The three senior members of Martley Tower have between them a total of 110 years service to St. Peter’s church.
Len Parry started his ringing career in 1914: being a choir boy from the age of six, he had ample opportunity to watch Tom Beard ring the Peace Bell daily for fifteen minutes. A practice followed in most parishes during the early part of the Great War. He was taught Changeringing by the late Rev J. F. Hastings and was initiated into the Western Branch of The Worcestershire and Districts Association in 1928. He graduated to Under Tower Master to Tom Hoskins and took over the office of Tower Master in 1962/63, a position he has held ever since. Although Len has rung a number of peals he prefers the shorter length of a Quarter Peal.
Fred Davis began ringing in the 1930’s at Whitbourne under the guidance of the late George Soley. In 1932 Fred joined the Hereford Diocesan Guild and rang his first peal a Bob Minor at Stoke Lacy in 1938. In 1950, being a Farm Bailiff with the Walker family, he moved to Knightwick and thus forged a link with Martley Church where he has rung for the last 23 years. As well as his membership of the Hereford Guild, Fred supports the Western Branch of the Worcestershire Association and has rung a number of peals for both societies. Appropriately Fred scored his first peal as conductor on August 4th as part of the tricentenary ringing.
Jack Milward has been associated with St. Peter’s for the last 30 years and was also taught by the Rev. I.F. Hastings. Jack has never been really interested in peal?ringing but has been a regular ringer for services and on Sundays he can usually be found at the end of the Tenor rope. However, the fact that 1973 was the 300th anniversary of the bells persuaded him to stand in his first peal on June 28th.
JFL 2006
