November 1997
On Monday September 29th at Common Hall in Guildhall, Richard Nichols was unanimously elected the 670th Lord Mayor of London: the first, we believe, to come from Chipperfield!
Richard will take up his duties on November 8th as part of the Lord Mayor’s Show, having received his badge of office the day before from the outgoing Lord Mayor in the Silent Ceremony. The Show is a marvellous occasion, which is of course televised. To appreciate the atmosphere of the day, it really is worth making the journey to the City and watching the procession pass. It starts at 11am from Guildhall and goes to the Royal Courts of Justice, where the Lord Mayor takes his oath of allegiance to the Queen before the Lord Chief Justice and the Judges, on behalf of the Crown of the Queen’s Bench Division. The procession then starts off again from Victoria Embankment shortly after 1pm to return to Guildhall.
The City of London first had a mayor in 1189, but the Lord Mayor’s election and show did not begin until after 1215, when King John granted a charter to the City allowing th citizens to choose their own mayor. The charter stated that the new Mayor must swear allegiance to the Crown, and his journey from the City to Court at Westminster has now developed into the Lord Mayor’s Show.
Various methods of transporting the Lord Mayor have been used down the centuries, from foot, to boats and on horseback - until 1711, when Sir Gilbert Heathcote fell off during the procession. Since then, all Lord Mayors have travelled in the safety of a coach, and the wonderful one which is used now was built for the 1757 Show.
We would like to congratulate Richard on this tremendous honour, and hope that he and Shelagh will have a wonderful year at the Mansion House!
JOHN ELSWORTH SCOTT, DSC
Those who were fortunate enough to have attended the packed Thanksgiving Service for the life of John Scott at St. Paul’s Church on the 1st October will already have heard the tributes which were paid to him then, but it would not be right that Chipperfield News should fail to add its own tribute, since, in its early days, he contributed much to the success of the village newspaper by his work as the Advertising Manager.
Chipperfield can count itself lucky that John and Alison should have chosen to live here in 1952. It so happened that John had joined the Fleet Air Arm in 1940 to become a fighter pilot. The bare list of his career in that capacity was set out in a small paragraph on the obituary page of the Daily Telegraph. It read:-
‘John Ellsworth Scott, aged 77. Second World War Fleet Air Arm fighter pilot. Joined the Navy 1940. Served 804 Naval Air Squadron 1941, flying Fairey Fulmars and Hawker Sea Hurricanes from Catapult Armed Merchant (CAM) ships. Joined 888 Squadron in the carrier Formidable taking part in the invasion of Madagascar, May 1943, Torch landings in North Africa November 1942 and Sicily and Salerno landings 1943. Served with 846 Squadron in the escort carrier Tracker, escorting convoy JW58 to Russia and awarded DSC. Took part in D-Day landings and then embarked in escort carrier Trumpeter for operations in the Norwegian heads. Paintings done in Formidable in 1942/43 exhibited in ‘Brush with War’, Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton. Post-war, PR Manager, De Havillands and British Aerospace.’
That catalogue of exploits, about which he was studiously silent, reveals the courageous heart that lay behind the ever fun-loving exterior.
It was following demobilisation, when he started work with the De Havilland Engine Company based at Leavesden, that he and Alison immediately looked for accommodation and found and acquired the Mill House here in Chipperfield, and there they lived until 1991 when they moved to Meysey Hampton in the Cotswolds.
It was in 1958 when still employed at Leavesden that John was appointed Public Relations Manager for De Havilland and British Aerospace. This involved work which absolutely suited his extrovert and outgoing charm.
Among his many talents, John was a fine craftsman and, from his well-organised workshop, he fashioned fine furniture and other well constructed products.
He was, of course, a member of the British Legion and was the bearer of its standard on every annual Remembrance Sunday service.
Chipperfield is sad that it will not see John again, and equally sad that Alison and his family are no longer living in our village.
W.W.S. John Foulgham
THANK YOU
Diane Mansfield has been joint editor at The News for the last three years plus. As she is expecting twins in the New Year and the family may be moving from the area, she has decided to retire and concentrate on the many domestic tasks ahead! On behalf of all readers, I would like to thank her for her hard work, and wish George, Matthew and Diane every happiness in the future.
Fortunately for us, Charlotte Clifford, another stalwart joint editor, will continue in office with our new recruit, Liz Holliday. Thank you all three.
I would like to add my thanks to Diane for all her support and hard work over the years we :have been co-editors. We had a lot to take on board when we first started, particularly over :getting to grips with the desk top publishing programme, and the mutual support we needed :and gave to each other then has continued. Most of the time we edited alternate issues of the :News quite independently of each other, but I always felt that I could call on Diane for help if :needed. She willingly took on those issues which clashed with school holidays, for which I am extremely grateful. It won’t be long before she herself arranges life round school terms, (though it probably seems an age away to her at the moment!) and I echo Richard Edwards’ good wishes to her, George and Matthew.
Charlotte Clifford;
!THE TELEPHONE BOX ON THE VILLAGE GREEN!
I could not believe my eyes on first seeing this. Who on earth gave planning permission for the village green to be so defaced? From any angle this box obstructs what used to be a clear view of the cottages, church and other surroundings.
Although no longer a resident, I lived here from childhood to adulthood and am still a regular visitor.
An old fashioned red phone box is very suitable for a village, but please relocate it to beside the postbox by the bus stop on the pavement where one could also shelter from the rain in it while awaiting a bus, or across the road from where it now stands to against the fence of the Two Brewers on what is already hardcore, and re-turf the stolen piece of village green.
I so agree with Stanley Farrow. Who did give permission, and have they lost the use of their eyes?
Yours sincerely,
V. Williams
Church Lane, Kings Langley