First Meeting of Starcross History. Tuesday 10th March

A big thankyou to the score of people who came to the first meeting of Starcross History on Tuesday, 10th March in the lovely new Starcross pavilion. And another big thankyou to Starcross Parish Council
for allowing us the use of their pavilion for this first meet, FREE OF CHARGE.

 Especial thanks to our speakers: Alison Miles and Peter Hinchliffe. Both speakers gave their time freely. We were unable to offer them anything, even just for their expenses, so this is  a double thankyou to them both.

For those who kindly sent their apologies, and for everyone else who was unable to attend; you missed 2 fantastic speakers who spoke with passion about their subjects:

• Starcross resident Alison Miles recalled the Past and Present Festival in Starcross last May, which was the starting point for this history group.

 

She explained the Starcross wallhanging; which is to be a Celebration of Country Living, and recruited members of Starcross History Club to make more panels. 

Until Alison and the group of volunteers from St Paul's Church, Starcross swung into action, the only evidence of the passing of everything to do with the Royal Western Counties Hospital

 was the small, enclosed field behind the St Paul's Church cemetery, which contains the unmarked graves of  the former residents. Now there is a memorial,

and a bench seat, and the makings of a tranquil garden where anyone may sit when they need to have a peaceful place in which to quietly think and reflect.

• 2015 is the 150th anniversary of William Booth's founding of the Salvation Army,  so our second speaker; Peter Hinchliffe's topic was The early battles: Police v Salvation Army

The logo for The Salvation Army International Congress 2015
Boundless. The Salvation Army International Congress 150th Anniversary 1-5 July, London 

Peter Hinchliffe, himself an ex-copper, astounded us with incredible tales of what is now seen as the nineteenth-century police persecution of the Salvation Army. This happened in Plymouth, Honiton, Crediton, Torquay and further afield. Salvationists were arrested and imprisoned. Salvationalists were killed. An opposing army of thugs; The Skeleton Army had tacit approval to disrupt and attack the salvationists. Amazing; breathtaking; unbelievable, but TRUE stories.

Also thankyou to all those who, as requested,  brought raffle prizes and mugs. And thankyou for buying raffle tickets, and paying £1 for your teas/coffees and biscuits. The raffle was a great success, and we didn't run out of mugs.