ROSS - ON - WYE MULTIVIEW

After THIS POST on "multi-views" of the City of Hereford through the years, some similar photographic postcards of the famous centre of Anglican resistance in the County of Herefordshire, Ross on Wye:

1930s Ross on Wye, with the Old Market House in the centre of the card. From left -
 "Alton Court and the Woods", a view of Ross from the River, the Horse Shoe Bend,
the River and Boathouse. The River Wye provided a substantial natural defence feature
to Ross, expertly exploited by the Anglicans during the VBCW.

1930s again, with the Old Market House again taking pride of place. From left - Ross on Wye
from the river bank, "The Loop", River Wye, Horseshoe Bend ,and Wilton Bridge.
For more on the important Wilton Bridge, SEE HERE

1950s Ross, a postcard printed on behalf of "The Wye Hotel". The Hotel in the centre, from L:
the Bridge, the Horse Shoe bend, the Market Place with the Old Market Hall, the River.
"The Wye Hotel" seems no longer to be trading.

And after THIS POST on 1930s "Railway Posters" and their artist, Claude Buckle, it is worth reproducing his work on Ross:

 

LEDBURY ANGLICANS (IN EXILE) - MECHANISED SUPPORT ("THE STORRIDGE SKUNK")

The Company of St. Michael, that well-known Anglican "Free Company", possessed either divine engineering skills, or a very good press agent, or perhaps both. VBCW historians still argue about that matter, and continue to marvel at the Company's well publicised "heavy weaponry":

We had better let Major Bernard Temple-Meades (ret.) (Dave) explain "the Storridge Skunk":

"Although they had managed to acquire sufficient small arms and ammunition for them, the Company of St Michael was desperately short of support weapons. They therefore had to improvise solutions where military weapons weren't available. Adding improvised armour and a Lewis gun to an agricultural tractor produced a solution of sorts. However, this one also had a sting in its tail.

Fitting a captured mortar would provide fire support if the company could get more ammunition than the six rounds they captured with the mortar. In absence of proper ammunition the company resorted to a home made solution. The vehicle's name soon came from the sulphurous smell of the improvised mortar bomb propellant emanating from its rear....."

"The Storridge Skunk" (Crew - Reiver)

LEDBURY ANGLICANS (IN EXILE)

Malvern lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, just on the border of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Companies of "Malvern men" have occasionally made their presence known in the Herefordshire VBCW - one thinks of the bodyguards of Emperor Hailie Selassie, by way of example, or the shadowy body known as the "Malvern Hills Conservators", who have fought both against and (more recently) for the Crown. Another such company is that body of Ledbury Anglican fighters (in exile) known as "The Company of Saint Michael", lead by Major Bernard Temple-Meades (retired).

Originally from Malvern, Temple-Meades' Anglicans "retired in a forward direction" (aka "jumped over the Hills") to Ledbury at the very beginning of the VBCW, joining the congregation of St. Michael and All Angels in devout worship and adopting an appropriate name and standard:

The standard of the Company of St. Michael. Cross of St. George with Anglican quarter
and a representation of the stained glass to be found within the church of St. Michael and All Angels. 

Temple-Meades' tactical re-location appeared wise, for Malvern, at the start of the VBCW, was not a good place to be anti-King or anti-Government. With the King designating nearby Madresfield Court as his "summer residence" (and re-locating a sizeable protection force of Guards there) and armed Royalist elements (including British Fascisti and, dependent upon what they had been drinking that Friday night, the Malvern Hills Conservators) making their presence felt in town, being a "militant Anglican" in Malvern was really not a good idea. 

 

Unfortunately, Temple-Meades' Ledbury refuge swiftly became a focal point of the early Herefordshire VBCW (see the First and the Second Battles of Ledbury) and, upon its capture by HMG Forces (and the imprisonment of the Bishop of Hereford), the Company of St. Michael were forced into renewed exile, becoming a "Free Company", roving around from their "secret location" in the Malvern Hills, living off the land and conducting daring raids against Government Forces.

It is said that, in this capacity, Major Temple-Meades was a "key backroom player" in the intensive diplomatic activities that resulted in the recent pact between the Anglicans and the Independent Republic of Bromyard, resulting in the foundation of the "Three Counties Co-Prosperity Sphere". Deciding that such "co-prosperity" actually meant consuming a good deal of chocolate, Temple-Meades' "Company of St. Michael" then took up a key position for an assault on the Cadbury's Factory at Marlbrook:

Captain Temple-Meades (ret.) and the HQ Section of the
Company of St. Michael.

Notes: many thanks to Dave for the photos and original text, and with best wishes from the Bishops of Ludlow and Lichfield for the Spring Big Game 2023!

TECHNICALS (2) - THE BISHOP OF LUDLOW'S REBUKE

In a widely circulated "Pastoral Message", the Bishop of Ludlow has rebuked those "misguided souls" claiming that they were the first to invent "The Technical" in the Hereford VBCW. Dismissing the "notorious propaganda" of the Presteigne Communists and their conversions of the 1.5 ton PMW truck chassis, and even gently chiding "my old friend" Chief Constable Recurrin-Lockdowne and his Rolls-Royce MG carriers, the Bishop pointed to his own forces' long-standing "Covenanter Mk.1" gun bus section:

A historic event: the Bishop introduces his "Covenanter" gun buses to Pathe News.
Trucks - Lledo minor conversions.

The Bishop "wished to make clear" that the Ecclesiarchy of Ludlow "as muscular Christians, stood at the forefront of modern armaments technology" and would shortly introduce the "Covenanter Mk.2", an even more heavily armed and armoured variant of the "Anglican gun-bus". The enemies of Anglicanism, he concluded, "would shortly meet their Maker" and were therefore "always in his prayers".

The Bishop blesses the film crew - and, in absentia, Anglicanism's enemies.

CORONATION POST (1) - THE ANGLICAN CLERGY

The Coronation on 12th May 1937 proved to be a gift to the manufacturers of contemporary cigarette cards, celebrating the key players in the Coronation rituals - none more so than the senior Anglican clergy:

"Archbishop of Canterbury - Primate of all England, and taking precedence next to the Members of the Royal Family, the Archbishop of Canterbury occupies an exalted position in our national life. The first to hold the historic office was Augustine, in A.D.597; the long line of Archbishops since that date includes such famous names as Becket, Cranmer and Laud. The present Archbishop (the 97th in succession) is the Most Rev. Cosmo Gordon Lang D.D., D.C.L., L.L.D. The Archbishop of Canterbury arranges and conducts the Coronation Service and it is he who, by ancient right, performs the crowning ceremony."

"Archbishop of York - The Archbishopric of York dates from the 7th Century, when England was divided into two archepiscopal provinces. On Easter Day, A.D. 627, King Edwin of Northumberland was baptized in a small wooden church on the site of which the magnificent edifice of York Minster now stands, the ceremony being performed by Paulinus, who a few years later was consecrated first Archbishop of York. The present Archbishop (the 90th in succession) is the Most Rev. William Temple D.D., D.Litt, who was appointed in 1929. The Archbishop of York assists the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Coronation Ceremony; in 1911, the then Archbishop of York preached the Coronation sermon."

"Bishop of London - Mellitus became the first Bishop of London in AD 604. The manor of Fulham was given to a later occupant of the See, Bishop Erkenwald, about AD 691, as a residence for himself and his successors. Much of Fulham Palace as it now stands, however, was built by Fitzjames, Bishop of London from 1506 to 1522. The present Bishop, the Rt.Rev.Rt.Hon. Arthur Foley Winnington Ingram, D.D., LL.D., was appointed in 1901 and has officiated at the Coronations of King Edward VII and King George V. At the Coronation Ceremony, the Bishop of London carries the Paten - the dish upon which is borne the consecrated bread for the Holy Communion."

"Dean of Westminster - The Dean and Chapter of Westminster play a very important part in the Coronation. Their right to instruct the King and Queen in the rites and ceremonies of the Coronation has been admitted by the Court of Claims. In addition, the Dean assists the Archbishop of Canterbury during the Ceremony, and holds the Eagle Ampulla containing the oil used for the Anointing. By ancient right, the honour of putting the Coronation vestments on the King also falls to him. The present Dean of Westminster is the Very Revd. William Foxley Norris KCVO, D.D., who was appointed in 1925."

VBCW Notes : save for the Primate of All England's notable conduct during the early days of the VBCW and the famous Royalist "Drive on Canterbury", relatively little has been recorded as to the civil war careers of these notable Anglican personages - for the most comprehensive coverage, see the Solway Sourcebook, "The Anglican League". Most, no doubt, were either in prison or leading Armoured Assault Groups by 1938. Still, the above full dress uniform references are excellent!