Citylife in Rugeley and Cannock Chase July August 2022

Local & Community Groups
Etchinghill
WI
By Kathy Baxter
In June, the meeting coincided
with Etchinghill WI 75th birthday.
We had two visitors, Karen
and Robbie, who we hope to
welcome as future members, and
Margaret Devey welcomed our
guest speaker Abdul Jalil whose
talk was The Raj 1919 to
Birmingham 2019.
This took us through a brief
history of what it was like for his
family during the turbulent times
of the partition period. Life was
hard and to enable them to
provide a better life for their
children his parents took
advantage of a UK Visa
immigration system as workers
from abroad were encouraged to
assist with the rebuilding of the
country’s infrastructure after
WW2. The family initially settled
in Leeds, sharing a house with
other families, however the
family eventually ended up in
Birmingham.
We enjoyed birthday cupcakes
and a glass of wine and the
evening finished with a quiz from
Ann Ingleby based on the 1950s.
The group meets on the
second Wednesday of each
month.
Email
etchinghillwistaffs@gmail.com
for more.
GOT A STORY?
THEN CONTACT
KRISTENCITYLIFE@
GMAIL.COM
The Landor
(local history)
Society
By Glenys Richards
On the first outing for over
three years members of the
Society met at Sinai Park House,
Shobnall and were welcomed by
owner, Kate Murphy.
Kate pointed out the moat, a
scheduled ancient monument,
which had been there during the
13th Century when there was a
stone manor on the site. The
monks of Burton Abbey used
Sinai as a rest and recuperation
retreat after bloodletting. For
accommodation, they erected
two timber framed buildings in
1400 to make the northeast
wing. This practice is possibly the
origin of the expression ‘to up
sticks’.
During the reformation Henry
VIII gifted Sinai to the Pagets
who used it for a hunting lodge
as it is located in a deer park.
The group was then invited
inside the eastern wing,
purchased in
1995 by Kate and subsequently
renovated. In the dining hall
there is a stone fireplace which
dates back to the 1300. Members
were invited to walk around the
remainder of the house followed
by light refreshments.
Cannock &
District Men’s
Probus
By Peter Arnold
In June, the Club was treated
to a presentation by Tim Burgin
on the Battle of Waterloo.
Opposing the French under
Bonaparte were the armies of
Briton/Netherlands/Germany led
by the Duke of Wellington and of
Prussia/Germany under Marshall
Blucher. Tim brought the five
phases of the conflict to life with
the aid of maps and pictures.
We were fascinated to learn
how the French artillery was
thwarted by heavy rain which
caused their cannon balls to stick
in the mud instead of bouncing.
He described the valiant efforts
of both sides’ artillery, infantry
and cavalry and the appalling
casualties suffered both by man
and horse. A turning point
towards the end of the conflict
arose from the severe losses
incurred by the French cavalry
due to the effectiveness of the
British infantry formation of
defensive squares.
Tim is returning in September
to present Waterloo - The
Aftermath. For details, contact
Barry on 01543 503320, email
bg.dowell@icloud.com or visit
www.cannockprobus.co.uk.
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