Drill halls Options

[Graeme Fisher]

Andy, some pics would be great.

Thanks

Graeme

[Graeme Fisher]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed or congratulated recently.

Due to appaling service from B******s Telecom, I was offline for a while, then ill, then away, so the responses to posts have been left to my north west correspondent, Gwyn, whom I thank.

The success of the fledgling drillhalls.org site has been due in no small part to the contributors to this thread, and members of the Forum in general.

Thanks, and keep it coming!

Graeme

[andyspiller]

Graeme

Had some fun trying to get the pics to Gwyn - without success.

Will cut them to CD - if someone will PM me with a snail-mail.

Rgds

Andy

[Lyndon]

Question for the Drill Hall specialists!!!!!

Was there a Drill Hall in Russell Street, Reading?

Many Thanks

Lyndon.

[Dragon]

if someone will PM me with a snail-mail.

You have mail!

Gwyn

[Dragon]

Was there a Drill Hall in Russell Street, Reading?

Not according to the database, but I haven't got the most recently revised version of Berkshire.

Why? Do you think there ought to be one, or have you found one, or ........?

[andyspiller]

Gwyn

Many thanks, I have responded.

Rgds

Andy

[Sgt_Hazell_Great...]

Not according to the database, but I haven't got the most recently revised version of Berkshire.

Why? Do you think there ought to be one, or have you found one, or ........?

If you find an address let me know and i will pop off with my camara.
My Reading efforts , so far , have been slightly below average i would welcome a bit of luck.
Roland.

[Dragon]

My Reading efforts , so far , have been slightly below average i would welcome a bit of luck.

Roland - I've just found your pictures (I was looking in the wrong email account) and was about to send you an email. What d'you mean? You can hardly blame yourself for arriving eleven years after the demolition teams in one location; and the fact that someone's swathed the other in fetching blue screening and scaffolding was just bad luck. I bet very few of those passers-by have any idea what part of their history took place on that corner.

The project is very appreciative of your help and everyone else's too.

Gwyn

[Lyndon]

Not according to the database, but I haven't got the most recently revised version of Berkshire.

Why? Do you think there ought to be one, or have you found one, or ........?

I have a platoon photo taken in Russell Street.

[myos]

 drill.jpg ( 56.74K ) Number of downloads: 6

Graeme I've just come across this in amongst some old family photographs. Don't know whether it is of interest, and there is no indication of when it was taken, but I have seen some correspondence on this thread mentioning that it was demolished in the 1970s.

.

[CROONAERT]

Haslingden's is still in use by the army cadets,I think. In the old (disused) T.A. bar hangs a relic Lee Metford rifle which was found during 1970's renovations.No doubt someone got a rather stern "talking to" back in the 1880's/90's when it was lost!

No it's not. I went to photograph it yesterday. Unfortunately, it is now no more and a newly built cadet building now takes it's place.

Dave

[CROONAERT]

However, this "then and now" ("Now" taken yesterday) may be of some interest - Ramsbottom Drill Hall...

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[CROONAERT]

General view...

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[Graeme Fisher]

Dave

As always, staggeringly good intelligence, before and after pics. Brilliant, my boy!

Where did you get the before pic?

The news of Haslingden's demise is depressing but inspiring. It is confirmation of the end of an era.

Thanks, Dave.

You've supported the project from the outset and delivered some great stuff

Thanks

Graeme

[Graeme Fisher]

 drill.jpg ( 56.74K ) Number of downloads: 6

Graeme I've just come across this in amongst some old family photographs. Don't know whether it is of interest, and there is no indication of when it was taken, but I have seen some correspondence on this thread mentioning that it was demolished in the 1970s.

.

Sorry for the slow response!

It's of immense interest. Even without a date it shows the pomp and glory attibuted to the opening of a drill hall. The Mayor and Corporation, sundry Generals and local worthies, the band, all for the laying of a stone for a building which is now forgotten

Priceless. Thanks!

Graeme

[Dragon]

Several people asked to be informed when we loaded Kent on drillhalls.org, so I thought I’d mention that we have just done it.

I feel as if we’ve merely scratched the surface, as Graeme has assembled nearly 80 unit locations in Kent – 44 drill halls and 35 drill stations – but I’m particularly pleased with Chatham, Faversham, Maidstone and the poignant little apex at Sittingbourne.

A contact advised me to take a picture of Sandwich drill hall, which is on the Quay and apparently quite magnificent. If anyone who lives in the area would be willing to do so, it would save one of us a long drive, as I don't think I'll be able to get to Kent for a few weeks. Any other Kent pictures would be very much appreciated.

I think the pages mentioned above show what can be done with the invaluable help of interested people local to the area and Local Studies staff, who always seem pleased to have a change from looking up Great Aunt Ada on the 1901 Census.

We take responsibility for any text not credited and the Kent photos are mine, unless otherwise acknowledged.

We're back on track at last with uploading after an intermission because I was rather poorly. New material is always announced in the What's New page.

Gwyn

(Note: We’re awaiting the dates for the Maidstone maps.)

[Charles Fair]

A contact advised me to take a picture of Sandwich drill hall, which is on the Quay and apparently quite magnificent. If anyone who lives in the area would be willing to do so, it would save one of us a long drive, as I don't think I'll be able to get to Kent for a few weeks. Any other Kent pictures would be very much appreciated.

Graeme, Gwyn - I will be able to get several of the E Kent ones in the next few weeks. Folkestone, Sandgate, Hythe are all on my doorstep, with Dover, Deal, New Romney and Lydd all likely to be visited in the near future. Should be up in Sandwich sometime in the next few weeks too.

Charles

[Dragon]

Charles, you are a star! Thank you so much.

The Project would be so much lighter without the contributions of interested friends. I know from people who have emailed after finding the site in a search that a picture makes a real difference to someone who is trying to unravel a family member's Great War story. It brings the rather stark, dry documents to life.

Gwyn

[CROONAERT]

Where did you get the before pic?

Sorry for the delay in responding Graeme (I must have missed this thread for some reason for the past few months). It's from my collection of 5/East Lancs pics (this particular one being originally in Ray Westlake's own collection until my aquisition of it).



I'm (slowly) "cruising" East Lancashire at the moment, photographing memorials for an ongoing project. It's no bother to look up the drill halls too if you wish. Let me know which East Lancs ones you have and I'll get any others as I come across them (got a good shot of the Burnley drill hall from 8 storeys up the other day if interested)



Dave

[Graeme Fisher]

Sorry for the delay in responding Graeme (I must have missed this thread for some reason for the past few months). It's from my collection of 5/East Lancs pics (this particular one being originally in Ray Westlake's own collection until my aquisition of it).



I'm (slowly) "cruising" East Lancashire at the moment, photographing memorials for an ongoing project. It's no bother to look up the drill halls too if you wish. Let me know which East Lancs ones you have and I'll get any others as I come across them (got a good shot of the Burnley drill hall from 8 storeys up the other day if interested)



Dave

Dear 'Cruiser'.........

Thanks for the kind offer - 's people like you who make my life so much nicer.

I'll PM you with a list in the next few days - I need to have a look at it so it makes sense!

Thanks again

Graeme

[Charles Fair]

Graeme, I dropped into the local studies libraries in Folkestone and Dover today to see what I could find. Unfortunately modern developments don't appear to have been too kind:

Folkestone - Shellons St. I understand from the librarians that this was flattened in about 1979/80. The site is now a Lidl supermarket and a car park. Apparently there is some stuff in the press about it, and I should be able to find the exact site on an OS map.

Dover - Northampton St. I found the exact location on a map dated 1937. The area of Northampton St has been flattened and is now a carpark for the De Bradelei Wharf discount shopping centre. However, the cobbles of Northampton St and a small side alley are clearly visible in the carpark, and these give the exact location of the front and one side of the drill hall.

Dover - Liverpool St . The dual carriageway to the Eastern Docks goes right over the site. Nothing left, but the DH is clearly labelled on the 1937 OS Map. The site is on that of the Guilford Battery which sits at the foot of the cliff under Dover Castle. I will have a further dig around to see if I can find any contemporary photos.

Maps and photos of the sites to come in due course.

Charles

[stuartd]

The drill hall in Redruth, Cornwall is still very much with us though I'm not sure at present what it is used for. It used to hold a variety of social and charity functions, as well as things along the lines of Scouts and Guides.

[Jimothy]

The drill hall in Macclesfield has been turned into flats.

I'll try and get a pic next time I'm there if you dom;t have one already.

[Dragon]

Oh Stuart - that's excellent information. Can you take its photograph, please? It would be good to know what its present use is, so that the website is up to date.

I have a programme for a dinner at the drill hall, Redruth, in February 1945, starting with Ox Tail soup, then Roast Sirloin of Beef, with Green Peas, then Sherry Trifle or Almond Tart and Custard Sauce - and this was in rationing. Lots of speakers with more letters after their names than in them toasting H M The King and other worthies. You can have a copy if you like; you might recognise the odd name. We put that sort of document in the Memorabilia section, which is intended to illustrate how communities and local people used their drill halls.

We have quite a few interesting photos from Cornwall. I'm looking forward to preparing that county.

Gwyn