St Catherines Church, Crook

August - September 2014

At 11am on Sunday August 3rd at St. Catherine's Church there will be a special service to mark the centenary of the outbreak of The Great War 1914 -1918. There will also be a display of photographs and memorabilia belonging to men who enlisted and were called upon to fight.

A LETTER FROM BRIAN CROWE

Monday 4th August marks the centenary of Britains inclusion in World War 1, which came to be known as the Great War. Over recent months as a number of TV programmes have re-lived the weeks following 28th June 1914 when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated while visiting Sarajevo by a Serb nationalist, I have been struck by the apparent indifference with which so many countries decided to go to war. The Austrian empire used the assassination as an excuse for action against Serbia. Fears that Russia may become involved in support of the Serbs led the Austrians to ask Germany for support. Germany provided that assurance, and Austria declared war on Serbia on 28 July. From then on events followed swiftly. On 30 July Russia announced it would mobilise in support of Serbia and on 1 August Germany declared war on Russia. Germany planned for the swift defeat of France (who were allies of Russia) before turning east; that plan involved the invasion of Belgium on 3rd August to reach France. Britains treaty with Belgium brought the UK into the conflict the following day. At the time the UK Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, remarked: The lights are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime. We are commemorating this centenary with an exhibition and a special service in Crook on Sunday 3rd August at 11am. Recalling Greys words about light and darkness, we will commemorate the outbreak of WW1 across three themes:

To reflect and repent for the haste and perhaps casual nature with which we as a nation embarked on WW1, and the way we continue to do so from time to time both in national and personal relationships, failing to make every effort to seek reconciliation;

To recall the sacrifice of so many individuals during WW1, not only those who fell in combat whom we will specifically remember, but all who sacrificed their way of life whether at home or away;

To remind ourselves what God has done to make peace, not war, through his Son Jesus, to reconcile God and Humankind by his death and resurrection, and to pray that in our own lives we may live out that reconciling task in all our relationships.

All are very welcome to join this service which will include Bible readings, poems, music and hymns, as well as stillness to allow time to reflect. In addition, there will be an exhibition of local memorabilia including personal effects from some who took part in the War. The church will remain open after the service offering refreshments until 4pm, and we hope that many will visit to look at some of the interesting items contributed by local people.

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BAPTISM

25 May Morgan Olivia Preston 8 June Eleanor Rose Gough

We welcome you into the Lords family

HOLY MATRIMONY

20 June James Oliver Harman and Jessica Kate Noon Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts BURIAL OF ASHES

26 June Ronald Dixon (88) and Fay Dixon (92)

Special Services at Crook during August and September

10th August Church Anniversary Sunday 11am Morning Worship 6.30pm Service at the Old Tower

14th September Revd. George Briggs comes to St Catherines morning service (see page 9) Date for your diary:-

October 5th Harvest Festival 11am Morning Worship 6.30pm Evening Service October 7th Harvest Supper

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WORLD WAR 1 CENTENARY

COMMEMORATION

3RD AUGUST 2014

At 11am on Sunday August 3rd at St. Catherine's

Church there will be a special service designed for

everyone in the parish who wishes to commemorate

the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World

War 1, the sacrifices made for our country in time

of war, both by those who went away and those who

kept the home fire burning.

Following the service the church will remain open until

4pm. We hope that as many people as possible will

come and view the exhibition and collection of World

War 1 memorabilia.

Refreshments will be served.

Please come.

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The brass plaque in church commemorates the four men from Crook who gave their lives in the conflict.

Who were these four men? What do we know about them?

The village hall gives us our first clue. Built from stones carted across the fields from the old church, now the old church tower, it was a memorial to those who fell in the war. At each corner of the building are carved the initials of the four men who died. R.B. G.W. T.S.L. and D.P.

The Memorial Hall and Crook War Dead 1914-1918 On March 1st 1926 it was decided to build Crook Memorial Hall to commemorate the village's sons who had given their lives in The Great War. Tenders of 1,377.0.8d were submitted and accepted for the work. The first sods were laid on May 10th by Miss Whinery and Miss Henderson. Miss Whinery placed a sovereign on her sod whilst Miss Henderson gave ten shillings. Spectators subscribed a further amount of 13 shillings and eight pence which was added to the building fund.

The Hall was officially opened at 2.30pm on June 23rd 1927 by Mrs Leigh Groves. Reverend Hindle conducted a short service and schoolchildren sang two hymns. A favourable balance of 132 12s 4d was raised on the day and a dance was held in the new hall in the evening.

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We will also never know if David Patrickson ever met up in France with Thomas Sandford Lishman who lived across the field at Spigot House. After all they both took part in the same Battle of the Somme.

Thomas was one of the eleven children of William and Jane Lishman and as a 16 year old he worked as a golf caddie. Like David he enlisted in Kendal and joined the Border Regiment, arriving in France in 1915. Thomas survived unscathed through all the Battles of the Somme until November 1916 when his name appeared on a list of wounded published in The Times on December 26th.

After recuperating in the UK he returned to fight at Ypres where he was wounded once more, this time a gunshot to the right knee. A few months later he was sent back to the front line.

Before long a message came back requesting more men and bombs which were sent forward until supplies of both men and bombs were exhausted. The stretcher bearers were continually going over the top to bring in the wounded as wave after wave of men met the holocaust of the German machine gun fire. On the first day of the battle, July 1st, the British suffered 57,470 casualties of whom 19,240 were killed or died of wounds, the bloodiest day in British Military history.

According to the plaque in church David, aged 23, was killed in action on July 3rd although military records give the date of his death as July 5th. There are no family details in the Cemetery Register so we may never know who grieved for him when the War Office telegram arrived at Mitchelland Cottage.

The first initials belong to David Patrickson of Mitchelland Cottage who lost his life in the opening week of the First Battle of the Somme in 1916. He had been born in Ulverston and as an 18 year old he worked on a farm owned by John Irving in Kirkby Lonsdale. When war was declared he enlisted in Kendal and was posted to France. At 6am on July 3rd David's regiment advanced in four waves. The two leading lines went over the top into No Man's Land while the other two were held in reserve until reinforcements were needed.

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Robert Barker of Sander Hill, known as Our Bob, was the second of five children. His mother died in childbirth and members of her family fostered Robert, his brothers and sisters. The children were separated and grew up in different parts of England. Robert and his family emigrated and went to New Zealand. There he made a new life for himself. He and his wife, Louisa, lived in Auckland and it was there that he enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

Meanwhile his father, Thomas Granger Barker, remained at Sander Hill, remarried and had a second family. He was a builder's labourer and on his way home from work in the summer of 1917 he called at The Wild Boar for a drink with his pals. To his astonishment they expressed their sorrow that his son, Robert, had been killed in the war. Unknown to Thomas the post-boy who lived at Smithy Cottages, realising that the letter from the War Office was important, had opened it, read it and spread the news round the village before resealing the envelope and delivering it to Sander Hill.

George Walker was the sixth son of Mr and Mrs Richard E. Walker of Box Tree, Crook. He was in farm service in Ambleside before going to work on a farm in Canada. He enlisted in a Saskatchewan Regiment and came to England in May 1916 before proceeding to France three months later.

Vimy Ridge was a hill in Northern France taken by Canadian troops during the Battle of Arras in April 1917 at a cost of 11,282 lives. George Walker, 26 years of age and single, was one of those killed on April 28th and is buried at Orchard Dump Cemetery.

1918 found Thomas and the Battalion fighting in the Italian Campaign. On the night of August 8th a raid was carried out on enemy trenches on the Asiago plateau. The enemy put up considerable resistance and there were many casualties. One of them was Thomas, killed in action on August 9th. He had been in the army 3 years and 9 months when he lost his life. Army records give his age as 24 but the plaque in church states 22. He is buried at Boscon British Cemetery not far from where he fell. From November to May the cemetery is rarely accessible due to deep snow falls so Thomas lies at peace protected by the mountains.

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There has been a Barker now at Sander Hill for over a hundred years. Thomas Granger Barker is buried along with his wife Sarah in Crook Churchyard. The earthly remains of his son, Robert, lie far away.

Others were more fortunate than David, Thomas, George and Robert because they survived the war.

The photograph on the front of the magazine is of Dan Taylor who was related to several Crook families. He was born on June 5th 1884, one of seven siblings, and lived at Sunny Brow before moving to Rock Cottage in the 1930s to live with his niece and family. He never married and lived in a shed in the garden.

He never spoke of his time during the war, as was often the case, but his great great niece, Anne Gibbs, remembers her grandmother, Lizzie Hoggarth, telling her that he had been badly injured soon after arriving in France crossing No Man's Land. She thinks it was a hole in his side or leg. He was sent home to recover. Afterwards he was sent to work on a farm in Long Town near Carlisle instead of staying to help on the farm in Crook.

This photograph of him in his uniform hung proudly on the wall during Anne's childhood at Rock Cottage. Dan owned Field Tenement farm but it is doubtful he ever lived there himself. The house was in a bad state of repair, was condemned in the early 70s and pulled down. Oakshead was built in its place. At one time Dan worked as a gardener at a private house in Bowness and would go there every day on his bike. When he died in 1972 he was buried in Crook Churchyard as were many of his family.

Thanks go to The Border Museum in Carlisle and all those who made this information available to us. V.F.

Thomas could hardly believe what he had heard in the Wild Boar. When he reached home there was the War Office telegram, seemingly unopened. It told him that his 28 year old son who had been born in Crook and brought up in New Zealand had been killed in action in Messines in France on June 3rd 1917.

The next time Thomas met the postboy the young lad admitted what he had done but pleaded with Thomas not to tell his dad or his dad would kill him!

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George is Vicar of All Saints, Clapham Park where he has been for 8 years. He grew up in a village in Worcestershire and became a Christian when he was a student. After some youth work in Oxford and teaching at a secondary school in Tanzania, he trained for the ministry at Ridley Hall and he and Shellie went to Manchester to a curacy in Old Trafford. Shellie is a New Zealander who came to the UK to work with young people in Port Glasgow back in 1999. Then she moved to London and spent a year with LICC which is where she met George! She has worked with all sorts of people and projects through the years - mainly with children and young people with disabilities and learning difficulties. All along we have found ourselves with wonderful people and in amazing places to lead, grow and discover more of Gods goodness, his kindness, his power and his passion for us all to partner with Him in the most extraordinary ways.

Licensing Service The licensing of George as priest in charge of St Thomas Kendal and St Catherines Crook will take place at St Thomas Church, Kendal on Saturday 6th September at 4pm by the Bishop of Carlisle, James Newcome.

His 1st visit to St Catherines, Crook will be on Sunday, 14th September. Hope you can come and meet him.

August 6th Speaker:- Michael Mulvany

On Parole Competition:- A Garden in a Saucer

September 3rd

Speaker:- Frances Benton

Tears of the Dragon

Competition:- Roses

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1

4

CROOK

MEMORIAL

HALL

1st Wednesday

Each month

Usually at

7.30pm

Visitors

Always

Welcome

theWI Inspiring

Women

Walking Group A walk arranged once a month usually in the south of the county A walk 5 8 miles with a few ups

B walk 2 -3 miles mostly on the level. For Date, Day and Time contact Hilary Crowe 015395 68959

Sewing & Craft Following Wednesday after W.I. night 7.30pm9.30pm. For Info. contact Kath Jackson 01539 821415

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WHOS WHO AT ST. CATHERINES, CROOK

Priest-in-Charge Tel: 01539 730683 Curate: Rev. Brian Crowe Tel: 015395 68959 E.mail brian.crowe@ymail.com

Licensed Readers: Mr Reg. Bradby Mrs Hilary Fitch Mr Tony Fitch

Church Wardens: Mrs Ruth Hunter Mrs Mary Allcock

Hon. Treasurer: Mrs Hilary Fitch

P.C.C. Secretary: Mrs Ann Heap

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Church Cleaning Rota

August September October 2nd Thelma Brown 6th Hilary Fitch 4th Diane Holt

9th Ann Heap 13th Judi Webster 11th Ann Keene

16th Ann Underwood 20th Mary Simm 18th Joyce Bradbury

23rd Mary Allcock 27th Cherry Burgess 25th Sue Tredwen

30th Jennifer Gorst

Church Flower Rota

August September October

Judi Webster Mary Simm Sue Tredwen

Hilary Crowe Cherry Burgess Margaret Lister

The May Garden Evening held at Boars Rock A big thank you to Peter and Vivienne Ford for inviting us to Boars Rock on the evening of Friday May 30th. The weather was kind to us, and people were able to take a walk around the lovely gardens; support the various stalls on offer; or just relax whilst partaking of the refreshments. Thanks must also be given to Peter Matthews for once again acting as our auctioneer. He did a sterling job of auctioneering the eleven wonderful Auction lots so generously donated. Our grateful thanks to everyone who contributed in any way to making the evening a success. We raised 630 towards our Roof Repair Fund. Gift Day 25th May Thanks are also due to everyone who has supported our Gift Day Appeal. The total raised to date is 1,130.00 , which is greatly appreciated. As with the proceeds from the Garden Evening this money will be going towards the Church Roof Repair Fund. Mary Allcock and Ruth Hunter (Church Wardens).

Crook Village Hall Committee A.G.M.,

Monday 4th August at 7.30pm Public welcome.

P a g e s Gods Creatures

From the tiny ant, to the elephant,

From the snake to the kangaroo

From the great white shark

To the singing lark

Care for them its up to you!

How many of Gods creatures can you see this summer?

You could:

Lie in a field and look for bugs

Peer into a rock pool and look for shrimps or sea anemones

Look for farm animals Travel the world at a wildlife park

Put two snails in a circle and let them race for the edge

Watch and listen to birds in the garden,

by the sea or above the hills

Count the spots on a ladybird

Make a list of creatures you see each day dont forget pets!

How many creatures did you see this summer?

Which was the smallest?

Which was the heaviest?

Which one came from furthest away?

You will certainly be amazed at everything God has created.

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