In the UK church bells are hung on a wheel, and sound by being turned full circle in each direction, this is done by having a person in charge of each bell-rope. The bells do not play tunes but are rung according to a mathematical sequence. During the First World War (unlike the Second), the church bells continued to ring for service every Sunday. Most of the young men were at the front, so, in order to keep the bells ringing, it was necessary, for the first time, for women to be enrolled as members of the bands. Jane’s grandmother was one of these ladies, like others in the Twyford band she joined the Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bellringers.
Luktu Affix
At this time she had two small children, the elder was Jane's Aunt, The late Marie Cross MBE and the younger Jane's father Gordon Cross. As they got old enough they both learnt to ring the bells and cycled all over Berkshire and Oxfordshire ringing.
Jane’s father went through University at Reading and got his first teaching post. While out ringing from the school he met Jane’s mother (who had learnt to ring in Aldershot). Just before the Second World War Gordon joined the Royal Navy as an Instructor Officer. Irene and Gordon got married in 1939 and Paul and Jane came along. After the war they were able to move around as a family and went to Hong Kong.
When Jane was eight they returned from Hong Kong and lived with the grandparents and Marie before moving to Devon. Marie took advantage of a captive audience and taught both Paul and Jane to ring. Unfortunately the bells in Devon were too heavy for a child, also Jane was sent to boarding school. She gave up ringing until she returned to live with Marie, in 1972, when she started work at Oxford University. Peter had meanwhile been taught to ring in Oxford and had become Master of the City Branch of the Guild. The clock had turned full circle and, like her parents, Jane met her future husband in the belfry.
When Peter and Jane became interested in Tibetan Terriers they decided that they wanted an affix that showed their first mutual hobby yet looked right with a Tibetan breed.
When starting to ring church bells it is essential that all the ringers are aware of what the smallest bell (Treble) is doing, as it leads the sequence. As the ringer on the Treble pulls the bell on to the balance they say:
"Look To - Treble's going (and, as the bell comes off the balance) She's gone".
This was just what they were looking for - hence Luktu.