22/01/2025
As I sit here this afternoon to write up this coming week’s report, I’m doing two very different things at the same time. The weekly column is the main job and the one I’m really concentrating on, but with one eye on my two screens, the other one is on the TV where I am following the Masters Snooker Final, from Alexandra Palace. So, I’ll try not to get the two jobs muddled otherwise I will be reprimanded by the Editor! Seriously, I don’t think, Steve the Editor would go to such action!
Why am I watching Snooker? Well, back in my Youth I had taken a liking to the game and was shown by a few friends the right way to tackle it. My first games took place in an RAF Hospital near Swindon, where I had to stay for over two months, after my apprenticeship was over, for some investigations to happen. We were encouraged not to just sleep or do nothing so once I had discovered the snooker room, that was it. If that hadn’t been available, I’m not sure what I would have done, probably gone nuts! Why was I there? A good question! I started my RAF Career as an Apprentice at the age of 16, training to be a what was known as a Ground Wireless Fitter, the work being shortwave radio and the like, which was the RAF worldwide communication network. I was required to finish my course before the medical investigation started, so I arrived at Wroughton Hospital in January 1961 with all my kit, to see what they could do for me. I had been posted to RAF Henlow, but that was cancelled after a few weeks while they got on with sorting me out. Eventually with the help of a specialist at Swindon Hospital, I was deemed to be cured and sent on my way. But where was I going? Henlow was not offered again but instead I was sent to RAF Scampton, the home of the Dambusters. I found this odd because as far as I knew, my trade was not catered for on that site. I soon learned otherwise as the next day; I was sent packing to a very small station 9 miles away called RAF Normanby by Spital; every heard of it? No, nor had I but it was a site manned by about 12 of us, with a Sergeant in charge and a civilian cook. Most of the airmen were National Servicemen, and me at the age of 19, oversaw some of the work! Normanby was a long-distance radio transmitter site, but its job was 24hour contact with the various V-Bomber Squadrons, always in the air in those days. To while away the hours when we were not on duty, we lived on site, the most used facility was our snooker room, so I was able to get a lot of practice in when off duty. I learned a lot from a young National Serviceman who was posted in, by the name of Patrick O’Hara. I introduced myself and asked him what part of Ireland he was from, to which he snapped back: Glasgy! (Glascow). Well, I did learn a lot of snooker tricks from him; I think he had lived all his former life in his local snooker hall!
I was at Normanby for 16 months, my first promotion to Corporal had come through, and a few weeks later I met the guys that I was to work with for the next two and a half years, in RAF HQ Germany, and three of these lads, had been classmates for three years when we were all Apprentices at RAF Locking, our training station, not far from Weston-Super-Mare. Rheindahlen as it was known, was the Joint HQ for all the NATO countries during the Cold War period, it was a large site, like a small town and very busy. I don’t think I ever played Snooker there, but I did learn Ballroom Dancing! Never a dull moment there and I was paired off with a young WRAF lass, called Sandra, and I’m sure many of our friends now, will recognise that as the name of my wife, 59 years married in March this year! One sad point from that experience, Rheindahlen closed in 2013, and is now an abandoned, derelict, overgrown site with no future purpose, a great shame, it had been an amazing place to work, and play, all those years ago. Finally, I think I have had 3 snooker games here in Potton when I first moved here, in the old Working Men’s Club on Royston Street. I don’t play now though! But I do enjoy watching a good match and my favourite player, won the Trophy!
LAST WEEK, I mentioned that St Mary’s Church are looking for help in improving their musical repertoire by trying to recruit a skilled, but maybe retired, chorister or musician who may be able to help our church choir improve. We do our best, we had very good tuition from our previous team, Judith and David Barker who had been with is for a few years, and between them, they taught us a lot of new music and how to present it to an audience. Sadly, Judith and David passed away within months of each other and have been greatly missed ever since. David had been an RAF Bandsman and could play many instruments whereas Judith had had a career with church music as a very accomplished organist. They came into this area because David had been posted into the RAF Number 6 Regional Band, which was based at RAF Henlow and from there, were introduced to us by friends from St Neots, who came to St Mary’s Church on a Sunday. Since the sad passing of Judith and David, we have managed reasonably well in learning and practising new music, mainly popular anthems and the like. We are managed by Peter, one of our members who has been a member of several local choirs over the years and has been with St Mary’s Choir for many years, but we all want to move forward as a choir and learn new routines and presentations. We meet once a week for an hour on a Thursday evening, in the church and firstly run through a selection of hymns to keep our repertoire up to date, and we do sing anthems as well, usually during Communion, or special occasions. This coming Easter, we will be performing some items from John Stainers’ The Crucifixion. The person we are looking for to help us, is someone who has recently retired from one of the many choirs in this area and may like to take on a training rôle on a part time basis, someone who doesn’t really want to fully retire from singing! We cannot pay a fee for this as church choirs don’t have any income generally, so if you, or someone you may know, might be interested please get in touch with me initially by email at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.
Preparations for our Easter programme are underway, usually starting with a Palm Sunday Walk up on the hills at St John’s Church, Cockayne Hatley, and singing as we go and led by St Mary’s Choir!
THE SIGNALS MUSEUM. If you have been following my reports from the end of last year, you will know that the Signals Museum at RAF Henlow, has now closed and the building is almost fully cleared. We had to do this to comply with future for the RAF Station which as yet are unknown. Our Team has had 25 years of meeting people literally from all over the World and mostly to explain how communications were carried out during World War Two. Hundreds of people must have come through our doors in that time, but we not only displayed equipment, much of it we had put back in full working order, or as close as we could get it. People, hearing that we were closing suggested many places we could move to, but you can’t just move an exhibit without the experts in a new area and as we were getting on a bit in years, no-one was prepared to move across the country. No other museum was run like ours, with working exhibits but we had to bite the bullet and put it up for sale or pass it on to other interested museums! We have managed to dispose of most things and some really large items, such as our fully working radar displays, were moved to the Radar Museum in Norfolk. We had to give their teams adequate training on these and probably provide a breakdown service if necessary! A large Marconi transmitter dating from 1936, which I had refurbished a few years ago, although not to working order as it was incomplete, has now gone to a big new museum in Wales along with similar items, some working, some just for display. Much of these larger items were made by Marconi and this included a 1920 Naval transmitter which had to be fully rebuilt, but again not to working order. The list was endless, and now we have taken over 6 months to dismantle and dispose of all this work over the previous 25 years! But now, “the end is nigh” and we can all take a rest. We still will maintain an active website to answer enquiries on getting an old piece of equipment back into working order. Also, items we have still for sale will be listed. Go to: https://www.signalsmuseum.uk/ In disposing of everything, we have raised a lot of money which we will pass on to charities, probably locally or to Military Benevolent Funds. Our last meeting in a now empty building, will be on January 28th, for a little nostalgic get together, talking about what we have achieved over those years!
BLUNHAM CHURCH GIANT BOOK SALE!
From time to time, we help other local churches with their projects and the Blunham Church Book Sale, is one of these annual events that we have helped advertise before. This is coming up on 22nd February at 10.00 to 3PM. The event is held in Blunham Parish Church, (MK44 3NQ) and they would be pleased to see you. The sale is in aid of their Church Fabric Funds and Refreshments, Coffee/Tea/Home Made Soup/Cakes will be on sale and there will be a raffle. For further information, call Sue and Peter Holden on 01767 640572.
This sale is a winner for Blunham Church, please come along and help them maintain their church.
CELEBRATING BURNS NIGHT 2025
A popular event on St Mary’s Church social calendar, is our Burns Night Celebration. This year the event will be on Saturday 25th January in St Mary’s Hall, Hatley Road, Potton and the doors open at 7pm. Tickets costing £20 pp, will include a 3-course traditional Scottish meal, accompanied by a “Wee dram” of course! Reserve your tickets by signing up on the table just inside the Church, or by calling Rosemary on 07753 638276, or by scanning the QR Code on our posters around town. Book early, it’s always a popular evening!
START! God, Jesus and the journey of life in six sessions. START is a fast paced, interactive exploration of the Christian faith for people who have recently started coming to church. This year’s group meetings will be held in Sutton Village Hall starting on January 23rd at 7pm, with a meal. For more details, see the current Sunday Link, or contact Rev Alex on 01767 764062.
Link Café. The next one is on Saturday January 25th from 10am till1pm. All are welcome and all food and drink is free, but we expect a donation from visitors which goes into a fund to help us develop new projects. Please come along to the Community Centre in Brookend and join in the chat with people you may not yet know!
CRAFT AND CHATTER Every other Friday, (Green Bin Day! Unless notified) Meetings have re-commenced after the holiday. Craft and Chatter is an informal Craft Group. The meetings are at 7.30pm in St Mary’s Church Hall. Bring along your current project and socialise with like-minded new friends. Entry is £3 which includes refreshments. Find us on Facebook for further details. Www.facebook.com/craftandchatter All proceeds to St Mary’s Church funds
FIRST STEPS Usually every Friday 9.30am to 11.30am in St Mary’s Church Hall. Entry is only £2.00 per family and includes tea/coffee, cake, snacks, chatter and for the little ones: lots of toys to play with! For further information, contact Sandy on 01767 260430.
Services for Next Sunday January 26th
9 am All Saints Church, Sutton, Service of the Word
10.30 am St Mary’s Church, Potton, Choral Holy Communion
4pm St John’s Church, Cockayne Hatley, Evening Prayer
