|
The news this week...
100 years ago
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD hospital collections reached a record amount this week.
The Gazette provided a full list of the collections made on behalf of the West Herts Infirmary in connection with the Hemel Hempstead hospital.
A report read: “The total amount collected was £126 10s 3d. And the record previous amount was recorded last year at £117 10s 7d.”
THE LOCAL Education Committee summed up their past year of work at a meeting this week.
The meeting, which took place in the Council Chamber, was a “happy one”.
The Chairman of the Education Committee summed up and refreshed everyone's memories of the past year's events.
The report said: “The meetings over the past year have been very happy for no discordant notes had been struck upon any point.
“The business, the chairman ventured to think, had been carried out in the best way possible for the education of the children of the borough”.
COLD WEATHER had arrived and with it the common cold and an advert in the Gazette offered a solution.
It claimed: “Peps had been relied on greatly these past season to aid people with throat and chest illnesses”.
It added that: “If your cold is not treated it could turn into influenza, pneumonia and bronchitis”.
The first common signs of a cold were listed as running nose, a “made up” sensation, pains across the temple, sneezing and painful coughing and pain in the throat.
The advert advised that if any of the above appeared it would be wise to get a dose of peps before it went further.
1956 50 years ago
A HEMEL HEMPSTEAD headteacher said he was no longer pessimistic about education in the area this week.
An annual report at Adeyfield Secondary School showed that it was doing a “good job”.
The report revealed that the Headmaster Mr A.C Pierson had helped improve the outstanding success of the school.
The Gazette reported: “There had been a marked change in the field of secondary education”.
The teachers were seen to be encouraging students who could not get into grammar schools to try their best to pass the General Certificate of Education and hopefully go onto grammar school or a technical college afterwards.
The hunt for the killer of Mrs Diana Suttey took another twist this week.
It was revealed that teeth marks had been found on Mrs.Suttey's body when she was discovered strangled in Green Lane, Leverstock Green.
Police had dentists all over Great Britain helping aid them in their search.
Three photographs were published in “British Dentist Journal” based on a police reconstruction.
A nation-wide inquiry was then launched into the murder.
The article read: “Over 35,000 cars were checked in an attempt to find the car used by the killer.”
CHILDREN from Hemel Hempstead put on a special fundraising production.
“Fat King Melon” was put on at St. Mary's Hall. The production featured a cast of children, many of whom attended St. Mary's Hall Sunday School.
The report read that: “Around £17 was raised for church funds.”
Producer Marjorie Price-Jones helped the children put the play together and it was enjoyed by friends and family.
1981 25 years ago
A Kings Langley lollipop lady celebrated her retirement and 65th birthday with school children.
An article read: ”Lollipop lady Mrs Frances Lowe celebrated her 65th birthday with the youngsters she had guided across the road”.
For 25 years children of all ages had been helped across the road by Mrs Lowe to safely arrive at Kings Langley Infant School.
Children, staff and pupils were told to gather in the school playground to say thanks to Frances.
She received a bouquet of autumn flowers as a retirement gift.
A seven year old boy handed over the flowers to Mrs.Lowe to say thanks for helping his family cross the road and a cake was also presented to Mrs. Lowe.
Do you remember saying bye to Mrs.Lowe?
POLICE this week cracked a major egg case.
Hundreds of eggs had been going missing from a Langleybury farm.
Police discovered that a man from the Bedmond area had been stealing the eggs.
The man pleaded guilty to stealing 12 cases of eggs valued at £240.
The article read: “Magistrates fined him £100 and ordered him to shell out £345 in compensation and £6 in police costs“.
DACORUM District Hospital Action Group was pressing ahead with its campaign for the best possible hospital facilities in Hemel Hempstead.
A meeting was due to be held on the following Wednesday with the health minister.
The Gazette reported: “There is a need for a full-scale new general hospital. Including the retention of Dacorum's threatened maternity unit “.
The delegation was set to include the chairman and representatives of Hemel Hempstead hospital staff and local trades council.
Heritage Special
How Lee unearthed a medal in his back garden
A HEMEL Hempstead man has discovered a mysterious little bit of military history - in his own back garden.
The medal | Lee Robertson, of The Flags, Adeyfield, was working in his garden when something unusual caught his eye.
He said: ”We were just re-arranging the garden to put a path down.
“We'd been sieving through the soil to get rid of the bricks and I was digging down below the conifer and this thing turned up.
“We knew it was some sort of medal and it came up quite clean but we had no idea where it came from.”
Using the internet and talking to friends with an interest in medals, Mr Robertson was able to discover a little bit more.
He said: “A mate from work has some books on medals, so we were able to find out what it was.
“It turns out it is a Royal Fleet Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct medal, which was awarded for 15 years service.
“It also had the name J Geddes on the edge.”
Mr Robertson was also able to find out that it was awarded to an engineering mechanic and that the medal itself was probably presented at Devonport Barracks in 1953-54.
The reserve fleet long service medals are generally valued at between £30-£50, but Mr Robinson is more interested in getting the solid silver medal back to its original owner.
He said: “I'd be interested to find out whose it is and how it came to be under the tree in my garden.
“J Geddes might still have relatives around here that I could return the medal to.
“I have no idea why it was buried in my garden. We have been in this house for 20 years and we know the people who were here before and they had been here for another 20 years and they had no idea where the medal came from.”
Catherine Peet, curator of the Dacorum Heritage Trust, added a bit more information about the medal.
She said: “This medal would have come with a ribbon that should be blue with thin red stripes and white edges.
“If it is from 1953 it is likely that a lot of the people who were awarded the medals at that time will still have them, but exactly the same medals were awarded previously to people for a long time for long service.”
Do you know anything about this mystery medal? Perhaps you know J Geddes or one of his relatives?
If so contact Pete Bennett at The Gazette on 01442 262311.
| 