Captain W. S. (Bill) Jaeger (born 1922 and died 1995)

November 2005.... the view to the north to Chanctonbury Ring on the horizon.

November 2005.

Boxing Day 2005

Dear Valerie,

Screaming Bill Jaeger

I have only today been told about your website.

A friend of my mother's had found it and passed the details on to me today.

Although my mother knew of this nickname, I have only just found out that my father was known as "Screaming Bill"!

Anyway, Captain Bill Jaeger MN was my father.  I am one of his four children and was born and brought up in Worthing. We spent our childhood in Offington and often walked on the Downs up tp Cissbury Ring or went blackberrying along the bridlepath towards the Ring from Warren Road.

Dad wasn't often around as he spent his working life as a mariner on cargo and, mainly, oil tankers so was away for many months at a time.

It was mainly due to my Mother's efforts that we spent much of our childhood on the Downs.  We all had the chance to learn to ride and my sister and I were pony mad girls riding from Granny Francis' Offington Hall Stables ( where I also spent many weekedns earning a free ride to the field on Findon Road) and from Ivy Arch Stables on Stable Lane, Findon, where we learned much from Miss Edna Seaward.  So we both know the Downs around Findon very well indeed.

Of course my memories of my father are rather different from those who worked in his crews.

He did have a short fuse but was also great fun and would be a strong supporter for a cause in which he believed.

When he retired from the sea he involved himself in a number of local causes, mainly in conservation and the countryside.

He was deeply concerned that what he saw as the obsession with road building and the use of roads for almost all freight movements was short-sighted and would be regretted. Hence his opposition to the proposed route for the A27 through the South Downs.  He spent very many hours attending the Public Enquiry, preparing responses and publicising the case against this route.

In this he and his colleagues in the "STOP" group were successful, along with many
other groups and individuals.

My father was not anti-car, indeed he loved classic cars and car racing.  He was concerned that the car should be the servant of people and not allowed to dominate by ill thought out and irreversible road construction and transport policies.

He advocated the use of sea and rail for freight as a more environmentally sound means of transporting goods.

He also advocated the use of local shops and suppliers to reduce food miles and unnecessary transportation of goods and livestock from one central point to another
and back again.

My father was brought up in Shoreham, attending Shoreham Grammar School.  His mother was widowed when my Dad was very young.  She brought up Dad and his sister Joan by herself.  Dad spent all his spare time around the many ships in Shoreham Harbour and was always destined to go to sea. He saw himself through Merchant Navy College and became a Cadet Officer.

Eventually he became a Master and was the Senior Master with LOF when he retired - a self-made man.

His great interest was navigation across the oceans and across the great land masses.  He was very involved in the Institute of Navigation.

Of his family: my mother, one brother and I still live here in Worthing.  Our only regret was that Dad didn't live to see the decision to make the South Downs a National Park: he would have been cock-a-hoop at that!

We were delighted that the National Trust agreed to a plaque being placed on what we think of as "Dad's Bench" up on Cissbury. We do visit there when walking our dogs and are proud of our Dad's contribution to preserving that view and scenery which could otherwise have been lost forever, becoming just another noisy dual carriageway.

With best wishes,

Honor J Byford, Worthing, West Sussex.

28th December 2005

Dear Valerie

Thank you for including my father in your website.

My sister has written enough already and hopes to show the website to Mum.

My cousin Margie in USA ( one of his sister's two daughters ) read it too on Christmas Day when we told her about it.

He loved the Downs as did all our family.

Best Regards

Julia Jaeger

20th January 2006

Hi Valerie

Bill Jaegar

l was very interested in your web site as l sailed at one time with Bill Jaeger.

I joined the London Loyalty in 1956 as 3rd mate, Bill was First Mate and the Captain was Capt Williamson, all three of us were from Worthing and l also attended Shoreham Grammer School although a lot later than Bill.

This is not very startling information or very useful but possibly slightly interesting.

Regards John Bond

22nd February 2006

Valerie,
 
You are writing like an Arboriculture Expert!

Are you hiding your light...?
 
Your breadth of knowledge always astounds me - I now "take it for granted"!
 
(Don't go and get all wet!)
 
Peter.

Katie indicates the outline skeleton and formation of the tree through the wind and biting gale

"This is the one.... well, what is it then... you should know?"   

"Dunno".

A thorough search of the nearby windswept ground showed it was barren with no sign of spent acorns or nuts.... nor leaves to help me with identification.    A sudden inspiration made me search around the very base of the tree where the twigs were sprouting ....and I discovered stuck to the ground some miserable remnants of shrivelled, blackened and moulding specimens from last autumn....   These were five lobed and abut five inches across.