The difference a week makes....

 

It's hard to believe that, just a week ago, I was walking up a parched Spanish mountain with temperatures hovering around 35C. Things couldn't have been more different today.

Not so much a walk, more a slosh.

And it was a slosh starting and ending in the car park in Camelford, once far more important and bustling than it is nowadays. Its most notable claim to recent fame is the accidental poisoning of many of its residents by someone dropping a load of aluminium sulphate into the local water supply. Look it up if you want more details. Just to be on the safe side, we didn't drink the water.

Our walk, which was just over 6 miles, started along a stretch of the River Camel and then headed south-ish in the direction of Advent and Bodmin Moor. A few ups and downs and a very pleasant mixture of fields and quiet country lanes. Autumn is definitely in the air and the leaves are turning brown and starting to drop.

Sedum with slug. Sedum with very large slug. Despite their predations on my vegetables, I can still admire their gelatinous form. Not that this stops me despatching them when I find them munching my Brassicas.

St Adwenna's church at Advent. There is actually no village of Advent and the parish comprises of a number of dispersed farms and hamlets. The 2011 census tells us that there were just under 200 people living in Advent Parish. The church dates from the 15th century and it lies in splendid rural isolation. I think it's a little gem.

The interior is simple rather than plain and is clearly well looked after. Services are still held there but not every Sunday. There's no reason to assume that the congregation of Advent is not, as is typical, declining. Jump forward 5, 10, 15 years and where will Advent be then? Who will look after it?

I don't think this ceiling boss in the church porch is an actual Green Man but it is green due to the lichen growing on it.



There were two WW1 war graves in the graveyard and, as ever, they piqued my curiosity enough for me to do a little research when we got back home. The first of these was G.J.Norris, who served in the New Zealand, Field Artillery. That he was buried here suggests that he must have died in the UK but where and why? Mr Google shed some light on the sad story of George Jonathon Norris in the form of the press clipping below.

Soldier’s Grave Mystery Solved A plea for help has been sounded in helping piece together the final story of a New Zealand soldier who is buried at Advent Church. Camelford’s Royal British Legion secretary Cameron Valentine has been researching the background to 14310 Private George Norris, who joined the B company of the 14th reinforcements New Zealand Army. After spotting the grave at Advent, Mr Valentine became curious as to why a New Zealand soldier should be buried locally. He found out that the soldier had family connections with the area and that part of his family had emigrated to New Zealand. But there are still one or two pieces of the jigsaw that Mr Valentine would like to piece together. Private Norris embarked on June 26 1916 at Wellington on the troop carrier Maunganu, arriving at Devonport on August 22. Mr Valentine said that Private Norris was sent to Sling Camp, Balford, Wiltshire, on his arrival in England, the main camp for the New Zealand forces. In September he left Sling Camp for France, arriving at Bau Depot at Ktaples where he joined D Coy 1st battalion of the 14 Reinforcements on October 21, During the next few months Private Norris undertook various courses and finally rejoined his unit on April 6 1917. Within a week he was sent to the New Zealand Working battalion and after a couple of other postings returned to his unit in August. In September he was transferred to the 1st Brigade of the New Zealand Field Artillery and his Brigade took part in the 3rd Battle of Ypres, better known as the Battle of Passchendale. On March 30 1918 he became sick and was diagnosed with appendicitis. He eventually went to Southwark Military Hospital where he had his appendix removed. He was transferred to the New Zealand Convalescence Hospital at Hornchurch on May 29 and was eventually sent to convalesce at the home of Mrs Northey, of King Arthur’s Villas, Tintagel and died on October 20 1918 from a gastric ulcer, haemorrhage perforation and shock following the operation.

The second headstone of interest was this one for H. Sandercock. Again, what was his service history that lead to his death in the UK and subsequent burial at Advent?
A brief conversation with Mr Google produces this extract from the Cornish and Devon Post of the 23rd November 1918.
' After much suffering, Lance Corporal Harry Sandercock has died at the home of his parents, John and Elizabeth Sandercock, at Treclego, Camelford. Prior to enlistment in 1913, he was a claymaker and was discharged from the army in October 1917 as being no longer fit for war service. Many sympathisers attended the funeral at Advent Church on Sunday afternoon'.
What caused his suffering is not documented although the details are probably on his death certificate, should someone want to get a copy of it.

Looking south-ish to Roughtor and in the background, Brown Willy, the two highest points on Bodmin Moor and Cornwall.

Looking north-ish to the coast around Polzeath.

This is the 'Long Stone' at Moorgate. Not much is known about it but it is one of many such standing stones on or near Bodmin Moor. They are assumed to be ceremonial monuments dating from the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age (c.2400-700 BC). I always run my hands over these in a futile attempt to feel a connection with the past. I can't say that this is what I get but it's certainly a  relaxing moment of focus.

Not many butterflies around at this time of year. In fact, this Red Admiral was the only one that I saw relatively close up and even this was near the top of a bush.

Just a lane leading to a farm but I liked the well maintained stone walls. How old? Our best guess was in the early 1800s. Coincidentally, the farm in question is Treclego, where Harry Sandercock, mentioned above, died.