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