Records indicate that a Chapel was built in Thorpe, then a small hamlet. The Chapel was referred to in 1477 and named The Chapel of St Mary of Thorpe, also known as a Chapel-of-ease, recorded as a Chapelry of Snape Priory.

Dates of demolition have been disputed, the earliest being 1500, further dates in 1783 and dismantled in 1820. The site was ploughed in 1870 leaving a very small portion of the building.
In 1997 a documentary search established without doubt the location of the chapel. This was close to the east end of the Almshouses on the site of known as the Matrons House.

There has been evidence over the years of a cemetery to the west of the chapel. It has to be conjecture concerning identifying the boundaries of the cemetery, although there is no evidence of it extending under Old Homes Road. Locals have reported further evidence of the cemetery extending to adjacent gardens and the rear of the Almshouses, two skeletons were found in this area in September 1990 when a gas trench was dug and also further human bones were unearthed when an Almhouse had a bathroom extension built.

Although there is no evidence remaining of the chapel above ground, there is a field to the west of the Almshouses known as Chapel field, also the road running through the Almshouses known as Pilgrims Way, I wonder if this is a part of a route from Snape Priory via Thorpe Chapel to an Abbey in the Minsmere area built in 1182. This Abbey was later dismantled being vulnerable to the sea, it's materials were used towards building Leiston Abbey. The possibility of this route is unlikely to be substantiated.

​The term a 'Chapel-of-ease' relates to a church building, other than a parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the accommodation of increasing numbers of parishioners, or for those who live a long distance from the parish Church

​Thorpeness by Maggie Boswell.
My family have had connections with Thorpeness for a hundred years. My grandparents bought a house in the Benthills in 1923. The house has stayed in the family and is now owned by my daughter and her family. In the old days the houses were all owned by the Ogilvie’s, the houses in the Haven and the Dunes were rented by members of the Colonial Service, who had 6 months leave every 3 years, but no house to come home to. After Stuart Ogilvie’s death a lot of Thorpeness properties had to be sold off to pay death duties, but over the years owners, including my mother were able to buy the free holds.
At the beginning of the war most of the beach was mined, but there was a small path where people could go to safely get on it. I remember well sitting with my mother, my friend Fiona Gimson and her mother having great fun. The house in the Clouds was a water tower and the story goes that when it was bombed the water came down on 3 old ladies who had to be rescued.
This village was a great attraction to holiday makers with the Meare and the Country Club, the latter having various events such as Bingo, Quizzes, 2 dances a week and tennis tournaments. Every August the Regatta was held on the Meare. There was 2 days of racing with decorated floats in the evening and ending with a magnificent display of fireworks. The club season was very short, from mid July to mid December. After this the club closed and Thorpeness became very quiet.
Most of the houses were holiday lets but over the years many have started to be lived in permanently. The Dolphin Inn has had several owners but since David James took over the lease it has been full of activity, indeed the hub of the village. At one stage the Country Club was threatened with closure, several people tried to take it over with no success and all the activities ended. Then along came Brian and Alison Bell who bought it from the Estate and took 3 years to renovate it. It opened up once again to members and their families and several people took out debentures to help the finance and all the activities returned once again.
One sadness was the closure of the Church where Services were held in the holiday season. It was owned by the Margaret Ogilvie Trust and there was no money for essential repairs. The last service was taken by the Reverend Christine Brooks who found it so difficult as that was the day that Princess Diana died - a double sadness.
There have been many changes in Thorpeness over the years and many houses are now permanently occupied, giving the village a vibrant feel. A recent major change has been the Heritage Centre which many people have worked so hard to install. Visitors can read for themselves the history of Thorpeness.
When Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie had the vision of creating a holiday village her could never have foreseen what a wonderful unique place it would turn out to be, enjoyed by so many residents and holiday makers alike.
How pleased he would be.

What sporting activities were being enjoyed in Thorpeness in 1931 & 1932?

The International Gundog League held field trials for the Retriever Championship 1931 at Elm Tree Farm, Aldringham on 26th November and at Crown Farm, Sizewell on 27th November by kind permission of G Stuart Ogilvie and the Shooting Tenant C R Aldrich, Esq.  The judges were Major D G Astley, Captain A C Fraser and Lt.-Colonel E S Godman all of whom, no doubt, presided with military precision.  Accommodation was available at The Dolphin Inn and the Wentworth and White Hart Hotels, Aldeburgh.  The handlers stayed at The Parrot Inn, Aldringham and the White Horse Hotel, Leiston.  The advertisement for the trials specified  'All persons attending the Trials must consider themselves absolutely under the control of the Officials, and must follow the Spectators' Flag.  A stand up luncheon will be available in a covered barn.'

A long list of results for the two days was published in the East Anglian Daily Times of 27th and 28th November:- 
'The cream of the gundog world was present and scenting conditions were good.  Unfortunately two of the Labradors entered by Lorna, Countess Howe were absent owing to the illness of their owner who would normally have handled them herself.  Lady Howe was represented, however, by the well-known Labrador bitch Banchory Becky which came second overall.  The winner was Mr G T Johnson Houghton's Croughton Sceptre which was presented with the Glen Kidston Challenge Cup.....The winner ran consistently well, doing the work required of her smartly and without fuss or potter, and showing nose, style, and the happy mean of dash and perseverance.'

On 13th August 1932, The 'House in the Clouds' Riding Establishment, in conjunction with The Melton Riding Establishment, held a mounted gymkhana at Throrpeness in aid of the RSPCA.  The races included a bending  race, parcel post, musical chairs and a pillion race for pairs of a lady and gentleman.  The gymkhana was held on the 'House in the Clouds' Riding Establishment's exercise ground at Thorpeness. 

​The EADT carried a detailed report:-
'As one sat and watched the various events that made up the display, one could not be otherwise than struck by the renewal of popularity of riding, especially among the younger generation, and it is hoped that it will prove permanent......The arrangements for the day were carried out by Lt.-Colonel Arthur Leech, DSO, and Miss Rosemarie Mason, of the 'House in the Clouds' Establishment, this enthusiastic young lady being also in charge of the horses , whilst Colonel Leech was also an efficient master of ceremonies.... This was the first time that an event of such magnitude had been attempted here.  Though there were several spills during the afternoon, there was nothing in the way of a mishap, so that the members of the St John Ambulance who were present had no call upon their services.  At the end of the programme the prizes were presented by Mrs Sholto S Ogilvie.'
The Pillion Race had 20 entries & 2 heats, involving a lady bound to a stake at the far end of the course, whom the gentleman rescued and brought her back to the winning post.

Besides the Annual Children's Regatta, on 18th August 1932 a 'Novel Treasure Hunt' was held on the Meare for crews of four which could include one person over the age of 16. Competitors started from the flag staff at the Country Club and raced to the landing stage where numbered boats awaited them.  In each was a clue which necessitated rowing to a spot on the Meare where other clues were to be found. and the instructions in them followed.  When the last clue was picked up, the crews made for the landing stage and raced back to the Country Club flag staff.

I am grateful to Hilary Chandler for lending me a meticulously kept album of news cuttings in the George C Cook Collection.

​Janey Blanchflower

Leaving school in the summer of 68, I had a full time job lined up at the Cooperative stores in Leiston, continuing from the part time job I started there in 66, the boss told me to go and enjoy the summer holidays and to start full time work in September.
 
After recently seeing Church lane cottages on social media about to be demolished in favour of some new build reminded me how I spent many a happy hour there in the home of Fred and Hilda Adams their family consisted of Margaret. and Christopher. I remember how Margaret went onto Grammar School the only one in our primary school class to do so. Fred had a serious club foot, but this did not stop him driving round in his Messerschmitt three wheeler, you could hear him coming, from across the other side of the village, we would regularly help Fred to set up snares whilst rabbiting over the 'medder.' Chris and I spent many hours messing about repairing his old cars,  building stock cars to go racing at Foxhall Stadium. Chris assured me that  a lump hammer would be the only tool I would need as his mechanic to straighten out car wings between races.
 
The cottage had no running water and relied on the well in the front garden, Whilst the ablution was in the form of a bucket and chuck down the bottom of the garden closely guarded by the chickens We spent many a happy night sitting at a  huge round table playing cards and board games with Fred, Chris and his betrothed Val, we always kept a eye on Fred (crafty old so and so) but he was always there for you, and a good friend when needed.
 
When Chris and Val got married  they asked me to be their Best Man, a honour, I returned on my big day a few years later, when at the time poor old Chris was in agony with a toothache, but he did not let us down despite suffering from the chronic pain.. When Chris and Val started a family of their own, Lisa was their first born It was then that  the powers to be decided the well water was not fit for the baby, so the cottages were connected to the mains, much to Fred's  joy.
 
Next door to the Adams lived the Cooper brothers Bimbo along with his father and brother I remember they kept a large well stocked vegetable and flower garden, In the wood across the road opposite the cottage they built a distillery shed, they would often moan about the number of feral cats running wild in the wood and how the old ladies in the Almshouses would leave plates of food out for them. Going through the wood towards the fen you will find the remains of a lawn and some raspberry bushes, I was as led to believe that a similar pair of cottages once stood here, but we had the law laid down not to root about there because of the danger of overgrown deep wells.

Continuing across the Fen common over the old wartime glider defence revetments, another of my mates the Late Andrew Keith (Beefy) lived famous for his fast cars, ( he did not hang about). ​

He once had a van with the motif plastered on its side  THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT a local pop legend that van was our pass to evenings late nights and the early hours of the morning spent in Lowestoft and Gt Yarmouth,  I will never forget the stale smell of Brut in the back of the van. The four of us me and my mates all worked as Butchers in the Coop, and of course we all believed  the four of us ruled world.
We even organised a savings syndicate amongst our mates, we would save for a party fund which we always held in the our village Church hall with Rev Cowleys blessing, as long as he was invited.
 As Rod Stewart sang -
Me and the boys thought we had it sussed, - Valentino's all of us.
My dad said we looked ridiculous.But boy, we broke some hearts.
Another story I had better leave there.
 

 

In the day music formed a large part of our lives, we were there when the discos first appeared and grew in popularity in those smoked filled, crowded youth clubs, live bands, were again popular down at the International club in Leiston, the reek of stale tobacco in our tee shirts and flares, just splash the brut all over. Remember those suicidal platform shoes.

I can remember how I would collect the picture sleeves from 7” singles and decorate my bedroom wall along with posters of rock legends from SOUNDS magazine, also included was a poster I (borrowed )from ST Matthews Baths Ipswich when we went and enjoyed a brilliant night watching the legendary Led Zeppelin concert, one night I will never forget. Just after I left home to settle to married life in Leiston, Mum and dad decorated my old room throwing out the tat including the wall decor I had left, unbeknown at the time that poster now achieves a four figure sum Sic !

Among the highlights of our (miss spent youth), as teenagers was Aldeburgh and Thorpeness regattas the loud fun fair rides, we all found highly exhilarating. The groups of local lads hooking up with groups of girls on holiday all looking for a fun summer. The lads often ending up in the meare when our rafts sunk, we found ourselves being banned from the Dolphin cos of the smell  and rowdiness, never mind  there was always SHAGGY'S disco in the working men's club, He always played to a packed Jubilee Hall on Carnival night in Aldeburgh.
 
 In Aldringham I recall how mum and a large group of the village ladies formed a protest group against proposed plans to build a large chicken farm on the field opposite West Hill,  their argument of smell and intensive farming even all that time ago caused feelings to run high, and  made headline news in the EADT including a photo, which  I would dearly like a copy of. On the edge of the same field was a rubbish pit which we would often frequent, We once found a box full of Dinky toys ( pure gold) also we came across a large colour television in a teak cabinet, unbeknown at the time it was  on rental from Hubbards Electrical shop in leiston, and was in full working order, it had been dumped rather than returned by the service family leaving Bentwaters heading back across the pond. Had we known this, the brick would never have been thrown rendering the set beyond repair, this came to the attention of  the local Police Officer D I Kinsey he laid the law down and sent us all  home with our tails between our legs. By threatening to call round and speak to our parents.

Also round the back of said pit there is lots of bricks from what looks like the ruins of a derelict building which at the time I was led to believe was a maybe a chapel of some description. I have never found any evidence of  this, apart from a large painting of the Parrot and Punchbowl which hung in the back bar of the Parrot and in the background atop of the hill was definitely what appeared to be a substantial building. What happened to the painting is another mystery.

Throughout the sixties and seventies there seemed to be large amount of gorse fires across Aldringham and Knodishall Commons on a regular basis, the gorse and bracken became parched in late summer. One of the worst was North Warren that one burnt and smouldered for days flaring up again and again on one occasion erupting under one of the fire engines resulting in quick reaction to rescue the vehicle.

​The multiple fire engines and bowsers always attracted large gatherings of onlookers, wondering what caused  such wanton devastation, most likely a discarded broken bottle reflecting sunlight on tinder dry grass being the chief suspect, now and again it was put down to vandalism, camp fires were often blamed, the blazes laid waste to the Chapel common and across the road the Fen common also fell victim to a blaze, the main objective of the Emergency service was to protect both the Follies and the dwellings across the Fen who I suspect would have been mortified of uncontrollable fires, leaving the ground  blackened and scorched over many acres.. In days past a regular fire starter were the Steam trains showering the  embankments with hot sparks.

Following on from my 2016 newsletter article,  the following may be of  interest:  a description of The Uplands from the 1924, sixth edition, of the Thorpeness Company's handbook Concerning Thorpeness, price one shilling.  The softback handbook was substantial and included an account of the creation of the holiday village by G S Ogilvie, detailed descriptions of the types of accommodation and facilities available to visitors and a story set in the village.  The first edition of Concerning Thorpeness was published in 1912 and there were further editions in 1913, 1914, 1921 (after the First World War), 1922 and 1924 onwards.

The following description, starting on page 77, is reproduced in the original with capital letters for important words, extolling the attractions of these 'little Bijou Bungalows':-
​
'This range of wooden Bungalows is situated on the highest portion of Lake Side and lies in broken lines and irregular tiers at the foot of the old Windmill.  The houses have been constructed largely of unused building materials which were thrown on to the market at the end of the War.  All exterior walls have been reinforced with a triple lining of felt, lath and plaster.

The houses are frequently occupied during the Christmas Holidays.  They contain a convenient Kitchen, Bathroom and usual offices, a cosy Common Room and from three to five Bedrooms, accommodating from five to eight persons, and have been specially designed to meet the present shortage of domestic servants.  It has been found in practice that the entire housework of the largest of these Maisonettes, when crowded to utmost capacity, can be finished before eleven a.m., thus giving the maids almost the same opportunities for the healthy outdoor life of Thorpeness as their Mistress and the Children.

Each of these little Bijou Bungalows stands well back from the road, and is provided with a well-furnished garden and a large lawn, overlooking the Meare to the South, where the children can play, or the babies bask, until it is time for them to go down to the beach.

​As an instance of the deserved Popularity of these Holiday Bungalows, which are often let two or three times during the Season, the case of Number 15 may be quoted.  It has been leased for several years to a well-known Society Lady, who last year occupied it with her children from Easter to July.  Having occasion to go to Scotland for August, she sub-let her Bungalow for six weeks through Agency of the Estate Office, with the result that the rent of her Holiday House Bungalow for the entire year, including all taxes and outgoings, amounted to less than £10.'

​The information concerning this incident comes from Percy Westrup’s early memories of Thorpe.

In the 1914 war soldiers were billeted in the dunes area of the village and barbed wire was spread along the beach. Fishermen were allowed access to their boats to go fishing for one hour before sunrise when a 20ft. Section of the wire was opened for them.

One early morning when fishing two miles off Aldeburgh we saw a boat approaching us and it became clear as it stopped by them that it was a submarine. A small searchlight was shone on them and one of the crew asked the name of the town he could see, we told him that it was Aldeburgh. Suspicions were aroused as the Orford and Southwold lighthouses were flashing so ascertaining their location should have been obvious. The submarine sailed off after thanking them leaving the fishermen even more suspicious, noting the identification markings on the craft did not look usual.

On arriving home the fishing boat skipper reported the incident to the Coastguard Watch House. Then next, the Chief Officer came over from Aldeburgh and thanked the fishermen for their information and reported that the submarine had been captured about twenty miles south of Felixstowe.

​The footnote to this was that the coastguard at Thorpe received the O.B.E., and the fisherman received ………. A thank you!

As can be seen from the photograph, the apple tree lies about 50 meters from the sea in a depression on the shingle bank mid-way between Aldeburgh and Thorpeness adjacent to the sluice, it is about 10m in diameter and about 1m high, kept flattened to the shingle and restricted in growth by the strong coastal winds. It is believed to have been on the beach for over fifty years and is the possible result of a discarded apple core and despite the effects of the wind and sea spray the tree does bear edible fruit.

It is also known as the Roger Deakin’s Apple as he wrote about it in his book ‘Wildwood’ published in 2007. It has been propagated by grafting and now is included in a number of Suffolk orchards and locations that are involved in the scattered orchard project, It is also available to purchase from a local nursery in Campsea Ashe.

The Scattered Orchards Project started in the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), in 2016 when15 community orchards were planted.

The aim of the project was to provide an investment in the future. Planting small clumps of traditional fruit and nut trees, in particular the rare and scarce Suffolk/Essex varieties, on publicly accessible land which meant local people could benefit from the trees; enjoy seeing the blossom in the spring and provide opportunities for future generations of autumn foragers, as well as providing habitats for a wide variety of wildlife by enriching the biodiversity of the parish.

​The project was extended to the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB with the aim to plant fruit trees in every parish within the AONB. The trees were planted by the AONB team, its volunteers with support from the local community, many of whom have now taken over much of the on-going maintenance and have in many cases continued to plant additional trees enabling them to literally enjoy the fruits of their labour.

 
The picture shows part of a tea set used in one of several places providing afternoon teas for visitors in Thorpeness.  It is thought that this one, quaintly stamped with the logo “YE TEE HOWSE, THORPENESS”, may perhaps have come from Sandy Bar bungalow in the village.  The whimsical spelling sounds typically like the 1920s when there were a number of tea-rooms throughout Thorpeness including some of the beach houses. loggia

During the summer season the teas served on the Boathouse loggia were very popular and continued until the mid- 1950s.   Customers were seated at wooden fold-up tables and chairs which were stacked up in the corners at the end of the afternoon ready for the next day.  The tables were laid with bright orange and yellow madras cotton cloths. Staffed by three or four women from the village, who would have been the wives of employees of Thorpeness Estate, it was always busy with plenty of steam and clatter coming from the kitchen at the north end of the building which was cramped and hot.  The washing-up, all by hand, no dish-washers then, must have been endless. 

​My recollection of this scene as a young girl is vivid and I can almost still smell the hot tea in the pots.

​

Visitors to Thorpeness often remark on the quirky Jacobean Revival style which G S Ogilvie has chosen for his holiday village but few realise that hidden beneath the surface were innovative methods of construction.....

​Concealed beneath the render and applied timber framing are concrete slabs manufactured at the Thorpeness Company's factory at Ted's Barn which was situated up a track to the north of the Almshouses. The factory started before the First World War when concrete production was in its infancy, but Ogilvie recognised its potential as an economically efficient material and the availability of shingle from the beach was a further incentive.  Ted's Barn had a well and also a borehole with a single cylinder, petrol, Lister engine pump to the water. The engine was difficult to start.

The shingle ballast was carried up from the beach using a stayed 'shingle pole' which was sited next to the existing blockhouse/pillbox near the cliff edge on the common. A timber tub with trapdoor in the base was hauled up from the beach on a wire by horse power. Using a mixture of Portland cement, sharp sand and ballast from the beach, concrete blocks were manufactured in an Australian concrete slab machine which was purchased by the Company c.1920. The machine was basically a cast steel box on legs with a hinged lid, into which metal moulds of different sizes were placed, according to the required size of the blocks.

The concrete was mixed by hand until it was just damp, then it was transferred to the mould and the lid was slammed shut and the top was trowelled. Once the mixture had set, the blocks were removed using a handle and pedal to lift the floor inside the machine. The wooden base had two cleats which acted as handles to lift the blocks onto a pallet on the floor. The moulds were removed and the blocks were made fair with a trowel. Ted's Barn had a covered yard next to the barn, inside which the blocks were left to dry.

The concrete blocks were manufactured in several sizes, mainly 2ft X 1ft X 4in thick. These were known as 'hernia blocks'. A metal 'H' shaped frame was put into the box to make two blocks and a frame with two bars made three 4in X 4in blocks which were used to construct concrete walls in the village. Coping stones, pier blocks and concrete posts were also made at Ted's Barn prior to World War Two. The posts were manufactured in several sizes and the ones (painted white) which lined the road opposite the Whinlands and the village pond near the Meare were 4in square and 3ft high with a bolt in the top carrying massive tarred chains which hung in loops. The chains were removed as part of the war effort and the only ones left in situ were in North End Avenue.

Who were the hard working men who made the hernia blocks? At Ted's Barn there was a gang headed by John Taylor who was the foreman-in-charge. John, who was a friend of the Staff family, moved from The Follies to No.12 The Almshouses. He used to look after the young Danny Staff who was given a bag of cheese biscuits (before the advent of potato crisps) to eat as he sat on the concrete steps opposite the Dolphin while John went inside for a drink. G S Ogilvie used to walk from Sizewell Hall to Thorpe every afternoon and used to call in at Ted's Barn and speak to 'Sergeant Taylor', remarking 'Your men are very industrious!' The gang used to peep through holes in the barn door to ascertain when G S was approaching and make sure that they were busy when he was passing by.

Concrete block production continued at Ted's Barn until the outbreak of World War Two. In 1945-6 it moved to a covered former cattle yard near Beacon Hill Farm on a site where the garden of the barn conversion is situated, adjacent to Beacon Hill Cottages. The buildings had ceased to be in agricultural use in 1927; in the yard next to Beacon Hill Cottages was situated the 'neat house' and the stables behind the thatched barn were formerly a milking parlour. The stables were used as a riding school which was run successively by Mrs. Mason, Captain Bucknall and Captain Ogilvie. After the Second World War Miss Buller was in charge.

The final home of the concrete block factory was the Barnyard where Penny & Hugh Butterfield live. After the Second World War a tractor and trailer was used to remove shingle from the beach between Gunyah and Valetta. However, this practice was banned after the 1953 floods and the Company had to buy in pea shingle. The last foreman was Charlie Wilson Senior who worked an eight-hour day, making 40 blocks a day. After block production ceased, Mr. Bell, who purchased the Country Club and took over the swimming pool when parts of the Company Estate were sold, bought the concrete machines. One of these stalwart machines, which contributed so much to the form and fabric of Thorpeness over many years, met a somewhat ignominious end as a barbeque.

​I am most grateful to Danny Staff for supplying the information which made this article possible and also to Hilary Chandler who painted the delightful picture of Ted's Barn.

​

The “Monkey Pole” at Sizewell beach has long been a focal point for my family. In the 1930s the dunes a courting ground for my grandparents. Born in Leiston, a true Suffolk boy and raconteur, my Grandad would regale us with tales of our illustrious seafaring ancestors. His great Grandfather, William Alexander, and Great Uncle, Alfred Alexander, were Coxswains of the Thorpe lifeboats in the nineteenth century. I inherited my Grandad’s boyhood scrapbook; with press clippings of their daring rescues, treasure finds and press photos of our family’s monster-bearded, salty old sea dogs.

A simple and ancient structure, the Monkey Pole has over these years become somewhat neglected, hidden in plain sight. In 2017, I wrote to a local councillor and to Historic England to ask about listing it as a national monument. However, there was little in the public domain or on record about it, nothing to justify its worth or protection.

​In 2019, I reached out to TAHG and was contacted by local historian Peter Drew who had assembled a concise history of the Thorpeness and Sizewell lifeboats. He revealed that the “Monkey Pole” or “Rocket Twixt” was used by the Sizewell and Thorpeness lifeboat crews to both practice and to carry out ship-to-shore rescues.

As there is close association with Ipswich as three of the Thorpe lifeboats bore the name “Ipswich”, two were paid for by town of Ipswich collections and one was launched in the Orwell. I would like to collaborate with TAHG and the Ipswich Maritime Trust (IMT) of which I am a member, to erect an interpretation board to provide both text and historical photographic images to tell the story of the Monkey Pole /Rocket Twixt, Thorpeness and Sizewell lifeboat station and crews.
 

 
All my family were christened at Aldringham Church and went on to have Communion lessons at the Vicarage and some of us were also in the church choir. We sat at the back of the church and took it in turns to ring the church bell. We were even allowed an afternoon off school to sing in the choir at Captain Ogilvie’s funeral. A Mr. Garrod often used to pick us up along the Thorpeness road to give us a lift to church. He had a huge black car and used to run a garage/taxi service in Leiston.
 
When the Thorpeness church ( St.. Mary’s) was closed (during the winter) the Revd. Cowley used to organise a coach from Shreeves which would pick us up at the top of Mill Hill/West Hill and then go on to Thorpeness and pick more people up there to go to the Sunday service. That was great fun. Most of our family were married at St. Andrews including myself in 1970, I had my wedding reception in the Parish Room which was the last time it was used for the village. I remember everyone having to go to it the night before to give it a good clean up as it hadn’t been used for a long time. When I was on my way to church the Revd. Cowley was spotted in the Parrot and Punchbowl so I was taken on a detour to Thorpeness whilst someone went and reminded him that he was supposed to be officiating at a wedding.
 
Sunday School was held in the Parish Rooms when I was young, after the room was closed we were taught in the Vicarage study instead. We all attended church every Sunday and I can remember many special services. The brownies and guides used to have their Thinking Day service, there was a Mother’s Day service where we used to walk to the altar and receive a small posy of flowers to give to our mums. On Palm Sunday we used to receive a palm cross and at Harvest Festival, when the church was filled with gifts of special loaves and freshly cut fruit, veg and flowers. On Remembrance Sunday I remember walking up to the Memorial Garden and waiting for the Lifeboat Rocket to mark the two minute silence and the laying of the wreaths.

​Christmas was always special with the crib scene displayed and the singing of Christmas carols, Mrs. Amy Spall was the organist in those days and also for many years to come, she lived at Swiss Cottage on the Aldeburgh road with her husband Jack and son Michael next to the Hazelwood Laundry owned and run by the Ash family who continued to run it until recently when it closed.

​My sisters all took communion classes and my nanna being a regular church goer would take us to the Sunday morning service each week. After dinner we would go to Sunday school in the vicarage, taught by the Rev’d Charles Cowley. I remember that after the end of each class we were awarded stickers with pictures from the bible on them, I collected mine in a special album. We were always taken to the special services like Palm Sunday, Harvest Festival and Remembrance Sunday which always included the village school. Along with the Sunday school the WI and Mothers Union were held in the Parish Room before being moved to the Vicarage. I remember us all being dressed up in our Sunday best and going out on a Mothers Union trip, we went by coach to Kings Lynn along with many other families from the village. We didn’t get out of the village often so that was quite a treat.

Trawling the web, as they say, I came across an entry with the above heading. My interest was further aroused when it was thought to have been located South of Leiston in the Aldringham or Knodishall area.

The investigation was taken under the headwind of Griffminsters Great Walks, which entailed a 6 mile walk around the heaths and commons of Coldfair Green, where an old winter fair used to be held on the Feast of St Andrew. Another area of interest was to locate a part of heartland that was known in the 1600’s as Friday Market Heath. The only reference to this comes from an old book from 1910 entitled The Chronicle of Theberton which details the route past the Gibbet.

Changes to Leiston’s boundary over the years had to be considered, but the investigator became confident, although it was not definitive, that the site of the Leiston Gibbet must be on the south side of the River Hundred. It was probably alongside the footpath beyond Mill Hill in Aldringham and before thus meets with Fitches Lane, which was then thought to be known as Green Way. This placed it in the old Hazelwood parish.

One story in 1606 involving the Gibbet, concerned the Browne family, when Agnes Browne was said to have murdered her husband John. It was thought, however that their servant Peter, was gibbeted for the crime.

The word ‘gibbet' was usually described as gallows, with chains or a metal cage attached, to leave the victim hanging on public display to deter others.

Mick Sturmey

Born in 1921 as one of five children to Percy and Lydia Drew, Sam spent his youth in and around Knodishall where he spent his school years, along with his life long mate Teddy Gisson.

Sam became a Builder/Brick layer to earn his living whilst Ted took up a farming career, at one time they both decided to join forces and breed rabbits for their meat and pelts amongst their many juvenile adventures.

As the clouds of war in Europe approached Sam joined the army as did his two brothers Charlie became a Royal Marine, Derek joined the Royal Engineers, and Sam ended up fighting in North Africa. It was Gen Montgomery who in order to save his armoured vehicles abandoned Sam along with hundreds of his comrades in the battle fields at Bizerta, they were soon overwhelmed by the advancing German Army.

​So as not to slow down, the German advance thousands of prisoners were handed over to the Italian army who unlike the Germans showed the POWs no respect, so when German mobile water tankers arrived for the Axis forces, after the Germans had their fill; they ordered the water should go to the prisoners before their guards.

The POWs were herded onto trains before being packed on ships destined for Italy.

Sam found himself in Campo 66 a transitional camp before he could be shipped to Germany, The VATICAN Red Cross were able to confirm Sam’s whereabouts to his Mother and family. It was when Italy capitulated the prison guards abandoned their posts and disappeared into the local community leaving the inmates to flee before the Gestapo arrived. Orders were issued to shoot any escaping POWs on sight; Sam was posted missing presumed dead, unbeknown to allied news service, he and fellow inmates disappeared into the Apennine mountains for months evading capture and certain death if discovered.

Eventually on reaching Allied lines American troops were lining the poor souls up thinking them to be escaping fascists, a Canadian Officer stepped in and probably saved their lives.

On returning to the UK, Sam refused the NCO stripes that were awarded to him saying he could never be responsible for sending men to certain death; He also refused to take part in the Victory Parade in front of the King in London.

Like most of his comrades he just wanted to get home and try to forget and not mention the horrors he had seen ever again. He, like many of his brothers in arms were happy to let Montgomery and those around him have all of the kudos they obviously sought.

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Here are some of the many poems he sent to his mum during his incarceration:

AFRICA
April 13th 1943
Another campaign is over
Another battle won
No more do we hear the cannon
Beneath the African sun
But do not let this victory
Dazzle to much our eye
And make us forget our comrades
Who now in Africa lie
Those men with whom we soldiers
In blood and sweat and toil
Must now stay forever
Enriching African soil
Each one a bit of England
And so they remain
Never to be forgotten
Until we meet again


SORROW

There are many kinds of sorrow
In this world of love and hate
But there is no sorrow greater
Than a soldier for his mate

MISSING

​I wonder how you felt when that message came
Your Son “missing in the field” defending his countries name
Did you find it hard to believe as you slowly read each word?
And then pray to the Lord above your womanly courage stirred
I somehow imagine that you did as you played your motherly part
And faced the world with a smile
And an ache deep in your heart

LOCAL NEWSPAPER REPORT 1943
Coldfair Green Man
Repatriated
LIVED 9 MONTHS IN THE MOUNTAINS

Pte Samuel Drew of Bedwell Cottages, Coldfair Green has now been repatriated from Italy, where he has been a prisoner of war since the fighting at Bizerta, where he was captured by the Germans and handed over to the Italians.

Drew, who was with the Beds and Herts., was formerly employed by Messrs. Smyth Bros builders of Leiston. With some 3,000 other prisoners, he escaped when Italy capitulated and succeeded in escaping detection after living in a mountain village for nine months.

Whilst under the direction of the Italian partisans he helped the peasants in forming themselves into a Patriot Band, and conducted guerrilla warfare behind the German lines “The Padre,” says Drew," was a wonderful man,”
He got arms and ammunition from unknown sources, and even an electric wireless set which proved a god-send to us, until the Germans cut the electric cables.”

The Italian peasants who were very hard up for food, were willing to share their last crumb” with the escaped prisoners many of whom were re-captured by Fascists who once came very near to retaking Drew who was only saved by lying for some hours in deep snow.

Throughout his period of freedom Drew was with a Yarmouth man who was a prisoner with him at No.66 camp.

Back in civvy street Sam picked up the life he had left off over those turbulent few years He resumed his courtship with his sweetheart Winnie who had done her war work in the Marconi factory in Chelmsford.

They married in 1948 Sam moved from his home in Coldfair Green to Aldringham, to set up home

The family grew and grew 7 children in total. I will never forget what joyful time Christmas was Sam, would decorate the room after all of us kids were asleep in bed. Waking up Christmas day and the excitement as we all took our present into mum and dads bed at silly o’clock.Mum and dad making dinner, dad would have jellies lined up in individual trays, the turkey the tinsel, the games we would play after tea, wet flannel fights brilliant fun and memories.

No television, in those days just the light programme on home service radio listening to sing something simple, the Billy Cotton band show, and the black and white minstrel show. Oh magic memories, sitting round the radio, although working as a builder with Steers, Smyth’s and most of the building firms in the area, Sam would love going up to the River Hundred (the Cottage)where he would work as a gardener handyman for his close friend Brig David Reid, the Brigadiers family thought the world of Sam so much so when he died they dedicated a wooden bench bought in his memory, and placed it over looking the swathes of lily of the valley he planted, and would always bring mum a bunch, it being her favourite flower.

During those long summer Sunday afternoons mum would walk us all up to the cottage to visit Patrick the pony and the three donkeys, we would run and play around the grounds and explore the outbuildings, but only when David’s family were not there, as we walked along the road mum had a small transistor radio hanging on the pushchair handle, we would stop and have a chat with Roy and Derdan Catchpole a really nice couple and good friends of mum and dad.

We would all as a family including my Nan walk to Thorpeness to enjoy a paddle in the sea although dad tried to discourage us from being to brave in the water, because his sister had lost her son to sea when he waded out in a low tide onto the sand banks and disappeared from view only to be washed up ashore a day or two later, I don’t think dad could ever really get his head around this tragic event.

Sam would always be building trailers for his bicycles, he would put us four elder kids in the trailer and cycle along with mum down to Aldeburgh to enjoy the carnival and fun fair when we had gotten home and had our supper he and mum would return to the funfair on their own, leaving us kids with nana.

He loved the motorbike scramble/hill climb at Mumberry hills he would put me on his crossbar seat and cycle with my siblings to Westleton to enjoy watching the likes of Dave Bickers and Geoff Smith racing their machines around the course, just like they did on the TV. which was a recent addition to our household on the proviso that we kids gave up our numerous comics so the money would pay the TV rental, Oh boy did he like the wrestling on Saturday afternoon, most of the radio shows we enjoyed moved over to TV plus he did enjoy watching Come Dancing.

The family would secretly dread when the Sprats and Herring were plentiful, Sam would bring them home by the bucketful (literally) the odour of the fish cooking would hang about the kitchen for ages.

He was well proud when I was a Cadet in the Air Training Corp our Squadron was chosen to parade for the Royal visit to Aldeburgh both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh present so he made sure my appearance was up to scratch Collars pressed badges and boots shining Beret on straight and ready for inspection he was in his element.

I remember the times I would help my dad do jobs around the village, he would borrow a tractor and trailer and collect any tree that had blown down, and we would bring it home and cut it up with a large bow saw, He was so chuffed with his first chain saw, I would then stack the logs in the wood shed for the winter, I can still remember the smell of that old shed, one of many he had built in the back yard, along with the dog kennel and rabbit hutch thinking back that hutch could have been an extension to the house, not forgetting the chicken run, my sisters collected the eggs, poor old mum had a phobia about the chooks. And would run a mile if they ever escaped.

Sam became the caretaker down at the Primary school until it closed being replaced by a new primary school in Knodishall, Brother John and I would go and help him on alternate nights, as he would do a day’s work. Then clean the school in the evening, this being before the “NEW” Toilet blocks were added, before that they relied on the ‘bucket and chuck it’ method. The new school year starting in the autumn was time to build fires in each of the class room grates for the coming winter that would mean going down to light them at 5 am each morning.

As the years went by Sam’s failing health started to show following a visit by the Doctor ‘No more heavy work and grow old gracefully!’ was the advice given but of course that wasn’t Sam he simply took over the shopping and chores around the house.

I will never forget the tender side of dad especially when brother John passed away in the middle of the night in the bed next to me, dad came into the room and held him as he died, and he sent me down the hill to phone the doctor, we had no phone in the house at that time I remember the rain lashing down as I ran to get help.

He and mum enjoyed their time together in their retirement, especially the Mystery tours, they both enjoyed having the grandchildren around them on Saturdays Mum would spoil them with dinner, Sunday morning would find Sam cooking full English for the mates and friends who stayed over or came early to enjoy a bacon butty, the family all agreed mums Sunday roasts were legendary.

Mum and dad did so enjoy having the family around them, sharing their love, the old house was never empty with the cats the dogs and budgies all of who were spoilt silly.

He loved the brand new bicycle we bought him, probably the first new bike he ever had, he made it clear when it was his time to go to his maker he wanted Teddy to have his bike and best chainsaw.

It was as if he knew his time was nigh against advice he cycled up to the cottage where a massive heart attack took him from us, he died in a place he loved and created and I’m sure Sam knew this was imminent and he would have wanted to save mum from all of the upheaval and heartbreak at home.

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