Category: Uncategorized

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Pilot Officer W. H. G. (Scotty) Gordon (1920 – 1940)

Pilot Officer W. H. G. (Scotty) Gordon

The intention of including ‘Biography’ pages in the ‘Village Trust’ section of the Hadlow Down web site (www.hadlowdown.com) was to provide readers with an informative collection of notable people who by residency, birth, marriage or contribution to its social history were associated with Hadlow Down.
An exception to the normal criteria for inclusion is that of P/O W.H.G  Gordon who was sadly shot down over Howbourne Farm fields, Hadlow Down while piloting a Spitfire on September 6th  1940, during a ferocious dogfight with three German Messerschmitt 109’s. Continue reading “Pilot Officer W. H. G. (Scotty) Gordon (1920 – 1940)”

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Village volunteers Directory

The Big Help Out event to celebrate the Coronation has now gone but volunteers are still needed nationally and locally. The Hadlow Down Facebook Group and the Hadlow Down Village Web Site will continue to support all those clubs, societies, groups etc. who would welcome volunteers by maintaining a permanent file in the Facebook Group Page that can be accessed at any time by just clicking on ‘Files’ in the page menu that can be found under the header picture. and clicking on Village Volunteering Directory.

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Hadlow Down Drama & Variety Club Meeting

From the chair of HDD&VC:
I am delighted to be able to give you more exciting information about our next HDD&VC meeting on the 15th. May, which is at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.
We will be showing the wonderful film ‘The History Boys’ (rated 18). The History Boys is a 2006 British comedy-drama film adapted by Alan Bennet from his play of the same name  which won the 2005 Olivier Award for Best New Play and the 2006 Tony Award for Best Play.
A select number of boys, who managed to achieve grades which merit an application to Oxford or Cambridge in their A-Levels, experience a term of revelation at their grammar school as they are tutored for the “most important exam of their lives” in history.
On the evening we will be serving Wine and Cheese for you to enjoy whilst watching the film. There will be one glass of wine for everyone to enjoy, free of charge, and a selection of cheeses to go with it.
We want to make sure we cater for everyone so please let us know if you intend to come by emailing ellis.boswell@btinternet.com or ringing 07506889724. Do feel free to bring friends and family.
We are looking forward to seeing you all in May.
All the best,
Claire
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Message Re. Water Outages from Michael Lunn

Dear fellow residents,
Yet again we are all facing water shortages. I have this afternoon been in touch with South-East water, and the Leader of Wealden District Council to highlight that Hadlow Down is also off despite South East water saying we weren’t, yet on their map it said we were.
The latest I have is water ‘might’ be possibly be restored at 9am tomorrow. The Parish Council have requested water station at the Village Hall but at the moment Crowborough is the only place offering it and a delivery at Crowborough is unlikely be until late tonight or early tomorrow morning. If anyone has further updates on deliveries please do post here.
For updates follow this link:
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Hadlow Down Book Club Review

We had our usual summer holiday free choice of books in August and an interesting and diverse number to discuss ranging from 18th century to July 2022 and encompassing Africa, Venice and indeed the entire planet.

A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland Samuel Johnson (1775), a weighty account of his eighty day journey through the Highlands and Islands, full of witty insights and powerful moral judgements. He is more interested in the social conditions with Enclosures just beginning but shows an 18th century lack of interest in the scenery.

Donna Leon’s novels set in Venice featuring the likeable Commissario Brunetti. If you haven’t read these novels you are in for a treat with well-rounded interesting characters, good plots and of course descriptions of wonderful food against the Venetian backdrop. If you want to read them in order start with Death at La Fenice (1992) but the novels get better as the characters develop. Continue reading “Hadlow Down Book Club Review”

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Hadlow Down Book Club Review – June 2022

‘I live my life in widening circles/ that reach out across the world’ Rilke

Our book this month was one of the Mann Booker short-listed books, Great Circle (2021), by Maggie Shipstead, also short-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022. Referred to as ‘a ride of a book’, it was at times exhilarating although the book club’s members sometimes found it to be a rather bumpy ride. It was an ambitious novel on a grand scale, spanning a full century and the entire planet. Continue reading “Hadlow Down Book Club Review – June 2022”

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Hadlow Down Book Club Review – April

‘A lot of women are really strong, even though they are slaves.’
Celestial Bodies iby Jonka Alharti

Some months ago we read Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger, a detailed factual account of his travels and relationships with the Bedouin tribesmen across the desert and is entirely about the men. Our February book was one that redressed the balance being about three generations of Omani women in a period of transition from patriarchy to living in an oil-rich Gulf state. Celestial Bodies is by Jonka Alharti, published in 2010 and winner of the Man Booker International prize in 2019, the first Omani writer to be translated into English.

Continue reading “Hadlow Down Book Club Review – April”

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Getting Extra Help With The Priority Services Register


The Priority Services Register is a free support service to help people in vulnerable situations. Energy suppliers and network operators offer it. Each keeps their own register, although some share with each other.

We recommend that people who may be vulnerable or at risk during severe weather should be on a Priority Services Register. Parts of the UK have recently had severe weather – our turn may be coming! Friends and relatives can assist those who may be in need of a bit of help to register, such as the elderly or people with serious medical conditions, or those who may not have Internet access and therefore may not have received this message. Each operator can be contacted online or by phone. Please act now, don’t wait!

Continue reading “Getting Extra Help With The Priority Services Register”