Ay Up, Me Duck

Sir John Betjeman at St Pancras International

The next day, I had another early start, as I was meeting Christine and Anne at St Pancras International for breakfast, before heading off for our trip to Leicester.  Christine had arranged a special surprise for both Anne and I.  Unbeknownst to either of us, she had organised first class tickets for our train journey and accordingly, we were allowed use of the first class lounge at the station.  This got the day started very well indeed, as we availed ourselves of the complimentary breakfast in the peaceful surrounds of the private lounge.  All too soon, it was time to leave and find our seats on board the train.  The journey itself was very comfortable and it seemed that in no time at all we had arrived at our destination.

We dropped our bags at our respective hotels.  I was staying at the Mercure and was pleasantly surprised to see that my room had been upgraded, so that I had a lounge area, coffee machine and, best of all, a bathrobe and slippers.  Christine and Anne were staying at the Holiday Inn, which was down the other end of the city.  We didn’t waste any time settling in to our hotels, as we were off to see one of the main reasons for visiting Leicester.

Projection of the bones of Richard III

 

In 2012 the remains of Richard III were discovered after the excavation of a car park in Leicester, the site of which was once occupied by Greyfriars Priory Church.  Christine, who is a paid up member of the Richard III Society (yes, there is such a society and it was in fact the society which commissioned the dig in search of his remains), wanted to see the site of his discovery and his subsequent reburial place in Leicester Cathedral.

The first port of call was the Richard III Visitor Centre.  This was very well laid out with a number of exhibits explaining the history of Richard III and his subsequent death in the Battle of Bosworth Field.  We spent a great deal of time reading the interesting displays before finishing with a look at the actual site of his burial.  The visitor centre occupies the site of the former car park, and the excavation site has been preserved behind glass so that you are able to see the empty grave.  There is a very clever projection of his bones showing exactly how the king was originally laid to rest.

A very short walk took us to Leicester Cathedral. The cathedral itself is a grand building dating back to around 1086, with a number of restorations and additions over the years.  The stained glass windows are lovely and there are a number of chapels.  The actual tomb of Richard III is a plain, large, rectangular block of Swaledale fossil stone, which has been set upon a low plinth made of Kilkenny marble.  The effect is quietly dramatic.

Tomb of Richard III

We had time for a quick bite of lunch and then it was off in search of our second reason for our trip to Leicester.  My mother was born in Leicester and we intended to find the house where she was born.  Christine had visited the site on a trip to England with mum some 40 years ago, and so armed with a fading photograph and street name (no house number), we set off in a taxi to see if we could locate the house.  The taxi driver dropped us at the end of St Andrew’s Road and we walked slowly up and down trying to find a house that matched the one in the photograph.  It didn’t take too long before we found a house façade which, despite a few modifications, matched the one in the photo.  It was quite special to find the house, especially as mum had actually been born there, as many women gave birth at home in those times.  In fact, my grandmother (mum’s mother) used to be the “go to person” when a baby was being born in the neighbourhood, a sort of quasi mid-wife, if you like.  I like to think that mum would have been tickled pink that we made the effort to find her old home.

Mum's House

Mum's most treasured possession - a photograph of her parents

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the shops of Leicester and checking out the local information centre.  Two major events in recent times seem to have turned the fortunes of Leicester around.  The first was the discovery and reinterment of Richard III.  The second was Leicester City winning the 2015-16 Premier League.  Shops are still adorned with Leicester City colours and merchandise is for sale everywhere.  Tourists are now flocking to a city, which was once overlooked and the people in the shops and restaurants are genuinely welcoming.

Jewry Wall

Ruins of the Roman baths

The next day we visited the Jewry Wall.  The wall dates back to around 125 AD and is one of the largest pieces of surviving Roman architecture in Britain.  Next to the wall, the remains of the Roman public baths are visible.  There is an excellent museum there, which we enjoyed wandering around and learning about the history of the site.  Well, we were enjoying being there until we embarrassed ourselves that is.  We discovered in the grounds of the museum, a large Roman shield, helmet and sword.  Thinking that they were for public use, I had a quick look around and, making sure that no one was watching, I quickly donned the helmet and picked up the sword and shield, and asked Christine to take a photo.  Having a bit of a laugh, I encouraged her to do the same whilst I took her photo.  Well, she decided to ham it up – pulling fierce faces and pretending to charge at me – and all the while I was taking photos.  Suddenly, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and I saw, to my horror, that there was entire class of primary school children pressed up against the window of the museum watching us play the fool.  I have never seen Christine move so fast to drop everything and run away!  The look on the children’s faces was priceless however the glare that we received from the class teacher was mortifying.  We subsequently discovered that various interactive activities had been set up for the school children only and that members of the public were politely requested not to touch!  Anne thought it was hysterically funny as she had been the only one to behave.

You never know who is watching!

We moved on from that embarrassment and walked through some beautiful gardens along the River Soar to the Newarke Houses Museum.  This was a fascinating museum telling the social history of Leicester.  There was a fantastic re-creation of a cobble-stoned street complete with shops and the museum also incorporates the museum of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment.  This was particularly of interest to Christine and I, as our grandfather (mum’s father), had served in World War I, and it started us wondering if he had served with this regiment.  

 Christine subsequently researched him and we discovered that he had indeed served with this regiment and I have included an extract of his war service at the end of this blog.

 

 

 

River Soar

Detail on bridge over River Soar

A quick lunch and it was soon time to board the train for our journey back to London.  I really enjoyed Leicester and I would love to re-visit the city again, as I felt that there was still more to see.

A sad fact of life that will hopefully change

I arrived home just in time to drop my bag and race off to meet James and Amber for dinner at a local Afghan restaurant.  The meal was superb and it was nice to hear what they had been up to and for me to fill them in on my Leicester adventures.  It was to be our last night together as they were heading off early for their holiday in Bali.  I wasn’t too sad saying goodbye, as we will be seeing them again at Christmas.  It is wonderful having them on the same side of the world as us.

Carroll, John William - DCM 

 

Rank: Lance Corporal
Army Number: 8686
Unit: 2nd Bn
Biography:
'Jack' Carroll enlisted in the Regiment on 4.5.1909, and served in 2nd Bn in the First World War, initially in France. He was promoted Unpaid Lance Corporal on 30.9.1915 and Paid Lance Corporal on 2.1.1916. He later served in 2nd Bn in Mesopotamia, where he was wounded in action on 13.1.1916. Awarded Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions (L.G.15.4.1916, page 3988: "'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in command of a machine gun. He handled his gun with ability and judgement, and gave excellent support to the attacking line."). He was discharged on 18.8.1916 on account of those wounds to his leg.
Medal Card: Carroll John William - Depot Leic. R - 8686 - Lcpl - enlisted- discharged 18.8.16 - cause of discharge: wounds. - 1914 Star, Victory, British War Medal and Silver War Badge.
Regimental Medal Entitlement Sheet: 8686 Lcpl Carroll John William DCM - 2/Leic R - 1914 Star, Victory, British War Medal and Silver War Badge.
Newspaper report:
DCM for Leicester Soldier
In Saturday's official announcement of the award of 13 DCM's to men in the Leicestershire regiment, appeared the name of Lance-Corporal W Carroll, of 22 Grundon Street, Leicester. The father is also an old soldier, having served throughout the South African War, and is now doing more as a National Reservist, and another son is in the Leicester Pioneers. Lance-Corporal Carroll has almost completed seven years' service. According to the Gazette he was awaded the DCM for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in command of a machine-gun. He handled his gun with ability and judgement, and gave excellent support to the attacking line. Unfortunately Lance-Corporal Carroll was wounded in the left leg, and has been at Netley Hospital for six weeks.