At the Launton May Day Fair
The front cover shows Elsie, the Gypsy Cob mare from Equilore, who was offering rides in the pony trap up Bicester Road at the May Day Fair held outside the Parish Hall. Here she is being helped to turn round in the road with Equilore owner Loes Koorenhof (fortunately the road was closed for work on the railway bridge). More May Day photos are above. Photo by Matt Hill
The Editor writes …
This month you have in your hands a 52 page issue - and it could have been longer... Of course, with the Platinum Jubilee holiday in June, there is a lot of information about events in the village over the weekend and in the weeks ahead (see pages 11, 14, 28, 34, 35, 41, 44, 45, 51, and 52). I have also included a contribution from the Historical Society of three Launton people’s memories of the Coronation in 1953 from the LHS display for the 2012 Diamond Jubilee (22, 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31): I enjoyed these because they matched my memory of the day in Biddenden in Kent - including the awful weather. Other activities have gone on as well. There is a report and photos from the Launton FC tournaments in May (42-43), and a report of the Bee Day event in the Woodland (21) and two pages of photos (26-27) from the busy event. Our cover features Elsie, the Gypsy Cob horse who offered trap rides at the May Day Fair, with more photos on page 2. There is an obituary notice for Angie Hamill (8-9), and a piece and photo from hosts Jackie and Steve Webber about their Ukrainian guests Vira and Mykola (36, 37 and 40). The Ex-Launton Boy writes about his response to events in Ukraine (47-49). And there is much else, as well. Please also support our advertisers.
Robert Cornford Launton Village Support: Contact Details A Support Group for Launton. Group email: village.help@launton-pc.gov.uk PHONE Numbers: 9:30am to 5:00pm
07522 231 100 - Janice | 01869 247171 - Jane Olds (Launton Parish Council) 01869 241755 - Lesley | 01869 242685 - Nick Cherry Pharmacy Runner
Launton Lines
A monthly newsletter for Launton. Published around the first of each month by the Launton Community Communications Group © 2022 Launton Lines email: launtonlines@launton.org website: https://launton.org/launton-lines/ The Launton Lines Committee 2021-22 Chair: Jon Spinage | Editors: Robert Cornford, Matt Hill | Treasurer: Michael Stack Associate Editor: Kathy Gilbert | Distribution: Shirley Johnson | Advertising: Jenni Walker Contact the Parish Council Council Clerk | Mrs Jane Olds Address | 13 Oak Close, Bicester, OX26 3XD email | clerk@launton-pc.gov.uk Phone | 01869 247171
To book the Parish Hall Contact: Joan Packer Phone: 07922 042 133 Parish Hall Committee: Christine Massey; Audrey Deeley; Lynne Harper; Joan Packer; Simon Turner; Robert Cornford
LIGHT UP A LIFE
Would you like to sponsor an evening’s floodlighting at St Mary’s Church in memory of a loved one, to give thanks for the birth of a child, or to celebrate a baptism, birthday, or wedding? A minimum donation of £10 is suggested which can be Gift Aided. Please contact Joan Packer on 01869 241694 by 20 June for entry in the July 2022 issue of Launton Lines. May 14 | Sponsored by Mick Ayris in loving memory of Kathleen Ayris on what would have been their 56th wedding anniversary June 21 | Sponsored by Maureen and Bob Roberts in memory of their respective fathers Joseph Baker and Cyril Roberts
Launton Parish Council Meeting held on Thursday 5 May 2022 at 7:30pm in the Launton School Hall
Councillors present Mr Andrew Briant, Mr Kyle Michael, Mr Ed Sanders (Vice Chairman), Mrs Lesley Thompson, Mr Simon Turner (Chairman) Apologies Mrs Abigail Dowman, Mrs Jaqueline Webber In attendance The Clerk, Mrs Jane Olds; 2 members of the public Councillor Turner was elected as Chairman and Councillor Sanders was elected as Vice Chairman. East West Rail No representatives were available to attend the meeting. However, we hope that by the time you read this, both Bicester Road and Charbridge Lane will be properly open and this will be almost the last of the EWR road disruptions - although the road is still closed to Marsh Gibbon until 17 June. The works will then be focussed on the track bed. Reports from District and County Councillors As 5 May was Election Day, none of District or County Councillors attended. Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 4
Finance The Finance Report is available on the Parish Council website together with the financial year end Annual Governance and Accountability Return (or AGAR for short). The Council is obliged to complete the AGAR and ensure that it is sent to the External Auditor by 30 June. All the information about the 2021/22 finance is available at www.launton-pc.gov.uk/financialinformation/accounts-2021-22-2/ and anyone wishing to see the draft accounts (they are unaudited until the External Auditors - Moore have completed their inspection) should contact the Clerk to make an appointment. The official ‘Electors’ Rights’ dates will be from 6 June to 15 July. Planning All planning applications, which include the links to Cherwell’s Planning Portal, are put on the Parish Council website when they are received (www.launtonpc.gov.uk -in the Agenda and Minutes section). If a villager has concerns or comments about a planning application, they are welcome to come along to Parish Council meetings to bring them to the attention of the meeting. Villagers are also welcome to contact
Councillors or the Clerk to make comments. Guidance about how the Parish Council is able to respond is available on the Parish Council website at https://www.launtonpc.gov.uk/planning-applications/ Parish Hall The working group has seen the revised plans and will be recommending to the Parish Council and the PCC that a planning application is submitted. Agenda items and dates of the next meetings The 9 June meeting will be in the Parish Hall at 7.30pm (please note change of date). If you’d like to chat with a Councillor, do come along after 7.15pm. We are trying to reduce our printing and paper use, so if you would like hard copies of the agenda or any of the meeting papers, please let the Clerk know well before the meeting. Suggestions for agenda items for the 7 July meeting need to be with the Clerk by 23 June and items for the 4 August meeting by 21 July. If you’re not signed up to our mailing list to receive news from the Parish Council, you can find a signup form at the bottom left hand menu of the Parish Council website at www.launton-pc.gov.uk/
Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 5
Local Elections on Thursday 5 May 2022
Cherwell District Council, Launton and Otmoor Ward: Election result announced on 6 May 2022 Candidate name Party affiliation Votes Result Gemma Louise Coton Liberal Democrats 1,477 Elected, 4 years Angus Vaughan Patrick Liberal Democrats 1,322 Elected, 1 year David Leonard Hughes The Conservative Party 1,091 Steve Jackson The Conservative Party 958 Joanne Howells Labour Party 267 Naomi Karslake Labour Party 229 Electorate: 6,387 Turnout: 43.67% (In 2019 turnout was 35.69%; in 2021 it was 44.62%) Rejected ballot papers: 23
Quarterly Report from Victoria Prentis, MP
It has been wonderful to see North Oxfordshire pull together in recent months in response to the devastating war in Ukraine. Our community has really played its part by organising donations, appeals, and collections to support humanitarian efforts. It was great to attend a charity concert in Steeple Aston Church last month where I was able to meet so many Ukrainians who have recently arrived, as well as their host families. As a family, we were really pleased to welcome Vika to our home in March. She is staying with us until it is safe for her to return to Ukraine and help rebuild her country. We are all doing our best to support her, as is our wider area. Vika has been overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness local people have shown since her arrival, and she feels very welcome in our community. The proposed Strategic Rail Freight Interchange at Ardley continues to be at the forefront of my mind. I cannot see that this is a suitable location for such a development but am continuing to engage with the developers to see what mitigation measures are proposed. A public consultation was launched last month and runs until Saturday 4 July. As part of this, Oxfordshire Railfreight Limited are holding four public exhibitions, as well as two webinar sessions. You can read more about the proposals here: www.oxsrfi.co.uk I would strongly encourage everybody affected by Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 6
the plans to respond to the consultation. In recent weeks, I have been contacted by many constituents who are concerned about the volume of proposed developments currently being considered around Bicester and the surrounding villages. A multitude of planning applications for housing and industrial developments, stretching from Ardley and Baynards Green to Chesterton and Wendlebury, are causing significant concern about the possible impact on local communities and infrastructure. It is clear to me that many of these exceed or are contrary to the vision established by the Cherwell Local Plan. I therefore intend to work closely with Council officers, local Councillors and also my colleagues in Government to see what more can be done to ensure that local development is guided by our agreed policies and the consent of the local community, rather than speculative, opportunistic proposals. On this, I was really pleased to see that the Government has used the Queen’s Speech to commit to improving the planning system to give communities a louder voice. I look forward to seeing the Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill progress through this Parliament. Although it was saddening to see the Queen miss the State Opening owing to mobility issues, it will be very exciting to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee this month, marking 70 years of magnificent service to our nation. Victoria Prentis | May 2022
Road Closures as at 23 May 2022 EWR has advised that Bicester Road over the bridge in Launton, which was scheduled to re-open on 27 May, will not now re-open until Wednesday 1 June. 14 March - 17 June: Bicester Road, Marsh Gibbon CLOSED for rebuilding the bridge. These closures are correct as at 23 May. See the Parish Council website at https://www.launton-pc.gov.uk/road-closures/ for any interim updates Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 7
Angie Hamill: 22 December 1931 - 4 March 2022
Angela Valerie Gavin was born 22 December 1931 in Ilford Essex. She was the third child to add to Tom and Angela’s existing family of Elsie and Stan. So Angie was an Essex Girl! The Gavins had an off-license business and if Tom had taken a bottle of Canadian Club whisky out of stock and laid it down for Angie it would probably have made around £600 on auction today. The Gavin’s happy event was followed soon after by the birth of a daughter, Irene, to close friends and neighbours Bill and Daisy Robertson. Irene was to be almost a sister to Angie. This world seems very distant from us today not just because of the advances in technology but also because the world was still suffering the effects of the Great Depression. Of course, being born in the 1930s meant that your childhood was blighted by the Second World War. Angie tried to upstage the coming conflict by having her own skirmish with Scarlet Fever in summer 1939. This required her to leave home for the first time and isolate in the local fever hospital. The young Angie showed great presence of mind when a doodle bug struck the house next door and incendiary material flew into the Gavin’s garden. Seeing her parents fully involved in dealing with the major problem Angie took a spade, scooped up the flaming material to remove it then pile soil on top to stop the blaze. In due course Angie passed the 11 plus and went to Wanstead Grammar School where she met and befriended Joyce Pole. The trio of Angie, Irene and Joyce was now complete, and they remained lifelong friends. After school Angie went to secretarial college, then worked in an advertising agency in Denmark Street in London. Famous as Tin Pan Alley because of the many music businesses there, this became the heart of Swinging London. In time Angie married Brian Lovett and moved to Oldham where daughter Carole was born and then to Southampton where Terry was born then finally to Bridgend in South Wales. The marriage was not a happy one, so Angie moved with her daughters to live with her newly retired parents near Eastbourne. Life here was very sociable with Angie’s extended family mixing with those of the other two amigos. This became the family hub with many gatherings over the years. Angie now made a decision which was to change her life in a quite unexpected way: the first step was to train as a teacher. Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 8
Her first job after training was teaching domestic science at Tideway Comprehensive School in Newhaven. It was while there that she accompanied a party of exchange students on a visit to Roxbury High School in New Jersey where she met Ed. After much transatlantic mail and some transatlantic travel Angie and Ed were married in August 1976 when Angie gained two sons and a daughter, Shaun, Tim and Kelly. They settled in New Jersey where Ed continued teaching. Angie soon became a realtor not least because she didn’t fancy the 7.10 am start at school. They moved to a house overlooking Lake Musconetcong where they spent many happy years. Angie had her first battle with cancer in November 1987 and she coped very well with the major surgery and chemotherapy which would eventually cure her. So well in fact that they travelled to the UK on the QE2. They were expecting to stay so travelled with 19 suitcases. This trip was at the start of a temporary teacher exchange, but the desire was for a permanent arrangement. Ed found this as a middle school teacher job at the Department of Defence Dependents School in Croughton, just down the road from Launton. Angie and Ed lived at first in Souldern then moved to Launton in 1992 and quickly became part of the community. Angie contributed to the great kneeler project in St Mary’s and was active alongside Ed in Launton Environmental Group. Angie had a couple more brushes with cancer in 1995 and 2018, facing each bout with resolution and humour but the disease was not to be denied and returned with renewed vigour during 2021. It’s a reflection of Angie’s character that over her last few weeks, to our surprise, she would find time and effort to ring and thank people for a gift of flowers or a cake. She didn’t want to talk about her affliction; she did want to hear your news We have said our final goodbyes to Angie, this is not to say that any of us will forget her and the impact she has had on our lives. We will remember not the formal Angela Valerie Hamill, but Angie as a wife, a mother, a cousin, a neighbour and ultimately a friend. Bob Roberts Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 9
Launton Pantomime Dick Whittington wins two ODN awards for the 2022 show
The Launton Village Players are pleased to announce that they have received two awards from the Oxfordshire Drama Network for the February 2022 pantomime Dick Whittington. The adjudicators came to a public performance, and made the following awards to the show: the Musical Award for best live music, and the Magic Moment Award for the wonderful children’s chorus as the feet-stomping rats! That’s two more awards to add to the Launton Panto’s enviable list.
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Summer is coming and we’re looking forward to staging our show A Musical Jubilee on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 July, both starting at 2.30pm. Our show will include songs from West End musicals, as well as sketches and poems relating to some of the events that happened during her Majesty’s 70-year reign. The show is suitable for families, and we have something for all ages in the programme, so bring the kids, grandparents, or even your neighbours and enjoy an afternoon’s entertainment. Every ticket purchased also comes with a free Union Jack waving flag! Refreshments will be on offer before the show as well as in the interval and include cream teas, Pimms, prosecco, fruit juice, tea and coffee and ice creams as well as bowls of strawberries and sweets. To book tickets go to www.ticketsource.co.uk/lvp. Tickets cost £10 adult and £5 children. (booking fee applies). You can also book refreshments but these will be available on the day too. If you are unable to buy online, call us on 07864 715708 for cash and cheque purchases. This is an outdoor event, so please bring your own chairs or rug to sit on, sun hats and sun cream or raincoats and wellies. We hope the sun will shine but we do have a bad weather back up plan if needed! There is plenty of parking available and we do have space for disabled parking and a few spare chairs for anyone who cannot bring one. If you have any questions please contact us on 01869 277625 or by email to tickets@launtonvillageplayers.org.uk As well as celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee we are also raising money for the Disaster and Emergency Committee Ukraine Appeal, and there will be a raffle with some lovely hampers as prizes. So come and enjoy an afternoon of entertainment, laughter and flag waving in a country garden at the Mayflower Garden Theatre, Hare Leys Farm, Launton, Bicester OX26 5AB. We look forward to seeing you and thank you for your support.
The LVP team Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 11
Island Pond Wood volunteer work sessions
We have been lucky enough to run a number of volunteer sessions in the wood in recent months. A big thank you to Kate and Roger Neal for leading the sessions and for all those who attended. A total of nine sessions were run over the last year, one with Bicester Green Gym, three with Vale Countryside Volunteers and the rest with FIPW volunteers. Jobs carried out included hedgerow coppicing, tree thinning, raking up after the meadow cut and dumping the cuttings in the woodland, litter picking, spreading wood chippings and sapling popping. Saturday work session dates for the rest of 2022 For those of you that have been asking when will there be Saturday sessions as we work in the week, here are dates to put in your diaries. Saturday 9 July - path clearance/cutting over hanging vegetation Saturday 20 August - top meadow rake up Saturday 17 September - pond reed cut and island cut back All sessions run 10-1, meeting at the picnic bench. Own tools required.
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A working party at the hedgerow on the south of the woodland, clearing the undergrowth to set up an open space to encourage butterflies and other insects. There are now three of these areas in the hedgerow. Photo from The Friends of Island Pond Wood
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News from St Mary’s Church for June 2022 You are warmly invited to our June Services, all of which are in St Mary’s 5 June 8.00am BCP Holy Communion 11.00am Balloon Family Service: for Pentecost and the Queen’s Jubilee followed by social time to celebrate the Jubilee 12 June 6.00pm Evensong 19 June 11.00am Morning Prayer 26 June 11.00am Holy Communion It is always advisable to refer to the Launton Church Facebook page for up-to-date information if there have been last minute changes. Or please contact any of the following Revd Peter revpeterwright@gmail.com 01869 573177 or 07966 531 921 or one of the Churchwardens at St Mary’s Joan Packer j.packer779@btinternet.com 01869 241694 Celia Manderson celiamanderson@aol.com 01869 571735 Please see pages 20 and 25 for details of forthcoming events The Community Café is open again from 7 June.
Parish Council Meeting in June 2022 The Parish Council Meeting for June 2022 will take place on 9 June in the Parish Hall, starting at 7:15pm because of the Jubilee Bank Holiday long weekend between 2 and 5 June
To keep up to date, sign up for updates at www.launton-pc.gov.uk/ Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 15
Launton WI Report for May 2022
The May meeting, held in the Parish Hall, had as its main focus discussion and a vote on the Resolution for the WI National Meeting later in the year. The subject of the resolution was ‘Women and girls with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder): under-identified, under-diagnosed, misdiagnosed, and under-supported’. These issues are not recognised in Women and Girls as much as in Men and Boys, and are often overlooked. We all gave a unanimous vote for “Yes”. To encourage our discussions we had wine, cheese and soft drinks, instead of our usual tea, coffee and biscuits - very nice. In May, handmade birthday cards were delivered to Gaye, Gill and Pat. Out thanks went to Helen, Madame President, who has now stepped down, and Celia, our very efficient Secretary, who has also hung up her pencil and notebook. Luckily they still attend our meetings, so we can continue our lovely chats. We walked round Island Pond Wood on 23 May to see changes there, then to lunch at The Bull - here’s hoping the sun shines for us (it did!). Our meeting on 9 June is a visit to Preston Bissett Nursery, with a talk, and a chance to browse the plants and try some of their refreshments. Painting & Decorating New members are always welcome to join our friendly group on the second Specialist Thursday of each month at 7.30pm, normally in the Parish Hall. Elaine Humphrey
R J WAKELIN
Wheelchair for community use
I have in my shed a folding wheelchair, donated by a villager who is moving, that she wants to be available for village INTERIOR - EXTERIOR residents who may need the temporary PRIVATE - COMMERCIAL use of a wheelchair - people back from hospital, or with temporary mobility issues. If you could use it, please call Contact me on 01869 241883. Mobile: 07947 822794 Robert Cornford email: rjwakelin@outlook.com Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 16
Launton’s very own Woodland - Island Pond Wood
I was so pleased to be able to go round the Woodland after so many years of not being able to gain access on my mobility scooter. Although I’m not that good when it comes to identifying trees, I was delighted to see how many different species there now are in our Woodland. I saw not only the Willows (originally planted making up at least 70% of the trees) but that the Black Poplars are still there too, also the Oaks first planted in the small area off behind the cottages. Now I have seen Maple, Hazel and even some Crab Apple, and more Oaks among the main area of the Woodland, along with the original Blackthorn, Hawthorn and Bramble hedging. Well I did successfully negotiate all paths, defined and less defined, on my mobility scooter. I met some of the young people who are now taking on looking after the woodland for us to enjoy. It was so nice to meet these youngsters who are prepared to take on this voluntary work. I have to say Thank You to all those who played their part and those who are still doing their bit in looking after this treasure of an idyllic place for us, and yet another Thank You to all the villagers who help raise the money and those who planted all the trees back in 1999 as part of the Millenium Project of The Woodland Trust called Woods on Your Doorstep - now on our doorstep! Pat Mitchell
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LAUNTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Martin Sirot Smith spoke to us about the history of Sulgrave, a village in Northamptonshire about 20 miles from Launton. It is most noted for Sulgrave Manor, just outside the current-day village and the home of the Washington family, built by George Washington’s five-times great grandfather, and a tourist destination for many American visitors. Martin himself used to be the Director there. Until the 1950s, Sulgrave was one of Northamptonshire’s ‘lost villages’. Its roads weren’t metalled until the 1970s. Now it’s a ‘posh village’, partly due to the M40, with good country walks and a nice pub - the Star - serving good food. But it’s bitterly cold in winter, we learnt, because of its geographical location on a north facing limestone promontory. The attraction of this spot for a village was that the land was dry but had water underneath. In the 19th century it had a brickworks which helped create the bridges and viaducts of the Great Central Railway. Drovers roads passed through - the Banbury Lane and the Welsh Lane. Sulgrave had a castle, now a AERIALS Scheduled Ancient Monument SUPPLIED, ERECTED with visible earthworks. There had & REPAIRED SINCE 1962 been an Anglo-Saxon settlement there from 800 to 1009, with an Anglo-Saxon hall and a kitchen, separate from the hall because of the fire risk for wooden buildings. But the Anglo Saxons fled when the Vikings approached from East Anglia and in due course the Normans took over the site with some stone buildings. Extensive excavations were carried out at the castle site in the 1960s Contact PAUL W. EWERS and 1970s but no final report was Telephone Brill 01844 237131 ever made available. But in 2004 Mobile 07956 509166 Anytime the local history group were given Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 18
a grant to assess and catalogue the finds. Sulgrave Historical Society was able to release the bagged up finds from an underground store at Avebury - 4 lorries worth. The items were washed, marked and recorded and experts were called in to make assessments. The final report is due this year. Our May meeting will be complete by the time you read this: Deborah Hayter will be talking about The Lost Villages of Oxfordshire. Our next meeting after that is on Thursday 30 June, starting at 7.30pm in the Parish Hall when Julie Ann Godson will speak about Scandal in High Society Oxfordshire - selected tales of toffs in trouble. But before then we have a display at Launton’s Jubilee celebrations in the Sports and Social Club, including a film made in Launton in the 1960s - see if you can identify folk! And come and meet members of the Society at our display.
Gwen Skinner
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FURTHER NOTES FROM ST MARY’S CHURCH
We are enjoying our new greater freedoms as we are able to meet up more frequently. Here (on pages 20 and 25) are a few of our activities at St Mary’s - past, present, and future. Firstly, sincere thanks to all who generously gave to our two Ukrainian Appeals: the first to the DEC Ukrainian Appeal and the second to a fund set up to provide vouchers to Ukrainian families being hosted in our community. Some of you may have joined in with an extra Service held recently - a Songs of Praise reflection of readings and music, celebrating “Hope” - a lovely, uplifting way to spend a Saturday afternoon! Now for some forthcoming events and dates for your diary Our next Family Service will be on 5 June, an all age Service on Pentecost Sunday when we will also be celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee. The Service will be immediately followed by social time and balloons will be the order of the day! There will be more on this on our Facebook page. More further notes are on page 25
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Bee Happy: The Friends of Island Pond Wood’s Community Event
The Island Pond Wood was buzzing with a hive of activity on the afternoon of 21 May. Celebrating National Bee Day, Muddy Feet Forest School in the woods created a swarm of pinecone bees with children and we saw many joyous, jubilee crowns proudly created from buttercups, twigs and other woodland materials. Caulcott Honey demonstrated a tactile and interesting display of how bees make honey, and we had many apprentice candlemakers, who came away with a hand-rolled beeswax candle from the event. We are pleased to say that we now have several woven wicker hurdles, which many of the community helped to make on the day, which will be used around the woodlands. Sweet notes of music from Bicester Concert Band drifted across the meadow in our reflection area of the woods and Bicester Stagecoach students gave uplifting and powerful vocal performances in the afternoon. The Hummingbird Centre ran out of their loveable bee headdresses they were so popular, and Bicester Face Painting painted over 50 rainbow kitten designs (the kitten was the favourite of the day)! We must say a big thank you to all of our volunteers who generously gave their time to the event, and to our sponsors, SPARKS fund Cherwell District Council, Launton Parish Council, and Jason Barfoot (Jason’s logs: 07961 53 80 35). Over 150 artists (submitted from Launton C of E School students) created the most beautiful observational drawings of different species of bees which adorned the trees around the event. Lastly, thank you to all who came, we hope you left with a smile! We will be taking a short break before starting to plan for our autumn event – please save the date for Saturday 15 October for our Apple Day. Do please contact us on fipwlimited@gmail.com if you would like to become a member or would like to be more actively engaged with your local wood. Your membership fee of £10 per year goes towards the maintenance and enhancement of your woodland, and everyone is welcome to join. Zara Sankey There are some photos from the Bee Day event on the centre pages (26 - 27) of this issue of Launton Lines. Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 21
Coronation memories from Launton People On the following pages (22, 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31) are recollections of the Coronation in 1953 collected by the Launton Historical Society for its display to mark the 2012 Diamond Jubilee. There will be a new LHS display in the Playing Field Hall for the Platinum Jubilee in June. The contributions here are from the following: Suzanne Smith (nee Matthews), Margaret Crouch, and Jenny Jones.
1. Suzanne Smith (née Matthews) I lived with my parents Monica and Jack and my brother Robert at No 1 in (old) Sherwood Close; I was seven years old when the new Queen Elizabeth was crowned. That morning I woke up very excited because the day had come for me to wear the new red, white and blue small check dress Mum had bought especially for the Coronation. During the morning we walked as a family down to the Cross, where the villagers had assembled outside The Bull for commemorative photographs. Afterwards our
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family went down Blackthorn Road, to my grandparent’s cottage, “Linden Lea”. My Gran and Granddad, Wack and Jessie Butler, then came with us and other neighbours from the few houses then in Blackthorn Road, to the home of Mr and Mrs Burrows, the last house in the row. It was only because Bill and Connie Burrows had been able to a purchase a television that I and my family were able to watch our new Queen being crowned in Westminster Abbey. The television, a large cabinet with a small screen, was standing in the corner of the sitting room. The adults sat on a selection of odd chairs around the room while we children sat in front of them, cross legged on the floor. I remember the ceremony to this day, but as a child it seemed to go on for such a long time. I wondered when it would be over as it seemed as though it would never end. At the time, I found it amazing to think that the black and white scenes we were watching were being transmitted all the way from London as they happened. It was the first time my family and I had ever seen a television set, let alone seeing pictures coming over the airwaves. When the programme ended everyone went to the kitchen and had sandwiched and drinks. It was a lovely day to remember and all thanks to Mr and Mrs Burrows. In the afternoon there was a fancy dress parade and, I think, a special tea for the children, where coronation mugs were given out. Richard Burden dressed up as Charles 1, and I as Nell Gwyn. My grandmother had dyed on old sheet to make me a long green dress and I carried a basket of oranges. The night before, I had to have my hair washed and twisted in narrow strips of white rags to make it curly. The following evening, before I went to bed, my parents gave me a gilt model of the coronation coach with its eight white horses. Afterwards, this little coach stood on my bedroom windowsill, until I left home to get married. On Coronation Day evening, there was a celebratory dinner held in the village hall, which my parents attended along with many other village people.
Continued on page 24
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2. Margaret Crouch Coronation Day dawned damp and cold: not the sort of day everyone had hoped for. I was fortunate to have been given a ticket for a stand in Oxford Street. The instructions were to be seated at 8am and be prepared to stay until 4.30pm. So at 4am (armed with a picnic, rug and a waterproof cape) I left High Wycombe with friends of my parents and we drove up to London. The car had to be left some way from Marble Arch and we walked the rest of the way to our stand. It was an amazing experience - I had never seen such crowds. It was almost impossible to walk on the pavements as people were sleeping on every available space, and had been doing so for several nights in order tot have a place to view the parade following the Coronation. Just before we reached our stand, almost half way down Oxford Street, we spied a cafe in a side street and decided to have breakfast. I was sent to Oxford Street to try and buy a paper. I was rather apprehensive as there were crowds everywhere and it was a bit of a struggle to move. But, my word, it was worth it - I got on to Oxford Street just as the early editions of the papers arrived. The most incredible atmosphere developed. It started with a huge roar, seemingly rolling down the street; cheering and singing followed and finally the first billboards. EVEREST CONQUERED. Such an amazing, emotional and triumphant scene, and I was so fortunate to witness it. Even more of a struggle to return to the cafe with the paper - how I wish I had kept it! It wasn’t far to our stand but it took quite a while to reach it. Still drizzle and dark, but ut didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. Our seat on the stand were very basic - just rows of forms on the top of a partly rebuilt department store. Fortunately it had a sort of temporary tarpaulin shelter as a roof - so we were not rained on from above, only round the sides. We were thankful for the rugs we had taken; waterproofs were worn all day. Continued on page 29
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MORE FURTHER NOTES FROM ST MARY’S CHURCH The Right Royal Scarecrow Trail will be running between 28 May and 12 June - please see pages 28 and 41 for further details. A timely Churchyard clear up is due to be held on Saturday 11 June: do, please, come along from 9.30am, armed with a selection of basic gardening tools, eg trowels, forks, secateurs, the odd rake, etc, etc. Now that we are freer, we will be happy to provide elevenses - a “smakerel” is always welcome. And finally - a reminder that the Community Café continues to run on Tuesdays in the Parish Hall during term time, reopening after the half term on Tuesday 7 June. The sessions are 9.00 - 11.00am (a quieter time) and 2.30 4.30pm (for a more robust time!). Please do come along to join us and meet new friends from the village.
We hope that you will find something of interest here and we look forward to seeing you during June.
Tuesday to Friday 8am to 5pm | Saturday 8am to 3pm | Sunday 9am to 1pm | Closed Monday Tel 01869 252619 | 1 Station Road, Launton, OX26 5DS | info@thebluetexel.co.uk | www.thebluetexel.co.uk
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FIPW Bee Day in Pictures on 23 May
1 1. The new Information Board at the entrance to the woodland 2. The Bee Tree with some of the drawings from the school 3. The Bicester Concert Band play at the start of a summer afternoon
3 Pictures 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 by Ian Jones Pictures 3, 4, 8 by Robert Cornford
2
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FIPW Bee Day in Pictures on 23 May 5
6
4 4. The line up for facepainting 5. Observers take a break in the sun 6. Bicester Stagecoach perform in the shade of gazebos. 7. One of the hand-made woven wicker hurdles 8. Making pine-cone bees at the Muddy Feet Forest School
7
8 Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 27
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Programmes and timetables were provided, so we settled down to wait - and wait. (Sadly I kept neither programme nor timetable, and I fear I can’t remember times). We read through all the literature and listened to a radio commentary that was relayed to the stand. I felt so sorry for the servicemen and police who were lining the route, getting wetter and wetter. Eventually the roar and cheering rolled down the street. Everyone edged forward and in the distance two very wet mounted policemen came into view; the commentary told us they were checking the route was clear. I wish I could remember how the parade went. It was very impressive, with rank after rank of regiments of the services from all the Commonwealth countries as well as our own. All so smart and colourful - even if some of the ‘Blanco’ ran off on to their uniforms. We all felt sympathy for some of the Commonwealth regiments with thin and sparse uniforms - they were, and looked, perished!
Continued from page 24
3. Jenny Jones It wasn’t meant to be like this. I should be at home, dressed in my best frock, sitting on the carpet in our living room surrounded by a select group of relatives and neighbours in front of the newly acquired “tele”. Instead I am huddled into my navy gaberdine and sitting in the rain next to my father, halfway up in a temporary grandstand in Piccadilly, surrounded by hundreds of strangers who, like us, have deployed newspaper as makeshift cushions, rugs and even boat-shaped hats to try and mitigate the effect of the thick drizzle which has been falling all day. These are the very same newspapers whose banner headlines that morning had proclaimed “Everest Conquered,” an achievement which had happened four days previously but news of which had been held over to make the day even more special. We have heard the service on Westminster Abbey over loudspeakers and joined in the shouts of “Vivat Regina” and the singing of “God Save the Queen”. We have listened to and
Continued on page 30
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Coronation memories from Launton People - continued
tried to count the echoing booms of the salute and now the sound of cheering is coming closer from our right, faces and bodies are appearing in the windows of the buildings opposite, the crowds on the pavements are edging forward and those at the back have raised their cardboard periscopes as the noise of tramping feet and brass band music indicate the imminent arrival of the Grand Procession. Column after column of military men march by, the soldiers with arms sloped and bayonets fixed, their standards flapping. The sound of the bass drums pulses through me. There are men from all corners of the globe in this parade; some, like the Canadian Mounties in bright red jackets, instantly recognisable, and Australians with their one-sided hats. One sight will stay in my memory for ever: the Gurkhas, small olive-skinned men in khaki uniforms, who are followed immediately by some six foot six plus Afghan and Pakistan pipers, proud as camels in flowing sand-coloured robes. Next come the guardsmen: do their bearskins get heavy when wet?, I wonder. Then there are carriages with dignitaries from the colonies and Commonwealth: I don’t find these people very interesting as they can’t be seen very well, but now a cheer goes up and my father points to a large lady in an open carriage who is waving and smiling broadly and obviously having the time of her life: she is Queen Salote of Tonga. After an hour it’s getting to the climax of the procession and everyone is standing up now, so I have to climb onto my seat to see as the carriages pass by with some royal personages who I recognise from the pictures in the papers. A mass shout of “God Save the Queen” is coming towards us and now here I see the grey horses and the golden coach we’ve been waiting for hours and hours. The Queen looks small under the large crown she is wearing; she is holding the orb and sceptre, I think, and we cheer and cheer; the Duke of Edinburgh looks far more relaxed than she does. There are one or two groups of people who are walking, rather than marching, after the coach and then it all goes quiet, apart from a buzz of conversation. Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 30
Coronation memories from Launton People - continued
We still have to sit until the soldiers lining the route move and we can climb down from our seats. People are heading for Green Park tube station behind us, but my father decides we need some exercise and we start to walk back to our hotel. Never before have I had to wade, knee deep in some places, through streets choked with wet newspaper and this is just one more memory I shall store away. In the evening we are joined by my mother, who has finished her hostess duties at home and caught a train to meet up with us in London. We are hoping to get down to the Embankment to see the fireworks, but we are too late, traffic is stationary for miles around. Instead we head for Buckingham Palace and are walking down the Mall as the lights come on, strung from poles on both sides of the road. Thousands of people seem to be heading back in the opposite direction and they are saying the Queen has made her last appearance for the night, but my parents are veterans of these occasions, having attended a previous Coronation and two Royal Weddings and it is only just ten o’clock after all; they are sure there will be more appearances. Now I am standing against the railings of the floodlit palace, joining in with shouts of “We want the Queen. We want the Queen” with all the might of my ten-year old voice. It seems such a long time to wait, it has started to rain again but I don’t mind because I am anxious for my mother to see the Queen in the flesh, as she gave up her seat for me. And then the door to the balcony opens at last and there she is, without her crown now, but still small compared to the Duke beside her. She waves and someone leads a shout of “Three cheers for the Queen.” “Hurrah. Hurrah. Hurrah” we cry. It is a magical moment/ The next day we drive home and many times my father asks me “Jenny Wren, Jenny Wren, where have you been?” “I’ve been up to London to look at the Queen” I reply. Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 31
A Vet’s Voice: Crumbling Cruciates
One of the most common orthopaedic issues we come across in dogs is cruciate ligament disease. The cruciate ligaments are located in the stifle joints of the hindlimbs - what we would call knees. There are two cruciate ligaments in each joint; these “cross” each other in the joint, hence the name cruciate from crucis, which means cross in Latin. The most obvious manifestation of the problem happens when the cranial cruciate ligament ruptures completely initially causing acute pain and inflammation, before leaving the joint unstable. The instability leads to ongoing aggravation as chronic inflammation. Inflammation in the joint is termed arthritis. In this case it is called osteoarthritis which is “wear and tear” arthritis, such as happens with old age but also after damage to a joint. Cruciate disease can also manifest without joint instability if the ligament “tears” internally but doesn’t actually stretch or snap. This then becomes a diagnostic challenge, as the standard test for cruciate disease involves manipulating the joint to check for instability. If the joint isn’t unstable then the test is negative, but the ligament could still be diseased and is likely to rupture in future. X-rays can give some evidence to support the diagnosis as will a physical examination showing a painful stifle joint. In these cases, exploratory surgery or arthroscopy will allow visualisation of the ligament to confirm the diagnosis. I’m sure you’ll know of people who’ve torn their cruciate ligament. It seems most common in young sporty people playing active sports who get major knee trauma which causes the ligament to snap. (Dads playing in dads v lads football is another classic scenario!!) However, in dogs it most commonly happens during standard exercise with no known major trauma. This is because the underlying cause in dogs is usually a degeneration of the ligament for no known reason - and it is surprisingly common. So what to do. Like many orthopaedic problems there have been lots of things tried over the years. The aim of surgery is to restabilise the joint to halt the ongoing instability and the pain and chronic inflammation this causes. Various ligament substitutes have been tried over the years including a strip of skin! Recently, bone osteotomies have become the most common surgical solution where the bone of the tibia is cut, a section is moved and then reattached,to modify the a slightly fuzzy x-ray showing the interference screws mechanics of the joint and which hold the synthetic ligament securely in place in the back knee joint
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neutralise the forces which create instability. As of this month we at Bicester Vets are trying a new method which tries to recreate the stability of the original ligament by replacing it with a synthetic one. The ligament was developed for humans and has been used in dogs for the past 8-10 years. The technology is in the synthetic material, the way it is woven and the washing process. This is to ensure it doesn’t create joint irritation and that it is functionally very strong and won’t break. The idea is that dogs should have joint stability from day one and that the rest/rehabilitation time post op is much quicker, with a reduced risk of major complications. As you’re reading this, we will have done our first few knees and so far, the results are impressive. We are a far cry from the Irish Supervet. But we have a strong desire to continue to learn and develop so we can improve the lives of pets in better ways – and that’s another reason we love our job! Enjoy your pets Jason Williams | Bicester Vets | June 2022
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Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 33
To Scarecrow Trail number .................
Thank you for your creating your display. We thought it looked amazing. We especially enjoyed ……………………………….......................................................... ............................................................................................. From .....................................................................................
C B BATHROOMS Experienced Bathroom and Shower Installer and Tiler General Plumbing and Heating Maintenance Leadwork Specialist Chris Barrett 11 Spindleside, Southwold, Bicester, Oxon OX26 3XH Home | 01869 250861 Mobile | 07773 853 640 Email | barrett.c3@sky.com
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A Really Royal Scarecrow Trail is a FEEL GOOD event This Scarecrow Trail isn’t a competition, but it would be lovely to let people know that you’ve really enjoyed their display. On the opposite page is one of the response forms. There is a second design also available on the Trail website www.launton.org/scarecrow You can then download and print out the form you choose. Or you can cut out or print out the form on page 34, add your comments, and post it into the box at the St Mary’s display. We will then deliver all the compliments to the display-makers after the trail finishes. Please do personalise your response further by letting the display creators know what you’ve enjoyed most about their display. The Really Royal Scarecrow Team
Grange Mews News March 2022
Commercial Offices, Industrial Units and Storage for Lease We were not surprised to hear of the demise of Accueil Builders. I understand they had been active in West End, Launton and we also engaged them for three houses. They were not able to keep to many build and quality dates, and with so many problems, we had no alternative but to end their services and settle completion ourselves. We are fortunate to have experience of this type of work ourselves in our own developments and know very competent local people who can work to a high standard. We hope that before Launton Lines appears we will have completed a further amount of industrial paving, which will all be to full SUDs regulations. Why can we buy specific bedding grit in bulk from Bristol at half the price, rather than from local representatives? (And it’s only available in bags locally.) Oops - Covid stops play! We let offices and industrial space and can be found at pacox@grangemews.co.uk and our website www.grangemews.co.uk Phone 01869 252846 or 07711 778 230
Thank you for making us welcome
We have been asked by our Ukrainian guests to say a thank you to everyone for making them feel so welcome in Launton. They have managed to thank some people personally but thought this the best way to reach everyone else. Vira and Mykola joined us (Steve and Jackie Webber) on 5 April under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, two and a half weeks after Jackie spent hours completing the extremely complex form. When Jackie collected them from Luton Airport she was informed that they were the first to arrive at Luton under the Homes for Ukraine scheme - in fact they were still setting up their helpdesk! I think they were glad to meet Vira as she helped them sort out which forms were printed in Russian and which in Ukrainian as they were unsure. They were also the first family to arrive in the village. They had fled Kyiv with only a backpack each and after travelling by train to Lviv (a 20-hour journey) they ended up in Warsaw. Vira and Mykola quickly became part of the family and together we have battled our way through the remaining mountain of registration documentation and bureaucracy. The only outstanding issue is getting Mykola into a school, but he is logging on to his school in Ukraine for a few hours every day. When the school
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Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 36
situation is sorted, Vira will be able to apply for full time work locally. In Kyiv she is an accountant for a large construction company. Since arriving they have subsequently met up with other refugee families both locally and in Oxford. They have attended as many social events as they can as well as enrolling for English language lessons. Good Friday was Mykola’s 13th birthday. He was not expecting any presents so was a bit overwhelmed when he came downstairs to find a pile of presents waiting for him from us. A special thanks must go to Loes Koorenhof who had done a great job of decorating the horse and trap with balloons in the Ukrainian colours and it look splendid as they set of towards Stratton Audley Barns where we met up with them for coffee and ice cream. An extra bonus was the classic cars being exhibited there that day! Vira had said she wanted to wear a dress and visit an English pub while she was here. Earlier in that week we had taken them into Oxford and bought them some new clothes so we finished off Mykola’s birthday with a trip to The Bull where she could wear one of the dresses we bought, and she tried various beers in the pub! Mykola couldn’t believe it when Karen put a candle on the cake that Vira had made and many people in the pub sang Happy Birthday to him. Continued on page 40
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FIPW news update from the woodland
The quiet area Many of you who have walked the wood in recent months will have noticed the installation of a wood chipped area at the top end of the site. This is our new “quiet area” designed to allow reflection and mindfulness. There are now two lovely benches in place with just shrubs and a tree to be installed in the near future. Many thanks to TL Jenkins for carrying out the work and to Launton Parish Council for funding via the COMF grant. Bird boxes East West Rail kindly donated some bird boxes at the end of last year that were installed before the end of the year in the wood. Along with many boxes designed for smaller birds such as blue tits and robins we received a tawny owl box that has been put on the large oak tree in the picnic area. Tawny owls are regularly heard in the wood so fingers crossed they make use of it. Thank you to Mick Jennion and Phil Bradford for their help with box installation. East West Rail have this week kindly donated another 19 bird boxes and 3 bat boxes so we can replace old or damaged ones and enhance the wood further to our inhabitants, so keep an eye out for more around the wood. Tree safety work Over 25-26 April we had Alchester Tree and Garden Services do some essential tree safety work including pollarding two willows, taking out ash trees with dieback symptoms and an oak with a dangerous hung up branch. Keith and his team left the wood chip for us and stacked smaller bits of wood for villagers to take for firewood: it was soon gone. Information board In the last week (since our members monthly newsletter), we have been able to install our new information board. I wanted to ensure we reuse a couple of the posts from the trees we had to take down for safety reasons. We need to give a big thanks to Matt Sankey who designed the board and Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 38
made many revisions for us, and to B2B Graphics in Bicester who printed the board. It helps smarten up the entrance and we’ve already had some lovely feedback. Rob Dowman (Chair, Friends of Island Pond Wood Ltd) Captions from left The new information board; The quiet area with seats in place; Work on pollarding one of the willow trees by the pond.
Photos from FIPW Ltd
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Continued from page 37 When we hear some of the stories about the Homes from Ukraine scheme and how people are still waiting for visas or are being badly treated by their hosts when they arrive here, we feel very lucky that we have had quite an easy ride so far. They have slotted into our family very well. We have been treated to some unique Ukrainian cuisine, and they have enjoyed their Sunday roast and fish and chips, although they are still mystified about putting apple sauce on roast pork. We feel like we already know her husband Boris and sister who are still back in Kyiv as we are included in some of the phone calls. Obviously, they would love to go back home as soon as possible and get their lives back to normal but while here they are like part of our family. Thank you for making them welcome.
Jackie and Steve Webber
House maintenance Repointing Internal and external decorations Patios Decking Fencing For a personal service, call Peter N Southam 01869 278333 07721 633 220 peteroofer@aol.com Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 40
The Trail is up and running! Thank you to all our entrants. We have 42 displays/scarecrows for you to enjoy. The village looks very jubileetastic! The trail opened on 28 May and runs until 12 June so there is still time to enjoy a walk round the route on the Really Royal Scarecrow Trail map. Maps and compliments slips are available on www.Launton.org/scarecrow or you can collect them from the Launton Costcutter shop. You can also print off compliments slips (see pages 34-35) but do write what you liked about your favourite displays/scarecrows and put them in the tub at the St Mary’s entry. We’ll deliver all of these at the end of the Trail, so the more the merrier. As well as enjoying the trail and writing your compliments slips there are letters to look for and all of the letters make a well known “royal” phrase. Can you work it out? There are also crowns on some display numbers for little ones to count. How many are there? The answers will be in July Launton Lines, but if you would like to know sooner, they will be a click away on our Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/campaign/RRST. All displays are on view from 12 noon on 28 May through to 12 noon on 12 June. We hope you will enjoy the Trail and feel able to donate whatever you can. How to do this will be on our website, but here are the choices: Scan the QR code on the display numbers, or Go to www.justgiving.com/campaign/RRST, or Drop off or post cash or a cheque (payable to Launton Churchwardens) to Mayflower, Hare Leys Farm, Launton, Bicester, OX26 5AB, or BACS payment: Sort code: 20-06-75, Account no: 30566756, Account name: Launton Churchwardens. Please reference payments as “Scarecrow” The walk will mostly be done in daylight but please take care, and keep in family groups to ensure children’s safety. Please view from the pavement and respect people’s property. If you need more information or have a question, please email us at scarecrow@launton.org It has been a great pleasure to help organise an event to celebrate our Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, a truly unique occasion, and huge thanks to all who have supported us and helped to make this happen. Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 41
Launton FC tournaments a great success Boys’ tournament Launton Football Club held their boys summer 6-a-side tournament over the weekend of 14-15 May which turned out to be our biggest ever - with 1,056 kids from age 7-16 playing in 126 teams from 42 clubs in a total of 389 matches! This meant we had about 1,000 cars to get parked, over 2,500 burgers, sausages, and bacon rolls to cook, and hundreds of teas or coffees, ice creams and snacks to serve to the expected 3,000-4,000 people who attended over the weekend. It was a fantastic two days and was great to see so many kids out doing what they love after such a long break. This could never have been done without the many volunteers who came out to help over to the weekend, so many thanks to all of them … and to all the people of Launton for putting up with the extra weekend traffic due to the bridge closure! Girls’ & Ladies’ tournament Launton Ladies & Girls FC held their 5 a side tournament over the weekend of 21-22 May, after two years without being able to hold one. We were back with a bang, and it was our largest tournament to date especially on the girls’ day on Saturday! Overall, we had 72 teams, nearly 600 players, 10 referees (of which we had excellent female representation too), 2,000 spectators and dozens of volunteers to help things run smoothly! It was an awesome weekend which re-enforced for me how amazing the club is as family club! You can see in a photo opposite just one of the merry band of our junior girl footballers helping out! We had a group helping each day, running around, helping out, and never tiring! Amazing work! Finally, as for the boys’ tournament the week before, a massive thank you to our local sponsors for their support and the village of Launton for putting up with all the extra traffic due to the bridge closure – thank you very much! Claire Finn Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 42
Photos from the tournaments from Launton FC
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Name Contact No or email Age (if child) Category to enter
years old Adult Jubilee Flower Arrangement Child Posy for the Queen Child Fancy Dress King Child Fancy Dress Queen Adult Jubilee Cake Child Jubilee Cake / Cup Cake / Tart
E-mail entry to: clairefinn7@gmail.com or drop this form into the Social Club during opening hours Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 44
Classes to enter
1. Best puppy (6 months to
12 months) 2. Most handsome dog 3. Prettiest bitch 4. Best veteran (over 7 years old) 5. Fastest sausage eater 6. Dog most like owner 7. Any variety rescue dog or bitch 8. Best cross breed dog or bitch 9. Dog or bitch the judge would most like to take home 10. My dog or bitch has got talent 11. Best treat-catcher 12. Best in show 13. Best dressed Jubilee theme dog or bitch
launton village dog show LED BY JENNIE FAIRWEATHER AND A GUEST JUDGE
Bring this entry form on the day or email wendyfoster11@yahoo.co.uk or just turn up and hand in your entry. Saturday 4 June from 12 noon at Launton Playing Fields Association Entry: £2 a class, or three classes for £5.
Name of handler Contact phone or email Name of dog or bitch Age of dog or bitch Breed of dog or bitch Classes entered
1 8
2 9
3 10
4 5 6 11 12
(Please circle all that apply) Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 45
7 13
FUNDRAISING EVENT In aid of Support for Local Ukrainian Refugees
&
Friends of Island Pond Wood
A DRIVEWAY GIVEAWAY
in exchange for a reasonable donation - for the above good causes
In other words, a Big Garage Sale but for charity rather than the sellers. Having sold our house, we need to clear it of lots of things that we can’t take with us. They’re not new - but working or useful or nice to have and too good for landfill.
WHERE? At 25 West End WHEN? Sunday 12 June: 12 noon - 4pm WHAT? Likely to include the following: wheelbarrow; garden shredder; scarifier; platform ladder; tables; hanging baskets, crockery; indoor plant pots; vases; lots of wicker items; storage boxes; pictures. There’s also a shedload of garden tools; sewing things, stationery; other office items; professionally-made curtains, bric-a-brac.
WHY NOT stroll along and see if there is anything for you.
Linda and Andy Murray Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 46
Memories of an ex-Launton Boy
This month the ex-Launton Boy remembers how he felt in 1956 over the Russian suppression of Hungary’s attempt to break free from the USSR, and finds echoes in this year’s news from Ukraine. I was musing the other day having watched and listened to more horror stories from Ukraine and thinking, “Nothing really changes, does it!”. Here yet again we have a despotic leader of the Russian people smothering thought and word and deed in his own country whilst at the same time stamping all over next-door neighbours in an attempt to put them down, only this time, Ukraine is an autonomous country in its own right and not a puppet state of Russia trying to break free from Moscow. As I have mentioned before in my Launton Lines offerings, as a young boy growing up in Launton, not even yet a teenager, I was very interested in what was going on in the world and I remember distinctly seeing black and white newsreel footage of the Hungarian uprising against the Russian occupiers of their ‘puppet’ state in 1956. I remember feeling very angry that the Russians should impose themselves on another nation and how, at great cost to itself and its citizens, the Hungarian Partisans bravely took up small arms against heavily armoured Russian troops in an endeavour liberate itself from the clutches of the Russian Communist Bear. Sadly, their rebellion was put down by superior numbers and weaponry and then had to suffer under the Russian boot for a few more decades before liberation eventually came with the break-up of the USSR under Gorbachev. At that time we were in no position to help the Hungarians for as those of my age and older will remember, we had our own fiasco going on at the time which, although militarily and operationally successful, was a political disaster. This was the Suez Canal crisis, when the Egyptians under Nasser were about to nationalise the Suez Canal. It was such a political disaster that the then Prime Minister Sir Antony Eden had to resign over the matter. Our main problem there was that the Americans viewed the incident as a case of British imperialism at work, which of course they were dead against and so threatened to call in the massive loans they had granted the UK to aid recovery from financial destitution following World War II, if we did not immediately withdraw from Suez. Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 47
But Suez apart, the USSR of old seems to be the ambition of that nasty little man currently in control in the Kremlin. I have said many times since the fall of the Berlin Wall that the Cold War has never ended. On the face of it under Gorbachev the world looked promising and the future bright and indeed, apart from the Middle East, a much safer place. For all those who had lived for several decades under the threat of the ‘Four-MinuteWarning’ and close to a nuclear holocaust when we think back to the Cuban Missile crisis (when, thankfully, Khrushchev backed down against the steadfastness of the late President Kennedy). But no! The Cold War has been bubbling away underneath ever since Putin (ex-Chief of the KGB) took over the reins and manipulated the Russian electoral system to remain permanently in office. A dangerous thing when one man remains in power for so many years. Like money, power can have the tendency to corrupt. My heart goes out to the Ukrainians, but it also goes out to the ordinary Russian people who are being corruptly fooled into thinking that right is on the side of their dictatorial little leader, such is his control over the Russian media. Many my age were brought up in an era and atmosphere of morality as a consequence of the disgust felt by our fathers and grandfathers who has respectively fought in two World Wars, born out of bearing witness to the evil mankind is capable of inflicting on others. We kids for the most part were given a moral compass by which to behave as we grew up. That certainly was the case in Launton when I was a boy. As a child in Launton, I remember seeing people who worked at Bicester Garrison and I believe at the RAF base at the other end of town for what was then known as the War Department (WD), later to become the MoD (Ministry of Defence). Many of these people were what my parents described to me as being “Misplaced Persons”, people whose countries of birth had been over-run by Russian Communism and were now puppet states of Russia. They felt they could not return home because to do so they would have faced either, decades in the prisons of the Russian Gulag, or almost certain death. What was so very terrible at the end of WWII was that in order for the Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 48
UK to get back British prisoners of war who had ended up in Russian controlled and occupied territories, we had to send back to Russia those Russian PoW’s held here for fighting on the side of Germany, not in support of Nazism, but fighting against Russian Communism, many of whom were Cossacks. Having been forced onto British transports to sail to Murmansk, pleading to remain in the UK, many were jumping off the ships into the harbour and drowning rather than go through the torture and inevitable executions that awaited them in Russia. Not Britain’s greatest moment. So, as I said at the outset, nothing changes really. No lessons learned by the Russian powers that be, seemingly advocating the carrying out of war crimes on civilian communities, old men, women and children. I hope to God the time will come, and soon, when they will be tried for those crimes of inhumanity and sentenced accordingly. In my personal opinion, had the West kept its eye on the ball and not fooled or lulled itself into believing the Cold War and all the threats that came with it were over, the situation in the Ukraine would never have
happened - added to which the Russians would not have annexed the Crimea. Just look at how the UK has slashed the strength and numbers of our armed forces and with plans to slash them even more. If that does not send a signal of potential military weakness to the Russians, I don’t know what does. Just as when the Thatcher government announcement that we were scrapping the only Royal Navy Icebreaker vessel back in 1982 led to the rulers of Argentina believing we were not really interested in maintaining the Falkland Islands and so they invaded. That led to us losing two hundred and fifty-six dead during the conflict to recover the islands, and more than that number who participated in those bloody actions have since taken their own lives. Bullies will only be bullies if they are allowed to be. Basically they are cowards who will only pick on those whom they believe to be physically or mentally weaker than them. It’s time Putin was well and truly dealt with, along with his cronies, and sooner rather than later. Keep well and stay SAFE! Tony Jeacock | The ex-Launton Boy | June 2022
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Diary Dates: June 2022
In the current situation, it is difficult to be specific about village events. Listed are those we know are planned - but check with organisers nearer the date if you plan to attend. Wednesday 1 Home Guard Living History Group, Parish Hall, 8pm Thursday 2 Platinum Jubilee Holiday | BCOS Show The Little Shop of Horrors, Cooper School Performance Hall, 7.30pm Friday 3 Platinum Jubilee Holiday | Launton Jubilee Beer Festival and Jubilee Celebrations, Launton Playing Fields | BCOS Show The Little Shop of Horrors, Cooper School Performance Hall, 7.30pm Saturday 4 Platinum Jubilee Holiday | Launton Jubilee Beer Festival, Jubilee Celebrations and Dog Show, Launton Playing Fields | BCOS Show The Little Shop of Horrors, Cooper School Performance Hall, 7.30pm Sunday 5 Platinum Jubilee Holiday | St Mary's Church, Holy Communion (BCP), 8am; Balloon Family Service, 11am | Weekly Quiz at The Bull, 8pm Monday 6 Back to school: end of Half Term holiday Tuesday 7 Community Café, Parish Hall: 9am-11am; 2.30-4.30pm | Rock Chorus, Parish Hall, 7.30pm Wednesday 8 Over 60s Club Meeting, Sports and Social Hall, starts 1.45pm, ends 3.30pm Thursday 9 Parish Council. Public Session 7.15pm, Council Meeting 7.30pm, (note change of date) | WI Meeting, visit to Preston Bissett Nursery, starts at 7.30pm Friday 10 SCOTS Night at The Bull, from 5.30pm Saturday 11 Launton Countryside Craft Centre Market, The Launton Arms, 12noon - 4pm Sunday 12 Craft Fair at the Playing Field Hall, 11am-3pm | St Mary's Church, Evensong (BCP), 6pm | Weekly Quiz at The Bull, 8pm Tuesday 14 Community Café, Parish Hall: 9am-11am; 2.30-4.30pm | Rock Chorus, Parish Hall, 7.30pm Wednesday 15 Home Guard Living History Group, Parish Hall, 8pm Sunday 19 FINAL DATE FOR COPY FOR THE JULY 2022 ISSUE OF LAUNTON LINES: SUBMIT TO launtonlines@launton.org | St Mary's Church, Morning Prayer, 11am | Weekly Quiz at The Bull, 8pm Tuesday 21 Community Café, Parish Hall: 9am-11am; 2.30-4.30pm | Rock Chorus, Parish Hall, 7.30pm Wednesday 22 Over 60s Club Lunch Meeting, Sports and Social Hall, starts at 12.30pm with Bar open, ends about 3.30pm Sunday 26 St Mary's Church, Holy Communion, 11am | Weekly Quiz at The Bull, 8pm Tuesday 28 Community Café, Parish Hall: 9am-11am; 2.30-4.30pm | Rock Chorus, Parish Hall, 7.30pm Thursday 30 Launton Historical Society, Julie Ann Godson on Scandal in High Society Oxfordshire - selected tales of toffs in trouble, Parish Hall, 7.30pm Launton Lines June 2022 | Page 50
The BCOS Show for 2022 All is online for this show link for tickets is www.TicketSource.co.uk/bcos
The Cooper School Performance Hall 2, 3, 4 June 2022
SUNDAY 12 JUNE
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To enter competitions, see page 44 To enter Dog Show, see page 45 Launton Lines is the newsletter for Launton It is published monthly by the Launton Community Communications Group which also manages the Launton website www.launton.org and the Launton Village Facebook Page and Group www.facebook.com/launtonvillage Launton Lines is delivered free to every address in the village. It is funded by its advertisers and Launton Parish Council. Further print copies are available at £1.00 per copy from Shirley Johnson (01869 369269) Launton Lines is also available online from January 2020 on www.issuu.com © MMXXII Launton Lines. We reserve the right to edit articles submitted for inclusion. Neither the Committee nor the Editor is responsible for views expressed in readers’ contributions.