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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Drill halls


Graeme Fisher

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Peter - thanks for that clarification.

This project carries an amount of assumption, and it's as important to get a 'no it ain't' as a 'yes it was.'

Scrub that one, then....

Graeme

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Evening, Graeme’s Wonderful Database

Herewith the drill hall in Darwin Street, Northwich, Cheshire.

These are just rubbishy compressed digital pics. Not atmospheric or anything interesting. I haven't attempted to tidy them up. Just record shots. I took some photos with my proper camera too.

I found an army guy there and persuaded him to let me in, so in I went, followed by one rather bemused soldier. He let me take photos inside and told me whom I might contact for its history.

Anyway, now you know what it looks like.

Gwyn :)

post-6-1080759246.jpg

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Thanks Gwyn.

Quality of photography, for the purposes of this project, is not the most important aspect (altho'better is better, if you follow).

Because of the modern worthlessness of some of these places, any picture is valuable.As is any small snippet of information, it all adds up.

If these are rubbishy, the good 'uns might scare me!

Gratitude as ever

Graeme

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Guest David Humphrey

The town of Malvern, Worcs, had 3 Drill Halls - sadly now all gone.

One is reputed to be the oldest in the county (1867) - demolished last year. Link at http://www.thisisworcestershire.co.uk/worc...emory004ZM.html

One at Clarence Rd, used by the TA until 1995 (?), until closed, demolished and is now a small housing estate.

One in Malvern Link, now a furniture storage building.

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Thanks, David.

I'm familiar with Albert Road - grabbed a couple of snaps before it went, the builders beat me to Clarence Road.

Do you have an address for the one at Malvern Link? That's a new one on me.

Regards

Graeme

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Save yer money, lady.

Just try a different lipstick.

(Have I read this wrong?)

Nice to know that the bulldozers won't be rolling down Darwin street.

Graeme

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Guest Oriel_SSR

The large entrance gate to the Drill Hall in Pembroke town still exists, but alas the Hall it self was demolished last year.

If you are collecting photographic evidence let me know, I will freely supply anything I can.

Regards

Oriel_SSR

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Should any RWF TF Drill Halls be identified I would be most grateful to know of them, and indeed see photographs. I think this thread is potrentially a most interesting and unusual one. Good Luck.

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The large entrance gate to the Drill Hall in Pembroke town still exists, but alas the Hall it self was demolished last year.

If you are collecting photographic evidence let me know, I will freely supply anything I can.

Regards

Oriel_SSR

Yes, please!

although another drill hall has been lost, it's good to know that something survives. The confirmation of its current status is gratefully received.

Any photographic record, whether current or historical, enriches the project, recording the past for those who copme later.

So, yes, please. If you've anything at all, let's have it!

Thanks

Graeme

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Should any RWF TF Drill Halls be identified I would be most grateful to know of them, and indeed see photographs. I think this thread is potrentially a most interesting and unusual one. Good Luck.

Thanks, LB, for your kindness.

There are 63 entries in the database for the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, only six with an indication of drill halls or addresses. No photos as yet, but will let you have whatever turns up.

Wales, particularly north and mid Wales, seems sparsely recorded. I'm also having a problem with the correct Counties for the period, and am happy to be corrected.

Llandudno Argyll Rd? Caernarvon drill station 'E' 6 RWF

Towyn Brook St 'F' 7 RWF

Penygroes County Hall 'C' 6 RWF

Mold Earl St Flint 'A' 5 RWF

Holywell Halkyn st? Flint 'D' 5 RWF

Rhyl John St? 'C' 5 RWF

I'll keep you abreat of developments

Graeme

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Wales, particularly north and mid Wales, seems sparsely recorded. I'm also having a problem with the correct Counties for the period, and am happy to be corrected.

Hi, D Base

Without wishing to re-open a controversy about the spelling of Welsh names, I wondered whether there is any possibility that disparity or omissions occur because either placenames may have been recorded with their Welsh spellings, or they have been mis-spelled by scribes unfamiliar with Welsh?

(Before anyone jumps up and down making noises at me, I have phrased that very carefully, without a single use of the word 'correct', please note.)

If either, I have a lot of contemporary material from my now dead grandparents' time which, given a couple of hours, a spider-slayer and an anti-dust face mask, I can exume from my hoard of treasures, and look through; and I have elderly people who live(d) in the area whom I can write to and ask.

(Sorry, terribel gramer but I don't do grammer before eight a.m.)

Gwyn

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placenames may have been recorded with their Welsh spellings, or they have been mis-spelled by scribes unfamiliar with Welsh?

(Before anyone jumps up and down making noises at me, I have phrased that very carefully, without a single use of the word 'correct', please note.)

hmmm, but the use of the words mis-spelled has that effect, surely?

Captain Grumpy, Life Member Pedants' Society

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hmmm, but the use of the words mis-spelled has that effect, surely?

Captain Grumpy, Life Member Pedants' Society

David, Captain Grumpy, people attacked me, ferociously almost, last year for suggesting that to Welsh people, the spelling of place names in the Welsh way is correct; and that looking for both the Welsh and the English spellings might widen the results obtained.

In these replies, I hoped that Graeme's thread would not be diverted into a argument in which no-one tried to see my point of view but just harped on endlessly about the right spelling of ha, ha, that weird place, wotsitcalled, Llanfairpwll, and how entertaining and strange the Welsh are, being little dark pigmy people with a funny language which they only speak when English visitors go into the shops, place names which are perversely written on signposts to ensure that English drivers get lost and a myopic attitude towards the wonders of English, which is, naturally, without any orthographic irregularities at all.

As someone who has suffered the angst of having a name which no-one ever spells right even to the indignity of being written as Gwendoline, and the resulting effect on my Gestalt, I am acutely aware of the importance of spelling and never ever make mistakes, myself.

Sorry, Greyham. Didn't mean to hijack your thread. Was his fault.

Gwinge

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Gwhine

You're just being provocative, now. You know that I abhor racist sterotyping - but I can make an exception for the Welsh. ;)

John

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You know that I abhor racist sterotyping - but I can make an exception for the Welsh.

Yeh, yeh. Do carry on.

...a thoroughly miserable people ... pubs are completely cheerless nicotine-walled places lit by a single 25 watt light bulb and inhabited by scowling trolls... muted by a lifelong conformity to crumbling Noncomformity ... chips on shoulder cos we’re Welsh... churning out interminable red-blood-bleeding verses about suffering... endless sighs... any more to add? A kind of Last Post among nations, really.

No, of course you didn’t mean all that stuff. You meant positive stereotyping. Good. You will know from having met me that we are a medievally-beautiful, vividly-talented, mythically-enigmatic, mysteriously-charismatic race with poetry in our souls, male-voice music in our voices, hearts of coal-dust (suffering, see), wild haired visionaries, desperate and despairing homesickness and evocative names like Taliesin which conjure up stormy lakes and declaiming druids.

Nothing for it but to throw down a challenge, John. Harps at dawn?

Gwyneth

PS Sorry, Greyum.

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'S my ball an' I'm goin' home.........

Gwyn covered both ends of 'The Welsh as a racial stereotype/ancient and proud race unsullied by the ******* English' argument quite succinctly.

I merely bring, from tonight's Express and Star, Peter Rhodes' view;

'....The French dislike us for being too distant. They dislike us for being too close. They are the Welsh, with berets.'

C'est vrai......

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Maybe of use:-

I came across this address on a ticket.

Field Park Company,

52nd Lowland Divisional Engineers,

Territorial Army,

Company Headquarters,

21 Jardine Street,

Glasgow.

The Annual Company Dinner was to be held there in 1922

(from the same batch of documents that the photograph I sent you came from)

Stuart

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Afternoon, Graeme!

Today I’ve been to the military museum in Chester and while I was wandering round that area of the city, (I don’t tend to ‘do’ shops), and the light was quite nice (early spring morning) I took some pictures, including these. My better ones are in my proper camera but this is a selection of very basic rubbishy digital images. I haven’t cropped out anything such as yellow lines or cars, and they are very compressed for download, but they may give a flavour of the Drill Hall and its surroundings. ‘Pologies for the defective quality.

I have some information which I’ll mail you rather than boring your public!

The Drill Hall was constructed in 1865 along with the surrounding houses and a Welsh chapel.

Gwyn

post-6-1082216396.jpg

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The street where it lives - Albion Street, with the Albion pub, which is Victorian and very traditional. This is from the Walls of Chester (hence the horrible railing). The Albion prides itself on being family hostile and refusing to sell designer drinks.

The Drill hall is at the end of the street at the left hand side. I can imagine the young men visiting the Albion for a last drink in their home city before setting off to their destiny.

I think it's most atmospheric at the evening end of a long summer day when you walk round the Walls in the chiaroscuro of slanting lights and shade and drop down off the Walls (not literally) for drinks in the various pubs and bars in their vicinity, such as this one. It interests me that just on the other side of the Walls from here are remains of buildings where the Roman soldiers would have passed their time. Soldiers from two millennia, a wall apart.

Gwyn

post-6-1082217065.jpg

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Captain Grumpy reporting for duty as ordered.

How nice to see we are back on thread, after a brief but civilised spat.

Should the mortal combat ensue, surely a more neutral weapon than a harp might be chosen. Custard pie, anyone.

Lovely photos.

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Thank you, David. It's nice of you to say so.

As for pies, I am not very keen. However: Henry V, Act V, Scene 1, lines 38-9. (Fluellen to Pistol)

Gwyn

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Welshness...........

Thank you to Gwyn for the photos, the travel, the time. Not at all duplicated, and well receiv'd. Shall give my custom to the Albion on next visit and leave family in street.

LB - spats? Very smart, but not quite 'now', sir. bring on the custard, or a flan..........

Graeme

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Hello Graeme

What is the difference between a drill hall and a drill station?

Cheers

Gwyn

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Gwyn,

a drill hall is a purpose-built structure, funded by public subscription (pre 1908) or by Territorial Force Association. Primarily for the use of those units based there, with other community use by arrangement.

A drill station is a term that suggests premises hired or borrowed; village halls, hotels, town halls and market halls. Many of the detachments of Territorial or Volunteer units were not large enough to justify their own premises, particularly sections of units in rural areas.

Trust this clarifies a little.

Graeme

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