ATMD diary of 1953
Italic font like this is comment added at the time of typing this out (2017). Unless otherwise marked, the first part of this (up to June 13th) is taken from Jack Hyde’s second notebook. It is not always transcribed word for word as in some places it is not that legible and in others it is not a full account, just the financial details. Jack Hyde’s third notebook starts on 30th May and a few events are described differently in the two books. Additional information comes from press trancripts especially North Berks Herald 29.5.1953 p1, 5.6.53 p6, 12.6.53 p1, 26.6.53 p1 and other material in the scrapbook and archives.
January 10th 1953: Two delegates (T.Hemmings & J.Hyde) attended Cecil Sharp House for Ring meeting business. Left Abingdon 8.05am, arrived (back in) Oxford 2.35am. Visited Albert Hall in the evening with two tickets presented by Mr Hamish Fraser.
January 27th: practice at Boxhill school. Music Mr Furneaux, 8 juniors, (Les) Argyle, Tom (Hemmings) and Charlie (Brett).
February 11th: meeting cancelled – bad weather.
February 19th: meeting Caldecott House: Major Fryer, Reg (Annetts), Jon M(ooring), John G(rimsdale), Tom (Hemmings) and Ray (Hemmings).
[Jack Hyde never seems to list himself as being present at these meetings and practices, but it’s fairly safe to assume he was also present. When he does refer to himself in these notebooks and other records, it is as John Hyde.]
February 25th: Practice, Boxhill, juniors.
March 4th: Practice, Boxhill, juniors cancelled.
March 10th: Practice, Boxhill, juniors.
March 17th: Practice, Boxhill, 15 juniors, Mr Furneaux, Tom, Ray, Charlie, John M, John G. [Mr Furneaux was the music teacher at Boxhill school, and would play the piano for the practices if Major Fryer wasn’t present.]
March 26th: Caldecott House: Tom, Ray, John M, John G. Drinks at Anchor.
March 27th: business meeting, Anchor, 8/6 [presumably for drinks].
Thursday April 2nd: Caldecott House, practice meeting: Charlie, Tom, Ray, John G, John M, Maj Fryer. Drinks Anchor 6/9.
April 16th: Caldecott House, practice. Brett, Hemmings T, Hemming R, Mooring J, Hyde J, Maj Fryer, (Len) Bardwell, Clark B, Jordan F, Argyle L.
Monday April 20th: Headington dancers at Caldecott House.
Thursday April 23rd: practice meeting at Caldecott House. Maj. Fryer, Messrs Bardwell, Argyle and Hyde. Practice in childrens’ play room, hut occupied by Toc H party.
Friday April 24th: visited OMM (Oxford Morris Men), Pembroke Street. Bardwell, Argyle, Wilson [these seem to be names of people Jack talked to, third being Laurie Wilson of Oxford University Morris].
Thursday April 30th: meeting Caldecott House. Practiced M of M [Maid of the Mill]. Charlie, Tom, Ray, Brian [Clark], [Frank] Jordan, Maj. Fryer, [Les] Argyle, Jack] Hyde.
May 14th: practice meeting Caldecott House. Practiced M of M [Maid of the Mill], S. Luker [Sally Luker], [the third dance listed is not that legible but it does not look like the name of an Abingdon dance – if anything it looks like Lads a Bunchum which is a dance from Adderbury – we know that the Caldecott Boys did dances that were not from Abingdon, so maybe they were practicing this under the tuition of Len Bardwell and Les Argyle]. Drinks Anchor 6/9 + 5/6.
May 19th: meeting Boxhill school, Mr F(urneaux).
May 26th: meeting Boxhill school, M F (Major Fryer), 8 lads.
May 28th: meeting Caldecott House, Mr Bardwell, Tom, Ray, Charlie, John M, L. Argyle, expenses 3/9.
Saturday 30th May: Aylesbury. Coronation parade organised by British Legion. Transport Major Fryer’s shooting brake. Left Abingdon 12 o’clock, arrived 2pm. Horn bearer J. Hemmings, Mayor Tom Hemmings, Musician Mr Bardwell, Fool J. Mooring, Dancers C.Brett, J.Grimsdale, R.Hemmings, J.Hyde, B.Clark, F.Jordan, W.Kent. Received £4/19/1 (collection £1/10/9, fees £2/8/4, donation £1).
Wednesday June 3rd: Coronation celebrations at Abingdon. Teams taking part [as well as Abingdon] Oxford University, Bampton, South Berks, Boxhill School Juniors, Caldecott House Juniors. Changed at Abbey House. Commenced dancing Abbey Meadows 7pm until 8.15. Danced Winster Processional back to Market Place, gave display until lighting of fire for ox roasting by the mayor at 9.30pm. Further dancing until midnight on the Market Place. All teams together with a few friends partook of beer and ham sandwiches in the Bear Room of the Council Chambers, the juniors were supplied with soft drinks. Weather fine but not too warm for the spectators, especially in the open by the Abbey meadows. Tom, Charlie, Ray, Jim, John M, John G, John H(emmings), Brian C, Bardwell, F Jordan. Receipts £5, Expenses £11/9/0 (beer Fergusons £6/7/6, sandwiches Walters Cafe £3/0/0, hire of glasses mays 9/0, Bampton expenses £1/2/6, South Berks 10/0). [The logbook of the Oxford University Morris Men has a long description of this event, including that there was a Punch & Judy show in progress when the dancers arrived in Abbey Meadow which continued while the dancing started and how at 7.50 most of the audience left the dancing to watch a ‘Comic Football Match’. For some reason the University Men performed an impromptu Mummers Play on the way to the Bear Room. After the ox roasting fire was lit, there were two simultaneous dancing displays – one by Abingdon and Bampton and one by South Berks and Oxford University. The ‘Old Globe’ (an Ushers house) had an extension until 11pm (!) which Oxford and Bampton took advantage of before they started dancing again on the Market Place which lasted until about midnight, when Bampton departed in their coach and the Oxford men departed in one car and on several bikes, getting lost before they found the road back to Oxford.]
June 6-7th: Thaxted (ring meeting organised by Rev Jack Putterill). Left Abingdon 7.30am, transport Maj Fryer’s shooting brake, arrived Thaxted 1.15pm, reported to Rev Putterill, booked in at hotels. Commenced tours 2pm, tea at Thaxted 5pm, dancing in streets till 11pm. Sunday church 11am, dancing afterwards in Main Street. BBC recording of Princess Royal. Had drinks, then left 2pm, arrived Abingdon 6pm. Expenses totalled £10/17/10 – tea, feast, hotels, drinks. Tom, Maj Fryer, John M, Charlie, Ray, J.Grimsdale, J.Hyde, L.Argyle, F.Jordan, Bill Kent.
Saturday June 13th: Windsor. State entry HM Queen Elizabeth II. Left Abingdon 12 o’clock, arrived Star & Garter 2pm. Commenced dancing in the streets 2.15 until arrival of troops 3pm. During this performance money was thrown to the dancers by the spectators, and the sum of £7/2/0 was picked up. Proceeded to Home Park, danced in the Long Walk between the guardsmen lining the route, entered the park to entertain children until the procession was due 4.30pm. Procession passed about 4.35, had a good view of the royal couple. Proceeded back to Star & Garter, had tea, started for home 6pm. Receipts £9/2/0 (collection £7/2/0, fee per Miss W £2), expenses £3/1/11 (Maj Fryer petrol £1/12/0, Bill Kent tip 10/0, drinks Windsor 10/3, drinks Twyford 9/8). [Bill Kent was a Wargrave dancer, and it seems he was driving the shooting brake]
Saturday 20th June: Election of Mayor. Voting commenced 12 noon at the Happy Dick [143 Ock Street]. Bampton and South Berks arrived during the afternoon. Gave displays in Ock St whilst votes were counted. Ballot box closed 4.30pm, counted by Alderman Stimpson, Mr Furneaux, J.Hyde. Result: Tom Hemmings 129, Ray Hemming 63, Charlie Brett 34. Tom, Ray, Maj Fryer, [Len] Bardwell, Fred C[oxhead], Reggie Annetts, J.Hyde, B[rian] Clarke, Frank Jordan. Teams taking part: Abingdon, Bampton, South Berks, Abingdon Boxhill Juniors. Dancing took place in Ock St from 6pm until grand finale at Crown & Thistle at 10pm. Presentation by the Mayor of Abingdon of the horns from the ox roasted in the Market Place to commemorate the crowning of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Receipts £7/3/0 1/2. Expenditure £10/6/3 (printing £1/8/0, teas £4, drinks £1/13/3, Bampton travel expenses £3/5/0).
Saturday June 27th: Caldecott House garden fete. Recipts: nil, Expenses 6/9.
Saturday July 4th: Caldecott House in aid of the Red Shield Fund appeal for television / wireless for troops stationed at Abingdon airfield.
Saturday September 5th: Clipston Conservative Fete. Travelled in Maj Fryer’s shooting brake. Receipts £5, expenses £1/8/4 (drinks £1/1/10, mens’ lost time 6/6).
[There are no records in Jack Hyde’s third notebook of any other activities in the period July-December 1953. After 5th September’s fete, the next dated entry is for 25th Feb 1954.]