Pilning and Severn Beach History Group
Latest news
​30th April 2021
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The latest newsletter (67) should be vwith you. I received mine by email from Nancy yesterday. A reminder to contact her re membership isues and Marcus will account for any subscriptions.
Richard
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24th February 2021
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The treasurer for the group is about to change. Richard Stedman, i.e. me, is moving away from the area and will be handing over the group's red box to Marcus Pearce.
I hope to be gone by mid March and for the next week or so the bank will be making the administrative changes to allow Marcus to take over the role.
Nancy Vowles will take on the membership Secretary role.
I will continue to run this website, albeit from Orkney. The costs will be my gift to the group. I will be relying on people to give me copy to put on the pages via email.
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Issue 66 has been completed and sent out.. It is a February Issue that has several interesting articles.
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Within the members pages are several pages of books, CDs and magazines of local interest. They were collected by Gareth Jones. His excellent idea was to host a book stall at our meetings and by selling them raise some money for the group. He built a book stand and bought the books over many years and was ready for the off when Coronavirus slowed us all down.
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Some of the books have been sold through his contacts with members but the pages here will advertise the books still available to buy.
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We do not want the website to be a point of sales so if you wish to buy a book from Gareth then please contact him directly via the email on the pages.​
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On our thoughts are:-
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Publication of updated books re the local area in World War II and World War I.
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Catalogue of resources in the archives.
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Displays of materials on the area as it was at the end of World War II.
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Then and Now. An idea for a project to compare photos of the past with present day versions. Last done in 2001 by Chris George and Mike Edwards.
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Work with the Parish Council to identify the local vernacular architecture. This will hopefully hope inform the future Parish Plan.
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New signs to enhance the present heritage trail in Severn Beach plus new ones to signpost the PIlning Heritage trail.
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And a big idea for 2022 THE CENTENARY OF SEVERN BEACH (This will need a special effort to create something big and beautiful for the local area)
Newsletter 67​
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Topics in articles include:-​
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Severn Beach Post cards
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Life in South Australia - an email from Egon and Libby Shore
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Cleopatra's club Easter Compton
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New passage Hotel
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The Long Room / Riverside / Beachcomber
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Patricia Eades poem re the ash and the oak
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Noisy mules
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Severn Beach 100
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The Jones boys, Billy Butlin and houses on maps of 1921
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World War II Memorial
Hi All
Nancy Vowles and myself are researching and putting together a book on our World War 2 heroes whose names are engraved on the War Memorial in Pilning. Surprisingly it has been much harder to find out the information than when we did the World War One Village Heroes and Remember the heroes.
Would you have any information on these brave men or their families, places of work? Do your parents or grandparents remember them? Now is the time to look for this information before it is lost forever. If you have pictures that would be a bonus.
Please message me or Nancy if you can help.
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The names we are looking at are;
John Ball
(Norris) Maurice Baker
Ronnie Brown
Fred Daly
Hamish Donaldson
Ernest Edmonds
Roy Edwards
Albert Small
Frank Knowles
Kenneth Rice
Sam Rogers
Leslie Shepherd
Rowland Sims
Lionel Swallow
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In particular we are looking for information on Ernest Edmonds, Albert Small, Sam Rogers, Frank Knowles and Leslie Shepherd.
Please get in touch if you have any information. We are trying to honour their memory so they are never forgotten.
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Thank you
Sue Binns and Nancy Vowles