Central Branch

Wilfrid F Moreton M.B.E. – A Personal Appreciation

It would be hard to imagine anyone in the Yorkshire Association who had not met Wilf and experienced his love of bellringing. He could be at times a very self willed person, but he was motivated by one thing, a deep desire for all matters concerned with the ringing of church bells. This desire was sometimes difficult for others to understand, but his will to achieve the very best for not only the Central Branch and the Yorkshire Association, but also for anything connected with bellringing was his prime consideration.

It is interesting to look back 46 years to an article “Servants of the Exercise” printed in the Ringing World on November 18th 1960, which featured Wilf in a year during which he rang 26 peals for the Yorkshire Association. 2 of those peals are noted in the YACR report for the achievement of the band under his leadership, which had rung peals of Spliced Minor on 74 and 98 methods; this being the highest number of methods rung for the Association at that time. He is justifiably described by the Ringing World as a true Yorkshireman, but he also had strong links with Herefordshire; eventually serving as a Vice President for both the Yorkshire Association and the Hereford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers.

His contribution to the YACR Central Branch is immeasurable; he was there at its inaugural meeting held at Wragby on November 10th 1973, where his close friend Trevor Tarbatt chaired the meeting. The following year he was instrumental in the setting up of the Branch Ringing Course, which continues to be successful to this day. He was an enthusiastic committee member of the branch for more than 25 years; also managing to find the time to be President of the YACR for 6 years from 1984 to 1990, and to serve on the Central Council, as well as organising the Hereford Ringing Course each year. His commitment was rightly recognised, when in 1997 he was awarded an M.B.E. for his services to bellringing.

It was through a conversation with him one Sunday morning in the spring of 1988, outside Wakefield Cathedral whilst the bells were ringing above us, that I was encouraged by him to go along to a practice. I have made so many friends and have rung at many towers since then, all of which has been because of those initial encouraging words from him.

I am sure that all of those who knew him will have their own memories of Wilf; mine will be of that Sunday morning when thanks to him, I began something which was to become a lifelong interest. Thank you Wilf, your love of bellringing will be missed by so many people, especially me.

The regard with which he was held both locally, and throughout the ringing world can perhaps be measured in the number of peals and quarter peals which have been rung in recognition of his lifetime’s contribution to bellringing, details of those rung to date can be seen on the following pages.

John A Courtney
10 December 2006

Reproduced with kind permission of the Ringing World – November 18th 1960

Ringing performed in memory of Wilf