Chris Dalton

[khsbelring at ssv52OYp4SlgmbAzxIKZ0tWZjSwtTGGLCLXj8pJ-S8NYk9w9Zaj_OC5tehltvzXQnQ6VWsXh6B8.yahoo.invalid]

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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Chris thanks a lot for all you did for the ringing exercise
 
Howard E.J. Smith



   
           
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