Robert Ashby, Librarian of the public library in Hitchin Hertfordshire who had been called up in 1940, volunteered to join the new Glider Pilot Regiment which had been created by the British Army after Churchill had seen the effective use of gliders by the Germans in the invasion of Crete in 1941. Robert took part in the Pegasus Bridge operation on D-Day and was at Arnhem and the final Crossing of the Rhine in April 1945.
He wrote his war memories around the time of the 50th anniversary, when he contributed to the establishment of the D-Day museum and following his death in 2019 at the age of 103, they were edited and published.
Michael Ashby is Robert Ashby’s second son. He was a criminal lawyer in Exeter and is now a guide at Exeter Cathedral (following in the footsteps of his mother, Jeane, who was a guide here in Chichester). It was at Exeter that he met Jonathan Walker, a military historian and author, who, recognising the importance of this first-hand account, has edited the text and brought it to publication.
At the Cathedral Fellowship members of the congregation and their friends gather together informally, to greet old friends and to make new ones. If you are new to the Congregation, it’s an excellent opportunity to meet new people and to begin to feel at home. We meet once a month for a talk or presentation on a wide range of topics, some of which are related to the Cathedral and Christian belief and practice and others are of more general interest. All our presenters are informal and approachable. There no tickets and no membership, though we ask for a donation to cover expenses.
We are meeting at Vicars' Hall with the talk followed by questions and discussion and the all-important cup of tea. We start at 2.15pm and the gathering lasts about 75 minutes.
Everyone is very welcome.
For further information contact Richard Ashby fellowship@chichestercathedral.org.uk or 01243 372234