Washingborough, Lincolnshire
St John the Evangelist Churchyard
Saturday, 13 June 2020 (8)
60 Plain Bob Singles
(Rung on handbells - tenor: 8 in C)
1–2 Christopher C P Woodcock
3 Yvonne A Woodcock
Rung as a final farewell to our dear friend RON APPLEWHITE, bell ringer for 88 years at Potterhanworth, Branston & Washingborough, and Honorary Life Member of the Lincoln Diocesan Guild, that’s all being called on his long life, Friday 22nd May 2020 at the grand old age of 100.
Rung on the day following his funeral, this being the first stop in memory of Ron, visiting the towers that Ron rang at during his 88 years of ringing.
Ron was born here in Washingborough in January 1920 and learnt to ring here at St John’s Washingborough back in October 1932 aged 12.
We were joined here today by local ringer Graham Whittaker, who has known Ron for many years and has rung a number of Quarter Peals with him.
We remembered Ron by standing under the tower here at St John’s by the ringer’s entrance. We started by listening to a recording of Grandsire Triples being rung on the bells at St Giles Lincoln. This was a fitting tribute as the first method Ron learnt to ring at Washingborough was Grandsire Triples, and on top of that Ron rang two peals at St Giles Lincoln as well as regularly attending the St Giles Monday Practice Nights for many years. We then read out Tennyson’s Poem ‘In Memoriam - Ring Out Wild Bells’ and following this we listened to a recording of Grandsire Triples being rung on the bells at Welbourn. These are the old bells from Hagworthingham and are meant to be the actual ‘Wild Bells’ which inspired Tennyson to write this poem, Tennyson being born and spending all his youth in Somersby where neighbouring Hagworthingham bells could be heard across the fields! We then read out the Ringers Hymn ‘Unchanging God who Livest’ as a poem and finished by ringing 60 changes of Plain Bob Singles on handbells (the old three bells at Potterhanworth where Ron lived all his married life were rung regularly by Chris, Yvonne & Ron – the ‘Old Potter Trio’). Yvonne’s first attempt at any method ringing on handbells and at very short notice.
Rest in Peace dear friend.
(No. 1 of 3)
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

This performance was rung In memoriam — Ron Applewhite