Walter Champion
An appreciation
Having read the obituary of Walter Champion in Issue No.5130 of The Ringing World it set me thinking that we do not always ‘thank’ or get the ‘opportunity of thanking’ people in life until it is too late.
My family moved to East Brent village in 1958 and my first encounter with Walter ‘Mr Champion’ (as it was in those days, we had to respect our elders!) was in 1960 as a lad of 12 years when I wanted to get a Saturday job and earn some pocket money. My mother saw Mr Dibble proprietor of James Stores, who said OK, but see Mr Champion. James Stores was a very busy shop serving a large rural parish.
Walter drove the van (a Ford Popular) selling the shop’s groceries and newspapers, etc. to the outlying hamlets of Rooksbridge, Edingworth, Eastertown and Lympsham and I was his paperboy on Saturday mornings. I would have to remember who had which newspapers and deliver house-to-house, farm-to-farm, whilst Walter sorted out the groceries and the money matters (he used a leather moneybag with a long shoulder strap over his long grey dustcoat overall) on this Saturday morning round which took around 4 to 5 hours. The downside for me was that this van did not have a passenger seat! I had to sit on an upturned orange box and in those days seatbelts were unheard of. I do however remember the clothes peg he used on the choke. The vans did get better; he then had a ‘Standard’ van, followed by a ‘Ford Escort’ and I had the luxury of a seat.
Coming from a bellringing family my father took my brother and I up to the tower in October 1962 to be taught the family tradition of bellringing. In those days practice nights took place from October until Lent and through the first winter my brother and I were taught to ring by Walter on tied bells from 7.30 until 8pm. We then had to sit still whilst the experienced ringers rang until 9pm. During that first winter we were also expected to watch the ringers on Sunday mornings and evenings. ‘You can learn a lot by watching’ we were told. The following October when practices resumed we were allowed to ring on open bells but we still had to watch the others on Sundays until we were thought good enough to ring in rounds with them for Sunday services. The bellringers at that time were Mr William Wiseman (Tower captain), Walter’s brother Charles, the two Hodder brothers Charlie and Nelson, the Vicar’s daughter Elizabeth Holbrook, my father, my brother Richard and myself. I also remember well the ringing at 6am on Easter day, Harvest Home Day and Christmas Day with the supper in the vicarage on New Year’s Eve before the AGM and then ringing the old year out and new year in.
Unfortunately both my father, grandfather and uncles only rang call changes and ringing at a tower were methods were rung. Well, this seemed interesting and I wanted some of that! There were generally only two things we rang at that time namely Grandsire and Stedman Doubles, so I was taught these and got on well, but it was Walter who gave me a chance and he taught me to conduct these methods.
I left East Brent in 1973 and moved to the Midlands were I continued with my bellringing and over the years have been a Sunday Service bellringer at Cannock, Shareshill, Wolverhampton St Peter, Brewood (Ringing Master for 11 years), Stafford and Lapley (Ringing Master at the present time) and during those years have taught many to ring Grandsire and Stedman.
So, ‘Mr Champion’ – thank you Sir! Your help was greatly appreciated then and this has been passed on to others just like you passed your skills to me well over 40 years ago.
Keith Brooks
