Richard Carter celebrates his 90th birthday in June this year. He has also been ringing for 80 years this Easter. Rebecca Odames went to ask him about his experiences.

So, I caught up with Richard Carter at the weekend and I took some notes and this picture. Here is what he told me………

He started chiming the bells on a Sunday at All Saints, Wigston Magna in 1943 aged 8^3/4 with two other people, Nancy Haynes (nee Humberstone) and her father Will. This was when the ban on church bell ringing was lifted during WWII * (see note). 

* Starting with Easter Sunday, April 25, 1943, the Control of Noise (Defence) (No. 2) Order, 1943, allowed that church bells could be rung to summon worshippers to church on Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day. On May 27, 1943, all restrictions were removed.

Initially after the ban was lifted, there were no ringers, because they were either fighting overseas in the war, in the Home Guard, or doing other voluntary work such as being a Fire Warden etc. 

His first proper ringing was on Easter Sunday 1944 and Richard has been ringing at All Saints in Wigston Magna ever since, which will be for 80 years this Easter 2024. Richard was taught to ring by his Uncle Joe (Joseph Carter) and his Father Harrison Carter. His Uncle Joe had served in the First World War and was in the Home Guard in the Second World War, as was his Father. 

His Great Uncle Percy Carter also rang at All Saints in 1905 and 1906. After the war, some of the ringers returned to ringing and he remembers these as, Frank Cheney, Albert Chamberlain, Frank Lloyd, Ted Lloyd, Ted Harold the Church Warden’s son, and Fred and Ken who were the Tower Captains.

Richard’s Father, Harrison, regularly played bowls with his good friend Frank Lloyd who was father to Maureen Lloyd. Richard went on to marry Maureen and she also became a ringer, before they had their four children together. Richard’s brother Andrew Carter and his sister Margaret Carter along with Joe’s daughter Mary Carter (Richards cousin) also rang. Together the Lloyds and Carters made up a large part of the regular ringers at All Saints. 

Although his grandparents didn’t ring, he remembers from an early age that many family discussions about bell ringing took place at their house. And this helped to further his knowledge in conducting and method construction. 

Richard came from a family who were employed largely in the knitting trade for which Leicester was well known and it was Wigston Magna’s primary industry after the war. When Richard left school there was great technological advances being made within the knitting machine industry and he worked for a machine company, before eventually becoming a knitting machine designer.

Richard will be 90 years old on the 13th June this year. 

When I told Richard I was going to mention his 80 years of ringing (and 90th birthday!) in the Guild Newsletter, he wanted me to add this message –

Many years ago at an AGM, Bishop Wiliams said that ‘The church service begins, when the bells start ringing’.

I could tell this really resonated with Richard and that ringing the bells on Sunday to start the service is something that’s always been very important to him. 

Rebecca Odames