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Welcome to The Primitive Cornish Hovel. A place where I will share my love of prim, vintage, family history, many interests & everyday life. I hope to show you a glimpse of a bygone age through the history of my family & the many 'treasures' I hold dear. Mixed in with this will be snippets of life today. Do drop in again for a visit to see what is happening at 'The Hovel'. Comments are welcomed.

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Thursday 27 November 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

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Just a quick hello from the Hovel today. I would like to say Happy Thanksgiving to our friends across the pond. Hope you have an enjoyable holiday......Until next time.....lol...

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The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.
The harvest all is gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.
Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain,
So open wide the doorway
Thanksgiving comes again!
~Old Rhyme~
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Sunday 23 November 2008

Remembering Baby P

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I did not think I would be posting again today but like many of us I have been following the news about little Baby P and it appears that a candlelit vigil is planned tonight. When news of the trial into the death of poor baby P hit our TV screens I cried for this poor little angel who suffered unimaginable torture at the hands of those monstrous people responsible. Everywhere in the world this news was heard with outrage that this little boy was not saved. In memory of this precious baby many events and petitions have been organized. Part of one such report with the latest news was seen at the link below and read:
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‘Campaigners will tonight launch a series of events marking Baby P's brief life with a candlelit vigil across the country. Organizers have urged people to remember the child between 8pm and 8.05pm, by lighting a candle in the open air at any location.’
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God Bless you Sweet Little Angel.........
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I've Been Tagged

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Hello from the Hovel on this very cold and windy Sunday. An ideal day to take a walk and blow away the cobwebs but judging by the strength of the wind it would be best to stay at home. So that leaves me with no option but to start packing away my lounge contents, yep the renovations continue for the lounge is the next place to be done. The bathroom is nearly finished, just waiting for the plumber to come and fit the bath, toilet, sink and shower!!!! When it’s all finished I will post some pics. Besides the bathroom the hallway ceilings have been plastered and the banister and doors are being repaired. There’s been a lot going on and I now have the job of cleaning all that dust which gets everywhere!!!! But it’s not been all dust and cement. I went to my son’s ex-girlfriend’s birthday party on Friday and had a great time and hubby and I are going out for a meal this evening. I say going out for a meal, that’s if he is ok. Unfortunately it seems that he may have a gall-bladder problem and has had a painful attack this morning. I understand very much what he is going through because I had my gall-bladder removed about 4 years ago but Andy is going for a scan on Tuesday so hopefully he will know one way or the other........


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Now to my post title, yes I’ve been tagged by Annette of Fairy Shoes and Other Things. Do drop in for a visit, you won’t be disappointed......... I’ve never been tagged before and so after much deliberation here are 7 not so unusual things about me (what do you put about yourself!!!!!)




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  • I used to be a Catholic and wanted to be a nun....


  • I believe in the paranormal. My house is haunted by an elderly lady I call Daisy, an elderly man I call George, a young woman I call Sarah and ‘The Visitor’ who is not very nice. And yes I’m perfectly sane (well nearly)....


  • I love the musty smell of old books. I get some strange looks when I hold an old book and smell it!!!....


  • I feel as one with nature, the wind, the rain, snow and the power of the sea. I love nothing more than to be alone with the elements. Standing on an empty beach with the waves crashing, the wind blowing and rain falling on my face sooths my inner soul yet invigorates me at the same time....


  • I believe in the magic of fairies, Father Christmas, the Little People, Holy Wells, Stone Circles, trees and such like....


  • I have always wanted to have a residential children’s home with enough land to have a donkey sanctuary and smallholding....


  • I am fascinated by the history of people and places and feel drawn to specific people, buildings and places – Glastonbury Tor, Newchurch & Pendle Hill, Tintern Abbey, Haworth, The Brontes, Albert Ball, Anne Boleyn to name but a few....

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The next step is for me to tag 7 other blogs but I do know that some people do not like being tagged and then the problem is which 7 to choose.......so I will leave it open and tag you all. Do let me know so I can visit and read all about you...hehe...


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Glastonbury Tor, Somerset
Although I have visited Glastonbury I have never
been to the Tor, yet why am I drawn to it!
(Postcard from my own collection)


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Pendle Hill, Lancashire
Each time I visit Pendle, particularly Newchurch,
I feel a connection!
(Photograph by Peter Standing)


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Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire
Until 2007 I had never visited this place. Yet coming across it
by chance one day I knew that this was the building
I had seen in my dreams sometime before.
Not able to stop at that time I was able to visit at a later date and
felt I had walked these grounds before!
(Photograph by Roy Parkhouse)

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The Bronte Parsonage, Haworth, Yorkshire. February 2007
I have visited Haworth many times and feel drawn to this place.
Some years ago I found out that an ancestor of mine
married into a family from Haworth!
(Photograph from my own collection)

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The Bronte Sisters by Bramwell Bronte
Since a girl I have been fascinated by the Brontes,
especially Charlotte!



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Albert ball - 1896-1917 –
On a visit to Nottingham Castle many years ago
I saw a large portrait of Albert Ball at the top of a winding staircase
Since then I have felt drawn to him.



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Anne Boleyn - (1501 or 1507 - 1536)
I enjoyed studying Henry VIII and his six wives
at school, especially Anne Boleyn.


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Well there you go, I hope you don't think I'm too potty after reading this post...hehe...and it looks like we will not be going for that meal afterall. Poor Andy, although he is feeling better the attack has left him a bit frail. The weather here is also still very windy and now lashing with rain, reminds me of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. So I think an evening by the fire is called for......Until next time...lol....


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"Hum dum dum ditty dum, Hum dum dum


Oh the wind is lashing lustily, And the trees are thrashing thrustily,


And the leaves are rustling gustily, So it's rather safe to say,


That it seems that it may turn out to be, It feels that it will undoubtedly,


It looks like a rather blustery day, today


It sounds that it may turn out to be. Feels that it will undoubtedly,


Looks like a rather blustery day today"


~ Written by: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman ~


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Tuesday 11 November 2008

Hello From The Hovel

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“Don’t forget me Sweetheart, while I’m absent
Often do I fondly think of you
Send a message to Your boy in Khaki
Tell him all You think and all You do”
~ ww1 postcard ~
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Hello from the Hovel, a name my house very much deserves at the moment. Yes, the builders are still here but the end is in sight regarding the bathroom. The hallway and lounge will be next, new ceilings, etc. Oh what fun!!!! Good excuse though not to clean house every day...hehe....

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Today being the 90th anniversary of the Armistice in WW1, I thought I would share with you some of my collection of embroidered silk postcards from that time.....
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Sent to a lady in Sussex, England
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They were first produced in 1914 and increased in popularity as the war progressed. However by 1919 less were produced and none were seen after 1923. The cards were generally hand embroidered on strips of silk mesh with as many as 25 on a strip. This beautiful work was mostly sewn by French and Belgian women refugees who worked in their homes and refugee camps. The finished strips were then sent to factories for cutting and mounting on postcards. Known as WW1 Silks, they became wildly popular with British and American servicemen serving in France. This is why many of the postcards seen are of a patriotic theme.....
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"Love from Frank"

The tiny greeting card inserted in the silk pocket
Who was Frank’s lady friend?

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Some of the cards had a central ‘envelope’ flap where a tiny printed greeting card could be inserted in a pocket behind the silk front, seen above and below.....

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“My Dear Mima, I will send you a letter as soon as I
get settled down again. I am quite well. J Hogg”
Sent to Scotland

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Many of the cards will not bear postage stamps as they were mailed home in Military Mail pouches. These cards became treasured mementos to family and friends, many bearing words of sentiment....

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From Will to a lady in Newport

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There is no name on this beautiful card and insert

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“Dear Murial, Just a card to let you know that
Dad has not forgot you. Love from Dad”


I hope they did meet again

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Silks showing the different regiments, etc, were also produced by these industrious unknown women.....

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Royal Flying Corps

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I was really pleased to find the one seen below. As an ex- psychiatric nurse I have a particular interest in the medical and nursing side of WW1....

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Royal Army Medical Corps

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Many cards would say Souvenir De France or a certain place such as Souvenir de Albert....

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Souvenir de Albert

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I was very lucky to find the one below, an actual card not a postcard. I purchased this from a seller in the US and when it arrived I was surprised to find hand-written on the inside “W.H. Reichenback, Water Tender, U.S. Navy”. Did he make it back home I wonder....

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Remembrance
“Wishes are nothing; ‘tis the heart
That in a few lines dwells
And says to those from us apart
More than greeting tells”

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Also popular were cards with the year embroidered on the front. The year below was an important year, did the sender of this card know that the end of the war was near.....

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This little greeting card folds in half and sits
Snugly in the silk pocket.
“Happy Christmas and Bright New Year”

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When the Armistice was signed 90 years ago Silks were produced to commemorate this. What a beautiful card with the most important message of all.....

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These preserved examples of front-line art are unique to that period in history. I am proud to have them and thank the women who embroidered these beautiful Silks.....until next time...lol...

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Sunday 9 November 2008

Remembrance Sunday

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‘They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them’
~ Laurence Binyon (1869-1943) ~
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Welcome to the Hovel on Remembrance Sunday, a day to commemorate all the service men and women who have died. Regardless of age we should take time to remember the Fallen on this day and pray for future peace......
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This year marks the 90th anniversary since the Armistice for WW1 was signed at the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month 1918. Each one of us would have lost a member of our extended family in the Great War, sadly some more than others. Some of us would have also lost a family member in other conflicts since then right up to the present day......
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Symbolic of this day is the wearing of a red poppy, which has been worn since the first official Legion Poppy Day held in Britain on the 11th November 1921. This was inspired by the poem ‘In Flanders Field’ by John McCrae, who was a Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel. McCrae wrote the poem on May 3, 1915, after he witnessed the day before the death of his friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer..... He himself was not to return home. While still commanding No 3 Canadian General Hospital at Boulogne, McCrae died of pneumonia and was buried with full honours in the Wimereux Cemetery....
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~ In Flanders Fields ~

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
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We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.
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Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
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~ John McCrae (1872-1918) ~

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Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
Canadian Army Medical Corps
(Photo from William Notman and Son)

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Many poems, letters and writings would emerge from this terrible time. I remember studying in school the works of Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brook and Siegfried Sassoon.....

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~ The Soldier ~

If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
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And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
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~ Rupert Brooke (1887 - 1915) ~
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Rupert Chawner Brooke
(Photo from Imperial War Museum Collections)
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Rupert Brooke wrote The Soldier in 1914 and was later commissioned into the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a temporary Sub-Lieutenant but did not experience combat at first hand. On his way to a battle at Gallipoli off the island of Lemnos Brooke died from Sepsis on 23 April 1915. He was buried at 11 pm in an olive grove on the island of Skyros, Greece. The Brooke family were to suffer another loss the same year. On June 14 1915 Rupert's brother 2nd Lt. William Alfred Cotterill Brooke was killed in action on the Loos battlefield......
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In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the ‘War to End All Wars’ I would like to share with you pictures of some of the men who did.....
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My first cousin once removed, Ernest Sidney Doncaster
Private 91858, 5th Bn. Tank Corps
Died March 22 1918 France aged 19
Remembered on the Pozieres Memorial, France

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Pozieres Entrance (Photo from the CWGC.org)

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My husband’s gt. Grand uncle Robert Leggott
Private 16380, 7th Bn. Lincolnshire Regiment
Died May 2nd 1918, France aged 35
Buried Forceville Communal Cemetery, France

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The last postcard Robert send home to his father dated 4/4/1918

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“ Arrived here, going over tonight 4th. Am alright will write later.
From Bob”

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Newspaper cutting about Robert

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Scroll sent to Robert's father Richard

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My husband’s 1st cousin once removed, William Henry Ward
Private 630044, 20th Bn. London Regiment
Died August 30th 1918, France aged 22
Buried H.A.C. Cemetery, Ecoust-St. Mein, France

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William’s Grave
“Known to be buried near this spot”

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George Cyril Ward, brother of William Henry Ward above
Rifleman R/12447, King’s Royal Rifle Corps
Died September 25 1918, France aged 21
Buried Berthaucourt Communal Cemetery, Pontru, France

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George's grave in France

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Both my husband and I lost many more family members in both WW1 and WW11, so it saddens me to read about yet another theft of memorial panels. While visiting the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site today I read an article, dated November 3rd 2008, about the theft last weekend of a number of bronze name panels from the war memorial at Philips Park Cemetery, Manchester. At a time when we should remember those brave men and women, these callous thieves chose to desecrate their memory......Until next time...lol...

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‘Remembering is an act of resurrection, each repetition a vital layer of mourning, in memory of those we are sure to meet again.’

~ Nancy Cobb, in "In Lieu of Flowers" ~

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