Boyd's photo diary. |
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Aug22 |
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Sun 28 Aug 2022
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For anyone who enjoys exploring our countryside it's always
a delight to find something completely new and unexpected. Today
I joined several members of Brindle Historical Society for a
guided tour of the site of an old demolished Corn Mill in
Samlesbury by the River Darwen. The site has now been converted
to a large area of gardens, features and the Temple of Alchemy
Grotto. For the more adventurous there was even a bouncy
suspension bridge across the River where the old weir used to
be. Thanks to owner Chris Mortimer. |
Temple of Alchemy Grotto |
River Darwen, Samlesbury. |
Chris and Brindle Historical Society members. |
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Temple of Alchemy Grotto. |
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Temple of Alchemy Grotto. |
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Henry Stone on the suspension bridge. |
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Sat 27 Aug 2022
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Happy Birthday to my lovely daughter Jill. 46 today.
Photo taken in Kettlewell, May 1983. |
Miller Arcade. |
Whittle-le-Woods Village Hall Flower, Craft & Vegetable
Show. 15th show in the Village Hall. |
Miller Arcade. |
Village Hall. |
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Village Hall Computer Room. |
On an evening walk along Carwood Ln footpath took this photo of
Rivington Pike bad Pigeon Tower through my telescope into the
phone camera. |
Damsons on Hill Top Lane. |
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Fri 26 Aug 2022
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Mid morning caught 125 bus to Preston. Firstly the
Chorley branch of HSBC closed last year. The Leyland branch has
just closed so I have to go to Preston as I had a cheque to pay
in and some cash to get out. The Bus Station has been altered
and half has been pedestrianised. |
Preston Bus Station.
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Miller Arcade. |
Miller Arcade. |
Miller Arcade. |
New HSBC Building. |
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Thu 25 Aug 2022
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On an early morning walk along Factory Lane I tried
a low level wide angle photo on my phone. |
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Chorley Hospital. |
Chorley Hospital. |
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Tue 23 Aug 2022
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Dramatic sky as I rejoin the M6 south at Shap. |
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Sat 20 Aug 2022
This morning’s Whittle-le-Woods Canal Clean Up was a huge
success. The line of the old Lancaster Canal through the village
has been disused for many decades. It first opened in 1803 but
its decline began with the coming of the railways to Chorley and
Preston after the 1850s. Most of the canal was filled in when
the M61 was constructed in the late 1960s but a short length was
kept open at Moss Bridge by Chorley Old Road. The Canal Basin
area was landscaped by the Council and a play area & Millstone
Monument built. The open water length was mostly ignored and
many said something should be done. Today, thanks to Bill for
kick starting a Clean Up project a skip was provided by the
Parish Council and over 30 volunteers got their hands dirty to
cut back the overgrowth and dredge the canal. Refreshments were
provided by the local scout Group and by the end of the morning
ducks had returned and hopefully the kingfisher that can usually
be seen will also return. |
Our amazing voluneers. |
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After. |
Cleaning the tunnel portal area. |
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Scouts of refreshment duty. |
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After cleaning under the bridge. |
The Whittle & Clayton Scoutleader Peter Baker showed me
a photo of a canoe that they took on the canal 10 years ago. He
then showed me the canoe tied to the wall of the Scout Hut. |
Cleaning the tunnel portal area. |
Canoe on the canal about 2012. |
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Thu 18 Aug 2022
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Good to see football being played on the field by Kem Mill Lane. |
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Tue 16 Aug 2022
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Evening visit from the water Utilities engineer to assess the
leaking stoptap. |
The leak is a little worse.
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Took car to Weldbank Garage for engine diagnostic.
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Thu 11 Aug 2022
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Evening visit from the water Utilities engineer to assess the
leaking stoptap. |
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Wed 10 Aug 2022
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Water leak has started from the stop tap outside.
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Morning visit to Grant's Tower above Ramsbottom.
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Tue 09 Aug 2022
Afternoon bus ride to Bolton to visit the Market, Museum and
Silverwell Street Dentist. |
Bolton. |
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Samuel Crompton. |
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Bolton Museum.
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Dentist.
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Mon 08 Aug 2022
Evening walk back from Chorley via Chorley Parochial School,
Parker Street, Chorley.
Rifleman William Mariner V.C.
(1882-1916).
Killed in action 1 Junly 1916 (near Cambrin). |
Parker Street, Chorley. |
Parish Church National and Sunday School 1835. Parker Street,
Chorley. |
William Mariner V.C. |
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Sun 07 Aug 2022
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Enjoyed a bike ride to White Coppice. The cricket
field cabin was open so I had an ice cream covered in white
chocolate. Some may say that's racist. Yummm. |
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Sat 06 Aug 2022
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Battle of Bamber Bridge |
Battle of Bamber Bridge.
Outside the Hob Inn. |
While out for an evening bike ride via Bamber Bridge (Sat 6th
Aug 2022) I stopped at the newly unveiled Battle of Bamber
Bridge memorial (24th June 1943) outside the Hob Inn. A
transcript is below:
INTRODUCTION
During the Second
World War, Bamber Bridge hosted American servicemen from the
1511th Quartermaster Truck Reglement.. Air Force Station 569 was
situated on Mounsey Road, part of which still exists now as home
to 2376 Squadron of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets.
The
1511th Quartermaster Truck regiment was a logistics unit and its
duty was to deliver material to other Eighth Air Forces bases in
Lancashire. The 234th US Military Police Company was also
located on the north side of town. US Armed Forces were still
racially segregated and Black troops denied combat roles because
of racial prejudice. The soldiers of 1511 Quartermaster Truck
regiment were almost entirely African American, while all but
one of the officers were white, as were the MPs.
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people of Bamber Bridge supported the Black troops, resisting
such Jim Crow segregation, and created a welcoming atmosphere
for them with African American men mingling freely with local
white women. When American officers demanded a colour bar in the
town, all three local pubs reportedly posted “Black Troops Only”
signs,
ARGUMENT
On the evening of 24 June 1943 some
soldiers from the 1511th Quartermaster Truck regiment were
drinking with English troops and civilians in Ye Olde Hob Inn.
Two passing MPs entered the pub and attempted to arrest one
soldier, Private Eugene Nunn, stating he was improperly dressed
and without a valid pass.
An argument ensued between Nunn
and the white MPs, with locals urging the MPs not to arrest the
man. African American Staff Sergeant Byrd defused the situation,
but as the MPs left a beer was thrown at their Jeep. The MPs
picked up two reinforcements and intercepted the soldiers on
Station Road as they returned to their base at Mounsey Road,
prompting another violent confrontation in which shots were
fired, and a Black GI wounded in the neck.
MISUNDERSTANDING
When some of the injured soldiers returned
to their base, the incident caused panic as rumours began to
spread that the MPs were out to shoot Black soldiers. At
midnight, several jeeps full of MPs arrived at the camp,
including one improvised armoured car with a large machine gun.
This over-reaction prompted African American soldiers to arm
themselves with weapons, and a large group left the base in
solidarity with their comrades.
TRAGEDY
There was a
confused and violent confrontation that led to stray bullets
hitting and even entering houses. The fight only ended around 4
am the next morning and resulted in seven wounded and the tragic
death of Private William Crossland in the crossfire. A court
martial convicted 32 African American soldiers of mutiny and
related crimes. Many were given long sentences but the urgent
need for troops as the war intensified meant long sentences were
commuted and those convicted were released within 15 months,
some into newly created combat roles.
The American army
remained segregated until the end of the war, however incidents
like the mutiny at Bamber Bridge showed how untenable it was to
fight a war for democracy, with a Jim Crow army, and in 1948 the
American army began a process.of desegregation, an important
marker on the route to full civil rights for African Americans.
[Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial
segregation in the Southern United States.] |
The Battle of Bamber Bridge. |
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Dover Farm, Hoghton seen on my bike ride home. |
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Fri 05 Aug 2022
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A photo taken with my phone on wide-angle setting. |
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Thu 04 Aug 2022
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This morning I visited our Whittle & Clayton-le-Woods War
Memorial. The reason for its existence began 108 years ago on
Tuesday 4th Aug 1914 when Britain declared war on Germany. It
was a very traumatic time in our history and the date was
preceded with the events below:
28th June 1914, The
assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Serb
nationalist.
1st Aug 1914, Germany declares war on Russia.
3rd Aug 1914, Germany invades Belgium.
3rd Aug 1914, Germany
declares war on France.
4th Aug 1914, Britain declares war on
Germany.
That was the beginning of WW1, or the Great War as
it was called at the time.
The World then changed forever. |
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Wed 03 Aug 2022
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Cycled to Astley Hall, Chorley to take the last photo.
The
first is mum in 1938 at the age of 22. |
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Mon 01 Aug 2022
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At Horwich MyVue cinema to see the film Joyride. It
wasn’t very good.
Cast:
Olivia Colman as Joy
Charlie
Reid as Andrew "Mully" Mulligan |
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Heading for screen 3 |
Screen 3 was empty. |
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Evening bike ride via Hoghton, Brindle. This is the
wayside cross adjacent to St James' School on Private Road. It
used to be on Gregson Lane by Alma Row. |
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