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The History Group
Leader: Ronald (Yogi) Godwin - history@ashbyu3a.co.uk - phone 01530 467840
Yogi is ably assisted by Jane Barnett, Barbara Ball, Colin Ellis, Jane Harris and Isobel Salt
All Ashby u3a members are welcome at our meetings.
All meetings with speakers will be held at Packington Memorial Hall on the 4th Thursday of the month.
Doors open for Packington meetings at 2.15pm. Admission £2
Due, in part, to the cancellation of the trip to Leeds, the History programme has been revised as shown below.
Future programme | ||||
| Date | Time | Venue | Speaker & Subject | Details |
| Thu 25th Jun | 2:15 pm | Packington Village Hall. | Michael Hardy - A hands-on identification of historical artefacts | |
| Thu 23rd Jul | 2:15 pm | Packington Village Hall. | Yogi Godwin - 'Joseph Wilkes (1733-1805), an early pioneer’ | |
| Thu 27th Aug | 2:15 pm | Packington Village Hall. | Colin Ellis - 'Stockton and Darlington Railway' | |
| Thu 24th Sep | 2:15 pm | Packington Village Hall. | Yogi Godwin - 'Ashby Heroes 2 - Rawdon Hastings' | |
| Thu 22nd Oct | 2:15 pm | Packington Village Hall. | Bill Devitt - 'Transport and Ashby' - an over-the-ages examination of problems and their solutions | |
| Thu 26th Nov | 2:15 pm | Packington Village Hall. | The History Team - 'Christmas Whoopsies' | |
Thursday 28th May.
A trip to the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas
On a lovely sunny day, but thankfully somewhat cooler than of late, a dozen members drove out to the Arboretum. Some had never been before and some only a long time ago. For those who hadn't been for ages it was quite a surprise. There are more and bigger reception and meeting areas including a very nice terrace where one can sit and admire the view, and maybe partake of some refreshments.
Talking of the view, it has changed beyond all recognition since I was last here with 25,000 trees covering 150 acres of what used to be a quarry. There are over 400 memorials to those who have served and continue to serve our country. Whilst the majority of these memorials are to members of our armed services, there are also ones to the civilian services of police, fire, ambulance, nurses and the RNLI.
Memorials range from the main Armed Forces Memorial to small plaques to maybe a regiment, squadron or even an individual.
The whole site is a beautifully laid out in a seemingly random way which makes it all much more personal and less formal. Seats and benches where one can sit in contemplation, or just take a rest, are everywhere often dedicated to an individual or small group.
Our dozen members wandered off in different directions, some looking for particular memorials, perhaps involving a relative, whilst others took in the whole scene. After 2½ hours walking I had seen maybe half of the site.
A small group of us got talking to a site volunteer and were privileged to hear his story of being one of the survivors of HMS Coventry which was sunk during the Falklands War 44 years ago this week. He told us that the names 19 of his mates were on the wall of the Armed Forces Memorial.
The whole site is a moving tribute to so many who have given their lives for this country, but it is also uplifting and beautiful place, well worth the visit.
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