Blamire, Foggy and the history of the Oswestry Garrison

Marianna

Marianna

Dedicated Member
Members from Shropshire probably already know about the garrison, but it's all new to me. In the Autumn 2014 issue of Green Leaves, the journal of the Barbara Pym Society, there's a mention of Oswestry, Pym's home town, having become a garrison town, with building work on the military camp beginning in 1914 and the camp remaining in use until December of 1975. Here's a link to a potted history of the camp: http://www.discovershropshire.org.uk/html/search/verb/GetRecord/theme:20070823100125.

News of the closure would probably have been in the papers, albeit probably only a paragraph in Roy Clarke's local paper, but I'd almost bet that it was the origin for his explanation of Foggy's whereabouts from September of 1939 until his reappearance in The Man from Oswestry.

Marianna
 
Very likely yes, but it's worth remembering that in 1973 we knew Blamire had been stationed at Oswestry (Pate and Chips), so I suppose you could call it coincidence that the closures in 1975 did help to create that very special episode that introduced us to Foggy in 1976.
 
wstol said:
Very likely yes, but it's worth remembering that in 1973 we knew Blamire had been stationed at Oswestry (Pate and Chips), so I suppose you could call it coincidence that the closures in 1975 did help to create that very special episode that introduced us to Foggy in 1976.
Click to expand...

I might accept the idea of coincidence except for all the detail about the garrison closure in Blamire's letter alerting the others of Foggy's return to Holmfirth. It was probably merely luck that Clarke happened to have chosen Oswestry, of all the garrison towns in the country, when writing Blamire's toast to the lady who ran the NAFFI there.

Marianna
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top