Past Members Remembered
Josie Elson (1939 - 2023)
Josie was a founder member of Burton Monday Writers in 2000. She was Treasurer of the group for over twenty years until ill-health prevented her from attending meetings. She wrote mainly short stories, several of which were published in the group’s anthologies and on our website. She entered short story competitions, was successful in a few and short-listed in many more. She published a children’s book, Re-lighting Albie’s Fire in 2014 which is available on Amazon Kindle edition.
We all remember Josie with great affection, her interesting and engaging stories, plus her knowledge of old Burton. Her bookkeeping skills were second to none, thanks to her early training at the central Post Office in New Street, Burton. Aged five, Josie was a pupil at school when the great explosion happened at RAF Fauld, the wartime munitions underground store. She recalled the noise, the ground movement and being sent home early. She had so many stories to tell.
A stalwart group member, writer and friend. We miss her.
RIP Josie
Lynda Turner
Brian Johnson (1931-2021)
Brian was a member of Burton Monday Writers for several years and contributed to anthologies produced by the group. Born in Birmingham, his long connection with Burton began when he and his sister were evacuated to the town at the start of WWII. He had fond childhood memories of the Bass estates which he often related in his writing. He did national service in the army and spent time in Kenya in the early 1950s, again a source of material for his biographical pieces. Brian was a loyal supporter of our group, sent several copies of our anthologies to the USA, and will be remembered for his brightly coloured waistcoats worn at lunches and annual dinners. Brian's sense of humour was missed by the group when he entered residential care and therefore could no longer attend meetings.
RIP Brian
Lynda Turner
Josie Elson (1939 - 2023)
Josie was a founder member of Burton Monday Writers in 2000. She was Treasurer of the group for over twenty years until ill-health prevented her from attending meetings. She wrote mainly short stories, several of which were published in the group’s anthologies and on our website. She entered short story competitions, was successful in a few and short-listed in many more. She published a children’s book, Re-lighting Albie’s Fire in 2014 which is available on Amazon Kindle edition.
We all remember Josie with great affection, her interesting and engaging stories, plus her knowledge of old Burton. Her bookkeeping skills were second to none, thanks to her early training at the central Post Office in New Street, Burton. Aged five, Josie was a pupil at school when the great explosion happened at RAF Fauld, the wartime munitions underground store. She recalled the noise, the ground movement and being sent home early. She had so many stories to tell.
A stalwart group member, writer and friend. We miss her.
RIP Josie
Lynda Turner
Brian Johnson (1931-2021)
Brian was a member of Burton Monday Writers for several years and contributed to anthologies produced by the group. Born in Birmingham, his long connection with Burton began when he and his sister were evacuated to the town at the start of WWII. He had fond childhood memories of the Bass estates which he often related in his writing. He did national service in the army and spent time in Kenya in the early 1950s, again a source of material for his biographical pieces. Brian was a loyal supporter of our group, sent several copies of our anthologies to the USA, and will be remembered for his brightly coloured waistcoats worn at lunches and annual dinners. Brian's sense of humour was missed by the group when he entered residential care and therefore could no longer attend meetings.
RIP Brian
Lynda Turner
Maggs Payne (1935 - 2018)
Maggs lived a full life and with many different aspects to it. I knew her as a writer. A real writer; Maggs wrote because the words were in her and had to be set down. Then she put in the time and effort to polish her work. As a result, she enjoyed numerous successes. Her work won many competitions and was published both in print and on the net. I think her most cherished moment was when Alan Titchmarsh chose her poem 'Do Youthful tears still flow' to read out on radio for Remembrance Day. She said he did her proud.
But Maggs didn't need public recognition as a motive for writing. Always generous, she wrote for her family and for various occasions in the life of her church. Above all, she wanted to share her gifts with other like-minded people, and so in September 2000 she founded the Burton Monday Writers group. After a somewhat smelly start in a room in Crossley House which was rather too close to the public toilets, the group found a home at Burton Library where it still flourishes today.
Maggs was our Chair for eight years and Honorary president thereafter. For most of the group's life she was its guiding spirit, inspiring us to produce several anthologies, run public competitions and just to keep writing. When her health problems made it difficult for her to come to meetings, she continued to write at home and her work features in this year's anthology of Christmas stories.
Maggs enjoyed all forms of writing, but poetry was her greatest love. She will be missed by us all.
Shelagh Wain