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Ayscough, Annie – Kept a boarding house for stars visiting Grantham

March 5, 2013 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

Ayscough, Annie

Annie Ayscough (1868-1945)

MARY Ann Ayscough was born near Caistor before her family moved to Great Grimsby.

Her father drowned when his ship the Robert & Charlotte, went down with all hands off the Northumberland coast.

She married tailor Thomas Garnham when only 16, and as a dressmaker, made the collars for his suits until he provided her with her own dressmaking shop in Fylde Street, Great Grimsby.

She had four sons by Thomas until his premature death. She then took in lodgers, George & Will Pougher.

She married George, eight years her junior at his home town, Tadcaster.

Then in 1907 George won the Daily Mail Farm, on a 14-acre site at Little Ponton, near Grantham, which the newspaper had offered in a competition.

She helped George run the farm for three years until he died of a brain tumour.

She tried to continue the farm with three of her sons although by now had three daughters by George. Unfortunately it proved too much and she was forced to give it up.

She sold up and took over a boarding house in Commercial Road, playing host to many celebrities of the day who were appearing at the Empire Theatre/Theatre Royal in George Street. They included Will Hay and Elroy the Legless Wonder.

Her daughters helped run the boarding house by day and were usherettes at the Picture House by night.

She retired to a flat in High Street, over Shepherd’s tailoring which had been vacated by Dr Charles Eaton and later moved to a small terraced house in Redcross Street,  spending her final days there.

 

Ayscough, Hannah –  Mother of a genius

October 17, 2012 by Grantham Matters 4 Comments

Hannah Ayscough (1623-1679)

HANNAH Ayscough is best known as the mother of Sir Isaac Newton. She was born in Market Overton in Rutland to James Ayscough and his wife Margery Blythe. Hannah married farmer Isaac Newton, the elder, in April 1642 and moved to Woolsthorpe Manor, near Colsterworth. He died in October 1642, and nearly three months later their only child Isaac Newton was born.
Hannah left young Isaac in the care of her parents, when he was three years old.
At that time she moved to North Witham to marry the vicar Barnabas Smith. She and Rev Smith had three children: Mary, Benjamin, and Hannah. Isaac resented his stepfather and once threatened to burn the house Barnabas and the family lived in with them in it.
When Rev Smith died aged 70 in 1653, Hannah returned to Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, by which time Isaac was 10 years old, and returned to his mother’s household.
As his father had been a farmer, Hannah decided in 1659 that Isaac should also be a farmer, and thus took him away from his school studies.

He spent a year away from school on the farm, at quite a critical time in his education.
Isaac went back to school in autumn 1660.

Later in his life, at the age of nineteen, Isaac grew very resentful of how his mother had left him when he was young.

Hannah’s brother William, unlike her, saw the abilities that her son had and was instrumental in Isaac’s attending of Trinity College in June 1661.

Hannah seemed to be more interested in her farm than in Isaac’s academic achievements.

She died in Stamford, Lincolnshire, when Isaac was 36.

She was buried at Colsterworth on June 4, 1679 by her son, who buried her next to his father. Isaac spent much of the remainder of this year in Woolsthorpe.

Bacon, Vic – Gas man was on cue at the Con Club

February 21, 2014 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

Albert Victor Bacon (1910-1941)

ALBERT ‘Vic’ Bacon was the son of Mr and Mrs H  Bacon, of  Elmer Street North.

Educated at the National School he entered the employment men’s outfitter P W Sheppard, High Street as errand boy.Bacon, Albert

A year later he was engaged by the Gas Company as assistant collector to the late Mr Weston, who then lived at the Hare and Hounds. East Street.

He was promoted head collector, and in the war became a member of the Gas Company’s Home Guard.

He joined the RAF in 1940 as an armourer.

Mr Bacon had been associated with the Grantham Conservative Club for 14 years and was held esteem by all its members.

He took active interest in the various games, being excellent billiards and snooker player.  In 1928 he won the club snooker challenge cup.

Mr Bacon was killed active service.

Baggaley, David – An endless stream of business ventures

March 21, 2015 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

David Baggaley (1944-2015)

Born at Middle Farm, Valley Lane, Long Bennington, David Jeffrey Baggaley attended Long Bennington School until he was  14 when he  went on to Springfield School, Grantham.

From there, he went to Caythorpe Agricultural College, before starting work with his father on the farm.

He met Diane at a disco in Newark and they were married on Easter Saturday, 1968. Their first home was on Welbournes Lane, Long Bennington. After a couple of years they were offered a smallholding on Fen Lane in the village.

By this time Mr Baggaley and his father were carrying out contract farm work around the county, David wanted to start his own business and realising that a particular part of a combine, the sieve, often wore out or broke, he started offering reconditioned sieves to farmers and subsequently Sieve Services was created.

The business went well and he branched out into Midland Combines Limited, supplying parts and becoming one of the biggest suppliers of combine parts in the country, with 670 dealers and eventually supplying around the world.

Ever the entrepreneur, Mr Baggaley had great fun starting several other businesses – a CB radio shop in Grantham; landscape gardening; Christmas trees; barbecues made out of oil drums; a farm shop; laser shoot; a mobile hog roasting machine, designed and built by him; a coal round; and then a wedding car hire business, with a stretch limousine and an American Lincoln Continental.

As well as managing his businesses, Mr Baggaley was always involved in helping others.

He loved going to Newark Folk Club where he was a regular singer.

He also organised many concerts in the village hall to raise money for charities, his favourite being the British Heart Foundation.

He helped to found the Long Bennington Drama Group and was heavily involved in many plays, both acting and creating the sets.

He also appeared at the Robin Hood Theatre, Averham, and also as Santa Claus at Marston village school.

One of Mr Baggaley’s claims to fame was appearing on national television and winning in an episode of Scrapheap Challenge, as the expert giving advice on how to build a combine harvester using an old London black cab.

He was a regular exhibitor at Newark Agricultural Show, where his stands won many awards and the Lincolnshire Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Association (LAMMA). Over many years he was involved with the organisation and management, finally becoming a director.

Mr Baggaley served on the parish council.

Baily, Bob – Continued to serve church 30 years after retiring

October 26, 2017 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

Canon Robert Baily (1921 – 2016)

Canon Robert Spencer Canning Bailey was ordained priest in Salisbury Cathedral in 1945, at the age of 24.  From then

until 1969 he served five churches in Dorset, Bedford, Suffolk and Norfolk before becoming Director of Education for Southwell Diocese, work which he loved and recalled with pride.

He retired to Grantham in 1987 and worshipped at St John’s, Manthorpe, for almost 30 years, until his death in October 2016.

His family describe his retirement as the only settled time in his life, time when he could become rooted and feel at home.

But retirement for Bob was not a time for sitting back and taking a rest. He remained an active priest until his death, though latterly his activities were curtailed by his loss of sight.  He was a regular at Feelgood gymnasium until his early 90s.

He saw this church through two vacancies and was a loyal and active supporter of all the priests who ministered here.

He continued to read theological and other books until his eyesight failed, and was always eager to share new insights

Compiled with the assistance of Jill Potts

 

Baker, Kenny – Top trumpeter stationed at Grantham

December 22, 2015 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

Kenny Baker (1921-1999)

Withernsea-born, Kenny Baker was an accomplished player of jazz trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn, and a composer.

Baker joined a brass band and by the age of 17 and had already become a professional musician. After leaving Yorkshire’s East Riding, for London, he met and began performing with the already well-known jazz musician George Chisholm.

While serving in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, he spent a year (1944/45) at Alma Park, Grantham, with the newly formed RAF Regiment.

Baker was first heard on record in a British public jam session in 1941 and quickly established a strong reputation in London clubs.

The young Baker was lead trumpeter with Ted Heath’s post war orchestra

In the 1950s Kenny led his own group called Baker’s Dozen for which he played lead and solos. With this group he performed on the first regular jazz show on British radio, the BBC Light Programme series Let’s Settle For Music.

So good was Baker that when the Musicians’ Union were trying to justify their ban on American players working in Britain, they were able to ask, “While we have Kenny Baker who needs Louis?”

In 1958, while driving through Grantham to a northern gig, he collided with a woman cyclist wearing a fur coat, on St Peter’s Hill. Fortunately the pensioner was not seriously injured.

Baker, KennyIn the 1960s and 1970s he was still on call for film and studio work. He often appeared on BBC radio’s Sounds of Jazz programme introduced by Peter Clayton in the 1970s with recordings made at the Maida Vale studios in London and broadcast late on Sunday evenings.

In 1955 when he appeared at Blackpool with the up-and-coming comic pair of Morecambe and Wise. He also went on to share top billings with other big comedy variety acts of the day, such as Tommy Trinder, Benny Hill and Ken Dodd.

His career saw him play with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Petula Clark, Sammy Davis, Jr and Tony Bennett.

He also performed on James Bond soundtracks and with The Beatles. In addition to this, he was also heard on hundreds of TV programmes including The Muppet Show, through his involvement with the Jack Parnell Orchestra, which played for the now-defunct ATV company.

In the 1980s he provided the music for The Beiderbecke Trilogy, starring James Bolam.

His famous group, Baker’s Dozen, reformed in 1993 for four sell-out nights at Ronnie Scott’s in Birmingham, releasing an album of the set on Big Bear Records, The Boss Is Home.

He was presented with the best trumpet player title for the third time at the BT British jazz awards in 1999. He was also awarded the MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 1999.

He died in a hospital close to his home at Felpham, West Sussex at the age of 78 after suffering from a viral infection for more than three weeks.

Ball, Albert – First air ace went to King’s School

July 22, 2012 by Michele 47 Comments

 Albert Ball (1896-1917)

King’s School old boy and WWI air ace Albert Ball, lodged in Avenue Road in the town while at school in Grantham in 1908 and 1909.

He stayed at the home of Mrs Howarth.

He became the youngest flier to win three Distinguished Service Orders and was awarded a posthumous VC for consistent bravery in 26 aerial combats.

Ball joined the Sherwood Foresters at the outbreak of the First World War and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in October 1914. He learned to fly in his spare time and gained his pilot’s licence a year later and his wings in 1916.

He joined No. 13 Squadron RFC in France, flying reconnaissance missions before being posted in May to No. 11 Squadron.

He became the first British fighter ace to capture the public’s imagination.

Ball crashed to his death in a field in France while pursuing the Red Baron’s brother, Lothar von Richthofen. During the engagement he managed to force von Richthofen to the ground, but soon after emerged from a cloud bank upside down and crashed before he could recover. The Germans buried Albert Ball in Annœullin, with full honours.

Ball’s father, a former mayor of Nottingham, bought the field where his son died, improving his gravesite in Annœullin, and building homes in his honour.

 

Bamford, Patrick – Youth international footballer was born in Grantham

March 7, 2014 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

Patrick Bamford (B1993)

FOOTBALLER Patrick Bamford was born in Grantham, and joined Nottingham Forest’s Academy as an eight-year-old after playing junior football for Muskham Cougars.

He attended Nottingham High School where he studied French, History, Biology and General Studies and got a good set of A-Level results.Bamford, Patrick

He was an unused substitute during Forest’s League Cup Third Round tie against Newcastle United at the City Ground making his Forest debut against Cardiff City at the City Ground on 31 December 2011, coming on as a substitute.

Bamford furthered his claim to a place in the Forest side by scoring five and setting up three goals in a 9–1 victory over Wigan Athletic youth in the FA Youth Cup, and the following week scored four goals in a 5–1 win over Southampton.

In January 2012, Bamford joined Chelsea on a five-year contract for a  £1.5 million fee. The following week    he started   training with Chelsea’s first team squad.

He made his debut for the Reserves in a friendly against Gillingham at Cobham with Chelsea emerging victorious 5–4. Bamford netted his first goal in Chelsea colours, rounding off a tidy team move and also scored his second, the winner from the penalty spot.

In November 2012, he signed on loan at Milton Keynes Dons making his debut  against Colchester United, and ended the match with three assists. Karl Robinson said that he hoped Bamford would stay until the end of season.

Bamford’s loan was extended having impressed enough before sustaining a hamstring injury. On 19 March 2013, Bamford netted the first goal of his professional career at Crewe Alexandra’s Alexandra Stadium.

Chelsea extended Bamford’s loan to MK Dons until January 2014 and on 31 December 2013, Karl Robinson confirmed that Bamford would not be returning to MK Dons after his loan deal expired.

He celebrated his last appearance for The Dons by scoring his 17th goal of the season in a 3–3 draw against the FA Cup holders Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup.

In January 2014, Derby County confirmed the signing of Bamford on a loan until the end of the season. His first goal came  at  home to Brighton, when he opened the scoring in the 76th minute after coming on as a 59th minute substitute for Simon Dawkins. He dedicated the goal to his godfather, former Nottingham Forest chairman Nigel Doughty.

Bamford won the Football League’s Young Player of the Month award for December following his performances on loan at MK Dons.

In 2016, Norwich City have signed  Bamford on loan until the end of the season. Norwich were 17th in the Premier League.

Bamford, 22, had signed a new three-year deal at Chelsea in 2015 but spent the early part of this season on loan at Crystal Palace.

Bamford was an unused substitute for Palace’s opening match against Norwich City. He made his competitive debut for Palace eight days later in a 2–1 home defeat to Arsenal.

In December, Bamford terminated his loan spell and returned to Chelsea.

In January 2016, after terminating his loan spell with Crystal Palace, Bamford joined Norwich on loan until the end of the season.

In  February 2012, Bamford made his first appearance for the England U19s in a friendly against Czech Republic. He was brought on at half time, only 20 minutes into the second half Chelsea team-mate Todd Kane put a cross into the box which Bamford firmly headed his first England U19 goal.

In November 2013 he was called up to England U21 team for the first time for a game against San Marino U21, after a fantastic start to the season having scored 12 goals in 20 appearances.

Two days later Bamford made his U21s debut, coming on as a 65th minute substitute in a 9–0 win over San Marino.

In 2017 he joined Middlesbrough in a deal worth £5.5m.

Bannister, Roger – Grantham detective became Assistant Chief Constable

May 8, 2015 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

bannister, RogerRoger Bannister (b1969)

BORN near Gainsborough, Roger Bannister was a pupil at the town’s Queen Elizabeth School.

Only leaving, he went to work in retail management in London.

In 1988 he graduated from the University of Portsmouth with a BSc in policing studies and joined Lincolnshire Police.

He progressed through the ranks both in uniformed operations and criminal investigation roles, particularly enjoying his experience as a detective and in 1991 was posted to Stonebridge, Grantham.

He made his home here.

During that time, he was commended as a Detective Sergeant for detecting a knife-point stranger kidnap and sex attack on a young schoolgirl and then ten years later, as the Head of CID, being commended over a four-year long global child protection investigation.

But a low point came in In February 2002, when he was one of three officers investigated by the Police Complaints Authority after police bugging forced the acquittal of five suspects accused of murdering Grantham man Mark Corley.

The men walked free from court after the judge in the case heard how they had been recorded by police as they talked with their solicitors. The Police Complaints Authority’s investigation found the three officers were incompetent but not corrupt.

He took command of the crime support department in June 2009.

In October 2010 Roger took up the role as temporary Assistant Chief Constable (Protective Services) in Lincolnshire Police and in March 2012 graduated from the Strategic Command Course.

He was appointed as Leicestershire Police’s Assistant Chief Constable (Crime) in June 2013 and is due to retire in February 2018.

Roger is married and has twin boys.

He enjoys mountaineering (which has included trips to Scotland, the Alps and the Himalayas) skiing, running and open water swimming.

Barford, Edward – Factory boss had impressive war record

July 4, 2013 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

Aveling Barford Chairman and Joint Managing Director Edward Barford 1951

Edward Barford (1898-1979)

EDWARD James Barford was the head of engineering company Aveling Barford.

He was the grandson of the founder of Barford & Perkins, of Peterborough, pioneers in the development of internal combustion engine road rollers.

In the First World War he enlisted at the age of 17 as a private while at Rugby public school. By the age of 20 he was an acting-major.

Twice wounded and severely gassed, he was twice mentioned in despatches and was awarded the Military Cross.

His business career began in 1922 with Agricultural and General Engineers Ltd, a group of long established family engineering businesses into which Barford & Perkins had been merged. It was the largest group of its kind in the country.

After a rapid rise in the organisation, which included a spell as head of exporting, he became personal assistant to the chairman.

He became increasingly dissatisfied with poor management and a lack of policy  and was soon expressing his views publically.

At a shareholders meeting, he managed to instigate a ballot that led to the resignations of all the other directors. This led to a lack of confidence in the company and the receivers were called in.

Despite being several thousands of pounds in debt, he managed to raise enough cash to revitalise Barford & Perkins and well as that of Rochester-based Aveling and Porter, the steam roller manufacturer.

The businesses were merged and encouraged by a council pledge to build homes for essential workers (Walton Gardens) he moved his business to Grantham in 1933/34 on a site at the top of Houghton Road, surplus to Ruston & Hornsby’s requirements. It was a condition that they bought R&H engines for their plant.

Within three years, it was trading profitably and just before the outbreak of the Second World War, it was turned into a public company, paying off all its debts.

He was also a Lloyds underwriter.

Barker, Frederic –  King’s School old boy became Bishop of Sydney

August 27, 2012 by Michele Leave a Comment

Barker, Frederic (1808–1882)

Frederic Barker (1808–1882)

FREDERIC Barker was born at Baslow, Derbyshire, England, the fifth of six sons of Rev John Barker and his wife Jane.

His paternal ancestors had been landowners and stewards of the Dukes of Devonshire and his grandfather had taken holy orders and become ducal chaplain.

Barker was educated at King’s School, Grantham and Jesus College, Cambridge but scholarship was never his main interest.

As a youth he had marked religious convictions. At Cambridge he came under the influence of Charles Simeon, then in his last and mellowest years as the Evangelical mentor of the University.

Barker went down from Cambridge a firm adherent of the Evangelical party in the Church of England. He always remained true to it.

He was made a deacon by the bishop of Rochester, ordained priest by Bishop Sumner of Chester, one of the few evangelical sympathisers on the English bench, who was always to be Barker’s ideal as a bishop. In 1832 he was appointed perpetual curate of Upton by Birkenhead. Late in 1834 he made a tour for the Irish Home Mission Society and is said to have preached 52 sermons in a month.

Offered several parishes in England and Ireland, Barker chose the ecclesiastical district of St Mary, Edge Hill, a Liverpool suburb, mainly middle-class but with a growing industrial population.

He was controversial, an opponent of non-denominational education and, in a city where religious feeling ran high, of Roman Catholicism. Of Barker’s publications during this time, several were criticisms of Roman Catholic doctrine and practice.

He was inducted in the little village church at Baslow in 1854. Three months later he received the offer as Bishop of Sydney, Australia

In December 1880 his health broke down and, after a partial recovery, he left for England in March 1881. He spent the summer in the Lake District and wintered in Italy. He died at San Remo on 6 April 1882 and was buried in the churchyard at Baslow.

Barlow, Raymond Keith – Grantham man was the first airborne casualty of war

January 11, 2014 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

Barlow, Raymond Keith

Keith Barlow (1892-1914)

RAYMOND Keith Barlow has the unenviable distinction of being the first airman to die in wartime.

He died on 11th August 1914, just one week after Britain had entered the First World War.

The son of High Street tobacconist  Mr. B. C. Barlow, tobacconist, and a grandson of Mr and Mrs Lewarton, of Wharf-road,  he was an air mechanic 1 in the newly formed Royal Flying Corps.

He qualified as an engineer and tool fitter apprentice with Kearns & Co,  of Broadheath.    He left their employment in 1912 to become an air mechanic and had just completed his first class certificate at Farnborough and was about to go to serve at the front.

Pilot Lt Robert R. Skene and Airman  Barlow were killed when their aircraft crashed en route to Dover, just a couple of minutes after taking off.

The aircraft, which was one of the RFC’s Blériots, was heavily loaded as it was flying under active service conditions.

Just over Netheravon, Lt. Skene, who had been the first man in England to loop the loop, made a sharp left-hand turn and this caused the machine to dive from a height of 150 feet.

Air Mechanic Barlow was thrown out of the aircraft – air crews did not have parachutes until much later on in the war.

His death was on the third anniversary of the death in Grantham Hospital of his elder brother of an appendicitis.  His younger brother was serving in the Royal Navy.

He is buried at Bulford Church Cemetery and is on the war memorials at both Altrincham, where he lived with his grandparents, and St Wulfram’s.

Barnard, Ray – League debut was marking a national legend

July 24, 2017 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

Raymond Barnard (1933-2017)

Born in Middlesbrough, Raymond Scholey Barnard signed professional terms for his hometown club in 1950, making 118 appearances at right-back, 113 in the league and five in the FA Cup.

On his debut, aged just 18, he was given the unenviable task of marking Sunderland legend Len Shackleton, a gifted player known and respected as The Clown Prince of Football. Such was Barnard’s performance, Shackleton congratulated him after the game.

 

The former England Schoolboy International worked his way through the ranks of his local club.

 

Barnard moved to Lincoln City, then in the second division (Championship) in 1960 where he made another 47 appearances at the heart of the defence, before joining Grantham.

 

His debut for the Gingerbreads came at Alfreton Town, the first game of what would ultimately become Grantham’s 1963/64 Midland League Championship winning season under player-manager Jimmy Raynor.

 

Ray missed only two of that season’s matches and even managed to grab a goal in the entertaining 5-5 draw against Goole Town in October.

 

The following year he was once again a near ever present member of The Gingerbreads side that finished runners-up in the league, but by the end of the 1965/66 season Ray had made only another seven appearances, with his other goal for the club coming in the October game at home to Stamford.

His final league appearance was in the March 1966 fixture against Alfreton Town although he also played in Cyril Brown’s Testimonial against Rotherham at the end of the season.

 

Ray continued to play after the Summer break, signing up for the Lincoln Claytons side.

 

 

Barnes, Dr Alan – Mathematics are his passion

October 26, 2014 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

Dr Alan Barnes (b1942)

Alan Barnes was educated at the King’s School.

He obtained a BSc in Pure and Applied Mathematics at Imperial College, London in 1968, and a PhD in Theoretical Physics (also at IC) in 1972, working on Classical General Relativity and Cosmology under the supervision of Professor GJ Whitrow.Barnes, Dr Alan

In 1973-4 he gained a Postgraduate Certificate of Education at Bingley College in West Yorkshire.

From 1971-3 Alan was a Turner & Newall Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

This was followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Trinity College in Dublin from 1974-77.

He took up a lectureship in Mathematics at Aston University in 1977, transferring to Computer Science in 1987.

In 2006 he retired from full-time work and worked on a part-time basis in computer science.

His  research interests are in computer algebra and its applications and also in classical general relativity and cosmology.

 

Barnwell, John –  Former town manager became managers’ boss

March 8, 2013 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

John Barnwell (b1938)

Barnwell, John_pic

BORN at High Heaton, Newcastle, John Barnwell was an England Youth International who began his career at Bishop Auckland, before making appearances for Arsenal, (plus winning one England Under-23 cap whilst there), Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United.

He retired from playing in June 1971 with a record of 50 goals in 327 senior League games.

Just over a year later John had returned to the game as a coach at Hereford United and then Peterborough United, with his promotion to the manager’s seat there in May 1977.

Probably his biggest job followed, when he took over at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and he was soon involved in two huge transfers of the time, selling Steve Daly to Manchester City for £1.43m and a week later buying Andy Gray for £1.15m from Aston Villa.

At the end of the 1979/80 season he took Wolves to League Cup Final success over his old club, Nottingham Forest, and was voted ‘Midland Sports Personality of the Year’.

Positions after included time in Saudi Arabia and at AEK Athens, but in June 1987 John returned to England as Manager of Notts County, then Walsall and finally as a consultant to Phil Chard at Northampton Town.

Grantham Town chairman, Alan Prince, brought John to The Meres at the start of 1996, where he was initially running the club’s lottery, but following the departure of Warren Ward and a brief spell with Steve Stoutt as the club’s caretaker-manager, he was soon installed at the helm of the club.

However, he was in charge for only a few games at the end of the season, which finished with a 14th place in the league, as in July he was awarded the position of Chief Executive of the Football League Manager’s Association and had to relinquish ties with any one club.

Barnwell is now a life Vice President of the LMA, and is involved in various businesses related to football. He describes his passion as  “The game, the people in it, and its future”.

Compiled with assistance from Jon Barnes

Bartle, William – Converted ambulance to a bus

September 27, 2012 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

William Bartle (1873-1948)

BORN in Harlaxton William Bartle, he lived in Main Street until he married Mary Ann and moved first to Dudley Road the St Anne’s Street.


A fitter, he moved to Inner Street and started Blue Belle buses in about 1925, one of the earliest services in town, between Grantham and Great Gonerby and later Barrowby.


He began with a First World War Crossley ambulance which he converted into a bus. He bought a second bus which he painted yellow and called it the Cliff Express.


He also ran circular tours at 1/6d (7.5p) and day trips to Skegness at 5/- (25p) return.


He sold his business to Lincolnshire Road Car in 1931.


He lived at Turnor Crescent when he died.

Basford, Robert Alexander (1881 – 1955)

June 24, 2013 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

Robert Alexander Basford  (1881 – 1955) – founded  Independent Labour Party

Grantham-born, Robert Basford was an outstanding personality in both the local Labour Party and Trade Unions.

He studied political economy and developed a broad knowledge of home and international affairs.

Both he and his wife Lilian (she was Grantham Mayor in 1946) were founders of the Independent Labour Party and of the constituency Labour Party which they began in 1918.

He was variously chairman and secretary of the CLP as well as agent.

When he became unemployed in the 1920s he was spokesman for the Grantham deputation to the old Public Assistance Committee and in 1931 won a considerable improvements in benefits for the town’s jobless.

On the union front, he was branch secretary of the former ASE (later AEU) no 2 branch, district referee and other offices.

He began work as an apprentice with Richard Hornsby & Co, but following the depression worked at Newcastle, Nottingham and Derby. In the years leading to his retirement, he worked at BMARCo.

He was a one-time county council, but had to resign as working away from home disqualified him.

In his early days he had been a religious worker and was choirmaster at Commercial Road Primitive Methodist chapel. He was also a Sunday school teacher and lay preacher there.

Bason, James – Head of Grantham school for 17 years

December 21, 2013 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

James Bason (1920-2013)

James William Bason was headmaster of Belton Lane Primary School for 17 years.

Born in Fakenham, Norfolk, he was the son of a station master and lived in various railway towns during his childhood.

Mr Bason

He began work as a printer’s apprentice around 1935 but when war was declared he joined the Royal Air Force.

He eventually flew as rear gunner in Wellington bombers on 33 sorties over Northern Italy and Romania.

Following demobilisation he joined a one-year emergency teachers’ training course in Alsager, Cheshire. It was here that he met and married Vera.

After various headships with British Forces Schools in Germany and Staffordshire, he was appointed headteacher of Belton Lane School in Grantham in 1968. He retired from the school in 1985.

Bass, George – Mysterious disappearance of ship’s surgeon

January 15, 2017 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

George Bass (1771-1803)

George Bass was a British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia.

He was born at Aswarby, the son of a tenant farmer, George Bass, and a local beauty named Sarah Nee Newman.

His father died when he was six.Bown, Joe2

He attended Boston Grammar School and later trained in medicine at the hospital at Boston.

He was accepted in London as a member of the Company of Surgeons aged 18, and in 1794 he joined the Royal Navy as a surgeon.

He arrived in Sydney in New South Wales on HMS Reliance on 7 September 1795.

Also on the voyage were Matthew Flinders, John Hunter, Bennelong, and his surgeon’s assistant William Martin.

Bass had brought with him on the Reliance a small boat with an 8-foot (2.4 m) keel and 5-foot (1.5 m) beam, which he called the Tom Thumb on account of its size.

In October 1795 Bass and Flinders, accompanied by William Martin sailed the Tom Thumb out of Port Jackson to Botany Bay and explored the Georges River further upstream than had been done previously by the colonists.

Their reports on their return led to the settlement of Banks’ Town.

In March 1796 the same party embarked on a second voyage in a similar small boat, which they also called the Tom Thumb. During this trip they travelled as far down the coast as Lake Illawarra, which they called Tom Thumb Lagoon. They discovered and explored Port Hacking.

Later that year Bass discovered good land near Prospect Hill, found lost cattle brought out with the First Fleet, and failed in an attempt to cross the Blue Mountains.

In 1797 in an open whaleboat with a crew of six, Bass sailed to Cape Howe, the farthest point of south-eastern Australia. From here he went westwards along what is now the coast of the Gippsland region of Victoria, to Western Port, almost as far as the site of present-day Melbourne.

His belief that a strait separated the mainland from Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) was backed up by his astute observation of the rapid tide and the long south-western swell at Wilsons Promontory.

Bass discovered the Kiama area and made many notes on its botanical complexity and the amazing natural phenomenon, the Kiama Blowhole, noting the volcanic geology around the Blowhole and contributed much to its understanding.

On Flinders recommendation the passage between Van Diemen’s Land and the mainland was called Bass Strait.

Bass was an enthusiastic naturalist and botanist, and he forwarded some of his botanical discoveries to Sir Joseph Banks in London

He was made an honorary member of the Society for Promoting Natural History, which later became the Linnean Society.

Some of his observations were published in the second volume of David

In October 1800, George married Elizabeth Waterhouse at St James’s Church, Westminster.

She was the sister of Henry Waterhouse, Bass’s former shipmate, and captain of the Reliance.

In January 1801 Bass set sail again for Port Jackson, leaving Elizabeth behind, and though the couple wrote to each other, they did not meet again, as Bass never returned from this journey.

Bass and a syndicate of friends had invested some £10,000 in the copper-sheathed brig the Venus, and a cargo of general goods to transport and sell in Port Jackson. Bass was the owner-manager and set sail in early 1801.

On arrival Bass found the colony awash with goods and he was unable to sell his cargo.

What became of Bass is unknown. He set sail on his last voyage in the Venus on 5 February 1803 and he and his crew were never seen again. His plan was to go to Tahiti and perhaps on to the Spanish colonies on the coast of Chile to buy provisions and bring them back to Sydney.

It has been suspected Bass may also have planned to engage in contraband trade in Chile. Spain reserved the import of goods into her colonies for Spanish ships and Spanish merchants. But the colonists needed more than they could supply and shortages and heavy taxation caused high prices, encouraging an extensive illegal trade with foreign vessels.

In January 1806 Bass was listed by the Admiralty as lost at sea and later that year Elizabeth was granted an annuity from the widows’ fund, backdated to when Bass’s half-pay had ended in June 1803. (Bass had made the usual contributions to the fund from his salary.)

A good deal of speculation has taken place about Bass’s fate. One story, has it that Bass was captured by the Spanish in Chile and sent to the silver mines.

 

 

Batchelor, Frank – Swimming Club stalwart

April 9, 2018 by Grantham Matters Leave a Comment

 

Frank Batchelor (1940-2017)

 

FRANK Henry Batchelor was born in Waltham-on-the Wolds.

He attended the local school before moving on to Belvoir High  School at Bottesford.

He became an apprentice at Ruston and Hornsby, where he worked until 1968 to join Kontaks, on Londonthorpe Lane.

He was employed there for 32 years, followed by six years at McFarlane Packaging.

Together with his wife Vilma, whom he married in 1962, Frank worked tireless for Grantham Swimming Club in the Union Street days of the 1980s/90s.

Frank was also President of the Lincolnshire County Association between 1990-91.

 

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