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THE FARNBOROUGH SOCIETY preserving the past, shaping the future

Newsletter Issue 13 February 2015

RECENT EVENTS Introduction to Nepalese Culture

with Naya Yuva

Our guest speaker, Monica Limbu, brought along two friends from Naya Yuva, Diya and Merisha, to give a fascinating joint

presentation covering Nepalese culture, the history of the Gurkhas and the experience of the Nepalese in Rushmoor.

Monica began by explaining that Naya Yuva means New Youth, and that the group was founded in 2012 initially to deal with drug

and alcohol problems among young Nepalese people. Their

role has since broadened to include any issues relating to

integration. They aim to raise awareness, through workshops

and meetings, and to change attitudes, through promotional

events, networking opportunities, and youth activities.

Monica was able to provide many examples of fundraising

and community activities in which Naya Yuva have been

involved; for example, over 100 young Nepalese participated

in the Frimley Park Hospital Fun Run, and 20 took part in a

weapons workshop with the Police.

She went on to tell us a little about Nepal, with its rich multi-

cultural population speaking over 100 indigenous languages

and practising a number of different religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, heavily influenced by its large and powerful

neighbours, India and China. Covering an area of nearly 1,500,000 kilometres, with a population of around 27,500,000, Nepal is

mainly agricultural, divided into three broad geographical bands: the

Terai region (plains); elevated flatlands and hills; mountain region. The

country is spectacular and beautiful, but life expectancy is short: 60.9

for men, 59.5 for women.

Monica told us that the Gurkhas are mainly recruited from the hilly

regions of Nepal, to the east and west of the country. Their history

dates back more than 200 years and their motto is ‘It is better to die

than to live like a coward’. 26 Victoria Crosses have been awarded to

members of the Gurkha Regiment—this in spite of the fact that the VC

wasn’t extended to the Gurkhas until 1911. Monica said that if there

was a minute’s silence for every Gurkha casualty from WWII, we would

have to keep quiet for two weeks! This goes some way towards explaining the great value of the Gurkhas to the British Army.

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Nepalese people who have made Rushmoor their home have naturally brought their rich culture with them, and Diya explained the

three main festivals they celebrate: Dashain, Tihar and Teej. Dashain is the most auspicious festival, celebrated for 15 days, with the

10th day, Tika, the main day. The Goddess Durga is worshiped with

innumerable rituals and offerings. Tihar is also known as Dipawali,

Diwali or the Festival of Lights, and brings families together for five

days of feasting. Houses are decorated, fireworks let off, and children

engage in deusi bhailo, which is similar to trick-or-treat. On each day, a

different deity is workshiped. Teej is the fasting festival of Nepalese

women that falls in August or September, when married women fast

both to honour Lord Shiva and for a long and healthy life for their

husband. Traditional songs and dances feature strongly in the Teej

festival, with red the predominant colour.

Nepalese culture is governed by caste and ethic groupings, the main

ethnic groups being: Gurung, Rai, Limbu, Tamang, Magar (Thapa, Pun,

Rana, etc.), Sherpa. This creates a complex society very unlike typical Western society.

Merisha told us that immigration of the Nepalese into Rushmoor began in 2000, with former residents of Hong Kong, following its

reversion to Chinese rule in 1997. These were the children of Gurkhas. In 2004, those who had served since 1997 were granted

leave to settle in the UK, and in 2009 the same right was granted to those who had served a minimum of four years prior to 1997

(the ‘Lumley’ Gurkhas). As a result, Rushmoor now houses elderly ‘Lumley’ former Gurkhas, working age former Gurkhas, and their

children and wives. All other cases are subject to the usual

immigration rules and regulations; for instance, those with

specialist skills to offer. The biggest impact is on services for the

elderly and for cohesion of the younger community.

There are some easily recognised common practices among the

Nepalese, such as the wearing of traditional Nepali gold

ornaments, the greeting, “Namaste”, Buddhist prayer flags on

homes and in gardens, and all kinds of social gatherings.

Nepalese culture is characterised by self-reliance and mutual

support, pride, great respect for the elderly, an expectation for

young people to excel, different life opportunities and experiences,

and an unwillingness to say “no”. The latter can cause difficulties

when someone is reluctant to admit that he or she hasn’t

understood something that has been explained.

According to Merisha, there are a number of community groups to help Nepalese immigrants, including the British Gurkha Welfare

Society and the Gurkha Army Ex-servicemen Organisation, as well as tribal groups such as Tamu Dhee UK, Kirat Yahthum Chumlung

and Magar Samaj UK.

A great many local universities and colleges now also have Nepalese youth groups, including both Farnborough Sixth Form College

and Farnborough College of Technology.

Diya ended by explaining why so many Nepalese choose to settle in Rushmoor: previous Army connection; a preference to live in a

closed, tight-knit community; the Gurkha Welfare Centre, in Aldershot; the many Gurhka organisations, such as BGWS, GAESO,

Maddhat Shamuha; Nepalese staff at Rushmoor Borough Council and CAB.

The range and number of questions that followed the presentation demonstrated the audience’s keen interest in the subject of

Nepalese culture. And our three presenters proved themselves wonderful ambassadors for both their community and Naya Yuva.

You can find further information about the Gurkhas at:

http://www.gwt.org.uk http://www.bgws.org For more information about Naya Yuva:

http://www.nayayuva.org

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A Gift So Graciously Bestowed: The Prince Consort’s Library

A Talk by Paul Vickers

We were delighted to welcome back local historian and author Paul Vickers for a lively, informative and entertaining

presentation on The Prince Consort’s Library, a building with which he is intimately familiar, having been associated

with it since 1983.

Paul began by explaining that the library can be used only by

serving members of the armed forces or by current employees of

the Ministry of Defence. However, there are opportunities for

the public to visit during the annual Army Festival and during

Heritage Open Days.

Its origins date back to the establishment of Britain’s first

permanent training camp at Aldershot, following the reform

movement championed by the Prince Consort. A strong advocate

of officer training, and education generally, the Prince Consort

began buying books and prints at his own expense. He personally

selected the location and appointed Capt. Francis Fowke, of the

Royal Engineers, as architect. Fowke had previously designed barracks, which were much admired, and had won a

medal for the British Pavilion at the Paris Exhibition of 1851. Distinguished by his use of natural light, other buildings

he went on to design include a number of museums and galleries, notably the South Kensington Museum, which was

to become the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Albert Hall, which he sadly did not live to see completed.

Fowke chose as his builder George Myers, who also built the Staff College at Sandhurst and a number of barracks. The

work was supervised by the Royal Engineers and it was they who noticed that the walls were beginning to bulge under

the weight of the roof. Fowke’s solution was to shore up the walls with iron ties, which successfully support the

building to this day. The Prince Consort paid for the building and took a keen interest in every aspect of design and

construction, receiving quarterly progress reports.

Building began in 1859 and plans were made for it to open in 1860. A library committee was formed, who undertook

to find a suitable librarian, who was to be an NCO of impeccable character, fluent in English, French and German.

Three weeks before opening, Corp. Weston, of the Royal Engineers was appointed librarian. To the great

embarrassment of the committee, three days later they had to withdraw the appointment when Corp. Weston was

exposed as a deserter from the Inniskilling Dragoons who had re-enlisted in the Royal Engineers. He was court-

martialled and sentenced to three months in prison.

Meanwhile, a new librarian needed to be found at short notice and Lt. Eustace, of the 49th Regiment of Foot stepped

in for the opening, whereupon the woefully unsuitable Sgt Wellington took

over to hold the fort until a permanent appointment could be made.

Following the Corp. Weston debacle, the committee once again sought

nominations, being particularly careful to take up references this time.

From a short list of six, they appointed Sergeant Charles Gilmore, only to

discover that he was not in fact British, but a German-speaker from

Strasburg, and that Charles Gilmore was not even his real name.

Gilmore, a commercial clerk, had fled conscription in his native country by

sailing for New York, where he ran out of money and was unable to trace

his relatives. In desperation, he signed on as a crewmember on a ship

bound for England, intending to return to New York. But conditions on

board were so bad that he jumped ship in England, where he joined the

The Prince Consort’s Library in 1890

(before the lecture hall and reading room were added)

Interior of the Library,

virtually unchanged since its opening

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Army just as the Crimean War approached. It was the recruiting sergeant who turned Charles Guillemin into Charles

Gilmore.

His nationality notwithstanding, Gilmore was, in most other respects eminently suitable. However, his French was weak,

so he was dispatched to Jersey for three months immersion to bring it up to standard. Upon his return, in 1861, he took

up his post as permanent librarian, a post his held for 30 years until his compulsory retirement from the Army at the age

of 55, whereupon he established Gilmore’s School of Languages in Cargate, Aldershot.

Gilmore was married with a son at the time of his appointment, and the family lived in relative comfort in the library

living quarters; most of the camp still consisted of wooden huts. A second child, a daughter called Alberta in homage to

the Prince Consort, was born soon after, and the Gilmores went on the have eight children in all, with up to five of them

living with their parents in the library at any one time.

Quartermaster Sergeant Franz Bex succeeded Gilmore. He was from Hanover and a gifted linguist and clerk. Like

Gilmore, Bex had gone to New York. He had headed West and spent time with the Chinese building the transcontinental

railroad and with Native Americans, sustaining an injury during the Nez Perce uprising. He eventually arrived in San

Francisco, where he signed up as crew for a voyage around South America to France and finally to England, where he

enlisted in the Devonshire Regiment and, like Gilmore, became a British subject. Bex served as librarian at the Prince

Consort’s Library from 1891 till 1903, until compulsorily retired at the age of 55. His 33 years in post remains the record.

Unfortunately, Bex’s life was to end in tragedy; a wave of anti-German feeling resulting from WWI, together with the

loss of many friends on both sides, was too much for him to bear and he committed suicide by drowning in the River

Wey in 1923.

Bex was succeeded by Patrick Reynolds, a retired schoolmaster (whose daughter is still alive), who served until 1941,

when Lt Col Brian Dymott took over. Dymott had served in WWI and in India, and became librarian after retirement.

Largely ineffectual, he was succeeded in 1959 by Lt Col Lewis Yates, who brought a new energy to the role and was to

oversee the library’s centenary in 1960. Crucially, Lt Col Yates recognised his weaknesses in tasks such as cataloguing

and brought in professional librarians where necessary, which made him

particularly effective. Paul actually knew Lt Col Yates, whom he found to

be an excellent source of stories.

From the early 1970s, the information revolution gathered pace, and the

Prince Consort’s Library switched its focus very much to the modern. In

1972, Mrs Joyce Sears became librarian, the first woman and the first

professional librarian in the post. She retired in 1982, when Paul took the

post, which he held till 1991. He moved into IT systems, at which time his

former assistant, Tim Ward, took over. Tim remains the librarian today.

Having described the fascinating characters who have served as librarian,

Paul then turned to events following the death of the Prince Consort in

1861. The following year, Queen Victoria asked for all the documents

relating to the Prince Consort’s Library. Knowing how dear the building had been to Albert, she took on the expense

personally, and in 1864 she visited.

Upon Victoria’s death in 1901, the new king declined to take responsibility for the upkeep of the library and the War

Office wanted to close it down. But, in an extraordinary stroke of good luck, the order landed on the desk of Gen Evelyn

Wood, who knew the library well and argued for its continued existence. He persuaded the WO to take it on at £60 pa.

Aldershot Military Society, the Think Tank of its day, used the library for lectures, which were very popular and widely

reported. A lecture hall was built to the side of the Victorian library, with a reading room connecting the two buildings.

Opened in 1911, the lecture hall could accommodate 450 officers.

During WWII, a projection box was built onto the front of the lecture hall in order that films could be shown. Paul was

convinced that the building’s original features survived beneath the projection box and lobbied to get it removed. HCC

The Prince Consort’s Library today,

with the lecture hall to the left

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provided the funds and a specialist builder was brought in. Paul was proved right, and the building was fully restored in

1993.

In 1991, the interior of the original library was restored, following extensive research to establish the original colour

scheme, and the building remains almost exactly as it appears in early photographs, with the original woodwork, desks

and comfortable leather chairs, all overseen by the two engravings of Victoria and Albert by Franz Winterhalter, given to

the library by Queen Victoria.

In 1948, the Army Library Service was founded and, from that date, all ranks have been welcome and not just those

stationed in Aldershot.

The collection contains books dating from 1683, the rarest being the 1768 Clothing Book, the only copy known to exist.

The Regimental History collection is also housed in the library, along with important collections of prints and maps.

However, while the historical collection is important and valuable, Paul was at pains to point out that today the library’s

purpose is modern, that it is extremely well used, mainly online, and mostly with regard to battlefield strategy.

Moreover, the Royal Family continues to take a keen interest.

In addition to its function as a library, the building has also served as the lodge room of the Worshipful Masters of the

Army and Navy Freemasons, and as the temporary home of the Garrison Church of Scotland, while St Andrew’s Church

was being enlarged.

Paul’s talk was based on his book A Gift so Graciously Bestowed: The History of the Prince Consort’s Library, Aldershot. It

is a fascinating story, full of bizarre twists, and Paul’s telling of it was enormously informative and entertaining.

Beautiful Bats

A talk by Bernard Baverstock

Bernard, a Trustee of the Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust, Chairman of Camberley Natural History Society and

founder member, and former Chairman, of Surrey Bat Group gave a lively and informative presentation on this

fascinating and much misunderstood animal.

There are 18 species of bats living in the UK, of which 17 species are

known to breed here. The rarest is the greater mouse-eared bat which is

on the verge of extinction, with only one known example left in England.

As recently as 2010, a new species was discovered, the Alcathoe, which

is so similar to other bats that it was only identified using DNA. Bats are

divided into two groups: mega bats and micro bats. The smallest British

bat is the pipistrelle, common in the Blackwater Valley, which weighs 4-

7 grams and has a wingspan of just 18-25 cm. Our largest is the noctule,

which can up to 40 grams with a wingspan of 33-45 cm.

There are a number of

myths associated with

bats, not least the saying ‘bats in the belfry’ to describe madness. In fact

a belfry would be too cold to provide bat habitation. Different bats

choose different places to roost: hollow trees, caves, buildings. Far

from giving an impression of madness, they are clean, sociable animals,

who will spend hours grooming each other. They appear to enjoy

human contact, too, since Bernard has nursed injured bats in the past

who became quite tame and would purr when stroked.

Another myth is that bats are blind. They are not, but they do not like

the light, hence their nocturnal habits. In the darkness, they use their

Alcathoe Bat

New-born Pipistrelle Bat

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ears to ‘see’ with echolocation. The pipistrelle, for example, can hear

sounds up to 55 KHz in frequency.

And, contrary to popular belief, bats do not gnaw through materials.

Bats are the only mammals that can fly, and they have remained largely

unchanged for millions of years; skeletons dating back 40 million years

are remarkably similar to those of modern bats.

They have a very slow reproduction cycle. Males call the females to mate

before hibernation. The females store the sperm until spring, when they

release it for fertilisation. As gestation progresses, female bats form

maternity roosts, which must be clean and at a constant temperature,

and each gives birth to a single young, which will start to fly at 3 weeks. Until then, mothers can go hunting secure in the

knowledge that the roost will care for their young.

Bats are surprisingly long-lived, with some ringed individuals known to be up to 30 years old.

They like to be high up, so bat boxes are situated high in the trees. Once occupied, they become protected sites, and

nowadays gloves have to be worn when handling bats. Some bat boxes have been put up in the Victoria Road cemetery.

During hibernation, for which bats need a stable temperature around freezing, their heart rate drops to 4/5 beats per

minute. They have to spend the autumn building up a layer of brown fat in order to survive the winter, and all bats,

whether they eat insects, fruit or nectar, have huge appetites. The common pipistrelle, for example, can eat over 3,000

tiny insects in a single night!

There are four species of water bats, which fly over water at a constant height to catch insects, and have been known to

catch small fish and frogs.

Long-eared bats have ears that are nearly as long as their bodies, with which they can hear the beat of the moths’ wings.

However, moths have been seen to drop to the ground to avoid being caught. So sensitive is the hearing of long-eared

bats that they can hear a caterpillar crawling along a leaf.

The mouse-eared bat was once common in Europe and its droppings were valued as fertiliser, but the introduction of

insecticides resulted in whole colonies being wiped out. Although the use of such chemicals is no longer legal, bat

populations continue to fall and they need our protection because of loss of habitat and of roost sites.

The Bat Conservation Trust has set up a Bat Helpline (0845 1300 228) that offers help and advice to property owners who have bat roosts. Further information is available at their website: www.bats.org.uk

Long-eared bat in flight

The Planning Group

Acting Leader: Barbara Hurst

A lot has happened since the last newsletter, not least the resignation of Chairman Brian Fyfe, who stepped

down in order to pursue new challenges. We are very grateful to him for all that he achieved during his tenure

and wish him every success in all his future endeavours.

I am acting as Chairman, pending the appointment of his successor.

Soon after Brian’s departure, we were confronted with the planning application for 150 homes at the Sun Park

site at junction 4a on the M3, but although we had a great many objections to the proposal, we weren’t able, at

that time, to respond. However, the proposal was turned down by RBC’s Development Management Committee,

against the planning officer’s recommendation, and subsequently went to appeal, which gave us another

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opportunity to respond. The only grounds on which we could object, however, were those cited by the DMC for

their refusal, i.e. the potential risk to pedestrians, cyclists and motorists at the access point in Sandy Lane, and

we prepared our report accordingly, raising particular objection to the enormous weight given to Hampshire

Highways traffic data. The Inspector accepted our report and invited our representative, Len Amos, to join the

participants at the table and give his views. The Inspector has now delivered his report and regrettably he has

upheld the appeal, which means the development will go ahead. But in light of the concerns we raised about

highways data, RBC has agreed to conduct an enquiry into the historical accuracy of Hampshire Highways

predictions.

In addition to concern about the suitability of Sandy Lane for access, we were very uneasy about a development

that would lie mainly in Hart but with its access in Rushmoor, so that it would be Rushmoor’s infrastructure

and services that would be negatively impacted. Moreover, the development would erode the vital strategic gap

between Farnborough and the urban centres in Hart.

Imagine our horror when, only a few weeks later, another proposal came along for a development in Hart with

its access in Rushmoor: for 126 dwellings at Hawley Park Farm, with access in Hawley Road and in Fernhill

Lane. The truly staggering feature of this proposal is that the site was designated a conservation area only two

years ago! We have objected in the strongest terms on a wide range of issues, many of them echoing objections

raised in relation to Sun Park, and await the decision of Hart District Council’s Planning Committee.

The third large development to which we have objected is the proposal for 62 dwellings on the Ham and

Blackbird gyratory. There are a number of issues that cause us concern, but overdevelopment of the site and

traffic are the most important, especially traffic because we believe the proposed development will bring

gridlock to Farnborough Road and Union Street at peak times, and present significant danger to pedestrians

and cyclists.

I would be happy to provide copies of our submissions to anyone who is interested: barbara@pbhurst.com or

01252 405149.

It has become abundantly clear that we need to keep a close watch on Rushmoor’s borders. In addition to

Hart’s proposed incursions into our strategic gap, Guildford has identified Ash and Tongham as key areas for

development, which would inevitably impact Rushmoor. Our big problem is that neither authority yet has a

Core Strategy in place, so it is unclear exactly what their plans for development actually are. We continue to

meet with neighbouring civic societies to discuss these matters and to share relevant information.

On a more positive note, you may have read in the press that Allies and Morrison have been appointed by

Rushmoor to draw up a master plan for the Civic Quarter, and they wish to consult TFS’s Planning Group

during their preliminary work. We are therefore working on a report outlining our vision for that area, as we

laid out when Rushmoor developed its Core Strategy. Some of the issues we will raise will be: cultural facilities

(performance and exhibition space); improved connectivity, seeking a strong link between the airport environs

and the town centre; improved pedestrian flow and street scene; high-quality architecture, appropriate to

Farnborough’s aviation heritage. This is a very exciting opportunity to do something really special in the town

centre and the next stage will be for Rushmoor to produce a proposal for public consultation. Therefore, if you

have any thoughts on what you would like to see in that development, do please share those with us. It is vital

that we reflect what our members think at this important point in Farnborough’s history.

In addition to keeping a close eye on planning applications, we also submitted a response to the Shop Front

Design SPD consultation, to the effect that we broadly support efforts to improve our streetscape, but with

reservations about who will be the arbiter of taste in these matters, and what should or could be done to rectify

mistakes of the past. You may also have a copy of that report if you are interested.

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Free Financial Advice

Thanks to the generosity of Chief Executive Tom

McManners, Treetops Accountancy offers free

financial advice to members of The Farnborough

Society on the third Thursday of each month.

Located near the Clockhouse, Treetops are

members of The Institute of Chartered

Accountants and the SPA, an independent

national association of professional accountants.

For your free consultation, call 01252 541 401

PROMOTING

THE FARNBOROUGH

SOCIETY

We are actively seeking opportunities to

promote TFS in the community. If you

belong to an organisation or group that

might be interested in seeing a

presentation on our activities, please

suggest it. Or if you’d prefer that we

make contact, give us the details and

we’ll do the rest.

Date Event Meet OS map Ref

Monday April 6th

Cove Historical Walk Easter Bank Holiday.

Meet at the Cabrol Road Car Park of Queen Elizabeth Park, Farnborough, at

10.30. SU 8647 5604

Monday May 4th

The Parks of Aldershot (to celebrate National Walking

Month)

Meet at the Bandstand in Prince’s Gardens, Aldershot, at 10.30. SU 8611 5085

Tuesday June 16th

Battle of Waterloo 200th anniversary walk. Aldershot to Wellington Statue

and the Royal Garrison Church, following the old military church

parade route.

Meet at the Bandstand, Prince’s Gardens,

Aldershot, at 10.45. SU 8611 5085

Saturday July 25th

Manor Park, Brickfields and Farnham Quarries circular walk.

Meet at the east entrance of Manor Park Aldershot, (near the children's playground)

at 10.30. SU 8715 5011

Sunday Sept 6th

Aldershot Park, Tongham Pool and Tongham Community Woods.

Meet at Aldershot Park, Guildford Road, Aldershot, near the main entrance Car

Park, at 14.00. SU 8772 4914

Saturday Oct 3rd

Cove Brook, Blunden Hall to Moor Green and back.

Meet outside Blunden Hall, Blunden Road, Farnborough at 10.30. SU 8568 5640

Short Local Walks 2015

with Clive Andrews

(Chairman, Rushmoor Pedestrian Forum)

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THE FARNBOROUGH SOCIETY REMEMBERS WW1

FINDING WAR GRAVES IN FARNBOROUGH AND THE SURROUNDING AREA

Submitted by Julie Clist

The images that most people have of World War 1 graves are those of the large cemeteries on the Western

Front (such as Tyne Cot near Ypres with 12,000 graves) or a small cluster of graves near a battlefield or first

aid post.

There are few war graves in the United Kingdom as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (and its

predecessors, the Army Graves Registration Unit and the Imperial War Graves Commission) had a policy that

the bodies of those killed abroad would not be repatriated. The principle of equality of treatment was one of the

strong beliefs of Sir Fabian Ware, the founder and first Vice-chairman of the War Graves Commission. It was

considered unjust that the relatives of the rich and of those with influence would be able to arrange repatriation

whilst the families of the Kitchener volunteers would not.

The commission’s policy was influenced by the repatriation of the body of W E Gladstone (a County Lord

Lieutenant and grandson of the 19th Century Prime Minister). His family were able to exert their influence on

the then Prime Minister (Asquith), the War Office and the King to arrange the repatriation of his body in April

1915. Following this, Sir Fabian Ware obtained an Army order forbidding such exhumations “on account of the

difficulties of treating impartially the claims advanced by persons of different social standing”.

War graves in local cemeteries and churchyards are those of servicemen and women who died

in the United Kingdom from enemy action, from illness, in accidents, on ships in home waters

or as a result of wounds sustained abroad. The period covered by the War Graves Commission

for the First World War is from 4 August 1914 to 31 August 1921 and takes account of this.

There are 23 WW1 graves in Victoria Road including one of the last Royal Flying Corps

[March 1918], an early member of the WAAF and an army man who served under an alias.

Information on local war graves is available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission

website: http://www.cwgc.org

Single War Grave at Farnborough Abbey

There is one War Grave from the First World War at Farnborough Abbey. This is the grave of Rev Umberto

Michael Bertini, O.S.B., Chaplain to the Forces 4th class. He died of influenza contracted whilst on service with

B.E.F. in Italy. The British were involved in fighting in Northern Italy during 1917 and 1918.

Father Bertine died on 29 September 1918 aged 33. He was born in Novara, Italy, a city about 30 miles west of

Milan and 60 miles north of Turin.

At the start of the First World War, Italy was neutral but declared war on Austria-Hungary in May 1915. There

was only limited fighting in Italy during the First World War, on the Asiago plateau and along the Piave River

in the North East of the country, unlike the Second World War which involved most of Italy.

German forces launched an offensive in the Autumn of 1917 which forced Italian forces back to the Piave

River, north of Venice. Following this, Britain and France sent reinforcements to help the Italians. The front

was quiet during the winter and the German forces withdrew. In June 1918 a major offensive was launched on

the Asiago Plateau by the Austrians.

Two Victoria Crosses were awarded to British officers for their part in the action on 15 June 1918. One of these

was awarded to Charles Hudson who became an instructor at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst during

the 1930s.

Sources: CWGC

Empires of the Dead by David Crane

The Unending Vigil by Phillip Longworth

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Obituary of DOM UMBERTO BERTINI, 0.S.B., C.F.

In the monastic cemetery of St. Michael's Abbey, Farnborough, on Thursday last week, took place the funeral

of one of the monks, Dom Umberto Bertini, who for the past year had been serving as chaplain to the British

Forces in Italy, and whose death we have already briefly chronicled.

Dom Umberto died at his father's house in Bournemouth on September 29, his death being due to a general

breakdown in health, the result of his unsparing labours among the soldiers on the Italian front. His career,

both as a monk and a chaplain, was but short, for he was only thirty-three years of age; still, it was neither an

empty nor an idle one. He made his monastic profession at Farnborough on May 8, 1908. At the outbreak of

the war he was staying at the Abbey of Clervaux, in Luxemburg, and owing to the ensuing difficulties was

unable to return to his own monastery. His Italian nationality, however, enabled him to leave Luxemburg and

to travel safely through Germany to Switzerland, for at that period of the war Italy had not yet entered into the

struggle. After spending some time in Switzerland at the Abbey of Einsiedein, he found himself obliged to go to

Italy and enter the Italian Army, his country having now identified her cause with that of the Allies. Later, he

succeeded in obtaining naturalisation as a British subject and his commission as chaplain to the English

soldiers in Italy. After many months of self-sacrificing work among them, his health became so weakened that

he was ordered home on sick leave. The excessive fatigue consequent on a very trying journey through France

and a very bad crossing from le Havre to Southampton, together with a severe chill that he had contracted on

the way, obliged him to break his journey to Farnborough at Bournemouth. He still hoped to reach his

monastic home in time for the Feast of St. Michael, the patronal feast of the Abbey, but on the evening of that

day he passed peacefully away, having received all the Last Sacraments. His body was taken to Farnborough

on Wednesday, October 2, and the coffin, covered with the Union Jack, on which lay the monk's cowl and

priest's stole, together with the cap and belt of the Army chaplain, remained in the monastic choir during the

night till the funeral next day. The Solemn Requiem Mass was sung, at his own special request, by the Bishop of

Portsmouth, who had ordained him. The Absolution after the Mass was given by his Abbot, the Right Rev. Dom

Cabrol, who had received his monastic profession.

A company of the Guards was present to carry the coffin to the cemetery and to render the last honours with

full military ceremonial, so striking and impressive in its simple grandeur. Among the clergy present were a

number of Army chaplains…

Source: The Tablet Archive

New Committee Members

If you have a little spare time, why not join our Executive Committee? Perhaps you have particular experience

that might be of value, in IT, PR or marketing, for example. Or in organising events. Whatever you have to

offer, we would love to have you.

You would be very welcome to come along to our next meeting, to meet the committee and to find out more.

Or you might consider joining the Planning Group, who meet with RBC Principal Planning Officers monthly to

scrutinise Farnborough planning applications and discuss development issues.

In either case, contact Barbara: barbara@pbhurst.com or 01252 405149.

www.thefarnboroughsociety.org.uk

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Rafborough (Submitted by Clive Andrews)

Rafborough, an area of Cove just south of Tower Hill, just north of the airfield and just east of Cove Brook, derives its name from its close association with the Royal Aircraft Factory during the First World War. Since Col Samuel F Cody’s first flight from Cove Common in 1908 Farnborough has been associated with the development of aeronautics, aircraft engines, and the creation of a stable aircraft. It’s therefore not surprising that the outbreak of the war and increased demands on the establishment led to a need for an expanded skilled workforce. In those days Cove and Farnborough were fairly rural and to accommodate this workforce two housing estates were built by the ministry for war, the first being Pinehurst Cottages constructed in 1916 and then Rafborough in 1917. Prior to its building, the site chosen for Rafborough, was totally rural. Marrowbrook Lane and Hazel Avenue (then Farm Lane) both existed and are of ancient origin, being clearly shown on the first series Ordinance Survey Maps surveyed at the beginning of the 19th C. Elles Road, however, was constructed much later and the current Arrow Road was then just a trackway to Cove Common and to Ively Road. Four farms are shown in the area: Home Farm, off Cove Road at the site of the present St Christopher’s Church; Hazel Dene Farm, at the junction of Cove Road and Hazel Avenue; Brook House Farm, sited half-way along Hazel Avenue; and Eelmoor Farm, near the junction of Hazel Avenue and Marrowbrook Lane. Old Maps show hop-drying kilns in the grounds of Home Farm, evidence for the local cultivation of hops, and sometimes today wild hops can be found in our few remaining traditional hedgerows. Once Cove was important for the

manufacture of a local type of earthenware pottery known as Border Ware, with many kilns existing nearby, including one on Tower Hill. Sadly all of these farms and the local pottery industry are memories of the past, though the old house of Home Farm still exists as flats.

Prior to the requisition of the site by the Ministry for War it belonged to Alfred Hitchcock (No relation to the film director) who probably acquired ownership in the 1880s. (Mr Hitchcock was also the owner of Oak Farm situated near the Prospect Estate.) The dark areas shown on the map above are the areas purchased by the Secretary of State, and the Rafborough estate was constructed on the large area immediately adjacent to and north of Marrowbrook Lane. The building of some 250 houses must have required enormous effort, especially as the site, situated on the side of Tower Hill, required considerable levelling. The workforce was supplemented by the use of German prisoners of war, housed in huts on Tower Hill. Although the pebble-dash finish and general style may not be architecturally inspiring today, they

were, in their time, fairly modern, with gas lighting in all rooms and mains drainage; they are an important local example of a development of workers’ cottages - rare in the south of England. In its heyday, the uniformity of the estate of slate-roofed terraced houses, each fronted by a neat privet hedge, and with the roads lined by tidy grass verges, must have been quite attractive. The mains drains on the estate were about 20 feet lower than the system operated by the then Farnborough Urban District Council. Compressed air was used to propel the sewage between the two drains, provided by a gas engine driven compressor, located in a hut on the green near Keith Lucas Road. It’s interesting to note that the village of Cove was not incorporated into Farnborough until 1931 and, when built, Rafborough would have been part of Hartley Wintney Rural District Council.

Figure 1 Map showing areas of Cove requisitioned during

Figure 2 Fowler Road during the inter-war years

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The increase in population of Cove from 1,751 in 1911 to 2,997 in 1921 required an expansion of infrastructure and the Rafborough estate was provided with a school, church and social club, all housed in wooden huts. The school (Tower Hill Primary) was rebuilt in the 1920s, a new church (St Christopher’s) was constructed in 1938 but the original social club still remains as the West Farnborough Social Club. Throughout the 1930s the estate remained largely unchanged and Rafborough was still somewhat isolated from the rest of Cove, with allotments adjacent to Weir Avenue and on either side of Tower Hill School and with fields beyond, down to Hazel Avenue. Prior to WW2, the airfield was open and criss-crossed by many paths, allowing convenient walking routes to North Camp and perhaps beyond to Aldershot. After the Second World War, remaining open space next to Cody Road, was used for the construction of 100 prefabs, which in the 1960s were demolished to make way for the St Christopher’s estate of social housing. Up until the 1980s, the Rafborough estate continued in the ownership of the MOD, then it was then sold off, in part to the tenants, and in part to a housing association. The roads on the estate (Fig 4) are named after famous people in the early history of aviation in Farnborough:

Busk Crescent - Lieutenant Edward Busk: Came to the RAF in April 1912 after graduating in mechanical engineering at Cambridge. At the factory he worked on the mathematics and theory of stable flight that led to the development of the BE2. Unfortunately, on November 5th 1914, when flying at 1000ft over Laffans Plain, his machine caught fire, leading to the incineration of both aircraft and pilot.

Cody Road - Samuel Franklyn Cody: Made the first UK flight of a powered, heavier-than-air machine in

October 1908. On 7 August 1913 he was test flying his latest design, the Cody Floatplane, when it broke up at 500ft and he and his passenger (the cricketer William Evans) were both killed.

Gooden Crescent - Major Frank Gooden: Was a test pilot with the Factory. On the 28th January 1917 he

was killed whilst flying the SE5 due to a wing failure at 1000ft. He is buried in Aldershot Military Cemetery alongside Cody and Busk.

Keith Lucas Road - Dr. Keith Lucas: He joined the Royal Aircraft factory, with rank of Captain in the

RFC, from an earlier career in academic research, to do work developing aircraft instruments and in particular a suitable compass. Unfortunately he was killed 5 October 1916 in a mid-air collision over the Salisbury Plain.

Fowler Road - Sir Henry Fowler: In September 1916, Henry Fowler, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of

the Midland Railway succeeded Mervyn O’Gorman as Superintendent of the Factory. After the end of the war Sir Henry returned to the railway industry to become chief mechanical engineer of the LMS Company, where he led the design of the Royal Scot Class.

Fortunately, much of the area between Hazel Avenue and Ively Road, either side of Cove Brook, has

remained as open green space and water meadows, as part of the flood defenses for the waterway. Cove Brook Greenway Group has put forward ambitious plans for the possible reintroduction of grazing cattle on these meadows as this is one of the best ways of controlling the scrub and keeping the area as open grassland. If successful, these future plans could restore something of the farming scene once familiar in this area.

Figure 3 Keith Lucas Road today

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Your Executive Committee

Chairman:

Ted Gardner 01252 511991 or tedgardner@thefarnboroughsociety.org.uk

Treasurer:

Tom McManners 07966 422870 or tom@ttca.co.uk

Secretary:

Barbara Hurst 01252 405149 or barbara@pbhurst.com

Minute Secretary:

Andrea Stewart andrea_stewart@ntlworld.com

Membership Secretary:

Jo Gosney 01252 542436 or jo.gosney@btconnect.com

Webmaster: Vacant

Planning Group Leader:

Barbara Hurst 01252 405149 or barbara@pbhurst.com

Pedestrian Forum Leader:

Clive Andrews dr.cwd.andrews@gmail.com

Committee Members:

Brenda Mitchell brendamitchell@ntlworld.com

Len Amos leonardamos57@yahoo.co.uk

Clive Grattan clive.grattan@rushmoor.gov.uk

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE FARNBOROUGH SOCIETY

Local company Linkup Ltd has made us a very generous offer. Not only are we given special rates, but for every TFS polo shirt or fleece they sell, they will donate £1 to TFS.

You can place your order at:

http://stores.linkupltd.com/index.php?

route=product/product&path=84&product_id=172

Anyone who does not have a computer, can call Barbara, who will be happy to make alternative arrangements.

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS

11th February 7.00pm Green Corridors with Paul Howe

11th March 7.00pm Rushmoor Fire Service with Martin Walters

15th April 7.00pm AGM

21st May 12.00noon The Gallery Restaurant Lunch and Tour of FCOT

17th June 7.00pm Farnborough Focus with Andrew Lloyd

15th July 7.00pm The Vine with Mags Mercer and Farnborough Foodbank with Mick Shea

12th August 7.00pm Recycling with James Duggin

23rd September 7.00pm The Royal Aircraft Factory at War with Graham Rood

The Victoria Road Cemetery Chapel

The Farnborough Society Executive has agreed to lead a campaign to bring the charming, but sadly neglected, Victoria

Road Funeral Chapel back into community use as a columbarium (a building with niches for funeral urns), a plan that will

ensure the survival of the building for future generations.

We were extremely pleased that so many TFS members came along in spite of dreadful weather to help us explore

fundraising options, to meet the £5000 target we have agreed to try and raise towards the cost of conversion. Some

excellent ideas came out of that workshop and we would like to thank all

those who participated.

Built in 1859 to cope with the dead of the Crimean War, (St Peter’s

churchyard being full), the chapel and cemetery have many fascinating

stories to tell about the individuals and families who played key roles in

Farnborough’s rich history.

It is clear that this little chapel means a lot to our members, and we will be

forming a steering committee to take the project forward. Our task will be

to promote the project, both to the public and to local businesses; to

organise events, especially some sort of launch event in the cemetery in the Spring; and to find ways of utilising the

internet for our cause.

If you would like to be part of that committee, or would like more information, please contact Barbara:

barbara@pbhurst.com or 01252 405149.

WEBSITE

You may have noticed that there has been little activity on the website for some time. This is because a new

website is under construction. The work is being carried out by two students from Farnborough Sixth Form

College and is taking much longer than anticipated, but we are assured that the new website will be ready for

launch soon.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused and ask for your forbearance for a little longer. Hopefully, your

patience will be rewarded with a much improved service.