Swindon in the Past Lane

So while we're on the subject of Swindon Heritage I'd like to mention former editor Graham Carter. In case you missed it, Swindon Heritage was a quarterly magazine for lovers of local history and was co founded in 2013 by Graham, First World War historian Mark Sutton and myself. During our five year career we published 20 editions plus a Battle of Britain 75th Anniversary special. There are still copies available at a knockdown price in the Library Shop, Central Library and bound copies of all 21 editions are on the shelf in Local Studies. But this wasn't Graham's only heritage publication achievement. Graham worked on the Swindon Advertiser from 1989-1998 before going freelance, returning to produce one off supplements. One of the supplements he researched, wrote and designed was the Chronicle of Swindon, a free insert which told the story of Swindon from pre-history to the new millennium.  You probably can't get your hands on a copy of this fantastic publ...

The first time I went to one of Mark's Great War talks I came away feeling as if I personally knew the men he had mentioned.  He told the story of the battles they fought in and the ones that claimed them, but it was not all about their military service. Mark talked about the men and their life before the Great War - the street where they lived; the family fish shop on the corner; the railway factory where so many of them worked; their sweethearts, wives and children. These men were not just a regimental number, a casualty, missing, killed in action, they were someone's son, someone's husband, a father, a brother. Some fought for freedom, some volunteered for an adventure, no one came home unchanged, so many never came home at all - and Mark introduces you to everyone of them. Remembering Swindon's sons who served has been a lifetime commitment for Mark. In 2006 he published Tell Them of Us, but his work has continued since then. Just last month he has been...

And now a shout out for Noel Beauchamp, the third member of our Radnor Street Cemetery team. Noel has a knack of finding some fascinating cemetery stories. His latest one to air was that of Frederick Englebert Kny, a Bohemian glass engraver who came to England in 1867 and died in Swindon in 1905. Noel was one of the first subscribers to the Swindon Heritage Magazine, signing up one snowy morning at a launch event in January 2013. He went on to become one of our regular contributors and a generous supporter. Noel hasn't written a book (as far as I know), but he does run two history websites. His first is the meticulously researched Swindon Bottles website. In 2014 Swindon Heritage editor Graham Carter and myself went to interview Noel about his bottle collection. “Bottles were mass produced in large numbers,” said Noel, whose collection contains everything from a small eau de cologne bottle to several Codd bottles. Noel’s growing bottle collection includes siphons a...

Preparation for this year's Royal Wootton Bassett Field of Remembrance gets underway at Lydiard Park today. The 2019 Field of Remembrance opens in the historic 18th century Walled Garden at Lydiard Park on Friday November 1. A service of remembrance begins at 11 am with visitors requested to arrive before 10.45. The Field of Remembrance pays tribute to all service personnel who lost their lives in war, particularly the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Field of Remembrance was first opened by Prince Harry on November 9, 2010. During the ceremony Prince Harry planted a cross dedicated to his close colleague Lance Corporal Jonathan Woodgate, killed in action earlier that year. The Field of Remembrance will be open daily from 9 am to 4 pm and closes on Thursday November 21. Volunteers will be stewarding St Mary's Church at various times during November. Look out for the open sign outside the church.

Local history stalwart Roy Cartwright recently posted an article on Facebook in praise of the Local Studies Collection in Swindon Central Library, which gave me an idea. Over the next few weeks I intend writing about the unsung heroes of the Swindon local history fraternity. Some have written books, but not all of them; some write blogs, but not all of them. Some are Chair of this or secretary of that but what they all have in common is a passion for local history. I'm beginning with my cemetery partner in crime, Andy Binks and if you haven't met him on the local history trail - where have you been? For several years Andy and I (and Noel who I'll come to next) have conducted guided walks at Radnor Street Cemetery. Andy has been known to rescue shattered gravestones, attend to a bit of cemetery DIY and regularly liaises with SBC to make sure the cemetery continues to be maintained and protected. But that's not all he does! Andy is Chair of the Swindon Societ...