Comments

Many thanks for your comments re Colin Chapman's talk precis - the availability of these does rest on a member of the audience being willing to produce one for us.

Brian and Pam - many thanks for your precis of the Colin Chapman  talk last week- much appreciated by those who cannot get to the physical meetings - ensures such members feel part of the Society .

I for one would have enjoyed such a precis for the Honey Langcaster-James talk on "Early Founders of WSM" - on 12/7/2023. I note that it has not appeared on the "videos" section- understandable if she express a wish against it - but a precis might have been good ?

Several Family History Societies do put a precis of physical meetings in their journals -  not just a precis but also a list of the websites/info sources that the meeting speaker has mentioned - 

useful for those not able to attend !

So once again - many thanks for your time and trouble on Colin Chapmans "Seasonal Traditions"  ! Made me think of our own  family Christmas traditions .....

..how clever of your mum, Pat, to make blackboards and easels!  Lucky you!!

Yes, I was horrified by the number attending the last Zoom meeting - with Peter on holiday I should have reminded people, sorry.

Hello - I was very sorry to miss the Wrington Zoom meeting- I was interested as I have traced some extended family there in earlier centuries ! Simply I forgot - the message from WFHS came thro on  8th Oct and I did not put in in my calendar ! Any chances of reminders nearer the date ? Just the one notification - people can miss .

Recently I have been researching a Master mariner based in the Bristol Channel and whilst waiting to visit Greenwich Maritime Mus - I have found the following sites of use/interesting - wondered if they might be of help to others .

As regards churchyards - my main comment is that  due to "health and safety"  some have laid the memorial stones flat on the ground  with the inscriptions face down - -you cannot lift them to read ! ! In the case of Congresbury you might find its Congresbury Parish Council who are responsible for upkeep.

Local history & maritime digital archive (southampton.gov.uk)

Maritime Memorials | Commemorating seafarers and victims of maritime disasters (rmg.co.uk)

and https/crewlist.org.uk   - its called CLIP

Edwin Chaplin (1190) wrote

I read with interest the casualty list from the bombing raids on Weston Super Mare recently posted on our website, more through curiosity as anything else as although lots of Aunts, Uncles and cousins on both sides of the family lived in WSM during the war I was not aware of any of our extended family being killed or wounded during these raids. It would appear however, that I was mistaken as an Uncle, by marriage, Frederic Charles BATH, a L/Cpl in the RASC was killed on the night of the 27/28 June 1942. Unfortunately I'm not a direct descendant nor did I ever met the gentleman as I was not born until 1944, but I well remember subsequent visits to his widow, Auntie Annie (one of my mothers sisters) who lived in Bath Road in the 1950's although he was never mentioned at family gatherings.

He will be remembered from now on however when I attend our local Remberance Day Service.

Thank you, Pat, for an interesting and informative newsletter. Your initial comment about graveyards being frequented by family historians struck a chord. Many of my paternal family lie in St. Andrews, Congresbury graveyard, and one grave commemorating ten relatives is visited by those of us who are left. However, the state of the graveyard has become hazardous due to infrequent grass cutting and brambles engulfing graves. According to the Church the responsibility lies with North Somerset Council, but so far we have been unable to ascertain why the upkeep has not been continued. Has anyone else experienced similar problems? It seems like an accident waiting to happen. So family historians, Beware if you intend visiting graveyards.