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Little Thetford 1905

Edwardian centenarian Norah Bedford celebrated her 105^th birthday on 27 December 2010. Born in 1905, during the middle of Edward VII‘s reign, Norah now lives in Littleport. A founder member of the Little Thetford social club, Norah has been active in Ely district village matters most of her life. For example, she has been a parish and county councillor for Stretham, a governor at many primary schools in the Ely area and president of the Little Thetford Womens Institute.

Norah was the St George’s Church organist for many years, only relinquishing the post in 2002 when the multitude began singing faster than she could play; she remains a well respected member of the congregation.

Mother of two, grandma to six and with ten great-grandchildren, Norah, who lived at Braham Farm with her husband Cyril, attributes her longevity to having a happy active life. According to the Cambridge News 27 December 2010, Norah said “I’ve never smoked, I’ve never really drunk and I’ve always tried to be as active as I can”.

Some significant events of 1905 include:

• 13 July 1905 release of the British silent film, Rescued by Rover, starring the world’s first canine film star
• 5 December 1905 the liberal leader Henry Campbell-Bannerman, the first man to be given the use of the term Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, being asked to form a government on the resignation of the conservative Arthur Balfour

It was also the year in which

• Albert Einstein published four papers significant to physics: Photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, Special relativity and Matter and energy equivalence. He called it his Annus Mirabilis, or his extraordinary year
• the Russian Revolution was at its height
• Henri Matisse painted the oil on canvas Woman with a Hat, purported to be his wife, Amelie

John McCullough

Waxwing in Little Thetford

Illustration: RSPB

This rare winter visitor from Scandinavia was spotted by Gill Norman recently in Little Thetford. Breeding in Northern European pine forests, this beautiful plump bird, with yellow tips to its wings, migrates south in winter when breeding grounds become over-populated. They feed on berries, particularly hawthorn, supplemented by cotoneaster and rose.

Photograph: Stuart Elsom

The Bohemian Waxwing, Latin name of Bombycilla garrulus, was first described by Linnaeus in 1758. It is not a threatened species, being listed as of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), although our visitor is very rare in the UK; the RSPB reports that less than 100 individuals winter on the east coast.

Waxwings do not mind feeding close to humans. The RSPB suggests that if we see such birds, it will encourage us to help other migrant species which all have a tough time finding food in our cold weather.

RSPB advice: Feeding birds and what food to provide.

Article by John McCullough

William Sole (1741–7 February 1802) was a British botanist born in Little Thetford, Cambridgeshire. Read more…

This wonderful pictures shows Graham Driver driving the last herd of cows in the village past the old Dutch manor house on the left and the Three Horseshoes in the background. The cows had names: Bess on the path, Angela in front of Mr Driver, Doll front left of the leading three, Vera to the left of leading three cows.

Last herd of cows in Little Thetford. Approx 1968