CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF THE WHALEY BRIDGE TO BUXTON RAIL LINE

On Saturday 15 June 2013 my family, along with many others, visited our local station to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the above railway line. Members of the 'Friends' group, who work very hard indeed to improve conditions at our station, were wearing Victorian clothing. They were not alone, and it was even more of a joy than usual to purchase rail tickets from Steve, who looked very smart indeed! (see below)

We viewed a wonderful historical display about the railway line and saw the very first ticket that was sold for the journey from Whaley Bridge to Buxton. We also took part in a quiz which caused every visitor to march back and forth between the waiting room, station platform, ticket office and car park. Very educational but also great fun! The history display informed us of a train crash which took place at Whaley Bridge on February 17th 1885, as a result of frozen signals. Three young men were on the engine at the time, and two were killed as the engine left the rails and ended up in the road.

MARKING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAMBUSTERS RAID, IN HIGH PEAK

MARKING THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAMBUSTERS RAID,  IN HIGH PEAK

I attended a very moving ceremony at the war memorial in nearby Chapel en le Frith yesterday, to remember RAF 617 Squadron's Flight Lieutenant William (Bill) Astell who died at the age of 23 when his Lancaster bomber exploded shortly after crossing the Dutch border on the flight to the dams. During the raid, another local man, Sergeant Jack Marriot, from New Smithy near Chinley, also lost his life. His Lancaster crashed after it had dropped its bouncing bomb on the parapet of the Eder dam. 

 

I also witnessed the  'fly past' by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's Lancaster bomber 'City of Lincoln' - on its way back from a fly over of the Derwent Dam in the Hope Valley. This dam was used by 617 Squadron during the war to practice the dropping of  'bouncing bombs'. The sight of this historic aircraft was a poignant moment, as it circled the village several times before leaving us.  Below are two photographs of the Lancaster. The one on the left    was taken by me, whilst the other was kindly provided by Becky at High Peak Radio.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can read part of my book free here:  'Guernsey Evacuees: The Forgotten Evacuees of the Second World War'

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AAL5TNC/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_fRe5qb1CY4PPE

Silk Embroidered Postcards from World War One

Since January 2013 I have been a volunteer with the  'Derbyshire Lives Through World Wars' project: http://derbyshirelives.wordpress.com/stories/

I am searching through the High Peak's local museums, libraries and archives for items which shows the effect of war on the community, and asking local people to get in touch and share their stories. I am also contacting community groups to to find out what plans and support needs they may have to enable them to commemorate wartime events in High Peak. 2014 sees the centenary of the start of World War One on 28 July 1914, whilst 8 May 1945 marks the 75^th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

I recently spent some volunteer time in Buxton Museum searching through their boxes of ephemera, on the hunt for items relating to World War One and the Second World War. Some of the finds were fascinating, and will be featured in due course on the 'Derbyshire Lives Through World Wars' blog.  I was particularly moved by a number of silk embroidered World War One postcards which had been sent by troops in France and Belgium to their families in Derbyshire. I returned home and decided to purchase some myself through online auctions. Yesterday I received the first of these postcards, 'United We Stand' and here it is:

The message on the back says 'To Mother from your loving son Ted'. Unfortunately the seller does not have any information on 'Ted'.

I was curious about the actual making of these postcards, and information on this can be viewed on several websites, including this one:
http://www.ww1-propaganda-cards.com/index.html


I aim to share more finds on this blog during the rest of my time on this project, which ends in late March. I hope to hear about the effects of war on the home front in the High Peak area, as well as the stories of local troops: stories and memorabilia on farming and food, family life, local war industries, the Land Army, church activities, hospitals, air raids, prisoners of war, evacuees and refugees, women and fund raising, and the local Home Guard. 

YOu can find out more at the following Derbyshire website: http://derbyshirelives.wordpress.com/stories/

POST SCRIPT: My volunteer work on this project ended in late March 2013 as the information gathered has been sent to Derbyshire County Council.

However, I am still looking for stories of wartime evacuees in Derbyshire. Please contact me through the comments box at the foot of this blog. Thank you.  (at July 2013)



Note: ** I have received requests for information about my book 'Guernsey Evacuees: The Forgotten Evacuees of the Second World War' - you can read part of the book free here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AAL5TNC/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_fRe5qb1CY4PPE