1939-1945 War Years at Lenton Church

At that time the usual pattern of the Parish magazine was first the Vicar's letter, followed by the details for the Parish Church, then the daughter Church's information. It was strange to see at the head of the Vicar's letter "Somewhere in England" in place of "The Vicarage".

The Reverend C.B. Bardsley who was Curate-in-Charge of St. Barnabas (daughter Church) Lenton Abbey, was seconded to Priest-in-Charge of the Parish during the Vicar's absence, which post he held until his departure for Christ Church, Newark in September 1943. He was succeeded by the Reverend T. Anscombe, Curate of the Priory Church, and he and his wife moved into residence at 38 Church Street (the Curate?s house opposite the Church). Mrs. R. Anscombe was the eldest daughter of the Reverend R.J.R. Skipper so she was very much on "home ground". The Reverend R.J.R. Skipper was released from the Army in October 1944 and returned to the Parish to "pick up the threads" after such a long absence.

The Reverend T. Anscombe and his wife left Lenton in August 1945 to be instituted to the Benefice of St. Mary, Becontree, Essex. He later became Principal of Clifton (Bristol) Theological College. The organisations, and indeed the services, continued through the war years - not without their interruptions and inconvenience sometimes due to such factors as air-raid warnings, black-out regulations, transport problems and so on. Services in Church were arranged to take place in the afternoons instead of the evenings during the winter months because of the black-out regulations.

The first big function to be affected by the war was the 1939 Annual Bazaar. Usually this was an occasion when all the daughter Churches and their organisations gathered together in the Church Schools (facing the Church) for a three-day bazaar, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The bazaar of 1939 was called the 1,1939 Bazaar", the organisers feeling that the term 1,1939" would explain many things. 11193911 meant blackouts, air-raid shelters, travelling and such like problems, and because of those difficulties the bazaar was held in St. Mary's Church Hall, Wollaton Park, which had blackouts in the Church Hall, had an air-raid shelter close at hand, and had a convenient bus service close by.

Names of those called up for war service were published in the monthly magazines, while a complete list of those serving to date was hung in the respective Church porch. Casualties were also reported in the magazine. The choir at the Parish Church was obliged to rearrange its practices, which up to the war were two nights per week for boys only, one night and before services for men and boys together. Slack-out regulations meant no practices in the evenings during the winter months, and even practices which were possible in the daylight were liable to interruption by air-raid warnings which would end the practice. Senior members of the choir, although not called up for military service, were called to carry out such duties as Civil Defence, and probably had to work at unusual times.

It was unfortunate that the centenary celebrations of the Church should have fallen at a time when so many of the younger members of the congregation were away from home. The celebration of the Centenary of the Laying of the Foundation Stone of the Church took place on Sunday, 8th June, 1941 and it was fitting that the preacher at the morning and evening services was the Reverend W. Aden Wright, then Rector of Nettlestead, Kent, a member of the generous family who had contributed so much to the building of the Church and Schools and a former vicar of Lenton, 1922-1928.

There followed in October 1942 the celebration of the Centenary of the Consecration of the Church. The celebration services commenced on Tuesday, 6th October 1942 (the actual day of anniversary), with Holy Communion at 7 a.m. and 10.30 a.m., whilst Evening Service was at 3 p.m. (black-out prevented any later). Services were continued on the following Sunday with the Holy Communion at 8 a.m. celebrated by the Reverend R.J.R. Skipper who had managed to arrange his leave from the Army for this memorable occasion.

Festal Matins followed at 10.45 a.m., the first lesson being read by the Principal of Nottingham University College, H.A.S. Wortley Esq., the second by Canon Holbrook (vicar of Holy Trinity, Nottingham), and the sermon was preached by the Lord Bishop of Southwell. Representatives from the University College were present, and the three clergy from the daughter Churches and representatives of their congregations.

Festal Evensong followed in the afternoon, the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis sung to the setting by Stanford, in B Flat, while the anthem was "I was glad when they said unto me" by Elvey. The Archbishop of York had promised, at an earlier meeting with the Vicar in York, that he would personally visit Lenton Parish on the occasion of its century. In the meantime, the Archbishop moved south to become the Archbishop of Canterbury. He wrote a letter to Lenton saying that his removal to the south had made it impossible for him to keep his previous promise, but he sent his greetings on the occasion of the Centenary.

It was most unfortunate that it was not possible to celebrate with a peal of bells, but after the evacuation of our troops from Dunkirk (France) in 1940 a ban was put on all Church bell-ringing, by Government order. The bells would only be rung for the purpose of warning of the arrival or landing of enemy troops on our shores (they could have landed by boat or by parachute). On hearing a Church bell ring the local military units would stand to for action.

Up to the ban on bells ringing, when the clock had struck 12 at mid-day, a bell was rung for three minutes as a call to prayer for deliverance. The ban was lifted for one day on the occasion of a

Thanksgiving Sunday appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, after the Victory in the Desert Battle. There were various services specially requested by the Archbishop each year of the war: on the 3rd September, the anniversary of the outbreak of war, when people were called to a National Day of Thanksgiving, Prayer and Dedication.

Lenton Church suffered a bomb from an enemy air-raid. It Penetrated the roof and finished near the pulpit, but fortunately little damage was done.

The ancient font was carefully preserved during the war years by being enveloped in sand-bags.

Although the war finished in 1945, the nation's troubles were not over, far from it, and in the winter of 1947 the weather was extremely cold. Fuel, like most commodities, including food, as a result of a long war, was in short supply and coal was rationed to the community. Everyone at this time used solid fuel for heating. Electricity and gas were down in production as coal was their source of production. There was frost and blizzard for two months and this was followed by a thaw which resulted in the whole of Dunkirk and Old Lenton being flooded.

Shortly after the war the Parish suffered a great shock in the death of Principal H.A.S. Wortley of Nottingham University College, Highfields, Nottingham, and twelve days later the death of his wife. Their home, on the College campus, was in Lenton Parish, and the Vicar at that time said of Principal Wortley 'I personally feel I have lost two friends. I always found him a most encouraging and sympathetic friend, and one who took a practical interest in our plans for Church extension throughout the Parish, and in our efforts to minister to the students residing in our midst?.

The year of 1947 ended on a brighter note, for in November of that year the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, took place in Westminster Abbey.