2012 Olympic Torch Relay

Tuesday 22nd May 2012 - at an unfeasibly early hour of the morning!




With the addition of a few friends from nearby towers a team of thirteen intrepid ringers assembled in the belfry to greet the arrival of the Olympic Torch in Ilminster.


There had been some feelings of trepidation at the prospect of ringing at such an early hour but there were crowds lining Silver Street not long after 6 o'clock so in the end the bells rang out with no worries about disturbing anyone.

The Olympian Ringers were:

Avril Vickery, Bernard Brown (Chard), Chris Pavey, Geraldine Locke, Graham Everitt (Broadway), Harry & Helen Steinhardt, Johan Nash-Smith, Josh Harris, Liz & Patrick Rendell (Curry Rivel), Phil & Emma Hope.

Special mention to Rachel who wasn't able to ring because she had been on hand in the Minster Rooms from 04:30. Such devotion to duty did however receive its reward when the torch bearer came in for a well earned cup of tea!

Ringers Remembered

In St Paul’s Cathedral there are two memorial books which record the names of bell ringers who fell in the two world wars. The beautifully hand scribed pages can be viewed online and therein can be found the names of two ringers from Ilminster, Herbert Doble (1886-1918) and Bertram Sibley (1917-1944), who lost their lives in The Great War and The Second World War respectively.

Details of both ringers can also be found in the books of remembrance in the Minster. The pages for Private Doble include a photograph which made it possible to identify him in a picture in the belfry of the Ilminster ringers from 1911 (third from the right): 

There is a peal board in the belfry on which Herbert’s name appears, along with George Sibley who was the father of Bertram. It is likely that George is also one of those in the photograph but sadly none of the ringers are named. Perhaps if anyone has photographs of Ilminster ringers in the early 1900’s it would be possible to identify others in the picture.

Credit is due to Alan Regin, Steward of the Rolls of Honour at St Paul’s, for identifying Herbert Doble in the group photograph, and for sharing his research.  His work helps to ensure that the names of those ringers to whom we owe so much are not forgotten.

Further Resources

The Great War Memorial book:  http://goo.gl/WdhNS
The Second World War book:   http://goo.gl/cW4Wq

Entry for Herbert Doble:  http://goo.gl/O0LDf    
Entry for Bertram Sibley:  http://goo.gl/B6RRZ

Central Council Rolls of Honour:  http://www.cccbr.org.uk/rolls/

Private Herbert Doble

Memorial at Arras Cemetery (image courtesy of Alan Regin)