Rye Harbour was the scene of a dramatic midnight rescue on Sunday night, when a member of the crew of the coaster Hoopride, moored at Alsfords' wharf, missed his footing going back on board and slipped into the water between the wharf and the side of the ship. The tide was high, and Dominic Clark, 21, of Hastings, was under water and unconscious when Mr. Tom Kelleher, 37, landlord of the Inkerman Arms since June, jumped into the icy river and brought him to the surface.
Seeing that Nr. Kelleher was having difficulty in keeping himself and his burden afloat, Peter Caister, 18, who lives and works at the Harbour, also jumped in and the two of them managed to keep Mr. Clark above water until the crew of the coaster could haul all three men out. Mr. Clark was taken by ambulance to the Royal East Sussex Hospital, and later discharged; Mr. Kelleher and Mr. Caister declined the offer of treatment, but by Monday evening opening time Mr. Kelleher for one had been firmly tucked up in bed by his wife. Mrs. Kelleher knew nothing about the drama until it was all over - she just wondered why her husband was being so long away.
We are proud to congratulate Mr. Kelleher and Mr. Caister on this most gallant, and happily successful, rescue in the best traditions of the Harbour.
We apologise most humbly for the slip of the typewriter which in last week's issue placed Bryans' toy shop in Cinque Ports Street. It was, of course - as Robins now is - in King Street, usually referred to nowadays as Landgate.
We have received two most interesting letters from people who have obviously known the town well for very many years, pointing out our mistake about Bryans but only signed with initials. There is, as they say, so much of Rye's history vanishing beneath modern developments; one letter mentions paved paths on both sides of Conduit Hill, for instance. One of the writers refers to a toy shop where Moores' greengrocers is now, which moved to the bottom of Cattle Market Hill (is this Market Road?) and was kept by someone called Goode, but we have no date for this. We would really be very grateful if the writers could get in touch with the GAZETTE so that we could call on them and see the photographs referred to, as it would be most interesting to assemble these memories in a future issue.
We have also been reminded by a reader that in the Bryans' toy shop days there were toys for sale in Goulden's bookshop, and there was a small toy shop and confectioner in the Mint kept by an elderly lady who is perhaps still living in the town?
The GAZETTE is, of course, primarily a newspaper for the publication of current news. But at this time of year, when there is not a lot going on, there is room for an occasional historical wander round the town, particularly as it used to be when people now retired knew it as children. "Real" history is mostly dealt with in the various books about the town, but from around 1900 onwards we still rely on memories, and the GAZETTE will be very glad to hear from people who would like to put on record unusual or forgotten snippets of Rye life.
After our rude remarks last week about the Sussex Express office, we are very glad to report that repair work was put in hand immediately, and by Monday mid-day the place was spotless. Peter Austin, Editor of the Express and once its Rye reporter, tells us that the roof leak had been reported earlier to their maintenance staff, but the long Christmas break had meant that they were unable to check on the full extent of the damage.
Mr. Austin says that the Express had not intended the office to stand empty for so long, but there were complications about sub-letting. He assures us that if a suitable use can be found for it for the rest of the Express's lease, he would be very pleased, and anyone interested should contact him at High Street, Lewes (6363).
2.
"Down Your Way" broadcast its visit to Rye on Sunday afternoon (repeated on Monday) -though the town could easily have provided them with twice as much material. Interviewer Brian Johnson first called at the Harbour and chatted with Humphrey Lestocq, whom he first knew as radio's H.L. and Flying-Officer Kite - though to Rye nowadays he is the lifeboat secretary, and it was lifeboat business that they mainly discussed. Mr. Lestocq chose The Seekers singing "The Carnival is Over".
Speaking in the Mayor's Parlour, Jo Kirkham dealt very effectively with Rye's history from the town's incorporation in the Cinque Ports to the Queen Mother's birthday visit to view her cannon in 1980, and Jo's choice of Ryesingers performing "Flight of the Swallows" led naturally to an interview with Lesley Brownbill. Lesley, who asked for the "Dies Irae" from Verdi's Requiem, told how the group had grown in 11 years from 8 or 9 former members of the Methodist Choir getting together to sing under her baton to the present 50 singers of both sexes.
Brian Johnston then went down to The Deals to see the Rye Town Model and talk to its maker Joy Harland. She spoke of the three years she took to construct the immensely successful 1:100 scale model of the town as it was in 1872 and gave-away a few of her secrets - old X-ray film for windows, tapioca for cobbles! Her choice of music was an Elizabethan dance tune, and the BBC selected one caller, rather oddly, "The Queen of Bohemia's Dump".
Everyone would have enjoyed hearing a lot more from the next interviewee, 82-year-old Mr. Henry Parsons of Cyprus Place; his voice had the whole of Rye's history in it as he spoke of his adventures in the summer of 1940. His fishing-boat picked up 100 men off the Dunkirk beaches, but that was not the end of it. He went on to ferry radio equipment for an agent known as Michel, and when Michel reported back that German troops were massing to invade, Mr. Parsons volunteered on an even more hazardous mission. One August Saturday he sneaked across the Channel with a boat full of explosives and proceeded to lay the timed charges to the German fuel storage tanks. Happily, he was safely back off Dungeness when the whole lot went up, with enormous loss of life among the enemy troops packed into the invasion barges.
When, much later, he went to the Palace to receive his British Empire Medal, Winston Churchill described him as "the maddest bloody man in England". Mr. Parsons chose to hear "Rule Britannia", which had 1940 memories for him.
Biddy Cole closed the programme, speaking about the growth of Rye's potteries from her father-in-law's post-war revival of the original eighteenth-century Rye Pottery. She said that the sister firm, Rye Tiles, is at present working on an order for the Savoy Hotel's bathrooms, and for decorative tiles to be used in Pond Street tube station. Biddy was, of course, also able to speak about Rye Festival, and her choice of music - Benjamin Goddard's "Suite for Flute and Piano" - was a piece hoped to include in a future Festival programme.
Harbourmaster Colin Harsh arranged a most unusual and rewarding outing for ten members of the RNLI Committee on Saturday, when they were shown round the new Dover coastguard station. Opened in 1979 by Prince Charles, the station surveys the Dover Straits on an enormous radar screen which records every movement of every ship in its "patch"; Colin Marsh was grieved to see that this did not include Rye Bay, but they can of course direct the radar to the area if need be.
A computer does a lot of the hard work, even answering questions about, for instance, the relative safety of two vessels apparently uncomfortably close to each other. As the Straits are so narrow, all ships have to follow a prescribed course and a "rogue" is buzzed by a Lydd-based light aircraft and its name taken - even for a private yacht a fine of up to £50,000 could follow. The coastguards' pet hate is the channel swimmer: the radar will pick up his following boat but not the actual swimmer, and there have been up to 17 of them out at the same time! Ships regularly phone in to ask for directions or other information, and though every vessel throughout the world is supposed to carry someone who speaks English (the international language of the sea), not all can make their needs clear. The station has a list of names and phone numbers of people in the area who can be called on to translate in an emergency - "everything except Esperanto" said their guide, "and I'm studying that myself".
THE RYE GAZETTE, 19.1.83 - page 3
This year Shrove Tuesday (15 February) conveniently falls in half-term week, so the Community Centre committee are able to hold their Pancake Race at 3.pm instead of after school. The race will again be run there-and-back between East Street and Lion Street (in the Centre if wet). Last year was a lot of fun for both competitors and spectators - it also made some £200 for Community Centre funds.
Sponsor forms should be collected from the Centre by next Tuesday, 25 January. There are classes for hotels, restaurants and pubs - and also an open race for tossers not concerned with the catering trade; last year this turned into a race for teams from banks and building societies. The Centre hopes for generous sponsorship from customers for their favourite teams. Further enquiries to the Centre (Tuesday and Friday mornings) or to Mrs. Kathy Varley, Rye 3760.
Lunchers at the Community Centre last Thursday heard area organiser Mrs. Barrett speak of the work of the Sue Ryder Foundation. The Foundation exists to set up homes for those in need - mainly, in this country, hospices for the very sick. Mrs. Barrett invited interest in a supporters' group, with the possibility of opening such a home somewhere in this area, and we hope to report progress here. Much of the Foundation's income comes from charity shops selling good second-hand clothing, and though Rye would not normally be big enough to justify one here, our summer visitors put matters in a different light. So far, no shop has become available at a rent (plus of course premium) which the Foundation can Afford, but it could happen. Certainly a full-time second-hand clothes shop would be a useful addition to the town's shopping facilities - though we are sorry to read that Second Gear at Icklesham is closing at the end of February.
A popular speaker at Rye WI's January meeting was Mrs. J. Popkin, a practising hypnotherapist. She spoke of the beneficial results this type of treatment can have in the treatment of nervous diseases caused by stress; it can also help people with problems caused by smoking or over-eating. She then demonstrated some of her relaxation techniques to such good effect that several members were on the point of dropping off to sleep. After the tea break members heard a talk on the Lesoto Water Project in Southern Africa, supported by the National Federation of WIs; £20,000 has already been raised for this, and Rye WI's raffle contributed a further £5.
Next Wednesday (26 January) a meeting will be held at Greyfriars at 7.30 for all those interested in helping with the work of the home's newly formed League of Friends. This obviously valuable organisation was launched at the Christmas Fair in order to involve local people with the welfare of the 32 residents. Most have ties with the area, but many no longer have their own relatives and friends able to visit them, and the League hopes to find people living near who will try to take the place of missing visitors. Apart from individual visiting – and here schoolchildren and Brownies have helped - one obvious need is for help with transport, to take groups of two or three guests to someone's home or on a shopping trip, and to ferry residents to visit their own relatives in hospital as well as bringing visitors to Greyfriars. The WRVS trolley shop is a weekly treat and sometimes residents are able to enjoy visits to local social and lunch clubs, where they are always particularly welcome. The more help that can be offered, the better life will be for these very elderly people, and support at the meeting on the 26th will be much appreciated by the Officer in Charge, Mrs. Shirley Smith, and her staff.
Mrs. Smith would very much like to thank all the local trades people and others in Rye and Winchelsea who were so generous to the home over Christmas by giving goods both for the Christmas Fair and also, for the actual Christmas festivities in the home. She is unable to thank them all - indeed, she often didn't know who the donor was - but she and all at Greyfriars are extremely grateful both for the gifts themselves and for the kindness and thought which prompted them.
THE RYE GAZETTE 19.1.83 - page 4
Tomorrow, Thursday 20th, Rye Council for Voluntary Service holds its winter Open Meeting at the Town Hall at 7.30. As usual there will be brief reports on several aspects of local life; this time Neil Weatherall will be speaking on Social Services, Elizabeth Goldsworthy on Multiple Sclerosis, Ray Fooks on the progress of the Youth Opportunities Programme and Brenda Marshall on Rye Library. Anyone interested is most welcome to attend whether (or not) they represent a particular organisation.
Having heard an occasional murmur about whether the Hastings Jobcentre made genuine effort to see that Rye people got first refusal of Rye jobs, the GAZETTE went over to talk to the Manager, Mr. Brian Evans.
Mr. Evans has been at Hastings less than a year, but he had it made quite clear to him by members of his staff on his arrival that the closure of Rye's employment exchange was a source of great concern and regret in the office. He realises that because of transport costs Rye people can't just drop in and keep an eye on vacancies; and he also realises that for the same reason people in Rye and immediate circle of villages would much prefer to work in their own area if at all possible. In the Jobcentre's register of unemployed, therefore, the card of everyone in the Rye area carries a bright orange "flag", and when a Rye job comes in the first reaction is to look through the appropriate register for orange flags so that the job can be offered first to them. (When we phoned Mr. Evans on Monday to check on our facts, a Rye job had, as it happened come in within the past 15 minutes and the staff were at that moment checking through the orange flags to find a Rye candidate for it.). A phone call is made if possible; if not, the candidate is written to and asked to ring back. In either case, an interview can normally be arranged within a couple of days which most employers find quite adequate.
Occasionally, as in the case of “Yellowbeard”, it is a case of the phone or nothing (Mr. Evans had only a day’s notice of the film-makers requirements for extras etc.). Those who could be phoned, were; some of them told their friends, who themselves phoned over and asked to go on the list. Not all those told about the film jobs were interested anyway. In the end the Jobcentre had to “top up” with Hastings and Bexhill people; the final mix was roughly fifty-fifty.
Mr. Evans has made it his business since he has been at Hastings to call on the larger employers in Rye to see what their requirements are likely to be. There are currently about 450 people registered as unemployed in the Rye area. Jobs come and go and are usually filled within a few days; but occasionally some do hang fire, and these are the ones which appear on the notice boards outside the Town Hall and the old Labour Exchange in Eagle Yard (now the YOP office). We were very relieved to discover that these few mainly catering jobs were not the only ones that had been on offer at all.
Of course many small employers who want to fill an occasional vacancy in the town don't bother the Jobcentre but advertise locally or simply put word around. The Market Road café board seems to be the traditional place for this. However, the Jobcentre does also cater for part-time jobs. Often these are of a type more suited to women - Mr. Evans quoted "care assistants" in old people's homes as always in demand - but there are men's part-time jobs, as well, and it is perfectly possible to run several such jobs together to make up a living wage, though the income tax and National Insurance people be very fond of you if you do! Normally, as Mr. Evans points out, part-time jobs are more favoured by wives topping up their husbands’ earnings than by breadwinners, because of social security complication; one point to take into account is the cost of getting to and from work set against what the pay for a few hours a day only would be.
Rather to our surprise, people of pension age have the same opportunities of applying for jobs through the Jobcentre as younger people do, and they are very often most welcome in jobs which might otherwise be hard to fill - and these do, even nowadays, exist.
We left with the impression that Mr. Evans and his staff really do appreciate Rye's difficulties and are trying their best to make up for the loss of our own exchange.
5.
A voluntary job which could very easily become an all-absorbing interest is soon to be vacant in Rye. The Museum Association is looking for a new Honorary Secretary, since Mary Owen is resigning in order to give all her time to the escalating GAZETTE. She suggests that the post could very conveniently be shared between two people: one who would be responsible for holding together the Association by fixing up lectures and social events and if possible continuing with the quarterly newsletter; and one who would relieve Curator Mr. Geoffrey Bagley of some of his load by dealing with correspondence and Museum matters generally. Falling midway between the two jobs would be the minutes of the Association's committee, but since there are less than half-a-dozen meetings a year these are hardly arduous. It would be necessary for at least one of the joint secretaries to be able to type; shorthand, though useful, is by no means essential. Mercifully, the accounts are kept in the capable hands of Mr. Ryall at NatWest, the Association's Hon. Treasurer.
Anyone interested in either aspect of this very worthwhile job should get in touch with Mr. or Mrs. Bagley (Rye 3254), Vice-Chairman Mrs. Kirkham (Rye 2562) or of course Mrs. Owen at Rye 2303.
Rye readers of The Times who were suitably shocked by a feature article on 11 January about the corrupt Mexican police force, will not perhaps know that one of the two British tourists whose story it included was 21-year-old Charles Brooking, youngest son of Hugh and Josephine Brooking of Leasam Lane. Much to the relief of his parents, Charles is now safely back in England after a year spent trekking round South America, and we hope to catch up with him before long to pass on more details of his wanderings. But the incident reported in The Times could well have been fatal: Charles and a friend were sleeping in their van beside a Mexican country road when six policemen brandishing machine-guns woke them, searched then and stole more than £800 in travellers' cheques, hitting Charles over the head with a gun and threatening to shoot both lads if they got up before the police cars left. With incredible aplomb Charles, forced at gunpoint to sign his travellers' cheques, used an incorrect form of signature; this meant that he was later able to phone the issuing bank and point out the error, thus rendering the cheques unusable!
We recently listed the Governing Body of Thomas Peacocks School. Some readers will know that the school also receives support from another group, Rye Grammar School's Exhibition Foundation Governors.
Rye Grammar School was formed from two schools in the town, Thomas Peacocke's Grammar School in the High Street and James Saunders's school in Bedford Place. Both schools had endowments and for nearly 300 years these provided a useful if diminishing proportion of the cost of running the Grammar School; they were, and still are, administered by the Foundation Governors, and we are grateful to the present Clerk, Mr. John Smith, for the information which we now publish.
When in about 1930 the East Sussex County Council took over the whole financial responsibility for the Grammar School, the Foundation income was used to help out university boys who had just missed county scholarships but who were considered to be of university standard. The need for this, of course, ceased with the advent of automatic LEA grants, and the present scheme for using the Foundation income was hammered out in by the late Brigadier Gardham, who was Chairman of the Foundation Governors at the time.
Grants are now made to leavers and recent leavers for genuine educational needs not allowed for in the State system - not only to university students, but for books and tools and special courses for those taking up apprenticeships or going on to other forms of further education. Foundation funds also benefit pupils still at school, providing a need among other things the Lower School Progress Prizes and subject prizes in Upper School. These are of course awarded to pupils regardless of where they may live, but applicants for direct grants must live within five miles or Rye Town Hall, and Mr. Smith points out that the Foundation's income is limited and only really good cases can be considered.
6.
Wednesday, 19th
(TODAY) Handing-in day, Red Cross Thrift Shop, 10.30 to 12.30 (shop open 10.30 to 4 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday)
Thursday, 20th Rye Council for Voluntary Service open meeting, TH, 7.30 (see p.4)
Friday, 21st Rye Museum Association talk: Geoffrey Bagley shows the Museum's slides of old Rye, FEC, 7.30 - non-members welcome
Saturday, 22nd Papa Joe's film: "Coalminer's Daughter", Pizzeria, 9
Jumble Sale (Scouts), Scout Hut, 1.30
Tuesday, 25th Hill House League of Friends AGM, Town Hall, 7.30
• It is apparently not too late for those who use the library to write protesting against the cuts, still in the proposal stage after last Thursday's meeting; letters should go to the County Librarian, Mr. John Allen, at Southdown House, St. Anne's Crescent, Lewes.
• A reminder that old Christmas cards, etc., will be welcomed for recycling by the Church of England Children's Society, care of Mr. and Mrs. Bateman at the Rye Bookshop in the High Street.
• Parishioners of St. Anthony of Padua were very pleased to welcome so many guests to their coffee morning at Chez Dominique on Saturday - proceeds amounted to £52.
• After their recent exhibition at the Towner Art Gallery, the Collyer-Nash Pottery now has four pieces in the Eastbourne gallery's permanent collection: two of Ernest Collyer's pots, and a plate and a box of "tasty dates" by Pamela Nash.
• Two planning applications, both in the conservation area - at 4 Hucksteps Row it is proposed to erect a conservatory, install new windows and put in a bathroom; and the Ice Box in Cinque Ports Street wants to alter no. 58's front door and paintwork to match that of no. 60 next door.
• New caretaker at the Community Centre is Mr. Sid Vincett. Mr. Vincett, well known in the town, moved to Rye Foreign several years ago but is hoping to come home to Rye before long; meanwhile he can be reached at Iden 306.
• When Mrs. Thatcher was in the Falklands she met, according to a press report, Mr. Stan Heathman, 77, who told her his dearest wish was to go up in a Harrier. He is the brother of Mrs. Ruth Osborne of Udimore Road, and uncle of Patrick and Terry; Mrs. Osborne has promised to let us know if he gets his wish.
• The Rye and Winchelsea Branch of the Muscular Dystrophy Group holds its AGM at Tower Forge Cottage at 7.30 on Thursday, 27 January. Mrs. Gill Wood will be glad to welcome everyone interested in the Group's work, though it would be helpful to have names in advance (Rye 5130 after 6). Incidentally, Mrs. Wood tells us that £10 was collected for this good cause just before Christmas by two young carol-singers from New Road, Lesley Gasson and Martin Polley.
• Rye Players held a very successful play-reading at 5 Bridge Place on Monday, when 17 people somehow squeezed in; those who weren't Players members at the beginning of the evening were by the end, including 9 younger readers who were very welcome.
• We had a most interesting response to last week's reference to Rye Collegiate School from Mrs. Allen, nee Mildred Hoad, and we should be glad to hear from any other readers or their friends who were pupils there in Miss Stonham's time, or in the early days under the Misses Moon. We hope to publish in a few weeks' time whatever information we can assemble about this rather remarkable little school, whose pupils were taking School Certificate in the early 1900s!
THE RYE GAZETTE is registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. It is published by Mrs. Nary Owen at 94 Udimore Road, Rye (Rye 2303), who is always glad to receive news items for inclusion. It costs 20p a week and is normally delivered to subscribers and pick-up points on Wednesday; deadline is Monday afternoon - first thing Tuesday morning for emergencies.
Photocopied by Sussex Secretarial Services, 11 Claremont, Hastings (942 2633)._