After we had been over to Skegness this week , we managed to tie in with our traveling back from the coast to Nottingham a visit to a RAF base in Lincolnshire to dismantle and move a full size snooker table .
I have worked on this table many times in the past 40 years .
on one end there is a commemorative plaque from a casualty of the first world war which I thought being as it is 100 years remembrance year to share a photo with you of that plaque .
as you can see this is a First world war commemorative plaque in memory of CAPTAIN ESME FARIFAX CHINNERY of the Cold stream Guards and the RFC
Those of you who are historians would know that the R.F.C is what the Air force was called before it became the RAF
Captain Chinnery was in C flight No4 squadron in France in September 1914
a nice touch for his family to donate the Table to the R.F.C officers mess in remembrance of their loss in an accident over Paris in January 1915
how it became to be in the RAF officers mess in Lincolnshire I do not know, but I think that it was handed down over the years from one base to another .
I have moved a few tables around the UK from one RAF base to another .
I have a link to Captain Chinnery history http://wakefieldfhs.org.uk/genealogyjunction/Sussex/Warnham/WarnhamWarMemorial.html
the Burroughs and watts full size Billiards table has stood in this room for years , but now it is being moved to a much larger lounge area next door and this room is going to be used for other purpose .
the Table has now been removed for it’s original billiards room to the new larger lounge the frame put back together and slate’s back on and is now going through the levelling process
this table is circa 1910 and has very thick 2 inch heavy welsh slate sections that pin together to form 12ft by 6 ft full size snooker table .
You may have noticed the edge of a steel block cushion on the floor , so yes this table has steel cushions fitted to it a much desirable upgrade in the day and still used on match tables on TV
some people crave for these cushions but my advice is if you do not play like Steve Davies then you are wasting your money on such an upgrade.
a photo of the table from above showing the baulk line and D of it’s refitted bed cloth .
and that silver commemorative plaque showing inlaid in the end cushion capping .
