PRESS RELEASES
17th May 2009 - Putting on the Ritz
VILLAGERS dusted off their dancing shoes for a great fun Tea at the Ritz event in Maiden Newton Village Hall.
The Maiden Newton At War fundraising team staged the event to raise money for the second extravaganza, due to be held next summer.
Dance teachers Mr and Mrs Aird showed people how to cut the rug and there were delicious cakes to complete the Ritzy feel.
Organiser Joan Dean said: "It was a real flashback in time - there were enough people to make it a really enjoyable afternoon."
"We are also going to hold a series of ballroom dancing lessons this summer - all we need is for people to let us know if they're interested and we'll set them up."
"There will be one of our monthly brunches on May 30, and we have lots of events coming up, so watch this space."
Anyone interested in ballroom dancing lessons should contact Joan to register their interest on 01300 321312.
23rd January 2008 - Jive lessons
A village is in full swing every Monday evening thanks to the Echo. Maiden Newton At War committee were looking for a jive instructor to prepare the village for the Big Band Concert which is part of the Maiden Newton At War 1940's event on the 21st and 22nd June 2008.
The Dorset Echo heard of their plight and asked readers for assistance. An instructor from Weymouth answered the call and now the villagers are learning to jive for the big night with lessons being given in the village every Monday evening.
Committee member Joan Dean said "The lessons, which are aimed at beginners are very popular and thanks to the Echo we can have a great time at the big band concert in June being able to join in".
The Jive teacher, Elder Taylor, who is visiting from the United States, said " I saw that the community wanted to learn to Jive and offered my help. I enjoy teaching the dance and am really pleased that the lessons are so popular."
Anyone interested in joining in should contact the booking officer on 01300 321248. More information may be found at www.maidennewtonatwar.co.uk
14th November 2007 - Jive Talking
A village is desperately looking for a dance teacher to show them how to Jive. Maiden Newton at War Committee has organised a Big Dance Band as part of their 1940,s weekend in June 2008 but has so far unable to find a Jive teacher to help the villagers learn to dance as they did in the forties. Committee member Joan Dean said " We are looking for anyone that hold lessons in the village starting just after Christmas. It would be a wonderful way for villagers to Jive off a few pounds and later be able to join in properly over the weekend in June. A few off the locals can remember dances in the village but cannot remember the correct steps. We would love to hear from anyone that may be able to help us with Jive lessons" Anyone that is able to assist can contact the committee on 01300 321248.
The big band concert is one of a number of events taking place in the village on the 21st and 22nd June 2008 as part of the Maiden Newton at War event. There will also be reenactments, street parties and many other activities for all to enjoy.
September 2007
War is going to break out in Maiden Newton..and the villagers cannot wait.
A re-enactment is planned for next June with participants coming from as far a field as Holland and organisers are keen to attract volunteers to help out.
The event is being organised by village residents to encourage the community spirit of days gone by. Visitors will be able to enjoy a varied and entertaining 1940s-style wartime weekend of activities to recreate and remember those years. Attractions will include dances, street parties, plays, displays exhibitions, stalls, vehicles, re-enactment groups and bands.
Maiden Newton At War committee member Andy Elliott said; "We've got re-enactors from Holland and a lot of good stuff planned. It's likely we're going to bring in a steam train and all sorts that have got to be confirmed. We've definitely got two 1940's dances planned for the Friday and Saturday night (June 21-22, 2008). We've got a swing band booked and battles confirmed."
He said they will be holding fundraisers leading up to the event including cream teas, exhibitions of 1940's art and are considering 1940's dancing lessons after they realised none of them knew the moves. Mr Elliott said " we're trying to cover as many things as we can but there's a limit to what us few people can do. We've got about a dozen attending the meetings but we'd like to welcome any people to get involved and any organisation actively assisting the event will benefit from a share of the profits made"
Schoolchildren studying the war years under the national curriculum are already taking part. As well as lessons visits and activities they will take part in a street party during the event. The organisers are keen to encourage former residents of the Maiden Newton area to get in touch and to share their stories and memories. They are also hoping to make a collection of wartime artifacts for display, including any items connected with the home front household or military, especially those with a local collection.
Anyone who would like to get involved can call 01300 321248 or email andy.elliott@ic24.net
Historic Press Releases
(copy of newspaper entry January-February 1946)
New York, January 23 - Two hundred and twelve WACS (Womens' Army Corps.) were among the 3,577 military passengers who arrived here yesterday on the aircraft carrier Enterprise, from Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, where they had been taken aboard this warship after the two transports on which they embarked originally from France had been battered by heavy seas and forced into port.
The WACS and 2,799 service men on the carrier had left Le Havre on December 14, bound for New York on the French ship Athos II, then used as an American transport. Seven days later the vessel encountered a severe storm. Sergeant Mickey Mahoney, 22 years old, of 764 St. John's Place, Brooklyn, a New York telephone operator before enlisting in the WAC, related: "The storm ripped stoves and kitchens apart. Most of our food was ruined. Our dining room was smashed to smithereens, and all but two of our twenty-four lifeboats were washed overboard." She described how at the height of the storm, with the Athos II rolling from 50 to 60 degrees, she and the other WACS were ordered to gather in the companionways below deck and serve as human ballast with other military personnel.
Major Katherine L. St. John of Frankfort, Kentucky, formerly staff director of WAC Personnel with the Ninth Air Force, who was in charge of the group on the Athos II, praised the women for their composure during the storm. Thirty-three of those returning yesterday were injured during the storms. Eighteen were able to walk from the ship, the remainder were litter cases.
The other military passengers on the Enterprise had been transferred at Ponta Delgada, from the Liberty ship John B. Hood, which lost her propeller early on the morning of New Year's Day, about 300 miles southwest of the Azores. The Hood had left Marseille on December 23, bound for Hampton Roads, Virginia. Most of her passengers were Negro members of the 3225th and 4203d Quartermaster Service Companies.