Last Thursday evening's committee meeting of the West Bay Community Forum heard several interesting reports on local matters affecting West Bay.

The first was the progress made with implementing double yellow line restrictions for the whole of the length of Marsh Barn Road. However, there was also a suggestion made by Bridport Town Council for the road to become an 'urban clearway' which apparently is a much speedier and easier solution to the ongoing problem of inconsiderate parking.

On Wednesday 29th November the 'petitions committee' of the Highways Authority meet to consider an application to place double yellow lines in the Meadowlands Estate. For more information go to www.dorsetforyou. The perennial problem of parking in and around the Bay and the issue of 'overnight' sleepers in camper vans was raised again.

Nearly sixty people crammed into Marsh Barn last Friday evening for the book signing by Damian Bird . His excellent photo journal of the lives of the West Bay fishermen entitled 'Seabird' is compelling and I was privileged to buy one of the early signed copies.

When speaking with Dave Sales, who features in the book, we agreed that photograph near the front of Jack Woolmington is a truly remarkable picture that speaks volumes of a yet untold story.

Dave has been fishing for over sixty years but spoke of how much the industry has changed since the arrival of synthetics. No longer can you go to Bridport Gas Works and buy 'real tar'.

On Saturday 11th November at 11.00am we will keep the two minutes national silence under the clock at St. John's Church. The names of the six local men who laid down their lives for their King and Country during the First World War will be read out.

I am extremely grateful to Sarah West, Secretary of the West Bay Community Forum, for supplying me with some of the service records of those who perished. However, I am making a public appeal for anyone with information about Alfred Oliver, Royal Navy, and Herbert Gush to please contact me on philipringer@aol.com.