Harold Gibson - The Passing of another Guild Icon

Members will be sad to learn that one of our senior Guild members, Harold Gibson, died on Friday morning 28th February aged 95.

Harold was a proud member of the 43'ers, an elite band of Ringers formed after WW2, and was elected to the Lincoln Cathedral Company in 1955.

Harold gave many hours of sterling work to the Guild, teaching many people to ring in the Bassingham/Norton Disney area and quietly making and fitting stays and other bell work in many Guild towers.

He was included in the Guild Roll of Honour a few years ago in appreciation of all he did.

His kind, quiet, gentle, helpful presence in any belfry he visited will be missed greatly by all."

Below is a report from Harold in the 2009 Guild Newsletter - telling us of his introduction to ringing

"The church of St Helen West Keal stands on the southern edge of the Wolds overlooking the fens, Boston and the Wash. This was the church where I learned to ring. I remember as a boy before the war, on going to church on a Sunday evening I used to watch the ringers in action. I took in all the actions from taking coils in pulling the bell up, then taking coils in and pulling the bell down. The wartime ban lasted from 1939 until April 1943. The ringers only ever practiced from November to Christmas, most of them being farm workers.

I was invited to learn, and the second week in November 1943, full of nerves, I went up. Ringers from Old Bolingbroke and Halton Holegate would come to our practice.

My one and only lesson

Mr George Parker taught me. He pulled the Treble down, then 'Which hand afore are you?' I held the rope left hand above right. 'Take your laps in and pull the bell up.' All of what I had seen I know put into practice. I got the bell up and then was helped to set it. I then pulled the bell down and up again after which I was left to my own devices. I would have two or three goes on practice nights. In early December I could ring rounds. Sunday ringing was from 6 to 6.30 pm. My bell was the third. Straight away pull up in rounds. This would take 10 minutes, 10 minutes ringing, then down 10 minutes. To this day I always think of the slow rise and fall. 'Oh how I wish'. (I think we could have competed with the Devon bands). I never knew what method ringing was until 1946.

The only piece of advice I got was when pulling up or down; 'If you are catching up with the bell in front pull, if you are getting behind check'. I had already worked this out."

Les Townsend