November 1999
The Dacorum Heritage Trust has just unveiled its latest exhibition, which focuses on local notables soldiers who served during the First World War. Among those featured will be Corporal Francis Vercoe of Hemel Hempstead, whose DCM medals were recently purchased by the Trust, as well as all three Dacorum men who were awarded the Victoria Cross. There will also be display panels on the Inns of Court Regiment who were based in Berkhamsted during the war and Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey of Great Gaddesden who captained two battleships. A display case with interesting items from this period will be on show too.
One of the most poignant aspects of this exhibition is a panel covered in photographs of men from Dacorum who lost their lives during the 1914-19 18 war. This includes four Chipperfield men whose names are recorded on our war memorial.
The exhibition can be seen at the Trust’s display site in the Marlowes Shopping Centre on the first floor near Argos. It will be on display from October 11 to November 13 and is free to all.
If you have any information or photographs of Chipperfield men who lost their lives in the First World War, which could help complete the Trust’s records, please contact Mary Nobbs 01923 269480.
Once a serviceman’s name and regiment are known, much information may be obtained from regimental and other records now available on the internet.
CURL UP WITH A BOOK
Many people in the village find it difficult or inconvenient to get to the library at Bovingdon or Kings Langley, but we are fortunate to receive a fortnightly service from the County Mobile Library Service. With the prospect of long, dark evenings and cold weather to come, a good book, video or audio cassette can be a welcome relief.
The Mobile Library visits Chipperfield, Bucks Hill, Commonwood and Belsize on alternate Wednesdays; Boundary Cottages and Tower Hill on alternate Fridays. Regular library staff, Ann Downes and Daphne Whitehorn, accompanied by driver Reg Appleby, provide a friendly and efficient service and are only too pleased to help you find what you want. You can also reserve particular titles for a small charge and they will be supplied when they become available.
Why not come aboard and choose a hardback, paperback, video, story on tape or title in large print. The service is “free”, that is, you don’t have to pay at the time of borrowing as you have already paid towards the library service with your Council Tax.
SHADES OF AUTUMN
Looking out of the window today the scene is decidedly autumnal, the bright sunlight catching the now glowing colours of the trees in the top plantation. We have been enjoying the fruits of autumn already in the shape of the lovely apples from the new orchard. We planted the apple trees about five years ago and this is the first time we have had a good crop, but we haven’t been the only ones to enjoy them as any that fall have been quickly nibbled by field voles. They seemed to be enjoying the now long grass in the new orchard and have made a lot of tiny runs underneath it. It’s a hard life being a vole, you’re on everybody’s menu! A great many animals depend on voles for a large part of their diet, a crash in their population can have knock-on effects with many creatures. Foxes spend many hours snuffling about in the grass looking for voles, while the patient tawny owl just sits on a branch and waits for one to pass by before silently swooping down to grab it. The best way to tell voles from mice is by their much shorter tail and very small ears. They are also dumpier and not as fast moving. Their cousins, the bank voles, look very similar but are more chestnut in colour. I don’t mind sharing a little bit of apple with these tiny creatures that feed so many.
Voles haven’t been the only ones to enjoy the apples lately, as both red admirals and speckled woods have been enjoying the rotting apples that fall from the old Bramleys. We did not seem to see many butterflies in the garden this year and it’s been lovely to see a few in these last few sunny days, even my cabbages have been largely ignored by the cabbage whites, which makes a nice change, but we don’t seem to have had half as many peacocks and commas as usual on our buddleia bushes. The red admirals that we see at this time of the year will mostly have been born in this country, but most of the early ones will have made the long journey up from the Mediterranean where they hibernate for winter. It always seems incredible to me that such fragile creatures can make such long journeys, but they even manage to get as far as the Shetland Isles. It’s rather sad to think that these will mostly die over the winter. The one bright spot on the butterfly front was a marbled white which fluttered about in the goat run for a couple of days. They are fairly common in the west country but this is about as far east as they usually come. They need long tussocky grass, like cox foot, to lay their eggs on and there is just not enough of that around these parts, but we have quite a lot so I am hopeful that one year we might get a pair and some eggs. Wendy Bathurst
JACK THE RIPPER
A very enjoyable evening was had by all at the Chipperfield Theatre Group’s presentation of ‘Jack The Ripper’. Seated around trestle tables, served by wenches, made a very cosy setting for this moving and challenging evening. The friendly cockney spirit shone through, despite great adversities and the daily terror of living in the shadow of Jack the Ripper.
Wendy East gave a strong performance as the heroine, Marie Kelly, and Lisa Callcutt doubled as a very believable Queen Victoria and a rough landlady. Andrew Smith played his serious part well and the highlight of the evening was the first performance for CTG of Paul Instrall. He, on several occasions, brought the house down with his hilarious acting; I do hope to see him in future productions.
The costumes were well thought out and the wigs were of a professional standard. Great care had been taken with the props and, once again, the enthusiastic enjoyment of the group shone through. I understand that people were disappointed at the speed at which all the tickets sold, so don’t be caught out in January for ‘Treasure Island’. I will be first in the queue!
As many residents already know, R&N News is under new management and trading as YASH NEWS. The new management will continue to provide the excellent service provided over the last 4 years by Mr and Mrs Narotamo. If you have any suggestions to make towards the success of the shop they will always be welcomed. We look forward to your continuing custom. N. Bachu
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
“So what do you do in the winter then?” a non-gardening friend asked me at the beginning of October. Well, I.don’t know, about you but I have a list of jobs as long as my arm. Some have been completed already, such as the greenhouse which has been cleared, washed down, and fumigated, with a few over-wintering lettuce now occupying the grow bags which previously housed the tomatoes and melons. There is still much to be done, however, the
old apple tree needs a bit more attention, there is winter digging to be completed and the compost heap to be re-sited. I cleared the dahlias away early this year, before the frost blackened them, and the wallflowers have now been planted in their place. There is still time to get a few more tulips in and after that I really must start giving the shed a good clear out as well. Meanwhile, as far as the Society Committee is concerned, the show season may be over, but there are schedules to be revised and printed, membership lists to be drawn up for next year and accounts to be prepared for auditing. On top of all that we also have the planning for our contribution to the Millennium Village Day to finalise. The best job of all, however, is to choose the seeds for next year. In fact nothing emphasises the continuity of the gardening year so much as the fact that almost immediately the Autumn Show is over, the seed catalogues start dropping through the letter box. So I have several pleasant evenings to look forward to, sifting through the catalogues in front of a blazing log fire. Oh yes! That’s another job to be done - chopping up firewood, now where did I put that list? John Hopkins
POLICING IN CHIPPERFIELD
At a well-attended public meeting held on 18 October, Inspector Michael Fogarty explained the newly introduced system of Problem Oriented Policing.
The police do not have the resources to allocate full or part-time officers to particular areas to provide regular “visible policing” and statistics prove that this is no real deterrent to crime however comforting it may be to see “a Bobby on the beat”.
The idea of Problem Oriented Policing is to provide groups of officers who will work in and with the community to help solve specific local problems such as anti-social behaviour and traffic issues. The key to this way of policing is information co-ordinated by the Crime Management Unit at Hemel Hempstead. Acting on information received, the Unit is able to direct officers to particular incidents and to areas where there are problems.
Neighbourhood Watch groups provide invaluable information and are responsible for at least 4 arrests in Dacorum every month. We have 8 Neighbourhood Watch groups in Chipperfield. Perhaps we should have more.
To make Problem Oriented Policing work we must all play our part by reporting theft, vandalism, hooliganism, criminal damage, traffic and parking problems. If the police don’t know our concerns they cannot take action. They may not be able to respond immediately - all incidents have to be assessed and dealt with in priority - but each incident reported is logged and thus persistent problems can be identified for action. We must also all be prepared to give statements to the police when required and agree to appear in court if necessary. Without this, the police cannot prosecute.
The Dacorum Division maintain a nuisance register which in the last two years has helped reduce by over 1,000 the number of incidents of nuisance and anti-social disorderly behaviour.
It seems that the future of policing in Chipperfield requires our active co-operation. If we provide the extra pairs of eyes and pass on information about matters of concern the police can act and working with other statutory and voluntary agencies make Chipperfield safer. Hemel Hempstead Police Station’s telephone number is 01442 271000 but in an emergency always dial 999.
RED CROSS COFFEE MORNING
This year’s event was held on a lovely sunny morning at our new venue in the Baptist Hall, where we were made so welcome. I sincerely thank all those who helped and gave generously of their time and money to raise £429 for such a good cause. Eileen Foulghamm
If you have any unwanted spectacles please bring them to Mrs. Sylvia Oliver, 2 Queen Street, Chipperfield, who is collecting them for distribution in the Third World. Thank you very much.
VILLAGE WEDDINGS
Samantha Nice and Andrew Collins
On Saturday 25 September, some 10,458 days after marrying her parents Richard and Jackie, the Very Right Reverend John Richardson, Bishop of Bedford, returned to St. Paul’s to marry Samantha Nice and Andrew Collins. Three generations of both families, plus many friends and relatives, packed the church to witness a very special service conducted jointly by John and Angela. John had also christened Samantha, and her brother Andrew, and it meant so much to the family to welcome him and his wife, ‘Felicity-Ann, back to St. Paul’s for the wedding.
Samantha was attended by three bridesmaids, friends Emma Fulton, Julia Walton and Rachel Kinstead. Andrew’s best man was Andrew Feehely, and his two brothers, Robert and Richard Collins, Mark Jones and Andrew Nice were his ushers. Despite heavy rain showers throughout the day, everyone enjoyed a reception at the bride’s home at Commonwood which continued well into the early hours of Sunday morning (apologies to the neighbours for any disturbance!).
Samantha and Andrew have now returned from a wonderful honeymoon, starting in San Francisco and travelling through California, Nevada and the Nappa Valley and staying on Lake Tahoe. They will now make their home in Watford. Jackie Nice
Andrea Bone and Gary Sewell
Our grateful thanks to Angela Butler, members from the Chipperfield Choral Society and organist Stanley Carter for a beautiful service on 9 October.
Also many, many thanks to Mary and Avice for the stunning display of flowers in St. Paul’s Church.
It was a wonderful start to our daughter Andrea and Gary’s wedding day and so very
much appreciated. Peter and Julia Bone, The Royal Oak
50/50 AUCTION
St. Paul’s Church 50/50 Auction in October raised a magnificent sum in excess of £2,000 towards church funds. Thanks to all those who contributed furniture, collectables and pledges for sale on the day and to all the helpers. A particular thank you to Graham Holt, whose excellent auctioneering provided an entertaining and profitable
afternoon. Martin Oliver
LIFEBOATS
The house to house collection in September resulted in £434.97 and Christmas sales have so far raised a further £65.08. In this special year for the RNLI, it is particularly good to know that we from Chipperfield branch have contributed £505.05 to such a very worthy cause.
Grateful thanks go to the collectors and all who contributed to such a splendid total.
Margaret Newman