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Hesketh Rectory
Hesketh Bank
January 1946

My Dear Friends,
This letter must begin with an apology for delay, due to that common enemy, the Influenza, which got me down over Christmas and New Year. Mrs Thorne got bronchitis and I kindly joined her with the flu', so we were nicely in the soup. However, I have managed at last to get this Newsletter off once more, though a bit shorter than usual.
My best wishes to you all for a very happy New Year, and I trust that 1946 will not be very old before we see you back home. What a lot we have to thank God for, and what a lot we have to do in 1946.
Here is a Motto for you. "Be strong, all ye people of the land, and work, for I am with you, saith the Lord of Hosts."
Yours very sincerely
A P THORNE

POINTS FROM LETTERS.
We acknowledge with many thanks Christmas Cards received from Fred Tiffin, Tom Brewer, and George Taylor, also letters from the following:
Ronnie Whiteside (S Wales Dec 2) is looking forward to his release, though he says army life is easy where he is (Brecon). The farmers were very good to them at harvest time, and he has been busy as jack of all trades from cook to engineer, building Bailey Bridges and making roads. They have christened themselves the Bevin boys' through their unloading of tons of coal. Ronnie wants L Bramwell and Gordon Iddon to know his address which is 950868 Driver R Whiteside, B Troop, X Battery, No: 2 Camp, Hut 82, Lanny Bridge, Brecon, S Wales.
Robert Sharples (SEAC, Nov 28) looks forward to seeing Hesketh Bank early in the New Year. He is now in Klang, Malaya. He has done a lot of footballing and sport which helps to pass away the time. It must seem a long time since D-Day, but the best day, Robert, will be another D-Day, spelling Demob.
Nicholas Wright (India Command Nov 23) still awaits the October NL. He arrived at Jhansi in a Liberator, travelling in Tripoli, Lydda (Palestine), Iraq, and Manipuri and Poona (India). From Poona he went by rail to Bombay, where he saw the India V Australia cricket match, and so on to Jhansi. In Palestine he managed to spend a whole day in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. He is anxious to know whether any Hesketh lads have lost their mail in the 'India' area. He will gladly help them if they will let him know their address. His address is Capt N J Wright, Postal Training Section, HQ, Alfrea, 2nd Echelon, Jhansi, India Command.
W Melling (Dec 13) is still in the Western Highlands on Loch Fyne. (The Rector knows the spot well) and writes cheerily, hoping for 5 days leave at Christmas.
Jim Sutton (Dec 7) acknowledges receipt of his first NL since he returned from leave. He is stationed in North Italy at San Martino, near Verona. He has still two months to serve, and then the long looked-for ticket.
Roger Watson (Dec 17) (RAF Malaya) Since leaving Burma last summer he has travelled to Southern India, then the Japanese War came to an end, and he found himself sailing again (in the wrong direction) to Malaya, and thence in September to Singapore. He hopes now to be home by the end of January, having waited 3 1/2 years for the sight of Alty's chimney.

NEWS FROM THE VILLAGE.
The Church Youth Club Concert in aid of the Welcome Home Fund on Nov 28, was an outstanding success. There was a queue for admission which reached the main road The entertainment was supplied by local talent, two plays being performed, one by the girls "An Unexpected Entertainment", in which Victorian Aunts and nieces complete with voluminous gowns and skirts caused much merriment and the other by the young men
"How Five Bachelors Kept House", which afforded great opportunity for original acting, and much amusement in the audience. Several friends from outside very kindly supplied songs both serious and comic, there were pianoforte solos, and one very pleasing item was the children's Russian and English Dancing. The School was packed, and the proceeds amounted to £18.
On Dec 15, the pre-war Church Sunday School Tea Party and Concert, in aid of the Sunday School Fund, came into its own again and attained a good success with an excellent tea, and most enjoyable concert and entertainment by Billy Day and his company.
We deeply regret to announce the death of Henry Smith, husband of Eileen Ball, in the Far East. Our sincere sympathy is with Mrs Smith, little Valerie and her relatives, especially after so long a period of waiting and hoping.
Another sad tragedy occurred on Nov 29, at the corner of Moss Lane and Hesketh Lane, when Derek Ball, aged 8, son of Mr Mrs Ball, of Boundary Lane, was run over and fatally injured. Our deep sympathy is with
Mr Mrs Ball. The latter has done a lot of hard work for the Welcome Home Fund. The Funeral was at the old Church on December 4th.
A small 'Bring and Buy' Sale was held at the Rectory for the Leyland Moral Welfare Fund. It realised £8.10s, which was only ten shillings short of the sum asked for from our Parish.
On Dec 6, the Hesketh Church Youth Club journeyed to Longton in response to an invitation from the Longton Church Youth Club. A very enjoyable evening was spent, and we were grateful to the Longton friends for their hospitable welcome.
The Hesketh Bank Women's Institute have made a very good start with their meetings. At present they meet once a month in the Church School, and they have arranged an interesting programme for their first six months. They have already about fifty members.

CHAPEL NEWS.
The Sunday School Annual Social was held on 8th Dec. when a goodly number of scholars and teachers and friends presided over by the Superintendent, Mr J Rimmer. The Rev B Oliver, Minister, gave an address.

HUNDRED NEWS.
Jack Bury and Charles Bury have been demobbed. John Robert Taylor, Moss Lane, late of the Merchant Navy, is engaged to be married to Elsie Lethbridge, of Abraham Street, Blackburn.
Mr Mrs Spencer Wright of Holmes have come to live at Mayfair, Moss Lane.
John Moon, of Anchorage Avenue has been married to Alice Baxendale of Longton.

AN OMISSION
The Editor is very sorry that Albert Taylor's arrival home was quite inadvertently missed in our last Newsletter. Albert has been away three and a half years, and his friends will have been anxious to know about him. The Rector was very pleased to meet him and see him looking so fit and well.

THINGS WE LEARN FROM THE NEWSPAPERS.
The Terms of the Washington Settlement are hard. We held nothing back in the war; we put everything we had into the effort and greatly impoverished ourselves. Now we are in need of money to get our trade going again. Our American allies are going to grant us a loan but on very severe terms; our need they are going to use to their advantage. The USA has driven a hard bargain; necessity compels us to accept; whether the USA is wise in her lack of generosity to Britain is another matter.
The Government's new National Agriculture Advisory Service will employ over 1500 people. It will come into operation on 1st October. The fifteen hundred will need paying, some will need high salaries. We presume the cost of farm produce will be increased so as to find the money; each time, the consumer pays.
There have been complaints in the House of Commons of the deterioration of the goods in dumps and stores held by the Government all over the country. It was stated that in some areas the situation was assuming the nature of a public scandal. It was also stated that there were vast quantities of food in the possession of the Ministry of Food being wasted.
Much anxiety is being felt by many of the public at what goes on in detention camps. People are beginning to feel that there is need for the fullest investigation to be carried out by a tribunal independent of the War Office.
At a recent sale of the German Embassy's effects in London, a Captain Gordon Canning bought a bust of Hitler for £500. We understand that Canning is an admirer of Hitler!! And Canning we suppose will have read of the trials at Belsen and Nuremberg. We hope the authorities are keeping a watchful eye on all Fascists in this country.
OBSERVER

MARSH NEWS Saturday, 22nd December.
There isn't much news, I'm afraid, this month. As is usual, the week before Christmas, sprout picking has been the main job this week, and luckily the weather has been favourable.
The wheat still looks very well, as we haven't had any heavy rain, keen frost or stormy weather.
There seems to be quite a business carried on at the old boat-yard now, and I notice that guide posts have been put from the Douglas mouth along to the boat-yard.
During this last moon, the widgeon shooting has improved as the birds are back again on Hesketh marsh instead of Banks. There has been a large number of shooters down lately, and some of them have got decent 'bags'. On one or two nights, the sky was rather too clear, which of course made it difficult for seeing. This sounds rather contradictory, but it is very hard to see widgeon with a moon and clear sky.
May I take this opportunity of wishing you all the best for 1946 and a speedy return of all the forces who have not yet been demobbed.
DT

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