Friends of Benchmark at Grinham’s Wood Launch Event Report

(Update No1)

The launch event for the ‘Friends of Benchmark at Grinham’s Wood’ took place last Sunday in Horncliffe’s Memorial Hall. A truly memorable event with a whisker short of a full house (an amazing and much appreciated turnout). Proceedings were set away by James Herriot (a BAGW Trustee) with an explanation and update in relation to the initiative (this information recorded in the subsequent BAGW website update No2).

James then introduced Bill Robertson: Bill Robertson, born and raised in Horncliffe and from a long line of Horncliffe Robertson’s - whose fascinating talk entitled ‘Horncliffe: The Village They Left Behind’ which will (I believe) provide many of you with a fresh insight to our village and its history. Which it certainly did – an excellent perspective on Horncliffe prior to World War 2 and the change of circumstance on returning home after serving their country.

Bill then introduced Thomas Burns: Earlier I mentioned the name of ‘Stuart Brown’ – so I am delighted to introduce our next speaker ‘Thomas Burns’ from whom you will learn more. Aptly Thomas is a young Horncliffe resident, the same age as Stuart Brown (20) when he became a POW after the fall of France to Hitler’s Nazi regime in 1939. An excellent presentation by Thomas telling the story of a Horncliffe lad who was unable to return to his village for over 5 years. The detail taken from Stuart’s book ‘Forbidden Paths’ which he compiled after the war – fascinating.