Illustration Christine Fuller The Downham Market Gazette of Saturday 23 April, 1910, reported the following: GREAT ELLINGHAMThe wedding took place at the Baptist Chapel on Saturday last, of Mr C Higgins and Miss A BurrowsThe bridegroom’s father (the Rev. W Higgins) conducted the service. The bride was attended by Gwendoline Higgins as bridesmaid and Master…
7 year old Charles Rider sets fire to Wheat Stack
Illustration by Christine Fuller Since ‘Lucifers‘ were created in the 1820s, matches have held some fascination for children. However this fascination can lead to disastrous events. Matches were once household necessities – at a time, of course, when there was no electricity! The matter of children playing with matches, is mentioned in The Dublin Weekly…
Great Ellingham Football Club in Crisis
Illustration Christine Fuller The edition of the Diss Express published on Friday 14th December 1934, tells us that the football club in Great Ellingham was in crisis. The paper reported: “There is a possibility that the Great Ellingham Football Club will have to be disbanded unless greater support is received. Last season the club had…
Post WWII ‘Polish Hostel in Great Ellingham’
Great Ellingham Parish Church of St James The entries in the Burial Registers for St James’s Church, Great Ellingham, includes the burials of two men from the ‘Polish Hostel’, Great Ellingham. I decided to obtain the corresponding death certificates to try to gain more information about these men. Jan Szalobryt Jan Szalobryt died on the…
Private 5774000 Stanley Frederick Giles, 4th Bn. The Royal Norfolk Regiment
Stanley Frederick Giles (1917-1942) Courtesy Jane Sayliss Stanley Giles was 25 year old when he died as a prisoner of war in Thailand on the 14th December, 1942. Great Ellingham Born He was born in Great Ellingham on the 15th November, 1917. His parents, John and Nellie Giles, already had three children – Douglas, Winifred…
Good Many Complaints about playing Football in the Streets
Illustration Christine Fuller On the 14th May 1917, John Bilverstone and Ernest Mallett found themselves on the ‘wrong side of the law’. Whilst playing a game of football in Long Street, the farm labourers were approached by Police Constable Woods. On picking up the ball from the feet of John Bilverstone, Police Constable Woods told…
‘The Parsonage’ through time
The former Parsonage with the adjacent school room The blue arrow indicates the position of the Parish Room & ParsonageExtract from 1906 Ordnance Survey Map. Second Edition. Surveyed in 1881. Revised 1904 Land gifted by Lord Walsingham Here we look at the history of The Parsonage in Great Ellingham and the earlier use of the…
Jack Penson takes in Evacuees at Tanyard Farm
Early 1930s Jack Penson with son Sidney John at Tanyard Farm Great EllinghamCourtesy Lucinda Bell-Tye Just before the outbreak of World War II, the government initiated Operation Pied Piper. The result being an evacuation of some 800,000 children from urban areas to the countryside. As a consequence, Great Ellingham welcomed a number of evacuees. Although…
The Tragic Loss of a Young Life
Just like many families in other parishes, Great Ellingham folk suffered the loss of their loved ones. Many of these losses were through tragedies. Death is probably the only certainty in life. However, the loss of a child must be an unbearable and painful experience. To lose a child as a result of a terrible…
Frederick Barker Fined Thirty Shillings for Stealing a Hen
In the past, many of the inhabitants of Great Ellingham kept hens. These chickens provided many a ‘cash- strapped’ villager with a plentiful supply of fresh eggs and, on occasions, ‘Sunday lunch’. Unsurprisingly, there were several instances of hen thefts. Consequently, many offenders appeared before the Magistrates. One such wrong-doer was Frederick Barker. Illustration Christine…