Issue No 4
April 2016
Page 1
News and heritage for Brookenby Community
ANNUAL JUBILEE SPORTS DAY
SATURDAY 25 JUNE 2016
The annual inter ex MOD site games will be held this year at Hemswell Cliff as the new community
facilities at Newtoft will not be ready in time. As in previous years, the communities of: Brookenby,
Hemswell Cliff, Newtoft and Scampton will field mixed adult and child teams to play a variety of
sports, usually: football, rounders, kwik cricket, new age curling and tug of war. The event will start at
10.00am and will be a fun day out for all the family because in addition to the competition there will
be other activities planned. I also understand there may be a possibility that Lincs FM will attend.
Sarah McCready works extremely hard each year organising the games on Brookenby’s behalf and
this year she is joined by Councillor Dan Stephenson. If you would like to take part, or would like to
help in any way, please contact either Sarah or Dan as soon as possible.
Saturday Drop In
Come and join us for a cup of tea or coffee
and light snacks
Bingo in the
Lancaster Room
7th April
doors open 7·00 pm
Saturday mornings
9.30 till 12.00 noon
In The Church
See you there!
Mary & Tony
All profits to St Michael & All Angels Church
Open Churches Weekend
Saturday 7th May
St Michael & All Angels Church, Brookenby
10.00 am to 4.00 pm
Aviation Heritage
Display
If you would be interested in hiring a stall for the Open Churches Saturday, please
contact Tony on 07833 551209.
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Call Tony on 07833 551209 or visit
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2
Community Group Updates
Limelight Theatre
We'd like to mention please 'The Pirates of the Curry Bean’ Performances on 23rd/24th of April (both 2.30pm
matinees) Tickets £4 (concessions £3) It's a musical comedy with mixed adults and juniors and should be fun.
Following on from that we will produce Saturday Night Limelight II on June the 25th.The first one was a major
success with 62 seats taken up out of a possible 70 and many positive comments afterwards (see report below).
Ron
St Michael and All Angels Church
Services for April: 3rd – Holy Communion – Anglican-led; 10th – Methodist-led service; 17th – Family Worship
(lay-led); 24th – Methodist-led service. Bible Study – 11th and 25th April at 2.00 pm. Morning Prayers every
Tuesday at 9.30 am. Our coffee mornings on a Saturday have got off to a promising start with residents and
patrons of the Colebrook School of Dance attending.
Come to the Cabaret
A full house on 5th March at the Limelight Theatre saw performers from a wide catchment (Langworth, Caenby,
Binbrook, Market Rasen, Healing, Aylesby, Nettleton, Grimsby & Cleethorpes). Songs from various musicals
featured – The King and I, Les Miserables, Grease, Guys and Dolls, Chess, Phantom of the Opera – to name
but a few, as well as some old ‘standards’ performed with considerable aplomb. A joyful night’s entertainment –
not bad for just £3!
There will be a further performance in June (see above) and many performers will return but there will also be
some local Brookenby talent on show.
Present
Pirates of the
CURRY BEAN
By Craig Hawes
Sat/Sun 23/24
April
at 2.30pm
Seats £4 – Concessions £3
If you would like to include an article in The Patch, please
e-mail your text and any pictures in a downloadable
format to [email protected] by not later than
21st of the month for inclusion in the succeeding month’s
issue.
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Binbrook & District Women's Institute March Report.
Thursday 7th April Speaker – Annette Mackenzie & Boogie the Barn Owl. Subject – An interactive talk with
a chance to handle Boogie.
Thursday 5th May Due to the hall being used as a polling station, we will be meeting at THE DROP IN
CENTRE situated in the Village Hall Car Park. National WI resolution debate, afterwards Speaker Ann
Lendrum Lincolnshire North Federation Trustee Talk – All things WI including Denman the WI college in
Oxfordshire
Here are the results of our 2015/16 monthly programme competitions. The overall winner for The Flower of
the Month Pat Robinson with 23 points. The overall winner for Monthly Competitions. Barbara Pollard with
20 points. Lots of our members took part in the monthly competitions, making this year a very close
contest. Barbara & Pat (who was unable to attend ) received a trophy plus an exclusive WI memento.
During the evening we discussed what we would like as competitions for the coming year. To help us we
looked at old programmes going back to the 1970's . In 1972 it was very hands on – home made items
such as, 4 fruit scones, a posy in an unusual container and my personal favourite, egg custard in a pastry
case. Compose a 4 line limerick pops up regularly in other years.
We also decided on the dates for the flower arranging workshop in June at the village hall and the Archery
have-a-go session at North Kelsey Moor in September. Both will be open to non members, if spaces are
available at a slightly higher cost. This months competition winner of a WI memento was won by Jenny
Johnson who has recreated Cuthbert the Rabbit which was the first national craft item made by WI
members during WW1. How times have changed this year,
National are asking us to make hanging baskets out of old bras ! We attended the Lincolnshire North
Federation annual meeting at Skegness, I was very pleased to go on stage to receive a trophy for the
'Best Calendar Photograph' from Janice Langley, our National WI Chair. The after lunch speaker (ours
being fish & chips with mushy peas) was Meredith Towne talking about the role of hats in history. Look out
for her on The Great British Sewing Bee later this year talking about the 1960's. She had us all in stitches excuse the pun. Several of us went to the Holton-le-Moor WI open meeting, A Vintage to Versace fashion
show. We were privileged to see authentic clothes from the 1880's to the 1980's including a dress worn by
Princess Diana. I had a great seat just where the models paused before returning up the cat walk. My
personal favourite was the 1940's jitter-bug outfit made out of parachute silk.
Monthly meetings, 1st Thursdays of the Month 7 pm for 7.15pm start .Binbrook Village Hall – Plenty of
Parking . Members FREE. Visitors £3.80(As of May, Visitors entrance fee £4.00. As of April, WI
Membership 2016 is £28.10 ) Refreshments included. Optional raffle 50p per ticket.
For more information phone Marina 01472 399501 or Bunny 01472 399009
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Brookenby Parish Council
The meeting on 1st March was largely occupied with issues surrounding the development along Swinhope
Road. Two planning applications had in fact been approved by West Lindsey District Council on the preceding
day, but with important conditions. An application to erect two additional dwellings had been approved, but
timed to start within three years. Conditions attached to the planning applications included the following:
1.  Plans for a footpath along Swinhope Road to be submitted within three months and to be completed in six
months
2.  A landscaping scheme to be submitted
3.  No development of ‘Plot 10’ until the sub-station has been removed
4.  Footways to be laid out before any occupations
5.  A landscape maintenance plan to be submitted to WLDC prior to any occupations
6.  All planting to be in situ in first planting season
• 
The Parish Council will investigate whether fencing in the abortive York Road development can be
removed.
•  The PC will also approach WLDC with a view to having the 40 mph speed limit on Swinhope Road
reduced to 30 mph. There will be an agenda item for the next meeting.
•  The old RAF Binbrook base flag has been donated: it will be placed in the main foyer area.
The following statement has been received from the Chairman of the Parish Council:
I think all things considered, there were two achievements, firstly WLDC took our concerns onboard and
reacted to them, secondly, parishioners seem to be gaining confidence that they are important participators in
our community rather than bystanders. I hope parishioners genuinely feel that they are being listened to and
as a council we will do our very best to keep our parish at the top of the agenda of other government or civil
service organisations.I was very pleased with the attendance and I sincerely hope that over the coming
months/years we become stronger and more capable making our parish the best that we can.- Lincoln Fraser
Chair Brookenby Parish Council
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 5th April starting at 7.00 pm with a ‘public forum’ when residents may
ask questions. Residents may also raise issues with the Council by writing to the Parish Clerk, Sam Coulam,
on [email protected].
Community Land Trust Steering Group
A meeting of the Group on 2nd March was attended by six residents with John Mather and Bernie Shaw
(WLDC) in attendance.
John Mather gave an introduction to why a CLT needs to be “incorporated”, the legal definition of a CLT and
which forms of incorporation can fulfil the legal requirements of a CLT.
CLTs potentially handle large sums of money and (hopefully!) will own land and property. In order to give legal
protection to the individuals involved in the CLT it is important to adopt a legal format that gives “limited liability”
to the individuals involved. This means that as long as the individuals involved act lawfully any personal liability
is limited to a nominal sum – usually £1.
An incorporated organisation can enter into contracts and own property – which is crucial for a CLT. An
unincorporated organisation cannot do these things.
It is important that Brookenby CLT chooses the most appropriate format for Brookenby. LCLT will offer further
advice and guidance on this over the coming weeks.
John circulated written guidance from the National CLT Network on the legal formats for CLTs.
Project – Housing/Land and potential opportunities
All agreed that there are numerous potential opportunities in Brookenby, with many empty or neglected homes
and buildings.
Bernie offered to obtain data from WLDC on empty homes and housing need in Brookenby. This can be used
to develop a plan for what to tackle first.
A number of apologies had been received for this meeting. It was therefore decided to postpone the elections
until other interested residents were present.
Date of next meeting
7pm Wednesday 13th April 2016 at the Community Centre.
A further message has been received from John Mather:
“At the last meeting we discussed making a visit to Pinchbeck CLT (near Spalding) to learn from a Lincolnshire
CLT that has 'done it'. I have spoken with the Chairman and he is more than happy to host a visit from
Brookenby CLT Steering Group; as I mentioned there is grant funding available to cover the travel expenses
and make a small 'thank you' contribution to the host CLT. We can discuss at the meeting in April how to apply
for this, but in the meantime here is the link to the information on the grant http://
www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk/get-involved/visit-a-clt”
5
6
Not So Civil War
The English Civil War – an oxymoron if ever there was one! Pillaging, desecration, torture and death –
definitely not very civil.
Brookenby has a link to the English Civil War via the Waithe Beck and Swinhope House. Overlooking the beck
and the east end of the village is a Neolithic long barrow thought to have been created circa 3900 BC. It is one
of the biggest and most complete of its type known in Lincolnshire and is called “Cromwell’s Grave”, which,
according to local legend, was so named because a parliamentarian soldier was captured and killed there.
This may have been at the same time as Swinhope House was attacked by parliamentarian troops. During the
civil war the owner was Henry Alington and his home was attacked because he was a Royalist (the present
house was re-built in 1785 by his grandson, the Rev Marmaduke Alington). Not too far away, Thorganby Hall
was also ransacked in February 1643 by parliamentarian troops for the same reason. The Hall’s steward was
killed and the owner William Caldwell and his wife were imprisoned in Lincoln, where they both died.
For the most part, though, Lincolnshire was parliamentarian and formed part of
the “Eastern Association”. These were some of the richest counties of England
and included: Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and
Huntingtonshire. The Association's forces had, therefore, some of best financed
and equipped troops at the beginning of the civil war. Oliver Cromwell, who had
been an MP for Huntington, joined the Eastern Association as a cavalry captain
at the beginning of the war and locally was instrumental in defeating the
Royalist army at the Battles of Winceby and Gainsborough, and Lincoln.
There were a few of Lincolnshire’s nobility
who sided with the King, among them was
Robert Bertie, Earl of Lindsey. He formed
a regiment of infantry made up of tenants
from his lands in Lincolnshire and
Northamptonshire. He was such an
extremely experienced soldier that King
Charles I appointed him as Lieutenant
General of Forces. He died at the Battle of
Edgehill on 23 October 1642.
The image above is of Oliver Cromwell and on the right is the Earl of
Lindsey.
Another local(ish) family, the Pelham’s of Brocklesby, had split loyalties; Sir William and his son-in-law Sir Matthew
Appleyard were Royalist soldiers and Sir William’s brother Henry Pelham, an MP for Grimsby and later Grantham
was on the side of Parliament.
Pelham Family Coat of Arms
The most famous civil war battle which took place near us
was that of Battle of Winceby on 11 October 1643.
Parliamentarian troops were laying siege to the Royalist
stronghold of Bolingbroke Castle. Under the command of Sir John Henderson, a Royalist force of around 2,500
men set off from Lincoln to relieve the besieged garrison. En route they were intercepted by a similar sized force
of Parliamentarian cavalry, led by Oliver Cromwell, just outside the hamlet of Winceby. Cromwell was soon
joined by Sir Thomas Fairfax, doubling the size of the Parliamentarian army and so securing a victory. This was
the first important win for Cromwell and the first battle that he fought with Fairfax; together they would eventually
lead their “New Model Army” to overall victory.
7
A lesser known battle is that of the Battle of Riby, a hamlet just outside Grimsby. In June 1645 a cavalry troop
led by Captain Wright left the Royalist garrison of Newark in order obtain food, money and men. They headed
into Parliamentarian territory knowing that many of the opposition were engaged at the Battle of Naseby.
Ransacking villages successfully, including Caistor, the patrol also raided Stallingborough, the family residence
of Sir Edward Ayscough, a prominent Parliamentarian. As Grimsby would be heavily manned, the Royalist patrol
decided to head south to Horncastle, but their exploits had already come to the attention of Colonel John
Harrison. He quickly gathered a force to intercept them and they met at Riby on the 18th June. The
parliamentarians were outnumbered and were not well trained so the Royalists scored an easy victory.
Unfortunately for Captain Wright and his men, 3 days later, when they had almost reached the safety of Newark
they were attacked by an experienced force of Parliamentarians, led by Colonel Edward Rossiter. Out of the
original 250 man patrol only 40 of the Royalists escaped. Captain Wright was killed, the bodies of his men
scattered and all the loot from the raids was left behind.
For more information on the civil war in respect of Lincolnshire check out the following websites:
http://bcw-project.org/military/english-civil-war/midlands-and-east/lincolnshire-1643 http://boar.org.uk/
oriwxs5CivilWarLincs%28chron.htm
https://civilwarlincolnshire.wordpress.com/chronology
For a day out why not visit the National Civil War Centre at Newark, especially on the weekend of 1st and 2nd
May as there will be re-enactments around the town to coincide with the 370th anniversary of the ending of the
Siege of Newark.
Tank Lecture
The Wragby Heritage Group are pleased to announce that
two Lincoln experts on the history of the first tanks will be
hosting a lecture and film show at Wragby Town Hall, Louth
Road, Wragby on Wednesday 6th April 2016 commencing at
7.30 pm.
Refreshments will be available, there will be a raffle to raise
funds for the Group and copies of the official DVD of the
Lincoln Tank Memorial Committee can be purchased.
Richard Pullen who is a Lecturer, Military Historian and Author will be joined by Andrew Blow of 'Blow by Blow
Productions', who discovered local film of the early tanks. Richard Pullen's grandfather worked on the first
tanks at William Foster & Co in Lincoln during World War 1.
This year, 2016, commemorates several anniversaries of the creation of the first tank prototypes which led to
the Mark 1, the first tank to be used in battle in September 1916.
Tickets cost £5.00 each and are available direct from
(1) The Wragby Heritage Group Chairman, Mr Vic Nash, The Spinney, Cemetery Road, Wragby, LN8 5RE,
telephone 01673 858530
(2) The Post Office & Pet Shop, Market Place, Wragby, LN8 5QU,
Telephone 01673 858208 during opening hours
(3) Dhindsa Newsagents, The Barn, Market Place, Wragby, LN8 5QU,
telephone 01673 858372
Steve Turnbull is planning a
Bunny Harris of Binbrook
music fest/family fun day for
WI with her award – see
Saturday 6th August
page 4
Further details in the May
issue.
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8
ANZAC Day
Photo is of the 25 April 2015 centenary
commemoration ceremony.
This year ANZAC Day is on a Monday. Ray
Whiteley’s RAF Binbrook Memorial Park will be
open as usual should anyone wish to make a visit
to the airfield site.
Message from Michael.
Photo of John and Michael Lewis at their father’s graveside in
the Netherlands on 4 May 2015.
The Lewis brothers visited both Brookenby and Binbrook last
year on ANZAC Day because their father, Reginald, served
with 460 Sqn. (He was shot down over Reeuwijk/Sluipwijk on 12 June 1943). Michael has sent us the following
message: “I have just read the latest PATCH whilst sitting my wheelchair.
On Saturday 16th January I suffered a Stroke to my left side and am having to learn to walk all over again. I am
receiving so much support from family and friends, and hope to
get mobile within a few months.
Unfortunately this will mean that I will be unable to visit Holland early May on the occasion of their Liberation Day
and visiting Dad’s and his crew’s graves. This will be the first Miss for many years.
Please pass on my best wishes to all the dear people that we met on our visit to Binbrook.”
Get well soon Michael, from all of us in the Lincolnshire Wolds.
BURIED IN A FOREIGN FIELD
This is an edited article written by Janice Harris. If you would like further information check the following web
pages: http://www.ozatwar.com/460sqdn/nd586.htm and http://www.aircrewremembered.com/probert-arthur.html
“Honouring the father she never knew, Shirley Buckler finally got to pay her respects at his graveside on 28 April
2013.
Sergeant Dennis Robbins was a wireless operator with the 460 Sqn RAAF and was killed on 11 April 1944 along
with the rest of the crew of Lancaster ND586 AR-B, when the aircraft was shot down over France, a month before
Mrs Buckler was born.
Mrs Buckler had always wanted to go to France to visit her father’s grave but it wasn’t until she received a letter
from the village of Vieux Mesnil, inviting her to attend a memorial dedication that she decided to make the trip from
Australia. Mrs Buckler said: “I didn’t know much about the circumstances surrounding dad’s death, as it was
something mum just never spoke about”. The German pilot Hauptmann Helmut Bergman later reported he opened
fire on the bomber when it was one hundred metres away. “Violent flames were coming from
the fuselage and it crashed and burned for two
hours and 20 minutes,” he said. The Lancaster took
off from RAF Binbrook at 11.40pm on 10 April to
bomb the railway junction and marshalling yards at
Aulnoye, France. It was intercepted and shot down
at 2.30am the next day, crashing and burning in a
field near the village of Vieux-Mesnil near
Maubeuge on the River Sambre (near the Belgian
border). The crew’s bodies were taken to and
buried at Maubeuge cemetery.”
The rest of the crew were A Probert, B Wiseman, A Palfreyman, R McDougall, W Hogg and K
Ryan. The photograph on the right is F/O Arthur Probert (perhaps it was taken somewhere
local to Binbrook?)
9
Canberra overshoots the
runway at RAF Binbrook in
1968.
The only information we have been
able to deduce is that an incident on
June 1968 suggested a Canberra
ran into a hedge from RAF Binbrook
when the brakes failed while taxiing
to the fire dump. No injures
reported. See www.bcar.org.uk/
1960s-incident-logs#1968. Does
anyone have any further
information?
Royal Observer Corps
Music at The Bar
There will be an ‘open’ music
session on
Saturday 9th April
Under the direction of Steve Turnbull.
If you would like to perform, just turn
up on the night.
Following our article in last month’s issu, we received the
following appeal from John Johnson, who lives in Binbrook.
“As a member I wouldlove to meet any ROC members I had so
many friends and thefun we had the Master tests we had to do
each year the campsfor training the exercises to make us all
efficient. Made it something to look forward to each week for
training . The aircraft recognition competitions were far from
easy as a speck on the paper was an aircraft and even with a
magnifying glass hard to recognise sometimes. The ROC
magazine was a good read I was a member of 67 post
Holbeach and was Leading Observer . I served 23 years and
missed out on my clasp when it closed”
He can be contacted on [email protected].
Photographic Competition 2016
Win an £80 Love to Shop Gift Card
Our successful photographic
competition has two new themes.
March - May
Lincolnshire Communities in Action
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For more information please email
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10
Readers’ Comments
In addition to the near-400 printed copies we circulate locally, around 50 copies are sent via the Internet to
various recipients. We are always pleased to include any comments from readers, particularly when further
information about specific articles are received. This one – from Martyn Gaunt, who is not on our list of
recipients - was received recently.
Was very interested to read the Home Guard article in the latest edition of The Patch. I wondered if you knew
that there is an area connection with the Home Guard, in that the idea of having an armed civilian army
in the case of invasion was originally the idea of a Grimsby man, Tom Wintringham. After military service in
WW1 Tom went to Spain to fight with the International Brigades for the Spanish government against the
Fascist insurrection of General Franco. Tom rose to command the British Brigade, but was wounded in 1937
and repatriated. Once back, he started to campaign to raise an armed civilian guard. By 1940 he was training
men in techniques of guerrilla warfare privately at Osterley House in London, but this was eventually taken
over by the Army. Because of Tom's politics (he was a communist) he was never allowed to serve in the
organisation he had promoted.
Good to see the Auxiliary Units getting a mention, too. These were nominally part of the Home Guard but, in
the event of a German invasion, would have gone to ground (literally, in their operational bases) to emerge and
do as much damage as they could when they were behind the enemy lines. The nearest patrol to us was at
Wold Newton, and their operational base can still be found if you know where to look. Although these men
were probably the best trained in the British army, their expected survival after an invasion was only envisaged
to be two weeks or so. Membership was very secretive, in that not even the families of the men involved could
be told what they were doing, and why they were going out (after their normal day's work) most nights of the
week. Brave men indeed.
Thanks for your efforts in publishing The Patch.
Brookenby Library
The Library is located just inside St
Michael and All Angels Church (1st door on
the left). We have a good selection of
fiction and non-fiction titles which you are
welcome to borrow for as long as you
want.
Donations of books always welcome;
please, no videos!
The Bar
Since opening The Bar last August,
Steve and Karen have made
tremendous efforts to make it a
success and we know that many of
you have supported them in their
efforts. With drinks at social club
prices, and a warm friendly
atmosphere, why not come along
and partake of their hospitality?
Opening times are Thursday to
Saturday evenings and Sunday
afternoon
11
Times Gone By
100 Years Ago – April 1916
4. London: Budget raises income tax and imposes
wide range of taxes, especially on amusements.
4. Rome: Prime Minister Asquith meets Pope
Benedict XV.
5. London: The Military Medal is introduced as a
decoration.
8. Norway: Women win the right to vote in national
elections.
10. Paris: The International Olympic Committee
says the Games will not be held until the war is
over.
12. London: Government drops its planned tax on
rail tickets.
14. France: The government imposes taxes on milk,
sugar, coffee and other foodstuffs.
14. London: Government pledges cash for diagnosis
and treatment of venereal diseases.
14. Turkey: Allies bomb Constantinople.
17. Former Boer General Jan Smuts leads Allied
forces to drive Germans from East Africa.
18. Washington: President Wilson threatens to
break off diplomatic relations with Germany if it
continues total submarine warfare.
19. London: Asquith says government could
disintegrate unless differences on conscription are
resolved.
20. Petrograd: Russia refuses an armistice with
Turkey.
23. UK: Widespread commemoration of the
tercentenary of Shakespeare’s death.
24. Switzerland: Socialist pacifists attend the
International Socialist Conference at Kienthal.
25. British Empire: The first ANZAC Day marks
Gallipoli landings one year ago.
25. Dublin: Full-scale rebellion against British rule
breaks out. The post office in Sackville Street is
seized.
25. London: Secret session of Parliament decides to
broaden the terms of conscription.
29. Mesopotamia: Major-General Charles
Townshend commanding the 6th (Poona) Division
surrenders to the Turks at Kut-el-Amara.
75 years ago – April 1941
1. London: MPs reject a government proposal for
Sunday opening of theatres.
2. East Africa: British and Empire troops take Asmara,
capital of Eritrea.
3. Libya: British-led troops evacuate Benghazi in the
face of Rommel’s advance.3. Budapest: Hungarian
Premier Count Paul Teleki commits suicide rather than
join the war as a German ally.
4. Iraq: Ex-premier Rashid Ali, an Axis supporter,
seizes power.
6. Yugoslavia: Axis troops invade.
6. Abyssinia: South African troops occupy the capital,
Addis Ababa.
7. London: The War Budget raises income tax to a
record 50 per cent.
9. New York: Opening of the film “The Road to
Zanzibar” with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy
Lamour.
10. Libya: British and Australian troops are besieged at
Tobruk.
10. US: President Roosevelt reaches agreement with
Denmark to send forces to Greenland to protect
Atlantic convoys.
13. Libya: The Germans occupy Bardia; there is now
fighting along the Egyptian frontier.
13. Moscow: Stalin signs a neutrality pact with Japan,
recognising the puppet state of Manchukuo.16.
London: 500 planes drop around 100,000 bombs in an
all-night attack, among the heaviest of the war.
17. Iraq: British troops cross the border.
17. Yugoslavia falls to Axis forces who then push on to
Greece.
19. Zurich: Premiere of Bertolt Brecht’s play “Mother
Courage”
23. Greece: King George and Greek government
abandon Athens for Crete.
24. Singapore: More reinforcements land to boost the
British and Commonwealth garrison.
26. Egypt: Three columns of Afrika Korps cross from
Libya.
28. East Africa: Free French troops advance into proVichy French Somaliland.
12