This photograph hangs in the ringing chamber in Ditcheat tower, where he was a ringer taking it up at 12 years old.   In addition to being Tower Captain (a position he held when I started ringing) he was secretary to the Cary branch of the Bath & Wells Diocesan Association of Change Ringers for 13 years, retiring in 1957.  At the Annual Meeting,  Mr H J Sanger (Ringing Master) said he "felt that the branch owed much of its present success to the efforts of Mr Lintern. When he took office because of the war, ringing organisation was at a very low ebb, but due to his efforts the branch was one of the largest  numerically in the diocese.  His meticulous care of the secretarial work of the branch has been a model of correctness, and it will be hard to find a successor of such sterling worth."

During his life Herbert Lintern was also:

           Clerk to Parish Council

           Treasurer secretary to Jubilee Hall

           Treasurer secretary to Ditcheat Flower Show

           Poppy Day organiser for the Ditcheat branch of the British Legion

           Rector's warden

           Sexton verger and grave-digger

In recognition of his public service Lintern Close was named after him.

Shepton Mallet Journal - Friday 02 October 1970

Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

GOLDEN PEALS FOR ALHAMPTON BELLRINGER

Former clerk to parish council

CELEBRATING their golden wedding on Monday at their home Lilac Cottage Alhampton, Mr and Mrs H Lintern were surrounded by cards telegrams and flowers from friends and well-wishers. Tomorrow (Saturday) there will a celebration party at the WI hut when about 60 people are expected to be present

Mr Herbert Lintern, who is now 81, is a native of Ditcheat and his wife Doris who is 79, comes from Pill near Bristol where the couple were married.

During his many years in Ditcheat and Alhampton, Mr Lintern has taken an active part in village life and is particularly well known as a bellringer having at one time been captain of ringers. He learned bell ringing at Ditcheat when he was 12 thus maintaining a long tradition. His father, uncle and cousins were all ringers.

After joining the police service he left the village for about 30 years during which time he did practically no bell ringing, but on his return took it up again and became captain of the ringers. He has now given up many of his other activities in the village but still continues bell ringing. A congratulatory telegram from the Castle Cary ringers was among greetings the couple received on Monday. Mr Lintern also has the distinction having arranged the only peal rung on the Ditcheat bells by a purely local team. This was in 1949, the peal took 3½ hours to ring.

Other jobs he has held include Clerk to the Parish Council, a position he retained for 16½ years before giving it up on his 80th birthday.

He was also for many years Poppy Day organiser for the Ditcheat branch of the British Legion his efforts in this direction having been recognised by the presentation by the branch of certificate to him after 40 years. Occasionally these two activities called for quick movement. Mr Lintern recalled this week when he had to rush down from his bell ringing to join the legion parade.

Other offices he has held include Rector's warden and at one time the jobs of sexton verger and grave-digger. He was also secretary-treasurer of the Jubilee Hall at Ditcheat and secretary-treasurer of the Castle Cary branch the Bath and Wells Diocesan Association of which he is now a life member. Born at the Green, Ditcheat he attended the local school leaving it the age of 11 to work on local farm. He also worked for a time around 1911 as a porter on the railways in South Wales but this came to an end when there was a strike. Not having been in the Union long enough to qualify for any benefit, he had to return home without money.

Subsequently he joined Somerset and Bath Constabulary and was stationed at Pill where he met his wife. In 1916 he transferred to the Army joining the Royal Garrison Artillery and travelling to France

In December 1918 he was back in England and re-started his police service at Yeovil, subsequently moving to Pensford in 1920 - the year the couple married. They spent their honeymoon at Weymouth.

 From there came a move to near Bath and then to Frome where he was clerk in the superintendent's office. Having been promoted to sergeant he moved again this time Somerton and from there to Ilminster. Then came a move to Weston-super-Mare and then the final move to Burnham-on-Sea where he ended his police service.

After two years living near Castle Cary the couple returned to Alhampton to live in the house next to the one Mr Lintern left when joined the police force.

They have been at their present home for some seven years.

 The couple have two daughters, one of whom lives at home and works as assistant cook at Ansford school. The other is in Birmingham but will be returning tomorrow for the celebrations.