Ryde Social Heritage Group research the social history of the citizens of Ryde, Isle of Wight. Documenting their lives, businesses and burial transcriptions.
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Members Meeting January 2017

David Harris

The first Ryde Social Heritage Group Members meeting of the year was held on the 7th January at the George Street Centre and despite a spate of seasonal illness was attended by 33 Members and 6 Visitors.

The proceedings commenced with a report from Kate MacDonell that the paid membership, following the current morning’s receipts, stood at 80.

Kate then continued to outline our activities for the last three months which included educational visits from both Haylands and Greenmount Schools, a Fungi walk and a well attended Victorian Christmas “drop in event” at the Cemetery Learning Centre. The main event had been the commemoration of the centenaries of the Battles of Jutland and the Somme in which several local organisations had been involved in making poppies and forget-me-nots and the preparation of books of remembrance. The results of these activities were on display at the Service of Remembrance conducted by Canon Morris.

Arthur Williams reported that Ryde Social Heritage Group finances were continuing on an upward trend and he was looking forward to them being in a healthy state when the Service Delivery Agreement with the Isle of Wight Council ended in 2020.

Ann Barrett was able to give the news that 18,068 records had been added to the website by the end of December and so much information was being generated by the transcribers and researchers that she was in desperate need of volunteers to undertake typing.

Following the raffle and refreshments our speaker was David Harris.

David’s presentation covered the period when he was growing up in Ryde between 1940 and 1952 and he had entitled it “War and Peace” His reminiscences were many and varied covering as they did the bombing of Church Street, the various schools he attended, watching Portsmouth winning back to back Division 1 titles and being allowed to take home on one occasion, his (unloaded) rifle when he belonged to Sandown Grammar Army Cadet Force.

Photographs by David Bushell