History
News items relating to local history
News items relating to local history
Zero Night the greatest untold escape story of World War II. The scene is set in Oflag V1-B the prison camp in Warburg. It tells of 40 British and Commonwealth officers who hatched the most original and daring escape from deep inside Nazi Germany.
Months of meticulous planning and secret training hung in the balance during three minutes of mayhem as prisoners charged the camp’s double perimeter fences.
Returning to the Tollesbury WEA, Mark Felton will entertain with his thrilling account of this remarkable escape. It’s a story so fresh that Hollywood is making a movie out of the tutor’s book.
If you want to find out more about this World War II tale at Tollesbury on Saturday 10.00 -3.00 pm 10th November:
The course fee is £18 although discounts & concessions are available depending on your circumstances.
Venue address is Tollesbury Sailing Club. Woodrolfe Rd, CM9 8SE.
Do you enjoy walking in the countryside? Did you wonder about particular features that you see around you? Is it Saxon or Roman? Or perhaps why a town looks and feels the way it does? If so, this one-day course, led by Nicholas James, is definitely for you.
Britain’s history lies in its familiar geographies. Town and country have been shaped by planning and by accidents, agreements and conflicts, policies and technologies, by work and by play, by worship, and, above all, by changing climate and population. We can identify a series of chapters:
The principles for studying landscapes and finding the clues are simple but the analysis of causes can be much more complicated.
If you want to find out more about this intriguing subject come to Tollesbury Saturday 10.00 -3.00 pm 20th October. Information about this day course can be found on the WEA website wea.org.uk. Type in “History Everywhere” in the subject or keyword box. You can book online or phone 0300 303 3464. Alternatively, contact Anne Mossman 07973 479636. The course fee is £18 although discounts & concessions are available depending on your circumstances.
Venue address is Tollesbury Sailing Club. Woodrolfe Rd, CM9 8SE.
After disembarking from the Hurtigruten cruise ship in Honningsvag, northern Norway, Peter Garner’s attention was caught by a large statue of a St. Bernard on the quayside (see right). After reading a plaque on the wall he realised this dog called Bamse was a very special dog. On returning to England he unearthed this story….. Continue reading
At the October meeting, our president, Jackie, welcomed Phil Lyons who had come along to talk about A Sailor’s Life.
Phil started with the fact that 21 men from Colchester and the surrounding villages had served at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21st October 1805. At that time Britain had the greatest navy in the world, with 108 ships but after the battle, they possessed 152 ships as they had captured those of the French and Spanish.
Boys as young as 7 served on board, often at sea for over 2 years before setting foot on terra firma. Crews were recruited by press gangs and quota men who rounded up paupers and criminals to serve in the navy. Interestingly 2 of the Colchester men joined voluntarily. Life on the ships was a mixture of boredom, terror and sheer hard work. It took 8 men to hold the wheel in calm weather and 12 men in a storm, then there was always a danger of catching the wheel and being thrown overboard.
Food was poor with maggots in the meat and weevils in the ship’s biscuits, but men did not complain as at least they were fed. To prevent scurvy, Nelson provided his sailors with onions not limes! The best part was the daily ration of grog, a mixture of half a pint of rum mixed with 4 parts of water, and a gallon of small beer served daily. This provided the men with 200 units of alcohol a week!
The sailors slept in hammocks, caught rats for fun and were flogged for any misdemeanour. 50% died from malaria, yellow fever or typhus and many were wounded in battle. Desertion, mutiny and cowardice were hanging offences!
So was a sailor’s life a merry life? I leave you to decide.
Our next meeting is our 10th anniversary celebration on the 22nd November, as such it will be closed to non-members. You can find details of all our meetings and speakers on the diary of the home page of this website. If you would like further information about P.A.W.S please ring either of the following committee members:
Zepfest will open [fergcorp_cdt_single date=”24th September 2016 14:00″] and tickets are now available, click to book. Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Zeppelin L33 landing in Little Wigborough, the weekend of 24th & 25th September offers a lot of fun. Hours are 2pm – 8pm on the Saturday and 10am – 4pm on Sunday. Tickets are £10 adults, £5 children 7-15. Zepfest takes place in Copt Hall Lane, Little Wigborough, CO5 7RD.
Tickets will be on sale at the gate, but due to ticket numbers being limited you are advised to book online well in advance.
Attractions include:
This will be one of the first events from Zepfest organizers commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the grounding of the Zeppelin L33 in Little Wigborough. The film presentation will be by Russell Savory, from the Stow Maries WW1 aerodrome, Continue reading
The old Village Hall in School Lane, Great Wigborough and the site on which it stands are the property of the villages of Great and Little Wigborough and public access is not automatic.
To affirm this, at least once a year, for a period of at least one week, the car park will be closed.
This is to advise you that the next period of closure will be from 28th March to 4th April 2015. No access or egress will be possible during that period.
Jinny Gale
Chairman