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<DIV>Although I did not ring with Chris after 1972 when I moved to
Northumberland I still feel that it is appropriate that a few words are added to
what has already been said of our friend.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I rang with him in the late 60s. early 70s. when we used to be "frequent
tower visitors" very often to towers that were reputedly not ringable or had no
ringing history within living memory.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I have to say that frequent tower visitors, then as now, very often stir
things up and indeed upset some people. There is however a plus side to this
which so far has not been mentioned. Chris, I and others certainly visited over
50 three bell towers. I have just checked Dove on line and found that of those
50 towers there are now 4 sixes, 3 fives and a four. I am not saying that Chris
was involved with any of these augmentation schemes but I will say that
somewhere along the line interest had to be sparked off and that certainly
happened when the bells were rung at places where nobody could remember them
ever being rung before.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>So much for the threes. I will move on to some higher numbers where Chris
was involved with initial ringing at not rung towers. Berwick upon Tweed - now a
restored, but altered 8. Hebburn - subsequently rung on a semi regular
basis until restoration. East Pennard - yes they were hard work but now
pealable. A local tenor queen went down to the front and kept going another 20
places! If I remember rightly an old lady held her phone out of the window
and her sister in America sent over a donation after hearing the bells for the
first time in over 40 years. Newcastle St.Matthew - not rung for 50 years, now
restored. Woodford Halse, Everdon, Durham St.Oswald, Shanklin, the list
goes on and on.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>As I previously said Chris was not involved directly with the restorations
but I would like to believe that he was a catalyst to inspire others to
restore previously unrung bells.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Oh yes Chris did get in the way taking notes and photographs and I did not
understand his passion then, but unfortunately ( or fortunately from a different
perspective ) I find myself doing the very same thing now.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Chris thanks a lot for all you did for the ringing exercise</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Howard E.J. Smith</DIV></FONT> </BODY></HTML>