News and Events
On 18th September, we were delighted to welcome the Mayor of Medway, Councillor Jan Aldous, and her Consort, Mr Tony Aldous, as we launched our exciting project to help mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. We are hoping to raise a further £60,000 in order to augment our existing ring of 10 bells to provide a ring of 12 bells, as found in most other English Cathedrals.
Ringing for Ray
Ray Morgan. a longstanding member of the band who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2017.
A method had been identified and the plan was to ring it early in 2018 at St Margaret's so that Ray could come and listen to the performance, but sadly on Monday 18th December 2017, Ray died before the method could be rung and named in his honour.
We have now rung the method at Ray's home tower and hope that this will inspire other bell ringers to ring it and support the work of the Motor Neurone Disease Association as well as giving a legacy to our friend and valued member, Ray.
Kent County Association
Sunday, 28 January 2018 in 50 mins
Rochester, Kent Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary Tenor: 30–0–14 in D
1260 Ray Morgan Bob Triples
Composed by Benjamin J Waller
1 Stephen Trafford
2 Amy Wallace
3 Christopher M Trafford
4 Barry Roberts
5 Emma Cundiff
6 Doug Davis
7 Neil Jones (C)
8 Nick Wheeler
1st Quarter Peal in the Method.
Ray Morgan Bob Triples: 7.1.7.1.7.5.7, LE125.
Dedicated to the memory of Ray Morgan, a long standing member of the Cathedral Band,
who died 18th December 2017.
Ray Morgan (20 June 1954 - 18 December 2017)
Centenary Marked of the death of Harold Albert Brand.
Rifleman Harold Albert Brand was tragically killed in the First World War on the 6th September 1916. Along with Charles Stephen, he is remembered on an inscription on the 6tth bell in the tower. To commemorate this event, a quarter peal was rung to his memory.
Saturday 3 September 2016 in 63mins (30-0-14)
2 Roger Pocock
3 Jacqueline Barlow
4 Anita Perryman
5 Ray Morgan
6 Barry Roberts
7 Matthew Jerome
8 Amy Wallace
9 Neil Jones (C)
10 Philip Hills
1st on 10: 7. In memory of Rifleman Harold Albert Brand, a former Chorister at this Cathedral, who was killed in France on 6th September 1916 and is remembered on an inscription on the 6th bell
After the Quarter Peal, we were delighted to be met by Barbara Brigden who is the neice of Harold Brand and she was photographed with the band. Later, the following letter was recieved...
'Thanks you so much on behalf of Barbara Brigden for the magnificent bell ringing you did on behalf of her uncle Harold Brand. She was very moved and it was especially wonderful to meet you all afterwards and take the photographs. We sat and listened to the peal sitting by the war memorial on the High Street. Barabra was telling us that after her mother died (Barbara was only 9 years old at the time – she was born in 1923), she moved into her uncles family home on the High Street which is now Copenhagen Blue. So we were listening to you while sitting only yards from the bedroom where she spent some of her earlier years. Amazing.
Clearly Barbara didn’t know her uncle as he was killed before she was born. But the shadow of his death was cast long over the family and her aunty never really recovered from it. So sad.'
