The Carnegie Library.

The photos above were taken by me on Thursday, during the Erith Carnegie Library open day, to allow members of the public a look at the progress of work to restore the historic former library building, and re - open it for public use once again. Unfortunately the weather for most of the day was dull and overcast, so the photos I took of the scaffolding covered exterior of the building were nothing special, but once inside the amount of work that has gone on since last October really became apparent. The interior has been stripped of most of the wall plaster, to allow the brickwork to dry out - before the start of the restoration process, there were parts of the building that had water running down the inside of the walls. Around ninety five percent of the original woodwork has been retained or re - used, and original materials are being used throughout the restoration process. The building manager told me that he was astonished at the quality of materials, and the high standard of workmanship in the original construction, which has made the restoration process more straightforward than had been originally anticipated. Local arts, heritage, community and education group The Exchange will be taking a long term lease on the building from Bexley Council, and hope to open the first phase of The Carnegie Library in the second week of October. The first phase will include the lower ground floor. The ground and upper floors will be opened in further phases, and it is hoped that the entire structure will be fully open and operating by the summer of 2020. It is a very ambitious and technically challenging project, not least in the area of the original Edwardian toilets, which are in remarkably well preserved condition, as you can see in the lower photo above - click on it for a larger version. The tiles used on the wall of the gents are very similar to modern "Subway" style tiles. They have been fitted so closely and accurately that no grout was required between them - the tolerances are so tight. You can also see that to the left of the photo, the tiles have been specially moulded to follow the curves in the wall beneath. This is an extremely labour intensive and expensive method of tiling. The only work carried out so far in this gents toilet is that a worker ran a damp cloth over the tiled surfaces just before the visitor tours began - other than that, the tiles have not been touched in over a hundred years - which just goes to show the very high quality of construction. Some restoration work is required for the plumbing and electrics, and to replace a few damaged or missing tiles, and this will be happening in due course. You can follow the latest news on the restoration of The Carnegie Library and the other projects being planned by The Exchange by visiting their website here.

As many of you know, I am not a sports fan; personally I just don't see the point in running around a muddy field with a bunch of hairy blokes getting all hot, dirty and puffed out. I have been of this opinion since primary school. Because of this I find it curious how quite a large portion of the UK population are currently getting so worked up over the recently started World Cup. I have nothing against this - part of my libertarian philosophy of "If it works for you". But I just cannot empathise with the football fans. It seems like every other TV advert  at present has some World Cup related spin to it; I suppose it is another way of milking the public for yet more money. One thing that does strike me though - have you noticed how many people are flying two England flags from mini poles on each back window of their car? One thing I learned many years ago was that aerodynamic drag is one of the prime contributors to poor fuel economy. I know the amount of drag from two A4 sized nylon flags isn't going to amount to very much, but if you factor in the sheer number of cars involved around the country, I reckon the aggregated cost in additional fuel consumption is going to be substantial. The Chancellor of the Exchequer must be rubbing his hands in glee at the prospect of all the extra fuel duty and VAT that will soon be rolling in. You heard it here first!

Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the very first transatlantic air flight. What many people are not aware of, is that the local area had a key part in the historic first flight across the Atlantic Ocean. As you may be well aware, the first transatlantic flight was undertaken by British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Brown in June 1919 - you can see the pair in the photo above - click on it for a larger view. They flew a modified First World War Vickers Vimy bomber from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Clifden, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The then Secretary of State for Air, Winston Churchill, presented them with the Daily Mail prize for the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by aeroplane in "less than 72 consecutive hours". A small amount of mail was carried on the flight, making it the first transatlantic airmail flight. The two aviators were awarded the honour of Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) a week later by King George V at Windsor Castle. John Alcock was born in 1892 in Basford House on Seymour Grove, Firswood, Manchester, England. Known to his family and friends as "Jack", he first became interested in flying at the age of seventeen and gained his pilot's licence in November 1912. Alcock was a regular competitor in aircraft competitions at Hendon in 1913–14. He became a military pilot during the First World War and was taken prisoner in Turkey after the engines on his Handley Page bomber failed over the Gulf of Seros. After the war, Alcock wanted to continue his flying career and took up the challenge of attempting to be the first to fly directly across the Atlantic. Arthur Whitten Brown was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1886 to American parents, and shortly afterwards the family moved to Manchester. Known to his family and friends as "Teddie", he began his career in engineering before the outbreak of the First World War. Brown also became a prisoner of war, after being shot down over Germany. Once released and back in Britain, Brown continued to develop his aerial navigation skills. In April 1913 the London newspaper the Daily Mail offered a prize of £10,000 to “the aviator who shall first cross the Atlantic in an aeroplane in flight from any point in the United States of America, Canada or Newfoundland and any point in Great Britain or Ireland in 72 continuous hours". The competition was suspended with the outbreak of war in 1914 but reopened after Armistice was declared in 1918. During his imprisonment Alcock had resolved to fly the Atlantic one day, and after the war he approached the Vickers engineering and aviation firm at Weybridge, who had considered entering their Vickers Vimy IV twin-engined bomber in the competition but had not yet found a pilot. Alcock's enthusiasm impressed the Vickers' team and he was appointed as their pilot. Work began on converting the Vimy for the long flight, replacing the bomb racks with extra petrol tanks. Shortly afterwards Brown, who was unemployed, approached Vickers seeking a post and his knowledge of long distance navigation convinced them to take him on as Alcock's navigator. It was not an easy flight. The overloaded aircraft had difficulty taking off the rough field and only barely missed the tops of the trees. At 17:20 the wind-driven electrical generator failed, depriving them of radio contact, their intercom and heating. An exhaust pipe burst shortly afterwards, causing a frightening noise which made conversation impossible without the failed intercom. At 5.00pm they had to fly through thick fog. This was serious because it prevented Brown from being able to navigate using his sextant. Blind flying in fog or cloud should only be undertaken with gyroscopic instruments, which they did not have, and Alcock twice lost control of the aircraft and nearly hit the sea after a spiral dive. Alcock also had to deal with a broken trim control that made the plane become very nose-heavy as fuel was consumed. At 12:15am Brown got a glimpse of the stars and could use his sextant, and found that they were on course. Their electric heating suits had failed, making them very cold in the open cockpit. Then at 3:00am they flew into a large snowstorm. They were drenched by rain, their instruments iced up, and the plane was in danger of icing and becoming unflyable. The carburettors also iced up; it has been said that Brown had to climb out onto the wings to clear the engines, although he made no mention of that. They made landfall in County Galway at 8:40 a.m. on 15 June 1919, not far from their intended landing place, after less than sixteen hours' flying time. The aircraft was damaged upon arrival because of an attempt to land on what appeared from the air to be a suitable green field, but which turned out to be a bog, near Clifden in County Galway in Ireland, but neither of the airmen was hurt. Alcock and Brown became overnight celebrities, and in addition to the Daily Mail award of £10,000, the crew received 2,000 guineas (£2,200) from the Ardath Tobacco Company and £1,000 from Lawrence R. Phillips for being the first British subjects to fly the Atlantic Ocean. Both men were knighted a few days later by King George V. The aeroplane that Alcock and Brown used was a Vickers Vimy - a British heavy bomber aircraft developed and manufactured by Vickers Limited. Developed during the latter stages of the First World War to equip the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Vimy was designed by Reginald Kirshaw "Rex" Pierson, Vickers' chief designer. Only a handful of aircraft had entered service by the time the Armistice of 11 November 1918 came into effect, thus the type was not used in active combat operations during the conflict. Shortly thereafter, the Vimy became the core of the RAF's heavy bomber force throughout the 1920s. The Vimy achieved success as both a military and civil aircraft, the latter using the Vimy Commercial model of the type. A dedicated transport derivative of the Vimy, the Vickers Vernon, became the first dedicated troop transport aircraft to be operated by the RAF. During the interwar period, the Vimy set several notable records for long-distance flights; perhaps the most celebrated and significant of these was the first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, as previously described. Other record-breaking flights were flown using the type from the United Kingdom to destinations such as South Africa and Australia. The Vimy continued to be operated after the conflict as late as the 1930s in both military and civil capacities. On 26 March 1918, the first production contract for 150 aircraft was issued; work on this batch was performed at Vickers' facility in Crayford; as I have previously written, many kinds of armaments were constructed at the production facilities at Vickers Sons and Maxim in both Crayford and Erith - in fact the original factory site constructed by Sir Hiram Maxim in Fraser Road Erith may not now be there - it is now a major manufacturing and distribution centre for BATT Cables, but older local residents will still know the area colloquially as "The Pom Pom" - after the sound the 20mm marine cannons historically manufactured on the site would make whilst being fired on the test range behind the factory. The Crayford site was primarily for vehicle production, including aeroplanes such as the Vickers Vimy. Use of the Vimy extended beyond its original use as a bomber. A dedicated model with greater internal space was developed, known as the Vimy Commercial within the civil market. The Vimy Commercial would see service with the RAF; known as the Vickers Vernon, it became the first dedicated troop transport to be operated by the service. The Vimy was also used as an air ambulance for transporting wounded troops to medical facilities, while some examples were configured to perform record-breaking long distance flights.

Many thanks to Maggot Sandwich reader Miles Burton, who sent me the photo above - click on it for a larger version. It shows the midweek fire that broke out in the large recycling centre across the River Thames in Barking, Essex. Miles had his camera with him whilst he was close to Crossness on the opposite bank of the Thames, and took several shots of the conflagration, which made the local news. It is down to readers like Miles, who send me photos and stories, that I get to cover so many local news events. I get the feeling that some people think that I know everything about what is going on in the local area - which in reality could not be further from the truth; I rely on people telling me things, and passing on news snippets that they feel I, and consequently my readers might find of interest. Please don't think "he will already known about this" if you come across something of interest - I would rather hear the same news from numerous sources than not hear it at all. You can contact me by sending an Email to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

On Monday a friend of mine had her car number plates stolen; she only noticed when she had driven to work, got out of her car and found that both the front and rear plates were missing. She duly reported the matter to the Police, and got some replacement plates the next day. It has come to my notice that local criminals are not just stealing legitimate plates from parked motor vehicles in order to circumvent the automatic number plate recognition system used to charge drivers for using the Dartford River Crossing, but also, and even more worryingly they are also doing it in order to travel into central London without paying the T-Charge penalty applicable to older, more polluting vehicles. The precise number of cars, vans and lorries currently being operated whist displaying false number plates in the local area is unknown. Vehicle number plate theft is now endemic in the local area. Three or four years ago it was a relatively minor issue, but now it is one of the major problems for the Police and local residents. More on this subject in the Neighbourhood Watch reports later in this issue. 

It will be a busy weekend in Bexley on the 23rd and 24th of June, as celebrations will be taking place to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush at the port of Tilbury. This year the annual Mayor of Bexley's civic parade - which runs along Bexleyheath Broadway each year - will concentrate on the contribution the migrant communities have made to the local area over the last seven decades. Many local community groups are involved in organising the event, which is being coordinated by the Reverend Ann Norman, who is the Deacon of Christ Church Erith. Ann has spent months working with Bexley African Caribbean Community Association, The Exchange and staff from Bexley Council to plan and organise the celebration. On Saturday the 23rd, there will be a number of food stalls and a live exhibition displayed along Bexleyheath Broadway. The exhibition will include residents’ stories of migration and settling in Bexley over the years. On Sunday the 24th the annual Mayor's civic parade will take place, which will include several uniformed organisations such as the Scouts and Guides, and St. John Ambulance, amongst others. After a service of celebration at Christ Church in Bexleyheath Broadway, the parade will meet up at the stage at noon for more music, and the signing of the One Bexley Pledge by community leaders. The pledge officially recognises the borough’s commitment to celebrating the unity of Bexley and focusing on what new and existing communities have in common. In an interview with the Bexley Times, Cabinet member for communities, Councillor Alex Sawyer, said: “It is wonderful to see so many of our talented community groups getting involved in the event. We recognise and value the contribution that all our residents have made to the borough and particularly celebrate the contribution of those brave pioneers of the Windrush generation on this 70th anniversary.”

Now for the weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly an account of the Annual General Meeting:- "We had another superb AGM this year which was back at the Bexleyheath United Reform Church in Geddes Place. We used both the church and hall and also had a large drop down screen for presentations. NW Coordinator, Sandra Fox of Burns Close in Slade Green & North End ward, won the Violane Therond award for most proactive Coordinator of 2017/2018. Both our new Borough Commander, Simon Dobinson, and our Patron, James Brokenshire MP, were present and spoke to over 100 of our Coordinators that were in attendance. We also heard from Inspector Kevin Hebdon who along with The Borough Commander assured support for NW and community policing going forward and within the new ward boundaries. Speaking to both those DWOs that attended and our members, it was evident that some evening meetings in the future were needed for Coordinators to meet DWOs and vice-versa. We will try and arrange these meetings over the next few months, possibly as part of our annual coordinator meetings and in agreement with the DWOs so they can be present. A thank you to all our members that attended and to our guests and hard-working DWOs, Nicola Jones & Joyce Barlow, who spoke with a lot of Coordinators at the end of the meeting. A more detailed report including photos and further awards information will be in our Summer newsletter which is due out in a couple of weeks". Now for reports from the various wards; firstly Barnehurst ward:- "Another fantastic week crime wise on the ward with only one crime of note reported, sadly this was a burglary which occurred on Tuesday 5th June between 7am – 10pm in Holmesdale Grove. Suspect(s) have forced open a garage door located in an alleyway at the back of the houses and taken two mountain bikes from inside. One of the bikes was found abandoned in the fields adjacent to Barnehurst Golf Course. The outstanding bike is a Grey Apollo mens 20” mountain bike. The team were contacted about anti-social behaviour and potential drug abuse in and around the Defoe Close area. Proactive patrols both in uniform and plain clothes were conducted which resulted in several stop and searches leading to the arrest of a youth for cannabis possession. As stated previously this behaviour will not be tolerated. If you have any concerns please contact the team and we will do what we can to combat any issues. Please join a member of the team at Barnehurst Golf Course on Thursday 21st June at 11am to discuss any local issues. Finally – we have broken through 500 followers on Twitter, only just with 501. A big thank you to all our followers, Please spread the word the more the merrier, you can also follow the teams antics on face book, just search Barnehurst Police". Belvedere ward:- "A really good news story from the team this week. On 3rd June Inspector Kevin Hebdon from Safer Neighbourhoods attended a burglary call to a commercial premises in Belvedere and took the initial report. From speaking with the victim, he felt the investigation would benefit from being led by the local safer neighbourhood team and as such was passed to us. We obtained CCTV, spoke with neighbours and completed local enquiries quickly identifying people who were present at the time, and as a result the name of the lead suspect. On our patrols of our hotspots on the ward on 8th June we stopped a young male less than 10 metres from the venue of the burglary. He provided his details and the team were satisfied this male was the suspect from the burglary. He was searched, taken home and interviewed regarding the incident. In less than a week the burglar was apprehended and has now been reprimanded and is to engage with numerous agencies. Swift action and intervention has had a huge impact on the victim as well as the suspect and their family. Further to this, the team changed shifts to work later over the weekend following reports of various ASB issues. 1 Community Protection Notice warning and 2 Acceptable Behaviour Contracts have been issued in regards to one issue meaning that the recipients have rules and guidance to follow to prevent them from causing ASB. We also stopped a group of 9 street drinkers in Picardy Street on Friday, 4 street drinkers on Saturday, as well as one male for public urination – he has been referred to the council for the matter to be escalated. Another group of 5 were stopped for loitering in a private residential area with no cause to be in the area". Bexleyheath ward:- "We are happy to mention that we have had no reported burglaries or attempted burglaries on the ward. We recently took part in a initiative that was held on the 9th June 2018 along the Broadway, this was in aid of Bike Week. We had managed to property mark peoples push bikes using Bike Register. There was also a stall to help recruit more Special Constables as well as crime prevention stalls and promoting road safety awareness. It was a great success and hopefully we will be able to hold more events like this more often. Along the Broadway on the 09/06/2018 – We had a report of a theft of bag that was taken from the victim whilst they placed the bag on the floor. We have had two theft of motor vehicles recently. One was on the 11/06/2018 along Belvedere Road, personal items taken from inside the vehicle. The other one was reported on Oakhouse Road between 10/06/2018 and 12/06/2018, tow bar was stolen from the vehicle. We have had one arrested on the Broadway for Theft/Shoplifting as well as assault on Police and a female arrested for ABH – Actual Bodily Harm. On the 12/06/2018 The team was on patrol along the Broadway and had one male stopped on a push bike that was stolen and the matter is now being investigated and the Male shall also be issued with a fine for riding on a public footpath. The bike was returned to the rightful owner and was bike marked using Bike Register in case it is reported stolen again to help easily identify the owners. The team still continue to patrol areas on the ward in relation to ASB and areas reported to us for drugs. These patrols would include the park areas as now the weather is getting better and there was reports of graffiti. Reports have also been reported to us in relation to anti-social behaviour in Brayside Crescent Bexleyheath. Patrols are being conducted as much as possible to resolve the issue". Crayford ward:- "Between 20.00 on Monday 4th June and 10.10 on Thursday 7th June the number plate was stolen from a blue Yamaha XJ6 parked in Barnes Cray Road, the owner recalls seeing the pillion rider of a moped near his drive. Between 07.00 on Saturday 2nd June and 15.30 on Thursday 7th June the front number plate was stolen from a Peugeot 207 whilst parked outside 73 Swaisland Drive, Crayford. On Saturday 9th June at about 3.25 police were called to a fight in Shearswood Crescent, on arrival no one was seen fighting or made themselves known as a victim. But a white Mercedes parked on a driveway had a damaged windscreen, no suspect could be identified. On Friday 8th June between 18.15 and 22.45 a Blue Suzuki Swift had the rear and front number plates stolen from Maiden Lane close to Barnes Cray Road. We would recommend anti-theft screws for number plates to reduce the chances of this crime happening, they are easily available and easy to fit. On Friday 8th June at 11.15 an elderly lady used her bank card at the cashpoint outside Sainsburys, went in to the store and once at the tills no longer had the wallet. They did not feel, see or hear the suspect take the wallet. The suspect tried to use the card but it was declined as it had already been reported to the bank. On Sunday 10th June at approximately 23.45 there was an attempted burglary at Heathview Road. The victim recalls hearing a noise by the front door at that time but didn’t investigate until the morning, realising then that there were tool marks around the door frame. Entry was not gained, nothing was taken. This is a very good example of having well-fitting doors, good locks and using them. On Friday 8th June between 16.00-16.30 a Black VW Transporter was parked in Maiden Lane, the owner returned to find a long scratch across the front causing £2000 of damage. Fortunately the vehicle had a dash cam and the suspect has since been identified and arrest enquiries pending. A red Vauxhall Astra, number plate EA55BCF was involved in a road traffic accident in Crayford Road close to Heath Road on Saturday 2nd June and the rear wheel on the driver’s side was badly damaged. The owner returned on Saturday 9th June and the vehicle had been removed believed stolen. Due to the damage the vehicle would have needed to be lifted as it could not be driven or towed. On Thursday 7th June at 16.45 a lady was walking along Station Road when she was approached by five teenage Males on bicycles, one attempted to snatch her bag but she held on to it and they rode off shouting abuse at her. Thankfully she was not harmed. It is a good idea to have a bag across the body rather than over the shoulder, or to keep the bag as close to the wall rather than pavement as possible to reduce the risk of having it snatched. PCSO John Cullingham and I have been busy patrolling the ward this week and have spoken to lots of our residents about their concerns, especially in the Dale Road area". Erith ward:- "We now have a new Sergeant PS Glenn Turner who has taken over on Erith. We have been patrolling Erith Park most days we are in and are working with the housing officers for the area. The Erith Fun Day is on 7th July – we will be there hopefully teaming up with the Bexley Neighbourhood watch on their stall. We have had reports of Youths riding at speed round Galleons close all weekend from 6 to 7pm at night, no helmets or protection. Putting children and car drivers at risk of serious injury. We are looking in to ways of cracking down on this. A lot of plan clothing patrols have been happening in Erith over the last few weeks". Northumberland Heath ward:- "There have been no reported burglaries across the ward this week. The team have been busy dealing with Anti-Social Behaviour that has been reported in Northumberland Heath Rec Ground where a number of youths have been stopped and several were taken home. The team are working with Bexley Council around this issue as well. We have requested a CCTV camera to be put up covering the car park and also for the wall that the youths sit on to be altered. The team have conducted sixteen Stop and Searches in the last week which resulted in the seizure of cannabis and prosecution of seven individuals. The team have also been involved in a noise issue raised by residents. We have visited the address in question on several occasions and also liaised with the letting agents to deal with the problem". Slade Green and North End ward:- "No burglaries reported on our ward in the last week and only 2 vehicle crimes. Overnight on Monday/Tuesday 11/12 June a wallet was stolen from inside a car in Raleigh Close(all the cards have now been cancelled after they were used), no damage to the car although the owner is adamant the vehicle was left locked. Please ensure you check your car is locked after parking. A car was set on fire in Appold Street around 6.30pm on Tuesday 12 June but it had no number plates on so the owner is yet to be traced. Nobody was injured. PC Brookes-Smith and PC Telfer have had several stop and searches across the ward in the last week. 2 of these searches led to fines being issued for drug offences and another led to a cannabis warning being given. They continue their robust daily patrols and are also doing some plain clothes patrols also to target hotspot areas. PCSO Mark has attended the Little Daydreams Nursery at Orchard House this week and had lots of fun engaging with the children and answering their questions. Sergeant Glenn Turner has this week taken over the reins managing our team as well as managing Erith and North Heath wards". Thamesmead East ward:- "Good News No burglaries to report this week. Motor Vehicle crime There have been several reports. On Wednesday 06/06/18 between the hours of 08:00 and 12:00, a motor vehicle was stolen from Courtland Grove. A vehicle was damaged in Thamesbank Place during Thursday morning of the 07/06/18.During the early hours of Saturday morning 09/06/18 number plates were stolen from a vehicle parked in Bayliss Avenue. Other crimes Over night of Friday 08/06/18 and Saturday 09/06/18 an adult’s pedal cycle padlocked with children’s cycles was stolen from the back garden of a property in Haldane Road. Further News The male found in possession of drugs paraphernalia was interviewed by PC Pruden at the Thamesmead East police office, the male received a Community Resolution, which means, it is a low-level crime, the crime is recorded, the person has to admit/agree to the offence and sign the form. All this without the need for a court appearance. On Friday 22nd June, a Police Surgery will be held at the Thamesmead Library, Bazalgette Way between 3 - 4pm. Feel free to drop in".

The end video this week features a time lapse video showing the construction of the controversial "Belvedere Beach", which replaced the Belvedere Splash Park, despite vocal opposition from many local residents. Please feel to leave a comment below, or alternatively you can Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.