Joseph D Johnson

                                  RW: no. 3997, p. 1062, December 4th 1987 (written by Joseph E Newman):

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With the death of Joseph D Johnson on 17th October, 1987 at the age of 88, the Worcestershire and Districts Association has lost its most experienced officer. Elected a member in 1912, he was in turn Branch Master, Association Master, General Secretary and Treasurer (for 27 years), Freeman, and in between, Central Council and Central Committee Representative.

Like so many others his ringing career was affected by the First War and putting on his age, he joined up and saw service in India, where he liked to recall the occasion of the then Prince of Wales' tour of India. He was ordered to get the bells at Lahore rung, and he was told that ringing meant ringing, and not chiming.

It is difficult today to realise the standard of ringing in the country districts in the twenties where, to use his own words, he watched the giants who could ring Grandsire Doubles. Communication was by post-card, travel by train. Travelling further afield for better ringing, it was usual to take a bicycle in the Guards Van. If a peal was successful one cycled home, otherwise returned by train.

As a ringer he had endless patience and good humour, making him an outstanding teacher, especially of Stedman, as shown by the fact that seve of his Grandsire Doubles band went on to ring peals of Stedman Cinques. Another great gift was choosing the method to suit the talent available.

He rang his first peal of Grandsire Doubles on hand bells, at the age of 12 and later the same year called the still remembered children's peal, which he conducted, with the average age of the band 12 years 2 months. Many years later he called a peal of Grandsire Triples with his three younger sisters, who were not in the first peal.

In 1928 he was invited by the Dean of Worcester, as Association Master, to call the first peal on the new bells at Worcester Cathedral. The method was Stedman Cinques, and not only was it his first peal of Stedman, and obviously as Conductor, but the band contained four other starred names. In later years he called so many first for the Association it is only possible to choose a few. Fourteen Treble Bob Minor methods, Spliced Royal, Spliced Maximus, and on hand bells, Erin Caters, Kent Royal and Maximus. He rang his last peal at the age of 82, which gave him 70 years as a peal ringer. Unfortunately his peal book has been lost and his total quantity not known, but he was always scornful of "Ring a peal and think of a reason."

He was largely responsible for the augmentation of Hinton Bells from five to eight, and later, his brother-in-law, the late John Thomas, installing a ringing floor at Hinton at their own expense. One last memory of his ringing; in 1934, he organised a name peal of Josephs on the old ten at St. Clement Danes. My recollection of that attempt is that the discussion as to who to ring the peal for, lasted longer than the actual attempt.

Unable to build in Hinton, he moved two fields away to Sedgeberrow, where he first served 25 years as Parish Clerk then 25 years as Chairman of the Parish Council. He was also Chairman of the social centre committee, leaving them with a cash balance in excess of £60,000. He also served a few years at R. D. C. level, standing down on the reorganisation. Any spare time was taken up by amateur dramatics.

We extend our sympathy to Ethel, his widow, a member of the famous Hemming ringing family, and their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. A memorial service was held at Hinton on Sunday November 1st.

Before the service a half-muffled quarter peal of Grandsire Triples was rung by eight of his former pupils. Viv Barnes 1, Margaret Harris 2, A J Brazier 3, A C Berry (C) 4, H Plumb 5, W J Newman 6, P Harris 7, M E Newman 8.

The service touch of Stedman Triples was conducted by an old colleague, Ralph Harris, now in his 85th year.

There was a very full attendance of friends and ringers. The service included two of his favourite hymns, Crimond and Amazing Grace, which had been sung at his Wedding, and were requested by his family. The first lesson was read by a local ringer, and the second by David Beacham, Association Master.

There will be a peal attempt at a later date with open bells in gratitude for his life and work.

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J. E. Newman

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                                                             Thomas W. Lewis 1910 - 2005

                           RW: no. 4929, p. 1000, October 14th 2005 (written by David Beacham)

Tom Lewis, of Worcester, died just three weeks before what would have been his 95th birthday on August 9th. He was a well-known and much respected ringer whose career spanned over 80 years. Tom learnt to ring at St. John's Church, Worcester, at the age of twelve. His father, William Lewis, was a ringer at this church and at the Cathedral, too. Tom's first 'open' ringing was on the occasion of the wedding of the Duke of York (who later became King Goerge VI) and lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923, but it was not until 1928 that he joined the Worcestershire & Districts Association. In that year he rang his first peal, ringing the 3rd to Grandsire Triples at Claines. The conductor was 19 years old Cyril Tansell, whose first peal as conductor it was. The two were lifelong friends and rang many peals together.

Tom rang his first peal of major in the following year, and his first on twelve (at Cheltenham) the year after that, and in the same year another 12-bell peal when he rang his first peal at the Cathedral. All of the peals thus far had been in the basic methods, but in April 1932 he rang his first peal of Surprise 'inside'; Cambridge Major, at Hallow. Tom continued to clock-up twenty or so peals a year until 1939, when he was called up for service in the RAF. That was the year in which he also got married, and in marrying Florence Johnson, of Hinton-on-the-Green, near Evesham, he married into a famous ringing family. It was Florence's older brother, Joseph, and two of her sisters who, as very young children (Joe was about fourteen, and the others younger) rang a handbell peal of Grandsire Doubles, conducted by Joe. One of those sisters was the late Amy Thomas, who had herself married another famous ringer of the day, Jack Thomas. Jack was a 'Thousand Pealer', and Amy was the first lady to ring 500 peals. Florence did not aspire to those heights and was content to hunt the treble or ring tenor behind.

During the 1930s, Tom's friend, Cyril, had also got married and his peal ringing more-or-less ceased. Cyril was a very fine heavy-bell ringer and had therefore always been found at the back-end in peals, usually with Charles J. Camm (another legendary figure) with him. When Cyril dropped out of peal-ringing, Tom took his place as an equally fine ringer of heavy bells, with an immaculate and seemingly effortless style. He rang the 48 cwts Cathedral tenor twice to peals. Eventually, Cyril Tansell returned to peal ringing and many peals of major were rung with Tom on the tenor and Cyril on the seventh; a partnership that usually guaranteed a good rhythm.

Tom had conducted a few peals, but the leading light in Worcestershire in the 1930s through to the '60s was the late Sidney T. Holt. A Surprise band that drew its members from across the Branch boundaries had become established as the '2nd Saturday' band and with this band Tom rang his first peals of London and Bristol S. Major in 1946, with 4-Spliced (LBCS) being achieved in 1948. Tom rang his 700th peal for the Association in 1987. That peal also marked his 60 years membership of the Association, and in 2002 Tom was elected a Freeman of the Association in recognition of his past services. His last peal was in 1993, at the age of 83, in celebration of his 54th wedding anniversary. Sadly, Florence died not long afterwards. His final peal total is believed to be in the 800s.

As well as being a member of the Cathedral band for some 60 years, Tom was in charge at All Saints in the 1950s. Following the death of his father in about 1964, who had been Tower Captain at St. John's, Tom succeeded him. Through his membership of these different towers Tom had been responsible for teaching many people to ring during his long career. We who knew him will remember him with great affection and respect. We will recall how he made amazing recoveries from abdominal surgery on a number of occasions and continued to ring into his '90s. We will also remember his own remarkable memory that seemed not to diminish with time, and his tales of ringing and ringers of old were always worth the re-telling.

D.B.

 

Local quarter peals were rung in his memory at St. John's and All Saints. A quarter at the Cathedral is pending.

Worcester. (S John) 25 July, 1260 Grandsire Triples:

Anna Hansell 1, Nigel Davis 2, Paul Smith 3, Sandra Parker 4,

Tim Munslow 5, Philip Morgan 6, John Clements (C) 7,

Colin Keegan 8. In Memory of Thomas W. Lewis 1910-2005,

ringer for 80 years and Captain of this tower for 32 years.

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Worcester. (All Saints) 10 Aug, 1259 Grandsire Caters:

Louise Hamilton-Glover 1, Jim Wheeler 2, Simon Wilmshurst 3,

Paul Smith 4, John Clements 5, Nigel Davis 6, David Franklin (C) 7,

David Beacham 8, Bryan Woolley 9, Arthur Berry 10. In memory

of Tom Lewis, a member of the Cathedral Guild and All Saints'

band for many years.

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The address read by the Rev'd Chris Pullin at Tom's funeral is still in existence, though is unfortunately difficult to convert into an easily readable format at the moment, being an old 2005 word document.

 

The following notice of Tom's death was printed in the Spring 2006 issue of The Black Pear, the Worcestershire & Districts Association newsletter:

 

Thomas W Lewis of St John's, Worcester passed away at 0100hrs on Monday 11th July 2005.

Tom had moved into Regent House nursing home in the previous month. It was just across the road from his home where he had managed to care for himself until then. Tom would have been 95 on August 9th. The funeral took place at St Johns, Worcester on Thursday July 21st at 12.00, followed by family cremation at 13.00. There was open, general, ringing at 11.15am and again following the service.

Paul Smith 

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