Elsham Church & Village History and Background
Elsham sits like it should, that is beautifully set on a country road somewhere between Brigg and Barton.
A delightful place with an old church and plenty of history in fact m,ore history than you can shake a stick at
Probably best known now for Elsham Hall the village was once home to a small medieval priory of Austin Canons.
Ailesham’s church, All Saints, still has some original Norman features as well as the interesting relief carving seen here on the left. It is suggested they are French in style, possibly even origin, and depict the Last Judgement, certainly a superb thing to see preserved and dates c13th century. There are in fact two panels though one is sadly in a poor way, the better of the two is shown.
There are more gravestones dating from the 1700s than usually seen, one being of a previous vicar - again, something less than common in my experience.
As seen so often the church yard is festooned with trees, making an uninterrupted view all but impossible - the picture below represents to only unobliterated aspect.
There is a very interesting footnote I came across in Thomas Allen’s 1834 The history of the county of Lincoln which should be of interest to some of our readers.
It’s perhaps a little . . . well . . . I’ll let you decide
“It has been affirmed (stress is mine) that the Battle of Brunnenburgh was fought on the banks of the Humber near this spot in the reign of Athelstan”
I add it just out of interest and would beg not to get into an in-depth discussion as it’s one I would like to contain in a separate article.
All Saints Church ~ Elsham Lincolnshire
As if Elsham Priory, founded 1166 and all that remians is th efish pond now in the grounds of the Hall I believe, wasn’t enough you’ve also got a 5th to 6th century Anglo-Saxon cemetery, Roman Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological finds.
Heading to more recent times it was also the site of a military airfield, used in both World War I and WWII.
As you can see it’s an area steeped in history and this article is meant to be only an overview. I aim to take more a detailed look at specific topics and areas in the comments below - so if you have anything to add please do not hesitate to leave a comment - we are interested to hear of anything at all relating to Elsham from any time period - thank you
All the best
Rod
Jon S said,
September 10, 2010 @ 10:22 pm
Hi Rod,
Elsham’s Second World War airfield link can be seen in the village itself - many of the street name signs incorporate crests relating to the bomber squadrons that flew from Elsham in the war. I understand that there is a small history room section in the waterworks building on the western side of the airfield; I haven’t visited (yet) but there is a very interesting website (www.rafelshamwolds.com) which includes details about how to visit. Comparing wartime aerial photos from the air with today’s aerial view it’s quite surprising just how much concrete has disappeared, though the remains of a couple of the runways are viewable from the A15 as well as a single original hangar on the industrial estate. Like you found at Kirmington, there are the traces of former accommodation huts in the narrow wood that touches the minor road running NW from Melton Ross, just before the road passes under the A15.
One of my favourite books is called ‘No Moon Tonight’ by an Australian called Don Charlwood who was a navigator on Lancasters at Elsham - as a bookseller you might be aware either of it or him. It’s a fascinating and poignant read, all the more so to the reader who can relate to the area he describes. I recommend it.
The wartime casualty figures were frightening. Wartime RAF bomber bases generally were home to either 1 or 2 squadrons, normally equipped with Lancasters by late 1943. Elsham had 2 squadrons, and I read somewhere that over 900 airmen died flying from there across a period of approx 3 years. When you also consider the number of similar bomber bases nearby - eg Waltham, Kirmington, North Killingholme, Kelstern, Binbrook, Scampton, Faldingworth, Waddington etc etc - the scale of the losses becomes almost unimaginable.
You are right, the church is in a wonderful setting and the carvings are quite enigmatic. Unfortunately the church was locked when I visited; I would have liked to have explored inside, but unlocked old churches seem (understandably, perhaps) to be something of a rarity these days.
Jon
Rod said,
September 11, 2010 @ 8:24 am
Jon,
thanks for the great comment and welcome to the site.
I’ll check that out - looks like another visit is in order.
The casualty figures are beyond my comprehension, only those there at the time and affected by it can understand I’m sure.
As to locked churches Jon there’s one irony I find - those in use are unlocked and all those officially redundant and administered by the Redundant Churches Fund are open !
Whilst it’s easy to complain I have to say if I ‘had a church’ I’d lock it nowadays !
All the best
Rod
Dave said,
September 12, 2010 @ 12:06 pm
Rod,
Jon is right in his estimates of the terrible attrition rate of Bomber Command aircrew. Over the last few years I have researched aircraft losses from north Lincolnshire airfields and the findings make truly grim reading.
As ever, personal interpretation and the unearthing of new data makes definitive totals arbitrary at best. However, for what it’s worth my current list for RAF Elsham Wolds, 1941-1945 is;
265 aircraft which took off from the airfield failed to return.
1368 aircrew killed or missing (presumed dead).
Regards,
Dave.
Rod said,
September 12, 2010 @ 4:44 pm
Dave,
thanks for the comment and welcome to the site.
Those figures are massively higher than I would, in my ignorance, have thought - and just from that base !
I can’t help feel there’s a lack of general awareness out there when it comes to the losses sustained by the RAF.
Thanks you so much for the information Dave
All the best
Rod
Jon S said,
September 12, 2010 @ 9:11 pm
If you were to draw a rough rectangle on a map between Spurn Point, Selby, Newark and Skegness (only ‘cos that’s how the map in front of me is folded!) you would have enclosed approximately 46 wartime RAF airfields within that area, about 28 of which were Bomber Command bases. And to think that Bomber Command personnel were never granted a specific campaign medal! The aircrews who flew with Bomber Command have my enormous respect.
I’ll email you a photo taken from the first of the excellent ‘Maximum Effort’ trilogy by Patrick Otter and which shows RAF Elsham Wolds on 26 June 1943 - if I can include photos in posts here then I haven’t worked out how to yet. The censor’s pen has been at work and it’s also interesting to see the ‘hedgelines’ painted on the ground to camouflage the airfield. I’ve counted 19 Lancasters visible, though I don’t know if the photo will reproduce sufficiently well to see that degree of detail. Comparing it with the same area viewed on Google Earth is intriguing. I hope that you will be able to incorporate the pic here.
Jon
Jon S said,
September 12, 2010 @ 10:58 pm
Rod, I’ve emailed you an aerial photo of RAF Elsham Wold taken on 26 June 1944, which was published in the first part of Patrick Otter’s excellent ‘Maximum Effort’ trilogy examining the activities of 1 Group, RAF Bomber Command in WW2. I don’t know if I should be able to incorporate photos into comments, but I couldn’t so perhaps you could consider posting it. If I’m simply being an IT numpty then apols, but it won’t be the first time.
It’s interesting to compare the ‘43 aerial view with the modern version, and there are some specific points of interest such as the painted camouflage ‘hedgerows’ traversing the airfield and what might have been under the censor’s pen…
Jon
Jon S said,
September 12, 2010 @ 11:03 pm
…I also had a look at a map with regard to Rod’s ‘lack of general awareness’ comment. If you were to draw a rough rectangle between Spurn Point, Selby, Newark and Skegness (only because that’s how my map is folded at the moment), the area enclosed would include forty-odd wartime RAF airfields of which about 28 were Bomber Command bases. Factor up the losses and it makes it all the more surprising that the Bomber Command personnel never received a specific campaign medal. ‘Area bombing’ politics aside, they have my enormous respect.
Jon
Rod said,
September 13, 2010 @ 8:49 am
Jon,
that’s cracking stuff really is - what a great find.
I’ll see about visiting some airbases and try and get more photographed and written up
Thanks again Jon - cracking stuff
All the best
Rod
Jon S said,
September 13, 2010 @ 10:10 am
Oops - repetition on my part! I thought the first one hadn’t worked properly…
chris keyworth said,
September 13, 2010 @ 11:35 am
LM 131 Miss Venus
this seems the place to go down this road again ..
regards
chris