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Today we decided to blow away the post Christmas cobwebs and go for a walk on Pendle Hill, Lancashire, where we discovered this emotive memorial to two airmen, one Australian and one from the USA who were involved in air crashes during WW2.  I thought it would be appropriate to post the picture on the forum in case either of the names was familiar.

Further googling on our return home has revealed that this memorial, along with another at Salter Fell, were unveiled and blessed recently to the memory of eleven airmen who perished in separate crashes in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, during the war. 

It is part of a project by Clitheroe Youth Forum to honour 25 people, killed in 15 air crashes between 1940 and 1949 in the Ribble Valley.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-30250529

Maggie 

I'm sure many of you will remember Charlotte (charlotteCH).  She hasn't been around here much recently because of deteriorating health, and now it is my sad task to let all her friends in RootsChat know that she passed away peacefully yesterday with her family around her. 

Charlotte will be remembered in RC for her kind, thoughtful helpfulness and consideration, also her wisdom, her amazing sense of humour and positive attitude to all aspects of life, including terminal illness.

Charlotte was my 4th cousin once removed but we were much, much closer than that implies, despite us living half a world apart.  Our shared genealogy threw us together in 1999 and since that time we have shared so much.

Charlotte, thanks for your friendship and for being my dear friend.  You are going to be missed by so many people not only in Australia but here in the UK.

Maggie

I have a whole series of these studio pics of my Mum.  I gather that as a result of me posting a smaller version of this one elsewhere on RC recently at least two of you would like to give her some colour, so I thought I'd start a thread to give others a chance.  Please feel free to practise with a little colour - I might have a practise myself in private, although for some reason I find it really difficult to work on close family members.

Have fun and many thanks in advance.

Maggie 

In the Spring, whilst undertaking a bit of garden re-design, we discovered some old foundations at the front of our house, which is at least 300 years old.  We also found an area of cobbles, a huge pile of magnetic slag or possibly ‘bloom’ from iron smelting activity, and a great deal of rubbish - but that's another story!!

As very amateur archaeologists we then got very excited and started to carefully look at what we were digging up whilst we tried to establish the extent of these stone foundations.  Amongst the stuff we have found is this little object.  It’s very corroded but it is possible to see the words ‘W. Dowler & Sons, Birmingham' on the concave reverse and what appears to be a stylised horse, or possibly a unicorn on the front.  We have discovered that this Birmingham company are still in existence and in the past it has manufactured buttons, whistle and swords amongst other stuff.  We emailed them a few months ago to see if they could throw any light on what it may be but we are still awaiting a response from them, so in the meantime perhaps my RootsChat colleagues would like to have a go at finding out what it is, or perhaps someone already knows.

This first picture is to give the scale.  Better pics to follow.

Maggie