RAOB outing to Bournemouth

Just over a week ago we published a photo of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffalos in a charabanc on the edge of the Market Place in Market Lavington. It was captioned with the title given to this blog. As no year was given we cannot be sure whether this was another charabanc on the same outing or a different year. We suspect it was the same year.

RAOB outing to Bournemouth in Market Lavington

This photo is on High Street in Market Lavington just outside the Burgess’s shop. At the top left we can make out their ‘photographers and frame makers’ sign.

Sign over Burgess shop on High Street

This photo has a postcard back, but no publisher given. Hopefully one of the Burgess Brothers took it! It has a Burgess style of caption.

Almost inevitably we do not recognise any people so once again we hope we can get some guidance on that.

As usual in times past, a couple of householders have got into the photo!

That’s the Co-op, which still exists, behind the back of the bus.

 

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Another Charabanc Outing

In some cases it can be hard to identify old charabanc pictures. To most of us fairly uninitiated folks we can’t look at a 1920s bus and say what company it belonged to. And many of the photos were taken during ‘comfort’ breaks, often at Salisbury, where a photographer could take a photo on an outward run to the coast and have prints ready for sale on the return. But this one is actually in Market Lavington Market Place.

Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffalos outing to Bournemouth in Market Lavington

As usual, the photographer has concentrated on the buying public. They have been included and the charabanc itself has lost its front end

A caption has been added more or less along the running plate of the coach. It says R.A.O.B. outing to Bournemouth. So we know where it was going and that the people on board were connected to the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes.

Present day viewers would not recognise this as The Market Place for this is the area of the village which has seen most alterations and more than once. The rather fine house behind the coach was once a doctor’s house. At some point it was partially demolished and became a part of Fred Sayer’s bus garage. Behind the right hand end of this vehicle we can make out the top of Northbrook. The last of the pollarded trees was removed during the most recent renovation of the Market House.

The charabanc looks to have solid wheels. They probably didn’t give a very comfortable ride but no doubt the passengers wouldn’t mind. They’d have been determined to enjoy that rare treat – a day by the sea.

We don’t recognise the passengers but just in case anybody else does we’ll zoom in on them.

 

Lodge Meat Buffet

This image arrived in the recent collection of photos mostly connected with the Cooper family of Market Lavington.

But first we are looking at the message on the back of the photo.

Believed to be a meeting of the RAOB

This clearly says ‘Lodge meat buffet Tuesday’.

We think this refers to the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes who met at the former pub, The Kings Arms. What we do not know is whether the photo of three men has anything to do with that message.

Three men on the front of the card

This is one of our regular appeals for help. Can anybody name the men? It’s possible that the man on the right is sitting on the balustrade we now have in the museum. That man is also holding a very cute kitten.

One holds a kitten

We look forward to hearing from you.

RAOB medal

The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes was quite a big group in Market Lavington. The Enterprise Lodge used to meet in the Kings Arms where, no doubt, the men had a good time as they decided how to spend such money as there was on worthy causes. The Buffs, as they called themselves, had been founded in 1822 so it was a fraternal society of long standing.

In 1935, Reginald Chapman acquired a Silver Jubilee medal.

Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes medallion from 1935

We know nothing about this medal. It may have been something purchased as a show of royal loyalty but it is engraved on the reverse.

It belonged to Reginald Alfred Chapman of Market Lavington

There we have Brother R A Chapman of Enterprise Lodge, number 3599. Brother Reginald Alfred Chapman lived at 21 Spin Hill. We have documentary evidence for him being there between 1939 and the early 1960s.

We THINK Reginald may have been born in Cheverell in 1905 but by 1911 his widowed mother was in the London area. He may have died in 1991.