Pre-carnival events took place in the week leading up to the carnival. These included the village marathon on July 29th, a collection of tins and bottles and a wheelbarrow race from Gransden’s yard in Oak Lane to The Paddock. A cricket match between Upchurch Cricket Club players and village women followed this on August 3rd.
The carnival experienced rain for the first time in twelve years but this did not prevent the event from taking place and it raised £250 for the Village Hall Fund. Led by the St John’s Ambulance Brigade the procession set off around the village which included 20 floats representing different village organisations such as the Village Children’s Playgroup’s ‘Pirate Radio Station,’ the Badminton Club’s ‘The Young Bucks,’ ‘Past Swimming Fashions’ modelled by the Women’s Institute, the Darby and Joan Club’s ‘The Wedding of Snow White’ and Jill Hitchin as ‘A Bird in a Guilded Cage.
After the procession a fete took place in The Paddock where Bert Millen from Jasmil Kennels organised the annual dog show and a miniature train offered rides. Other fun activities included a piano smashing competition, a coconut shy, a knobbly knees competition and a game of chance called ‘Guinea Pig Stakes’ which required people to guess which hutch a guinea pig would run with a prize for the winner. A wide variety of produce stalls were run by various village organisations while Mr Gallihawk manned the goldfish stall.
In village sporting affairs the cricket club, who played home matches at their Poot Lane ground, suffered from the rain with many matches being cancelled. Although the club lost both matches against Canning Town ‘A’ they defeated Murston when Frank Cook took 8 wickets for only 35 runs to dismiss the opponents for 95 runs and record the best bowling performance of the season. John Tress then scored 45 runs to help Upchurch to a three wicket victory. The team also experienced a four wicket victory against Rodmersham when they dismissed their opponents for 72 runs with Alan Auger and Aubrey Belson taking three wickets each.
In parish council affairs a decision was made to inspect the allotments again for surface water and a recommendation that weeds should be cut on all vacant plots. The Highways Surveyor was asked to have the guard rails bordering the allotments repaired. More effective lighting for the Chaffes Lane and Church Farm Road junction was also recommended.
Marriages in August included Joe Wraight from The Street with Heather Smith from Chatham and Roy Kitney from Poot Lane with Ann Dowman from Chatham. Mark Sifleet from The Street and Kerry Liston from Otterham Quay were baptised, while former Holywell teacher Katherine Wraight aged 87 was buried in the churchyard. She had taught at the school for 17 years and began working there when only 19 years old. She married village baker Tom Wraight and later helped in their grocery business and to organise village social fund raising events during the 1890s.
Although the month passed peacefully with a successful and well-run carnival a potential disaster occurred when a fire in Breach Lane destroyed a pig house full of bedding straw, but it failed to spread and nobody got injured and so August 1966 in Upchurch ended without further incident.
The carnival experienced rain for the first time in twelve years but this did not prevent the event from taking place and it raised £250 for the Village Hall Fund. Led by the St John’s Ambulance Brigade the procession set off around the village which included 20 floats representing different village organisations such as the Village Children’s Playgroup’s ‘Pirate Radio Station,’ the Badminton Club’s ‘The Young Bucks,’ ‘Past Swimming Fashions’ modelled by the Women’s Institute, the Darby and Joan Club’s ‘The Wedding of Snow White’ and Jill Hitchin as ‘A Bird in a Guilded Cage.
After the procession a fete took place in The Paddock where Bert Millen from Jasmil Kennels organised the annual dog show and a miniature train offered rides. Other fun activities included a piano smashing competition, a coconut shy, a knobbly knees competition and a game of chance called ‘Guinea Pig Stakes’ which required people to guess which hutch a guinea pig would run with a prize for the winner. A wide variety of produce stalls were run by various village organisations while Mr Gallihawk manned the goldfish stall.
In village sporting affairs the cricket club, who played home matches at their Poot Lane ground, suffered from the rain with many matches being cancelled. Although the club lost both matches against Canning Town ‘A’ they defeated Murston when Frank Cook took 8 wickets for only 35 runs to dismiss the opponents for 95 runs and record the best bowling performance of the season. John Tress then scored 45 runs to help Upchurch to a three wicket victory. The team also experienced a four wicket victory against Rodmersham when they dismissed their opponents for 72 runs with Alan Auger and Aubrey Belson taking three wickets each.
In parish council affairs a decision was made to inspect the allotments again for surface water and a recommendation that weeds should be cut on all vacant plots. The Highways Surveyor was asked to have the guard rails bordering the allotments repaired. More effective lighting for the Chaffes Lane and Church Farm Road junction was also recommended.
Marriages in August included Joe Wraight from The Street with Heather Smith from Chatham and Roy Kitney from Poot Lane with Ann Dowman from Chatham. Mark Sifleet from The Street and Kerry Liston from Otterham Quay were baptised, while former Holywell teacher Katherine Wraight aged 87 was buried in the churchyard. She had taught at the school for 17 years and began working there when only 19 years old. She married village baker Tom Wraight and later helped in their grocery business and to organise village social fund raising events during the 1890s.
Although the month passed peacefully with a successful and well-run carnival a potential disaster occurred when a fire in Breach Lane destroyed a pig house full of bedding straw, but it failed to spread and nobody got injured and so August 1966 in Upchurch ended without further incident.
About David
David Wood was born and raised in Upchurch and is able to write from personal experience about many people and aspects of the village and of changes that have taken place over the years making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable book and a detailed historical study of the village. David's book ‘Memories of Upchurch’ is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at Upchurch Matters. Price £12 + £3.50 postage and packing.
David Wood
