ATMD diary of 1955
Jack Hyde’s third notebook only has entries for the early part of the year. What is entered there is transcribed here, but for the rest of 1955 and succeeding years we don’t have a full record, only what is in the first scrapbook (SB1), in press cuttings, or other archive material.
Meeting arranged for January 13th 1955 cancelled owing to heavy snow.
February 3rd: Meeting Caldecott House. Practice commenced 8pm, practiced Maid of the Mill. Personnel: T.Hemmings, Maj Fryer, F.Coxhead, M.Bell, B.Coxhead, J.Hyde, R.Hemming, C.Brett, L.Bardwell, J.Mooring, J.Grimsdale, R.Blencowe. (1) Business meeting proposed by J.Grimsdale to take place on Feb 10th “Cross Keys” 8.30. (2) Ring circular re meetings for 1955. (3) Letter from Ring bagman re club representatives held at Cecil Sharp House Jan 8th 1955 – no decisions taken, awaiting further information from London. Next practice meeting Feb 17th 1955.
[that is the last entry in Jack Hyde’s notebook apart from an entry ‘Meeting Caldecott March 24th 1955, but with no further details]
28th May: dancing at Burford. The archives have 2 small B&W photos of Abingdon dancing at Burford, labelled ‘Princess Royal’ and ‘Brighton Camp’ and this date. These photos also have D.J.J. written on the back (Deena Jackson – Stuart Jackson’s mother and daughter of Tom Hemmings).
10th June: North Berks Herald article announces the annual election of the Mayor of Ock Street to be held on 18th June “when residents of Ock Street will record their votes at the Morris Mayor’s house, 144 Ock Street between noon and 4pm. The newly-elected Mayor will be ‘chaired at about 5pm. Traditional Morris dances will be performed by the Abingdon team in Park Road and Park Crescent, Abingdon, during the afternoon, and in Ock Street and vicinity during the evening.” [Previous elections had been held outside the closed ‘Happy Dick’ which was 143 Ock Street. 144 Ock Street was the other side of the street near the Cross Keys and was Tom Hemmings’ home.]
Saturday 18th June: Mayor’s Day The North Berks Herald of 24th June has 3 photos and an article reporting Tom Hemmings winning by 165 votes to John Grimsdale’s 43 votes. “Mr Hemmings, who is 68, has been folk-dancing since he was a boy. His nephew, nine-year old Maurice Hemmings, is mascot or ‘Emblem of the Dance’ to the Abingdon Morris team.” The article mentions that there were 11 dancers, including the fool (Jack Mooring) and musician (Len Bardwell). Dances at Abingdon Hospital and Albert Park included ‘A nutting we will go’, ‘Curly-headed Ploughboy’ and ‘Sally Luker’. Result announced by the Mayor of Abingdon, Coun.H.J.Polley. The history of the horns and the fight for them is reported, though the article describes it as being between the morris teams of Ock Street and ‘the east of Abingdon, beyond the Vineyard’. [The archives have an original of this article] [SB1 also has photocopies of 1955 reports and articles about this Mayor’s Day from The Times Weekly Review 23.6.55, John Bull 18.6.55 and Oxford Mail 20.6.55]
Saturday 25th June: Founder’s Day, Dr Barnardo’s childrens’ home, Caldecott House. Dancing at this event is reported in the North Berks Herald of 1st July 1955. Morris dancing by both the boys of the home and the Abingdon Morris Men. Programme was opened by folk dancing from Caldecott House girls.
There was a big Ring Meeting in London 8th-10th July (50th anniversary). Abingdon are not on the list of clubs reported as going to this in the article in Morris Ring Circular no 14, Jan 1989, but there is a small B&W photo in the archives marked ‘Tower Hill London Ring Meeting 1955’ which shows Len Bardwell in what looks like Abingdon kit playing the concertina. This photo also is marked D.J.J (see Burford above).