LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE PONTEFRACT WEBSITE

17 February 2008
JOHN POULSON AND PONTEFRACT TOWN CENTRE by DAVE BARRY
There seem to have been few famous people to originate or emerge from Pontefract - even famous sporting personalities are a rarity - but one Pomfretian who achieved fame or even notoriety in the recent past was the architect John Poulson.

03 January 2008
DISASTER AT DARRINGTON, 18TH SEPTEMBER 1943 by BRIAN LUNN
Following our recent account of the disaster at Darrington in 1943 when a Halifax bomber crashed on to the village of Darrington, we were contacted by the author of the original account of the tragedy, Mr Brian Lunn, who has kindly allowed us to publish his full account of the events on that fateful night.

02 January 2008
GROWING UP IN BAGHILL by JACK DOWNING

02 January 2008
MEMORIES OF THE 1930s by WILLIAM WOOD
One that got away! First published in the September 2006 issue of the Pontefract Digest Magazine, it appears that I overlooked including this account by William Wood on the Pontefract website.

07 December 2007
PONTEFRACT MUSEUM PHOTO GALLERY 9
Another selection of school photographs from Love Lane and St Catherine's schools.

06 December 2007
YEARS IN FOCUS - PONTEFRACT IN 1946
A look back at events from 1946.

05 December 2007
RECOLLECTIONS OF PONTEFRACT - MARGUERITE BOUGHTON
In 1935 when I was five years old I started school at All Saints' Infants. I stayed there for about two years before going on to Northgate School

25 November 2007
A LARK RISING - DAVID LOYNES
Regrettably in 2007 we appear to live in a consumer and finance led society fuelled by an almost obsessive prurient interest in the cult of the celebrity. In terms of today’s values Privates Clegg and Howard would not figure high in any celebrity rating chart but they were men among men prepared to pay the ultimate sacrifice so that we could live in freedom. Whether that sacrifice was justified is another question.

21 November 2007
YEARS IN FOCUS - PONTEFRACT IN 1980
Further additions to our Years in Focus section.

20 November 2007
PONTEFRACT KING'S SCHOOL SONG
PETER COOKSON relates the background to the King's School song and supplies the words written by Frank Forrest.

20 November 2007
DESTRUCTION AT DARRINGTON, SEPTEMBER 1943
It was shortly before 7pm on 18th September 1943, that with all checks carried out, Sergeant E. J. Wilson started each of the Merlin engines in turn, ready for a night flying cross-country exercise.

18 November 2007
YEARS IN FOCUS - PONTEFRACT IN 1959
More additions to our Years in Focus feature.

17 November 2007
YEARS IN FOCUS - PONTEFRACT IN 1944
Items of local interest as reported in our local newspapers.

17 November 2007
YEARS IN FOCUS - PONTEFRACT IN 1948
A single report of an old soldier

19 October 2007
PONTEFRACT KING'S SCHOOL MAGAZINE 1922
A typed version of the King's School Magazine, Volume 3, No. 9., December 1922.
This is an ongoing project and subsequent pages will be added in due course.

15 October 2007
GROWING UP IN GROVETOWN PART FIVE
The final instalment in KEN FOX's recollections of Grovetown, Pontefract.

15 October 2007
WILLOW PARK DOG TRACK
TERRY SPENCER looks at the origins and history of the Willow Park dog racing track.

8 October 2007
WILLIAM: A CONSTANT COMPANION
A short story in ten chapters by JEAN NORFOLK relating the joys and heartaches of keeping a dog.

1 October 2007
DARRINGTON HOTEL: ORIGINS AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT
TERRY SPENCER introduces his latest study which looks at the origins and early developments of Darrington Hotel, Darrington, near Pontefract.