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REPTON VILLAGE HISTORY GROUP

NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 15 – NOVEMBER 2005

 

OUR RECENT MEETINGS

September got our winter meeting programme off to an excellent start when Maureen Newton gave a talk entitled “A Backward Glance at Children’s Games”. She started on a serious note by reminding us that prior to legislation about permitted hours of work, it was quite common for children as young as five to be employed in factories or down mines for over twelve hours a day. Their diet would probably be only bread and milk. As things improved and they had more free time, many simple games and hobbies developed. She reminded us of the games which were often played in the street before the advent of the motor car, the things we used to collect, the comics we read and the rhymes we used to sing as we played and the difference in names for the same game in different areas. Members of the audience were able to participate and also talk about their memories which made a thoroughly enjoyable and humorous evening. 

At our October meeting there was an excellent turnout of members and visitors. The event was a display evening devoted to the village school. We were delighted to have in the audience Ken Croft who was Head Teacher both at High Street and Springfield Road and Lillian Ash who was School Secretary for many years. Also a number of former pupils came along. 

The meeting commenced with a short address by Gill Hiley who, with the help of Jill Kerr, has undertaken a massive job of typing out the school logbooks covering many years and going back as far as the late 1800’s. Gill picked out some interesting facts that she had gleaned from the documents and gave us instances of interesting events over the years. Also on display were fifty photographs from our archives which showed classes, sports and other activities over a long period of time.

The members of the audience were able to spend most of the evening looking through the documents and trying to put names to the faces on the photographs. It seemed that they thoroughly enjoyed this. Altogether it was another successful and memorable evening.

 

OUR FUTURE MEETINGS 

On Tuesday 15th November we have “Victorian Magic Lantern Slides” presented by David Guest. These will be from around the world as well as some from Repton. Most will be around 100 years old. 

Also on that evening we will be launching our new publication “Notices and Jottings”. This is a collection of extracts from St Wystan’s Parish Magazines during the period 1889-1937. The book runs to 106 pages and gives a fascinating insight into the changing face of the village. It also includes a selection of adverts from some of the early issues. The book has been produced by kind permission of the Vicar and the Parochial Church Council. The price is £4.95 and it will be popular as a Christmas present. 

The visit to Repton School Library on 29th November is fully booked. 

We have no meeting in December 

On Tuesday 17th January  David Stanier is coming along to give an illustrated talk about the Blue Bus Services of Tailby & George Ltd which used to run on two routes between Burton and Derby. This should be a popular evening and again bring back many happy memories. 

On Tuesday 21st February Jim Willder will reminisce about his days as a “Ticknall Paper Boy”. 

 

OUR MARCH 2006 DISPLAY MEETING 

This will be a display of items relating to the 1950’s or thereabouts. We will display and hope that members and visitors will bring along items which were commonplace in those days.

Think back over the years: Ration Books, National Service, old cars and motor bikes, the Festival of Britain, football programmes, comics (Beano, Dandy etc), coal fires and companion sets, picnics, power cuts and candles, the coming of television, old records, cigarette packets of old brands, the 1953 Coronation and many, many more items still remaining in peoples houses.

If we can get enough items together, this could be another memorable evening of reminiscences. If you have anything you are willing to display on the evening, please let us know.

 

SEASONAL MESSAGE 

Although Christmas is still some weeks away, this will be the last Newsletter until the New Year therefore it is appropriate that the Committee should take this opportunity to wish our members and friends a “Very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year”. 

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