Page 3 - Jigsaw December 2019

Notes from the Belfry................................................................
Remembrance Day or Christmas, it’s time for the Bell Ringers
At this time of year thoughts turn to Remembrance Day and symbolic splashes of scarlet red poppies as they start to appear on coat lapels, cars, trucks and garden gates.
For bell ringers, ringing for Remembrance Day always marks a special time in the ringing year. Church bells throughout the country will be half-muffled. This involves placing a small leather cover over one side of the clapper
on each bell. The sound resulting from this
is very special and almost haunting. The meaning behind half-muffling the bells is to represent echoes of the past. The quieter, softer side of the sound is looking back and the fuller, richer sound of the un-muffled side is looking to the brighter future. Especially on a crisp, cold November morning, standing at the War Memorial, listening to the half-muffled bells can be quite a memorable experience. There can be other times when bells are half-muffled, such as funerals of statesmen and members of the Royal Family or times of national tragedy or sadness. There is only one occasion that bells are completely muffled and that is on the death of a monarch. During
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both world wars, church bells were silenced, only to be rung in times of national danger. At the end of World War 1, on Armistice Day, November 11th 1918 the bells were once more allowed to ring freely.
Our bells at St. James’ were duly half- muffled for both the morning service and for the Town Service of Remembrance in the afternoon. The weather was perfect for the bells to ring out. The clearer and colder the air the more the bells sound true, especially across the river valley.
On 11th November, exactly one hundred years since the first Armistice Service and Commemoration, we were delighted to be able to ring the bells at St. Nicholas Islip, half- muffled for the first time in many years. The new muffles were kindly made and donated by local ringers and the bells sounded really lovely. The new muffles will be well used in the years ahead, but hopefully not too often.
Bell-ringing is a fascinating art as well as an interesting social activity. St. James’ Bell Ringers meet regularly on a Friday evening. Why not come along and find out more? Please contact Ray Banner or Chris Jenkins.
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If you would like anything to be included in the February issue of Jigsaw, send it to: Editorial: juneddavy@gmail.com by 3rd January 2020.
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