Appendix 2: Units stationed at Saltby Airbase

August 1941, No. 14 OTU of No. 7 Group Bomber command with Handley-Page Hampdens.  (The Luftwaffe had taken a photo in 1940 showing the runways under construction.)

May 1942, transferred to 92 Group.  Some aircraft took part in the first ' Thousand bomber raid ' on Cologne .

September 1942 – January 1943, Wellingtons replaced the Hampdens.

August 1943, This unit moved.

Date unknown, No. 32 Glider Maintenance Unit of No. 2 Heavy Glider Mtce. Unit with 32 Airspeed Horsas stored there until transferred to American Command in 1944.

Airfield probably closed from Aug. 1943 to service and improve runways.  Concrete runways built by No. 5352 Airfield Construction Wing.

November/December 1943, Transferred to control of US 9^th Troop Carrier Command (HQ at St Vincents, Grantham).

February 1944, first arrivals by 314^th Troop Carrier Group, Part of American 9^th TC Command, 52^nd Wing, comprising 32^nd, 50^th, 61^st and 62^nd Squadrons. A small contingent of 1^st Airborne Division also, for training and liaison purposes. Later in Feb main party arrives with C 47s of 32^nd Squadron and then other squadrons.

April 1944, Exercises dropping paratroops, many to east of Grantham …. C 47s dropped 82^nd Airborne and British 1^st Airborne. Waco CG-4A gliders towed from Greenham Common base.

D-Day 6^th June 1044, 60 C 47s flew to Normandy with 950 men of American 508^th Parachute Infantry Regiment and other units of 82^nd Airborne Division.

September 1944, 72 planes each day carried men of British 1^st Airborne Division to Arnham as part of Operation "Market Garden".  These consisted of 2^nd, 3^rd, 11^th and 156^th Parachute Battalions.  Later, 604 men of 1^st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade were flown to attempt relief at Arnhem .

February – March 1945, 314^th T.C.G. leaves for France .

March – August 1945, RAF No. 1665 Heavy Conversion Unit arrives with Sterlings and Halifaxes .  In May, 38 Short Stirlings arrived to stand by for troop-carrying ops.  And 33 leave for Copenhagen with 1^st Airborne Division troops.  349^th TCG arrives with C 46s.

June – August 1945, RAF 38 Group Transport Command.

November 1945 – September 1948, ' Care and Maintenance ' basis.

October 1948, RAF No's 216 and 255 MUs, 40 Group use airfield for storage.

26^th September 1955, Airfield de-requisitioned.

Appendix 3:  Family Tree of the Duffins/ Dolbys

Mr Pogmore's tree stems from two sources … the marriage of Thomas Duffin (baptised 1797 at Branstow, Leics.) to Mary Charity (baptised 1795 at Croxton Kerrial), this being at Croxton in 1819.  The other source was the marriage of Willam Dalby at Garthorpe in 1817 to Mary Geesons (bp 1792 at Garthorpe)

Thomas and Mary Duffin must have moved to Skillington, for all their children were born here ….. 

   George b 1820  
  Elizabeth b 1824  
  Ann b 1826  
  Jane bp 1829, m Edward Geeson Dolby 1851 at Skillington  
  John b 1831  
Frances b 1833  
  Sarah b 183?

William and Mary Dalby  had 4 children, the first 3 born at Garthorpe, the last at Wymondham ….         

Elizabeth (name now spelt Dolby), b 1818  
Charlotte b 1820  
William b 1824  
Edward Geeson b c1827

Edward Geeson and Jane Dolby's children were:

Henry bp 1853  
Naomi and twin Ruth b 1858  
William and twin Thomas b 1856, both d 1857  
Alice bp 1860  
Polly bp 186?  

If the reader will refer back to the 1901 census listing in chapter 3, it can be seen that Edward (Geeson) Dolby was living in "Blue Row", a 74 year old widower.  This is almost surely the present day number 4, Blue Town .  In the previous census, for 1891, Edward was living at number 9, Back Lane with wife Jane.  I wonder if they were proud of the new (?) thatched cottage into which they were re-housed by Buckminster Estate.  It was from his daughter Naomi's marriage to a Fred Pogmore from Grantham which led to my informant's activities in genealogy.  The first children of their marriage were baptised at Skillington.     

Appendix 4:  Family Tree of the Christians and Berridge

The following piece on the Berridge tree is from Beverley Townsley's papers.

The patriarch of the Berridge line, starting circa 1733 was John Berridge (only his marriage in 1757  is recorded here).   This was to Elizabeth Boyfield.   Their children were,   John 1758, William 1759 (mar Catherine Waters), John 1759, Thomas 1761

(mar Ann Christian [this is, of course, the Ann who began Skillington's   Methodist association], Elizabeth 1761, and Anthony 1764 (mar Elizabeth Searson).  These all had a strong Easton connection, as the Berridge family was from that village.  William and John; Thomas and Elizabeth were twins.  

The Christian family tree provided by Robert Christian has John Christian of Stevenbie (Stainby?) as its patriarch ……

John had 2 sons, one being Thomas, who made a will in 1610 and bought land at Skillington where he then lived.  His children were –  

¹  The exciting events surrounding the start of Methodism in Skillington centred on Ann(e) in particular but also her brother, William, and their spouses.  The enclosure awards showed Ann's husband, Thomas Berridge, to be the sixth largest landowner in Skillington at that time with 85 acres.  They had a daughter, also called Ann.

²   This is surely Home Farmhouse on Middle Street. 
^3.  See Newton tree again.  Mary was actually marrying back into her great aunt's line.  
^4.  As the Christians departed Skillington in the 1930s, this is where our connection with that family's tree ends.

Appendix 5: Family Tree of the Newtons  

With regard to the photograph of the Newtons in chapter 5:  if the boy and the dapper young man on the fence are both the children of Robert Christian Newton, the boy's age (c9 ?) would place the time as 1887 for he would be Frederick.  His father is then 51 and older brother William is 22.  Of course, the boy could be William's son, Robert White Newton born 1894 (and "visiting"?) which places the date as c 1903.  The Newton seated on the fence would then be Frederick aged 25.  The patriarch would be aged 67.  I favour this latter interpretation but what does the reader think?

As a historian who has warmed to the story of Skillington as this book has developed I feel some sadness that the Newtons departed from the parish, albeit not too far away, in the early 70s.  They and the Christian family had such a profound influence on village affairs, which extended out of their farming interests.  It is perhaps relevant here, in conclusion, to look at how the Newtons came to sever their ties with Skillington.

I am not familiar with the full details of how and when Robert Lancelot met and courted  Lord J.Arthur Rank's eldest daughter, Ursula.  This family's home was at Sutton Scotney near Winchester , Hampshire.  The outcome was their marriage in 1952 when Ursula was 33.  For almost 20 years they continued to live and farm at Skillington but the die was cast.

Lord Rank apparently bought some land at Saltby from the Duke of Rutland estate (to cover some of the Duke's death duties).  This was for only grandson Joseph and he now farms there.  Frederick and Fanny and their son Lance were not buried at Skillington, as one might have expected, but are, I believe, at rest in the Rank family mausoleum at Sutton Scotney [although another informant since the first edition of this book was published claims that Frederick and Fanny were cremated at Leicester].  I understand that the farm finally owned by a Newton may have been Weston's Farm which was rented to Neville Clark and which he still farms.          

Appendix 6:  Family tree of the Selby Family

Appendix 7: Extracts from the Accounts Ledger of Wheelwrights John William and James Bell

Some items made or repaired:  Door and window frames and sills, weather-boarding, floor boards, new wheel for wheelbarrow, fixing castors on bedstead, hammer and hedge knife handles (many of the latter), mangle rollers, ladders, repair of grandfather clock, coffins (elm for the poorer folk, oak for the rich), building a shepherds hut, making troughs, wood for damming water at sheep dyke, various carts and wagons, goal posts for football club (in 1925).

As well as woodworking the Bells …. Decorated houses, glazed windows and made locks work. They seem to have delivered or carted loads of swedes, mangels, barley and linseed cake too.

Skillington customers listed: (some from other villages may have crept in) – The Parish and Rural District Councils, Mr Bond, Mr Burton, Rev Cane, Sir Hugh Cholmeley, Messrs Robert, T.A. and Reg Christian, Mr Cullis, Mr Dooley, Messrs H and W. Duffin, Trustees for Earl Dysart, Mr Everatt, Mr Garrard, Mr Houghton, Mrs Jackson, Mr Johnson, Mr and Mrs King, Mrs Kitchen, Mrs Lloyd, Mr Joseph Martin, Messrs Andrew and W.Meads, Mr Morley at the Cross Swords, Mr L. Newton, Mrs Norcross, Mr Albert Parker, Mr Rayson, Rev Reynolds, Mr O. Robinson, Mr Sensecal, Mrs Siddons, Mr Logan Southwood, Mrs Taylor, C. Turnor Esq., Mrs Tyler, Mr Waddington, Mr Ward, Mr W. Weston, Mrs Williams, Mr Harry and W. Whittle, Mr White.

Two typical accounts ….

1.      Headed " Mr Forbes Reynolds"

    "Funeral for the late Rev C.W.H. Reynolds. Died March 19^th 1932 in his 80^th year."

"Dark Oak Coffin with panel sides and Oak Cross and attendance …. £8-17-6

"Hiring Funeral Car to bring coffin to Skillington Church …………..    1- 5-6

"4 bearers, 5/- each …………………………………………………...    1- 0-0

"Grave digging ……………………………………………………….       10-0

"Vicars Fee ……………………………………………………....……...         5-0

" Bell Tolling ………………………………………………...………….         2-6

"Hiring Car to bring Mr Reynolds to funeral and take back …        10-0

                                                                                                                          ______

                                                                                                                        12-10-0

                              "Paid May 2^nd 1932

2.      Headed "Mr F. Newton" ……

"August 17^th (1933) –

"Harvest wagon wheel rep

"(3) 3 ½" felloes [?] 9/-, 1 good second hand tyre 8/- …………...….. 17-0

"supplied shoeing and nails 3/- ………………………………………….   3-0

 "September 9^th –

 "Barn door rep.  2 sag bars & nails & time 1/6 ……………...………    1-6

"New key fitted to lock 2/9.  3 hrs 3/- ………………………...………..    5-9

"Castors fitting to chair 1/-. Iron plate to latch barn 2d ……….....    1-2

A few other interesting jobs ….

At the Vicarage – "Larder, replace defective zinc fly screen with strong copper gauze ….5/-.

For Rev Cane – "Making Horse with covered in top for cassocks. 2 heads. 6ft long    2 ½" square …. 2/6

"Laying lino in bedroom 2 ½hrs …3/3.

For Mr L. Newton – "Tennis hut window glass … 1/-

For Mr A.Meads -  "Damage done by Silver Queen bus (or repairs to) … totalled 14/-

In 1928 Squire Turnor had some "alterations at mill"

In 1934 the Cricket club had fencing work carried out for £5-15-6 and later a hut built for £8-10-0. 

Acknowledgements

This book would not have been possible in any meaningful way without the co-operation and help of a lot of people.   Apart from those working for such organisations as The Lincolnshire County Records and Archives and the LC Sites and Monuments Record Dept.; Grantham Library; Grantham Museum, University of Leicester (Archaeology Dept.) and the Buckminster Gliding Club at Saltby, most people have been or are residents of Skillington village itself.   And that is as it should be.  It would have made this History the work of many years to go to every person for their recollections, however, wanting to get something published, I went to some (perhaps most) of those who could help.   These were recommended by others for their knowledge of the village's past, and it achieved a snowball effect.   What gratified me, as a newcomer to the village, was the cheerful spirit and hospitality with which that help was given.   This acknowledgement applies, therefore, to the village community as a whole but here are the names of those I sought out for special help and they did not let me down…..

Peter Bell  
Peter Charlesworth  
Mike Charlesworth  
Robert Christian  
Peter Clark  
Mike Doyle  
Hilda Foley  
Judith and Roger Gault  
Bill Gray  
Gerald Goodliffe  
Margaret Hallam  
Albert "Tally" Hand  
Judy Lord  
Bill Meads  
Dennis Meads  
Joseph Newton  
Fred Pogmore  
John and Anita Selby  
Peter Selby  
Neville Sharpe  
Mr R.D.Stafford, Manager of Buckminster Estate
Don Stewart, Buckminster Gliding Club, History Group  
Sandra and John Stoneman  
Roland Tomlin  
John and Hilda Townsend  
Beverley Townsley  
George Tyler  
Bill Whittle  
Jean Wood  
Linda Wood  
 

Many books were referred to.   These include The Methodist Jubilee Booklet; The Booklet of St James Church; The Millennium Project, Altar Rail Kneeler; Lincolnshire Life Magazine; The Ironstone Quarries of the East Midlands, Pt. Vlll – South Lincolnshire by Eric Tonks; Grandma's Gleanings from Newton's Woolsthorpe by Margaret Winn; The Penguin book of English Pastoral Verse;  Skillington Parish Council Minute Books, 1942 – 2000; Ellen Gretton and her Circle by Barry J. Biggs; Occupational Costumes in England by Phillis Cunningham and Catherine Lucas; English Place Names by Kenneth Cameron; Bushby's Grantham Compendium; Kelly's and also White's History and Gazetteers for Lincolnshire; Grantham Red Book; Lincolnshire Notes and Queries; and lastly, Mr L.R.Cryer's History of Skillington.

Thank you to another newcomer to the village, Graham Smith, who now looks after the Skillington Website, for his technical help with photographs.

Finally, thank you to my wife, Kathleen, for assistance with proof reading, suggestions and general help.    

This book was produced in a limited number of bound copies by the author and bounded by Craftsmen Binders of Abington, Northampton with the covers printed by Grafton (Printers and designers) of Northampton

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