I am glad to have heard from Terry, I hope this is one function of the website to re-unite the village with it's 'lost' sons and daughters. I do hope this article will be of interest as I guess many of you knew Terry. If you wish to get in touch with him, his e-mail address is on the guestbook.

See near bottom for Terry's Poems Click here
   

Army recruiting - 1961

Army Reunion - 2004

Great-grandfather William (Billy) Barker Lived in Linton Cottages, Main Street and had been a Stallion Man taking the horse around the farms to breed – originally for Lincolnshire.  Liked his regular pint at the Falcon.
Great Grandmother Bertha Barker – very quiet and strict – one word was enough .
Grandmother Mary Barker, widow lived High Street died 1961.
Father Thomas Colin (Tom) Ireland Farm Labourer and Village Grave Digger also part time Chimney sweep, and crack shot with a 12 Bore – originally from Swine, died in 1973 as result of a road accident in Hornsea.
Mother Mabel, for years cleaner at Bulson’s Farm, then Dinner Lady at Withernwick School, also worked part time at the Falcon washing glasses on a Saturday night for Brian and Joan Johnson. Moved to Skirlaugh after dad died, and died 1997.
Also in the village on Church Lane, Virginia (Ginny) Harvison – sister of Bertha.
In Tanton Terrace, last house before Lambwaths Aunt Therza Southwick, adopted daughter of Bertha, and her Husband Harry.
This marriage made me related to Alan (Pip) Gibbons still in the village.

Left school 1959 and joined the civil service in the tax office and stayed there for 18 months.  During this time had a good social life in the village – John Fisher would allow you in to the Falcon to play bar billiards, and the odd pint.  Saturday nights were the Floral Hall in Hornsea, occasionally Bridlington or Scarborough.
At 18 joined the regular army, Intelligence Corps and served in Germany working with US Forces:  in Berlin for the Cuban Crisis for which the US offered a medal which none of us collected.  Found a Withernwick type village, Effeld, and spent most of my leisure time there, having a local girl friend.  Made rank Corporal, but following a disagreement with a senior officer was posted back to UK to retrain in Counter Intelligence with promotion to sergeant on completion.  Refused this and resigned from the Army – it just took them 6 months to realise I was serious.  With typical Army efficiency I was put in charge of the Depot Police for a while.
During my Army service I met some amazing people, and we still have odd re unions to this day, and chat most weeks on Skype.
Returned to the civil service where I became a visiting officer for initially National Assistance Board, which became social security.  I worked all over Yorkshire and saw some very sad circumstances and cases of abject poverty.

Met my wife in May 69 and we married about 6 – 8 weeks later. Just celebrated our 40^th anniversary,   two sons, one BSc in Theoretical Physics, one MSc in Chemistry- both in the IT industry, first grandchild due Nov this year.

Worked 20 year in the Prudential and took voluntary= redundancy at 50 when they made huge staff reductions.  For the last few years was active in the trade union movement and helped negotiatethe redundancy package there for local staff. From 50 life got hectic; set up my own company in 1995 as Consultancy in Health and Safety at Work – sadly the company failed after 3 years owing to recession. Lost everything except my house and my wife so I reckon I did ok really. From  age 55 to retiring I did everything I could to earn a crust: Double Glazing Canvasser, Market Trader, Market Research Interviewer, Office Manager, and for the last 2 years as Rep for Ringtons Tea –I  actually helped with the deliveries to Withernwick on one occasion.

Now retired, keeping busy with my writing and internet friends – I had the honour of being asked to write a poem for Nelson Mandela’s birthday by a South African friend, which I am told he liked. For a while I did voluntary work with a parish in Leicester on the net, working on Creative Writing projects with them, and at one stage we had 100+ working with us. 10 years ago we found another village in the Mosel Valley in Germany where we have  made some good friends, and we visit every year and on occasion pick grapes,  last year I had the joy of drinking wine I had picked the grape for.  We have "adopted" grandchildren there and hope to move there permanently sometime.

Not an Earth shaking life, but a good steady one.  I feel I was blessed with my childhood in Withernwick, which was safe, friendly and caring, and even now I regard the village as home. I learned behaviour and standards there which i have trried to keep to all my life 
     

I'm sure you will find Terry's poetry of interest. The poems below are all about Withernwick and mention many people and places I'm sure will so much more to many of you than they do to me - and I think they're great - so do have a good read of them.
       

           
Then below is a link to a website which includes many more of Terry's poems. I will have a look through them, as I hope many of you will also, and if you come across any more of Withernwick, let me know and I'll provide more direct links to them.

Click here.    

Now Terry has set up a link direct to his poems on Withernwick and the area.
   
Click here

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