Twenty-six people, representing 24 of the Association’s members, attended our quarterly Forum at

Gloucestershire Archives on Monday, 1

further seven member groups.

The Chairman reported on a number of past and future GLHA activities, including the October 2014 Local

The Treasurer reported on the Association’s continuing healthy financial situation, and that our current

membership stood at 43, including one new member – Lydbrook Historical Society.

Reports were also received from David Aldred on behalf of the Gloucestershire County History Trust (a

report from which is included elsewhere in this Newsletter) and from Paul Evans on behalf of

Gloucestershire Archives, the latter focusing on an update on the ‘For the Record’ project.

The remainder of the meeting was taken up with a discussion on how the Local History Day had gone and

how lessons learnt might be applied to future meetings.

with other organisations such as Stroud Museum. John is keen to work with teachers to create topics and

resources which can be used with a variety of groups.

John’s talk was followed by our usual Christmas refreshments; we are grateful to Louise Scriven for making

mince pies and cakes and to Alison Hobson for organising the refreshments. Gloucestershire Archives was

thanked for hosting the meeting.

Three new members have joined GLHA in the past few months, to each of whom we extend a warm

welcome:

Lydbrook Historical Society – a small group who meet on selected

Tuesdays during the winter and organise occasional visits and social events in

the summer. These meetings occur in the Lydbrook Football Club's premises

in the basement of the Memorial Hall. The Society has a significant collection

For further information please contact Gaynor at [email protected]

Gloucestershire Building Recording Group – originally established in 1993, the Group has so far

recorded a total of 159 buildings, plus around 57 tree-ring analyses. After a number of ‘fallow’ years, the

Group was re-activated in 2014, and aims to continue recording and publishing data about the County’s

historic buildings, with an additional long-term aim of identifying what building features are either common

or rare in Gloucestershire.

Forest of Dean Buildings Preservation Trust – established in 2009 to take on the ownership of historic

monuments and buildings at risk in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley and to raise funds to conserve

This brings our total membership to 49 – so we await ‘the big 50’ with anticipation!

The March and September meetings will include discussion topics.

Monday March 2

2.00 pm. Stephen Haygarth, Chairman of the FoGA, and Heather Forbes,

Gloucestershire County Council’s Head of Information Management and Archives, will talk about the work

what volunteer researchers are doing to support the work of the paid VCH staff.

Monday Dec 7

2.00 pm. Speaker to be arranged.

March 20

– pub April

July10

– pub August

Sept 25

– pub October

We invite member groups to bring along a display on the topic, linked to their own community. Each group

will be allocated a space in the hall at Pates along the same lines as 2014. Steven Blake is compiling a list of

ideas of possible topics that would fit the main theme but the choice is yours! We would appreciate it if you

could let us know as soon as possible if you will be bringing a display. The group who wins the 'Best

Display' award will be given a year's free membership of GLHA. Full details of the event will be sent out in

due course – if you have any questions please email Vicki Walker - walkera[email protected].

The Bryan Jerrard Award for the best article in a Local History Journal will also be awarded – please send in

your Journals to Steven Blake by the end of July.

The historic town of Winchcombe was once an English county town, and boasts a very ancient street

pattern, two stately homes, the site of a monastery, Hailes Abbey, Belas Knap Long Barrow, a steam railway

and a town museum. It was inevitable that it would have to have a strong and active local history group.

Interest in forming a group was stimulated by an exhibition of old photographs of the town in the

Winchcombe Methodist Hall in the autumn of 2012. Plans to establish a history group were advertised in

Winchcombe and more than thirty people attended an initial meeting. A Steering Committee volunteered to

The first meeting of the Winchcombe History Group took place on 18

in attendance. A series of short Christmas extracts were read and Christmas refreshments provided. In the

business part of the meeting it was reported that speakers had been arranged for 2013 and that membership

had reached 80. It was agreed that, in view of the size of the hall, membership should be limited to 80. A

waiting list was established which would be kept under review by the Secretary. In January 2015 the Group

has grown to have 100 members (and it still has a waiting list) and the average attendance at meetings is

near to 60.

The Group meets ten times per year on the third Tuesday of each month (except July and August) in the

Methodist Hall in Winchcombe. At each meeting the Chair welcomes members and the speaker is

comments include: “I was at their grandson’s wedding”, “I remember my father taking me there when I was

a young lad” and “Do you remember Andrews Liver Salts and Scott’s Emulsion?”

The varied programme of speakers has proved popular with the membership and the committee

acknowledges the help it has received from the GLHA Speakers List.

As well as the evening lecture meetings, the Group has made visits to a number of important historical sites.

Six visits were made in 2013 and a further six in 2014. Places visited included Bletchley Park, Blackfriars

Priory Gloucester, the National Arboretum and Cheltenham Ladies’ College. Several particularly valuable

and instructive visits were made to the Gloucestershire Archives in Alvin Street.

The Group has been invited to mount a number of exhibitions. Some 800 people visited one of these when

it was displayed as part of the 2013 Winchcombe Arts Festival. In 2014 the exhibitions have often focused

on the anniversary of the First World War 1914-18. Themes covered by the photographs included:

Winchcombe VAD hospital; Women in the war; Going to war and increasing Government regulation;

Strangers arriving; New opportunities for women; Voluntary service; Pressure on food supplies and the

hungry year 1917; and Reactions to the end of the war.

At this early stage of the Group’s existence the idea of study and research has been mainly in the hands of

handwritten vellum related to the Enclosure Map for Winchcombe and Greet. Jane and Paul Clark became

intrigued two years ago in the provenance of their house, Union Cottage. They wondered if they could

believe several web sites that suggested the house was part of Winchcombe Workhouse. They are near to a

conclusion with ten volumes of minutes to go. During the year a number of established local families have

loaned to WHG valuable photographs. These have been scanned and an archive of these is being built.

Further plans are in hand to extend the enquiry into the Winchcombe VAD hospital and the part played in

The Prisoner-of-War Camps and Hostels of Gloucestershire 1939 – 1948

By Ian M C Hollingsbee

Published by The History Press, 2014. ISBN: 9780750958462. Price £12.99

This A5 book has 180 pages containing black and white pictures, aerial photographs, maps, and personal

accounts relating to the prisoner of war camps and hostels that existed in Gloucestershire during and after

place, a grid reference to aid location, the name of the camp or hostel and, in many cases, a comment. The

latter briefly states the original location if the camp no longer exists and what happened to it (e.g. ‘under

Gloucester’s northern ring road’) and gives information on its current situation (e.g. ‘now an industrial

area’).

Twelve chapters follow; an introduction to the topic discussing Churchill’s ‘unexpected guests’ followed by

descriptions of each camp plus a compelling account of the time spent by Joachim Schulze, a German

prisoner of war who passed much of the relevant time in the Newtown Hostel near Tewkesbury.

Lots of little stories as well as factual details of the camps are provided throughout, including details of

camp taken from the farmhouse and the reminiscences of one who could recall the camp and its inmates, it

was fascinating to get a glimpse of life in earlier and more difficult times. The Germans had quickly made

the camp shipshape when they arrived but, when leaving, they wrecked it as they did not want their hard

work to be used by the displaced persons who were to occupy it afterwards.

Giving copious notes and references at the end, Ian Hollingsbee has explored the role of the camps, their

captives and their workers, together with the impact on the local community. This book draws on Ministry

of Defence and US Army records and those of the International Committee of the Red Cross. It is richly

illustrated with original images and make for a very interesting read.

Liz Jack