Newsletter 2008

War Memorial as it used to look when it stood on its original site nearer Lockner Farm

Public Meetings

Parish Council Meetings are regularly held every two months in a fascinating classroom at Chilworth Church of England Infant School. During meetings members of the public have given valuable contributions during the adjournment for public debate, with advice from our local Borough Councillors Roy Hogben and David Wright, Surrey County Councillor David Davis and our Community Police Officer. Please see the end pages for dates of forthcoming Parish Council meetings and details of where to find our Parish notice boards.

Website

St Martha has an excellent website. It is a good way of keeping you up to date with what the Council is doing - for example, you can view PC Minutes, Agendas and Notification of Forthcoming Meetings & Events. It also provides useful and interesting information on Crime & Policing, Health & Medical, Refuse & Recycling, Schools & Education, Travel & Transport, Wildlife & History, plus there is a facility for e-mailing us with feedback, or comments. If you have not already done so, and if you can, why not visit - www.stmarthaparishcouncil.co.uk.

Local Issues

We have given much attention as usual to things of local interest or concern and planning. Some notable issues include attention and representation with the particular assistance of Councillor Patricia Allen to the proposals for appraisal drilling in Albury to assess suitability of the gas field, which stretches from Albury and Blackheath to Shalford, for storage of natural gas in the porous rock substrate in this area.

There are continuing problems, as in many areas, of potholes in roads and maintenance of footpaths on which we persist in making representations to the responsible authorities. One in particular was the clearance of fallen trees and repair of a footpath sign in Vera's Path that was reported as done and paid for by Surrey County Council. We knew that the work had not actually been done and took action to repair the sign and correct the situation with the County Council. In such cases the local knowledge of the Parish Council is valuable and we are pleased to provide it in this and other cases.

A long running concern has been the positioning of an unsightly obstruction in the road at Chilworth rail station level crossing. Persistent representation, including meetings with the concerned authorities, has recently produced a result on which local people might have a view.

We have dealt with repairs and prevention of deterioration of our bus stop shelters and notice boards. We are still working on repair and preservation by the Post Office of the vintage post boxes. One is at Chilworth Station. The one in Sample Oak Lane has been repaired with some rebuilding. Poor positioning of some flood lights on roadside premises is causing some nuisance to neighbours and dazzling of vehicle drivers is still a problem. We are working with the local planning authority on the rules and remedies in this regard.

We have supported and will continue to support the valuable work that is done by the Chilworth Community Association and the Chilworth and Blackheath Voluntary Care Committee.

These are some of the items that are considered at each PC Meeting and listed in our Minutes. Amongst other things, Councillors also comment on consultation documents and attend outside conferences, meetings and training sessions.

War Memorial and Garden of Remembrance

By Patricia Allen

The Parish Council is responsible for the upkeep of Chilworth War Memorial and its surrounding garden. Each year an Act of Remembrance is held at 3.00pm on Remembrance Sunday when we remember those who died in the Great War, World War II and more recent conflicts. Last year it was led for the first time by our new Priest for St. Thomas', the Revd Stephanie Sokolowski. All are welcome to attend this short but very moving service and we would love to see you there this year at 3 o'clock on Sunday 9th November.

We have recently removed two large shrubs in order to open up the view of the Memorial for those passing by. Subsequently, we received a very kind donation which has allowed us to plant some new, smaller, shrubs and bulbs. We hope to keep improving the garden immediately around the Memorial - if the squirrels, deer and rabbits allow! Some of you may be interested in the photograph we have included of the War Memorial as it used to look when it stood on its original site nearer Lockner Farm - it was moved in the 1970s when the road was widened.

New Headteacher for Chilworth School

By Patricia Allen

In January Chilworth Church of England Infant School welcomed Mrs. Maggie Mackie as its new head after Mrs. Jane Sweeney left to head up the larger, Camberley Nursery and Infant School.

Mrs. Mackie was formerly Senior Teacher at Stoughton Infant School and part of their senior management team. She was a Year 1 Class Teacher and is passionate about teaching and the education of young children. Since arriving she says, ‘It's a real privilege to be at Chilworth School. The whole community has made me feel very welcome and I am enjoying working with everyone’.

Mrs. Mackie was born in Glasgow and is married to Alistair who plays trumpet for the world renowned Philharmonia Orchestra. They have two children, Alexander 13 and Eleanor 10 and live in Woking. Before taking up teaching, Mrs. Mackie studied clarinet and piano at The Royal College of Music.

Lieutenant-General Bernard Freyberg DSO VC & 3 Bars

By Michael Lunnon

On September 30th 2007 at St Martha's churchyard was an unlikely setting for a visit by the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, who was on a tour of Europe. The ceremony was a result of a 3-year campaign by Earle Crutchley of Christchurch New Zealand to have the gravestones of Lord and Lady Freyberg restored after he had found them in poor repair. Bernard was born 21st March 1889 at Richmond Surrey, the family lived there for a number of years, on the 17th October 1891 the Freyberg family embarked at Plymouth on the RMS Aorangi, bound for Wellington New Zealand.

Bernard Freyberg was an excellent swimmer. Between 1900-1911 he won fourteen gold medals and nine silver medals for swimming, and in 1906 became swimming champion of New Zealand. He studied and qualified as a dentist in 1911. He was in London when war broke out in 1914 and met Winston Churchill, then the first Lord of the Admiralty, whom he persuaded to give him a commission into the Hood Battalion of the new Royal Naval Division. While posted to Gallipolli in 1914 he swam from ship to shore before the initial landings; lighting flares along the coast as part of a deception operation. This feat earned him a DSO.

He was next found on the western front and the Victoria Cross was awarded for an engagement on the 13th November 1916 at Beaucourt Somme, in which he led an attack. A village was taken and five hundred prisoners captured. During the attack he suffered four wounds in the space of 24 hours. He refused to leave the line until he issued final instructions. On arrival at the casualty station, he was put into a tent with those who were not expected to survive, and so received no treatment except for pain killing drugs; fortunately he was later moved and treated.

At the age of 27 he was the youngest ever Brigadier-General in the British Army. On 14th June 1922 Bernard married Barbra, a widow, the daughter of Sir Herbert Jekyll of Munstead House, Godalming, her aunt being the Gertrude Jekyll of gardening fame. They had one child, Paul, who was born in 1923. In August 1925 Bernard Freyberg attempted to fulfil a boyhood ambition by swimming the English channel. He was within five hundred yards of the shore of Dover before, exhausted by the violence of the coastal ebb, he was forced to give up. He had been in the water for sixteen and three-quarter hours. He made a further attempt in 1926, which was also unsuccessful.

In 1946 the then Sir Bernard Freyburg served as New Zealand Governor-General until 1952 becoming Lord Freyburg of Wellington New Zealand, also Lord Freyburg of Munstead Godalming Surrey. He ended his extraordinary career as Deputy Constable and Lieutenant-Governor of Windsor Castle where he died in 1963. Bernard Freyburg and his wife, were married in St Martha's church; they also chose St Martha's churchyard to be their final resting place. Nearby is their only child, Major the Hon. Paul Richard Freyberg, M.C., Grenadier Guards, who died in 1993.

A letter to our Parish Clerk

By Chris Karney

Hi Christopher, so nice to hear from you. My wife is South African but I have taken her to St Martha's and we walked up the hill to the church. She remembers how beautiful the place is but I think the church was locked and we couldn't get in. You might like to know that my cousin sprinkled her father's ashes at the church gate. We had meant to do the same with my mother but distance precluded this.

The more I think about the Fleet Air Arm member the more I think it must have been Coastal Command. I seem to remember a Catalina flying boat and those were used the Coastal Command. Also the shop in the village run by Gordon's sister could have been Jelly's. It was newsagent etc.

During the war my Uncle Gordon and his pals bought a hearse so that they could get a petrol allocation, no petrol being available for private vehicles. For authenticity they had to have a coffin in the back, empty I believe. If one was too inebriated to walk then the coffin was the perfect place during the drive home.

You may remember that Gordon loved his beer, a little too much. It was always a great upset to him that they upgraded the Percy and the new style meant that they were no longer welcome. They had to find another local which meant a drive into Albury. Probably much more dangerous than staggering back from the Percy.

Our family had unlimited supplies of a very special flour. Bottings did a special milling for a competition which they won. However they were not allowed to sell it so it was given to the employees. So when everyone else was rationed we had the best! Oh there are so many stories of that time.

By the way what is the latest on the gunpowder factory? I understand it was declared a national monument.

Regards,

Roger Newby

Our Clerk's reply:

Dear Roger,

Thank you for your E mail. I am glad our website brought back memories for you, as indeed your E mail brought back memories for us!

I am a relative newcomer to the village having only lived here just under 40 years! However my wife was born in the village, albeit just after the war.

I can remember both Jack Bailey and Gordon Dan and the V1 bomb hit on St Martha's Hill is part of village folklore and it is known that the explosion blew out the East (Altar) window of the church. By the way I am also the verger of St Martha's Church.

However I had not heard the story of the Fleet Air Arm pilot. There was a meeting of the Chilworth History Society last night and one of our Parish Councillors was going to read your E mail to the meeting. I am sure it will have generated a lot of interest.

Regards,

Chris Karney, Clerk to St Martha Parish Council

Parish Policing

By David Bunting

This article is based on the newsletter of PC Mike Patey.

On the whole it has again been a rather quiet and crime free year in St Martha Parish. However, there have been incidents of thefts from vehicles and properties in the area, especially where there has been construction of building work taking place. There have been thefts, not only of tools, but also of building materials left or fitted at the location. Please be mindful of anyone hanging around or strange vans or lorries at a site that should not be there and challenge anyone hanging around or looking out of place.

There have been some parking issues arising from households now tending to have more than one vehicle and parking is at a premium. Police will warn vehicles found causing an obstruction of the highway or junction, although any that are parked dangerously may be removed at the owner's expense.

Vehicle Crime

Despite still having one of the lowest crime rates in the division, and in the country, our area is experiencing a higher than normal increase in damage and theft of vehicles. Damage tends to occur overnight, and normally several vehicles are being hit at the same time.

This mindless damage often takes the form of smashing wing mirrors, windows or wind screen wipers. It appears there is no particular pattern for these attacks, so anyone could be victim.

Similarly, thefts from vehicles on business tend to be random although often they have happened during the day. Tools and machinery have been stolen from vans and lorries. Thieves normally target cars for the theft of sat-nav equipment or expensive stereos.

Do try to prevent damage or theft by not leaving valuables in your vehicle. If stereo or sat-nav systems can be removed, please do so. Don't just put them under the seat, or in the glove compartment. Wipe clean any marks left from suction pads on your windscreen, as the marks give a clear indication you have sat-nav type of equipment aboard. Try to park in the open with lighting, CCTV, or pedestrian flow available.

Bogus Callers

There have been a few incidents within Surrey recently of people claiming to be Police Officers. The intruders may undertake a “security check” and persuade residents to show them round the property. Meanwhile others in the team will steal cash and jewellery.

Free security checks are available for Surrey residents, and can be requested by contacting Surrey Police. Officers will never cold call you at home. Remember a genuine caller at your home should make an appointment with you. If not, always verify a person's identity before allowing them in your home. A uniform or badge is insufficient. Photographic identification is needed. Police Officer identification can be verified by phoning 0845 125 2222.

Neighbourhood Watch

If you would like Neighbourhood Watch in your patch - maybe a dozen or so properties - then become a co-ordinator. There is lots of support. PC Mike Patey writes a monthly newsletter for distribution to residents and the ‘Borough Bulletin’ is published fortnightly by Guildford Neighbourhood Watch team. Contact WSGfordNeighWatch@surrey.pnn.police.uk or phone 01483 653014.

If we are more aware and alert as neighbours, perhaps we can reduce the incidents still further.

David Bunting, Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator, Halfpenny Close, Chilworth

11th Annual Public Consultation Meeting of the Gunpowder Mills Group - 8th November 2007

By Peter Burt

This article is my précis of the full minutes of the meeting prepared on behalf of the Group by Elizabeth Owen.

Peter Burt, Chairman of St Martha Parish Council chaired the meeting. He welcomed everyone to the meeting including the Mayor of Guildford, Councillor Mike Nevins. Peter noted that the area of the Chilworth Gunpowder Mills is a much loved and well used recreational amenity with much archeological, natural and wildlife interest. St Martha Parish Council is represented in the Group by Councillors Mike Lunnon and John Peake.

Alison Davidson, Projects and Conservation Manager of Guildford Borough Council, spoke of her interest and care for the site and about the proposed designation of the whole of the Gunpowder Mills site as a Conservation Area. Consultation on this proposed Area of Special Historic Landscape Value under her leadership is presently under way. We are grateful for all that Alison has done for us respecting the Mills site.

Andrew Norris outlined the work of volunteers and the organizations that have an interest in the site. In the course of an interesting talk he explained the old, probably 18th Century, packhorse bridge reconstruction and repairs. He described other work by volunteers led by the Gunpowder Mills Group under Scheduled Monument Consent that has revealed new discoveries at the steam driven incorporating mills and tramway swing bridge and other sites. Andrew is a leading member and consultant to the joint Gunpowder Mills Group. He is coordinating the work of volunteers on the site. If you are interested in volunteering you can contact him at 01483 531 762 or info@andrewnorris.com.

Microbiologist Maurice Moss had foraged the site for fungi of which he said there are very few because of the richness of the soil on the site. Nevertheless he said we have Turkey Tail, Cramp Balls, King Alfred's Cakes, Hairy Curtain Crust, Sulphurtuft, Sheathed Woodtuft, and Alder Bracket at least. In an interesting and lively talk he explained “Fairy Rings” and how flies and beetle larvae eat the fungus and are eaten in turn by birds. He told us that fungi growing on the heartwood of a living tree would not necessarily damage it. So called unhealthy hollow trees with fungi frequently survive a strong wind while younger healthy trees are blown over.

Finally a presentation by Professor Alan Crocker went through the history of paper making on the site. The meeting was entertained and educated by his demonstration of paper making. He had made a made a wire mesh mould on a frame with a watermark “Bank of Chilworth” and a separate outer frame called a deckle (hence “Deckle edge”). Sheets of paper were made using a wood pulp slurry with help from the audience, including active involvement by the Mayor.

Altogether the meeting was a success, well attended with a high quality of presentation by our speakers with some questions from the floor. There was also a display of history papers and pictures and informal discussions after the meeting. Alan Crocker suggested the next meeting could include a dramatic reconstruction of a court case over a dispute between paper makers and gunpowder makers at Chilworth based on transcripts in a book dated 1817; of which Professor Crocker has one copy; the only other known copy is in the British Library.

Rolls of Honour

In previous newsletters we noted that the names of those from the village who died in the two World Wars are on the War Memorial in Dorking Road and in St. Thomas's Church, Chilworth. We asked if anyone has any information about those listed on either of these Memorials would they please contact Patricia Allen on 01483 893 094 or at patricia@allen32.freeserve.co.uk. We are still very interested in finding out more about these members of our community who gave their lives to ensure the freedom of future generations so we are repeating this appeal.

Dates of forthcoming Parish Council meetings

2008: May 12th, July 14th, September 8th, November 8th
2009: Dates are to be confirmed for our regular meetings in January, March, May, July, September, November, January, March and May.

Prior notice of meetings, which are held on Mondays and commence at 7.15pm at Chilworth C of E Infant School, is put up in the bus shelters adjacent to Chilworth Station and opposite Lockner Farm, and on the Parish Council notice board by the entrance to Old Manor Lane and on our website. Minutes and Newsletters are also displayed.

Newsletter editor: Peter Burt

Tramway swing bridge remains in Chilworth Gunpowder mills site showing depleted water levels in the original canal.