Ringing World 5141 (6 November 2009)

Front Cover: Ringers killed in the Great War
Alan Regin examines commemoration at home towers
Now the 91st Anniversary of the Armistice at the end of the Great War is close this articles looks at how some of the many ringers who died during the conflict are commemorated in their home towers, occasionally you see Photographs of individuals and sometimes Memorials.

Motion controllers as dummy handbells by Graham John
Many tower bell ringers use Abel to help them practice methods in private using the keyboard to ring their bell while the simulator rings the rest. This is a useful alternative to either reciting the path of the bell, or drawing out the blue line on paper. However for handbell ringers, simultaneously reciting two paths or drawing two blue lines to demonstrate that they not only know the method but also the relationship between their two bells, is very much more difficult task, if not impossible. It can be argued that for handbell ringers, a simulator is the only learning alternative to practising with other ringers.

Tinkling the Ivories by Adrian Rowland
Herein being contained an account of the Wimborne Ringers’ Outing to Oxford, on Saturday, 11th July in the year of our Lord MMIX.

Letters
Loughborough, Whitechapel and ‘UK Bellfoundries Ltd’ - Alan Hughes
Wood’s Notebook peal – William Willans
Wicken number puzzle - Andrew Spencer
Motorbiking ringers - Revd Will Adams
Frederick Ross - Rosemary R. A. Ross
Handbell practices – John Harrison

The 20th Century – The final instalment in Graham Nabb’s series on tower collecting
Every outing and ‘grab’ is a voyage of discovery – that is the attraction. In 1933/4 Ernest Morris published a series of articles in The Ringing World which subsequently became the basis of his book Tower & Bells of Britain. He described hundreds of towers that he had visited with a wonderful eye for architectural and historic detail. No one with any interest in ringing and visiting churches could fail to be fascinated by his descriptions and feel the urge to visit some of the places he describes … and begin ‘collecting’ them.

Whiting Society’s 40th Anniversary
The Whiting Society of Ringers has been celebrating it’s 40th Anniversary recently. The Society is named after Arthur Whiting, a Marple ringer who regularly attended other tower practices to encourage and help new and inexperienced ringers. He often organized outings to enable learners to ring away from the familiarity of their home tower and was continually motivating ringers to widen their repertoire of methods.

Obituaries
Paul Cattermole, Harry Griffiths

Hexham Abbey’s Island Tour by Brian Spurling
The Isle of Wight is a long way from Hexham. Of course, Hexham is a long way from anywhere, so you’d think we’d be used to long distances by now, but even some of Hexham’s most dedicated members were finding the idea of a summer trip to the (very) Deep South a little daunting. We needn’t have worried though.

Thought for the week
I have attended many re-dedication services after bells have been restored, and sometimes augmented. Offers of money and material help still come in when there is work to be done. We cannot contribute to the work of restoration without being conscious of the fact that we owe much to the generosity of people from past generations. Willing hearts generously gave to God in the spirit of true thankfulness.

CC Towers and belfries Committee
Sound Control Seminar, September 2009
A good spread of 17 ringers, including bell advisers, and architects – from Dumfries and Carlisle to Suffolk, Bristol and the South Coast – found much inspiration in the practical seminar arranged and led by Mike Banks at Duffield on 26th September.

Oswy Street Cup Contest 2009
The Oswy Street Memorial Cup Contest is a national minor method striking competition, held annually in the North Notts District of the Southwell & Nottingham Diocesan Guild. First contested at Gamston in 1962, with rules based on the older Yorkshire competitions, the cup was the gift of Benjamin Street, in memory of his father, Oswy (an East Retford ringer).