TIM HOWLETT

Most of you will by now know of Tim’s sad death. Tim walked for most of the first Buckfast Pilgrimage, came on the Sussex Pilgrimage Reunion, and was intending to walk all the way to Buckfast this summer. On the fourth day of the pilgrimage he decided to leave us, and after spending a week at home he disappeared. Ten days later the Evening Argus carried this report “Bank man’s son found on cliff — Riddle of student’s death — The body of missing student Timothy Howlett was recovered from Beachy Head last night. Timothy, 23, son of a bank official from Hassocks, had been missing for eleven days. His death has baffled his family. Timothy’s father, Mr Terence Howlett, said they were shattered by the news. “I honestly don’t know why it happened,” he said. The body was recovered from 400ft down the face of the cliff opposite the lighthouse by a coastguard. It was wedged between a rock and the wreck of an old car and was not visible from the cliff top or the lighthouse. His Suzuki motor bike had been found abandoned on the cliff top, but last weekend police and coastguards looking for Timothy searching Beachy Head failed to find him. “Timothy was a very quiet, shy sort of boy who loved the outdoor life and had deep religious convictions,” said Mr Howlett.”

Many pilgrims were among the crowded congregation who attended Tim’s Requiem Mass at St Edward the Confessor, Keymer. The burial was a short walk away in the beautiful country churchyard of the Anglican church opposite.. The pilgrims offered their sympathy to Tim’s mother and father and his sister Charlotte. I am sure we will all continue to remember him in our prayers.

RUBY SIMONS R.I.P.

Mike Simons’ mother, known to so many pilgrims who met her at the Simons’ home simply as “Grannie”, died peacefully on Tuesday 28th September, aged 87. She was buried with Mike’s father on Tuesday 5th October at Reading. There will he a memorial Service at St Joan of Arc, Farnham, on Saturday 9th October. Grannie was a good friend to so many pilgrims who visited the Simons family. Many of us remember her celebrating her eighty-fifth birthday with us on the first Buckfast Pilgrimage at The Coach and Horses, South Harting. May she enjoy God’s glory in heaven.

Another friend of pilgrims who died last month was John Blake, headmaster of St Wilfrid’s School, Crawley. He was well known to many of us and made us very welcome at his school on The Sussex Pilgrimage last year. During this year he became very seriously ill with a brain tumour and died on 9th September at St Luke’s Hospital, Guildford. Please remember him too in your prayers

WOKING REUNION

This newsletter comes to you with details of the Reunion to be held in a month’s time at Woking, when many happy memories of the Buckfast Centenary Pilgrimage will be relived. Margaret and Jean Nicholls are the organisers, and all past pilgrims are invited. Please help then by sending in your reply clip immediately, so that they will know as soon as possible how many they have to cater for.

THE EVESHAM PILGRIMAGE

Next summer’s pilgrimage is going to be to Evesham. Already a route is being planned via the South Downs, Sussex Weald, North Downs, Chiltern Hills, Thames Valley and Cotswold Hills. We will be starting from Lewes and hope to stay at Sayers Common, Horsham, Wonersh, Farnham, Old Basing, Douai Abbey, Didcot, Oxford, Charlbury, Moreton and Evesham, although none of the accommodation arrangements have yet been finalised.

The town of Evesham stands in a loop of the River Avon as it flows through the south-eastern corner of Hereford and Worcester, one of England’s most attractive counties. The early form of the name, Eovesholme, originates from the experience of a swineherd named Eoves in the year 701AD. Whilst recovering a stray pig in the area he saw a vision of the Virgin Mary. Eoves told Egwin, Bishop of Worcester, who saw the apparition too. He founded a Benedictine monastery on the spot to honour Almighty God and Holy Mary. It became one of England’s richest and most powerful abbeys, and Egwin was later canonised.

The slaying of Simon de Montfort at the battle of Evesham on August 4th, 1265, brought even greater fame to the town. On the 14th May, 1264, Simon de Montfort’s forces won the Battle of Lewes, which played a considerable part in the establishment of the House of Commons. Although Simon was never canonised, he was looked upon as a saint and a martyr in the cause of representative government, and pilgrims once again flocked to Evesham in such numbers that a special church was built for them. Our pilgrimage from Lewes to Evesham will honour both Our Lady and Simon de Montfort. Application forms and further information will be circulated in January. Dates: 14th—28th August.

AN IRISH PILGRIMAGE

A pilgrimage to the holy places in Southern Ireland was an idea which caught the imagination of a good number of the Buckfast Pilgrims. We could visit Glendalough, Croagh Patrick, Knock and Lough Derg. We would travel by minibus but do some walking too. The dates would be the fortnight after Easter Sunday 3rd to Saturday 16th April 1983. Write in now if you are definitely interested. The cost will be around £150, but we need to know whether at least 9 people would go before continuing.

PRECARIOUS PROSPERITY

Please find enclosed balance sheets for the Papal and Buckfast Centenary Pilgrimages. As suspected the first made a hefty loss, but the second an amazing profit. So pilgrim funds arc now very substantially in the black. The finances of pilgrimages depends very much on the numbers participating. For instance 10 more on the Papal Pilgrimage would have made it profitable, but 20 less on the Buckfast Pilgrimage and that too would have made a loss.

FOX OR HOUNDS

Elizabeth Wakefield has written to say that it is true that she is engaged but that newsletter 12 got the details wrong. Her fiancé is Robert Farret from Reigate and a graduate of the University of Bath. Both are members of the Hunt Saboteurs Association, and Elizabeth would like to hear from others who might be interested. (No Patrick, the Fox or hounds isn’t a public house!)

NEWS IN BRIEF

Peter Madden Carol McMahon, Pat Burke and others had a restful holiday touring Scotland while so many other pilgrims were slogging their way to Buckfast.

Pat Burke has been promoted to Library Manager at Ashtead.

Jean Simons has made a miraculous recovery from her illness: they found nothing to do when they came to operate.

Gillian Thorne is now studying nursing at King’s College, London.

Ann Harvey has moved from Kent to Hammersmith.

Susan Turner has just celebrated her Eighteenth Birthday with a Mass and riotous party in Rottingdean.

“Hope Street” is the slogan of the Catholic Association of Young Adults rally in Liverpool on Saturday 23rd October, which is bound to be well worth the journey if you can get there.  

There is a Peace Weekend for young adults (17-30) at Maryvale from 19th to 21st November.

Keep July 8th—l0th 1983 free for a big Taizé style Diocesan Youth Rally at Maryvale.

W.J.H.