WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Stanley]

Egbert the tank bank in 1917. The first of the tank banks it had seen service on the Western Front. 1917. Number 141. (LINK)

[David Whipp]

Both new lock gates installed at Greenberfield.

[Tizer]

..The baying pack has now decided that lack of dredging is the problem...Dredging would not be an answer to this, and would not be practical.

The `baying pack' has been mainly unfortunate folk whose houses have now been flooded for about 6 weeks and others who can't get to work or kids to school due to the flooded roads. The people who know best are those who've been looking after drainage of the Levels since long before the Environment Agency took over. This is from the Bridgwater Mercury newspaper:

The Somerset Drainage Boards Consortium (IDB) has drawn up a ten-point plan to reduce the risk of prolonged and deep flooding on the Somerset Levels and Moors. The Consortium’s chairman, Peter Maltby, said he hoped the plan would form the basis of an approach around which communities, farmers, environmental groups and local authorities could all unite in finding a way forward. He added: “The Drainage Boards are made up of people who have a lifetime’s experience of water and drainage in Somerset, advised by engineers who know their subject inside out. "The plan wouldn’t just see the rivers Parrett and Tone dredged, but would address the situation in the round, as the Secretary of State has requested. It sets out the common ground, on which we can all unite.”

The IDB’s 10-point plan:
• Maximise the conveyance of the lowland rivers in Somerset and maintain them.
• Construct a tidal exclusion sluice on the River Parrett as already exists on other rivers in Somerset.
• All land and property owners in Somerset to contribute to the funding of flood risk management work within their catchments.
• Increase soil infiltration and store more flood water in the upper catchments.
• Reduce urban run-off.
• Promote flood resilience and property level protection in the whole catchment.
• Promote and assist the relocation of very flood vulnerable households out of the floodplain.
• Acknowledge and provide assistance to land owners on moors identified as flood storage areas.
• Provide assistance to farmers and others to adapt their businesses in areas used for flood storage.
• Assist farms in flood storage moors to become resilient to flooding and provide assistance to relocate intensive farming activities out of the floodplain with assisted land swops.

[Thomo]

Well put Tizer. Going back to the Tanks, there were six touring tank banks, the most successful raised 14.5 million pounds in Glasgow, its closest rival raising 6 million. The Letcliffe Tank here was given to the Town in recognition of its fund raising efforts:-

In 1919 the Treasury agreed to give 264 "war battered" tanks to various towns and cities in gratitude for their financial efforts. The National War Savings Committee decided which towns and cities would receive one of these presentation tanks. Upon receipt, the tanks tended to be sited in parks or commons and due to a lack of funds or general indifference they would subsequently just sit and rust.
All but one of these presentation tanks were sold for scrap or otherwise destroyed, prior to the end of World War II. Only Ashford's presentation tank still survives, mainly due to having an electricity sub station installed inside it in 1929. The tank is now a Registered War Memorial.

[hartley353]

Date stone on the "Wool Pack" row of cottages, Lenches Rd Colne. Grade 2 listed buildings. The owner of the house thought it may have belonged to William Pickles Hartley the Jam manufacturer and philanthropist. This is doubtful since it pre-dates his birth. Hartley was a very common name in Colne and Trawden. Non of your lot is it Mike?

There is bound to be a connection somewhere, as part of a family tradition where there was no son to carry the name forward the last name would be used as a first name. Thus I was gifted with the second name of Hartley, and my poor father had Hartley as a first name and Ellis as a second name, so truly he had three last names Triple barrelled without a given christian name. Odd folks the old ones.

[hartley353]

As a small boy living on East Parade Barlick, I became the recipient of some small pottery first world war tanks, field guns, and battle ships my memory says they were made in Newcastle. The Donar of these pieces was an elderly lady across the st who thought they may cheer me up during illness. Some distant memory tells me that when I went to thank her she explained that they were sold to raise wartime funds. They disappeared during my childhood probably at my mothers hand, mum was good at decluttering my childhood collectables.

[Big Kev]

http://www.oneguyfrombarlick.co.uk/gall ... ge_id=4534
The gifts, I received from Stanley last year, are now hung in the back of the fireplace at the request of Mrs Kev.

[Big Kev]

http://www.oneguyfrombarlick.co.uk/gall ... ge_id=4534
The gifts, I received from Stanley last year, are now hung in the back of the fireplace at the request of Mrs Kev.

I will add the picture properly soon, I can't get the tablet to do it, unless one of the admins obliges
(Will do...wendy)

[hartley353]

My limited knowledge of Somerset contains odd snippets such as it got its name from the historic word sumorsaete, this translates into the land of the summer people, probably because it was to water logged in the winter. One of the flooded villages used to be the home to a monastery where the monks first tried to drain the land but with limited success. Even the prehistoric folk who used its waters as a defense to their culture were forced to build elevated footpaths from timber to move around. Many of the folks of Somerset believed that the Huntspill was built as a drainage system when its intent was a reservoir. Blaming it on the EA is not fair, many of the local land owners have neglected their duties in ensuring drains are kept clear. Thinking you can cure it by dredging is joining the ranks of king Canute, the people and their dwellings are just in the wrong place.

[PanBiker]

There we go Kev, I think you have just copied the URL in without using the insert image widget.



Very fine they look too..

[PanBiker]

Both at the same time.. doh!

[Big Kev]

Both at the same time.. doh!

Many thanks to both of you.

[Wendyf]

Both at the same time.. doh!

Woops sorry Ian!

Some nice dry looking logs there.

[Stanley]

Nice to see them up Kev. Must get in the shed and mount mine on the mahogany plaque that Mick made for me!
Hartley, funny that the strategy of watercourse maintenance that kept the Levels habitable for over 1000 years is wrong now. Why do you always sound as though you are ridiculing reasonable argument? It was armchair experts that stopped the dredging in 1995 and sold off the heavy equipment for peanuts. Funny that the flooding became a problem after that. The Romans and the Dutch engineers drained the fens using exactly the same techniques. Holland would loose over half its farmland without doing the same.
What attracted my attention was the burglar who was caught and convicted after being recorded on the cameras Springwatch were using to reveal the night time habits of urban foxes. (LINK)

[hartley353]

Stanley do your homework, The dredging was stopped due to the EA bowing to European directives that state, ecology comes before people and business concerns. Agenda 21. Behind the international community and driving them is the UN. Having suffered flood damage myself in a past home my heart goes out to the folks affected I have no wish to ridicule anyone, but have no time for one sided reporting.

[hartley353]

Thought I was back in Scotland when I saw Kevs logs, My imitation coals on the gas fire will not replace the sight of blazing logs in the grate, or the smell of burnt dog hair when a spark leaps out.

[Tardis]

Lancashire appear to have announced a 'rethink' on the Colne bypass to include traffic management in Colne instead of a bypass

[Tardis]

How many?

[Tardis]

"Don't let the #bigbox shops monopolise our #highstreets PLEASE use your #independent shops Thank you"

[PanBiker]

How many?

Averages out at about 128 visits a day for every branch over the two year period.

[PanBiker]

200 hits on the Lancashire Textile Project 2013.

[Thomo]

It would appear that once more we may have a situation similar to the one that developed when we were trying to organise the re-dedication ceremony last year. This time it is all about the Towns efforts to commemorate this years WW1 Centenary. The idea proposed over 3 months ago to produce an event to coincide with the Towns Heritage Weekend, planned for the weekend of the 6/7th of September 2014. "A Wartime Weekend" has several merits in its favour, top of this list is the weather, and second is that the main venue will already be in place in the Town Square. Add to this that on those dates we stand a much better chance of attracting interesting participation than on any of the major event dates planned for the Centenary. It was decided last year that we needed to start work on this ASAP in order to make the planned event a success. One of the biggest problems we had when trying to plan the re-dedication, was getting all of the interested parties together to discuss the project. now it appears that this may happen again. Some of the local groups have their own ideas about the Centenary and it would be appreciated if all could work together rather than going off at a tangent. There is one matter here that is fairly important and concerns the Hospital Ship Rohilla, it will be the Centenary of that tragedy on the 30th of October this year which will be on a Thursday and only 10 days before this years Remembrance Sunday. An individual event to mark the Rohilla disaster on the 30th of October may be good in principle but any hope of input from elsewhere will be minimal at least as a major event will be taking place in Whitby. It has been proposed that the Wartime Weekend be made specific to the Rohilla, and I can see no reason why not. We have a very fair chance of the Lifeboat "William Riley" being here in September and also have a good chance of a display being mounted from the Museum at Whitby. All of this needs to be resolved sooner than later. Last year we were lucky in that the participation of groups from outside of the Town made the event a success, The Yorkshire Regiment and Rolls Royce at Derby played a big part. This is no time for personal agenda's, it requires that everyone pulls together and it should be up to the people of Barlick to open up and discuss the issue. Something else that has been mentioned with regard to Remembrance Sunday, is that it may not be possible to have the marquee in the Town Square. In the past if the weather was bad, the Service would be held in the Holy Trinity Church, some of us can see no problem with that, but it now transpires that some of the other faiths may not be too happy with this solution!!!!!!!!! For just one day in a year, or in this case two, can we all not put aside our differences and work together????

[Stanley]

Yes, I'll go and read my Smiles again on the draining of the Fens. (Vol 1, Lives of the Engineers.) (Pesky historians.....)

[hartley353]

Yes, I'll go and read my Smiles again on the draining of the Fens. (Vol 1, Lives of the Engineers.) (Pesky historians.....)

The fens and the Netherlands bear no relation to the problems in somerset, the topography of the land is completely different, and can't be compared.

[David Whipp]

Something else that has been mentioned with regard to Remembrance Sunday, is that it may not be possible to have the marquee in the Town Square. In the past if the weather was bad, the Service would be held in the Holy Trinity Church, some of us can see no problem with that, but it now transpires that some of the other faiths may not be too happy with this solution!

Peter is relating part of a conversation between me and Ken Hartley, which Ken has passed on.

Because there will be less money available for events next (financial) year, we've been looking at how the town council events can be made affordable. One option is not to have the large marquee on the Square for the Switch On and Remembrance Day.

My fall back suggestion is to have a smaller tent common to both events big enough to protect a PA and brass band. If it's a good day weatherwise, this is a good solution as the sight lines are better from anywhere on the square and it's much more inclusive. The downside on a wet day being the assemblage isn't protected...

My comment about a wet weather option is based on existing arrangements being 1) ecumenical, 2) easy to deal with re road closures for the parade 3) being accessible to those of no faith who wish to take part in an act of remembrance.

I daresay different faiths will participate whatever the venue; but these issues do need to be taken into account.