Daventry's bells ring out in memory of William Bailey

On Monday 30^th April 2018 at 7.30pm the Daventry Branch of the Peterborough Diocesan Guild Bell Ringers rang a peal of bells at the Holy Cross Church in Daventry in memory of William Bailey. Daventry Town Mayor, Cllr Lynne Taylor, attended the short service ahead of the bell ringing at the Holy Cross, along with Deputy Mayor Lynn Jones. The service was conducted by Rev. Canon Michael Webber.

William Ernest Bailey was a Daventry ringer and was one of the 1400 ringers lost in the First World War. He was an air-mechanic in the Royal Flying Corps and died, aged 19 years, in Lincoln Hospital from wounds he had received in a German offensive abroad, on 30^th April 1918. His funeral at the Holy Cross Church, Daventry on 4^th May 1918, was attended by a large congregation and the bells were rung half muffled after the service in his honour. His grave is 50ft due East of the church. In addition to being a ringer he was also a chorister at the Parish Church and a brilliant musician, often playing the organ at St. James Church, Daventry. Sadly, St. James was demolished after the war, but a photograph of the structure and its one single bell remain in the Holy Cross ringing room.

In Autumn 2017, two members of the Friends of the Daventry Museums approached the Holy Cross and asked if the church could mark the one hundredth anniversary with bell ringing in William's honour. The tower captain agreed and last night, the same peal that rang to mark William's honour in 1918, rang out across Daventry.

Cllr Lynne Taylor said of the evening, "it was a privilege to attend the service and listen to the bells ringing at the Holy Cross church. It is important to remember those who lost their lives during World War One and the peal of bells was a fitting tribute to one of Daventry's fallen ringers."

There will be further events occurring across Daventry to mark the centenary of the ending of World War One, to include Daventry Town Council's Poppy Making Campaign. For more information regarding this, please visit www.daventrytowncouncil.gov.uk.