The old chancel

The Trent and Mersey Canal

The Trent and Mersey Canal

a.k.a.
The Grand Trunk Canal
and
The Grand Union Canal

Was originally engineered by James Brindley (1716-72) although completed after his death in 1777. Running from Wilden Ferry in Derbyshire near the confluence of the Derwent with the Trent, heading first in a south-westerly direction via Burton and Wichnor to Fradley, where it is joined by the Coventry and Fazeley Canal. From there the Trent and Mersey proceeds north-west, passing by Handsacre and Brereton on to Rugeley, where it twice crosses over the Trent, thence via Bishton and Colwich to Great Haywood where it is joined by the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. From Haywood Junction the Trent and Mersey continues north-westwards up the Trent Valley, on the north-east bank of the river, past Weston, Sandon Hall, Sandon and through Stone where it turns north towards the potteries at Hanley and Stoke-on-Trent.

Canals came into being because the Industrial Revolution (which began in Britain during the mid-18th century) demanded an economic and reliable way to transport goods and commodities in large quantities. Some 29 river navigation improvements took place in the 16th and 17th centuries[2] starting with the Thames locks and the River Wey Navigation. The biggest growth was in the so-called "narrow" canals which extended water transport to the emerging industrial areas of the Staffordshire potteries and Birmingham as well as a network of canals joining Yorkshire and Lancashire and extending to London.

Lea Hall Colliery

1986LEA HALL COLLIERY, RUGELEY.

                                       
Lea Hall Colliery was one of the most   
modern pits in the world. It was       
started in 1954 when they began        
sinking two shafts near the railway    
and the River Trent. Most of the coal  
mines in the area were getting old and 
there was not much coal left. It cost  
14 million pounds. Rugeley "A" power   
station was planned at the same time   
so that the coal could be transported  
directly to it by conveyor belt. The   
first production of coal started in    
1960. By 1986 there were 7 coal faces 

in use.When work started local people     
were used, later skilled workers were  
transferred from the other coalfields  
on the Chase,and other parts of        
the country. As a result new housing   
estates were built in Rugeley and      
Handsacre. There in 1985 there were 17

93 underground workers and 345 surface workers.   

Cannock Chase

Cannock chase: Since the nineteenth century, sightings of Black Dogs, Werewolves, British big cats, UFOs and even Bigfoot have appeared in the local press. However no conclusive evidence has ever been produced verifying these claims and they may best be thought of as forming part of local folklore.

In the autumn of 1914, only months after the start of the First World War, construction of two large camps began on Cannock Chase. The camps (known as Brocton Camp and Rugeley Camp) were constructed with the permission of Lord Lichfield, on whose estate they were being built. The infrastructure for the camps, including the water supply, sewage systems and the roads all had to be created from scratch before work could begin on the huts and other structures.

The camps, when completed, could hold up to 40,000 men at one time and probably trained upwards of 500,000 men. They had all their own amenities including a church, post offices and a bakery as well as amenity huts where the troops could by coffee and cakes, or play billiards. There was even a theatre.

Following the war, the camps became akin to ghost towns, the rows of huts stood empty in an unaccustomed quiet, disturbed only by the sighing breeze swinging a loose door or rattling a window. Gradually, at the request of Lord Lichfield, the huts were sold off and were transported to their new locations by horse and cart, ending Cannock Chase's contribution to military history.

Life in the Camps - A Soldier's perspective

Erskine Williams

Erskine Williams was a soldier during the Great War who spent time training at Brocton Camp. Prior to the war Erskine was an artist and musician and when he enlisted in 1916 he opted for service as an Army Bandsman and joined the band of 11th Division of the British Expeditionary Force, playing the oboe.

Throughout his time in the army Erskine drew numerous sketches of the people he met and the places he spent time. He sent many of these home to his family as postcards, giving them an insight into what his daily routine in the army involved. These postcards today provide us with a better idea of what life was like for soldiers during the Great War, both at home and during their time on the front line. Erskine's sketches detailed all aspects of life at Brocton camp, from catering and cleaning to training as well as leisure time activities.

Erskine Williams was demobilised in February 1919. He returned to his career as a technical illustrator and set up his own sign writing business in Tooting, London in 1924. He died a month prior to his 70th birthday in 1951. Like Ernest Begueley he never mentioned the war to his family and his sketches, both of his training days at Brocton and the later ones of his time in France, are the only record of his experiences of the Great War.

Food & Chores

The soldiers were responsible for the preperation of their own food and for keeping their living quaters clean.