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In Memory Of
The following member was remembered at our last business meeting on 4 October, 2008:
Jean Darmon
of Amersham, Buckingham elected in 1960.
Jocelyn Gardiner
of Great Yarmouth, Norwich elected 12th October 1946.
John Rance
of Crowthorne, Berkshire elected 22nd January 1938.
Peter Romney
of Tonbridge, Kent elected 15th May 1955.
The following member was remembered at the business meeting on 12 July, 2008:
Brian Jeffery
of Edenbridge, Kent elected 7th December 1957.
The following member was remembered at the business meeting on 7 May, 2008:
Audrey Short
of Taunton, Somerset elected 27th September 1947.
Shirley Rymer
of Calne, Wiltshire elected 19th March, 1953.
Jessie Kippin
of Billericay, Essex elected 27th September 1947.
Sampson Walklate
Chaddesden, Derby elected 30th May 1957.
The following member was remembered at the business meeting on 8 March, 2008:
Shirley Drew
of Norwich, Norfolk elected 23rd January 1960.
The following member was remembered at the business meeting on 9 January, 2008:
Dennis Hall
of Solihull, Warwickshire elected 4th September 1943.
The following members were remembered at the business meeting on 6 October, 2007:
James Mossop
of Egremont, Cumbria elected 22nd April 1956.
Richard Hedges
of Gillingham, Dorset elected 26th April 1980.
Nancy Bramley
of Wimborne elected 4th January 1989.
Roy Harris
of Reading elected 12th April 1987.
Marion Perryman
of Orwell elected 10th July 1999.
Joan Summerhayes
of Worcester elected 19th March 1953. Senior Steward 1969-1971, 1977-1978. Assistant Secretary 1974-1977.
The following members were remembered at the business meeting on 14 July, 2007:
Patricia Doorn
A short obiturary for Patricia will follow in due course.
Revd. Prebendary J. G. M. Scott
A short obiturary for John will follow in due course.
F William Midwinter
Bill was elected a Member of the Society on 18th September 1954 and was one of the regular attendees in the late 50's early 60's at the Society Annual Dinners along with such stalwarts as the late Jack Millhouse, Jim Raithby, Arthur Chilton, Harold Stevenson etc.
Bill was a Founder Member of the Southwell Guild and Chairman from 1963 to 1979 having deptised for the late Canon R.F. wilkinson for many years before that. It was in his capacity as Chairman that in May 1967 he welcomed the Central Council to its only Meeting held in Nottingham. He was for many years either Master or Tower Secretary at Newark Parish Church and it was in this capacity that he was every ready to welcome visiting ringers with a welcoming smile.
Ill health prevent Bill from ringing in recent years but in 2006 he wrote a book entitled "Once Upon A Time In Nottinghamshire" - Reminiscences of a 90 year old former Amateur Actor and Retired Church Bell Ringer, in which he details much of his life both on the stage and his love of bells and bell ringing. Among the many photographs in the book is one of the ringers taken at a reception in the Sheriff's Office following a peal at St. Peter's Church, Nottingham complimenting Councillor C.W. Judge, Bill's uncle, on being elected Sheriff of Nottingham on 18th May 1970.
Bill was a tall and kindly man and perhaps a measure of his popularity was that he rung not only some 368 peals and in over 900 churches but that his only means of transport throughout his whole life was a bicycle and he was never known to ask for a lift, he just materialised.
Perhaps Bill is best summed up in a comment from Mark Lewis on learning of Bill's death - "I shall always remember the gentle giant who introduced me to bell ringing (and illicit pints at the Ferry on Friday evenings)".
The following members were remembered at the business meeting on 2 May, 2007:
Ann Bethell
Ann Bethell died suddenly at the age of 57 on Easter Monday. Ann was from Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire and was elected a member to the Society on 14 July, 1973. She was the Assistant Secretary from 1978 until 1981 and rang 42 peals for the Society. We saw her most recently at our recent country meeting at Northfield, where she also rang her last peal. Ann was looking forward to joining members on the current trip to Australia, but unfortunately that was not to be. She was remembered at our May meeting with much affection and sadness.
Alfred House
Alf House was our longest serving member when he died at the age of 94 on the 10th of April, having been elected on 19 January, 1935. Alf was from Chard, Somerset, having learned to ring in Cheshunt, Herts. His 10th peal was a long length (15144) of Plain Bob Major at Bennington in 1933 - then the longest length of Major ever rung; his first Society peal, 4 spliced major at Erith, in 1935, was the first of such for the Society and his last peal was also 4 Spliced at Cattistock, again for the Society, on the 60th anniversary of the Erith peal. He rang around 740 peals, 41 of which were for the Society and 24 of which were with the legendary Bill Pye. Apart from ringing many peals of Steman Cinques at St Martin in the Fields, he rang over 200 on the 7th at Willesden where many new methods were rung and named. It was good to see Alf at our 250th dinner and more recently at the Exmouth country meeting last year where he renewed many old friendships and many of us were privileged to meet him for the first time. The loss of a real gentleman of ringing.
John F Jennings
John was a quiet man who took his ringing seriously. John spent many years in Woodbridge and was a mainstay of the band there. In later life he and Barbara moved to Wickham Market and supported ringing both there and at Pettistree. Always modest about his own abilities, he was a reliable ringer but not a prolific peal-ringer. Parkinson’s Disease brought an early end to his ringing career and my last memory of him was meeting him at one of the by now renowned Veteran's Afternoons at Debenham where he was among many of his old friends.