Virtual Blue Plaque for Tolkien Multi-Cache
Apiglet: Phil has died.
Gill
Virtual Blue Plaque for Tolkien
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Did you know that JRR Tolkien once lived in Great Haywood?
J.R.R. Tolkien came to Staffordshire in August 1915 when he served his Military training at an Army camp on the ancient forest and Royal hunting ground of Cannock Chase, Stafford. The military camp was near Brocton, but he lived in Cottage 1, Gipsy Green, which was on the Teddesley Estate. This is now a house down a private drive near where we parked for Tewhawk’s Geocache Teddy’s-ley (GCMN63).
In March 1916 Tolkien married Edith Bratt and they moved into accommodation at the Presbytery in Great Haywood, a small village on the edge of the Chase.
In June, his training over, Tolkien was posted to Etaple in France to serve in the Great War. On the 1st July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, Tolkien's Battalion was in reserve but on the 14th, exactly one month after he was posted to France, Tolkien and 'B' company went into action against German positions at a village called Ovillers.
The attack was not successful and the Battalion sustained heavy losses from machine gun fire. British losses were enormous over the following months but Tolkien was not destined to "see it through". On the 27th October 1916 he was struck down by trench fever and returned to England to convalesce and was reunited with his wife Edith in Great Haywood for Christmas 1916.
But not for long, as this letter from the archives shows.
Great Haywood
Staffs
Jan. 2. 1917.
(stamp)
WAR OFFICE
3 JAN 1917
from 2nd Lieut. JRR Tolkien
11th Bn. Lan. Fus.
to The Secretary. War Office (stamp)
SOUTHERN COMMAND
17 JAN 1917
SALISBURY
CENTRAL REGISTRY
Sir,
I have the honour to report myself for fusilier orders.
My address on Jan 12th. 1917. will be at
185 Monument Road
Edgbaston
Birmingham :-
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your obedient servant.
JRR Tolkien
2/lt.
So that is the brief history of Tolkien in Great Haywood. Thanks to Staffordshire Historian David Howell for historical contributions
Park where you can in the village. It is not easy! Please try not to be an obstruction at busy times such as when school starts or finishes.
You now have to find some numbers which will give the co-ordinates for the final cache. Go to the co-ordinates at the top of the page and look round the corner at the Presbytery. Rejoice in the virtual blue plaque on the wall!
On your way to the corner you must locate the milepost, Frederick Cotton’s grave and also Kevin Cooke’s. Now for the arithmetic:
• number of miles to London + 100 = F
• Number of Is in Frederick Cotton’s full name = A
• Number of Cs in Frederick Cotton’s full name = B
• Number of Ts in Frederick Cotton’s full name = C
• Number of As in Frederick Cotton’s full name = D
• Kevin Cooke’s age when he died = E
Co-ordinates for the cache are N52 48.0(A+B)(C+D) W001 E.F
So, back to the car now, to go and seek the cache. (It is a tiny lock-lid plastic box containing a log book, pen, pencil and sharpener. There isn’t really room for anything very much else.) AND IT IS RELOCATED SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT OF THE HINT.
Really, though, the interesting part is the bit you’ve just done!
PS The clue is one for the old folks
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Chggvat ba gur ntbal, chggvat ba ..
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures