Monday, 18 November 2024
Events & Speakers 2025
Monday, 8 July 2024
Sgt Frank Samuel Martin RAFVR 1916 - 1944
Sgt Frank Samuel Martin was born in Kent in 1916 and lived
there with 4 siblings and parents in 1921. His parents and one sister were
recorded as living at the same address in 1939.
For reasons that are not clear he developed an association with Denham
in Buckinghamshire where he was buried in St Mary’s Churchyard in 1944. He
joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and underwent training as a bomb
aimer in the second World War.
Like the rest of the crew who were also in aircrew training,
he took off in Wellington bomber LN293 on 25 August 1944 from RAF Chipping
Warden in Northamptonshire. The mission
for this aircraft was to participate in a diversionary bombing raid as the
allies progressed from the D-Day Normandy landings to the east and south. After collecting at a point in the North Sea
off the Netherlands, the mission turned for this aircraft to a night navigation
training exercise to Luton, Southampton and Bristol before returning to base,
at all times maintaining radio silence except when crossing the coast back to
England, which occurred at 20 minutes past midnight.
At some point close to Hanham, the aircraft became
uncontrollable and the captain gave the order for the crew to bail out. No mayday radio transmission was received by
ground stations. Sgt Martin bailed out,
but his parachute became fouled on the aircraft and he landed in a tree in
Hencliff Wood without it. His body was
found by Hanham resident Malcolm Williams, then a schoolboy. The remains of his
parachute were recovered some 1½ miles northeast from where is body was
found. As such Sgt Martin was the
nearest operational fatality to Hanham in World War 2.
Another crew member bailed out of the stricken aircraft, and
he landed fatally in Keynsham with his parachute unopened. The remaining four crew members died when the
aircraft crashed in a near vertical dive on Uplands Farm land, south of
Keynsham.
The RAF Investigation into the crash was unable to determine
a cause as the aircraft was so badly damaged on impact at the crash and
subsequent fire.
Sgt Martin and the crew are believed to have been
undertaking aircrew training in New Brunswick, Canada prior to this
mission. His wife and infant daughter
had arrived in Liverpool on a ship from New York on the day that his aircraft
took off on this fatal mission. It is
believed he has grandchildren living today in Canada.
The history of this memorial goes back to 2010 when the
Bristol Evening Post reported the efforts taken by Malcolm Williams, John
Cummins and Roy Crew to establish a lasting memorial to Sgt Martin.
Note by author:
The memorial can be found on the footpath (South
Gloucestershire Council reference PHA/2/30) leading from Common Road into Hencliff
Wood by Harvey’s Shopfitters (which donated the cross) towards the River Avon
about 180 yards on the left walking down.
What3words location ///pace.depend.kick
© Hanham Local History Society
Monday, 24 June 2024
Event Schedule Update
Please note the events schedule has been updated for 3rd July 2024 & 18th September 2024. The talk by Dave Cheesley planned for 3rd July has been replaced by "The History of Cheddar Cheese" by John Page. Dave's talk will be rescheduled for 2025. On 18th September we will have a talk "Siston Snippets" by our member Geoff Cole
Friday, 29 March 2024
The Severn Bore
After Roger’s talk on the River Severn, Geoff Pook has
compiled the following about the bore.
Severn Bore. To help to understand our unique situation.
In his talk, Roger was right to say that there are two
Bore’s per year – if you are talking about bores large enough to surf on. People travel from all over the world to ride
the bore so they will only come for a Good-un!
There are many factors which influence how good it will be: -
# Wind – a
strong south-westerly will help.
# Moon _
which phase is it in i.e. full, half, crescent.
# Sun -
What season of the year is it.
There are between 250 and 260 bores a year. They only occur when the tide exceeds a
certain height. Only tides more than 9
meters high (measured at Fethherne, near Frampton on Severn) are considered
worth surfing though smaller ones can be spectacular. Most bores finish at
Maisemore weir, but the very highest can overrun this.
See also Google- The Severn Bore Time Table – for more details.
Geoff Pook
Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Events Shedule Update
Please note the events schedule has been updated for February 21st & March 20th.
Tuesday, 2 January 2024
Events & Speakers 2024
Date |
Talk Title |
Speaker |
January 17th |
AGM & W J Bence |
Doug Crew |
February 7th |
Advertisements A Social History |
Mike Hooper |
February 21st |
Hanham High Street Now & Then |
Doug Crew |
March
6th |
Troopers Hill |
Rob Acton-Campbell |
March
20th |
The River Severn |
Roger Windsor |
April 3rd |
Butlers Tar Works at Crews Hole |
Professor Brian Vincent |
April 17th |
Sgt Frank Martin Hanham High Street Part 2 |
John Antill Doug Crew |
May 1st |
History of Glenside Hospital |
Stella Man |
May 15th |
Murder in the Woods |
Society Member |
June 5th |
East Bristol Auctions Highlights & Stories |
Andy Stowe |
June 19th | West of Hanham |
Roger Windsor & Doug Crew |
July 3rd |
History of Cheddar Cheese |
John Page |
September 4th |
Society Trip to Tyntesfield |
|
September 18th |
Siston Snippets |
Geoff Cole |
October 2nd |
Society Event TBA |
Society Member |
October 16th |
Chocolate, Beer & Tobacco manufacturing
in Bristol |
Chris Bigg |
November 6th |
Society Event TBA |
Society Member |
November 20th |
Whittaker’s War – The Great War
through postcards |
Garry Atterton |
December 4th |
Society Xmas meal |
|
Sunday, 11 December 2022
Events & Speakers 2023
All meetings commence at 2.00pm in the Wessex Suite at Hanham Community Centre.
Date |
Talk Title |
Speaker |
January 18th |
AGM |
Society Member |
February 1st |
Bristol in the 1950’s |
Mike Hooper |
February 15th |
Film " Making of Britain" with |
Roger Windsor |
March
1st |
Bristol – City of the sea |
Chris Bigg |
March
15th |
"Table top Discovery" with |
Society Members |
April 5th |
Maya to mini eggs |
Hugh Evans |
April 19th |
" A stroll around Hanham Christchurch" |
Ray Smith |
May 3rd |
The Women who built Bristol |
Jane Dufus |
May 17th |
Kingswood Heritage Museum |
VISIT |
June 7th |
1950’s/Christmas toys |
David Cheesley |
June 21st |
Bristol Cinemas Then & Now |
Doug Crew |
July 5th |
As Time Goes By |
Society Members |
September 6th |
Society Trip |
|
September 20th |
Quiz and Hanham Stories |
|
October 4th |
Bristol’s Lost City |
Clive Burlton |
October 18th |
Brunel the little giant |
Mike Rowland |
November 1st |
Remembrance & our event |
John Antill & Roger Windsor |
November 15th |
Long Tall Stories |
Roger Windsor |
December 6th |
Society Xmas Meal |
|