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No: 296
RECTOR'S WEEKLY NEWS
January 17th 1946

My dear Boys and Girls,
Ten minutes before writing this letter I picked up the New Year Double number, and found that the answer given to the first question in the Brain Twister is wrong. The "Twister" was this:- Take nine playing cards with pips on them ranging from one to nine, and arrange them in rows of three, so that wherever you can draw a straight line through three cards, the pips on them will add up to 15. The answer is:-
8 3 4
1 5 9
6 7 2
One thing about this error is very interesting. No one so far has written to me pointing out this mistake. This raises the still more important question, do you like, and do you read, the "Brain Twisters" that I put in all double numbers? If you can think of anything more interesting to insert in a double number, please write and tell me. All I want is to interest you, nothing else matters. I have left no room for a sermonette so I hope that every reader will think one out for himself - and ponder upon it. If you will send it to me, and I think it a good one, I will put it in the NL for others to read - and ponder upon. With my love and all good wishes, ever your sincere friend,
L.N.FORSE.

HOME FRONT NEWS
The engagement is announced of Dvr. Sidney Ball, RASC., now serving in CMF (Austria), second son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Ball, Gorse Lane, and Dora, only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alty, Moor Lane, Croston. Dr.Herbert Croft,who is still in Southport Infirmary,is making good progress. The rector gave a party in the schools on Friday evening to his Bible Class lads, his Confirmation Class, and the Choir Boys. Everyone invited was asked to bring a friend of the opposite sex. About 120 came, and spent quite a good evening. Miss Mary Elizabeth Lund, of Aughton, aunt of Mr. John Parkinson, was buried at Tarleton on Saturday. She was 71 years of age. Mr. Edgar, Blackgate Lane, the retired policeman, died on Sunday in Preston Infirmary, and was buried at Tarleton on Tuesday. He was 83 years of age. Miss Bullock,of Blackburn,is now managing Float's chemist shop at Tarleton in the place of Miss Philips. Raymond Greenwood, ten year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Greenwood, Becconsall Farm, Mere Brow, was the youngest competitor at Pilling ploughing competition last Thursday. Mrs. Frank Timperley has presented her husband with a daughter - the third child, all three daughters. When Arthur Procter reached Singapore on Jan.1st, he received a Draft Note, just saying "For repatriation; time expired". A very useful New Year's gift. He is now in camp at Colombo waiting for another ship to bring him home. Mrs. John Gibbons (Bessie Sephton) is selling her hairdresser's shop and the house attached in Hesketh Lane, and is going to live at Johnson's Farm, Gorse Lane, which her father bought recently. Miss Robinson is selling her draper's shop and house attached in Hesketh Lane. William Ball, Newarth Lane, HB, has been demobbed from the Navy.

EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS
LAC John Sutton (Harrison House, opposite Church), writes from PALAM, SEAAF., "I'll bet you'll wonder what's come over me when you get this letter, because I must be one of the very few who have not written much to you. Since I came out here I have found out how much the NL means to anyone who is a long way from Tarleton. Palam is ten miles from Delhi. I joined up with Hugh Melling, Charlie Wright and Harold Pilkington, all of whom are out here somewhere, either in SEAAF or SEAC, but their whereabouts I don't know. I expect my old pal John Webster is about getting ready for demob." Dvr.John Caunce writes from PORTSCHACH, CMF, "I have been posted to another coy. This coy is in the famous 78th Div. We are about 10 miles from Klagenfort, in Austria, in a small place called Portschach. The number on the wagons is 70, with the sign of the battle-axe. So if any local lads are this way, tell them to ask for B Platoon, and they will find me. It is on the main road from VILLACH to KLAGANFORT. I am sorry I cannot be at your Epiphany Party. I remember the past ones when we used to have all the old lads together and enjoy ourselves. Quite good weather here, although we have had plenty of snow." Pte.Joe Power writes from BAOR "I have just returned from a two months' course at the 2nd Army College of the Rhine. The College is in the ancient German town Gottingham, very quaint and untouched by the RAF. The C-in-C opened the College and greatly admired the `Goose Girl` statue in the market place. The custom is that no student is supposed to touch a glass of beer in the town unless the `Goose Girl` had been kissed. I never saw anyone carry out this custom with the exception of a few soldiers on Christmas Eve, who did venture to try and climb up the statue, but without results." Pte. Jack Sutton (Jackie) writes from Oxford, "I have managed to find an address at last. We have been kept moving from one place to another. I arrived in Bicester at 6.15pm on Wednesday, and had to wait until 9pm for transport to take us to camp. We arrived in camp about 9.30, and were messing about until 12 o'clock midnight. Nobody was expecting us, and certainly did not seem to care what happened to us. We got nothing to eat, and after we had walked round the camp they managed to fit us up with somewhere to sleep. It was a tin hut, no fire, and had never been used for months or years, and it was cold. There are 25-30 thousand men here and 5 thousand ATS. Send me Arnold Bailey's address, and remember me to my brother Jimmy and brother-in-law Bill Hull. PS - I saw that train smash as I was coming." Pte. Walter Briggs (was working for Arthur Bolshaw, Plox Brow), writes from Bristol "When I reported at Stroud they told us that we should only be there for three days. Life down here is pretty slack, and we are all wishing that we shall get posted from here very soon." Corpl.Bert Price writes from Catterick Camp "I shall reside here until I get my demob on Feb.22nd, or thereabouts. Remember me to my brother Harry, also Bill Sutton, Cliff Hambilton, and Herbert Nutter, and the remaining lads and lassies of Tarleton and HB." AC1 John Ball (Bretherton) writes from Norwich "Here's the letter I've been wanting to write ever since I joined up almost three years ago. I can now tell you that I am due for release within the next few days. Although my release group is 53, I've been offered `Class B` as an agricultural worker, so I took the chance without any consideration. I expect that I shall miss all my old pals that I have made while in the RAF, but I suppose I'll settle down to village life again eventually." Gunner Arthur Harrison writes from BAOR "I have now been in this hospital for three weeks and at present my ear is very sore and swollen. The sister gave me some tablets to make me sleep. With my Group No.24 this letter may be my last to you as a soldier. I hope every morning when I go down to see the Doctor that he will give me some idea as to how long I shall be here. I was pleased to hear that my brother-in-law Nick Forshaw is home for good. Give him my best wishes, also to Harold Aspey, Harry Cookson, and my sister-in-law, Winnie." LAC Freddy Coupe still writes from Labrador "Christmas was spent very quietly here, there was not much to do. I went to Communion at 8 o'clock (we have quite a nice little Church up here, and the Canadian padre was born in England), and the Christmas dinner was very good, we got everything. In the afternoon we did some skiing and tobogganing; and that is really fun. I was working all night on Christmas and Boxing Day nights. Now it is 1946,and I'm wondering what it will bring." Pte. Robert (Bob) Ball, Newarth Lane, HB, writes from Cherry Tree Camp, Colchester, "I am in the Army Fire Corps. We have had a bit of bad luck; we got here on Monday last, but we should have come on Dec.20th, and if we had done so we should have had leave over Christmas, just as the rest of the lads here had. However, unfortunately, we missed it and so we shall have to wait until February, when we shall have finished the Course we are on, before we get leave. Remember me through the NL to Frank Taylor, Frank Foulds, Arnold Bailey, and Jack Sutton and the rest of the lads I know."