TV ALERT - Remembrance Countryfile - Idle Women

[ChrisJBrady]

Remembrance Countryfile

Countryfile marks Remembrance Sunday. 

Ellie Harrison finds out about the so-called 'Idle' women of the canals, who played a vital role in the Second World War. She also discovers how the great outdoors helps to heal servicemen and women. John Craven explores how wild plants became medicine during the Second World War. Plus Adam Henson visits a school where farming is helping to shape lives.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09g8qn0

Idle Women (image)

On the towpath of the Grand Union Canal in Stoke Bruerne, Ellie meets poet Heather Wastie and actress Kate Saffin - a dramatic duo who through their canal-side performances, keep alive the memory of the ‘Idle Women’. These female volunteers answered a Government advert and stepped up to ‘man’ the barges. Named after the IW on their Inland Waterways badges, these women were anything but idle, Ellie learns how they operated the hefty locks as well as loading and unloading hundreds of tons of vital supplies. 

Find out more about the 'Idle Women

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/blogs/heritage-team/idle-women-the-land-girls-of-the-waterways

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[Athy]

Has been mentioned on another thread, but thank you for the reminder (I for one had forgotten about it until I read your post!)

[cheshire~rose]

I am looking forward to seeing this as it is hoped the tour will visit The Chesterfield Canal next year 

[jake_crew]

Canal items at 1:30 and 33:10 minutes.

[Athy]

I enjoyed watching it. The Country File reporters always look interested in whatever rural topic they are reporting on, this reporter set the scene well and there were no obvious bog-ups. I think one of the participants was a CWFer, too.

The article about loss of services in villages was an eye-opener too: I can't believe that new housing estates are being built in country locations with no shops, no pubs, no post office, no school, no church, just row after row of houses. That's hardly a way to forge community spirit. The last thing that's needed is the removal of such services from existing communities.

[RLWP]

Leo no2 is in the article, she's a member here

Richard

[Athy]

Yes, that's the lady to whom I was referring.

[RLWP]

2 minutes ago, Athy said:

Yes, that's the lady to whom I was referring.

Just assuring you, you wrote 'I think one of the participants was a CWFer'

Richard

[Athy]

2 hours ago, RLWP said:

Just assuring you, you wrote 'I think one of the participants was a CWFer'

Richard

Precisely, yes, I didn't want to state it as a fact when I wasn't 100% sure, thanks.

[Jess--]

6 hours ago, Athy said:

The article about loss of services in villages was an eye-opener too: I can't believe that new housing estates are being built in country locations with no shops, no pubs, no post office, no school, no church, just row after row of houses. That's hardly a way to forge community spirit. The last thing that's needed is the removal of such services from existing communities.

A lot of the blame for this can be aimed at the supermarkets, people went to them for their lower prices and having everything in one place.

for my location which used to have all of the below in the village within the last 7 years... I now have to travel....
Shop (of any description) : 4 miles
Petrol Station : 7 miles (10 if you don't want to pay 10p extra per litre)
Post Office : 5 miles, or use the post office van during the 6 hours a week it's in the village (if it arrives)
Pub : 5 miles (there were 4 in the village)
Bank : 14 miles
Phone Box : 4 miles

[Athy]

1 minute ago, Jess-- said:

A lot of the blame for this can be aimed at the supermarkets, people went to them for their lower prices and having everything in one place.

for my location which used to have all of the below in the village within the last 7 years... I now have to travel....
Shop (of any description) : 4 miles
Petrol Station : 7 miles (10 if you don't want to pay 10p extra per litre)
Post Office : 5 miles, or use the post office van during the 6 hours a week it's in the village (if it arrives)
Pub : 5 miles (there were 4 in the village)
Bank : 14 miles
Phone Box : 4 miles

That's even more of an eye-opener - you are right that supermarkets may have played a part in this shockingly sharp decline, but the bank and P.O. are not influenced by them. Do you have a 'bus service to take you to the hubs of civilisation where these facilities are still available?

[Jess--]

7 minutes ago, Athy said:

That's even more of an eye-opener - you are right that supermarkets may have played a part in this shockingly sharp decline, but the bank and P.O. are not influenced by them. Do you have a 'bus service to take you to the hubs of civilisation where these facilities are still available?

classified as a "demand responsive area"

this means that I can request one of 2 minibuses (North / South) stop at the bus stop (by telephoning at least 2 hours in advance), at which point the minibus will arrive any time within a 1 hour window.

earliest possible outbound trip : North - between 7:20 and 8:20 am / South - between 7:50 and 8:50 am
latest possible inbound trip arrival : North - between 17:40 and 18:40 / South - between 18:10 and 19:10

not available on saturday or sunday

so yes there is a bus service but it is so near useless that you have to run a motor vehicle or become a keen cyclist if you want to get anywhere reliably, nipping to the shop for some milk needs 2 hours notice and could involve another 2 hours standing at bus stops (assuming it's not the weekend)

about the only people that use the bus here are those that are too elderly / infirm to drive or those that cannot drive for other reasons (remember the nearest pub is 5 miles so a lot have been caught)

It's a lovely place to live but if you can't or don't like driving, cycling or walking fair distances you are screwed.

[alan_fincher]

I agree about the canal content - far better than many other offerings.
 

Plus they have found footage of the Trainees I have not seen before.  Much usually features Audry, Evelyn & Anne, so it's a change to see (for example) Emma Smith at the tiller.

A question though?

Is it really true that balance beams were first painted black in the war to reduce the chances of locks being spotted by the Luftwaffe?  Seems a bit odd - on a night where you could see the locks, surely the canal itself would have been a far more visible feature?

[jake_crew]

22 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

A question though?

Is it really true that balance beams were first painted black in the war to reduce the chances of locks being spotted by the Luftwaffe?  Seems a bit odd - on a night where you could see the locks, surely the canal itself would have been a far more visible feature?

I thought the same - especially as they said the Luftwaffe followed the Oxford Canal (must have been a tight turn round Wormleighton Hill ! )

I assumed they were most black as they were creosoted, with white ends to show up in the dark.

[wandering snail]

Having just checked some Victorian canal photos, I can confirm that lock beams were all black and white.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, alan_fincher said:

I agree about the canal content - far better than many other offerings.
 

Plus they have found footage of the Trainees I have not seen before.  Much usually features Audry, Evelyn & Anne, so it's a change to see (for example) Emma Smith at the tiller.

 

Same here, I wonder if there is any more?

47 minutes ago, wandering snail said:

Having just checked some Victorian canal photos, I can confirm that lock beams were all black and white.

Were they Black and White photos?   

[RLWP]

47 minutes ago, wandering snail said:

Having just checked some Victorian canal photos, I can confirm that lock beams were all black and white.

Now, I accuse you of being Norty - colour photography was uncommon in Victorian times

Richard

[X Alan W]

I was a young boy in WW2 & was sent to my grandma's she lived in a house that backed on to the Erewash cut near Hallam Fields  Although it was near to Stanton Ironworks it was considered less of a rick of bombing than my parents house which was near to a  Rolls Royce factory the locks on that stretch of cut around Ilkeston had White balance beam ends The gates on Gallows inn lock were renewed & ISTR the ends of the BB's were painted White within a couple of days of fitting

[Scholar Gypsy]

On 11/12/2017 at 15:09, cheshire~rose said:

I am looking forward to seeing this as it is hoped the tour will visit The Chesterfield Canal next year 

There's a facebook thread where they are collecting ideas for places they could perform - village halls, etc. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NarrowboatOwnersGroup/permalink/1995521374059474/

[Leo No2]

Yes, for my sins, I was on it - a whole day planning and 'walking the patch' followed a week later by 10 hours filming for just 8 mins of broadcast film; I understand that's quite usual.  Two trips from the Museum to the A508 bridge - just below Lock 17 (first place to wind a full length boat) and an interview on the last trip back up having steered all day (continuity they said - although if you know the Stoke Bruerne flight there was questionable continuity); I must say I had had enough by the end of the day. I was good fun though and we were well looked after by the BBC.

If anyone missed it and absolutely has to watch it you can find it on iPlayer here.

[cheshire~rose]

You did very well Kathryn, as did Kate and Heather. 

I know exactly how much time goes into these things, a custom car I owned was once used for a full page advert for National Tyres in a glossy magazine "special" 

Bearing in my it was a single still shot they needed and they used two male models to act the parts of the car owner and the tyre salesman I really did not expect it to take 8 hours! 

On 11/15/2017 at 17:17, Scholar Gypsy said:

There's a facebook thread where they are collecting ideas for places they could perform - village halls, etc. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NarrowboatOwnersGroup/permalink/1995521374059474/

 

Thank you, yes, I was aware of that and had responded to some of the suggested places along The Chesterfield. Are you also one of the people who have responded on that thread? 

[RLWP]

1 hour ago, Leo No2 said:

Yes, for my sins, I was on it - a whole day planning and 'walking the patch' followed a week later by 10 hours filming for just 8 mins of broadcast film; I understand that's quite usual.  Two trips from the Museum to the A508 bridge - just below Lock 17 (first place to wind a full length boat) and an interview on the last trip back up having steered all day (continuity they said - although if you know the Stoke Bruerne flight there was questionable continuity); I must say I had had enough by the end of the day. I was good fun though and we were well looked after by the BBC.

If anyone missed it and absolutely has to watch it you can find it on iPlayer here.

 

Did Sculptor benefit from the filming?

Richard

[Scholar Gypsy]

2 hours ago, cheshire~rose said:

You did very well Kathryn, as did Kate and Heather. 

I know exactly how much time goes into these things, a custom car I owned was once used for a full page advert for National Tyres in a glossy magazine "special" 

Bearing in my it was a single still shot they needed and they used two male models to act the parts of the car owner and the tyre salesman I really did not expect it to take 8 hours! 

 

Thank you, yes, I was aware of that and had responded to some of the suggested places along The Chesterfield. Are you also one of the people who have responded on that thread? 

Yes I suggested Scofton etc ...

[cheshire~rose]

14 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

Yes I suggested Scofton etc ...

Ah I did wonder.

Clearly someone with a good knowledge of the communities along The Chesterfield Canal 

[Scholar Gypsy]

9 minutes ago, cheshire~rose said:

Ah I did wonder.

Clearly someone with a good knowledge of the communities along The Chesterfield Canal 

Not really. I just did a few evening walks when I visited that lovely canal in 2015...