April 2008 - Village Voices

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Village Voices subscriptions Do you know someone who would like to receive Village Voices? Subscriptions are available at a cost of £10 for 12 issues including postage within the UK. Rates for overseas are considered individually. Please send the recipient’s name, address and telephone number together with a cheque for £10 payable to Boyton PCC to Debbie Pipe, 4 Mallard Way, Hollesley, Suffolk IP12 3QJ We hear that many former residents of the villages love to read Village Voices. Now is their chance to catch up with all our news. April 2008 page 30 www.villagevoices.org.uk
The Shingle Street Mystery At a Bawdsey Haven Yacht Club talk at Bawdsey Manor John Warwicker MBE explained the background to the rumours that the Germans had landed at Shingle Street in 1940. This incredible story had its origins in the misinformation put out by the British Government at the beginning of the War. In a desperate hope to deter an invasion, one ploy had been to persuade the Germans that the British army could ‘set fire’ to the sea. In 1942 pouring oil on the water and setting fire to it was experimented with, but it was never done on the East Coast and didn’t work any way. The Germans had already experimented with this idea in the Baltic with a total lack of success. Whether they believed the carefully planted rumours or not we don’t know. In the confusion of 1940 the Government organized Cromwell Day as a full-scale rehearsal for repelling an invasion. It was a rather poorly organized exercise and many people believed there had been an invasion. After the war the Government cleared up the ‘burning sea and burnt bodies,’ story and several other pieces of propaganda, and announced that the whole thing had been a hoax. At once many people jumped to the conclusion that this was ‘cover up’ to hide very dark secrets. Most people living in the Hollesley area during the war, or who had family in the area, remained firmly convinced that, apart from an experimental bomb being dropped in 1943, Shingle Street had been remarkably peaceful during the war. People were moved out because there were mines in the shingle beach. After the war, people who had moved into the area loved the story of the ‘German Invasion’ and the story grew and grew. Fuelled by a television program, two books and countless letters to the East Anglian Daily Times with first hand accounts, but never eye witnesses, by people who thought they might have heard or seen something. When John Gummer MP got the Government papers released it was found there was virtually nothing about Shingle Street. In 2004 BBC Radio did some major research and came to the final conclusion that nothing had happened at Shingle Street, although during World War II there had been many fire fights and ‘bodies on the beach’ along this section of coast. The real mystery of Shingle Street is why there was ever a mystery in the first place. Robert Simper Fish out of Water Hollesley Players 8th May, 9th and 10th May 7.30pm in Hollesley Village Hall. Tickets – Adults £5.50 Under 14’s £2.50 Available from Hollesley Stores, Alderton PO/Stores, Box Office 410352 or at the door. This is another comedy from Derek Benfield whose plays ‘Bird in the Hand’ and ‘Panic Stations’ were much enjoyed by the Players’ audiences in 2006 and 2007. ‘Fish out of Water’ takes place in a sundrenched Hotel on the Italian Riviera in the early 1960’s. More details next month! www.villagevoices.org.uk April 2008 page 31
Page 1 and 2: Village Voices The local magazine f
Page 3 and 4: Notes from New Hollesley owners wit
Page 5 and 6: YOUTH TALK £100 cheque from Villag
Page 7 and 8: A Celebration of Schools Music 2008
Page 9 and 10: DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 19TH DATES FOR
Page 11 and 12: they needed could be caught within
Page 13 and 14: Shingle Street Coastguard Shingle S
Page 15 and 16: £100 Cheque for Hollesley School D
Page 17 and 18: Past Times Rose Bachelor, age 17 in
Page 19 and 20: www.villagevoices.org.uk April 2008
Page 21 and 22: Dear Editor, Dear O deer deer deer!
Page 23 and 24: Scorpions find their sting Casting
Page 25 and 26: with Sunday Club 24th Ministers: JA
Page 27 and 28: From PC Andy Warne In response to y
Page 29: On the 19th December top of the tab
Page 33 and 34: Please keep up the excellent cooper
Page 35: Notes from Hollesley Parish Council

April 2008 - Village Voices

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?