Summer
Trips 2026
I’m pleased to report that the History Group had
three very successful trips this summer.
Our first in May was to Shuttleworth House, where we were given a talk
and tour and, of course, finished up in the café for refreshments.
The June outing was certainly different. We went to the 900 year old Elstow Abbey
where Father Paul Messam gave us a most entertaining talk about the history of
the Abbey. Those of us who were there
would have been quite happy to have stayed all afternoon listening to Fr. Paul.
John Bunyan was one of the most notable of the
worshippers at the Abbey and he was, as you probably know, also a prisoner in
Bedford gaol for 12 years and there is a window dedicated to him.
Canon Peter Hartley (Vicar of Elstow, from 1953 to
1976) turned the south chapel of the Abbey into an FEPOW Chapel (Far East
Prisoners of War Association). In the
chapel under the great Bunyan window, is the altar dedicated to the Far East
Prisoners of War; this fact tied in very nicely with our third visit.
Our third and final trip was to the National
Memorial Arboretum. Set in 150 acres of
rolling Staffordshire countryside, there are more than 400 memorials to various
divisions of the Home and Commonwealth Armed Forces, as well as to civilian
organisations and the Emergency Services.
There is even a small memorial commemorating Charles Askew, Mervyn’s
father who was a member of the FEPOW.
On arrival at the Arboretum, and after coffee of
course, we embarked on the Land Train which took us all around the site and
back in time for lunch. In the afternoon
we were free to explore those memorials seen from the train which tied in most
with our personal interests or histories
Speaking for myself, the memorial which affected
me most was called ‘Shot At Dawn’: this was dedicated to those 346 young men
who were shot after being accused of desertion during the First World War. I am glad to report that those so-called
‘deserters’ have now been given a posthumous pardon.
The 2026/27 programme of talks begin on Tuesday 15th
September with Debbie Land from Shuttleworth giving us a talk entitled ‘From
Flying Circus to Flying Fighters’ detailing the changes in aviation during the
Second World War. We hope to see you at
the Methodist Chapel.
Sue Harland