The report was delivered by Sally Scheffers, Chairman, at the beginning of the THS meeting on 20th November 2025 where Paul McCue gave a talk on 'Secret Surrey in World War 2". Thursley History Society AGM A week after the Horticultural Society held its AGM in the Village Hall the History Society followed suit on Thursday, 20 th  November, 2025. We started with a quick introduction of the Committee. I took over as Chairman in July last year and am learning more and more about our village and the surrounding areas.             Jackie Rickenberg writes a monthly page in the Parish Magazine for the History Society and these are always both fascinating and entertaining. Jackie spends a great deal of time thoroughly researching her chosen subject matter. Done quietly, the rest of us are always in for a treat to read her articles which are always written with a great love of her subjects. Jackie has been inspired recently by the wartime letters of Sukey Langdale’s father, David Man, writing home from India and Ceylon at the end of the war.             David Young is our Secretary and Webmaster, and he spends hours of his time uploading our digital archive and Jackie’s articles onto the website making sure the entries are correct, adding information to existing entries and monitoring the traffic to our website. David told the meeting that our website is incredibly popular in Singapore! David can see which entries are the most popular and how many new visitors the site is attracting. Peter Rickenberg is our long-standing Treasurer and reported on our modest balance and how, as a Society, we have contributed to the new AV system in the Village Hall as well as the proposed updated AV system to be installed in the Church very soon. Peter also project managed the Village Hall system in May ‘24 which was greatly appreciated. Alie Hanbury heads up “The Archive Angels” comprising of Alie, Sue Ranso n and Sukey Langdale . Our hardworking trio are sorting and rearranging the physical collection of papers, photographs, pictures and objects. Alie told the meeting that they are now reaching the point where they will be fine-tuning the collection which will then be re-catalogued. Alie said that the back of this immense task has now been broken but again many hours have been dedicated to this. Chris McClements , our computer wizard was unable to make the AGM, but his help has been invaluable in scanning material for both the website and for last May’s exhibition. Simon Treadwell is our liaison with the Church and in charge of the Church noticeboard. We are trying to keep it updated regularly so do take a look. Simon and the Church came to the Society’s rescue last year in providing a home for the archive and we are very grateful. The committee said goodbye to John Luff who secured a Parish Council grant for the A3 scanner.  Also to Tim Walsh who had been the archivist for many years and started the long and laborious task of digitising our archive. Not only does this make the archive more accessible but is also an essential means of protecting and safeguarding all the information we hold. Finally, our previous Chairman, Leon Flavell , who took over from Anthony Langdale and encouraged with his love and enthusiasm of all history. A big thank you to past and present committee members. May 2024 : a busy month with the Village Hall AV system and the start of the move of the archive from Bowlhead Green to the Dame School. Our much-missed friend, Hilary Barr, spent hours clearing and cleaning the Dame School prior to the move. June 2024 : the launch party for our new website. Constructed by the hugely talented Helena Traill who charged us a very small fee for all her professional work and has constantly provided back up help to David who then had the task of adding the content. November 2024 : a group of us travelled to Southsea to the D-Day Experience. And it was terrific. The museum is fascinating and the tapestry poignant and heartfelt. We ended with fish and chips in the sunshine.   February 2025 : a talk in the Church about the Church and Churchyard presented by Marion O’Brien and Amanda Flint-Roberts. Marion guided us around the oldest building in the village. The tiny chancel would have been the original Saxon Church with the priest living in a loft above. Marion talked lovingly about the Church that she and Michael have worshipped in for the last sixty years. Amanda then took us to the graves and described the work that she, Mike and Guy Singer have done to uncover and decipher graves and to learn more about our departed villagers. Joan Pearl Wolfe the young victim of “The Wigwam Murder” lay in an unmarked grave but thanks to Amanda, Mike and Guy her family came to Thursley in September 2023 to have a blessing on her new gravestone. That was just one of Amanda’s recollections and we were all captivated by Marion and Amanda’s knowledge. May 2025 : the History Society was a major part of Thursley’s VE & VJ 80 th  commemorations. Our contribution was a two day exhibition, “Victory Euphoria”, featuring friends, family and neighbours’ recollections of World War II. There was such a range of global experiences. Many contributors said how much they enjoyed learning more about their family members and felt that the stories needed to be passed down. The exhibition can now be viewed on the website.    August 2025 : A walk to the Atlantic Wall on Hankley and a talk by Paul McCue on the story behind the crumbling concrete remains. And what an incredible story involving a deceptively clever French painter and decorator and a stupidly deceptive German General. Despite the August heat wave there was a very large and appreciative audience who then enjoyed Sarah Grillo ’s tea and cake.   November 2025 : After the AGM another talk from Paul McCue from Secret World War 2 describing the clandestine warfare on our doorstep here in Thursley. David has written a resume of this riveting illustrated talk which can be found on the website. 2026 : It is the centenary of the first British Grand Prix at Brooklands in Weybridge. The committee plan to concentrate on all things to do with transport. Hopefully, a film about the building of the Hindhead Tunnel; a visit to Brooklands Museum; a visit to a local private car collection; an exhibition including the changes to the A3, the old Toll House and Turnpike, the Thursley bridge, the tunnel, the old road through the village. And the Bugatti of Emley Farm. We would love to have volunteers to help with our research so please do put your hand up as we really want to hear from you. And thank you for your support and encouragement. www.thursleyhistorysociety.org.uk Sally Scheffers, Chairman 20th November 2025

This powerpoint presentation, along with the script that was used, was presented by Michael O'Brien, then Chairman of the History of Thursley Society, and Tim Walsh, its archivist. It presented to Normandy Historians in 2009. Some examples from the Here is the narrative to support the slide presentation:

This walk, if followed in full, will guide you to thirteen destinations in Thursley, starting in The Three Horseshoes pub and finishing at St Michael and All Saints Church. It should take around one hour of gentle walking on mostly level ground, including stops, and covers about half a mile in distance. Please note that none of the houses or gardens are open to the public. Grateful thanks to Sally Scheffers, along with current and previous members of Thursley History Society for their help in compiling this walk. Download the full walk... Published in 2022

To view the whole Census, please download the PDF document...

Guy Singer has written two books about Thursley Church. They are available direct from the author: https://www.guyjsinger.com/books

One of the more unusual gatherings at St Michael and All Angels is the annual pet service. This has been going on since 2016, possibly before that, and is always well supported. These photographs, from Peter Rickenberg and Susanne Hunter, were taken on Sunday 15th September 2024. An earlier announcement: And here's the latest: Cover for the 2025 pet service

This book was published in 2021 by the Thursley History Society and this was made possible by the support of The Armed Forces Covenant Fund On Sunday 14th November 2021, Thursley History Society held the long awaited VE Day exhibition in the village hall between 10am and 4pm and the book was officially launched that day. From the introduction: THURSLEY WAR MEMORIAL There are twenty-seven names on the War Memorial located in the cemetery of the Church of St Michael and All Angels. They are the persons who died in both World wars, 1914-1918, and 1939-1945, in the service of their country and for the cause of freedom from tyranny and oppression. Each has a different story to tell, sometimes of bravery, sometimes of fear, but always of commitment to that for which he fought. As we read their stories, we will also be aware of those they left behind, families, loved ones as well as friends; they had to live with the burden of grief and pain for long after. As we remember the dead, we must also have compassion for those who followed, for whom, possibly, the tragedy never ended. For all - WE WILL REMEMBER THEM There follows a brief biography of each of the 27 brave men and here is an example: PARKER, Alfred Nigel, Major. 5th Battalion Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders Died 23rd October 1944. In the 1922 issue of “Small Country Houses of Today” magazine, Foldsdown House, Thursley, was described as “taking its place naturally and pleasantly in a part of Surrey so beautiful that an ill-considered building is more than usually an outrage”. It was here that Nigel Parker grew up, having been born in the September of 1915, to his parents, Alwyn Parker, C.B, C.M.G, a respected diplomat and City banker, and Sophia, a society figure in her own right. He was baptised in the church of St Michael’s and All Saints on October 15th by the Reverend C.K. Watson. His early education took place at St Peter’s Court, a preparatory school in Burgess Hill, Sussex, followed by his moving to Harrow School. After his time at Harrow, he went up to read law at New College, Oxford, in anticipation of a career in the legal profession in the City. Whilst at Oxford, he successfully rowed for his college. After coming down from Oxford, he was articled to the long-established Solicitor’s firm of Linklaters & Paines, in London, where he worked until the outbreak of war in September 1939. As soon as that occurred, he made the decision to join the ranks of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. It was at this time, in the January of 1940, that he also married the American born twenty-year-old Jean Cecelia Constance Eliott in the Chelsea Register Office, a larger society wedding being impossible at the time, due to his military commitments. They were to have two children, a son, Colin, born in November 1940, and a daughter, Veronica, born two years later, in May 1942. In 1940, The Queen’s went to France as part of the 51st (Highland) Division with the British Expeditionary Force, in an attempt to stem the tide of the German armies which were sweeping down through the Low Countries and into Northern France. When it became apparent that the Allied troops needed to be evacuated, plans were put into force that resulted in the events that, these days, we know simply by one word – Dunkirk. In order to hamper the relentless progress of the Germans, the Queen’s saw action at the town of St. Valery-en-Calais, and it was during this fighting that Nigel Parker was wounded. In the middle of battle, he was shot in one leg by a sniper; falling to the ground, he rolled over, to be then shot in the other leg. It was ironic that it appears that his wearing a kilt (contrary to regulations) in fact saved his life – he was told by his doctor that the kilt had saved him, as a khaki battle dress would have poisoned the wounds. As a result, he was invalided home, where he recovered. He then spent the rest of the war, until 1944, training troops in Scotland, near Inverness. After the D Day landing of June 1944, he rejoined his unit, and once again landed in France. His superior officer, Colonel (later General Sir) Derek Laing sent him in command of D company, as the first British troops to re-enter the newly liberated St. Valery-en-Calais, after it had been forced to surrender back in 1940. This was regarded as a great honour. As the Division moved northwards towards Germany, in October the Queen’s found itself as part of Operation Pheasant, which was a major operation to clear German troops from the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands. And it was here that Nigel Parker fell, in the middle of fierce fighting during the liberation of the town of Schijndel. The night of Sunday 22nd October 1944 was notably dark and cold. For the men of the Queen’s their attack area was an open meadow that they had to pass over, in order to reach the enemy lines. Their target was the elimination of a strong German detachment of Fallschrirmjager soldiers of the German 59th Division, located by a railway line in the De Berg area of Schijndel. At midnight, there was a heavy artillery bombardment in support of the troops, who then proceeded to advance towards the German position. They had to move forward through open meadows as well as marshy peatlands, totally without cover, and they were hit heavily by German machine guns with tracer ammunition as well as sustained mortar fire. It was said that “Hell broke loose”. Major Parker was hit three times in a row, twice he managed to get up, according to eyewitnesses, but the last hit was fatal. The battle continued all night, until at about 6am a group of Sherman tanks appeared, and the Germans withdrew. A total of 12 men were killed that night, plus a further 56 either injured or seriously wounded. The next morning, the 12 dead bodies lying in the field were collected by their own men under the supervision of a Padre Smith and buried in temporary graves nearby, at a local farm owned at the time by the Van Mensvelt family. They were later reburied, with full honours, in the nearby Uden War Cemetery. A fellow soldier on the day of the battle, Sgt George Sands, said of his commander “Major Parker had been a good commander and friend and a very brave man”. The file below is a copy of the Remembrance Day Service held on Sunday, November 12, 2023:

On major occasions, Thursley History Society sometimes produces exhibitions which are invariably displayed in the village hall. The photographs below are of the display boards for an exhibition to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War 1, July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918. Beneath these is a list of Thursley villagers who went to war and photographs of headstones of some of the fallen provided by The National Archive. See also ' Thursley Remembers' . These three posters, produced for the exhibition, are A3 size so there are pdfs below should better clarity be required: The following articles were written by the then Incumbent, the Reverend Charles K Watson, for the September and October 1914 issues of the Thursley Parish Magazines.

Evidence of a vault was discovered in 2005 when a section of the timber floor was lifted in order to check what appeared to be a brick sub-floor. The vault contained two coffins, that of Anne Woods and her husband, Edmund. Datail from the memorial stone that is in the church. From the Surrey Advertiser, 4th November, 2005

Photographs only but see also 'The Hindhead Tunnel'.

More photos and write-up required OS map showing location of the Pudstone and Cricklestone

From the village hall website: Welcome to Thursley Village Hall, a beautiful Victorian school building in the heart of Thursley, just off the A3 close to the Hindhead Tunnel. It provides one of the best community facilities in the area - and it loves to be used! Photographs by Sean Edwards With a large Main hall and separate smaller North hall, fully equipped kitchen and spacious lawned garden to the rear which backs onto Thursley National Nature Reserve, the Hall is a great venue available to hire for events from wedding receptions (with space for erecting a marquee in the garden) to Brownies/Cub Scouts sleepover weekends and all points in between. Everyone is welcome! https://www.thursleyvillagehall.co.uk/ From an undated four-page brochure. See also "The Village Hall in 1965" (separate entry) . Thursley Village Hall, November 1991 I wonder who won? The whole Trust Deed is in the pdf below: