The McKnight's Scrap-book

The McKnight's Scrap-Book , 2024

Welcome to the McKnight's Family Web-site ....Welcome to the McKnight's Family Web-site....Welcome to the McKnight's Family Web-site

Some quick links about our life.

Meet the Family

Welcome back after a brief hiatus! The site is under restoration! Bear with us.


Our daughter Penny reckons we "scrub up well!"

Welcome to all our friends, and we hope that you will care to browse through our scrap-book. See links left and above.
It includes some items from our more recent activities, based on our home in Hale, which is near Altrincham, Cheshire, England;
and even nearer Manchester International Airport.England
This web-site also hosts a major historical archive,
including world war memorial details. history nia mcknights.org.uk
Jim has always been proud of the fact that he met Alan Turing twice. The truth is that he failed to realise just how important this man was, and missed the opportunity to ask more about him. Turing, ever the ideal supervisor, showed more interest in Jim's work than in discussing his own, especially as his major achievements were still a State Secret. Now, Andrew Hodge has set the record straight in a web-site dedicated to
Alan Turing.

A re-union 0f "the Glastonbury Girls"

After over forty years, three girls from our avenue meet again.

Wendy, Jacqui(our daughter) and Ann.

Ann, (left) lives nearby inTimperley

Jacqui (centre left) lives in Whalley Range, Manchester

Kathryn, (centre), still in Glastonbury Avenue, Hale

Wendy, (right), emigrated to the U.S.A.

Our granddaughter Cora, has not featured recently on this site.

She studid for a period at Osaka University, Japan.

Covid restrictions were strict there, and it is rare to see her without a facemask.

It seems the recent hot weather encouraged her to adopt the national dress

 

Cora has now graduated from Leeds University,

and is now seeking a career in Japam.

An unexpected pleasure: A visit from Jim Morgan and family.
They emigrated to Perth, Australia
48 years ago!

A Reunion After 65 Years!

Whilst visiting the RAF museum at Cosford, we came across this Chipmunk trainer.
It was the actual plane in which the Duke of Edinburgh learned to fly in 1952.
In 1953 it was loaned to the Liverpool University Air Squadron for their Easter camp, when it was flown by Jim (centre).
Jim is accompanied by Kate, and daughter Penny.

Jim's recollection is that the Duke's plane was then identified by blue linage in either side of the fuselage.
The plane has since been repainted in original RAF trainer livery. It was placed in the museum in 1977.


In 2019, being the centenary of the end of World War One, we held an exhibition in our church to commemorate the lives of past members, and relatuives of present members who served our country and gave their lives.
The following link directs you to many of these stories. War-history
Just one small part of the exhibitioon, showing many medals,
some rare, some unique
.
OUR FORGOTTEN WAR POET

One accidental find was the story of a member's uncle, who died in 1917, aged 24. Holder of the Military Medal, he wrote poetry, some of it very poignant. Read his story and his poetry here.

We are pleased to note that Rik Jundi now works full time as a photographer of distinction.


Check out the unique style of his work yourself.

Click here: http://rikjundiphotographer.co.uk/



Denis Law at home. (click to enlarge)

My recollections of the Liverpool Blitz

When the photograph shown here was seen on television, from a war-time archive recently discovered by Merseyside Police, I recognised it!

It was the first bomb in our area of Liverpool in August 1940. I was seven years old and went to see it. The photo is exactly what I saw.

Time, I thought, to put down my rememberance of the Blitz, Liverpool being the most bombed British city outside of London. You can read my memoir here.

The story of Altrincham United Reformed church
featuring Hale Congregational Church, which was a WW1 hospital
and the complete Roll of Honour for both World Wars for five churches.

Recently we have been involved in recording the history of our church. An address Jim McKnight gave in May 2014 included a few details of the history of the Hale church which became a WW1 hospital. At the time we were meeting in the original chapel whilst our main church was being refurbished. Jeremy Cocker researched the stories of the soldiers from our five original churches/chapels who died in the war. The history was expanded and stories from our member families were collected for a WW1 centenary exhibition in November 2014. More WW2 material was added in 2016. All this has been collected in one archive.

This is the link (you need a PDF reader for the roll of Honour): history nia mcknights.org.uk

A Flamenco Dance evening raises £2700 for the Christie Charity.

Our Friendship Area proved to be an ideal setting for this fund-raising event

click on the photo for more information

And see what we have done with our old Epidiascope... click here

 

      
   

Rick (and Jim) take to the air!

Rick used to be an aerial photographer,
Jim flew with the RAF (over 60 years ago!)

Now, thanks to our friendly pilot Phil (right)
we had a chance to relive old times.

See the photos here!

And now.. Overflight of Eaton Hall
     
 

 

 

 

Cora won a Photographic Competition

The photo on the right - entitled "GI-Jive" recently won top prize in a competition run by National Geographic Kids.

It was taken at the Altrincham International Food Festival, and shows a demonstration of the Jive, introduced to Britain by GIs during WWII
To see a larger version, click on the photo. This photo is copyrighted.

 

And now..

Cora danced for us

Click on the picture to see and hear her.

You may prefer to download the wmv file first.

Still available..CORA SINGS! Click here

 

 

The McKnight's Archive.
Recording various activities from time to time
Cora Archive

A collection of photos belonging to the family.
an easier way of disseminating material than by email.
 These photos are strictly copyright

 

A Family Reunion.

Rick, Jacqui, Penny, cousin Susan and Robert

Jim, Cora, Kate.

 

Our 80 min presentation "Today in the Holy Land" has been very successful locally, and has helped raise some much needed money for the enclosed town of Bethlehem. Another shared presentation, "West Bank Story" was able to include the Jewish perspective on the problems in Israel. We have decided not to try and reproduce these PowerPoint presentations here, because they are usually given with live commentary involving several people with recent knowledge of the Holy Land. And it varies, according to the prevailing political situation.

 

Capernaum from the Sea of Galilee

Golgotha

 

Sadly, we have had to give up our holiday place in Derbyshire.

Still, we recommend the site to anyone.

Visit the Newhaven Holiday Park, in Derbyshire.

 

 

 


 

...We would love to hear from you:-

....................................................................................................................Jim & Kate McKnight

................................................................December 2014

 

 

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