A community website for the residents of Dallington in East Sussex
Many hands made light/lighter work of selecting, cutting , decorating and hoisting our Christmas tree into place this morning. What a morning weather wise, snow, just a few flakes, rain, rather a lot and bitingly cold wind. Pam Fuller provided hot drinks and food for the workers, who ranged from toddlers to elders of the Community.
(Posted on behalf of David Wilson)
At 7pm on November 11th, Dallington villagers gathered at the Sugar Loaf Field for the lighting of the beacon to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended the Great War.
(Earlier in the day, a Service of Remembrance had been held at St Giles Church, with children placing crosses for each of the Dallington villagers who had died in the war.)
It was a mild dry night with little cloud and a setting crescent moon, allowing the stars and constellations to be seen just as they would have been on the 11th November 1918.
We stood around our beacon which soon gave a good display of flames and sparks and we reflected on the sacrifices of so many men and women both military and civilian on all sides during that conflict.
Other beacons and bonfires could be seen in the distance including Punnett’s Town, Burwash and Firle Beacon. Aircraft overhead would have seen many more as this was a national display of commemoration.
It was supposed to be a war to end all war but sadly this was not to be.
Hopefully on November 11th 2118 when Dallington villagers gather round the now ancient beacon to commemorate the 200th anniversary of World War 1 armistice, they will be living in a peaceful world where all differences are resolved by discussion and compromise; and they will look back with incredulity on the folly of our times!
(Posted on behalf of Bobbie Steel)
Church services in December
Gift Day On Saturday, December 1st there will be a Gift Day and lunch in the church. Stalls and a raffle from 11am till noon, followed by lunch, 12-2pm.
Flower Club A note from Angela:
The December meeting will be on Thursday 6th at 2pm in The Old School. Pam asks us to make something that we would use in our homes for Christmas. Due to dwindling numbers this may be our last class.
The WI Christmas lunch will be on Thursday, December 20th at 12.30pm in the Old School Village Hall.
Art Club Every Monday morning 10am-12 in the Old School Village Hall. All welcome
Library Cafe Every Monday afternoon 2-4pm in the Old School Village Hall. Come for a chat, a cup of tea and to borrow or buy books and DVDs. This month the Saturday morning opening of the cafe will be on the second Saturday ie 8th December to avoid a clash with the Gift Day in St Giles the week before. We hope to include a range of items for sale as well as the usual books and refreshments
(Posted on behalf of Diana Day)
“We were not able to get a Royal British Legion Tommy, so John Day made one for us all.”
Heartfelt thanks to John, and a reminder that the Remembrance Day Service will take place tomorrow Sunday 11th November starting at 10.50 am by the war memorial in the churchyard, with the service starting at 11am. The Dallington Beacon at the Sugar Loaf Field will also be lit tomorrow evening at 7pm. More information here
St Giles Church services :
The Dallington Beacon will be lit at the Sugar Loaf Field at 7 pm on Remembrance Sunday 11th November. More information here
Art Club Every Monday 10-12 in The Old School Village Hall. New members welcome – for more information see Art Club page
Flower Club will next meet on November 1st at 2pm in The Old School Village Hall. The subject will be ‘Autumn Glory’. All are invited to a very pleasant afternoon.
Library Cafe Every Monday 2-4 in The Old School Village Hall. All welcome
Dallington WI. Our next meeting will be on Thursday, November 15th at 2pm. This will be the Annual Meeting at which the officers and committee will be appointed. Another year gone! There is already a full programme of events and speakers planned for the year ahead. Visitors are always very welcome.
(posted on behalf of Diana Day/David Wilson)
Dallington will be lighting our beacon at the Sugar Loaf field on Remembrance Sunday 11th November at 7pm.
Please join us for this poignant moment of history. This is intended to “symbolise the light of hope that emerged from the darkness of war”.
(posted on behalf of our Tree Warden, Doug Edworthy)
The Dallington Forest ‘PoW’ Tree
Just inside Dallington Forest, and close to a public bridleway, there is a culturally-important tree that is not well known in the area – perhaps because it is difficult to find without guidance. We have Tree Warden-led walks into the Forest that take in this tree – so come along on the next walk!
As part of the Dallington Forest Project I’m attempting to gather all relevant information together to document it for the benefit of current and future generations before it is lost to the ravages of time and decay.
Known locally as the ‘PoW Tree’ this is a veteran pollarded Beech tree, probably around 250 years old, that is rapidly approaching an untimely end. Much of the interior of the trunk’s base has been hollowed-out by fungi, and the opinion of an experienced arborist is that the trunk will fail catastrophically within the next few years.
The tree gets its name from graffiti carved on its trunk some 3 m off the ground. The inscription (presumably by a prisoner of war from Cologne, Germany) reads: –
TB
KÖLN
1946
P.O.W.
There was a German Prisoner of War Working Camp GPWW 145 situated at Normanhurst Court, Battle, less than 10 miles away, continuing to hold prisoners until 1948.
I understand that the Normanhurst PoW camp supplied labour to the Gypsum Mines at Mountfield and, at the time, much of Dallington Forest was under the management of the Mine. It is not inconceivable that parties of PoWs would have been employed as foresters and, perhaps during a lunch break, one of them climbed the tree to leave his indelible mark for posterity.
Who was ‘TB’? Or was the graffiti artist’s name actually ‘T.B.KÖLN’? Perhaps records could solve the riddle of his identity.
Sadly, I understand that most of the records of the PoW camps’ occupants were destroyed after the war. Was this related to the slow repatriation of Axis forces to German and elsewhere compared to the relatively speedy repatriation of PoWs back to the UK? Is there a darker political secret waiting to be unearthed? It would be interesting to find out.
Before this tree falls and is lost – it could be in a gale this autumn – we have a limited opportunity to document and record this culturally-important tree for posterity.
For example; wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a bark rubbing done of the inscription that could be framed and displayed together with information about the tree and the inscriber in the Brightling and Dallington Village Halls?
And we need urgently a good photographic record to show not just the details of the inscription but the tree in its surroundings and context.
Help from amateur (or professional) archivist and historians would be very welcome to research such records as exist of the Normanhurst Court PoW camp, its occupants and the Gypsum Mine and its management so that we can add more of the human dimension to the history of this tree.
If you would like to help please contact Doug Edworthy, Brightling & Dallington Tree Warden at treewarden@dallington.org.uk
Doug Edworthy
Tree Warden, Brightling & Dallington Parishes
Dallington Forest Project
If you would like to print out this information to share it more widely, you can download it as a PDF flyer here Dallington PoW Tree
(Posted on behalf of Bobbie Steele)
St Giles Church
Sunday services in September:
On Sunday August 5th we had the pleasure of welcoming the Archdeacon of Hastings, the Ven. Edward Dowler, who led a service of Holy Communion.
An early reminder that we will celebrate the Harvest Festival on Sunday October 14th at 6.30pm., to be followed by Harvest Supper in the church. More information in the October edition, but please make a note of the date in your diaries.
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Old School Village Hall: the hall is now open every Monday afternoon from 2-4pm for the “Library Cafe” book exchange. Drop in to browse, borrow or buy books and DVDs, or just enjoy a sociable chat. Tea or coffee and biscuits are served and all are welcome to join these increasingly popular sessions. We are also planning to run Saturday morning sessions on the first Saturday of each month, starting in September.
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Art Club We meet in the Old School Village Hall every Monday morning from 10-12. A friendly group with varied levels of experience, we welcome new members. Contact Pauline Ridley on 01435 830152 for more information.
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Flower Club: a note from Angela: The Flower Club will meet in the Old School Village Hall on Thursday September 6th at 2pm. Our subject will be ‘A Nursery Rhyme’. Anyone is welcome to join our friendly group at the huge cost of £3 per session. We learn a little, talk a lot and enjoy a cuppa with lots of laughs!
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WI. At our meeting in July we had a welcome return from an excellent Speaker, Chris O’Donoghue, who gave a talk, illustrated with photographs, on Great Dixter. Chris spoke about the house and garden in the time of the Lloyd family and its continuance today in the hands of a trust. In September we look forward to welcoming Paul Green whose talk is entitled ‘ A Step Back in Time’. We will meet in the Old School Village Hall at 2.15pm and visitors are always welcome.
A farmer with land close to Dallington Forest has just informed us that a dog or dogs have killed two ewes, that a further lamb was missing and other ewes had bite marks and injuries. The whole flock has been traumatised.
The dead ewes were found yesterday [Thursday 24th May] but it isn’t known when the attack occurred – it would have been between an inspection the day before and yesterday afternoon.
A number of owners let their dogs run free in Dallington Forest and on a number of occasions this Spring have been seen running around on this piece of land. But, as the attack wasn’t witnessed, it’s not known if the dog(s) came from that direction.
Naturally, a close watch has been mounted of this flock as dogs getting a taste for sheep-killing tend to return.
Particularly at this time of the year owners need to keep their dogs under close control.
Dog owners should note that farmers are within their rights to shoot any dogs found worrying sheep.
(Posted on behalf of Angela Keeley)
St Giles Flower Festival will take place next weekend on 1st, 2nd and 3rd June. Theme is “Our Queen”
St Giles Church will be open from 10am – 3pm on all three days; refreshments available all day. Additional programme of events: