Hoby – Commemorative Half Muffled Quarter Peals 2014-2018

Four Year Project Completed

Friday 19^th October 2018 – the day of the final half muffled commemorative quarter peal.  Today we are completing the four year project.  During the last 4 years, the Society have successfully completed a total of 18 quarter peals, each commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the death of the soldiers associated with the village of Hoby.  When we started this project, we were to ring 16 quarter peals, but as the research continued, it was discovered that there were 2 more soldiers who died during the war, and so we rang for these as well.

A total of 18 Framland members have taken part in this 4 year project commemorating the 18 soldiers.  Some ringers rang in several of the quarters, others rang in just one.  Some wanted to ring in specific quarters as it may have coincided with a certain battle that was significant for their own families.

For the final quarter peal, we had been invited to meet up in the church afterwards to round off the project before heading off to the pub for a drink.  The pressure was therefore felt by those who were ringing, as we knew that everyone was arriving in the church for a set time.  So, when we had to re-start after 30 minutes of ringing, we were aware of the fact that people were waiting for us downstairs and had to listen to it all over again.  It was such a relief to the ringers when we successfully completed the last ring.

As we were ringing the bells down, the church warden and vicar made their way up into the ringing room to thank us for our efforts.  We had a moment of silence as we remembered all of the men that we had commemorated over the last four years.

Since the last quarter, Hoby had a window repaired in the ringing room.  They took the opportunity to make a frame so it could open, and have a picture of a bell in the middle of it.  As it was dark, we were unable to get the full benefit, but were able to see it once we had taken a photograph with a flash.  The vicar took this opportunity to dedicate the new window and to our surprise, it was dedicated to the Society of Framland Ringers for our commitment during this project.  We feel very honoured by this.

 

Still aware of the fact that we were running behind schedule, we joined everyone else in the church to be greeted by members of the committee and ringers who have taken part in previous quarters.  We were also joined by members of the church and members from the “Hoby and District Local History Society”.  It is the history society that is the backbone of the commemorative events.  They had researched each of the men who had died during the war.  All of the events that took place throughout the village were because of their work.  There have been church services, flower festivals, village tours as well as the quarter peals.

Again, we had a moment of silence remembering the fallen.  The vicar, David, thanked us.  As the secretary of the society I was expecting to be asked to stand up and say thank you to those involved.  I had a few mental notes to thank the ringers, the committee and also the church warden for being the driving force behind the project.  What came next, I was not prepared for….  I was put on the spot by the vicar.  It had come to light that even though I make myself a “spare” ringer when organising quarters, I found myself ringing in the first 3 (at the last minute).  As a result, I set myself a personal challenge to ring in all of the remaining quarters.  This did have some issues, as I no longer had a back-up ringer just in case someone dropped out at the last minute.  I also found myself rescheduling some of my holidays by a few days to be back in time to ring.  So, instead of being asked to stand up and thank everyone, I was asked “how has this journey affected me”? I was not expecting that question.

….How has it affected me?  There were some days when perhaps I was very tired after a long day at work, and the last thing that I wanted to do was to ring a quarter peal.  Some nights it was extremely hot – too hot to ring.  Other days it was far too cold.  One evening we were flooded and we didn’t think we would even make it into the village because of the road closures.  We may complain about these little inconveniences, but then in the back of mind I realised that 100 years ago, these men did not have an option, they just got on with it and so should I.  They made the ultimate sacrifice for King and Country, so the least I can do is ring for 45 minutes in their memory.  And yes, it was quite stressful in parts.  We did not have the opportunity to go away and try the quarter again the following week.  It was vital that a quarter was completed on the exact day of the anniversary of their death.  Even though I rang in all of the quarters, it has been a team effort by the whole Society.  Special thanks go to those who rang and to those who conducted the quarters.  It is quite easy to get volunteers to ring, but getting conductors is another challenge.

Gifts were presented in the church followed by the compulsory group photo.  By this time, we were ready for the pub.  One of the best things about bell ringing is being able to socialise in the pub afterwards.  It was a lovely evening and the Society would like to thank all of those from Hoby Church who made this project possible.

Members of the Society of Framland Ringers

Compulsory Group Photo – Everyone say “Ding Dong”

More details about the Hoby and District History Society can be found via: http://www.hobyanddistricthistory.co.uk/

 

Hoby – Commemorative Half Muffled Quarter Peal

19^th October 2018 – Private William Henry Crane

Today is the last of the 18 commemorative quarter peals to be rung at Hoby.  Tonight we are commemorating Private William Henry Crane.  He was born in 1882, married in 1904 and had two children.  The census records from 1911 states he was working as a carter for a builder.  William was one of the first volunteers to sign up.  The United Kingdom declared war on Germany on 4^th August 1914, he enlisted on the 5^th (two days before Lord Kitchener issued his first call for volunteers).  Having impressed the army, William rapidly reached the rank of Corporal in the 5^th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment.  Unfortunately, his army career was cut short as only 4 months later (December 1914) he was honourably discharged on medical grounds.  Following his discharge from the army, it was suggested that he may have worked in a recruiting office, although this has not been confirmed.  At the age of 37, he died of pulmonary tuberculosis on the 19^th October 1918, less than a month before the war ended.

To commemorate 100 years after William’s death, 5 Framland ringers met at Hoby to ring in the final half muffled quarter peal.  The pressure to complete this quarter peal was felt by all of the ringers.  Having successfully completed 17 quarter peals throughout this 4 year project, we did not want to let anyone down in this one.  The plan was to ring Grandsire, Reverse Canterbury, St Martins, St. Simons, Plain Bob – all very straight forward methods, all of which we have rung before.  We were ringing well and managed the transition from Grandsire into Reverse Canterbury without any issues.  The transition into St. Martins did not go as smoothly as it should and the method just did not flow.  We had a few stumbles that led into a trip hazard which escalated.  We were not able to recover, so the command to stand was the only viable option.  What is it about St. Martins that has thrown us off course in so many of these quarters?  It has always been the same method that catches us out.  Having already rung for nearly 30 minutes, I think most of the ringers were ready to call it a day.  However, as we agreed to take on this project, we were not leaving the tower until we had completed a quarter peal.  At this point we were aware of the fact that other ringers and members of the church were already assembled in the church for a little bit of “a do” afterwards.  Although it was tempting to go and join them straight away, we made the decision to ring immediately but stick to Grandsire and Plain Bob only.  Thankfully, this time we rang with more concentration and successfully rang the quarter.  What a relief!

Hoby – Commemorative Half Muffled Quarter Peal

1^st October 2018 – Second Lieutenant John Charles Wheatley

John Wheatley was the son of the village schoolmaster in Hoby.  He was only 19 years old when he died of his wounds.  John was a Corporal in the Rifles.  He was then commissioned in the Sherwood Foresters and posted to the 1/5th Battalion in France in July.  He was involved with the battle at Ramicourt on 3rd October 1918 which cost him his life.  The area around the village of Ramicourt was part of the Hindenburg Line system of trenches.  These were fortified villages with gun emplacements forming the last line of German defences on the Western Front.  On 3^rd October 1918, waves of allied soldiers were advancing behind an artillery barrage towards the well defended enemy.  John was amongst the soldiers who lost their lives in this battle.  He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He is commemorated on the memorial at the Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery.

100 years later, 5 Framland ringers met at Hoby to ring in the penultimate half muffled quarter peal to commemorate Jo Wheatley.  The realisation as to how long WW1 went on for was beginning to sink in as some of us have been involved with this 4 year commemorative project from the start.  The soldier we were commemorating was only 19 when he died.  It seems such a tragic waste of a young life.

For this quarter we decided to ring mixed doubles methods with places in 3/4, Reverse Canterbury, Winchendon Place, St. Nicholas and a final flourish of Reverse Canterbury.  This is a composition that our Chairman has called for us before so we knew that it was a tried and tested method.  However, I think it was one of those days where simple mistakes were being made (I was the guilty party for these), so with a few minor hic-ups the conductor put me right and we continued without any further glitches – apart from a slight distraction from the treble ringer when the rope caught her glasses.  For a couple of rows of music we are all looking for the glasses on the floor so we know where not to put our feet in case we break them.  Despite not being able to see properly, we continued to ring yet another successful quarter peal.  A sigh of relief from all of us when the conductor calls “That’s All”.  When we had finished ringing, the church warden came to thank us.  We heard other voices coming up the stair case – who could it be?  A couple of non-ringers had come out of the local pub and heard “a lovely noise” coming from the church. Instead of driving straight home, they sat in their car to listen to us, so when we had finished they just had to come up to see what it was all about.  They watched us ring the bells down and seemed fascinated by it all.  You never know, we might have encouraged someone else to take up the art of ringing.

The pressure is now on to ring in the final quarter on the 19^th October.  Details about the commemorative events and half muffled quarter peals can be found via http://www.hobyanddistricthistory.co.uk/commemorative-half-muffled-quarter-peals/

Hoby – Commemorative Half Muffled Quarter Peal

14^th September 2018 – Major Arthur Jardine Beresford-Havelock

Five members of the Society of Framland Ringers have met at Hoby to ring in a half muffled quarter peal to commemorate the life of Major Arthur Beresford-Havelock.  Little is known about Arthur.  He gained the rank of Major in the North Staffordshire Regiment.  He was killed in action at Baku in Azerbaijan.  He was only 28 years old when he died on 14^th September 1918.  Arthur was mentioned in dispatches and is commemorated on the Haidar Pasha Memorial.  Although Arthur never lived in Hoby, he is commemorated on the South Chancel window in All Saints Church, along with other members of the wider Beresford family who died in the First World War.

We rang, what is now a familiar composition of mixed doubles; Plain Bob, St. Martins, St. Simons followed by the final burst of Plain Bob.  We achieved the quarter peal on the first attempt, with only a few stumbles moving into St. Simons from the St. Martins, but these were corrected immediately and we were back on track.

Once we had finished, we rang the bells down and were greeted by the church warden – very handy to take the compulsory group photograph for us!  The vicar at Hoby also came up to the ringing room once we had finished, thanking us all for our continued efforts throughout this 4 year project.

We have commemorated the lives of 16 men associated with Hoby.  The final 2 men will be commemorated in October.

Details about the future half muffled quarter peals can be found via http://www.hobyanddistricthistory.co.uk/commemorative-half-muffled-quarter-peals/

 

Hoby – Commemorative Half Muffled Quarter Peal

1^st September 2018 – Private Sydney Graham

It is the first Saturday of the month, the Society of Framland Ringers are due to have their routine monthly ringing meeting.  Tonight it is at Gaddesby, but today is also the day that we are ringing a half muffled quarter peal at Hoby in memory of Private Sydney Graham.  So that we could combine both events, we held the quarter peal at an earlier time.  There is always the added pressure of these quarters when we know we have a deadline in which to compete it in.  We are constantly calculating in our heads how much time we have to spare if there is a false start.  As it happens, we rang a successful quarter on the first attempt.  We stuck to a tried and tested combination of mixed doubles; Plain Bob, St. Martins, St. Simons followed by the final burst of Plain Bob.  We rang well.  It felt that we had been ringing at quite a pace, however, the church warden had been recording some of the ringing from the church yard and played it back to us afterwards.  We all commented on how much slower it sounded, as we all felt it had been quicker than that.  Perhaps it is deceptive with the muffles on.  It was a worthy quarter in memory of Sydney.

Sydney was the youngest of eight children, born in Hoby in 1896.  The family lived at Lodge Farm.  The 1911 census shows that Sydney was still living in Hoby working as a page boy at Brooksby Hall.  He enlisted on 1^st March 1916 at the age of 19.  He was transferred to the 6^th Battalion of Leicestershire Regiment during the Battle of the Somme. He had a broken forearm as a result of a gunshot wound in October 1916.  Sydney returned to active service in February 1917.  However, by the following month he was sent back to England with a chest condition.  He returned to France in June and for the remainder of 1917, his regiment was involved with the battle of Polygon Wood near Ypres.  By November, Sydney was suffering from trench foot and was sent back to England for treatment. He returned to France on 31^st March 1918.  Five months later, Sydney was involved in the actions around Bapaume resulting in his death on the 1^st September 1918.  It was part of the Battles of Amiens.  This is considered to be the turning point of the War on the Western Front by the British Offensive where 60 miles had been advanced in 80 days.  The Hindenburg line was broken and 67000 prisoners had been captured before the Armistice on 11^th November 1918 which ended the war.  Sydney Graham was posthumously awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.

Details about the future half muffled quarter peals can be found via http://www.hobyanddistricthistory.co.uk/commemorative-half-muffled-quarter-peals/

Hoby – Commemorative Half Muffled Quarter Peal

5^th May 2018 – Rifleman Charles Edward Gamble

It is the first Saturday in May; traditionally it is the date of the Annual General Meeting for the Society of Framland Ringers.  It was also the 100th anniversary of Rifleman Charles Edward Gamble who lost his life during WW1.  As a result, the Society managed to get 5 “willing” ringers to meet earlier in the afternoon so that we could ring the quarter peal at Hoby before going on to the AGM at Kirby Bellars.  It also happened to be one of the hottest days of the year so far, but fortunately, it was a little cooler inside the tower so ringing was comfortable.  With the additional pressures of completing the quarter on time before the AGM, we opted for a “now very familiar” composition of mixed doubles; Plain Bob, St. Martins, St. Simons and a final burst of Plain Bob.  We rang at a reasonably quick pace, so it did not seem long before the second method was called, and then the third.  The final burst of plain bob was completed finishing the very successful quarter in only 41 minutes.  What a relief to us all that we achieved the quarter on the first attempt.  Perhaps the added pressure of the AGM later in the evening was enough to keep us on our toes and concentrate on ringing.  Perhaps it was the temperature that influenced our ringing.  Either way, it worked; no false starts, or late bobs.  We did not have any hesitations or missed dodges.  It was a very enjoyable ring.  As always, it was an honour to celebrate the life of a war hero.

Charles Gamble was born in 1899 in Gaddesby.  He was the son of John (a farm labourer) and Jemima (domestic cleaner).  They were from Church View, Hoby.  Charles had one older and one younger sister.  Although his service records appear to have been lost, it is known that he enlisted at Melton Mowbray.  He was posted to the 1^st /6^th Battalion of The Kings Liverpool Regiment.  In February 1918, his Battalion formed part of the West Lancashire Division which relieved the East Lancashire division in the front line at Festubert and Givenchy (East of Bethune in Northern France).  This area had been fought over since 1914.  In March 1918, a number of enemy raids had been fought off.  Unfortunately, this was only the prelude to a full scale German assault at Givenchy in the April of 1918.  The successful defence of Givenchy is considered to be a major part in blunting the German offensive.  The village has since been selected as the memorial site for the Division and for those who died serving in it.

Memorial to the 55th Division at Givenchy

The main assault at Givenchy was over by the beginning of May, however, artillery bombardment was a constant danger for those near the front line and caused many casualties.  The notes from the 1^st/6^th Battalion showed they had not suffered any casualties while they were in the Givenchy sector.  However, it was on the following day (5^th May 1918) heavy German artillery had been very active demolishing almost all of the Battalions dug-outs and tunnels.  14 of its garrisons had been buried.  Only 4 garrisons had been recovered and listed as wounded.  The other 10 were missing.  Charles Edward Gamble was amongst those not recovered.  He is one of the more than 20,0000 British soldiers with “no known grave”.  Their names appear on the Loos Memorial to the Missing.  He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.  At only 18, Charles is the youngest of the men from Hoby who died during WW1.

It is a very sobering thought that we as a Ringing Society have been involved with this 4 year project commemorating the lives of brave men from Hoby who lost their lives fighting for King and Country.  We have taken part in 14 quarter peals and have 4 more men to commemorate in the final months of the year.  The next is on the 1^st September 2018.  Details about the future half muffled quarter peals can be found via http://www.hobyanddistricthistory.co.uk/commemorative-half-muffled-quarter-peals/

Hoby – Commemorative Half Muffled Quarter Peal

4^th April 2018 – Private Victor Albert Coleman

The first of six quarter peals at Hoby for the final year of the commemorations.  Today we are commemorating the death of Private Victor Albert Coleman.  He was the son of a farm labourer, born in Hoby in October 1893.  By 1911, he was still living in Hoby and worked on one of the local farms.  He initially joined the Leicestershire Yeomanry (a cavalry regiment).  He was a machine gunner when he joined the newly formed Machine Gun Squadron in February 1916.  Machine gunners often provided the infantry with the first line of defence, attracting enemy fire.  More than one third of the new Corps members became casualties, earning the nickname “the suicide club”.

During March and April of 1918, the Germans pushed towards Amiens to take control of that strategically vital communications centre.  To the East of Amiens (Villers-Bretonneux), on the 4^th April 1918, there was a fierce defensive action by the British and Australian forces.  This is where Victor Coleman was killed in action.  This is now the site of an Australian war memorial as well as the cemetery where Victor is buried.

Posthumously, he was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Australian War Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux

The ringers met at Hoby Church ready to ring the quarter – although some of us were late due to the multiple road closures because of the local flooding.  We were determined to find a way through to the village to ring in this quarter.  We started with Reverse Canterbury Doubles before moving into Winchendon.  The transition was smooth and we continued to ring well.  We were ringing at a nice steady pace.  We were in the final stages of Winchendon when the ringer on the 2^nd announced she was completely lost (… that ringer was me).  My announcement of being lost took everyone else by surprise that even the conductor was taken aback … between us, we managed to fire up.  This was not ideal, as we were already 6 extents into the quarter.  Our treble ringer needed a quick sit down and wrist guards tightened before we started the second attempt.

The pressure is now on to complete this quarter peal as we knew that a third attempt would be impossible.  We set off again with Reverse Canterbury.  This time, we rang at a much faster pace.  We had a successful transition into Winchendon and were so relieved when we heard the instruction to ring St. Nicholas.  At least this time we had gone further than the previous attempt.  It was an even bigger relief when we reverted back to ring a final burst of reverse Canterbury.

As always, it was an honour to ring for a local soldier who gave the greatest sacrifice for his king and country.

There are five more commemorative quarter peals at Hoby during 2018.  The next being on the 5^th May 2018.  Details about the future half muffled quarter peals can be found via http://www.hobyanddistricthistory.co.uk/commemorative-half-muffled-quarter-peals/

Hoby – Commemorative Half Muffled Quarter Peal

30^th November 2017 – Lance Corporal Charles Henry Read

Today was the 6^th and last quarter peal at Hoby during 2017.  This time it was to commemorate the death of Charles Henry Read.

Charles was born in 1892.  He was working as a groom at Normanton hall in Rutland before enlisting in the 4^th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment in September 1914.  He was sent to France the following year where he was injured several times (most seriously during the Battle of Loos in October 1915 and again in the September 1916 during a battle to regain Thiepval Ridge).  He returned to England for hospital treatment and eventually transferred to the 5^th battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment.  In November 1917, his regiment was involved in the Battle of Cambrai, during which Charles was recommended for gallantry in the field for his bravery.  Unfortunately, only 10 days later Lance Corporal Charles Henry Read was killed by a shell on 30^th November 1917 near Bleak House.  His Commanding Officer wrote to his widow (Mary) “I can only partly realise the sorrow you must feel at the loss of one who will be missed so much, but at the same time must feel proud of his gallant deeds and splendid life. He was an excellent N.C.O. and would have gone far in promotion, as he had been recommended for gallantry in the attack on 20th November.”  Charles was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British war medal and the Victory Medal.

When his death had been comfirmed, his wife, Mary, and their three children were served with an eviction notice they moved in with relatives in Thrussington.  They later moved to Hoby, where one of the daughters (Gladys Hack) lived for the rest of her life.  Charles is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial at Louveral.  He is also on his wife’s headstone in Hoby.  The headstone has been classified as a War Memorial by the War Memorials Trust.

It was a cold evening when the ringers assembled ready to ring.  This time we opted for Grandsire Doubles instead of the mixed doubles that we have been ringing recently.  We had a rocky start and after the first 6 minutes, our conductor called us to stand.  The decision to try again or to revert to mixed doubles … let’s stick to the original plan of grandsire.  This time we rang much better with no method faults.  We rang much quicker than in previous quarters.  I think this was due to the cold and we really needed to keep warm.  I wonder what the weather was like for those in battle 100 years ago.

Yet again, it was an honour to ring for this brave soldier who lost his life fighting for his king and country.

There are six more commemorative quarter peals at Hoby during 2018.  The next being on the 4^th April 2018.  Details about the future half muffled quarter peals can be found via http://www.hobyanddistricthistory.co.uk/commemorative-half-muffled-quarter-peals/

Hoby – Commemorative Half Muffled Quarter Peal

26^th October 2017 – Lt. Col. Percy William Beresford D.S.O.

It was only a few weeks ago that five of the Framland Ringers met at Hoby to ring a quarter peal as part of the WW1 commemoration events.  The same five ringers met again this evening to ring in commemoration of Lt. Col. Percy William Beresford.

Before the First World War, Percy Beresford was the Assistant Priest of Saint Mary’s Church in Westerham, Kent.  He went on to have a distinguished war record.  He was awarded the D.S.O. in the Summer of 1917.  The citation reads: “For conspicuous gallantry and ability in command of his battalion during heavy enemy counter-attacks. The skill with which he handled his reserves: was of the utmost assistance to the division on his right, and his determination enabled us to hold on to an almost impossible position. He repulsed three counter-attacks, and lost heavily in doing so”.

Percy was killed in action on the 26^th October 1917 during the 3rd Battle of Ypres (more commonly known as the battle of Passchendaele). He was commanding the 2^nd/3^rd Battalion of the London Regiment (The Royal Fusiliers).  He is buried in the Gwalia Cemetery in Belgium.  Percy Beresford’s name also appears on the South Chancel Window in Hoby Church along with the name of Major William Beresford who had died only a few weeks earlier.

Each time we meet to ring a quarter peal for the men of Hoby, the reality of why we are there is becoming more significant to us.  The pressure to complete the quarter on the specific date is firmly in our minds.  It is a dark October evening, the time of year when coughs and colds are abundant.  Many people would rather stay at home, but for us, these quarter peals have become so significant that despite the coughs, colds, sniffs and sneezes, we were determined to ring to the best of our ability.

When we arrived, the bells were already muffled and in the “up” position for us ready to go.  We rang a few rounds first, but something wasn’t quite right.  A muffled bell was heard at handstroke and a very loud ring was heard at backstroke – but only for bell number 2.  It was “up wrong”, so down it came and rung back up again.  This time it was correct so we launched straight into the quarter.  Thankfully, this half muffled quarter peal was very successful.  It was conducted by our chairman using a tried and tested combination of methods that we used earlier in the year.  We started with Plain Bob before moving onto St. Martins, St Simons and then back to Plain Bob.  We all rang well with good striking.  We rang without any errors.  There wasn’t any need for anyone to nod and wink at each other to put anyone right.  We rang at a slightly faster pace than the previous quarter.  Perhaps this was due to the dodging in 3/4 instead of places.  Perhaps, it was because the band consisted of the same ringers on the same bells and we were more settled this time.  Or perhaps it was the fact we had coughs and colds and wanted to get home to a hot drink.  Whatever the reason, it sounded good and it was a pleasure to ring and we are proud to be a part of the commemorations.

The Society will be ringing again at Hoby on the 30^th November 2017 for the next half muffled quarter peal.  Details about the future half muffled quarter peals can be found via http://www.hobyanddistricthistory.co.uk/commemorative-half-muffled-quarter-peals/

Hoby – Commemorative Half Muffled Quarter Peal

9^th October 2017 – Major William Cecil Beresford

Monday evening; the ringers gathered at Hoby to commemorate the death of Major William Cecil Beresford who died 100 years ago, and ring a half muffled quarter peal.  There is very little service information about this Major in the First World War.  It is known that he was a Major in the Royal Defence Corps, and that he had died in the Burdon Military Hospital in Weymouth, presumably of wounds.

The Royal Defence Corps was formed from the Home Service Garrison Battalions of line infantry regiments, with soldiers too old or medically not suitable for the front line.  The Defence Corps provided troops for security and guarding the home front.

I wonder what part he was playing to end up in the hospital and ultimately die of his wounds.  I do not know how old he was, or if he had left behind any family.

His name does appear on the South Chancel Window in Hoby church.  It was installed in the early 1920s.  The lower panel has a list of members of the extended Beresford family who were killed in the First World War (including Major William Cecil Beresford).  The window is now classified as an official war memorial by the War Memorials Trust.

 

The quarter peal was very successful, no false starts or errors.  Only the occasional nod and wink was observed across the tower, but even these weren’t really needed.  The quarter was conducted by our chairman using a tried and tested combination of methods that we used earlier in the year.  We started with Reverse Canterbury.  We moved onto Winchendon Place and then St Nicholas before finishing with the final burst of Reverse Canterbury.  All of these used the same bob, which helped with the transition when we changed methods.  I felt that this selection of methods which have places in 3/4 instead of dodging, suited the half muffled bells beautifully.

Despite knowing very little about this soldier, it was a privilege to ring in his memory.

The Society will be ringing again at Hoby in a few weeks on the 26^th October 2017 for the next half muffled quarter peal.  Details about the future half muffled quarter peals can be found via http://www.hobyanddistricthistory.co.uk/commemorative-half-muffled-quarter-peals/