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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • DECEMBER 2015 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Letter
Horace Walter Henstock THERE IS NO doubt whatsoever that Mr Harry Hawksworth acted with the very best of intentions when he arranged for the name of H W Henstock to be added to the new and impressive Groby War Memorial. However, as a family, we are astonished and upset that further research was not undertaken beforehand and that apparently no attempt was made to locate H W Henstocks descendents. HORACE WALTER HENSTOCK was my great uncle. I have lived in Groby for my entire life and for the past 34 years in our home near Groby Post Office, only a stone’s throw away from the new memorial. My father is BILL SHOOTER and there will be Groby people who know him and remember him as a prominent and active resident of the village, serving on both the Parish Council and the Rural District and Borough Councils for a combined total of 25 years. Bill Shooter is the only surviving nephew of “Dear Walter” as H W Henstock was referred to within the family circle. My father is so proud of his family history that, when he established his Accountancy Practice over 50 Years ago, he chose to use the name “Henstock” - the practice is advertised each month in this Spotlight Magazine. Uncle Walter is honoured and remembered each year on Armistice Day, not in Groby Parish Church, but in All Saints Parish Church, Newtown Linford, for the following reason: Walter grew up at Bradgate Stables until called for active service in World War 1. His parents, William and Rhoda Henstock (my great grandparents) worked for the Everard Family who lived at Bradgate House. At that time, the Parish boundary line ran straight through the centre of Bradgate House - the back door of the house was in the parish of Groby, while the front door was in the Parish of Newtown LInford. The Everards chose to regard Newtown Linford as their parish and the Henstocks followed suit. Walter, Jessie (my Grandmother), Dinah Henstock and their siblings therefore attended Newtown Linford School and worshipped at Newtown Linford church until the Bradgate Estate was sold in 1925 and the Henstocks subsequently moved to Groby around 1928. My Father Bill, who has recently celebrated his 90th birthday, drives daily to his Leicester Office where he has a fascinating collection of memorabilia directly relating to Uncle Walter. Perhaps the two most significant items are the telegram which arrived at Bradgate Stables in 1917 informing William and Rhoda Henstock that he had been killed in action aged just 19, and also the original wooden cross which initially marked Walter’s grave in France and which was brought back to England by his parents sometime during the 1920s. Only a handful of these wooden crosses survive and it is treasured by the family. Uncle Walter’s final resting place in the Queen’s Cemetery, France, has been visited on a number of occasions over the years, most recently by my brother, Richard. Far from being a forgotten hero, Uncle Walter is remembered with respect, with pride and with affection.
Susan Lawrence Groby
I, for one, like Roman numerals.
“Pester power” costing East Midlands families almost £6k a year EAST MIDLANDS parents give in to “pester power” to the tune of £5,668 a year, according to a new study by Quidco. New research has revealed the extent to which modern parents feel pressure from their children – with almost half (41 percent) admitting they succumb “most of the time” to requests from their children to spend money. A further two thirds (70 percent) of parents admit they are guilty of spoiling their children - the average parent shelling out £109 per week on spontaneous purchases. And the study showed that 88 percent of kids across the East Midlands pester their parents for treats when out and about. Of the parents polled - 21 percent admitted to spoiling their children because their own parents were unable to spoil them - while a further 19 percent said bribing helps keep the children’s behaviour in public in check. And 42 percent of parents say their youngsters have embarrassed them by throwing a tantrum in public because they haven’t got their own way. However keeping up with their offspring’s peers was also a factor in why modern parents over indulge – with 7 percent saying they wanted their children to “maintain the same lifestyle as their friends”. Vix Leyton for cashback and rewards site Quidco said: “Pester power’ is by no means a new concept, but with the advent of iPads, in-app purchases, and instant downloads of music and games, the cost of it has certainly escalated for parents in the East Midlands.” The study showed that 73 percent of parents admit their children consider them a “soft touch” with 35 percent of the mums and dads polled saying that disagreements over spending money on the children regularly caused arguments between them. And a further 51 percent of parents said they secretly spend money on the children and don’t tell their partner.