Great War Huts have had a busy few weeks. On Thursday 7th November we were delighted to welcome back Robert Lloyd Parry for another wonderful evening of M.R.James Ghost Stories. Always popular, Robert’s wonderful delivery brings these spine-tingling tales to life. The audience of over forty people, some having travelled long distances to get here, were all very appreciative.
With the new wooden floor now fitted in our original First World War Recreation Hut we were able to host our first theatre production on Saturday 23rd November.
MESH Theatre Company’s superb production of Rachel Wagstaff’s ‘The Soldier’, about the life of Soldier Poet, Rupert Brooke, was very well received. The cast of three put on a fantastic performance and deserved the ovation they received at the end. One couple had even travelled from Staffordshire to see the performance.
On Friday 29th November we were privileged to host a very special event to mark the centenary of the Women’s Land Army disbandment at the end of the Great War – ‘Set Our Hands Upon The Plough’. WLA historian, Nicky Reynolds, and her ‘Soil Cinderellas’ gave a wonderful talk, accompanied by music, songs, readings and poems. The evening was rounded off with a toast to the Women’s Land Army.
We were particularly delighted to have a number of Second World War Women’s Land Army ladies in the audience.
On the same day we were very pleased to welcome Richard and Alison from the Knockaloe Internment Camp museum on the Isle of Man to Great War Huts for a visit and a chat about hut dismantling, transporting and restoration. We are always very pleased to help other hut owners as part of our ‘Love Your Hut’ initiative and have given help and advice to a number of organisations and individuals this year.
The restoration work on our next hut is progressing well. We hope to have all of the roof panels and wall panels completed over the Winter, ready to reassemble the whole building over one weekend next Spring. As always I would like to thank all of our volunteers who make such a difference to the project, especially seven year old Paloma who recently spent a day with us making a Birdbox from original Hut timber. She nailed it together and painted it herself. Hopefully there will be some appreciative feathered residents next year.
Planning is already well underway for our 2020 events programme but, in the meantime, Happy Christmas to you all.
By Taff Gillingham