Forlorn Dormitory

The interior of one of the dormitories taken by Mike Sims in summer 2004. Did we not enjoy the finest luxury?

The morning after the night before ...

This is just about how C-H-M feels in the aftermath of the post-practical-cooking-examination celebrations yesterday. Food was served on time and whether or not it was beautifully cooked and met the exacting standard will be revealed in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, a lie-down is in order and this Mike Sims 2004 Ullenwood dormitory photo seemed somehow appropriate ...

A dormitory on a sunny day

A peaceful view of one of the women's dormitories taken by Jill Hummerstone looking back towards the entrance in the left hand shot and from the entrance to the end in the right hand one. Jill's towel marks her pit in both photos. Like C-H-M, she seems to have preferred a spot near the door.

Nature reclaims it own

It doesn't take long for an abandoned site to become seriously overgrown as nature takes it course: here, in one of Mike Sims's 2004 series taken at Ullenwood, one gets the feeling that, with another decade or two, no demolition crew would have been needed by the new owner to eliminate most traces of the camp. I suspect that wouldn't apply to the bunker, but there wouldn't be much left of the dormitories.

Looking back from dorm 4

Fine shot by Mike Sims in July 2004 of the far end of the dormitories at Ullenwood just before they disappeared for ever. Rosebay willowherb (Epilobium Angustifolium) grows along side dormitory 4.

What are they waiting for?

A charming photo taken at Ullenwood in 1980 sent to C-H-M by Sue Lee Jeffs (now Bauman). L to R: Jo Bacon, Kate Gilbert, Sue herself and Lucy Loveridge. Now they're obviously waiting for something. Maybe the clue's above Jo's head. Was it a bed? Was it a man? Or did they hope to have a shower, but only on two nights out of three? Ullenwood was always full of possibilities.

And the weeds grew tall at Ullenwood

C-H-M can't quite believe it's the end of August already. But here's a summer picture from Mike Sims of nature reclaiming dormitories 1 and 2 at Ullenwood in 2004. Already pretty overgrown.

The dormitories and ablutions

Click on image to enlarge

Ullenwood not quite as you ever saw it: a compilation of five of Mike Sims's photos taken in 2004 to create a panorama of the four dormitories and the ablutions block at Ullenwood: Dorms 4 & 3 on the left, the ablutions in the middle and dorms 1 & 2 on the right. At the very end on the right can just be seen the mess hall and the overflow dormitory.

There wasn't one of these in Dorm 4 ...

C-H-M has had the honour of a visit from Mr Boden and yesterday we nipped into the Victoria & Albert Museum for the purposes of visual gratification. On our travels, we happened upon the Great Bed of Ware. Mr Boden's immediate observation was "There wasn't one of these in Dorm 4 for those strange bed-parties." The bed can sleep 15, which would have made it ideal, though Mr Boden suspects that the record for a Dorm 4 bed might come close or even exceed that when a pile of diggers really went for it. Given the disparity in size, a dorm 4 bed being, one suspects 6'6'' by 3' maximum, we could have probably got the entire season's cast into the Great Bed of Ware. Mr Boden is included in the photograph for the purposes of scale.

Life In the ladies' dorm ...

This excellent shot of a pit in either Dorm 3 or Dorm 4 comes from Jill Hummerstone bearing the legend "Must have been my bed for the 1987 season". All the Ullenwood essentials are on view: the iron bedstead, the straw filled mattress (though this looks suspiciously like a superior model!), the small bedside table (a luxury) and the cabinet. The curtains that originally hung at the end of the cubicle to afford a modicum of privacy are long gone.

I would imagine that these days that if H.M. Prison Service were to offer accommodation of this standard they would be roundly condemned by H.M. Inspector of Prisons and firmly told that rioting would be the likely result of housing people in such spartan conditions.

But we rather liked it, on the whole and rarely, if at all, rioted.

Dormitory 3 in 1980

From Jane Dineen's collection, but not taken by her as she's in this photo of the inhabitants of Dormitory 3 at some point during the 1980 season. Jane is next to Gloria Polizotti with Anna Collinge on the other end of the front row: help needed, please, in identifying the others.

Dear old Ullenwood ...

I'm gradually working my way through scanning the many photographs that people entrusted to me over the reunion weekend. Mike Sims very kindly lent C-H-M the photos he took in the summer of 2004 just as Ullenwood was being demolished. It's almost brought tears to my eyes to see some of the destruction wrought upon the place, but we're very lucky that Mike had the foresight to capture the camp on camera just before its final demise.

Here's a splendid spliced-together shot of the dormitories from the top end looking back down towards the mess hall. I can't work out what the climber is that's grown all the way up the back of Dorm 4 but there's plenty of Rosebay Willowherb (Epilobium Angustifolium) growing between the dormitories as it always did. Curious how much affection one can feel for some old bits of corrugated iron ...

Welcome to Kate Cole, Bess and Daisy

A warm hello to Kate Cole (now Dumycz) who sends this picture of herself on the Hill.  "The dogs were my mother's - muts called Bess and Daisy."  She also writes: 

"I lived in Stroud - Richard [Savage] had put up posters for the dig in my local library where I saw one.  My first stint at Crickley was my school's work experience (and what an experience - don't think it'd be allowed these 'elf-and-safety conscious days!).  

If this was in 1980 (rather then the 1979 you have), then I rather fear that the 17 year old was me. I do recall Richard being there to greet myself and my parents and I was deposited in the very far end female dorm. [Dorm 4. Ed.] I was actually only 16 and very scared and nervous about what I'd let myself in for!  The next day the very first person I met was JP... I'm pretty sure that I must have been the person that Richard hid you all from.  I do remember shortly after being left in the dorm by my parents that Ros [Cleal] turned up and was in a very giggly mood and was looking at me in a strange way.  Now, 28 years later, I know why!!!  [So that I don't hear from Dr Cleal's solicitors, I'd like to make clear that she was not part of the collection of wet diggers in the back of the Land Rover. I expect she gave me a strange look too, doubtless well-merited! Ed.]

The regulars seemed to be so sophisticated to my 16 year old mind!  They all seemed to know what they were doing and were smooth operators with it!  I was terrified of some of the more seasoned regulars and the caustic remarks and nicknames!  I remember Training and I also remember the lad nicknamed Leatherhead (because that's where he came from).  But I loved it enough to do 3 seasons - the 1980 season I was only supposed to do one week but came back for the final two weeks.  I did the entire 1981 season and 2 weeks in 1982.  

I remember you dashing around on the dumper trucks. And weren't you the Elsan king too? [Yes, indeed - I held that honourable office, Kate: someone had to do it &  my mother was an operating theatre nurse during the war, so she brought me up to have a strong stomach! Ed.]  The Elsans were still there and in use in 1980 (and possibly 1981?).  I was working on the section that was the furthest away from anything. I recall that there was a choice of a 10-15 min there-and-back walk to the toilet block or a quick couple of minutes dash to the Elsans. I remember the supervisor's glares as I choose the former option... The smell of that wretched chemical - I can still recall it nearly 30 years later!  

On the poster you have of the sponsors is the name Major Birchall.  That must be the same major who (rather foolishly I always thought) invited the diggers to a summer party at his pad, which was an amazing Cotswold (manor?) house with extensive gardens.  He let us roam freely throughout his house and grounds - I can't remember if the food was up to much but the setting was amazing.  I remember trying to desperately scrub up and get myself clean and reasonably presentable for his party - not easy with those terrible showers! 

Amazing memories - some of the happiest times of my life." 

Welcome to the blog, Kate.

Captain Lash! Julie-Ann brings the memories flooding back ...

Julie-Ann Morrison sends the following gem, which absolutely made my day:

"One of my abiding memories of Crickley is a load of us sitting in the dorm after drinking copious quantities of Weston's listening to that nice Mr Ferris reading us Captain Lash! I remember we were only allowed one chapter per night, and it was such a wonderful book that I went straight after that year's dig and found a copy in a second hand book shop and have treasured it ever since.

In fact I buy copies for other people. I am in the process of recording said book for a blog and will let you know when I get that sorted. I have since sourced other books by the same author - Captain Frank Shaw, including the amazing 'Gay Sea Road'. They were written between the wars and the language was obviously perfectly fine then, but now the opportunity for double entendre is positively delicious! I think the following excerpt may both remind those of us who were there, and give a flavour to those who were not fortunate enough to be amongst those read to......

'Say' said Lash 'Isn't there anyone here who can fight?' There was no one animate enough to reply. Cora, crouched under the wilted piano, sobbed hysterically and tried to abuse him, but his gentle touch on her face had played havoc with the best bridge work of a pacific dentist, and she could only gulp incoherencies.'

Ah, happy days!!!"

How on earth could I have let Captain Lash slip from my memory and my life? It's possibly the worst written book I've ever had the privilege to lay hands on and I have a broad grin on my face as I type this. I tried, a few times, reading passages out loud but was unable to contain the mirth or accompanying tears. I remember being absolutely in stitches listening to the Ferris rendition which was without equal in the county, or, doubtless, throughout the land.

I can't wait for Julie-Ann to post 'Captain Lash - the audio book'. I bet Ferris is still having a periodic chuckle over his copy. Where's my eBay password got to?

Update - I have a bid in at 99p - will anyone fight me for it? I also see that it's Amazon UK's 1,346,579th Best Seller at the time of posting ... I think there may be some competition in July for who gets to declaim the best passages ...

It must have been some party ...

Dorm 3 the morning after a spectacular diggers' party that got a wee bit out of hand after slightly too much scrumpy? Alas no, this very beautiful, but rather sad shot, was taken by Phil at Ullenwood after the picnic on 7 August 2004 just as the final destruction of Ullenwood camp was in progress.

Ullenwood dormitories 1979

Dr Phillpotts must have taken this towards the very end of the season as tent marks are visible on the grass but no tents. The grass paths are dry and worn from the summer heat and tramping to and fro of the diggers. I'd forgotten the little brick lean-to porches on each of the dormitories with the entrances on the far side of the lean-to so you had to come back on yourself to enter. Once you got inside there was a basin with only a cold tap, not therefore much favoured for washing.

Life at Ullenwood 1

The seasons were usually about 6 weeks. There were often 100+ people in any given week with people often doing a 2-week stint and then going. Some diehards stayed for longer and some the whole season. There was usually a crew that would arrive a day or two early to give Ullenwood a clean and help set up on the top of the Hill. There were huts and shelters erect, tools to clean and maintain.

Think about the logistics of accommodating 100+ dirty diggers.  During my time at Crickley (which was for parts or all of the season between 1976 and 1982 with occasional weekend visits thereafter) dormitories. 1 & 2 were for men and 3 & 4 for women. When the numbers exceeded the capacity of the dorms there was another building opposite the dining room that was sometimes opened up and commissioned with camp beds to cope with the overflow of humanity.

The iron bedsteads probably dated from WWII and were still pretty robust. I fear the straw- filled mattresses were of similar vintage and had a musty smell. I can remember beating them at the beginning of at least one season to try and perk them up a bit if not clean them.  I also have a faint memory of flea powder being applied but cannot myself remember being bitten.

Some people could not stand the dormitories and so brought their own tents which gave some privacy and relieved the strain upon the dorms.  I was puzzling over what the grass marks were in the attached photos and then realised they were the groundsheet prints of tents. The bunker is in the background, before anyone was supposed to know what it was.