The autumn of 1956 and Barbara, my former wife and I moved into No 28 Warwick Road, Littlethorpe, a new build semi which I recall cost £1900 or thereabouts. It had a front room with open fire, a diner kitchen to the rear equipped with a coke burning stove which provided hot water and during the winter months a pleasantly warm room. Short of money we commenced married life using just the kitchen, one bedroom, the rest of the house yet to be furnished. How times have changed. However to continue the story, early in 1957 we received an unexpected visitor, Reverend Wale, Vicar of Cosby who somehow knew we were both ringers, and over a cup of coffee plus a digestive biscuit asked “Could you teach some youngsters to ring Cosby bells as we have no bell ringers. It’s such a pity that our six bells are silent.” I contemplated the effort and tenacity required and then; “All right, I will see what I can do”, I replied and so commenced a happy five years of my life.

At Cosby there was one youngster, Ken Needham, who could handle a bell, but no shortage of recruits, young lads and girls. Bell ringing in those years was something to do for young people living in a village, yet to be invaded by cars and mass transport. Practice nights found ten or so of us in the ringing room, church and during summer evenings, the church yard. (Youngsters are full of the joys of Spring)

Ken rang his first peal at Cosby, the treble to Bob Minor on Friday, February 7^th 1958, followed by brother Ronald, also on the treble, March 29^th 1958. Eric Roberts rang his first peal, again at Cosby, the treble to Bob Minor on November 1^st 1958. This was followed on May 1^st 1959 by a peal of Bob Minor rung by an all Cosby band, I believe the first by a resident band since the installation of the bells in 1914. The band was as follows; Treble David Lee, No 2 Ronald O Needham, No 3 Barbara A Bennett, No 4 Eric Roberts, No 5 Kenneth E Needham, Tenor John B Bennett (C) . The peal was rung for the christening of our son Michael. Of the girls I taught, Francine Loakes rang her first peal on Cosby treble, May 6^th 1960.

As mentioned above teenagers are full of life and while, on practice nights, I was occupied with the ringing, there was much fun and games in the church. Tom Stevens, small in stature but large in fun, was deposited into the font. I knew nothing of this until at a PCC meeting it came up in “any other business”. One fearsome old lady, her jaw somewhat akin to the prow of a warship, slowly turned her gaze on me as she delivered a severe criticism of the bell ringers behaviour. “Oh I’m sure the ringers would never do anything like that”, I responded, meanwhile thinking, wait till I get at them!

We enjoyed in those years, a number of outings, mainly cycling though I recall one when we walked, tower to tower. This was in Rutland though of the towers visited I remember only Langham and our luck with the weather, a lovely day walking footpaths through fields.

My final peal at Cosby was one of Kent which I conducted from the treble, Jill Pickering’s first peal rung on February 3^rd 1961. Shortly after this my work took me to Nottingham and then to The Shaikhdom of Qatar, a move which heralded 21 years working as an expatriate. I never went back to Cosby until on a particular afternoon during the past 10 years Eric Roberts and I visited and had a ring, for me a nostalgic occasion As I stood in the ringing room the names of the young ones I taught flowed down the decades like vintage wine. Eric is the only one of them I now know. I wonder what became of the others. Hopefully they enjoyed happy lives.

John Bennett