Cheslyn Hay & District Local History Society

Information has been pouring in re the Averils and Smiths as well as the Stokes family and L/Corporal George Matthews.
Two new photographs handed in this week were of a wedding of Dennis Fletcher and Sarah Scott and an excellent shot of the Nook stack being demolished in December 1974.  And additions for our archives include a DVD of the Landywood Sports Day in 2000, where copies are available, three O.S. maps of Cheslyn Hay in 1882 with a write up of its history produced by Alan Godfrey Maps and a book titled ‘The History of Hilton Hall’.
More stories from old newspapers include memories of the old ‘Blood and Thunder’, the Britannia Hall, including names of Mr Pratt, Lloyd Roberts, Mr Thacker and George Turner who run the ‘Suck Stall’ in the old market on Saturdays.  Also a court case involving a theft at George Wootton’s shop and names mentioned include Whitehouse, Walker and the Lockleys.
in what today seems to be a really heavy sentence for such a crime, even considering it was during the war years.
mentioned, and the travelling company, who after having had the admission money off the crowd did a bunk while they were all waiting to see the show.
And what about the night the stage collapsed and everyone on it, including the piano, went through.  One chap in particular I saw go through was .  He worked for and they looked after
A new member, Marion McCullough from the Vale of Glamorgan, visited the Base this week and was quite surprised at the contents in our archives, particularly relating to the musical side of Cheslyn Hay.  Marion has just retired after a career of being a professional chorister and browsing through a volume of programmes, she found her father, Ronald Wilson, appearing at the Salem as a soloist in the 1940s.  But she was really taken aback with names such as Heddle Nash, Kathleen Ferrier and in particular Constance Shacklock who was a diva, in the true sense of the word, at Covent Garden.  And as Marion said ‘I cannot believe these stars all appeared on this stage at the Salem’.    The things we take for granted in our history……

trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

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Our current book, Cheslyn Hay Lives, retailing at £4, has almost sold out with only 23 remaining of the 1100 ordered.
Peter Rhodes of the Express & Star is our guest speaker this Wednesday afternoon at 2pm.  Title of his talk is ‘Talking to Tommies’ relating very poignant stories of his recently released book ‘A Shilling a Day’ and we will have a full house, so the advice is to come early.  The car park at the rear of the Salem will be open to cater for more parking.
Anyone with connections or interests of the Stokes’ family tree will be greatly welcomed at the Salem Base this Saturday, 27th November from 1.30pm – 3pm. as we will be exploring the Cheslyn Hay line.
And we have received 8 pages of a detailed line of the Whitehouse family dating back to Samuel (1760) of Cheslyn Hay. Available at our Base or copies on request.
Appeals for any memories of the Pepper, George and Emily Averill,  John  Henry and Agnes Maud Smith families.
Also the Cannock Library is holding a ‘Evacuation Memories’ get together on Tuesday 14th December at 1.30 – 3pm.  Refreshments will be provided and we are keen to involve ourselves, particularly with anyone with first hand memories of Cheslyn Hay evacuees.  Please contact me first though.
More recalls from Arthur Davies on the Hawkins Pit explosion mentioning a Mr. Stevenson from Queen Street being badly burned.
We had more coverage in the Express & Star’s ‘As We Were’ page on Friday relating the story of  Sunshine Farm from ‘The Fleeting Years’ and including a photograph of a ‘little unknown girl’ amongst the daffodils at the farm.  Immediately I had an email from Lisa that reads ‘How wonderful to read your article on the Sunshine Farm in Cheslyn Hay, printed in the Express & Star dated 19th November 2010. I am the grandaughter of Dorothy Thompson who is the little girl pictured amongst the daffodils. What a delight it was for her to see the farm again and also her parents Irven and Ethel Hall. My nan is looking forward to her 90th birthday next May and it would be great to get our hands on a copy of Those Fleeting Years for her to reminisce of her childhood. Many thanks again for publishing your article as it was such a pleasure to read for all the family.’
New photographs this week include Eliott Lucas Christmas Parties in the 1950s with employees and their partners, a series of photographs from the Joe Cadman Collection including ones of well known village names such as Brough, Poole, Jervis and Cadman as well as group photographs of Ernie Carter’s Boys Club football team of 1937/8 and some of the Hawkins Colliery winners of the Penkridge Charity Cup 1938 (of some unknown non-sporting event) that include Joe Baker, Joe Cadman and 3 unknown people.  Also one photograph of the McCullochs and their friends theTitleys.
And more interviews from the pupils of Great Wyrley Secondary Modern School have been copied and include Mr D Williams,shopkeeper of 69 Station Street, Grandmother Hall, farmhouse at the bottom of Norton Lane, Rev Marsh, unnamed man and woman living next to Lunt’s Fish & Chip shop, Mr Cyril Ballance, Mrs W Hemingsley of Heminsley Farm, unknown woman outside the Co-op in Hilton Lane, Mr Pratt Cobblers shop, Mr R Priest of Shaws Lane and two interviews that related to Kingswood Colliery and Gilpins.
And thanks to the family who have donated several items that belonged to Mr Joe Cadman, we are cataloging them  as ‘The Joe Cadman Collection’ and they include a raft of photographs, Burial Records from 1927 – 1962, a Parish Council Minute Book 1925 -27, List of Parish Council Members 1894 – 1946, the TA Hawkins & Sons Football Challenge Cup presented by Major O C Hawkins that was only competed for twice (Winners – 1937 – A Ansell (No1 Pit) and 1938 – T Parry (Surface) ), a Report of the Explosion at the Grove Colliery 1 October 1930 inc Maps and Plan, Programmes of Civic Services, Carnivals,  Salem Centenary Handbook of 1957 and a Commemorative Brochure of the Opening of the Sports Centre and High School by Princess Anne.  All available at our Base for viewing.
trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

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Eleven visitors came to our Base at the Salem last Tuesday and some very interesting items and photographs were brought in for us to scan and copy.  It is open every Tuesday between 10am – 3pm at the rear of the Salem.
More information has come to light on the Whitehouse, Smith, Steadman and Plant families and some interesting research on two soldiers from the First World War, Private Frank Alcott and Sergeant Leonard Bowker, has provide some fascinating stories.
A beautiful Indian vase that was owned by the Reverend Shapurji Edalji was brought in to the Base this week to be photographed and we have received a batch of interviews of local people performed by pupils from Great Wyrley Secondary Modern School in a project from the 1950s through to the 1970s and they include interviews with Mr Albert Handley, George Lunt, Mrs Harrison 63 Station Street, Mr Ansell 189 Station Street, Rev Marsh, Mrs Whitehouse, Mrs Handley, Mr Heath Headmaster  of Landywood School, Mrs Dora Cooper, Mr Winfer 177 Station Street, Mr Horton 37 Windsor Road, DA Williams Station Street,  Mrs L Smith, Mr Cyril Ballance, Mrs Perks Station Street, Mr Rowley Wharwell Lane, Mrs Lakin High Street, Mrs Owen 15 Wesley Avenue, Mr  Bull 43 High Street, Mr Downton  Station Street, Mrs L Challenor Bentons Lane, Mr Baker 1 Streets Lane, Mrs Brookes Norton Lane, Mrs Morgan  Norton Lane, Mr F Knowles Shaws Lane and Roland Ridgeway  91 Station Street. All can be read at our Base or copies are available at £1 each.  Also an excellent framed water colour painting of Dundalk Lane cottages in Autumn 1922 by Eunice Naylor, the minister’s wife.
Some interesting snippets from the local papers of 1910 have been copied during our research and amongst the stories are involved the following local characters – Henry Farmer, Thomas Fletcher, Henry Challinor, Job Ridgway, James Turner, Henry Pearson, George Barclett, James Thomas, Elizabeth Altree, Mabel A Morgan, Betsy Thomas and William Henry Pearson.
More details can be obtained on request.

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More family history requests and information have come in this week for Cheslyn Hay families Plant,Smith, Whitehouse plus a plea for up to date information from Australia on his Watson, Groves and Fellows family. They emigrated in the early 1900s but their roots were around the Bridgtown, Cannock and Pelsall area and he has plenty of names and information from old letters. We have also received more details and stories of the terrible pit explosion at Hawkins in 1950.
More photographs have been handed in and include Bunter Kingston’s farmhouse before and during its demolition, the rebuilding and the re-opening of Landywood Railway Station, the old Lot School when the Hudsons owned it, and one of the rear of the vicarage.  Also some activities of the Great Wyrley Secondary Modern School of the late 1940s where they are all named and include a tour of the Cotswolds, a production of The Taming of the Shrew and a Cookery Class.  Plus a group of Stella Workers in 1948 where they are all named, one of the old Co-op in Hilton Lane, a marvellous shot of the Slings cottages in 1945 and an outing on the Middle Hill overlooking the Bacon Pits in the 1930s.  Photographs of people are of the Kingstons, Newells and Wrights, plus a group of neighbours in High Street in 1935 of the Peaches, Mellors and Norman  Sneyd, and individual ones of Lily Alcock (nee Thomas) and Bill Hurley, Chief Engineer at Hawkins Tileries from 1939 – 70.
We have also received six copies of ’100 Years Plus of Keymaking’ covering the industry of Willenhall and Essington and a George VI Cannock Chase Coronation Souvenir from 1937, the Coronation Edition of St Marks and the St Peters Mission of Cheslyn Hay in 1953, a Royal Silver Jubilee Festival of Flowers 1977, and certificates of  St Johns Ambulance Brigade and the NCB Industrial Civil Defence  Training Course.
And this week 80 year old Duncan Brough remembers the war as a lad and the planned activities of the ARP, AFS, CD, Home Guard and the WVS.
Also in Friday’s Express & Star was another good write-up of ‘Cheslyn Hay Lives’ and the books continue to sell well and will be sold out before Christmas.
Another 75 viewings of the  Staffs Past Track in October and are as follows -  Brittania Picture House 20, Albert Hawkins Shop 13, Wootton’s Post Office 11, High Street 10, Walter Hackett 10, Hackett’s Butcher’s Shop 4, Salem 4, Garrett’s Shop 3.

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Two separate military requests received this week and both asking for the service records of First World War soldiers – Leonard Henry Bowker of Wedges Mills, who won the MM with the 12th Lancers and Private Frank William Alcock who was discharged in 1915 after being badly injured.   Also a request for details of an explosion at Hawkins Colliery that Frank Alcock was involved in sometime in 1950.  And also appeals for anyone who can remember Selina Hood and also the Ford family who lived around the  Jacobs Hall Lane area during the forties and fifties.  Married names of two of the sisters were Smith and Averil.
Photographs have been received of the Horton, Plant and Benton families from 1929 – 1940 and include Sam, Hilda, Edie, Mary, John and  Peg of the Horton family,  John, Janet, Jane and Richard of the Plant family and Peg (Phoebe), Tony and Edward of the Bentons.  And Molly Massey.  All can be seen at the Base and the next Coffee Morning.
And donations for our archives this week include a nice Salem Sunday School Anniversary Bouquet Card dated 8 May 1966 with the Reverend WR Kerry and a newspaper cutting of the marriage of the village doctors – the Tomkinsons.
Betty Taylor (nee Matthews) shares her family  memories of the war years with us this week and include a poignant story of a young German POW who worked at the Council Yard in Dundalk Lane.
We are involved in a scheme ‘Connecting People with the Screen Heritage of the Midlands’ where we are after any old cinefilm to preserve local history for the future.  The cinefilm will be transposed onto DVD and the donator will receive a copy for themselves.  It is funded by the Heritage Lottery for £500,000 and so the DVDs will be of the highest quality.
The Chase Post has done us proud again with a front page spread on Len and Julie Croft’s sightings of the ghost believed to be Dr Syree.  And although it’s easy to be sceptical about such matters, there are certainly enough odd coincidences in the history of these sightings to make one wonder.
The funeral of Mr Harry Dace is on Thursday 4th November at the Stafford Crematorium at 12pm.

More information on any of the above can be obtained via the email address below.

trevor.cheslynhayhistory@talktalk.net

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