Crystal Palace’s youth academy has been credited with producing a number of talented youngsters in recent years; but for many non-Palace fans, the opportunity to see such talent in the flesh has been limited. With many similar-sized clubs loaning their youth products to lower-league sides, it seemed that the Eagles were missing out on an opportunity to give their players more game-time.

This has changed in recent weeks however, with a number of youngsters spreading their wings and parting the nest for more match practice. With Lee Hills at Oldham Athletic, Kieran Djilali at Chesterfield and Kieron Cadogan at Burton Albion, Palace fans have been given an extra incentive to stay up a little later to watch ALL of the Football League’s somewhat turgidly presented highlights.

Those who did stay up for the majority of tonights show will have been delighted by the sight of Djilali scoring to put Chesterfield 3-1 up against Darlington. John Sheridan’s side went on to score a further two goals in a convincing 5-2 win.

Meanwhile, Cadogan’s influence led to his Burton Albion side winning 3-2 against Hereford United. Albion were tied at 2-2 when a foul on Cadogan gave the side the opportunity to score the winner from a free-kick in the 85th minute.

As for Hills, the Palace left-back started for the Latics. It was his 77th minute replacement, Ryan Brooke, who went on to score Oldham’s equaliser. The Lancashire-club also featured Daryl Flahavan in goal.

Neil Warnock will no doubt be pleased by the way his younger players have already adapted to competitive matches. There is no question that the three of them will profit from their moves.

We have several constituencies in the North East of Derbyshire, and bordering us. Below is a list of those and their current MPs:-

Amber Valley – Judy Mallaber (Labour)
Bolsover – Dennis Skinner (Labour)
Chesterfield – Paul Holmes (Lib Dem)
High Peak – Tom Levitt (Labour)
North East Derbyshire – Natascha Engel (Labour)

So that’s who they are, but why should we care? What exactly do they do, and what do they stand for? Are they just interested in keeping themselves in a job, or are they public servants? Let’s pull a few bits of info together and see what we can find out.

Judy Mallaber (Lab) for Amber Valley

MP Since: 1 May 1997
Famous for: Red curly hair
Share of the vote at last election: 45.6%
Expenses claimed in 2007/08: £143, 078 (£101,456 for staffing)
Second homes allowance 2007/08: £6,854

Dennis Skinner (Lab) for Bolsover

MP Since: 18 June 1970
Famous for: Being a bit of a labour rebel and speaking his mind. Being a Republican and wanting to abolish the royal family. Also famous for giving Black Rod hassle each year when he comes and tells the commons the Queen is ready to deliver the Queen’s Speech. This year for example he said “Royal expenses are on the way.” – Genius!
Share of the vote at last election: 65.18%
Expenses claimed in 2007/08: £66,933 (£45,522 for staffing)
Second homes allowance 2007/08: £11,323 (Cleaning/Laundry: £550, Food: £4,100, Repairs/Renovations: £650, Location: London)

Paul Holmes (Lib Dem) for Chesterfield

MP Since: 7 Jun 2001
Famous for: Errr… He’s a Lib Dem so not really famous. *flamebait* Oh wait, he replaced the great Tony Benn as MP in 2001.
Share of the vote at last election: 46.96%
Expenses claimed in 2007/08: £148,488 (including £88,248 for staffing)
Second home allowance 2007/08: £19,811
Quotes: “I employ my wife, Raelene Holmes, as part-time Senior Secretary and Caseworker. I employ my daughter, Eleanor Holmes, as part-time Junior Secretary and Caseworker.” – I assume not at £88,248? Especially as his daughter is also a Chesterfield Borough Councillor.

Tom Levitt (Lab) for High Peak

MP Since: 1 May 1997 (Announced in Nov 2009 that he will be standing down at 2010 election)
Famous for: Voting for whatever his party leader wants him to vote for
Share of the vote at last election: 41.12%
Expenses claimed in 2007/08: £161,665 (£86,154 for staffing)
Second homes allowance for 2007/08: £20,450
Quotes: “I employ my wife, Teresa Levitt, as Parliamentary Assistant.”

Natascha Engel (Lab) for North East Derbyshire

MP Since: 5 May 2005
Famous for: Spending tax payers money on furniture and 42″ plasma TVs, and not going walkabout in her constituency without some serious stage management, preferring instead to rely on people continuing to vote Labour in her area.
Share of the vote at last election: 49.3%
Expenses claimed in 2007/08: £149,249 (£90,183 for staffing)
Second homes allowance for 2007/08: No totals yet available
Quotes: About refusing to pay back money claimed for her second home: “I’ve set up a second home, I’ve paid this money out, I haven’t corruptly claimed.” but also saying: “They are the letter, but not the spirit, of the law and that’s what I have to take responsibility for”… or, you know, just not bother by not paying it back. It’s either wrong or it’s not Natascha, there is no grey area when it comes to spending thousands of pounds of money on luxury items. Here’s some maths for you: 1.8k on a tv + 2k on a sofa = WRONG.

Conclusions

The thing that surprised me was that the longer the MP had been in office, the more personality they have, and the more likely they were to be driven by their own ideas rather than their party’s. The newer Labour MPs seemed almost guaranteed to follow the party line on everything. It begs the question, what good are they if they blindly follow their party whip rather than their voters?

As far as expenses go I find it impossible to defend Natascha Engel. I have a 32″ LCD at my first home which I negotiated the salesman down 20% on. I keep up with things fine. Quite why you need a HD Plasma TV to watch what I presume is BBC News and BBC Parliament I don’t know. Dennis Skinner claimed half as much as his fellow MPs in this research, but even he claimed £4,100 in 2007/08 for food. Does the weekly shop cost double in London? I think not. I have some sympathy as Dennis Skinner apparently doesn’t use Parliament’s bars and restaurants, but still if you aim to stand up for a principle you shouldn’t claim extra money because you pay for food when working. How many of us get a free lunch, dinner and supper?

Employing family members in my opinion is a bit dodgy at best, and potentially fraudulent at worse. In an ideal world you want someone who can do the job efficiently for a fair price. If you employ your family members are you really going to negotiate a good deal for the taxpayer when the person you are aiming to employ knows exactly how much you are allowed to spend on staffing?

I started this article aiming to show what the MPs stood for, analysing their voting history. Unfortunately only Dennis Skinner votes for what he believes in, with the others mostly sticking to the party line. I was also shocked by the level of expenses… or ‘expenses’. Being paid £67K per year means you have certain responsibilities, like not screwing your constituents. North East Derbyshire isn’t exactly the richest place on Earth. There are lost of ex-miner NEDs out there that have voted Labour thinking they’re for the average working man, but these figures show the newer ones are for their own profit.

Perhaps we should take a look at the alternative candidates more seriously next time?

Night night from Ned. Try to keep smiling, we might get some good candidates next time. I’ll keep you posted.

Accéder à la vente

Tour à tour pouf, repose pieds ou tablette d’appoint pour votre ordinateur portable, le pouf Chesterfield Chester Jr., avec ses centaines de combinaisons (couleur, boutons, matières), deviendra vite indispensable dans votre intérieur…

An often used phrase amongst fans is “we never beat them”, it certainly can feel like that sometimes. However, when Chesterfield fans say it about Stoke City they are right. In twenty matches between the sides Chesterfield are yet to win. To be clear, I’m not 100% all of these figures are correct, so feel free to offer suggestions as to which ones aren’t quite right , and which are. Manchester United are in there, they have never beaten Southend United (in their one attempt)

A full list of sides who haven’t beaten each other follow. [Team - Team they haven't beat - number of attempts]

It’s a busy weekend coming up. We are having a stand at St Mary’s High School ‘Ladies Evening’ on Friday 20th in Chesterfield then we’ll be at Blackbrook House, Belper for a Christmas Market. This has been organised by Deb of Fabulous Places www.fabulousplaces.co.uk and should be a fully fab affair. You can find out more on her blog or by visiting the fab places website. Food seems to feature highly! I’ll be stuck here in Chesterfield caring for Created while Dom and Clare pootle over to Belper with both Clare and Created’s stands.

If you pop in this week, expect me to be talking to myself as I try out different versions of our stand. I shall be taking careful photos of the final layout for Dom to follow in Belper on Saturday morning. As Libby pointed out, he can do what he likes when he gets there and I won’t know…. But there’ll be trouble in I find out! Moi, a control freak? What do you mean??

nawra logo

The next NAWRA meeting will take place on Friday 27th November 2009. It is hosted by Derbyshire Welfare Rights but please note that it has moved from Matlock to the Legacy Chesterfield Hotel next to the railway station in Chesterfield. You can find plenty of information about visiting Chesterfield and other beautiful parts of the Peak District.

Future meetings are already scheduled for Neath Port Talbot in March 2010 and Durham in June 2010.

Please read on to see the full agenda.

09.30 Registration and refreshments

10.00 Welcome – Lois Race, Principal Welfare Rights Officer, Derbyshire Welfare Rights Service.

10.10 Minutes from previous meeting and any matters arising.

10.20 Information Exchange – an opportunity to share ideas, knowledge and good practice with other advisors and colleagues.

11.00 Guest speaker – Helen Goodman MP, Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State at the Department of Work and Pensions. There will also be a brief Q & A session.

11.45 Break

12.00 Committee report – update on NAWRA activities and discussion

12.30 Lunch

13.30 Workshops – session one (see next page)

14.30 Refreshments

14.45 Workshops – session two (see next page)

15.45 Plenary session – workshop feedback and any other business

16.00 Close (and NAWRA Christmas party begins…!!)

GUEST SPEAKER

Helen Goodman was elected MP for Bishop Auckland in May 2005 and was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Work and Pensions in June 2009. In her role at DWP, Helen focuses on combating child poverty and providing affordable child care.

Prior to becoming a Minister, Helen was an Assistant Government Whip (October 2008-June 2009), and was Deputy Leader of the House of Commons from June 2007-October 2008. She has also served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, and has worked both on the influential Public Accounts Committee and the pre-legislative Scrutiny Committee for the Climate Change Bill.

Before her election in 2005, Helen was a senior civil servant at HM Treasury, a senior executive of two children’s charities, and Director of the Commission on the Future of Multi Ethnic Britain. She is married with two children, and outside of politics she enjoys cooking, walking and being with her family.

WORKSHOP CHOICES

1. ‘Welfare rights in GP practices – getting the best support out of health staff’ – George Downs, Derbyshire Welfare Rights Service

George Downs has developed innovative ways of working with GP practice staff over the last 12 years. Come along to this interactive workshop which aims to share good practice and expertise.

2. ‘Training the Judiciary’ – Judge Howard, The Tribunal Service Judge Howard was first appointed as a part time chairman in 1988 and became a full time chairman in 2002. As well as being a full-time District Tribunal Judge in Derbyshire, he is also coming to the end of his time as Regional Judicial Training Officer. Judge Howard has lectured extensively to solicitors and social workers and wrote the welfare rights section of the Routledge Guide to the Elderly. He was formerly on the editorial board of Solicitors Journal and has written articles some on welfare rights issues. In 1990 he was the solicitor to the Staffordshire Child Care Inquiry and spent a year investigating the ‘Pin Down’ scandal.

In this workshop, Judge Howard will look at a broad range of issues including function and diagnosis, duty judges and directions. There will also be an opportunity to discuss how the new rules are working with regard to withdrawal and reinstatement of cases, strike out and barring the Secretary of State from participating.

3. ‘Employment & Support Allowance – happy 1st birthday?’ – NAWRA committee

This workshop will be participant led, giving an opportunity to focus on issues advisers and clients are experiencing one year after the introduction of Employment & Support Allowance. This will include experience of medical assessments, the quality of decision making, appeals and other issues. Come along to share your experiences and learn from others.

4. To be confirmed.

Social Evening! Thursday 26th November.

If you are arriving on Thursday, why not join us from 7pm onwards at:

The Portland Hotel (Weatherspoons)

West Bars

Chesterfield S40 1AQ

Christmas party! Friday 27th November.

For those of you looking to kick off the festive season early, why not stay on Friday for the inaugural NAWRA Christmas party? It promises to be a fun-packed evening with all the usual trimmings1. There will be the option of a meal in the Chesterfield Legacy hotel restaurant, followed by dancing until the early hours2. Alternatively, just stay on for a few drinks and a bit of sociability with colleagues and friends both old and new!

In English

En pub som ligger bortgemt på Østbanen i Oslo. Man går ind fra den gamle Østbanehal, og så kommer man ind i en af Norges mest storslåede og vakre pubber.  Lokale er gedigent, med 8 meter til loftet.  Der er placeret en stor ø bar midt i lokalet. Den er i mahogni og over bare er der placeret et stort ur. Rundt baren er der et stor plads til at mingle eller gå rundt.  Ved væggen mod hallen er der bænke, ude i det store rum er der et borde med bænke, samt et ”køkkenbord”, på den ene endevæg er det dejlige Chesterfields, på den andre er der høje skindbænke med træborde. Ud mod søsiden er der høje borde til at stå rundt nyde en øl og se på udsigten. De har mange pladser udenfor også.  Der er højt mahogni panel på væggene, med høje vakre dekoreret buer over. Op til loftet er det flotte spejle og malerier. På gulvet er der flotte fliser i sort og hvidt.

De har flere øl en normalt på en norsk pub. Plus for det, men stort minus for ølhygienen. Øllet smager metal, og det virker ikke som de har renset anlægget i år. Der røg en gardin!  De har også et godt udvalg af spiritus.

Stemningen lider lidt af placeringen. De fleste mennesker er de på vej fra et sted til et andet med tog.  Jeg tror at når området rundt Operaen bliver videre udbygget vil dette blive et populært sted.

Du finder deres hjemmeside her.

Dagens Beer Quote:
“A woman drove me to drink and I didn’t even have the decency to thank her.”

-W.C. Fields

#1: MLS#98416342, New, asking $179,900 on 3975 N McKinley park, Meridian, Idaho (ID), Sienna Creek subdivision, 2053 Sq. Ft., 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 3-car garage, 0.16 acres, built in 2009. Impressive! From it’s exterior stucco raised entry to the open living area that is accented with high ceilings, elegant corner fireplace, large windows and open to the fabulous kitchen that boasts ALDER upgraded cabinetry w/crown molding, plenty of counter and cabinet space & tasteful tile backsplash accents. The split bdrm design offers privacy for the vaulted master complete w/slider to back patio, full bth & spacious walk in closet. Double doors open up to the office/formal dining. A MUST SEE!
More Detail Here.

#2: MLS#98412883, Price Change, asking $169,900 on 3040 N Firelight Place, Meridian, Idaho (ID), Firelight Estat subdivision, 2306 Sq. Ft., 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 3-car garage, 0.19 acres, built in 1998. Short sale. NO 3:30-5:30 SHOWINGS!!! PLEASE CALL BOTH HOMEOWNERS BEFORE SHOWING!!! Exceptional 2 story home with kitchen island and breakfast bar, pantry, microwave, gas range, vaulted family room, custom paint, gas fireplace, main floor master with large walk in closet, bath with skylight, double vanity, soaker tub and seperate shower. Exterior includes fenced landscaped yard with automatic sprinklers, east facing patio, RV parking on a large lot in a cul-de-sac location. Great location in a quiet neighborhood.
More Detail Here.

#3: MLS#98416436, New, asking $189,900 on 961 W White Sands, Meridian, Idaho (ID), Baldwin Park subdivision, 2510 Sq. Ft., 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 3-car garage, 0.15 acres, built in 2004. Short sale. PC6004 4th bedroom can be used as a bonus room.
More Detail Here.

#4: MLS#98412265, Price Change, asking $189,900 on 4197 E Race St, Meridian, Idaho (ID), Red Feather subdivision, 2460 Sq. Ft., 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 3-car garage, 0.14 acres, built in 2006. Bank-owned (REO). PC5529 Contemporary two story with a north facing covered front porch. The family room has a corner gas fireplace. Birch hardwood floors through out the entry, kitchen and dining areas. Maple cabinetry and marble backsplash in the kitchen. The master has a soaker tub, separate shower, tile counters, dual sinks, tile floor and walk in closet.
More Detail Here.

#5: MLS#98416371, New, asking $128,900 on 588 NW 8th Street, Meridian, Idaho (ID), Tremont Place subdivision, 1488 Sq. Ft., 3 bedrooms, 2.0 bathrooms, 2-car garage, 0.17 acres, built in 2001. Bank-owned (REO). PC5372 Great floor plan, wood floors through main level, clean interior split bedroom plan. Open fields behind subject property.
More Detail Here.

#6: MLS#98416345, New, asking $179,900 on 3949 N McKinley park, Meridian, Idaho (ID), Sienna Creek subdivision, 2053 Sq. Ft., 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 3-car garage, 0.16 acres, built in 2009. The Alaska-3 CAR! impressively spacious! This home boasts a living room & Family room with elegant corner fireplace, lrg dining area that overlooks the spacious kitchen that boasts an oversized brkfst bar, upgraded Notty-ALDER cabinetry, Kenmore appl. including micr, HUGE Pantry & tons of counter space, lrg mstr w/huge walk in closet & bth that feature tiled soaker tub, dbl vanity & seperate shower! No back neighbor!
More Detail Here.

#7: MLS#98416370, New, asking $145,000 on 917 W Greenhead, Meridian, Idaho (ID), Landing Sub The subdivision, 1650 Sq. Ft., 4 bedrooms, 2.0 bathrooms, 2-car garage, 0.19 acres, built in 2001. Short sale.
More Detail Here.

#8: MLS#98403317, Back on Market, asking $134,990 on 4330 W Meadowpine St., Meridian, Idaho (ID), Chesterfield subdivision, 1416 Sq. Ft., 4 bedrooms, 2.0 bathrooms, 2-car garage, 0.14 acres, built in 2009. The McCall 1416 is a wonderful and popular split bedroom home with very functional bonus room that could be bedroom #5 or separate family room. Vaulted ceiling in family room, kitchen and dining along with raised snack bar and large corner pantry. Includes front sod, front sprinkler, bark, two trees, five shrubs, wing fencing (cedar), and yard post light. RCE-923
More Detail Here.

#9: MLS#98416358, New, asking $129,900 on 444 E Hawk, Meridian, Idaho (ID), Fother Gill Poi subdivision, 1314 Sq. Ft., 3 bedrooms, 2.0 bathrooms, 2-car garage, 0.16 acres, built in 1998. Short sale.
More Detail Here.

#10: MLS#98416439, New, asking $289,900 on 3988 N Hollymount Way, Meridian, Idaho (ID), Heritage Common subdivision, 2749 Sq. Ft., 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 3-car garage, 0.00 acres, built in 2005. Grand entry tile floor, w/ granite inlay. Stunning full length glass entry door. Large eating area in kitchen, W/ wrap around granite bar, open to living room great for entertaining.Tile floors in eating area, kitchen, hallways, and master bathroom. Red birch ,hardwood floors in living room. Fantastic low maintenance yard, w/ covered patio in back yard. This is a custom built home owners spared to cost in up grades thru out the home. Community pool, Large common area, play tot area, club house with sm. gym.
More Detail Here.

It’s hard to argue against the report from “a well -known research organization,” but just how can smoking be cool? Also, it’s not everyday you see someone using a microscope and holding a cigarette at the same time. Like there’s anything to examine in a cigarette under a microscope.

Una volta si poteva fare pubblicità alle sigarette. Bei tempi quelli, quando non si aveva paura delle favole raccontate dagli oncologi e dagli pneumoterapeuti.

Negli anni ‘50, quando Doc Emmett Brown chiedeva a Marty McFly arrivato dal 1985…

“Allora dimmi, ragazzo del futuro, chi è il Presidente degli Stati Uniti nel 1985?”
“Ronald Reagan…”
“Ronald Reagan? L’attore? Eh! E il vicepresidente chi è? Jerry Lewis?”

che poi non sarebbe tanto diverso se, mettiamo caso, qualcuno di noi tornasse indietro di poco meno di trent’anni…

“Allora dimmi, ragazzo del futuro, chi è il Presidente del consiglio nel 2009?”
“Silvio Berlusconi…”
“Silvio Berlusconi? L’affiliato alla p2? Eh! E il capogruppo del partito di maggioranza chi è? Cicchitto?”

Ad ogni modo, a quei tempi, negli anni ‘50, nessuno avrebbe sospettato che Ronnie sarebbe diventato uno dei presidenti più importanti della storia degli Stati Uniti d’America.  Noi non siamo tipi da revisionismo: certamente Reagan non aveva grandi qualità d’attore. Ad ogni modo, fu un ottimo reclamizzatore. E oggi, riguardando i cartelloni pubblicitari dell’epoca, non possiamo far altro che invitarvi a riflettere. Quando comprate delle sigarette scegliete bene. Scegliete Chesterfield! E regalatele anche ai vostri amici!

Nota: la Philip Morris (oggi Altria group) non ha cacciato assolutamente un centesimo per questa pubblicità. Questo si chiama volontariato.

Grateful every minute of the day……………………

Noen av oss er mer vågale enn andre. Tør du satse en fragerik skinnsofa fra Ilva?

Foto: Ilva

The festival of reading and writing (10-31 October 2009)

Two of the city’s biggest cultural festivals return this autumn and by the look of the programmes, the line-ups this year are better than ever.

Off the shelf is 18 years old and features the usual selection of readings, workshops, exhibitions, storytelling, talks, walks and poetry. Looking over the festival programme, I’d defy anyone to find something that wasn’t of interest. Here are my picks:

• Martin Bedford – an illustrated talk from the artist behind the iconic Leadmill poster artwork of the 1980s and 1990s, plus highly-tipped Sheffield band the Crookes are also playing
• Vic Reeves – an insight into the mind of the comedian as he takes you through his latest book, a surreal encyclopaedia called Vic Reeves’ vast book of world knowledge
• Peter Hook – Hooky, whose distinctive basslines were at the heart of both New order and Joy division’s distinctive sound tells the story of infamous Manchester nightclub the Hacienda. He is DJing afterwards too (hopefully not just pretending)
• Stuart Maconie – broadcaster and writer who passed through Sheffield for his Pies and prejudice: in search of the north book and may further expand on his evaluation of the city, which was basically that we produce great pop music but bad pop music museums
• Tony Benn – even if you don’t agree with his politics, you can be sure that the former Chesterfield MP will spark plenty of debate and perhaps offer insight into how Sheffield has changed from the socialist stronghold that it was for so long
• Marina Lewycka – local author and Sheffield Hallam university who shot to fame with her debut novel A short history of tractors in Ukranian and I expect will be reading from her new book, We are all made of glue

The festival website is much improved this year (compared to last year’s token putting the festival programme online as a PDF) and there is a Twitter feed for the event, @otsfestival.

I’ll look at the picks from Grin up north in my next post.

Click here for slideshow

Bury hold a couple of unique distinctions, they are the team who recorded the largest winning margin in the FA Cup Final of 1903 and they are the only club who have scored over 1000 goals in each of the four divisions of the Football League. In a time where clubs such as Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea dominate the football landscape it’s important to remember the clubs who are the glue of the football league.

The clubs who have scored more than 1000 in three different divisions are Notts County, Blackpool, Chesterfield, Bradford City, Huddersfield Town and Swansea City.

The full results do not include Division 3N or Division 3S, the figures are up to date to approximately the start of 2009

Ved rådhuspladsen finder du denne mellemstore pub. En hyggelig og relativ autentisk replica af den engelske/skotske tradition.  Du kommer ind og ser den lange majestætiske bar i mahogni. Den er rigtig flot, og har mange ølhaner. Men ikke så mange øl som man skulle ønske. Det er monopoløl, men med det udvidede udvalg.

Man kan se på væggene hvorfor det bliver kaldt den skotske pub, da det er skotske rude over alt. Modsat baren har man nogle af de mest intime og flotteste båse i Danmark. Over disse er det ”udstoppede” dyr som elg og bison. Lidt morsomt kitschet er det at de bliver ”levende” en gang i blandt. Nej du er ikke fuld når dette sker.  Der er Chesterfield sektion når man kommer ind til venstre. Loftet er næsten traditionelt engelsk.

Stedet er meget populært pga af den centrale placering. Der er mange turister fra udlandet, både fra fjerne strøg og Jylland.  Men stemningen er positiv og god. Måske pga af den gode musikken, både den over højtalerne og den som troubadouren giver.  Man kan også se de store fodboldkampe her.

For 4-5 år siden var ølpriserne stive her. Du kan finde mange steder som er billigere, men priserne har stået stille i forhold til mange andre pladser i København

Lidt vanskelig at gi karakterer. De kommer lidt an på om du kan lide turister eller ikke, men jeg falder for den venlige atmosfære.

Dagens Beer Quote:
“May the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends gathered below never fall out.”
-Old Irish Blessing

F. Greaves VC

Why write about Fred Greaves? Well, Fred Greaves is my hero. Fred never scored a goal in an FA Cup Final, never broke a world record in athletics, nor starred in a movie and he most certainly never had a number one hit in the charts. He was not a great statesman, an inventor nor writer. He was simply an ordinary man who, when faced with extraordinary circumstances, showed remarkable courage in the face of overwhelming odds.

Fred Greaves was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry, for his actions on October 4th, 1917 at Poecapelle, east of Ypres.

This is the extract from The London Gazette in 1917 which describes what happens on that day:

“For most conspicuous bravery, initiative and leadership, when his platoon was temporarily held up by machine-gun fire from a concrete stronghold. Seeing that his platoon commander and serjeant were casualties, and realising that unless this post was taken quickly his men would lose the barrage, Cpl. Greaves, followed by another non-commissioned officer, rushed forward regardless of his personal safety, reached the rear of the building and bombed the occupants, killing or capturing the garrison, and taking four enemy machine-guns.

It was solely due to the personal pluck, dash and initiative of this non-commissioned officer that the assaulting line at this point was not held up, and that our troops escaped serious casualties.”

Corporal Greaves bravery had not ended for the day and heroism continued:

“Later in the afternoon, at a most critical period of the battle, when the troops of a flank brigade had given way temporarily under a heavy counter-attack and when all the officers in his company were casualties, this gallant non-commissioned officer quickly grasped the situation. He collected his men, threw out extra posts on the threatened flank, and opened up rifle and machine-gun fire to enfilade the advance. The effect of Cpl. Greaves’ conduct on his men throughout the battle cannot be overestimated, and those under his command responded gallantly to his example.”

Fred was a hero in the purest sense of the word, but he is as much a hero to me for the way he lived his life. He was a truly extraordinary gentleman that history and his home town should never forget.

Over the coming weeks and months, I will keep you up-to-date with information about Fred, snippets about his life and my campaign for some show of public recognition from Chesterfield Borough Council to honour this wonderful man.

]]> http://hilltownfamilies.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/baker-6/ Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:00:39 +0000 Hilltown Families http://hilltownfamilies.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/baker-6/ http://scodpub.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/3-young-edward-chesterfield-goes-to-the-store/ Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:03:52 +0000 Drogo http://scodpub.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/3-young-edward-chesterfield-goes-to-the-store/

One day, young Edward Francisco B. Chesterfield pulled on his fancy trousers and went to the store.