Campden Voices 

Over the last 13 years I have been researching the 400 men and women from Chipping Campden who served in the 1914-18 war. 76 of these died and have their names recorded on memorials in the town. My research will be put into a book over the next 12 months. I have just started scanning the photographs and typing up the text. I am hoping that the book will be printed by Vale Press in November 2007.
The book will cover all men and women that served their country at home or abroad. I am including in my book people who have a connection with the town. This could be because they were born in town, worked in the town, lived in the town or went to school in the town.
As my project draws to an end I am determined to ensure that I have collected together all of the information that Campden people have. Are there any photographs of men or women in 1914-18 uniform that I have not had the chance to copy? Are there any men or women that might have been missed off my lists? If anyone reading this has a relative that served in the war and thinks that I may have missed them out of my project I would be very pleased to hear from them.
I urgently need to hear from anyone that knows anything about the following men: Albert Henry Bates, Thomas Bourne, Michael Pippet, Robert Brain, Edward Brooks, Dennis Butler, George Butler, Thomas Callaway, John Cook, John Coombes, Reginald Coombes, Arthur Drinkwater, Frederick William Drinkwater, George Fletcher, Thomas Fletcher, William Gould, Hubert Green, Cecil Warner Hall, Thomas Hall, Sarah Hands, Walter Owen Handy, Frank Willoughby Harris, Robert Heron, Augustine Hinks, Ben Holtam, Frederick Holtam, Harry Hook, Jim Jackson, Henry Jarrett, Seymour Knight, Edward Lawley, Frank Morris, John Morris, Walter William Poole, Norman Somerville, Albert Tooke, Alec Walker, Ralph Welsh, Thomas Welsh and James Cornelius Stevens.
Printing the book will not be cheap. If anyone feels they would like to assist me in funding the publication of this record of the men and women of Chipping Campden who served their country in the 1914-18 war I would be very pleased to hear from them.
I can be contacted at 9 Swan Road, Whittington, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS14 9NU (01543 432793). Email address: paul.hughes44@virgin.net

A few months ago an old photograph album was found in the Volunteer Inn, left behind by a customer. Expecting the owner to get in touch Mark Gibson, the landlord, held on to the small album but eventually he handed it over to Graham Greenall who is involved with the Community Archive of CADHAS, our local historical society. Graham and other volunteers looked at the photos, some of which were family snapshots and some were of ‘young ladies’ and their teachers at a college.

The photos dated from the 1920’s and some of the college ones were printed as postcards by ‘Hamilton, Staplefield, Bristol. The hunt began! Thanks to the wonders of the Internet a quick search revealed a local history society in the area. A scanned photo was emailed away, together with details of the few letters and date inscribed on the back. The photo showed a group posed in front of a Victorian building – back came the message that this was St. Matthias Ladies College. Our correspondent, who by chance had written a short history of the college, undertook to follow up the search for the owner and the package of photos was sent back home.

The Campden Society has submitted a planning application for a car park at Wolds End orchard.
They say:
The Campden Society is a well-respected, long-established amenity society and therefore absolutely right that it should take a proactive role in trying to resolve the long saga of parking congestion in our historic town.
The purchase of Wolds End orchard has secured a two-fold benefit for the town. It has enabled the society to produce an attractive design for a car park for 58 cars with the full support of the Chamber of Trade and also put us in a position where we can prepare a detailed plan and raise the appropriate funds to improve and replant this much neglected piece of land.

The orchard will remain in the ownership of the Campden Society with its future secured, but the car park land will be available as and when needed with a scheme which we hope will be of great benefit to the town.
The District Council has recently commissioned a report on parking throughout the district. The findings of RTA Associates clearly identify the need for a car park in Chipping Campden, together with the possibility of charging on the High Street for parking. There is also a possibility that the north Cotswolds could become a pilot scheme for decriminalisation. With these distinct possibilities it is most fortuitous that the Campden Society is taking a lead to resolve the parking issues of our town.

‘Caring for Campden’ claims that there is an alternative –
Making better use of what we’ve got, by:
• Making better use of the School car park at weekends and holidays, with profits to the School.
• Utilising the excellent parking system in the Town Square.
• Increasing the use of Back Ends lay-by parking by town centre workers.
• Preventing a proliferation of signs throughout the town.
• Positively encouraging walkers to park at Dovers Hill.

Caring for Campden says ‘What’s wrong with having a car park at Wolds End Orchard? -----
• It’ll cost a fortune to maintain, clean, police and light.
• The Town Centre and surrounding roads will have double yellow lines, traffic wardens enforcing chargeable parking restrictions, forcing shoppers into the car park.
• There will be reserved spaces for residents in the High Street, at a cost to them.
• The Orchard is over a third of a mile from the town centre. Quite a trek, laden with shopping!
• The pedestrian route between Back Ends and Cidermill Lane is dangerously narrow.
• Car parks have destroyed the community and trading balance in other Cotswold towns. Campden will suffer similarly.

Another suggestion has been made by David Lyon, Station Road:

Take a strip down the entire length of George Lane for parking for about 60 cars with access from Catbrook.
Advantages:
• The town will have two car parks – this one serving cars coming into the town from the A44 and the school for cars entering via Aston Road.
• People using the new car park can get right into the centre of town, traffic-free, through the Noel Arms.
• Wolds End Orchard is preserved as it should be.
• The Recreation Ground committee can take the profits to maintain the Ground and raise money to improve their private parking without losing a great deal of ground space.
• Security can be focused on the recreation ground where we know there is a vandalism problem.

What is YOUR view?

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