherine Cunliffe 1955 - 2003
(nee Perrett, Freestone, Taysom)
Born April 1955 Died May 2003
Anne was born in Downend, Bristol
but brought up in Bitton where she attended The Gateway School, Clifton High
and Soundwell Technical College. Anne then went on to train as an
Occupational Therapist at St Loyes Exeter and spent all of her career in
Bristol Hospitals, most of the time at Frenchay where she was responsible
for managing a hand clinic until her forced early retirement at the age of
48 – cancer has no respect of age .
Anne was a good local ringer who dedicated her ringing career to St Mary’s,
Bitton, for over 30 years and introduced her sisters Sarah and Ruth to
ringing (and in later years her father on his retirement). As children it
was a good youth club and even in later years it was still our youth club,
even though we grew older together. On the arrival of both her girls
Elizabeth and Rachael, Anne couldn’t stay away, it was her time out. In
1985 Anne together with her sister Sarah organised a trip to Woodstock where
after 15 years of call changes Rounds, Cross, Queens, Whittington and Titums
we were advised how to call changes correctly and to plain hunt. Since
those days the Tower has never looked back, we are still not that good but
better than we were! Our first striking competition was held at Bitton in
1988 where Anne and Sue shared the calling of the changes, Anne counted and
Sue called, much to the amusement of the person sitting with us and everyone
else when he told them. I remember going to Midsomer Norton with Anne, she
was told she would be a good ringer if she practised more. You could
imagine Anne's reply, with 2 small girls and a non ringing husband but the
other ringers just didn’t understand.
On the wall are 4 pictures of Anne all with different surnames as pointed
out by her sister Sarah. One of the first is as a ringer for the Queen’s
Silver Jubilee in 1977 but since then Anne has rung over 14 quarters mainly
at Bitton with a few at Abson, and was widely known within the branch and
country due to her marriage to Henry Taysom.
Anne rang with both her daughters and was especially proud of her youngest,
Rachael Freestone who rang her first Quarter to mark Anne’s father, David
Perrett’s 80th birthday in April 2003. Although Anne was not
well enough to ring for this occasion, she was honoured to have Rachael as
her representative and listened from her bedroom window, as Rachael joined
four other members of the family. Sadly Anne did not make her Mothers 80th
Birthday in October but Rachael again rang a Quarter to mark the occasion
and we are sure that Anne would have been pleased.
Anne was a great asset to our Tower and will be sadly missed. St Mary’s
church was full to overflowing at her funeral and so many ‘youth club’
ringers were there, some came to ring for Anne that hadn’t rung for over 20
years and wouldn’t know what call changes were! Uncharacteristically the
ringing at her funeral was perfect but the ringing down was something that
would have made her smile, as Henry would of put it true ‘Bitton Syndrome’.
The bells were half muffled before and after the service and she now lies
within the sound of the bells no doubt making notes.
This year Bitton managed a quarter during quarter peal week and this Anne is
dedicated to you.
George Blagg 1922 - 2002
St. James, Mangotsfield, has died in 2002. He was born in
1922
George was born in Gainsborough, Lincs. and came to live in Kingswood when
he was 14 years of age. In 1949, George and Gwen were married and moved to
Mangotsfield. George joined the ringing band at St. James then under the
leadership of Mr. John Jefferies and in due course became the steeple
keeper.
George was a man of many parts! Mainly he looked after the mechanism of the
bells but he was also tower secretary, tower treasurer, ringing instructor
and clock man. As clock man he had to ensure that the clock kept good time
and this involved him going to the tower twice a week to wind up the heavy
clock weights that came down from the ringing room to the ground floor of
the porch. This he did until the early 1980’s when the PCC replaced the
heavy winding gear with two electric motors.
In the 1980’s we began to experience problems with the bells and it became
more and more difficult for George to combat the wear and tear that was
slowly affecting the behaviour of the bells. However, he nursed the bells
with loving care and affection until 1990 when the Diocesan Bell Advisor
announced that ringing must cease and a refurbishment programme put into
effect.
Maybe it was preparing the bells for removal culminating in stopping the
clock that prompted George to declare that he was retiring from his duties
in the tower. This was quite understandable since he had given more than 50
years service to the old bells and thought it was time to stand down. George
continued to serve the church as a communicant and could be called upon to
help with any task that required attention.
George and Gwen had three children, John, Richard and Grace, who were all
taught to ring at St, James Church. Richard and his family are now
registered ringers at Littledean, Glos, and John and Grace continue to ring
elsewhere in the Country.