The Ash Aspect: A ‘Flying’ Kite, A Red Kite and Remembering a Local Gent

Published on: 7 Nov, 2016
Updated on: 11 Nov, 2016

We are keen to cater for readers in all parts of Guildford Borough but our limited resources make this a challenge – so it is especially good, following the recent addition of the Effingham Eye, to introduce an occasional column that will focus on Ash & Tongham affairs, “The Ash Aspect” written by Ash resident, David Reading. Ed.

By David Reading

Standing at the bus stop gives you time to wonder about the deeper things in life. Like why the bus I am about to board is named “The Kite”.

“The Kite” bus at Guildford bus station in March 2015, still showing the route number 20. Photo – Hec Tate (Flickr).

For decades it was the Number 20, then someone decided it needed a name.

But why “The Kite”? Once you start wondering about things like this, they can drive you mad.

A “Kite” bus as it is now with no route number.

My neighbour, who takes The Kite twice a week from Ash to Aldershot, agreed it was a mystery and asked me to seek out the truth. Reluctant to sound like an anorak, I avoided ringing the bus company directly and instead sent them a faceless email.

The person who replied wasn’t sure of the answer. He said it was probably “something to do with the service being relatively direct and sort of ‘flying’ between places”. He directed me to another department, and eventually I got the answer.

The name Kite was dreamed up by the Stagecoach marketing team. Names for routes were derived from children’s games – such as Marbles, Scoot, Yo-Yo and Connect (as in Connect 4). It’s what is known as a rebrand.

The route through Ash was called The Kite – presumably to make the journey to Aldershot seem more alluring to the modern traveller.

It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but it’s a small thing to have to live with.

But there is one change that many of us would like to see. We’d like to see bus companies – and the railways for that matter – lowering their fares. Then we could all afford to do our bit for the planet and leave our cars at home.

A red kite

And now some thoughts on another sort of kite. The other morning I watched a couple of crows mobbing a much bigger bird in the skies over Ash.

Their target was a red kite, a magnificent bird of prey that is unmistakable with its angled wings and forked tail.

This image of a red kite over Stoughton was captured by The Dragon’s regular bird watching columnist Malcolm Fincham.

A few years ago such a scene would have been unthinkable outside Wales. The red kite was once near extinction in the UK, but thanks to conservationists, it has made an amazing comeback.

Not everyone is as fascinated as I am. During a family holiday in Wales in 1998 I bundled the kids in the back of the car and set off throughout the countryside east of Aberystwyth hoping to catch a glimpse of one of these iconic birds.

The girls had hoped to go to the beach that day. I was not a good dad for subjecting them to this idiotic mission. In fact the day ended in failure. I didn’t spot a single one.

Nowadays I can catch a glimpse just by stepping step outside my back door.

[You would see plenty of red kites east of Aberystwyth now, especially near the red kite feeding station by Rhayader. Ed]

Remembering Henry Tyndale

Henry Tyndale

Taking a morning walk through Ash Green, I suddenly remembered Henry Tyndale.

Few people living in Ash today are likely to have heard of Henry, but he was a remarkable man and something of a local legend.

He fought in North Africa in the Second World War. He was imprisoned by the Nazis. Later he lost his two wives and two of his children in heart-rending circumstances.

He bore all this with courage and fortitude. After his death he had a school named after him to commemorate his work on behalf of children with learning difficulties.

When I first met Henry in 1970, I was 23 years old and trying to make a living as a folk singer. Henry was a middle-aged retired Army officer – a country gentleman with a large family.

We had next to nothing in common but we grew to be friends after I became Henry’s tenant at The Croft, a large house in Foreman Road that has recently been demolished to make way for a housing estate with the same name.

Henry and his family lived in one half of the house, while I rented the other half with a succession of different sub-tenants. We were casual, almost disrespectful, in the way we behaved, playing our records loudly into the early hours. Not once did he complain, but remained kind and cheerful.

At the time I had no idea of his wartime experiences but I can well believe the stories of how he became a key figure in the escape committees. It is said that he was also a leading light in the camp dramatics.

Henry faced terrible personal tragedy later in life but threw himself into raising money for MENCAP and the Grange School for children with learning difficulties.

After his death in 1996, his efforts over many years were honoured when a new Farnborough school was renamed the Henry Tyndale School in his memory.

The school has paid tribute to the fact that he was a great friend to pupils, parents and staff alike.

An obituary said: “He was a man of enormous integrity, a kind and considerate gentleman who was loved by everyone, a person who accepted all and loved them in return.”

That’s the Henry Tyndale I remember.

If you have any news about Ash & Tongham you feel should be reported please write to David Reading at: ashdragonnews@gmail.com

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