At the April coffee morning, Sue Plant provided an entertaining and thoughtful talk on the life and times of her dad, Jack Plant. It especially addressed his war time prisoner of war efforts working on the notorious Sumatra railway line.

Reg Fullalove will be the speaker at the May coffee morning. The A.G.M. will be held at the June coffee morning and will be followed by a talk by Gary Smith outlining his on-going work with the owner of Landywood Farm.

The St. Georges Day celebration went well. This was probably helped by the good weather with the procession and the side stalls (including ours) at Harrisons Club reporting an enjoyable day. Pictures from the day, including some unusual transport are displayed below.

Paul Ford gave an interesting address at an evening meeting at the Centre on April 28th. The topic was ‘Walsall during the Great War period’. It covered various aspects of the town and the community, as seen by the following pictures.

Ron Mattison and Dave Dunham had previously spoken at a coffee morning about the training huts on the Chase during the Great War. They have since issued an invitation for the Society to visit the huts on a specially arranged visit. Gary and Pam extended the invitation to members at the April coffee morning. It is likely that transport can be arranged for a small party to visit in the June / July time-frame, with costs therein borne by the Society. It is hoped that details will be completed to share with members at the May coffee morning and places would be filled on a ‘first come first served’ basis with a ballot being held if it is over-subscribed.

The background research and other work on the Great War continues apace. Numerous current activities are on-going, and future planned activities are being scheduled. It is hoped to summarise the details with members at the May coffee morning. Members may also be especially interested in a wyrleyblog site run by Paul Ford. It has interesting news and also demonstrates the linking threads between the local communities and the Societies therein.

The Society received a photo of an ‘unknown soldier’ some time ago. It was followed up by Tony and Diane with the resultant findings being reported in an article in the Chronicle. We are delighted to receive further similar contents and a recent example is displayed below.

We have initial details and any findings will be shared with members at the May coffee morning. At the same time, it will be inserted in our Great War Facebook page so that feedback can also be received from other audiences to help our research.

Community News
Excellent feedback has been received from attendees visiting the National Memorial Arboretum in March. The visit arranged by the Parish Council office was supported by allowances from the District Councillors on the Parish Council and further visits are scheduled for later this year. It is understood that a substantial number of bookings have already been made. Members should contact Sian or Debra at the Parish Council office on 414768 for further information and are recommended to make bookings before the ‘house full’ signs are displayed.

South Staffordshire Council support a range of ‘walking for health’ activities. Therein, a program has been raised ‘commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the outbreak 0f World War 1’. On 6th September, a Great Wyrley & Cheslyn Hay Memorial Circular walk is arranged with both Societies providing supporting talks and displays. Everyone is invited to join the walk and are asked to speak with Cath on 07817 507954 for further information.

 

 

At the April coffee morning, Gary and Pam will be confirming the final details for the visit to the Houses of Parliament scheduled for May 13th. It is suggested that anyone unable to attend the coffee morning arranges to speak directly with Gary or Pam, as best suited.
Paul Ford is giving an address at the Senior Citizens Centre, Broadmeadow Lane on 28th April starting at 7.30 pm costing £1. The generic title is ‘Walsall During the Great War’. Paul recently commented ‘it is not about munitions factories or saddles for the cavalry. It is three tales from the home front in Walsall. One considers a school and how the war exacerbated their running problems. Another concerns a food-hoarder and the legal expertise used to defend the hoarder. The final tale displays community spirit when a lady loses her mother and daughter in a military aeroplane accident. Communities and their approaches to commemoration are standard aspects’. It promises to
be an interesting and informative evening. It is hoped that members and their guests join us for the event.
Much detailed research on the Great War project is being undertaken by the Society team. We are extremely pleased that Paul’s extensive expertise is linking with the project team to provide specialism and further impetus to our efforts. At the same time, it has been identified that more inter-action is needed by the team with people who can contribute their family history in and around the time of the Great War. To facilitate this, a couple of Facebook pages should be installed in the near future.

Larry Scarfe provided a different and absorbing address at the March Coffee Morning about his time, and experiences, working in the Law Courts, as displayed right.

The speaker at the April Coffee Morning is Sue Plant who will be speaking about the life and times of her dad, Jack Plant and the speaker at the May Coffee Morning is scheduled to be Reg Fullalove.
At the February Coffee Morning, Ron Mattison and Dave Dunham spoke about the training huts on Cannock Chase. We have since received the following message ‘With regard to the offer from Ron and me to open up the hut especially for the Great Wyrley Local History Society. It would need to be during daytime during the week and not during school and bank holidays. Between us, Ron and I will give an overview and demonstrate the exhibits and items on display. Photographs can be taken and we will try to answer any questions that might be put. We suggest an hour or so and refreshments are available in the main Marquis Drive centre nearby.’
Are members interested in a visit? Gary and Pam will ask for feedback at the April Coffee Morning and next steps will be taken after the response has been received.

Great Wyrley had a community / friendship link with Quiliano, an Italian community. As part of this link, a number of artefacts were exchanged and displayed in the Community Centre. Examples are visually displayed below.

They have now been formally transferred to the Society storage area and will be bought to future Open Days / Annual events and exhibitions, as appropriate.
The annual St Georges Day fete is being held on April 19th. The procession starts from Harrisons Club at 12 noon and the Society will be in attendance at the club. Members are asked to support this community event.
Can anyone help Mr Patrick Hogan? He called in to the March Coffee morning. Does anyone know of a murder in the 1930’s / 40’s in New Horse Road, Cheslyn Hay? Could you please let Gary know with any information / anecdotes or inferences?

Summary – Events Calendar
April
17th – Coffee Morning - A talk by Sue Plant
19th – St Georges Day procession & fete (See Note 1)
28th – ‘Walsall during the Great War’ address by Paul Ford (See Note 2)

May
13th – Visit to Houses of Parliament
15th – Coffee Morning A talk by Reg Fullalove
18th – St. Thomas More fete

June
19th – Coffee Morning – AGM & a talk on Landywood Farm by Gary Smith
28th – Great Wyrley Carnival

July
17th – Coffee Morning

August
3rd – Peace Games (see Note 3)
14th – Coffee Morning

September
6th – Walk for Health
18th – Coffee Morning

October
16th – Coffee Morning

November
15th – Annual Event/open day
20th – Coffee Morning

December
18th – Coffee Morning

Note:
1. Procession starts at Harrisons Sports & Social Club at 12 noon.
2. Starts at 7.30pm at Senior Citizens Centre, Broadmeadow Lane. Cost £1
3. Starts at 10am at Wyrley Juniors club, Long Lane.

Final details have been received for the visit to the Houses of Parliament on May 13th. For example, the scheduled tour times and the length of the tour. Gary and Pam will confirm the details at upcoming coffee mornings.
Further storage facilities have been installed at the Centre. Photographic contents have already been transferred and arrangements are being made to bring other contents, such as the Great War artefacts, to the Centre in the upcoming months.
Ron Mattison and David Dunham provided an interesting coffee morning. Ron’s memorabilia and David’s recollections of the huts on Cannock Chase during the War build-up were enjoyed. David’s comments on the heating arrangements between the officers and the lower ranks were duly noted!

Speakers at upcoming coffee mornings are Harry Scarf in March and Sue Plant in April. Harry will be talking of his time working in the Law Courts and Sue will be speaking of the life and times of her dad, Jack Plant.
Parts of the Quiliano collection of artefacts will be transferred from the Community Centre to the Society facilities in the near future. The schedule will be decided as agreed with Landywood School and the Parish Council.
A number of early Royal British Legion (RBL) records and memorabilia are being loaned to the Society. At the same time, we are starting to work with RBL on their early profile in the village. Tony Newell will be providing periodic updates, as appropriate.
Gary is continuing to work with the owner of Landywood Farm to enable heritage objects to be steadily transferred to the Society. A number have already been transferred and are being sorted and catalogued. It is anticipated that more will be forthcoming as the site development activities are further planned.
The riddle of the Unknown Soldier has been solved. Thanks primarily to Diane and Tony for their perseverance ascertaining the details. The original and two subsequent pictures are displayed below.

The actual details were printed in the Chronicle dated 27th February. Diane hopes to have copies of the article available for the March coffee morning and I’m sure Tony or Diane will also give a brief verbal update at the time.
A ‘community event’ has been agreed as part of the Great War project. It is called the Peace Games and will be held on the actual day that the war started 100 years ago. It is being held in conjunction with other Groups and Organisations with final details currently being pulled together. It is hoped to provide further details in the coming weeks.

COMMUNITY NEWS
Great Wyrley Wesley’s next Mini-Market takes place on Saturday, 15th March 10.30 am – 12 noon. Everyone welcome – especially to enjoy the famous ‘bacon butties’.
A number of informal comments have been raised at coffee mornings about visiting the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas.This is especially relevant in the year commemorating the start of the Great War 100 years ago.
I’m pleased to confirm that District Councillors who sit on the Parish Council have arranged a number of visits. They depart at 9.30 am from the Co-op car park and will cost £3for residents and £6 for non-residents. Tickets will be issued on a first come first served basis from the Community Centre. Please speak with Debbie or Sian on 414768 for further information at any time.
The dates currently confirmed are Wednesday, 26th March, Wednesday30th July, Tuesday 5th August, Wednesday 6th August and Wednesday, 12th November.

Firstly, a belated ‘well done and congratulations’ from everyone in the Society to Pauline Kelsey on her British Empire Medal award in Her Majesty The Queens New Years Honours List.

Non-refundable deposits have been received for the visit to the Houses of Parliament on May 15th. The coach is full. Members who subsequently wish to attend are asked to provide their details to Pam or Gary on a ‘first come first served’ basis that will be used if attending members have to drop out at any time. Pam and Gary are finalising all details which will be conveyed to members at the earliest opportunity.

Major Ted Green provided an absorbing talk at the January coffee morningon the Staffordshire Regiment and the museum therein. The wide-ranging address started at their origins, battles fought, regimental colours / badges and continued to the latest mission in Afghanistan.

After the talk, several members expressed an interest to visit the museum. I can personally confirm it is well worth a visit and I understand it can be even more pleasurable if combined with a visit to the nearby National MemorialArboretum. The museum is at Whittington Barracks, Lichfield. The telephone number is 01543 434394 and the web-site for further information is www.staffordshireregimentmuseum.com.

The coffee morning speaker in February is Ron Mattison a stalwart veteran from the village and the Royal British Legion speaking about his military experiences.

The coffee morning speaker in March is Harry Scarf of the Pen museum talking about his time working in the Law Courts. 

The Society annual event / open day is confirmed as November 15th at Harrisons Sports and Social Club, Wharwell Lane. The 2013 event was seen as ‘a great success’ and themes for the event will be developed in the coming months.

The Society is planning to participate in the St. Georges Day procession and fete starting from, and being held at Harrisons Sports and Social Club, Wharwell Lane on Easter Saturday, April 19th. ​The procession starts at 12 noon. Please come and support the Society on this significant date!

April 28th has been confirmed for an evening address to be given by Paul Ford on ‘Walsall during the Great War’. It will be held at the Senior Citizens Centre starting at 7.30 pm. Entrance is £1. 2014 is a significant year as it commemorates the start of the Great War and the address promises to be an interesting and informative session. Please join us.

The Society has been pleased to receive funding support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to undertake a project about the village prior to, during and immediately after the Great War. Much background work is being undertaken and will be shared with members in the coming weeks. This includes asking for assistance so please be ready to contribute, if and where possible.

The Senior Citizens Centre has been pleased to receive confirmation thatTesco Charity Trust has awarded funding to support the on-going activities and site maintenance. It will enable new front doors to be installed and otherfacilities to be updated. Members are asked to contact the Society members (Jill Beckett and Bob Quarmby) on the Centre Management Committee with any discussion points that may wish to raise.

Upper Landywood Farm was built in 1565 and has been uninhabited since the mid-1970’s. It is Grade 2 listed and is to be bought back to its former glories. Thanks to Dr Paul Collins from South Staffordshire Council, we were made aware of planned changes. Gary is ‘on the case’ with the new owner and starting to work together on the way forward. Watch this space! The picture below shows the current state of the farm and the extent of work that will be needed.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Great Wyrley Carnival Committee is holding a ‘Wyrleys got talent’ competition at Great Wyrley Performing Arts High School on Saturday 8thMarch starting at 7 pm. £3 entrance fee pay at door. Competition entry forms can be had from Pauline Kelsey (01922 414647).

Great Wyrley Carnival is being held on Saturday June 28th. Anyone interested in a stall, please contact Pauline Kelsey (01922 414647).

 

 

An enjoyable social Coffee morning was held with Kath Perry leading the proceedings, including seasonal songs and recollections.

Tuesday, May 13th, 2014 has been confirmed for the visit to the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament). Gary has the list of members wishing to attend. Everyone is asked to place a £5 deposit per person as soon as possible. Any remaining places will be offered to non-members when member numbers have been confirmed. Detailed scheduling and pricing will be confirmed as soon as possible in the New Year.

The Society participated in Wyrley Juniors Xmas Fayre on December 7th. It introduced the Society to a new group of potential members and a range of questions were fielded from interested attendees at the Fayre.
Storage of bulky Society items, such as display boards, has been problematical for some time. Thanks to support from the Scouts and Guides Association, a facility has been made available and a small donation was forwarded as thanks.
The Senior Citizens Centre has agreed that a further storage area can be built adjoining the stage area. It would be of a similar size to that already in place. Cost estimates are being obtained and it is hoped the facility will be available for use in time for the photo archives to be transferred during the New Year.
We were sad to hear of the death of Albert Tomkinson. Albert was a leading figure in local heritage activities for many years having written books and was one of the original founders of the long-standing Pelsall History Society. Members may recall his interesting discussion a few months ago when his efforts re-establishing the ‘Beating of the Bounds’ was enjoyed by all attendees.
The Society was delighted to hear that the Heritage Lottery Fund has agreed to provide funding support for a chronicle to be produced of the village and surrounding areas in, and around, the Great War period. Detailed planning is yet to be undertaken and members will be kept fully informed of progress as their participation is an essential part of the activities. The way forward will be more formally outlined in future newsletters.
A request has been received for maps of Hilton Lane and Beaumont Road in the early 1960’s. Can anyone please help?
Do you recollect the picture of the Unknown Soldier in the Chronicle a few weeks ago? Clarification has been provided as to the person i.e. Jack or Tom Wootton. It provides an interesting story. At the last count, Tony Newell is writing the details up for inclusion in a future quarterly magazine while Diane will be arranging for the Chronicle to be contacted so that the answer can be provided to their readers, as preferred.
The Society has previously supported the aim of the Express and Star to digitise their photo library and make it available to the general public free of charge. Notification has been received that a funding application has been issued to the Heritage Lottery Fund to achieve this objective. We hope it is successful.
The January coffee morning speaker is scheduled to be Major Ted Green and the February coffee morning speaker should be Ron Matteson. Major Green should provide an interesting session on the Staffordshire Regiment and its museum while Ron should be sharing some of his military recollections. Pictured below is Ron at our recent Annual Event /Open Day when sharing his gun (and explanations therein) with Gavin Williamson, M.P. for South Staffordshire.

Next year commemorates the start of the Great War. Naturally, this will be the focus of much attention and will be at the forefront of some of the Society activities. At the same time, we try to put on a varied program of Guest Speakers at the monthly Coffee Mornings. This was re-emphasised at a recent meeting when Gary Smith and Pam Ball stressed that we need member suggestions of future Guest Speakers in order to retain a balanced set of speakers across a wide range of heritage themes.

Community News
The Wesley Chapel is holding its bi-monthly Mini Market on Saturday, 18th January from 10.30 am until 12 noon. Entrance is free.

Ron Myatt
5th January 2014