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September 2002

PILGRIMAGE

During September, while the Pegg's were visiting (see below), Helen Mader made a pilgrimage back to The Bull Hotel and Barrack Road, in Woodbridge, and the bases of RAF Woodbridge and Bentwaters. I was with Helen most of the time - her report and photos are in the TRIPS section.

 

September 2002

AIR BASES AND LIGHTHOUSES

I spend several days with Larry and Becky Pegg, who returned to RAF Woodbridge and Bentwaters, and the surroundings towns and villages, for a week in September. The story of Larry's return is in the TRIPS section.

 

31 December 2001

HI-FI REPAIRED

I'm a bit late with this entry!  On 12 June 2001 Vivien and I had a most enjoyable dinner in the most enjoyable company of the Palermos - Paul, his wife Sharon and daughters Sabina and Roxanne.  It is so strange how this small world brings people together. As we dined, an old colleague and friend of Paul from the hi-fi shop at Bentwaters - Neil Baker - walked past the window.  He came and joined us for a while.  Later. Paul said that Neil was "the man" for hi-fi repairs. Well, I had a hi-fi that had stood un-repaired for some months. Eventually, a couple of weeks ago, I had it repaired, Yes, of course, by Neil Baker!

Yet another meeting in The Bull Hotel. From left to right, Paul Palermo, Vivien Barringer, Sabina Palermo, Sharon Palermo, Roxanne Palermo and Linn Barringer.

17 July 2001

NATTER

On Tuesday 17 July, Vivien and I met Ron Radliff and his English wife Maggie, with their two fellow travellers (Mike and Susie?) in the Bull Hotel. Unfortunately, there are no pictures but we had a good old natter, including a bit of political ribbing.

2 December 2000

TRAINS and PLANES

Despite the disruption to British Railways (which are not called that any more but it's still a good name for the confusing collection of disparate rail companies we now have), caused by the safety checks and repairs, Chuck Dalldorf made it back to Woodbridge this week.  This is Chuck's second trip since leaving RAF Bentwaters.  On the Pictures page, I record the day Chuck and I spent on the Domestic and Technical Sites of RAF Bentwaters.  But here is a picture taken when Chuck kindly took my wife, Vivien, and I to dinner.

Vivien Barringer, Linn Barringer, Chuck Dalldorf
The Bull Hotel, Market Hill, Woodbridge, Suffolk.
You can email The Bull with enquiries.

25 April 2000

EASTER BUNNIES

I was minding my own business one sunny Tuesday afternoon when the front door bell rang.  I went to the door and could see through the windows a face of someone whom I had never met before but who was familiar to me - Jim Tansey.

Having checked that he had the right house, Jim fetched his wife, Maureen, from the left-hand-drive automatic Subaru Legacy he had borrowed for his trip to England.   After several hours' nattering about web sites and this and that, we took the 'ceremonial' photographs.

This is the first time I had ever used my Mavica on self-timer and we were not at all sure whether it was going to work, hence the look of apprehension on Jim and Maureen's faces in the picture above/right!

But Jim and Maureen don't always look that worried. A few minutes earlier, I had taken this picture (above) which is far more representative of the happy Jim and Maureen I met that day.  You can see that Jim is ready to take HIS pictures.

And make sure you take a visit to Jim & Maureen's Bentwaters web site, too.

3 July 1999

Betty Atwood, Linn Barringer and Earl Atwood (right). Earl flew Hercules for many years, including Vietnam and out of Woodbridge, in the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service.
Betty and Earl's son Earl Atwood Jr.  (a.k.a. Butch or Skip Atwood) was a"Military Brat" at the High School on Woodbridge base. The picture,right, was taken during the Atwoods' visit to their long-time friends Phyl and Ken, who live in Trimley St. Martin, near Felixstowe.  In my shirt pocket is a notebook cover given to me by Earl - it shows all the military ranks and insignia of the US Forces, of which I was totally ignorant.  Now when an airman says he was an E7, I'll know what that means, and know what his badge... er, sorry... patch looked like.  Talking of patches, Earl made what I thought was a magnificent sacrifice; he removed two patches from his flying suit and delivered them to me.  They are now showing on the PATCHES PAGE.

 

May 1999

One evening in May, Linn and Vivien (hidden behind Linda) were invited out to dinner at the Bull Hotel - a 16th century coaching inn in the historical heart of Woodbridge - by Bob and Linda Norway.

The lower shot was taken by Linda's brother, Rusty (now married and living in Orford) and includes my wife, Vivien.

 

 

 

On Saturday morning, I met the charming Jack Kelly and his equally charming wife, Tikey, just after breakfast. Jack was a Phantom pilot based at Woodbridge in the late 60s. Jack and Tikey were on a brief stopover in Woodbridge before visiting family in the Cotswolds. Time for a quick visit to the Twin Bases, and for a photo-call on the Grand Staircase at the Melton Grange Hotel (which has since closed down).

 

 

 

 

17 December 1998

Vivien and I were invited to dinner with Joey Meyer and his wife Radmilla, at the Wood Hall Hotel at Shottisham.  Toby, the receptionist, barman and waiter, kindly took this picture in the cocktail lounge, just before we went in to dinner.  It gets dark around 4pm at this time of year, so it was a cold, dark drive over Wilford Bridge, taking the right fork at the "Y", on through Sutton Village to the Wood Hall Hotel, signposted off to the right, along what seems to be a farm road.

Waiting to order dinner was a pleasure because the cocktail lounge has a huge open log fire.

Linn & Vivien Barringer, Joey and Radmilla Meyer.

This may not be the sharpest picture on the internet but it IS yet more evidence of the internet bringing together people who would never have met without web sites and email.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another meeting in Woodbridge!

The long-planned, delayed and eventually very successful trip that Betty and Merle Bare made to the UK.  Betty and Merle ended their trip with a visit to the Woodbridge area, staying at the Bull Hotel, Market Hill in the old historical heart of Woodbridge. The picture was taken by a member of staff during our dinner at The Bull on a surprisingly balmy September evening.

Vivien Barringer, Betty Bare, Linn Barringer and Merle Bare.

 

John 'PJ' Lechman and his wife Laura paid a visit from California to Woodbridge.   We met over a drink or three in the bar of the Crown Hotel in Thoroughfare.

PJ's holding a Pint of Adnams Southwold bitter (or the remains thereof). (Mine's a G&T) - I know you will find that information of the utmost scintillating interest!  We had never met or spoken before but still found things to chat about until 2 a.m. - must have been something to do with wearing the 'uniform' denim shirt!

See Laura's thoughts about the Lechmans' visit in the  TRIPS Back Section.

17th March 1998

A GLOBAL get-together!

Left to Right:
Geoff Ling, famous country singer from Blaxhall, Suffolk, England
Jim Grubbs from Portsmouth, Virginia, USA, who married a local lady and stayed in the UK,
Susie Grubbs, from Westleton, Suffolk, England, the lady Jim married.
Me, from Hornchurch, Essex, England, in the front.
Ted Ling from Sydney, Australia, presently in Darwin, Australia who was visiting Blaxhall as part of his research into his LING family ancestry. Ted's g-g-grandfather was "transported" from England in the early 19th century, after being found guilty of pig theft.

 

10 January 1998

Quite soon after I opened my web site in November 1995, I began exchanging emails with Brian Price in Australia -it started because of my origins in Hornchurch, Essex, and Brian's origins in S. This winter Brian and his wife Ann came to the UK and on 10 January, visited us at home. This is a few moments after Linn (left) met Brian Price. No, I'm not standing in a hole, I'm only 5' 2" - height, not width... Vivien and Linn Barringer, Ann and Brian Price. 

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