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Text Box: Our cross-country event

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Updated every 3 months .

Last update June 2024

Jersey

June 24

Website administrator Maurice R. Troy

Riding Club overcome major and Minor obstacles.

(This is the article which appeared in the Jersey Evening Post in 1996.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JERSEY Riding club cross country was held at Beau Vallon Farm St Peter,

 

The event was held courtesy of Mr and Mrs Maurice Troy who did a great deal of work preparing their land and also allowed the club to make up a jump using their two matching Morris Minors!

 

The course rode very well, despite the initial worries of some riders that their horses (or they themselves) were not fit enough to cope with an extremely steep slope towards the end. However even 27-year-old Golden Sovereign in the veteran class found it no problem!

The slope did take its toll in that competitors found it difficult to match the tight optimum time and the nearest overall to the time was Caroline May on Tit Bits in the restricted novice class.

The Riding Club thanked St John Ambulance for attending and jump judges Lesley Curgenven. Sue Barette, Mary Wastie. Fiona Edwards, Ali Haigh, Alison Harrison and Jayne Hiron, as well as Natalie Jagger, Helen Marie O’Sullivan and Katherine Picot. Alison Romeril, Sandie Wootton and Julia Watson organised the event with the invaluable help of other volunteers to transport and build the fences.

 

Trophies and rosettes were presented by Mr Maurice Troy.

 

Results, Pairs: I, Ben Tudor (Emma Hamilton) & Foxy Lady Michelle Barette); 2, Cheri (Lisa Godwin) & Anse Supreme (Julia Conroy): 3. Mystic Legend (Andrew Greenwood) & Bees Knees (Nicky Greenwood).

 

Veterans: 1, Florida’s’ New Recruit ( Pauline Hotton) 2, Henry ( Angela Corson) 3, Sandwood Bay (Lisa Le Louarn).

 

Novice Rider: t, Misty Cruise (Robert Hurry); 2. Cherokee Dawn (Anna Whitnell); 3, Reg (Sandra Turner).

 

Restricted Novice: I, Tit Bits (Caroline May); 2. Mr Digby (Anna Curran); 3, Cashel Gold (Tania Arnold).

 

Novice Horse: I, Hot Chocolate (Nicola Dolley); 2. Naranja (Leanne Pryce); 3, Mystic Legend (Andrew Greenwood).

 

Intermediate: 1, Ben Tudor (Emma Hamilton); 2, Felbri’s Dynasty (Lorraine Le Vesconte); 3, Shanna May (Troy Williams).

 

Advanced: I. Monsborough Squire (Caroline May); 2, Cheri (Lisa Godwin).

 

From the JEP.

Back to our animals page

 

 

Dad’s letter and German requisition orders below.

If you have any comments you would like to add about anything on this website please contact the website administrator.

 

 

 

maurice@troyfamily.co.uk

Nicola practising on Ebony around the course in our fields.

Note:

 

My new troyfamily co.nz

 

 web site has started .

Photos coming soon….

Five year German Occupation ended in Jersey on May 9th 1945

 

My Dad’s letter from Jersey to his Brother-in-law in the England dated 21st May 1945.

 

(Printed exactly as the original hand written letter).

 

28, Samares Avenue

St Clement

Jersey

May 21st 1945

Please excuse pencil

We have no ink

 

 

Dear Bill.

 

           You have no idea how pleased we were to hear from you again after these very long five years. It is quite impossible for me to tell you all I would like to for it would take me almost a day, but I will try to give you a little idea of what it has been like for us.

First of all we are all well thank god, I have lost three stone in weight, some of the men you knew Bill, if you saw them you would not recognize them, lots have died with TB. Benny Shenton and Connie have both died with TB, poor Kathleen she has been through it alright, she is a wreck. Ben her husband has lost five stone, he is like a big boy you would not know him he is so thin, and little Kathleen that is the fourth child of theirs , she is in the Sanatorium now with TB but she stands a good chance now as we have got plenty of good food again.

We have got another baby a little boy Maurice, he was christened yesterday, our Richard was god father and is very proud, he said fancy getting a letter from my god father on the day that I am made one for my little brother. He is going to write to Mum one of these days. I have worried quite a lot about you all especially your Mum we have tried to get messages to you through the Red Cross. I don’t know if you got them we received two from you and was very glad to know that you were all well, we always kept in touch with the news with our little crystal we all made for ourselves. I had the German Police here to search my house as local swine gave me away but I was warned in time and just missed going to jail by the skin of my teeth, my neighbour was caught and went in for six months. My business is gone Bill with my four Lorries, the Germans took them. I did not work for them as many has, I did three years in a flour mill for the public  then one year driving a two horse bus and the last year I have been hunting and scraping everywhere for food for you can imagine what it was like to try to and find enough for four children with a ration of 5lb of potatoes per week 2ozs of meat per fortnight 2ozs of butter no salt we had to use sea water, then the last few months we had no ration at all not even bread. I have bought butter at three pounds (£3-0s-0d) per lb. in the black market, pork one pound (£1-0-0) per lb., wheat from our swine’s of farmers at thirty pound £30-0-0 per cwt, eggs at 4/6d each. I bought a few fowls at three pounds   £3-0-0 each and oats to feed them with at eight pounds £8-0-0 per cwt, Rabbits (at 30/- each and £2-0-0). Sugar beet syrup at 6/6d per lb. some was even more. I grow enough potatoes for myself and brothers so thank god I was never short of them but I almost had to watch them all night as they were pulled out as soon as they were planted and the seeds eaten. I have cut down trees in the night for fuel I can’t tell you all I have done, it was that or go under but thank god it is all past now. We are all broke now it has all gone in the black market but now there is going to be plenty of work, Bob is on the pier again and we are going to get going……

 

Unfortunately the rest of the letter is missing……..

 

Note. (names mentioned in the letter).

 

Richard is my eldest brother

Bob is my Dad’s brother

Benny and Connie Shenton were my Dad’s nephew and niece.

Kathleen their mother was my Dad’s sister, her husband was Ben.

And of course Maurice which is me.

My Dad’s German occupation letter is at the bottom  of this page

 

 

 A Jersey man’s World War 1 details.

 

My father Richard Troy’s Service numbers in World War 1

 

Years 1917 to 1919

 

Rank; Private. Corps; Training Reserve Battalion.

Service Number; 7/1058

 

then

 

Rank; Private. Cavalry Machine Gun Corps.

Service Number; 12670

 

then

 

Rank; Seaman; Royal Navy Air Service

Service Number; F38156

 

then

 

Rank; Airman/Ground staff;  Royal Air Force.

Service Number; 238156

 

During WW1

 

He took part in active service and in particular a terrible unsuccessful battle on a hill in Italy held by German Troops. Many casualties were had.

Whilst waiting at a train station with lots of wounded British soldiers they were relieved by a brigade of fresh newly arrived American troops who came marching in. He said he was very impressed how smart and confident they all looked in their uniforms compared to the British troops but felt sorry for them as they couldn’t imagine what they were going to have to face.

 

He also took part in some successful night sea/land raids into Albania.

 

He was a member of a six man firing squad that executed a soldier.

 

He was at some point a training aircraft gun layer.

 

Was asked to shoot in a competition shoot with British Officers in the UK when in training and won. After the war he was known to be able to put a lit candle out with a rifle shot in the coal store at Albert street in Jersey.

 

By chance met his brother Jack (also RNAS) during the war at a hospital in Le Harve France when my dad was ill and being shipped back from active service in Italy.

Richard Troy 1899-1964

 

WW1

 

His family (three sons and two daughters of which I am the youngest Born 1945) have his personal hand written war diary which shows he served in Otranto on the east side of the heel of Italy and saw active service fighting the Germans there. He conducted raids into Albania and did various escort duties. On one occasion they were badly beaten by the German troops and had to retreat when trying to take a hill, he then became ill with pneumonia and pleurisy (probably from sleeping in the open in field hedge rows) and had to be shipped back to England. He just missed being put on one particular hospital ship. I believe this ship was HMHS Rewa that he was due to return on from Italy and it was torpedoed 4th January 1918 in the Bristol Channel by German U 55. Two crewmen died but all 279 cot cases survived. and he had luckily been transferred to another via Malta then a train journey across Europe. My father said when he was waiting at the railway station when ill in Italy he watched the American new recruits arrive full of confidence and was amazed how well equipped and smart they all were compared to the British troops. Before he departed he saw them again when they were devastated after being given a thrashing by the Germans, they had a real shock.

 When he returned to England and was recuperating in a war hospital in Gloucester with mostly all American soldiers who he said spoiled him and nick named him “Jersey”, they threw him treats like chocolates on to his bed when they passed. One day word came that all the patients were being transferred up to Scotland to another hospital and my dad said to the Officer “Hang on, I am being sent further away from my home”. The Officer asked where he came from and when my dad told him he was from Jersey in the Channel Islands he was told there was a military hospital in Jersey. Later on that day the officer got back to Dad and told him he was to be sent to “All Saints church” which was used as a war hospital in Great Union road St Helier Jersey which delighted dad as his home was in Albert Street just around the corner.

Later when the Commanding Officer came to Jersey to meet the soldiers who were recovering at the hospital they could not find my father and went around to the family coal stores in Albert Street where they found dad working with his father shovelling coal. They were not happy and called him a “Bloody little fool” as he was still considered ill and because he was found fit and recovered he was sent back to England.

Whilst on a training exercise there was one particular test were they had to run a long distance with, I think, 80lbs on their back and my father was one of a few that finished. This was around the time he was recruited into the RNAS (Royal Naval Air Service). Another interesting fact, because he was a good shot he was once asked to shoot with Officers in a competition but that's another story.

Whilst in the RAF he was selected to be a aircraft gun layer and when he happened to tell another older man who had befriended my father ( his name was William Rueben Tortoishell RAF Service number F38251 )) about this the chap went mad and said “Do they know how old you are son, get back in there and tell them now” Apparently you had to be over a certain age to be in that position. Anyway my father was serving as an RAF airman/ground staff when he was discharged in February 1919.

During his active service my father was picked as one of six men for a firing squad. He was told the procedure was that five blanks and one live round was loaded into their rifles by the Officer at the time of the execution and he was convinced that he had the live round that killed the man.

Ships my father actually travelled on during WW1 across the English Channel, Italy and Malta were:


SS Archangel

SS Isonzo

SS Britten

SS Patrick

Copies of the original requisition notices sent to my father to tell him to vacate his new house with his family as the Germans we going to demolish it to make way for the 60cm gauge railway from St Helier harbour to Gorey.

 

15th Nov 1942 from the Baliff of Jersey signed by the Field Commandant Col Knackfuss.

 

Another letter signed by J. Le Sueur states that a plan showing the proposed course of the railway line (which runs through your property) may be seen at the Dept of Essential Commodities Branch office, Airway house, Mulcaster Street.

 

Imagine how he felt with a young family in his new house that was only built in 1935.

 

Thank goodness this was rescinded by altering the railway line from the FB fields to curve and pass very close to our house, hence all the facts about the slaves mentioned earlier on.

 

German requisition orders to demolish our house 28, Samares Avenue in 1942 during the German occupation.

Died in WW1.

Not my father. 

 

Another Richard Troy shown born in 1899 from London who's next of kin mother was named as Isobelle Troy is shown on the WW1 Commonwealth War Graves as died in action. He has the same army service number 12670 as my father had when in the army. This is strange and after contacting the CWG commission they could not really explain other than that the soldiers commission money had been sent to his mother. I personally think there has been a mistake as too much of a coincidence. 

I discovered this Richard Troy was from the Machine gun Corps 9th Bn and was buried in the WW1 Tyne Cot Cemetry in Belgium ('Tyne Cot' or 'Tyne Cottage' was the name given by the Northumberland Fusiliers to a barn which stood near the level crossing on the Passchendaele-Broodseinde road.) Found his grave at the Cemetry panel154- 159 and 163A.

 

There are also other errors I have found when researching such as my name not shown as born during the German occupation of Jersey on the Jersey Archive card held which has my Father and Mothers children registered on it. Probably because I was born just a few weeks before the liberation of Jersey.