Thursday 10 August 2017

A New W.I. or Rather............................



........................ an old one re-visited.

The little WI group I joined doesn't have a meeting in August but the big WI that I used to go to nearly 30 years ago does, and it's only 20 minutes away. I thought I'd go and visit and see if anyone who was there all those years ago was still going.  There were two people I knew and some others I recognised.  I was made very welcome as someone came to speak to me as soon as I went in and when I explained and said who I knew there she asked that person to "look after me".

The speaker was  Angela Lawrence, who had researched and written a book about something that happened at the beginning of WWI in Suffolk that very few people knew about.


 This is her book, written as fiction but based on fact.


In 1914 The Headmaster of a village school in north Suffolk and his wife had been teaching there for 30 years. They had a son who was interested in languages and they had saved up to pay for him to spend time in Germany in the early 1900's to learn German, by 1914 he was a teacher in South America. Sometime around 1910 two of the girls from the village in Germany where he had lodged came to stay with the headmaster to learn English and after they had returned home they wrote to invite the couple to visit them in Germany whenever they liked.
Then came the outbreak of war and the Chief Constable  of Suffolk became paranoid about spies.The son of the teachers had returned from South America to Suffolk to answer the call to fight for his country but as he had previously been in Germany he was suspected of spying and when the teachers home was searched and the letter from Germany found they too were thought to be spies and were told to leave the County.

Mrs Lawrence had slides illustrating lots of aspects of the Great War in Suffolk and had used the East Anglian Daily Times of the period for much of her research so had copies of cuttings from that too.

She didn't tell us the end of the story but hinted that it wasn't a happy one!

Something I remember from past membership is that often a subject which doesn't sound promising can actually turn out to be really interesting and this one certainly was.

I can be a member of one WI and then also another WI for an extra £19 a year but the year runs from January to December and there is no pro-rata for the second WI. So I can go as a visitor twice more (?)this year at £3 a time and then pay up for both next January. The big WI also have a craft group which I was interested in but it turns out it's just a few people meeting at various houses and knitting!
But they do have a book group which might be worth finding out about.

All the jam I've made will come in handy to donate for draw prizes or bring and buy sales, especially if I go to both WIs next year.

Thanks for comments yesterday, the weather was horrible here, I stayed indoors and made a little Red Hot and Sweet Relish. Not as much as I would have liked to have made but the grotty weather has slowed down the ripening of the tomatoes so it was a case of use what was there rather than wait as the ripe ones would have gone to squashy. None for the hampers - sorry sisters!

Here is a yesterday evening in "summer". Yes that is the wood burner alight and Polly keeping warm
 and outside the rain lashed down and we didn't bother to go and look for the Barn Owl!


Back Soon
Sue

15 comments:

  1. it's certainly been rainy lately! hope you and col are keeping well. x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gosh, that was wet yesterday and so dark. I have had to put my dressing gown on yesterday and this morning!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've been asked a couple of times to join our local WI maybe I should reconsider if they have good talks like that.

    It has been chilly the last few nights hasn't it ☹

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's surprising what a variety of speakers there are and usually interesting.We are hearing about the Street Kids of Guatemala next month

      Delete
  4. A bit better this morning although it is clouding over now and the early morning high blue skies have gone.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's a fascinating story from WW1.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It's a nice feeling to be remembered isn't it. I've recently returned to my CWA (Country Women's Association) branch - similar to WI and was surprised at the welcome I was given.
    Like you we still have cold wet weather - ours is winter though! 😊

    ReplyDelete
  7. The book you just read sounded really interesting. I have only just discovered your blog through the 'more for less' blog and I am one of the people who are reading your old blog which I find really interesting! This afternoon I am making your 🍅 tomato and herb rolls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello, thank you for reading and commenting. I always get a bit worried when someone says they are going to use one of my recipes- in case I've written it wrong! So I hope the rolls turn out OK

      Delete
  8. We finally got rain here yesterday and I woke up to lots of fog this morning.

    What an interesting and little known fact. I will see if I can find the book here in Canada.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thankfully it has been dry all day today but the fields are much too wet for the combines to get started again.

      Delete
  9. Glorious weather here in the NE of Scotland. But I bet it wont be long before we join you all in Englandshire weather wise. Interesting re the WI. Up here its called the Rural!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yes it was cold here too last night Sue but today has been a lovely Summer's day.

    ReplyDelete
  11. It wasn't a nice day at all was it? Luckily it did clear up a little Thursday. Good thing too as we booked a trip on Ipswich buses to Southwold. Sun came out in the afternoon Friday was beautiful down Felixstowe.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What an interesting talk, I don't the fact it wasn't a happy ending though.
    Lisa x

    ReplyDelete