W B
Harris – This your life – Part Three
1947 - On 17th January Rosalie Ruth is born at
Rawdon Manse.
In September of that year your son Bernard starts school.
1948 seems to have been a year of illnesses with whooping
cough, mumps and measles and chicken pox spreading through the family.
In June 1949 your wife’s parents celebrate their golden wedding
anniversary.
By 1950 Rosalie had started Sunday School and your wife was
helping with guides at Bramhope. Both yours and Mrs. Harris’ contribution to
the development of Scout and Guide work while at Rawdon seems a notable feature
of your stay there, in addition to your other pastoral work. We hope you will
smile with us as we pause a while to recall for you some incidents and
recollections of those scouting and guiding days in Rawdon.
“BE PREPARED”!! Rosalie
remembers what life was like for you, Mr. Harris, as your wife became involved
in the guide movement first as Captain and later as Commissioner.
“One of the features of early days at Rawdon was your
training as baby sitter and general housekeeper while your wife went
gallivanting on Guide activities. Admittedly, sometimes you had a short respite
while she went off to camp taking the children with her, but even on those
occasions life wasn’t really worth living before or after. For weeks before
there would be the garden swamped with Guides and tents, supposedly practising
how to pitch and strike. Then there’d be billy cans and guys (ropes, not the
others!) all over the house. No sooner had the peace of the solitary life
begun, than the day would arrive when you had to trundle wheelbarrows over to
the place where the lorry would depose Guides, tents, etc. and act as porter to
the person who had by far the most luggage of anyone (after all, a Captain had
to “Be Prepared”!). Almost inevitably the days following camp would be featured
by soggy tents draped over chairs (after a wet “strike”), and dirty black pans
to clean. These activities, all part of the bonus of having an energetic wife,
were in later years to be replaced by regular invasions of the Guide leaders of
the district for their business meetings. At least on these occasions you had
the support of younger members of the family, who arranged booby trap chairs, and
doors that locked on the wrong side at the end of the meetings.”
Mrs. Joan Illingworth also remembers some amusing events from guiding
days and she has written to us passing on her good wishes to you both and
recalling the following incidents.
“Mrs. Smithies had sent invitations out galore, for
the Brownies’ 21st party, and we expected about 100 people. In fact only about
20 came, plus of course the Rawdon and Guiseley Guides and Brownies and the
then District Commissioner, who I think was Mrs. Halliday.
“The concert party would have been out of place at the
“I think it is the only time I have ever heard Mr.
Harris say any caustic comment, but as the Guides prepared for their last
number which was a rendering of songs of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England,
while they unrolled ribbons which finally made up the Union Jack, he announced
that the Guides would now close our concert in a manner more in keeping with
our usual standards, or words to that effect. Then “Land of Hope and Glory” was
sung, for England of course, Mr. Harris led the singing at the top of his voice
and we all sang as if our lives depended on it, standing up for it at that.”
“Another funny little incident which I did not witness
but heard about from Mrs. Harris, was after one of the first camps which she
took for the Rawdon Guides. It was not a happy camp and tale-telling and
letters from mothers telling their daughters how they missed them and so on
came thick and fast, and all in all I gather Captain and Lieutenant - I can’t
remember who that was - had had a harrowing and traumatic experience with Guides
weeping all over the place.
“The crowning bit was on the Sunday after they came
home and in Church at Rawdon in the morning service, Mr. Harris, who always
prepared his sermons well in advance, and who never, to my recollection, opened
his mouth and put his foot in it, gave out the text for his sermon which was
“and they stood in the doors of their tents weeping”. Again I think I have got
the story right”.
In a similar vein writes Mrs. Margaret Hardisty who also wishes to be
remembered to you and writes:-
“The Scout Group was started at Rawdon during Mr.
Harris’s ministry and he was a very capable and helpful President of the group.
The Guides were also started by Mrs. Harris and she did a lot of good work
amongst the girls.
“We had great times working together at the Annual
Barbecue - and Mrs. Harris has never been allowed to forget about the Scouts
and Guides and her comment of going into the woods[1].
Only mention the woods - Cragg Wood - and she knows!”
And what about those woods? Your daughter Marguerite fills in some of
the details:-
“ “To the woods” was the cry of Mrs. Harris and her
Guides for patrol camps, and, according to the undersigned’s recollection, this
fact is mentioned in the Doomsday book (copyright of the Annual “Men’s
Effort”). These same woods cropped up on successive years on a desert island,
in a Butlins holiday camp and one notable also for being near where the ark
came to rest (where else did the bird get that twig?).
“On the move to Coleford, there was the amended cry of
“To the fresh woods and pastures new”. Later of course, when Katie was Captain,
a second Mrs. Harris took her Guides “to the woods”.”
Three little girls from
Rawdon are we,
Commissioner Harris we have
come to see,
She taught us Guide songs and
took us to camp
How to cope with the Scouts, and keep out the damp.
We learnt how to strike and tie little knots,
To cook in the open and de-black the pots ;
We’ve followed her trail, and now that “We’re Ere”
We must send her off with a
good rousing cheer.
Anon.
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Guides with Mrs. Harris |
Guides and - - where is
Mrs. Harris? - - gone to the woods of course! |
In August you and Bernard go to Stony Stratford for a holiday while Mrs.
Harris and Rosalie are at guide camp. It also seems to have been a vintage year
for raspberry jam - for we understand that you made 21 Ib. that summer!! In
October your wife is unwell, but by December 1951 little Harris “Mk 3”
is starting to make her presence felt!
1952 - On 6th May your second daughter, Marguerite
Mary is born, and in November and December of that year a number of baptisms
take place at both Rawdon and Guiseley. Do you remember this little incident
which is recalled by Joan Illingworth?
“I think the most impressive incident to stick in my
mind was Mr. Harris’s first baptismal service at Guiseley, when June Wight was
baptised[2]. Due
in part to the war when the young people had been away, Guiseley Baptist Church
had had no baptisms for some long time, and it was a great joy to us all when
June asked for baptism.
“The baptistry was opened and on the Friday evening
Mr. Illingworth set the tap running to fill the baptistry and made arrangements
to put in the water an immersion heater which he floated on a board and which
would be switched on on the Sunday morning. All went well, the water was still
running in on the Saturday evening, and at about 6.0 a.m. on Sunday I was
awakened by Mr. Illingworth with an order to light the fire and put our immersion
heater on, hot water was needed at Chapel.
“What had happened was that due to the long disuse of
the baptistry there was a leak somewhere and also the bricks surrounding it had
dried out and were absorbing water, with the result that the baptistry had
approximately six inches of water in the bottom. At that time we kept a large
part of the stock of our hardware shop in the cellar at our house in Richmond
Terrace, and included in this stock were a number of brand new galvanised
dustbins, and on a blazing hot day we kept our fire going and the immersion
heater burning, while Mr. Illingworth “ferried” dustbins full of hot water up
to Chapel. He was not alone, at the Church Mr. Harris and the Deacons and some
of the young people were likewise filling buckets of water from the kitchen at
the Chapel, and from the boiler there and carrying them through to the
baptistry.
“If I remember rightly the Baptistry then held 800
gals. It was made smaller after this event by building another layer of glazed
bricks on the inside. Mr. Harris might remember how much water was needed and I
may be way out in my recollections, but I can assure you that it was like
filling a bottomless well.
“We managed, it, and like so many things into which so
much concern and thought, to say nothing of prayers that all would be well for
June, everything was marvellous. The water was still icy cold, but the service
and atmosphere were terrific and at the close, during the singing of the last
hymn, Margaret Pawson came forward and put her hand in Mrs. Young’s and said
she too wanted to be baptised.
“At the close of all Mr. Harris’s baptismal services,
for this was only the first of many, there was always a long silence, as if
no-one wanted to break the spell, no-one moved and it always seemed too soon
when Mr. Wight got up and opened the doors at the back of the Church. It
wasn’t, it just seemed so.”
In 1953 you begin giving lessons in Classical Greek to the
students at
The Seat with the Hole and Other Stories!
How well do you remember your deacons’ meetings from Rawdon days Mr.
Harris? I wonder if you remember these two from Mrs. Hardisty:
“Two little incidents which I heard from my husband
after Deacons’ Meetings - as you know he was very much down to earth. A new
W.C. seat was wanted at the Manse and I think it was Mr. Winn who suggested a
“solid wooden” one - to which Arthur[3]
replied “Nay, you want one with a hole in”. On another occasion there was a
very poor supply of water at the Manse and Arthur went to investigate (the
Deacons’ Meetings were at the Manse). He went back to the meeting and told them
he could ‘spit as fast’.
“When we heard you were leaving Rawdon to go to
Coleford, we were all dumbfounded. We had never heard of Coleford and had to
look it up on the map. Arthur informed Mr. and Mrs. Harris that they were going
out as Missionaries to convert the heathen. I know he has done good work there,
even though it was not quite like going to “foreign parts”.”
Visit of the Rev. B. Peake
Mrs. Illingworth again recalls:-
“Another incident, or series of incidents, were the
visits of the Rev. Ben Peake, which was followed by a visitation of the homes
in Guiseley done by Church members, students from the College, and members of
the Y.P.F. with a Saturday night Rally at which Mr. Peake addressed a crowded
Church. This was followed afterwards by a “Squash” in the schoolroom and he
then took the services on the Sunday. Mr. Harris did an enormous amount of work
behind the scenes, both before and after these events, which were held for
three years on the trot, and particularly one year, the weekend resulted in
four applications for baptism. I think Leslie Harrison, John Fawcett, John
Craven, and I am not sure if it wasn’t Julie Jackson. Again I may be wrong with
the names[4].
“I think it was during Mr. Harris’s ministry too that
one Whitsuntide when we were having our usual Whit Sunday Service at Guiseley
Cross, the weather was very threatening, and as we started, the second hymn the
heavens opened and the Band just covered their instruments under their coats
and went full tilt back to Trinity Methodist Church. That would have been funny
enough in itself but the verse we were singing was “When from Sinai’s heights
in sudden torrents dread”. I feel sure Mr. Harris was there on that occasion.”
1954 – [Guiseley] Church outing to
Another family shot
Mr. Harris the “Reaper”.
In May 1954 you receive the gift of a gramophone and some records, (worth going to the dentist!). Marguerite remembers especially “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” and the fact that a spring fell out of the instrument!! Rosalie, showing different tastes, innocently remembers “Show me the way to go home”.
More Reminiscences
Do you remember Mr. James Winn? He sends his kind regards and recalls
the following features of your ministry.
“The Bulletin.
We started the Bulletin in Mr. Harris’ days as Minister and later a
Bulletin was taken to every house in Little
“Financial Problems. We faced the problem of putting
in the electric boiler which greatly improved our heating, also putting tubular
heating under the seats. This cost about £950. The money was raised by loan and
gifts from members and friends, and was paid for immediately work was
completed.”
“The Church was also decorated and for this we
borrowed from the
Mr. Jones also adds a few memories by telling us that you were the first
Baptist minister from Rawdon to hold the part time chaplaincy of Menston
hospital. He also remembers a funeral at which the total number of mourners
were the undertaker, a hospital representative and yourself, and which took
place on “a miserable cold and foggy day in November”.
Finally, Mrs. Hardisty tells us more about the nature of your witness
and work at that time.
“My memories of Mr. Harris are that he always went
quietly about his work in a very unassuming manner - he did so much good that
few people knew about. If I am not mistaken, there was a lady lived down
“I have just had the Trinity Missions Treasurer, Peter
Gray, who is a Methodist and went to school at Guiseley. He well remembers Mr.
Harris conducting services twice a week for school children; prior to that they
had all gone to C. of E. but the scheme to have a separate service for
non-conformists was started in your father’s time and he worked in with the
Methodist Minister.”
[Photo - interior of Cragg Baptist,
Rawdon]
1955 - Great Aunt Helena from
In 1957 you went to Stony Stratford for their 500th Anniversary
celebrations and in September of that year John Brooks comes to lodge with you.
1958 was a proud and exciting year for the family.
Firstly your son Bernard played the organ at his first service, and secondly
Christmas is animated by your parents’ golden wedding. 1957
The following year, 1959, Bernard plays for a complete
performance of Stainer’s “Crucifixion”, Also in that year you become President
of the Bradford and District Association of Baptist Churches. In June your
wife’s parents celebrate their Diamond Wedding anniversary and you all visit
Soham for the occasion.
Transcribers’ note - the years are wrong here; my first service at the organ was at age 14, hence 1956; the Crucifixion was the next year or 1958 at the latest - by 1959 I was 17 and playing at Kirkstall Methodist regularly. [BJH]
By 1961, you are thinking of moving from Rawdon after fifteen
happy years in the beautiful Yorkshire dales area and so in July you visit
Coleford in the
“During my visits I have been impressed by the friendliness and the
sincerity of all I have met, and feel that my family and I could be happy among
you”.
In September Bernard moves to
“I well remember the farewell party in the schoolroom.
There seemed to be a special atmosphere and I felt that God himself was
present, blessing Mr. Harris and family and all of us. When the pressures of
life felt heavy, one had the feeling when at Church that God was present and
one had no need to fear.”
Now a new chapter in your career begins at Coleford.
Link to next section, or
return to cover page of “This is your life”.