The Nonesuch Bell
APR Bell from the Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery
A rainy Monday!
A rainy Monday!
August 17, 2011
As the camp season come to a nice, gentle close, I just wanted to thank our campers for making this a wonderful summer! And of course, I also wish to thank all of our parents and guardians for helping us make the summer such a special place for your children. Finally, I want to publicly thank our counselors for all of the tremendous work they do - planning and executing great activities and taking the time to get to know their campers and provide them with a wonderful experience. Last night I hosted the staff at our annual staff appreciation dinner. We had a great catered dinner and I thanked the staff, both as a director and as a parent. I told them what parents want for their children - a safe place, a place that their children can make friends, a place where their children can learn, a place their children can grow and a place that helps their children find and refine their passions. As counselors at Camp Nonesuch, that is exactly what they do! And that's why children enjoy this great place so much!
Thanks 2011 Camp Nonesuch Counselors!
A reminder that family night is this Friday evening. An information sheet with the schedule can be found on the downloads page (see link on the left). Hope to see you there!
July 1, 2011 Camp On!
We're off and running! On Monday, June 27th I rang in our 32nd camping season (with the Nonesuch Bell shown on the right!)!
One week down and by all accounts we have, as usual, quite a lot of happy campers! Gimp is being woven, sailing, canoeing, and kayaking lessons took a break for splash day today, woodworking is really on the cutting edge (sorry about that), ceramics projects are taking form, sports games and rockets are taking off and of course, we ended the week with capture the flag - resulting in a not so unusual draw!
The weather has been excellent and we're looking forward to more sun and more importantly another great week with our campers!
Here's wishing you a great Independence Day weekend! Remember, there is no camp on Monday! Enjoy it with your family and we'll see everyone on Tuesday!
June, 2011 Getting Ready!
Well summer is officially here and we're getting things ready for our campers to arrive for the first session on Monday! Just a couple of noticeable changes this summer. The Main Lodge received a new roof in the past month and that included taking down a few trees that were a bit too close to the building. This will make it a bit more bright on those overcast days (which we hope will soon be gone - weather forecasts look good for next week!)
A second improvement is that we've purchased four new sailboats! I'll post pictures soon, when they make their maiden voyages! They are Laser Pico sailboats and we're excited about upgrading our "fleet." The old O'Day Sprites that have served us since the founding of Camp Nonesuch can now have a well deserved rest!
March, 2011 The Swans Have Returned
A sure sign that the weather has taken a turn away from winter and into spring is the return of the swans on Nonesuch Pond. Each spring and fall they migrate through the area
December, 2010 The Nonesuch Bell!
As some of you know, each summer I ring in the camp season on the first day of camp and ring out the end of the season on the last day of camp with a bell that has become known affectionately as "The Nonesuch Bell." I'm not exactly sure how long the bell has been a part of the camp, but I do know it's starred in at least one Nonesuch Video and has become the central part of an important Camp Nonesuch tradition.
When I became director many years ago, I found the bell hanging on the outside of the old office. It took a number of weeks for me to notice it as the brass was so tarnished it was well camouflaged against the brown cabin wall! One afternoon I took it down to examined it. Inscribed on the outside lip of the bell were the initials, "ARP" on one side, and "G & J 1939" on the other. Attempts at determining its origin and history were unsuccessful. I fashioned a handle out of a few wood spools and a wooden ball and placed it in on the mantle of the office fireplace, a place of prominence where it waited proudly to dispatch it's new duties!
Recently I did a little more research and discovered that our little bell has quite a history. It turns out that the "ARP" stands for "Air Raid Precaution." The bell was used in Great Britain during World War II by the Air Raid Precaution Wardens. The ARP bell's function was to declare an "all clear," letting residents know that it was safe to be outside again.
The following information is from the Plymouth (England) City Museum and Art Gallery web page.
(http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/museumblitzimages2?pic=121828)
"Air Raid Precaution Warden’s (ARP) Bell
"There were around 1.4 million Air Raid Precaution (ARP) Wardens in Britain during World War Two. Their duties included supervision of air-raid shelters, enforcement of the night-time 'black-out' and providing help following bomb damage, such as rescue or demolition. Items of equipment such as this hand-bell were essential to the speedy and efficient execution of their duties.
"The ARP Warden Service came into being in 1937, followed in January 1938 by the ARP Act which compelled local authorities to create ARP schemes. Many of Britain's 1.4 million wardens were part-time volunteers. All were expected to have detailed knowledge of their local area.
"The hand bell was intended to be rung to sound the 'All Clear' signal, this could cause confusion with the 'Raiders Passed' signal. The latter was sounded on the siren as a continuous steady note, and signified that enemy aircraft were not threatening that particular district.
"According to Air Raid Precaution Handbook No.8, The Duties of Air Raid Wardens:
"The cancellation of the local gas warning will be by hand bells, rung through the streets of the [warden's] sector. Hand bells may also be used to repeat the Raiders Passed signal but only if gas is not about. Hand bells will in fact be an "All Clear" signal, which is different from the Raiders Passed signal, since the latter will be sounded on receipt of the message from the national centre, whether or not there is gas in the locality."
So our little bell has come a long way, both geographically and functionally! Once signaling that all was safe during very difficult times, it now it rings us into each camp season heralding a safe place for children to explore and play!
November 2010
The camp now is under a carpet of orange, yellow, and brown, as the leaves that shaded the campers over the summer have changed and painted the fields and trails!
Post Camp, August 2010!
First rainy monday of the summer! Thank goodness the season closed on Friday on the most beautiful day of the summer, a clear blue sky, 85°, low humidity!
The pictures on the right are from those rainy days at the end of August.
