BELLRINGERS in Grappenhall are searching for surviving relatives of a fallen WW1 war hero John Lancelot Smith, who used to ring the church bells in the village more than 100 years ago.
Second Lieutenant John Lancelot Smith of the South Lancashire Regiment died in the Battle of the Somme on 8th August 1916, and is commemorated on a plaque within St Wilfrid’s Church in the village
The Central Council of Church Bellringers has recently launched their ‘Ringing Remembers’ campaign, aimed at recruiting 1,400 new Bellringers during 2018, the target reflecting the number of bellringers who fell during the First World War, that ended 100 years ago.
Many churches lost some of their ringers in the trenches and battlefields of the Great War; some even lost all of them – every single bellringer of their ‘band’, meaning that their churches remained silent, even after the fighting had ended.
Tower Captain Mike Thomson said: “The current ringers at Grappenhall would love to hear from the descendants of John Smith, especially this year, as we hope to begin work on replacing our worn out bells and improving access in the tower for visitors to the remaining historic bells. The bells are exactly as they were in 1916, so any descendants would be welcome to visit the tower and follow in his footsteps.
“This will be the last year that the bells, exactly as they were 100 years ago, will be available to ring – as a refurbishment project to keep the bells ringing for many more years means that some need to be recast.”
Mike added: “The Bell Project has now raised well over half of the £175,000 needed and we should get the new bells ringing during 2019. The project includes augmenting the ring of bells to ten, so more ringers will be needed for the two new bells.
“We are hoping to dedicate one of the new bells to John Lancelot Smith and the other Grappenhall residents who fell in the First World War, and would be honoured if members of his family could be involved in the process.”
Every Sunday morning, the bells of Grappenhall church ring out to summon the parishioners to morning service. Quintessentially English, the sound of pealing of bells is much loved, well beyond the church gates. It is a traditional activity going back many hundreds of years; once the preserve of men, but now enjoyed by both men and women of all ages, although there is always a need for new ringers to keep up this ancient skill.
Anyone with information, or who would like to find out more about the Bells Project should contact Mike (Tower Captain) on Tel. No. 07710 763603, or Revd. Jane Proudfoot on 01925 261546 or email her at [email protected].
There is still some funding required for the Bells Project. A large donation could enable, for example, a family member to be remembered by a bell being cast with a suitable inscription. Other donations can be made through the above contacts or through mydonate.bt.com/charities/grappenhallbellproject.
The War memorial in Grappenhall Church
St Wilfrids Church
