In the last edition of the Downsman it was mentioned that the Woodcutts Annual Spring Census was to be taken and the results published in this month’s edition. Despite the change of prime minister, the wettest June on record and lack of government funding the team have completed this year’s Annual Census for the first time for two years. The figures are as tabulated below:
| 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2004 | 2005 | 2007 | |
| Total Residents | 17 | 23 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 30 |
| Adults | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 21 |
| School Children | -- | 2 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 |
| Pre-School Children | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Total Average Age | 41.84 | 30.56 | 26.40 | 31.30 | 30.00 | 29.37 |
Please note that figures are not available for the years 2002, 2003 and 2006. This is not because all the inhabitants moved away during those years but simply that there was no census taken. I hope this removes any confusion. If you are in any doubt as to the validity of these figures please contact your local M.P, or if you are seriously disturbed by them write to our new P.M., Capability Brown. Please note the more ‘regular’ format of the results, i.e. compared with previous years. This is simply because I have used Microsoft Excel. (Aren’t I clever?) I would have used it before but I couldn’t keep the mouse in the right trap.
Since the last annual spring census of September 2005 you will observe that the total average age has dropped by 0.03 years. As this is over a two year period the correct annual decrease in average age is of course 0.015 years. If this trend continues, by the turn of the next millennium, the whole population of this suburb of Woodcutts will have an average age of 15 years. As time goes by Woodcutts will get younger, which is of course only to be expected because of the quiet serenity of this peaceful corner of the Cranborne Chase.
Now we turn to gardening, a very serious subject for all participants in this area. Some time ago, possibly last summer, I wrote of the ‘green’ lace makers, to be found in Woodcutts, and how successful this revival had been. Now lace making has given way to topiary, which has been more successful than could have been anticipated
The participants in this skilful activity are of course not humans but another very successful species, the Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), which arrived here many hundreds of years ago from the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. (Can we blame the European Union for this?) For many generations it was welcomed as a source of food particularly to the rural lower classes; while some religious houses even had their own fenced in warren. Now however they have become so numerous at times that it is considered to be almost a ‘plague’ to farmers, horticulturalists and gardeners. This summer, despite the demise of fox hunting, the fox being the major rabbit predator, is one of those times that numbers have increased to this level and it is they that have taken up topiary. Why they could not keep to the super abundant grass crops is a mystery. When they first breached the defensives of the garden here, which consists of a wire netting fence a metre high, I was perplexed. Then I discovered that they had dug underneath this barrier. I didn’t mind that they had eaten some of the spring cabbages, because I had some more forward ones in the greenhouse. What I did object to was the fact that they had removed all the leaves from the garlic; a crop that I had been several weeks late in planting anyway. Meg and I, then to ensure that they could not breach the wire-netting defences, pegged in down and supplemented it with pegged-down fleece, lumps of timber and cloches. Then they started on the shallots and onions, followed by the carrot tops and eventually the runner beans.
At this point I was away for a week and on my return found that they had decimated a seven metre long row of runner beans, leaving only six plants to reach the top of the sticks. There is some light at the end of the tunnel, rabbits do not appear to like either courgettes or fennel and both of these crops have been left alone completely, while the parsnips and beetroot only suffered from leaf tip removal. To crown it all, potatoes grown outside the perimeter fence of wire netting were affected but only the early variety, Rocket. The foliage on these potatoes looked rather like the lace made by the caterpillars of cabbage white butterflies of last year. All that remained of the leaves were the veins, all the fleshy parts having been eaten. I have been responsible for hundreds of acres of potato crops in my lifetime but have never seen this before. Perhaps the stems of the maincrop stood too high for the rabbits to reach, whatever it was this crop was spared, or has been up to now. (2nd. Week of July)
The yield of the earlies does not seem to be affected too much, except where rabbits have dug up the odd tuber. The main crop appear to be doing very well, although none have been dug yet to ascertain how plentiful they are. The variety grown, Sarpo Mira, from the Thompson and Morgan stable, is known to be blight resistant and does have some resistance to slug attack, something I can vouch for. Perhaps we can now say they are resistant to rabbit attacks also.
With a very wet summer potatoes have thrived as have the slugs, while the lack of high temperatures to date have not been suitable for a blight attack, but the tubers will be bigger than normal and have a higher water content, so early digging for winter storage is out. They must go into store with the skin set and as dry as possible.
To compensate for all the problems of this year I am thinking of opening up a Garden Safari Park, majoring in rabbits, wood pigeons and slugs. The visit of the stoat could perhaps be mentioned as well. As for bird life, we have a pair of greater spotted woodpeckers visiting our bird table now and most days we hear the shriek of the buzzards as they patrol the area. While there is a swallows nest built this year in the stable, although no eggs were laid. Small birds don’t seem to be too plentiful, nor yet does any one breed of butterfly. Although as I type, sitting at the kitchen table on a particularly dismal Sunday morning, a meadow brown and a cabbage white fly past the window, oblivious of the three barking, Border Terriers in the garden. All that we can assume, is that the high and often very heavy rainfall is taking its toll of the countryside and the wildlife generally. Presumably there will be no water shortage later this year. Although the speed of run off, in this densely populated island, due to man’s increasing area of buildings, concrete, tarmac and new roads is greater every year, with water speeding out to sea before it can be utilised or stored in reservoirs for later use.
Not only is it wildlife suffering, farmers and horticulturists are having very difficult times. Cereals can’t be harvested as quickly as would be liked, with that harvested, requiring more expensive drying and often loss of quality. Crops that shed their seeds readily, such as oats, oilseed rape, peas and grass seeds will in fact loose out on the quantity and the quality. While high risk crops such as potatoes, strawberries and vegetable and fruit crops generally will be subject to rotting in the fields. This will be particularly so in the case of organically grown crops, where fungicides are not used. This will not mean that we will starve, as do people of the developing nations, when severe weather hits them. But prices will go up and more food will be imported increasing the “Ecological Footprint” of every single person in the U.K. Already we have an overshoot of 2.65 hectares per person in these islands, which the remainder of the world, (mostly the developing nations) has to make up for. If all the worlds population lived as we do, the area of useful land throughout the world would need to be between two and three times the actual useful land area, that is we would need two more planets the size of this Earth to satisfy our greed.
On that sobering thought I will say, thank you for reading to the end.
2nd Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment
Two areas of the world where British Military history has recorded its fair share of trials and tribulations are Afghanistan and Iraq, the latter being known in the Great War as Mesopotamia. In the now distant days of the Raj (British rule in India between 1858 and 1947), military adventures in this mountainous country (Afghanistan) frequently ended in tears and, despite all that history tells us, our army of today is embroiled in a bitter campaign to try and bring some stability to the democratically elected government of this far off land where tribalism often holds sway over any perceived allegiance to the national government.
The situation in modern day Iraq is even worse where our forces, stretched to the limit, are attempting a similar mission in the provinces around Basra and, to a degree, in the face of the most appalling conditions gaining some success though, as our news bulletins report, not without sustaining quite serious casualties. It would be disingenuous of me not to acknowledge the considerable sacrifice being made by the American armed services still embroiled in the turbulence of a very hostile country and the misery that is being imposed on the long suffering civilians by the volcanic mix of rival religious factions and the insurgency groups of varying hues that have a vested interest in prolonging the unrest.
But the focus of this profile is to return to the time of the Great War and readers may recall that exactly a year ago when profiling Private Henry Edward Harrison I went some way towards explaining the situation in Mesopotamia and the leadership of General Sir Frederick Maude in defeating the Turkish army.
The action involving the 2nd Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment in what is referred to in the battalion’s War Diary as Jabal Hamrin Range (when I wrote my profile on Henry Edward Harrison, I worked from a handwritten copy of the Diary, since when it has been my good fortune to have been pointed in the direction of a typed version of the Diary, hence the amendment in spelling from that given in June 2006), was, I believe, the last major battle in Mesopotamia in which the 2nd Battalion participated. What is more, it seems very likely that by the time of this sharp encounter Private Tom New was already a prisoner of war for his death on the 1st of July, 1917, is recorded as occurring whilst in captivity. The document that reports this, along with a good deal of very useful statistical information in regard to the 2nd Battalion’s casualties between 1914 and 1918, gives no detail as to where he was held prisoner, or the circumstances in how he became to be captured and, therefore, it can only (at this time) be speculation on my part to suggest he fell into the hands of the Turkish army prior to the Battle of Jabal Hamrin Range. As to where he was incarcerated, I have no knowledge whatsoever but as he is commemorated on the Basra Memorial it seems likely that he was held in a camp somewhere in a Turkish controlled area of the country.
So, what do we know of Tom New; surprisingly, despite the lack of detail in his battalion’s records, quite a lot. The son of Esaue and Eliza Ann New, Tom, at the age of 26, had married his sweetheart Ethel who bore him two children, Frank being the first to arrive on the 8th of January, 1911, followed by Winnie on Christmas Eve 1915, thus establishing his presence in the United Kingdom up to, at least, the early part of spring. Tragically, Winnie died from pneumonia just over a month before what would have been her 4th birthday and was buried in St. Mary’s churchyard on the 22nd of November, 1919, by the curate, the Reverend A. R. Turing Bruce (a name that is now familiar to readers of these profiles).
Prior to enlisting at Blandford into the Dorsetshires, Tom, like his father, had pursued the trade of a bricklayer, working for Day’s, a well respected local builder. His service life thereafter would have followed a pattern common to all infantrymen of that era. Also his death was marked by the despatch from the offices of His Majesty King George Vth to Ethel of a boxed circular bronze plaque (roughly the size of a beer coaster) imprinted with a relief image of a standing Britannia and the British lion and inscribed in capital letters around the edge the words, ‘HE DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOUR’, and set slightly right of centre Tom’s name.
Accompanying the package would have been a standard letter of condolence from His Majesty and a scroll, its inscription reading:
There is little further, for the present, that I can add to this profile. For Ethel the pain of Tom’s loss was magnified by the death of Winnie but in June 1922, some of the terrible grief that she had endured was partially assuaged when she married Frank Mitchell and a new chapter in her life began.
Mrs Alison Latchem, retired at the end of the summer term having been Head Teacher of Sixpenny Handley First School for 20 years.
The only daughter of teaching parents she began her career in Cornwall, relocating after two years to marry and continue teaching in a large Primary School in Bournemouth. After four years there she took time away from the classroom to have two daughters but was soon tempted back to continue with the job she loved so much. Supply work and temporary posts in urban schools followed whilst she raised a young family. On her return to work full time there came increasing professional responsibilities. In 1987, when a vacancy occurred at Sixpenny Handley First School, she was delighted to move to this beautiful rural area when offered the post as second teacher in charge of the oldest children. This was the time before the National Curriculum was introduced and teachers had autonomy over the curriculum.
In 1989, having gained teaching experience across all ages within the Primary phase, she was successful with her application to become the Head Teacher of the school. Many challenges lay ahead and educational reforms from the government were changing the face of education dramatically. Gradually, as the school became more successful, numbers on roll increased and the accommodation became inadequate. Her vision to develop the school environment was strongly supported by governors and the School House was eventually acquired and incorporated into the main building. This vast improvement enhanced the quality of provision for everyone.
However, developments did not rest there and after many years of negotiations with the Local Authority a magnificent extension was agreed. Mrs Latchem has worked tirelessly to ensure that all aspects of the curriculum could be taught successfully within the school and at last this could be achieved. She has planned many exciting opportunities to enhance the curriculum and make the children’s learning both fun and memorable. In recent years she led her staff through a very successful Ofsted inspection which confirmed the school’s successes. Over the years Mrs Latchem has made many friends within the community and forged strong links with the elderly and the church community. Her sadness at leaving Sixpenny Handley was evident as she said goodbye to pupils, parents, governors, colleagues and friends at the end of the school year.
The school has ensured that Mrs Latchem was given a farewell in fitting style. Pupils, parents, staff, past and present governors and friends gathered and enjoyed musical performances by the children and a humorous display of country dancing given by all members of staff! Mrs Latchem was presented with a colourful bowl, an album of memories from the children, gift vouchers and beautiful flowers. Everyone enjoyed tea and delicious cakes and scones, kindly provided by members of the community. This was followed by a surprise party in the evening given by the staff and governors during which Alison was presented with an original watercolour of views from Bradbury Rings.
We all knew that 2007 was going to be a busy year for the Scouts at 1st Woodcutts, but we never thought that we were going to cram this much in. Here are the recent highlights…
Survival Camp: For this years survival camp we split the group into three teams. Two groups of the younger Scouts and a team of our newly formed Explorer Scouts. Explorer Scouts is for the older members of the Troop aged between 14 and 18 years. The Explorers meet with the Scouts on Monday evening, but are given more adventurous challenges and greater independence than the other Scouts.
All of the group were told to meet at 9 o’clock at the Norden car park near Corfe Castle. The only kit they were to carry was a sleeping bag, roll mat and a change of clothes, no tents nor cooking gear were allowed. All kit was checked to make sure that no contraband, mainly chocolate and crisps, had been smuggled in the sleeping bag. No maps or instructions had yet been given to the Scouts and we made our way across the car park. It was only when we stood on the train platform that the Scouts were told that the first leg of the journey was not to be completed on foot, but on the steam train that had just pulled into station. This was the first of many surprises for the day. Once on the train the Explorers were told that they were not walking with the rest of the group, but would be walking a longer route, about 12 miles, and that they would be navigating on their own. The younger Scouts disembarked the train at Harman’s Cross and left the Explorers to continue their journey to Swanage. The younger Scouts were split into the two groups and given the route card and map for the hike. The first group set off on the walk and then the second group 30 minutes later. The hike took them back along the side of the railway and back into Corfe Castle. Whilst walking the Scouts practised their pacing, that is checking the distance they have walked by counting the number of paces they have made. Amazingly Hannah was within 8 metres over a distance of 1kilometre. The Scouts bought some food in Corfe ready to cook their evening meal and made their way to the site where they were staying the night
The Explorer Scouts took the train all the way into Swanage and for the first part of the journey they had to follow photographs taken a couple of weeks earlier to navigate their way through the town. Their route then took them onto the coastal path and towards Lytchett Maltravers.
The Scouts arrived at the site first and quickly collected wood for the fire and hazel branches to build the shelters from. The Scouts built shelters for all the group, lit the fire and got a brew on. The building of camp took about 2 hours and it was estimated that the Explorers should be arriving any minute. The Scouts decided to set an ambush and hid in the hedgerow along the edge of the field. Sure enough the Explorers appeared over the hill about ten minutes later and were pounced on by the Scouts. Once all in camp, the evening meal was cooked over the fire and stories of the day retold. Then it was off to bed in the shelters.
Breakfast was sausages cooked on sticks, bacon and scrambled ostrich egg. It was back to the car park and picked up by the parents. We were all back in Handley by 9.30am, a little wet, a bit smokey from the fire but very tired and ready for a restful day.
District Camp: 12 Scouts and 4 Explorers joined 400 other young people for 3 day at Buddens Farm for this years District Camp. Activities were numerous and included circus skills, t-shirt making, fire lighting, orienteering, camp fire, problem solving and many, many others. This camp was (a not so) dry run for the huge Summer Camp that we will be attending when there will be over 3000 other Scouts from Dorset at the site. We must remember to water proof our tents again, as the weather does not look good!
Fundraising: The Scouts have been kept busy over the last 4 weeks fundraising towards the new hut. We have car parked at a festival, put tents up at the Dare 2 event, litter picked at the Larmer Tree Festival and helped at a wedding in the village. Thanks to Scouts, parents and friends of the group that have worked hard to keep increasing the much needed funds. Thank you also to those people and organisations that have asked the Scouts for help and given us the opportunity to fundraise.
50th Anniversary Celebrations: The Scouts would like to thank all those that supported us during the 50th Anniversary celebrations on the 9th June. It was fantastic for 50 uniformed members to parade up the High Street and to be welcomed with applause as we made our way to the Church. The afternoon of celebration was rounded off with a warming campfire and the rendition of some traditional, and not so traditional, songs. For the Scouts to meet the original members of the group was also very special. The display of 100’s of photographs from the last half centenary jogged the memories of the old Scouts and stories of camps past were being told all afternoon. We can but guess the number of young people that have enjoyed scouting at Woodcutts over the last 50 years and look forward to the next 50 years.