THE
MERSHAMMAGAZINE
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THE
MERSHAM
MAGAZINE.
EDITOR : T H E RECTOR.
SPRING
CLEANING,
-Althoogh
it is
nnw rather ancient
history, I would
like to record in
print m y own appreciation a n d
thanks t o all those who had a hand in spring-cleaning the
Church a t the end of June. It was a grand job of work,
happi!!: 2nd well done. !t seems t h a t i t was early 111 1933
t h a t the Church had its last full clean. Certainly the dirt
and cobwebs on the beams and plastpr in the roof made u s
think that it must have bepn a full sixteen years ago. fudging by some men's agilitv among the beams a n d rafters (no
names!) they cannot have left thrir monkey ancestors behind a s long ago as t h r y would like u s to believe !
How fitting it was that before we kept the pcarlv festival
of our Parish and Church, linked with St. John the Baptist's
Day, we should tutn tu and ourselves clcan o u r own Church.
Forty people helped in the wurk, and I think i t right t h a t
their names should he recorded :
Miss Amos, Mrs. Bcnson, Miss Rreaden, Mrs. Cundall,Mrs.
Fngg. Miss Farras, Mrs. Gohle. Mrs. Gripgs (sen.). Mrs. A .
Griggs. Mrs. C Griggs, Mrs. J. Harris. Mrs. Hoyle. Mrs.
Hollingsbec, Mrs. Hollou,ay, Mrs. X!de Mrs. Nash, Mrs. C.
.
M.
Nutley. Mrs. Parkin. Mrs. H. Pilbram, Mrs. P i l c h ~ rMiss
Pilcher. Miss J. Pilcher, Miss Sigsworth, Mrs. Thatcher.
Colonel Barton. Mrssrs. A. Chapman. C. Clark. Cundall.
Fielder. Goble, C. Griggs. J. Harris. Marsh, Nash Parker,
Pilbeam, and four boys: T. Apps, D. Harris. M. Griggs, P.
Sargeant.
" LAMMASTIDE."-NO, this not part of the weekly Mrrsham Crver quiz! Lammac Day (August 1st) is the d a y
when, in former times, the first corn to be cut in the parish
was offered to God a s the firstfruits in the Parish Church
(followed later a t the end nf the harvest bv the Harvrqt
T h a n k c ~ i v i n p ) . Many rhurches arp rrvivin,r t h r old rii?trm.
I see that t h e R.R C. are b r o a d c a ~ t i n g aLammastirlr Srrvire
on Sunday, 14th A~:gurt,from a country church in S u s s ~ x .
There a r e reallv four S u n d a y which have a d i r r r t l i r k
with the seasons of the country. First, Plnilgh Siirday (in
l a n ~ ~ a r vwhen
) , a plonph is hroueht to t h e Parish Churrh to
he hlecsed. a s a sign of the work to he done on the farms
and in t h r gardens bpforc wed time. Then m m e s Rogatirn
S ~ i n d a " (in Ma"), when we ask fnr God's blessing on ( b e
sowinp of the seed and on the grnwinp crops. At t h r hrpinn i n ~of the harvest its firstfruits a r e offrrrd on Lammas
Sundav (in A u ~ u s t )follnwrd
,
a t the end of the gathering-in
b y t h e Harvrst Thanks~ioing.
W P shall be having a sprcial Lammastide Service nt Evensong (6.30 p.m.) on Sunday, 7th August.
H o r r o ~ v s . - I shall be away from Turcdav. 9th Aueust.
until t h m
~ d of the month. I am most eratrf111 t<rT h r Rev.
D. M ~ a r lRriegs (Chaplain of St. Edmund's Schnol. Cantwhurvl. The Rev. G . Elson. t h r RPV. G. W. L o u ~ h b o r o u ~ h ,
and General A. L. F n r s t ~ rwho
,
hnve offerpd to take dutirs
for me while I a m swav. The Sunday Servicrs will cnntlnue
normallv. but therr will be no werkdav servicrs d u r i n r t h a t
time. I f a n v emererncv arisrs. a h i r h nrrdz the x r v i c e s of
the clergy. Mr. Marsh will get in touch with one of t h e local
clerry.
I would particularly a p p ~ a to
l the m r m h r r s of t h r Churrh
that thcv shauld frel m d c r a q e a t n h l i ~ a t i o nto support and
help t h m c who are being p o d enough to come over to take
the Snnday Services durine m y absence. I d o a s w r c you
t h a t , a s in a n v other work. there is nothing t h a t can spoil
one's holidav more than the nagging worry a s to whethrr
t h i n ~ sare carrrinp nn a. ucual while one is awav. One is
naturally hesitant to ask people over t o a stranee Church if
one is uncertain whethrr there is p i n g t o be a choir a n d
c o n ~ r c g a t i u nprerrnt to support ihrin.
If vou see me looking extrrmely thin on m v return. d o not
assume t h a t it is e n t i r ~ l vdue to worry! I am going on a
bike tour to Land's E n d , a n d I usuallv leave a certain
amount of niy weight behind on the road !
CRICKF-T.-In the period mld-June to mid-July the Club
started with two heavy d e f e a t s : Brook. who are in good
form this sea5on, knocked u p 8 2 , and the Club collapsed
badly and were all out f o r 29-only John Iiorris rrachrd
double figures. and six ducks lald eggs. The Club returned
from Grcat Chart a f t m a 9-wicket win by the home side.
Mersham mustered only 36, the ducks again laying well with
4 eggs, and Great Chart finally hit u p 90 for the loss of 7
wickets. The return of Ron Grirgs to the side in t h match
~
against Plucl;lcv brought some good luck-and bowling. H e
took 5-13 in the Pluckky innings of 59, a n d in reply Mersham scored 71, Cyril Griggs getting 21. Ron Griggs repeated
his performance against Sellindge in the following week with
5-12. Sellindge, playing 9 men, scored 40against the Club's
total of 67. Cyril Griggs was again top scorer with 24.
REMEMBER-Saturday. 6rt1 August: t h e Crickct Club
Flower Show and Fete. And let's see your carlots!!
WHATA R E WE G R U M R L I N G ABOUT?-To make thr health
yervice in Great Britain similar to that in India it would be
necessary to take away 5 out of every 6 doctors, 99 out of
every 100 dentists. 99 out of every roo trained nurses, zg
out of every 30 hospital beds. I t is repeatedly stated that
there is a desperate shortage of nurses in this country, there
h e ~ n gone nursc to every 2,000 people. In India there is
only one for every 43,000.
Sun.. 7th (Lammastide Sunday)-6.30 p.m., Special Lammastide Service.
Lower Mersham Misrion Room Servicec-7th.
9 30 a.m.,
H. C. There will be no Evensong during the month.
There is no Mothers' Union Meeting in August.
" A mtm6cr a/ Christ, the child of God, and a n
inheritor of the Kingdom of Heanen."
26th June.-Mervvn
Malcolm Marriott; Janet Ann Gates.
17th July.-David John Archer.