THEY JUST LOVE SINGING!

The happy crowd at the St Giles’ Church Hall was clear evidence of the fact that Ickenham folk love to support a good cause and also love to sing!  The cause, which benefited by £465 as a result of the occasion, was a MacMillan Cancer Trust coffee morning and the singing was led by Love2sing.

Elizabeth started the singing group four years ago with 11 members and now has over 100, half of whom meet in the Hall every Tuesday!  Their ages range from 35–86!  They perform a variety of singing styles, including Big Band, Traditional, Pop and Rock.  They’re mainly ladies but more male singers would be warmly welcomed and you don’t have to be able to read music!

Classes cost £62.50 for 10 weeks for over 60s and £72.50 otherwise.  Elizabeth can be contacted at www.love2sing.co.uk or at her Facebook page www.facebook.com/Love2singltd

ICKENHAM SURROUNDED

A major book launch recently held at the Compass Theatre featured Ickenham resident Sean Kelly who has written ‘Home Bases’, the story of American military bases around London.  At the launch, the book was introduced by Sir John Randall, MP.  As Sean made clear, it is extraordinary how Ickenham was surrounded by so many of these military establishments.  They included West Ruislip, South Ruislip, Eastcote, Uxbridge, West Drayton, Northolt, Denham Studios and, further afield, Bushey Hall, Bushy Park, Medmenham, High Wycombe, Hendon and London.  Sean also describes these bases and other associated places with a substantial number of personal anecdotes from personnel stationed locally from the Second World War until about 2007.

Among them was “Dallas” actor Larry Hagman who worked at South Ruislip Air Station on Victoria Road for four years.  Another was Henry Farwell, now sadly no longer with us and whom many readers will remember with affection as an Ickenham resident and member of St Giles’ choir.  What they may not be familiar with was Henry’s amazing service career with the USAF, graphically described in the book.
           
Henry completed numerous flying missions, even flying on D-Day, before being shot down six days later.  Still later, he also joined the ‘Caterpillar Club’, the qualification for which is to have one’s life saved by a parachute jump from a disabled aircraft!  After the war he tried civilian life but it didn’t suit so he re-enlisted, eventually finding himself in England, where he met his wife, Lottie.  After going ‘Stateside’ for a while he returned to England for a posting at USAF South Ruislip, looking after the USAF’s air traffic control operations.  Before retirement he was promoted to Chief Master Sergeant.  He had served 30 years in the US military and 18 of those were in England, which he then regarded as home - so he settled in Ickenham.  After his death aged 91 a Service of Thanksgiving was held at St Giles’ Church.
           
Sean Kelly was what was known as a ‘military brat’, having been born in at the South Ruislip base, attending US elementary school in Eastcote and then the counterpart high school at the Daws Hill base in High Wycombe.  He and his wife, Jacqueline, and their three children have resided in Ickenham for 24 years.  He has been, and still is, involved with a range of journalistic and public relations activities.  ‘Home Bases’ is now available from www.ushomebases.com or Madcap Books in Ruislip.
AFN