News - Cannon ball kid digs up Civil War relic (Balderton)

A youngster has had his enthusiasm for history fired up after unearthing a cannon ball in his back garden.


Charlie West, 8, of Kennedy Walk, Balderton, was digging a vegetable patch for his mum at the weekend when he made the discovery, which is believed to date back to the English Civil War.

“I don’t know exactly how old it is, but I know it’s very old,” he said. “I would like to do some research and find out where it came from.”

Charlie’s mother, Mrs Lorraine West, said they hoped to visit Newark and Sherwood District Council’s resource centre on Brunel Drive to try to verify the date of the cannon ball.

“His spade just hit metal. It is amazing it happened to be in the dirt and not under the garage or the path,” she said.

Charlie, a pupil at Chuter Ede Primary School, Balderton, plans to take the cannon ball to show his class on Monday.

During the English Civil War Newark was under siege three times. In the final siege in 1645 Colonel Rossiter, a Parliamentary commander, was camped at Balderton.

Mr Glynn Hopkins, of Carlton-on-Trent, a member of the English Civil War Society, said it was likely the cannon ball wasn’t fired but was left behind by the Parliamentarians.

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Cannon-ball-kid-digs-up-Civil-War-relic

News - Lightning Scrapped (A1 Balderton)

A Newark area landmark — the Lightning aircraft next to the A1 — has been broken up for scrap.

The rare F.2A Lightning, XN728, had been at the side of the A1 near Balderton since the early 1980s.

It was based operationally at RAF Gutersloh, Germany.

During its early days at Twitch Farm, off Hollowdyke Lane, Newark Air Museum made several attempts to acquire what was then a relatively complete airframe, including the engine and canopy, to restore and exhibit.

Over the years it deteriorated and was vandalised, parts were stolen and it was heavily daubed in graffiti.

However, it also achieved iconic status, not just as a landmark for Newark seen by motorists on the A1 — it appeared in a music video and on T-shirts by designer Paul Smith.

A trustee at Newark Air Museum, Mr Howard Heeley, said: “Realistically it has been beyond saving for many years, and Newark Air Museum ceased its interest in possibly acquiring it many years ago.

“It became quite the icon and was popular on aviation forums.”

A dog walker saw the Lightning early on Friday but said it was gone by lunchtime.

“Millions of people must have driven past over the years and now no one will see it again,” he said.

“I am very upset that it has gone as I am sure many other people will be too. It was a local landmark.”

The Lightning’s wings and tail were broken off the fuselage and the parts were taken to Briggs Metals on Great North Road, Newark.

Briggs Metals said it had been offered the Lightning for its scrap value.

It was believed to be the first aircraft in its yard.

A spokesman said everything that could have been stripped from it had already been done so by thieves.

The aircraft would be crushed and sold to be melted and recycled.

In November last year the owner of Twitch Farm failed in a High Court battle for the right to go on using the site as a scrapyard for the dismantling of vehicles and sale of spare parts. The site must now be cleared.

Nottinghamshire County Council twice refused his applications for a certificate of lawful use and, in December 2007, issued two enforcement notices alleging a breach of planning control and unlawful change of use of the land.

A Government planning inspector dismissed an appeal against the enforcement notices and the High Court backed that decision.

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Lightning-scrapped

News - Pictures come in for project (Newark)

Photographs of ten fallen heroes have so far been found for a pictorial project to honour Newark’s war dead.

Mr Brian Clark-Dench, 74, of Balderton, whose uncle features on the Newark Memorial To The Fallen.The project, which aims to put faces to the 603 names on Newark’s Memorial To The Fallen at Newark Cemetery, is being coordinated by Mr Pete Stevens, a Commonwealth War Graves Commission stonemason.

He hopes to find all of the pictures in time for the 100th anniversary of the start of the first world war in 2014.

The Newark memorial names 456 Servicemen who died in the first world war and 144 casualties from the second world war.

Also named are one Serviceman who died in West Africa in 1961, one who died in Malaya in 1952, and one in Afghanistan in 2007.

Mr Stevens is seeking pictures to a further 45 names from the first world war on the memorial in St Giles’ Church, Balderton, and 13 from the second world war.

Mr Stevens has set up a website to add each picture collected to the details of the casualty on one of the war memorials.

The website can be viewed at www.memorialphotoproject.tumblr.com

So far those who have come forward to help with the project include Mr Brian Clark-Dench, of Gibson Crescent, Balderton, whose uncle, Mr Alfred Charles Dench, is one of the names on the Newark memorial

 

Mr Dench, who was born in Winthorpe and lived on Middlegate, Newark, for most of his life, served in 1st Battalion King’s Company of the Grenadier Guards.

He was killed in 1915 at the village of Loos, France, at the age of 23, and was later buried to the north-west of the village.

Over the years Mr Clark-Dench has compiled and collected military items related to his uncle, including his original dog tags, campaign medals, postcards sent from France, photographs and even his death notice, signed by Field Marshall Herbert Kitchener, British Secretary of State for War from 1914-16.

Mr Clark-Dench, who served in the same battalion as his uncle during the 1950s, said: “When I saw the article in the Advertiser I was amazed and wanted to come forward and help.

“I never knew my uncle but I do feel the need to keep his memory alive because his story is an interesting tale.

“He was held in high regard as being a real hard man, strong as an ox.

“During battle he saved his company commander from No Man’s Land, despite being under heavy enemy fire — this was the type of man he was.

“Coming forward to help with the project is very important because the men on the memorials should be remembered — what they did for this country should never be forgotten.

“I am immensely proud of what my uncle did and the rest of my family — that is something I wanted to honour.”

Any relative of one of the fallen featured on either memorial and who has a photograph of them or who can help in any way can contact Mr Stevens via Petejstevens@hotmail.co.uk or contact the Advertiser newsdesk on 01636 681234.

The Newark project mirrors a much bigger scheme to find photographs of as many as possible of the 72,000 British and Commonwealth casualties of the Battle of The Somme, whose names are commemorated on the French Thiepval Memorial To The Missing.

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Pictures-come-in-for-project

News - Pictorial project to honour war dead (Newarl/Balderton)

A project has been launched to match photographs to all the names on the Newark and Balderton war memorials.

It is hoped it will be completed in time for the 100th anniversary of the start of the first world war in 2014.

The project mirrors a much bigger one to find photographs of as many of the 72,000 British and Commonwealth casualties of the Battle of The Somme who have no known resting place and whose names are commemorated on the French Thiepval memorial to the missing.

There are 603 names on Newark’s Memorial To The Fallen at Newark Cemetery, of whom 456 are first world war casualties.

Another 144 are from the second world war, one died in West Africa in 1961, one in Malaya in 1952 and one in Afghanistan in 2007.

There are 45 names from the first world war on the memorial in St Giles’ Church, Balderton, and a further 13 from the second world war.

Mr Pete Stevens, a Commonwealth War Graves Commission stonemason, is behind the idea to match photographs with the names.

He suggested it at a meeting in Leicester about restoring war memorials there.

Mr Stevens, of Coleman Avenue, Balderton, said completing the project in time for 2014 would be a fitting testament to the memory of those who died.

He said: “If we could achieve this it would fantastic.

“It would be the perfect way to ensure that the memory of these men lives on for the next generation, and wonderful to have a gallery completed in time for August 4, 2014, which is the 100th anniversary of the declaration of war by Great Britain on Germany and her allies.

“A number of very special events are being planned nationally and this one I hope will capture the imagination.”

Mr Stevens plans to create a website where people can upload pictures of their relatives, along with items such as letters from the Front to create a more detailed insight into their lives.

Mr Stevens has already found some photographs of the dead through his work and through genealogy websites.

He has discovered the name of Private Levi Sibcy from 2/8th Sherwood Foresters, who was killed on January 15, 1915, aged 16, and is the youngest soldier recorded on either memorial.

He wants to know more about the six soldiers, also from 2/8th, who died of wounds sustained in the Irish uprising of 1916 and are on the Balderton memorial.

Mr Stevens wants people to trawl though family archives for pictures.

He plans to contact schools in the hope teachers will make research part of history lessons, and pupils will take news of the project home to their parents.

He hopes a home can be found for the gallery, possibly in Newark’s planned new museum which, subject to Lottery funding, would be created at the Old Magnus Buildings, Appletongate.

Any relative of one of the fallen featured on either memorial and who has a photograph of them or who can help in any kind of way can contact Mr Stevens via Petejstevens@hotmail.co.uk or contact the Advertiser newsdesk on 01636 681234.

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Pictorial-project-to-honour-war-dead

Book- Bookley Explains airfields’ history (Nottinghamshire)

A booklet documenting the rich aviation history of Newark and Nottinghamshire has been unveiled at Newark Air Museum.

At the launch of the booklet, Airfields and Memorials, at Newark Air Museum are (left) county councillor Mr Vincent Dobson and project co-ordinator Mr Howard Heeley.

The 48-page booklet, Airfields and Memorials, produced by the county council, documents all 17 major military airfields, 11 recreational flying sites and 19 memorials in Nottinghamshire.

It explains how, during the second world war, Nottinghamshire was one of the major locations for training volunteers to become bomber crew. It was a role that saw an influx of young volunteers, initially from Poland, followed by the Commonwealth countries.

The booklet provides a snapshot history of the airfields they were based at, providing information such as the nationalities of the airmen, the squadrons, location and current status.

Many airfields in the Newark area are included, such as Balderton, Langar, Orston, Ossington, Syerston and Winthorpe, now Newark Air Museum.

The museum’s archives and photograph collection was used to help collate the booklet.

Project co-ordinator and museum trustee Mr Howard Heeley said it brought everything together for the first time.

“It is not just a local thing though. We are trying to spread the message nationally and internationally,” he said.

“We had people come to train in Nottinghamshire from all over the world, from places like Australia, New Zealand and Poland. There is a truly international story to be told and we are trying to do that. It will encourage people to come and look at the airfields and memorials.

“80% of the copies we have sent out so far have gone outside the county and ten have gone to Australia and Canada.”

Mr Heeley said in the case of Winthorpe, 1,000 new crewmen rotated through the site every six weeks during the war and 25,000 people trained there in total during the course of the war.

“It was like a small town. The runway went out towards the A46 and Langford Hall was the officers’ quarters,” he said.

“There was a massive transient population who all knew the county. Anyone researching their family history might make those connections, and perhaps come to look at a memorial or visit.”

Newark county councillor Mr Vincent Dobson was based at Winthorpe as RAF groundcrew in 1954.

He said: “I spent around three months at Winthorpe and I also remember when there was an airfield at Balderton, before I joined the forces.”

A total of 10,000 copies of the booklet, which also lists memorials to airmen, is available free of charge from the air museum and from county Tourist Information Centres and libraries.

The museum will send copies to people on request. Visit http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Booklet-explains-airfields-history