1907 100 years ago

A Hemel Hempstead man was fined £6 for cruelty to horses at the petty sessions court this week.

A report read: "A somewhat remarkable case occupied the attention of the magistrates for nearly five hours on Wednesday as Frederick Masters, butcher and dairyman of Hemel Hempstead, was summoned for cruelly ill-treating four horses by withholding sufficient food and water between December 27 and 30.

A Mr E Glanley appeared for the RSPCA.

He told the court that following heavy snow fall on December 25 the horses were made to stay outside without food or water and were seen by many people before eventually being discovered by a police man.

The report continued: "When finally looked after by PC Gallon they were in a poor and exhausted condition. He contended that such a condition had been brought about through the defendant's neglect in not providing the animals with sufficient food and water."

The court heard hours of evidence from witnesses claiming they too had seen the mistreated horse, which Masters denied.

In conclusion Superintendent Frogley added: "He has been convicted before for allowing horses to stray. He is a bad horse and cow keeper and has been sailing close to prosecution for years."

After initially refusing to pay Masters eventually agreed to the courts demands when informed there was no appeal.


1957 50 years ago

Criminals in Hemel Hempstead were being told to beware as the new £90,000 police headquarters neared completion.

An article read: "By the middle of the year, the local police force will have the most up-to-date facilities in Hertfordshire. Towering impressively over the northern end of Hemel Hempstead's new Town Centre at Combe Street, an ultra modern, three-storey Divisional Police Headquarters nears completion.

"Being built at a cost of about £90,000 the spacious new headquarters will be the centre for police administration throughout D Division, which also includes Berkhamsted, Tring, Kings Langley, Markyate and other surrounding villages."

It added: "It will contain many new facilities without which the borough's forces have had to cope since their present headquarters in Bury Road were opened in 1894, and which no other district in the county can boast. 'They are really going to town on this,' Superintendent Frank Dale told a Gazette reporter this week."


There was plenty to see in the skies above Dacorum fifty years ago this week.

The Gazette reported: "An observer in the meteorological office at Bovingdon Airport reported that he saw the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, on Monday evening. It was seen between 10.15pm and midnight in the North-Easterly direction varying in size and with its colour varying from red to orange. In the northwesterly direction there were two arcs of light. The Aurora was also reported to have been seen in many other areas."

The report added that the Aurora were a fairly common sight most visible in February and October.


1982 25 years ago

Hemel Hempstead's market was slammed this week as 'nothing short of disgusting.'

A report read: "Speaking at Monday's meeting of the Dacorum chamber of Commerce, stallholder Mr Terry Booth told guest speaker, local MP Nick Lyell: 'You have to wade about in squalor. People get paid to clear up and they don't.'

"He added that people tried to avoid using the market and shopped elsewhere. 'What are you doing to encourage people to shop in Hemel Hempstead?' he asked. Mr Lyell said: 'The time of skiving must cease. If they are paid to clear up they should.' He advised members to lobby him with letters about the market adding: 'You lean on me, I lean on the council and its officers and they lean on the workers concerned.'

"'And they lean on their brooms!' exclaimed one trader."


Pop star Nicky Stevens appeared in Abbots Langley this week doing her bit for charity.

A report read: "Nicky, a member of Eurovision Song Contest winning group, Brotherhood of Man, was asked to receive a cheque for £313 on behalf of local blind people. The money was proceeds from the village Christmas Carol Concert, which was organised by Abbots Langley's bobby, Reg Hunt. Nicky, who has lived in Abbots Langley for the past five years was delighted to receive the cheque for the Watford District Talking Newspaper for the Blind."


Hemel Hempstead's "famous" free parking was facing the axe this week.

The Gazette reported: "Free parking could soon be finished - if local traders succeed in their plan to buy the town's car parks. The proposal to buy the car parks was put forward at a meeting this week. Members voted in favour of buying them from the New Town's Commission in a bid to solve the present parking problems.

"President Mr Peter Keer Keer said: 'We believe there should be provision for office workers - and shoppers' car parks. The closer the car parks are to the shops, the better the turnover for traders."



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