Local Lynx No.133 - August/September 2020

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to the Norfolk Churches Trust or to a nominated church or chapel and know that your money is helping to preserve these ancient and important buildings for future generations to enjoy. Be part of an event that last year raised nearly £100,000, made up of donations (some large but many small) that collectively make a huge difference to help preserve Norfolk's churches. If anyone would like to take part to raise funds for All Saints Church, please get in touch with Anne Rolfe (01263 741125) for more information. Sat 17 th October The <strong>2020</strong> FMC Shovell Dinner at the Anchor is under review. The Talk by Charlie Ward on “East coast Sailing Barges and the building of Juno” is postponed until next year. Pete Tibbetts 01263741282. VIEWING TIME AT MORSTON I have always thought of “viewing time” as meaning what we saw when we boated out along the harbour to see Morston’s seals – but the seals always appeared just as interested in viewing those in the visiting boat. In the last issue I described what I viewed in Jimbo’s & Jane’s paddock, but “viewing time” there last week was fascinating, as I personally was viewed sitting in my armchair, in virtually a static straight line for 2-3 minutes by: a male & female turkey and turkey chick, a goat, two pigeons, 11 upright ducks, two carrion crows, a bantam chick and a rabbit. Dressing and spacing and standing still was parade-like. I suppose I should have saluted the male turkey who was clearly the organiser. THE ANCHOR REOPENING The Anchor is reopening with “all day food” on Monday 13 th July. Elsie, Tony and Christian much look forward to welcoming everyone back. There are fewer tables inside now – with 2m distancing and there are more spaced-out tables outside. Booking is preferred – 741392 – and food and drink must be ordered from your table. No standing at the bar. One-use menus. Timings: Monday to Saturday: 11.00-12.00 noon: Coffee only. 12.00- 8pm: Food served. 10pm: Closes. Sundays: 12.00-3pm: Food. 5pm. Closes. The Anchor staff much look forward to seeing former and new customers. Welcome, all! Christian Gimelli, Manager SPECIAL DELIVERY The postmen of Fakenham and surrounding villages have been dressing up for charity (Little Lifts - breast cancer charity) - here is our postie today in Morston… SM A TYPICAL 70+ YEAR-OLD’S CORONAVIRUS-LOCKDOWN ROUTINE <strong>2020</strong> 0615-0645: Bathroom/morning constitution 0645-0700: Kitchen: Feed dog & put her in garden (for 5 mins) 0700-0745: Bath & dress 0800-0915: Library: Breakfast with TV 0915-0930: Library: physical exercises (chair and floor) 0930-1030: Kitchen: washing up & walk bottles to bottle bank (100yds) 1100-1215: Outside: walk dog on marsh: 1.5 miles 1230-1245: Clear emails. 1300-1415: Kitchen: Lunch & veg-chopping for supper 1415-1500. Library: read newspapers 1500-1600: Emails etc. 1600-1800: Bedroom: read & sleep 50:50. 1800-1900: Library: TV News. 1915-1945: Emails/typing/lay table for supper 2000-2100: Supper and washing up 2100-2315: TV THE BROWN HARE Spring is a time to see a brown hare boxing. Known for its long, black-tipped ears and fast running - it can reach speeds of 45mph when evading predators. The hares gather in the late afternoon or evening in groups of about 25-30, and the boxers are the female hares boxing over-attentive males away. The brown hare, in the UK since the Iron Age, is 50-70cm long, weighs 2-5 kg and lives for 2-4 years. Look on Langham Airfield. MAJOR ROBERT HAMOND 22 Robert Hamond was born in 1917. Educated at Repton and Sandhurst, he was gazetted to the Royal Norfolk Regiment, serving in India from 1938 to 1940. In 1941, he was posted to Singapore with the 18 th Division where he was taken prisoner in 1942. (See cover picture.) He was a POW in Changi, Kamburi and Takunun camps and worked on the Burma-Siam Railway from 1943 – 1945. Background information on the Fall of Singapore [taken from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website] On 8 December 1941, Japanese units began to invade northern Malaya and southern Thailand, with the ultimate aim of taking the important British base at Singapore. Commonwealth forces were ill-equipped to prevent the
advance and Japanese troops moved swiftly through Malaya by land, through the jungle, and by seaborne landings. On 11 January 1942, Kuala Lumpur fell to the Japanese. By the end of the month, Commonwealth forces had withdrawn to Singapore. The British colony of Singapore was a strategically vital base for command of the sea and was intended to support the defence of India and Australia. Although it was intended to be a fortress, its fixed defences had been constructed mainly to guard against attack from the sea. By January 1942, many of those protecting the island had taken part in the demoralising retreat across Malaya. Several units were under strength or inadequately trained, with limited equipment and air cover. After a few days of fighting, on 15 February 1942, the garrison surrendered and thousands of Australian, British and Indian troops were taken captive. The loss of Singapore sent shockwaves across the British Empire. Japanese forces had advanced around 600 miles in only 54 days, with fewer than 50,000 casualties. British, Australian, Indian and other Commonwealth forces suffered more than 138,000 casualties, of whom more than 130,000 were prisoners of war. A relaxed moment for the 5th Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment with Captain Robert Hamond (far right in his pyjamas and overcoat) and Lt. Col. Thorne (centre). Read their war diary from 13 January to 15 February 1942 at https://www.cofepow.org.uk/armed-forces-storieslist/5th-battalion-royal-norfolk-regiment. According to Major Hamond, what followed was almost inevitable. Of his own unit, “Only the CO had been to Malaya before. About 20 officers and NCOs had been East, mainly to India. The remainder, averaging 21 years old and mainly from villages in Norfolk, had never been abroad and did not know a Jap from a Malay, Tamil or Chinese, had not been in close country before and had never been subjected to intense activity in a hot climate… Small wonder that their fighting was rendered less effective than it should have been as they struggled to adapt themselves to their strange surroundings and circumstances while they themselves were quite physically exhausted.” Instead of marching into fortified positions complete with minefields, machine gun bunkers and wired-in trenches, they were told to construct their own defences. To the outside world, Singapore was being hailed as a stoutly defended citadel surrounded by what Churchill called “a splendid moat”. To the men on the ground, dodging the daily aerial bombardments, there was no disguising the appalling sham. The 18 th East Anglian Division, the only entire British force in the island garrison, would soon pay the price for this delusion. No one could pretend that the outlook for the Singapore defenders was anything but bleak. And yet, as the days passed without the Japanese attempting to cross the Straits, there was, in some quarters, a discernible lift in morale. Major Hamond, who commanded a composite force in the naval base area later recalled, “We felt that, if the Jap came across the Straits, we could give him a real hammering.” On paper, at least, the defenders appeared to hold the upper hand. The arrival of the 18 th Division brought the garrison’s strength to more than 100,000 men, giving them a numerical superiority over the Japanese. But, as so much to do with Singapore, the advantage was Major Robert Hamond remembers... [extract from the EDP’s three-part article, The Fall of Singapore at www.far-eastern-heroes.org.uk.] The fall of Singapore had appalling consequences for the 20,000 men of the 18 th Division. Almost a third of them were to die in squalid Japanese prison camps, victims of disease, exhaustion and starvation. Major Robert Hamond, a company commander in the 5 th Royal Norfolks recalled: “We felt there was an air of ‘it cannot happen here, the war is something unpleasant away up country, which the soldiers are dealing with. Let’s have a party.’ ” On his journey to the mainland, Major Hamond was perturbed to see a few Indian troops putting a line of wire at the south of the Causeway. Years later he wrote: “My thoughts at this time were that if this is all they have done at this most vital spot, the rest of the coast of the island must be open. It was a disquieting thought.” The men of the 53 rd Brigade were intended to guard the lines of communication behind the front units. …The East Anglians required about six weeks to become properly acclimatised. In the event, they were embroiled in a desperate struggle against a battle-hardened enemy within 48 hours of their move north. 23
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Page 3 and 4: Church Services for the Stiffkey an
Page 5 and 6: I know how much help you are all gi
Page 7 and 8: NORFOLK RIVERS TRUST How to keep yo
Page 9 and 10: A 279 Squadron Hudson is sent to in
Page 11 and 12: BALE Contact: Jane Wheeler 01328 87
Page 13 and 14: BINHAM PCC Binham Priory Church has
Page 15 and 16: and cyclists. So, watch out as he w
Page 17 and 18: GUNTHORPE Contact: John Blakeley 01
Page 19 and 20: Flitcham in 1861, and had married R
Page 21: THE BLUE BELL REOPENING A huge than
Page 25 and 26: NATURE There is an interesting shor
Page 27 and 28: War, falling on August 15 th we wil
Page 29 and 30: y Robert Hart. Very topical. The wo
Page 31 and 32: option to register an interest and

Local Lynx No.133 - August/September 2020

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