Basil was born to Eustace and Dorothy Turner on 2nd July 1919  in Surrey.  He  went to school in Uppingham  and then took an Undergraduate course at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.  When the 1939 Register was taken, Basil was at home with his parents in Walton on Thames, waiting to take up a commission in the Royal Signal Corps.

After serving six years with the Royal Signals, Basil attehded Ripon Theological College at Cuddeston for his ministry training.  Upon completion of his course, he was ordained as a Deacon of All Saints Church Peterborough in 1950.  On 20th May 1951, Basil was appointed as the new curate of All Saints Church, Peterbrough and ordained by the Bishop of Peterborough, (Dr Spencer Leeson)  at Peterborough Cathedral. 

Whilst he was senior curate at All Saints he became engaged to Mrs Pauline Eva Went, whom he met when studying at Cambridge University. He  married her on 5th September 1957 at St Swithuns, Sandy.  Before coming to Woodnewton he was priest in charge of the Church of Christ the Carpenter, Dogsthorpe, where he the privledge of baptising his own daughter, Rosemary Pauline.

Revd Basil Turner arrived in Woodnewton in November 1959, and the Stamford Mercury captured the mood of the village with a newspaper article as follows:-

“When the Rev Basil Ward Turner, newly appointed Vicar of Woodnewton and Apethorpe, arrived with his wife and baby daughter at Woodnewton vicarage last week, he found a welcoming fire in the grate, some of the rooms redecorated and the floors scrubbed.

The cleaning operation was the first instalment of a wonderful reception prepared by the parishioners and the second took place on Tuesday when they attended in full force to see Mr Turner instituted by the Bishop (the Rt Rev Robert Stopford) at Apethorpe.
 
Since the previous incumbent left four months ago, the house had not been occupied, but the villagers made sure all was in good trim for their new vicar.  Much of the gardening had been done, and thanks to the patron of the living (Lord Brassey), the orchard had been cut and the kitchen garden will be ploughed.  In the vicarage several of the rooms were redecorated, the floors cleaned and fires had been burning. 
 
Apart from the routine interests of a clergyman, Mr Turner has a most unusual pastime – putting model ships into bottles.  With the skill of a craftsman, he has placed 130 vessels into their glass surroundings, delicately conducting operations from the narrow neck of the bottle.  The two which took most time to complete were the largest, in an oval whisky bottle, and the smallest, in a tiny perfume bottle with an aperture an eighth of an inch wide.  Each took about 100 bours.
 

“Models in Ships” was not only Rev Turner’s only pastime, we know from further newspaper articles that he was also a good “corn dolly maker” and could often be seen giving demonstrations on this old craft.

The Turner family made the newspapers again as an article was written about them in the 7th July 1961 issue of the Stamford Mercury as Mrs Turner gave birth to a girl, Katharine Jane, and it was thought that it was the first time a baby had been born at the Vicarage for about 60 years.

During Basil’s 26 years as vicar of the parishes of Apethorpe and Woodnewton, he played a very important part of life in the village and school.  He would often be seen visiting people in their homes, working with the children at school and during the 1960’s he would have been found around a campfire, as he was scout leader for the Apethorpe & Woodnewton Scout Troup, which he formed.

We know from village residents and also a newspaper article that was written about the village in 1982, that Basil was battling with a problem of advancing blindness.  However, he refused to be beaten by the handicap and still took services, as long as they weren’t new ones.  He states in the newspaper article that “His wife tells him that his preaching has improved since he was not able to look at his notes any more”.

Basil tendered his resignation on 30th April 1986, and left the parish shortly afterward.  He died in Stradbroke, Suffolk, on 1st December later that year.

2022

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