The fire.

The photo above - click on it for a larger view - shows two Thames Water vehicles parked at the end of Appold Street with the junction of James Watt Way in Erith. The vehicles have been a familiar sight to local residents for an exceedingly long time. The drains located at the road junction get blocked approximately once a week on average. The Thames Water drainage trucks are such frequent visitors that for many local residents, they have become part of the scenery. It is ironic that at the other end of Appold Street, adjacent to the old road bridge, there is a Thames Water pumping station, which hardly ever seems to get any official attention. It just goes to show that however much things change, they can also stay the same. I originally wrote about the drainage system that leads from Morrison's supermarket and into James Watt Way back in January 2012 I wrote: - "For the last couple of weeks, any shopper unfortunate to walk past the exterior of Erith Morrison's on the side of the building that has the windows into the restaurant area, and that contains the cash machines facing the car park cannot have missed one thing - the awesomely terrible pong.  It was hard to describe in mere words; in the way that garlic is a highly concentrated onion, the stench was like that of an unflushed loo the morning after a night supping pints of Guinness, followed by an extra hot Brussels Sprout and Stilton Vindaloo. My nose hairs shrivelled at the overpowering smell. Anyway, the facilities team at Morrison's got a specialist drain company onto the problem. After sending remote controlled mobile "mole" cameras down the drains, they soon realised the problems were extensive. On Monday evening I saw the drainage engineers lowering a mole camera down a manhole in Wheatley Terrace Road; they spent several hours hunched over the monitors in their van, watching the small device inching its' way along, back towards the supermarket. The next day they were back, with a small fleet of vehicles parked adjacent to the cash machines in Morrison's car park. I asked one of the workers what was going on, and he said that the drainage pipe was blocked pretty much for its' entire length - which stretched from the main supermarket building all of the way to Wheatley Terrace Road - that's around a hundred yards of poo. No wonder it stank! All seems fine now, so the drainage engineers have obviously conquered the aromatic problem. Not a career I would choose, but as the old adage goes - where there's muck, there's brass". It would seem that in the intervening eight years, very little has actually changed. If you have any insight into this situation, please drop me a line to hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

The photo above - click on it for a larger version - was taken by me on Thursday evening. The householder in one of the three storey town houses in Manor Road, Erith decided to light a large bonfire. He then apparently went indoors to watch TV. The fire got out of control, burned down the neighbours fences on both sides, then spread onto the small patch of wasteland beyond. The Fire Brigade were quickly on the scene - they were concerned that had the fire spread any further, it could have affected the garages of Edwardian Motor Services, behind the plot of waste land. I was told that the garages have Oxy - Acetylene equipment, including gas bottles in them - so it could have been nasty. The fire was put out in a couple of minutes - I have informed my contacts in the Slade Green and Northend Safer Neighbourhood team about the incident - apparently the house holder has had several nuisance bonfires in the past, but this is the first one to really get out of hand. The Police may want to have words with him about fire safety. 

A while ago, I read an excellent book on the recent history of Kent by historian Bob Ogley which recounted an event that I had never even heard about, that happened quite locally back in 1968. In those days Chatham dockyard was still being operated by the Royal Navy as an active base. It employed hundreds of local civilian workers, as well as military personnel. As a side note, the location of the dockyard at Chatham is one of the main reasons the North Kent rail line was built as early as it was; whilst it did serve the then new phenomenon of commuters from South East London and North Kent into central London, the main impetus behind the creation of the rail line so soon after the invention of the steam engine was clear – it was to connect the dockyard with both The Royal Arsenal at Woolwich, and the Admiralty buildings in central London. The whole of the military operation of Victorian Britain (and thus the Empire) was dependent on the North Kent railway line – something few people nowadays are aware of; I digress – back on August the 17th 1968, a fire broke out on HMS Valiant – (shown in the photo above - click on it for a larger version) a Royal Navy submarine that was in dry dock undergoing a refit. The specialised submarine dock had only been opened in June 1968, and the Valiant was its’ first customer. The submarine dock was constructed between numbers six and seven docks, and was designed for the refit and refuelling of the non-Polaris class nuclear attack submarines employed by the Royal Navy. The base had a huge cantilever crane for the removal of nuclear reactors, an office block, underground workshops and a health centre. The Valiant-class was the first fully British nuclear fleet submarine (the first British nuclear submarine, HMS Dreadnought, used an American nuclear reactor). There were only two boats of the class, HMS Valiant commissioned in 1966 and Warspite the following year. Both were built by Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness, and based at Faslane during the sixties and seventies.. The class was based on Dreadnought but twenty feet longer and nine hundred tons greater submerged displacement (4900 tons). They also had a Paxman diesel-electric generator for emergencies. In 1967, Valiant set a then Royal Navy record of sailing 12,000 miles (19,312 km) submerged in twenty-eight days, from Singapore to the UK. Whilst in refit, a fire broke out aboard the Valiant, and extensive damage was caused. Both the dockyard fire department, and the civilian Chatham Fire Brigade attended the blaze; there were immediate concerns that a release of radiation could be resultant of the blaze, and nuclear contamination crews were summoned with protective clothing, respirators and Geiger counters. No release of radiation was found, despite intense speculation on the part of both local and national press at the time. The Valiant was successfully repaired, and later returned to active service. Valiant re-commissioned at Chatham in May 1972, later returning for a second refit in 1977. By 1975, Chatham Dockyard was the only Dockyard in Britain to undertake the refitting work of two nuclear submarines - Churchill and Dreadnought - at the same time. This was known as 'dual streaming'. In October 1975, the Dockyard even entered into 'triple streaming'; Churchill awaited re-commissioning at the end of the month; Dreadnought remained in refit and Conqueror entered refit for the first time at Chatham. The older nuclear-powered submarines of the Valiant / Churchill classes were prematurely withdrawn from service as a result of serious cracking in the primary cooling circuits of their nuclear reactors. The Swiftsure class had similar power plants and experienced the same problems. One, HMS Swiftsure, was decommissioned for this reason – if the components affected happen to be located in areas where high radioactivity is present, it is often too dangerous to make a repair - instead that have to be scrapped. HMS Valiant was finally paid off from naval service in 1994. Nowadays HMS Valiant has been decommissioned from the Royal Navy and is stored afloat at Devonport. The defuel (removal of the reactor and all radioactive materials) of HMS Valiant, which was docked in 14 Dock for Dock Down and Lay-up Preparations, was successfully completed and the submarine left 14 Dock on the 6 March 2003. It had been moored in 3 Basin along with other de-fuelled submarines. The problems encountered with the engineering works on the Valiant and other early nuclear submarines was not the one expected – no radiation was released, and no radioactive materials lost. The problem was far more prosaic, but arguably just as deadly. All of the submarines, and pretty much all of the surface vessels refitted at Chatham in the 1960’s and 1970’s used large quantities of Asbestos, both as pipe insulation, and for fire – proofing. Many of the civilian and military personnel were exposed to Asbestos dust during engineering works. As is now well known, exposure to Asbestos particles over time can cause Asbestosis, as well as several types of cancer. Nationwide there are nearly five thousand asbestos-related deaths a year (about half of which are from mesothelioma). The Medway area, which includes Chatham dockyard, is in the UK’s top four for asbestos related deaths. A total of 104 people died from mesothelioma in Medway between 2006 and 2010. This is way above the number one would expect from such as geographically small area. I understand that several legal cases have been lodged by former Chatham Dockyard workers with the Ministry of Defence over Asbestos related illnesses allegedly caused to people working there in the past.  I ought to make it abundantly clear that the dockyard (now a popular museum and film location – it is regularly used by the producers of “Call the Midwife” to stand in for 1950’s / 1960's Poplar, and the producers of films including Sherlock Holmes – a Game of Shadows, Les Miserables, Children of Men, and The World is Not Enough have used the place as a location) is absolutely not now an asbestos or radiation risk. The dockyard makes for a fine family day out, with plenty to see and do for all ages, once lockdown is finally over. It even has an excellent pub / restaurant in The Ship and Trades, run by Shepherd Neame. You can read about the Chatham Historic Dockyard Museum here.

Both fast food drive throughs in Erith - KFC and McDonalds have re-opened after the Covid-19 lockdown, but with very strict rules for both the staff and customers. Unfortunately there have been a number of incidents showing the law of unintended consequences as a result, as one local resident, who wishes to remain anonymous writes:- "It has been mayhem for the residents along this end of Manor Road. KFC were first to open, the first evening was awful, cars tooting their horns and parking everywhere.Since that first day they have taken to closing their car park, causing all customers to park on Britannia Close.Not only that, there ordering from there cars while parked and waiting for Just Eat and Deliveroo to bring it to them. Eating it on the Close and then throwing there rubbish on the Close.Now this week McDonalds have reopened,you wouldn’t believe the traffic. There’s no social distancing between car occupants and delivery drivers. Surely Erith residents aren’t that desperate for a piece of chicken or burger? We have been shielding for nine weeks and have now have to sit inside while they park outside with their engines running. McDonalds seems to be trying to manage this, but KFC doesn’t seem bothered as long as they take money. I’ve been talking to Trading Standards but they are not interested. We are the over spill car park for KFC". What do you think about the recent reopening of these two large and popular fast food outlets? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Several readers have asked me to write in more detail about Edward Butler, the true inventor of the modern motor car, who I have written about in the past. He was the first modern motorist, he invented several automotive components that are still in common use today, and his wife Kitty, also known as Kate Gildersleeves – is thought to be the World’s first lady motorist. When Edward Butler was developing his petrol cycle (photo above - click on it for a larger view), he used Manor Road in Erith for testing purposes. The reason for this was (unlike today) the road was relatively quiet with little traffic; it also benefited by being a very long road and mostly straight. It can therefore be said that Manor Road in Erith was the World’s very first car test track. It still gets used by would – be boy racers nowadays, despite a twenty miles per hour speed limit on the residential stretch of the road. The Butler Petrol Cycle is accepted by many automotive historians as the very first British motor car, although as it never went into production. Although Karl Benz is recognised as the inventor of the modern motor car, the aforementioned Edward Butler was said to have exhibited plans for a 3-wheeled vehicle two years earlier than Benz in 1884 at the Stanley Cycle Show, London, and it was also the first design shown at the 1885 Inventions Exhibition, London. Butler however did not patent his vehicle until 1887 due to British laws on experiments.  On the vehicle the patent read “Butlers Petrol-Cycle Syndicate Limited Patent”.  It also referred to “F.B. Shuttleworth, Erith, London.” as Butler built the Petrol Cycle in the engineering works of F.B. Shuttleworth who was an engineer who built naval torpedo ships and civilian yachts, and additionally was a steam boiler manufacturer.  In 1890 Butler finished his design which was a vehicle powered by an engine that combusted mineral hydrocarbons. The respected publication Scientific American published an article on the Butler Petrol Cycle in the February 14th 1891 edition of the magazine. This stated that one gallon of petroleum or benzolene was enough to “furnish sufficient power” to achieve a journey of forty miles at a speed ranging from 3 - 10 mph. Edward Butler is credited with first using the word “Petrol” and inventing the spark plug, magneto, coil ignition and spray jet carburettor.  The speed of the vehicle was regulated by a throttle valve lever  whilst over heating was prevented by water circulating through a radiator over the rear driving wheel. Butler was continually frustrated in his automotive experiments by the law. The Red Flag Act of 1885 was a major source of exasperation; the act restricted automotive vehicles to a maximum speed of 2 mph in the city and 4 mph in the countryside.  In addition each vehicle had to be attended by three people, of which one had to walk in front of the vehicle waving a red flag (The 1865 Red Flag Act) to warn other road users and help control horses. This act had originally appeared as a result of the growing number of steam powered vehicles in the UK. The restrictive nature of the Red Flag Act meant that inventors and engineers could only test their creations on private land, something which proved instrumental in holding back British car development, and allowing Karl Benz in Germany not only to gain a technological lead in car development, but more importantly to register a whole series of patents under his name. Butler became increasingly frustrated and disillusioned; In 1900 Butler penned a letter to “The Autocar” magazine of which they published on April 7th 1900. The letter read:- “Now that public attention is being drawn to the early attempts of the two German pioneers, Benz and Daimler, I trust that you may find space in your journal for an illustration of a small petrol vehicle, which I believe was absolutely the first made in this country, and if I could have interested any one to finance it when the drawings were exhibited at the Stanley Show in 1884, and the following year at the Inventions Exhibition, I should have been contemporaneous, if not earlier than either of them. Although I cannot claim to have done very much in the light of the present enormous development of the automotor trade, it may have been forgotten that I carried out a series of experiments in the perfecting of a motor vehicle at a time when progress was much hindered by the prejudice and want of interest - the motor part of which has been since used in many types of engines for industrial purposes.” By this time Edward Butler had already give up further work on his Petrol Cycle, realising that due to the restrictive traffic laws of the time, he was never going to win the race to build the World’s first commercially available motor car. He wrote “..the authorities do not countenance its use on the roads, and I have abandoned in consequence any further development of it.” Butler broke his Petrol Cycle up for scrap in 1896 where upon the patent rights were sold to H.J. Lawson and the engine continued to be produced for motor boats.  Shortly afterwards the Locomotive on Highways Act of 1896 was passed that allowed speeds of up to 14 mph and opened up the highways to motor vehicles, but this was too late for Edward Butler. He died in 1940, largely unrecognised for his pioneering work in automotive design. If things had turned out differently, instead of driving around in Mercedes Benzes, we could have been driving a Butler motor car.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Barnehurst has had one non-residential burglary in Parkside Parade, Northend Road. This is the second time within a few days that the premises has been targeted. On this occasion Wednesday 27/05/2020 in the very early hours around 01.00am suspects have climbed over two walls then onto a roof to loosen screws to gain access to a stock room. Goods have then been passed out to another suspect on the roof. The same vehicle a blue Transit Ford Connect registration number LX03ZBZ involved in the previous burglary made off just before Police arrived. Other news on the ward… Officers gave chase to two males in Colyers Lane on Tuesday 2/06/2020. Both males were stopped and searched for drugs. In Birling Road Officers have paid attention to the area due to reports of males involved in drug dealing. Two males fitting descriptions given were stopped and searched for suspected drug dealing. Regular patrols have been carried in and around Parkside Avenue due to vehicles driving in an anti-social manner. This matter had improved however we have received a complaint of a vehicle driving dangerously round the corner of Parkside Avenue into Old Manor Way. If this continues we will be taking further steps to put a stop to this behaviour. Another area that has come to light recently is the old garaged area off Hurstwood Avenue. It's been reported that youths are climbing over walls to get into the construction site. Vehicles are also seen to park up in this area believed to be drugs dealing. Barnehurst Golf Club remains closed. I believe they have a problem with a water tank therefore until this is repaired the golf club will remain closed. Regular patrols to the area continue". 

Belvedere ward:- "From a Neighbourhood Watch member - I though you may be interested in this knife I found yesterday (2/6/20) in the alleyway at the rear of my house. I rang the police and they came and collected right away. It was about 9 inches overall in length. Along with Erith and Northumberland Heath SNT officers we have continued our patrols of the Streamway area in relation to groups loitering and suspected drug use in and around the location. There appears to have been fewer calls to this area over recent days and we will continue to focus on this area in the coming weeks. Having been alerted by a local resident on Wednesday 3rd June, PC Holmes and PCSO Worrall discovered two vehicles that were found to have been stolen in Manorside Close – both were recovered. There have been reports of a certain female living in Abbey Crescent dealing drugs. This is unconfirmed but if anyone knows of this and has information please pass onto the team. We have also been made aware of apparent drug use and dealing taking place in Clive Road, toward the lower end of the road – with several cars and mopeds arriving at all times of the day and stairwells being used to smoke cannabis. We will continue to patrol this area also". Bexleyheath ward:- "Wednesday 27/05/2020 2200 Theft of Motor vehicle Nursery Road. Between Friday 1st and Sunday 31st May Theft from Motor Vehicle Francis Avenue Catalytic Converter Stolen whilst parked on driveway. Sunday 31/05/2020 0035 Burglary Commercial Bexleyheath Broadway. Male arrested as broken window to a couple of shops. From Member of the Public - in Church Road - Myself and my daughter were walking down Church Road and saw a van being broken into. Two white males were attempting to break into a BT van. When I approached the house to knock on their door, they ran down to a silver car which was parked on the edge of Mayfield, where another person was waiting for them. The car then turned left towards the Broadway". Crayford ward:- "Thankfully, no burglaries this week. On Sunday 31st May at 17.30 a resident left a bicycle outside Premier Mart with a Deliveroo type rucksack type bag and a brown and white container with it while he went in to the shop. As he came out he saw two youths on pushbikes take the brown and white container and ride away with it. Within the box were personal items including a Polish Identity card. The crimes this week have been vehicle related. On Friday 29th May, the number plate GJ07FZA was stolen from a white Suzuki whilst parked in the rear garden of a property in Crayford Road, a fence panel was damaged to get to the bike. A male was seen in Maiden Lane looking under a black Mercedes on Sunday 31st May at 3.23am, he was chased off. A similar incident had occurred at B&Q the week before to this vehicle. Number plates SJ55TSY were stolen from a silver Toyota Avensis between 19.00 on Friday 29th May and 08.00 on Monday 1st June in Alcock Crescent. On Monday 1st June between 10.30 and 12.30 a catalytic convertor was stolen from a Honda Jazz whilst parked at Hall Place car park, it had clearly been cut off. Security screws are available to secure number plates, they work by screwing the number plate securely but cannot be unscrewed, it is very much recommended to use these to prevent the theft of number plates, they are inexpensive and easy to fit. The team have been busy patrolling around the ward, we are seeing an increase in anti-social behaviour and life is slowly returning to the new “normal.” Please stay alert, stay safe". Erith ward:- "Theft from Motor Vehicle x2 Tower Road – Male trying car doors in the area gained access to 2 cars various items were taken. Male was seen on ring doorbell cameras trying a number of vehicle doors gaining entry to 2 of them". Northumberland Heath ward - no report this week. Slade Green and Northend ward:- "No crimes of note in the last week. Local Police Teams have charged two males in relation to an incident of Public Order on the Frobisher Road Estate. 12 Stop & Searches over the past week in Dale View & North End Road with various drugs found. We are appealing to residents to be very tolerant of each other as this difficult time as we have seen a large increase in neighbour related disputes across the ward in recent days/weeks which limits time local officers can spend deterring/preventing crime". Thamesmead East ward:- "Wednesday 27/05/20 between the hours of 10:30am and 10:40am, a van parked in Mangold Way was broken into and power tools taken. Between the hours of 04:00pm on Wednesday 27/05/20 and 06:09am on Thursday 28/05/20 a vehicle parked near Tilehurst Point had the drivers off side window smashed, an untidy search occurred nothing taken. On Sunday 01/06/20 after 05:00 am a vehicle parked in Holstein Way had the catalytic converter stolen from a Toyota prius. Criminal Damage - Wednesday 27/05/20 the passenger window of a vehicle parked in Troon Close was smashed, the incident happened between the hours of 2:30pm and 2:50pm. Good News - PC's Pruden and Quarshie-Awuah joined colleagues from Belvedere SNT attended an address in Belvedere, where they were met by hostile family members , a male whom despite numerous previous attempts was finally arrested". West Heath ward, from a Neighbourhood Watch member:- "A friend had a phone call this morning from a person claiming to be from the NHS Test and Trace service, to advise that a person known to my friend had tested positive. The caller asked for postal address, so that a test kit could be sent. Then my friend was asked for credit card details for payment of £500 to be taken. My friend challenged this and was told that the trace and test is not free on the NHS and a one-off payment is required. At this point my friend hung up". From the ward ream:- "No burglaries reported to us this week. A motorbike was stolen from Pinewood Road between Friday 29/05/20 0100 – Saturday 01/06/20 08.30. The bike was chained to the ground by an anchor but this had been cut off. Thankfully, the bike was later located in Thamesmead later that day due to a post which was put on Facebook. It is not known if the motorbike sustained any damage. Theft of a Sat Nav from a vehicle parked in Shakespeare Road between Tuesday 2/6/2020 21.30 – Wednesday 3/06/20 02.40. Access to the vehicle was gained via smashing the passenger window". 

The end video this week is a short documentary on the making of Stanley Kubrick's once controversial film "A Clockwork Orange". The documentary mainly focuses on the films use of locations - indeed, much of the film was shot in and around Thamesmead. Give it a watch, and leave a comment by Emailing me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Petrol.

I took the upper photo above last week; in case you were wondering what a bar in Fitzrovia, just around the corner from the landmark BT Tower is doing on a Blog about events in and around the North part of the London Borough of Bexley, read on, and I will explain. Regular and long term readers will recall that I wrote extensively about Potion Bar in Erith High Street (historical photo shown in the lower of the two photos above) - the notorious drug den and hive of scum and villainy, which was eventually closed down back in 2014. The lower photo of Erith Potion was taken back in 2011. The building in the upper of the two photos above - click on it for a larger view - was the other branch of Potion, though in fact it was a far more upmarket wine and cocktail bar in a very nice part of the West End of London. The two branches were owned by a couple of nefarious businessmen, of whom I have heard some worrying stories. The two Potion bars were only in existence for a handful of years. The Erith branch caused much concern to local residents. As I have previously written, the erstwhile owners of Potion were in deep trouble with both Bexley Council and the Police, even before the place opened to the paying public. The building had previously been a pub called the White Hart, and not only was it fitted with a green, salt glazed tile exterior (the green tiles were made locally – the green colouring was a characteristic of Erith tiles) and ornate, acid etched windows, both dating from Victorian times, but it also had a pretty pub sign hanging from a bracket. When Potion took over, these features were all ripped out and destroyed, even though the Council specifically prohibited them from doing so. Not only was the White Hart a grade II listed building, but it was located in a conservation area. The new owners then installed a hideously inappropriate plate glass frontage which looked completely out of place. Bexley Council did go to great lengths to prosecute the owners of Potion. Initially they issued an enforcement order, which instructed Potion to install a replica of the original Victorian pub frontage -  Potion was then given a period of six months to comply with the order, which ended on the 8th April 2010. They did not undertake any work to restore the appearance of the building, and in the first hearing at Bexley Magistrates Court on the 16th July 2012, neither defendant appeared. Arrest warrants were then issued by the court for the owners. A new trial was set on the 18th December 2012 at Bromley Magistrates Court. The owners of Potion pleaded guilty to all charges, to which they were fined a paltry £350, plus £500 in court costs, along with a £15 victim surcharge. Bexley Council Legal Services were then authorised to commence injunction proceedings against Potion, and the ownership of Potion was subsequently taken over by the freeholders of the building. It was then closed down some months later. The Fitzrovia branch closed shortly thereafter, and the current owners subsequently refurbished the bar and opened it as Simmons music and cocktail bar. The Erith Potion is now the White Hart African Restaurant, and the hideous plate glass frontage was removed, and a close replica of the original Victorian frontage was installed a couple of years ago. Feedback and comments to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

One of my favoured sources of accurate and up to date information on IT and technical related issues is the excellent website – The Register. Stories that get into the general press usually break on The Register at least a day earlier, and in greater detail. The site is very tongue in cheek, and often finds a humorous angle on technology issues. It broke a story a while ago, that caught my attention; an employment agency are looking for programmers who have skills in writing and maintaining software for the DEC PDP-11 series of mini computers. What is so unusual about that? I hear some of you ask. Well, the PDP 11 computer range was first introduced in 1970, and went out of general production in 1990. They are absolute antiques nowadays. The machines were large – even a relatively small installation would be the equivalent of three or four full height fridge freezers, plus a terminal the size of a small school desk. By any modern standards they are museum pieces – indeed, The National Museum of Computing does have some examples of PDP hardware in its collection. When they were first offered for sale, they offered a relatively cheap and reliable entry into business and industrial computing; indeed many PDP 11’s were used to control machine tools in factories – some of the early car welding robots were controlled in this way. Other key users were (and in some cases still are) large banks and insurance companies, who require reliability and very high up time over performance and the latest features. Quite often the old computers such as the PDP 11 range are still employed on the “back end” systems that the customers (and indeed many of the staff) never see. Many of such organisations are exceptionally risk averse, and would rather support an ancient technology than take a chance on upgrading to a modern alternative that may have new and undocumented bugs, possibly causing loss of earnings and damage to reputation. I know that there are a small handful of independent contractors who earn a very good living continuing to support these old clunkers – because the knowledge required to maintain and repair the hardware and software is so specialised, they are able to charge pretty much what they like for their services, as they have their clients “over a barrel” – nice work if you can get it. My first foray into the world of “serious” computers was back in the early 1980’s, when I had a Saturday job as an assistant in Silica Shop in Sidcup. During the 1980’s, Silica Shop were the largest privately owned, independent computer retailers in the UK. They specialised in the early 8 – bit home computers, especially the range made by Atari – for whom they were the European dealers. Silica Shop had its’ HQ in Hatherley Road, Sidcup, where there was a large retail unit on the lower floor of the two storey building, and on the upstairs was a warehouse, an office, and an air conditioned computer room, which housed a large DEC PDP 11- 44 mini  computer - almost identical to the one in the photograph above. As well as working in the shop on Saturdays, I was also able to work during school holidays; during this time I would sometimes be called out of the shop to help the computer system administrator, who for a while made me his unofficial assistant. I learned lots about working with large scale business computers, and all of the basics of system administration – adding and removing users, changing security settings, creating files, running batch processes and the like. Even back then, the 11-44 was quite an elderly piece of kit – the company having purchased the machine second hand, as new they were well over two hundred thousand pounds, depending on the specification and peripherals required. One quirk of the 11-44 operating system was that you could not reformat the large 8 inch floppy disks it used (earlier versions of the machine used reels of magnetic tape). In order to re – use the expensive floppy disks, you first had to manually wipe them of data using a degaussing machine – which was basically a large electromagnet. I think everyone was scared of the degausser – it hummed and buzzed, occasionally emitting a crackle of electricity, accompanied by a faint smell of ozone. I think even by the lax health and safety standards of the time, the machine should have been condemned! What I did to avoid the dreaded machine was looking back, pretty imaginative. The computer room had several old – style telephones with rotary dials. I would place a small pile of disks underneath a phone, then ring it from another extension. The bell ringer built into the phone was an electromagnet, and in ringing it would wipe the disks! Silica Shop wrote their own customer database; what would nowadays be called a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system. Whenever someone came into the shop and bought something, a sales docket would be completed by the shop assistant. It included the buyer's name, address and what they bought, along with an itemised total. Each item of stock was allocated a unique part number, which staff could look up on VT100 computer terminals in the shop, which would also record how many of that particular item were left in stock; the real old hands would know most, if not all of the popular stock item codes off the top of their heads. When the stock level got down to a certain point, the system would automatically place a re – order, and debit the company account accordingly. The system would also target postal advertising at customers according to what they had already purchased – there was no point in sending a leaflet on Atari 800XL software to a customer who had bought a Commodore 64 for example. All this is targetted advertising is routine nowadays, but back in 1983 it was unique, and debatably the most sophisticated customer database used anywhere in the United Kingdom. My own thoughts are that if Silica Shop had taken this ground breaking business software and ported it onto the then new IBM PC, they would have had a huge business in selling and supporting enterprise level CRM applications now. Instead they continued to shift boxes of home computers, and eventually went out of business in the mid 1990’s. If the management had employed a more creative vision, Silica Shop could have been a global software name like Oracle now. I have to say that I learned more about computing in my few years working at Silica Shop than I have learned anywhere else. My entire career in IT has been built on stuff I picked up in a quiet side street in Sidcup. 

The world's first female motorist was an Erith based lady called Kate Gildersleeves; she was the wife of engineer and inventor Edward Butler. They can be seen in the upper of the two photographs above, along with their niece. Edward Butler invented the motor car before Karl Benz in Germany, who is popularly thought to be the inventor. this three-wheel fore-car had an elegant 650cc twin-cylinder, four-stroke, water-cooled engine with electric spark ignition. Years ahead of DeDion and Boulton, the Petrol-Cycle made Gottleib Daimler’s “Reitwagen” look like something from the Medieval Period. Butler designed his “Velocycle” while working for an engineering company and filed for a provisional patent in 1884 under the title “A petroleum motor tricycle or small automobile carriage since it is not provided with auxiliary pedalling [sic] gear and was fitted with a comfortable seat and footboard.” That year he exhibited drawings of the vehicle at Stanley Cycle Show in London and in 1885 at the Inventions Exhibition, but neither produced financial backing. Unknown to the English inventor, in Germany Karl Benz was developing his own gasoline-powered internal combustion engine, as was Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. In 1887 he filed for a limited patent and began actual work on the Velocycle, now renamed “Petrol-Cycle” (this is the first known use of the word “petrol”) in the machine shop of F.B. Shuttleworth—an engineer, designer of torpedo boats, and boiler builder—and it was fabricated by the Merryweather Fire Engine Company in Greenwich. The Petro-cycle originally had a two-stroke engine with a magneto ignition when it was test ridden in 1888 at the Invicta Works in East London. Between 1888 and 1890, Butler converted the engine to four-stroke, replaced the magneto ignition with a battery and coil, and invented a spray carburettor he called the “Inspirator.” (Wilhelm Maybach would not invent his spray carburettor until 1893.) In Edward Butler's patent application in 1884, he described the Butler Petrol Cycle thus:- "In this machine one gallon of petroleum or benzolene is designed to furnish sufficient power to accomplish a run of forty miles, at a speed of from three to ten miles per hour. At each side is a motor cylinder whose pistons operate in the four-stroke cycle . . . The pistons operate a crank shaft carried by the rear or driving wheel bearings, the hub of this wheel at one side inclosing a specially devised epicyclic [sic] gear by which the motion of he shaft is communicated to the driving wheel axle in the ratio of six to on. The shaft also carries a flywheel, mounted to be as close as possible to the spokes of the driving wheel. The motor cylinders are each controlled by a balanced rotating valve, and both cylinders are supplied with explosive mixture by drawing air through an inspirator situated over an oil reservoir contain a supply of benzolene, or a similar petroleum product. A valve regulates the oil feed, and the mixture of air and oil spray formed in the atomizer is volatilized before distribution to the cylinders. The compressed charges are alternately ignited by an induced current of electricity passing across terminals fixed in the cylinder covers, the current being generated by a small single-fluid battery under the seat. Stopping and starting is effected by raising and lowering the driving wheel from the ground by a foot lever, the weight of this portion of the machine being then thrown upon small caster wheels. . . . the crank shaft is set in motion by a handle before the driver mounts to his seat. The speed of the motor is regulated by a throttle valve lever, shown at one side, and over-heating is prevented by water circulating through a radiating tank over the driving wheel. The tank is of 3½ gallons capacity, but with a very large proportionate surface. Steering is effected by a pair of rocking handles actuating the front wheels, which move on separate pivots, and the brake is applied to both of these wheels by a foot lever. The diameter of the wheels is 32 inches, and the whole of the framing and the engine rods are made of oval steel tubing". Butler used to run his vehicle on local roads, most notably he used the long and relatively straight Manor Road as his main area for testing; thus Manor Road in Erith is the world's first automotive test track. Butler's wife Kate, commonly known as Kitty used to drive the car on a regular basis, though as far as I can tell, there are only photos of her as a passenger, not as the driver. Kitty thus became the world's first female driver. As if this was not enough, Edward Butler coined the term "Petrol". Unfortunately Edward and Kitty faced a real problem - British law at the time. The Locomotives On Highways Act of 1865 limited all self-propelled vehicles to a speed limit of 2 mph in towns and 4 mph in rural areas. In addition, it required three people to attend to the vehicle, one of which had to walk in advance of the vehicle waving a red flag to warn people of its approach. In the 1890 issue of The English Mechanic, he wrote, “The authorities do not countenance its use on the roads, and I have abandoned in consequence any further development of it.” He sold his patents to Harry Lawson. Upon the repeal of the Red Flag Act in 1896, Butler and his wife took at least one last ride in the Petrol-Cycle on the roads of Erith—his diaries allege reaching a speed of 12 mph - before selling it as 163 pounds of scrap metal. (The weight of the machine was 280 pounds so it seems plausible that the “very compact motor” was salvaged.) Henry John “Harry” Lawson was a bicycle designer of note who clearly saw the future of the internal combustion engine. He acquired exclusive English rights to manufacture the De Dion-Bouton and Bollée vehicles and, in 1896 after acquiring English patent rights from Gottlieb Daimler, formed the Daimler Motor Company Ltd. and the British Motor Syndicate. Ironically, it was Lawson’s successful lobbying that resulted in the repeal of The Red Flag Act in November of 1896, the major obstacle Butler faced in obtaining financial backing to manufacture his vehicle. Despite the failure of this venture, Edward Butler did not immediately fade into obscurity - he published papers on internal combustion engines and carburettors until at least 1920 - yet, his place in automotive history has been eclipsed by that of Diamler, Benz, Maybach, De Dion-Boulton, Duyrea, and a host of others. It is unknown if any aspects of his inventions were incorporated into later ventures such as Daimler cars, but there is one thing he created that has endured to the present day: the word “petrol.” 

The photo above is a part of the history of Erith. It shows the now long gone interior of the old Manor Fish Bar, which used to be in Manor Road, on the corner of Crescent Road. When I first moved to Erith in 1996 the fish bar was run by an Iranian couple who had recently purchased the shop. They were excellent – the fish was immaculately cooked, reasonably priced, very tasty and served in large portions. On occasion I would go into the shop not long before it was due to close; rather than giving me a piece of fish from the warming cabinet, they would always insist on cooking it for me from fresh. The wife spoke very little English, but when I saw her in the street, or shopping in Morrison’s, she would always smile and say “hello”. They were by far the best proprietors of the shop in my experience. The photo below was taken during their tenure – it shows the 1950’s vintage marble effect Formica that lined the shop. It was kept immaculately clean and tidy. I had a gut feeling that if I did not take the photo when I did (September 2005) it would not be around for much longer. I was correct; only a couple of months later, the Iranian couple sold up and moved on. Over the next few years the shop changed hands a number of times, and it got progressively worse with each new owner. Eventually back in 2014 the place was gutted, and the historic Formica interior was destroyed to make way for the King of the Grill kebab shop, which has been there ever since. 

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Over the past week Barnehurst have had no reported burglaries however there was an attempted burglary in Brasted Road on Saturday 7/03/2020 at 00:45 hours. The victim heard someone attempting the rear door handle. This was followed by the victim's dog barking. On looking out a white male was seen making off over the garden fence. In Swallow Close two males were seen vandalising a parked vehicle. Both males fled when they realised they were being watched. Police attended and found the vehicle had been stolen, the vehicle has since been recovered and the owner aware. In Parkside Avenue on Tuesday 10/03/2020 at 07:00am victim found registration plates LV61HTT had been removed from a vehicle in Parkside Avenue.   On Wednesday 18/03/2020 at 11.00am we will be holding our community contact session at Barnehurst Golf Club. We look forward to seeing you". Belvedere ward:- "The team assisted our colleagues in Thamesmead Moorings with two warrants toward the end of last week. Both took place after information given to Police by members of the public relating to suspected drug misuse. Over last weekend there were two reported attempted burglaries in Picardy Road and Elstree Gardens. There were also two reported residential burglaries in Bunkers Hill and Heathdene Drive. There were no signs of forced entry at either location and both addresses were broken into whilst residents were asleep (through the night). At the incident in Heathdene Drive two cars were stolen form the driveway after car keys were taken from the house – one of these vehicles has now been recovered. We have also completed a warrant at an address in Lower Belvedere this week after information relating to suspected drug dealing from the property. This investigation is ongoing at this stage". Bexleyheath ward:- "03/03/20 Other Theft Mobile phone stolen after being put down in Metro Bank, Bexleyheath Broadway 02/03/20 1800 – 03/03/20 1400 Theft From Motor Vehicle Rochester Drive no signs of forced entry to car but items from within stolen 04/03/20 1825 Attempted Burglary Rochester Drive Back Patio Door – Glass Smashed No Entry gained Nothing Taken, believed to have been disturbed by homeowner returning 04/03/20 1600 – 05/03/20 0800 Theft from Motor Vehicle Latham Road Tools stolen from van which was left locked and secured 03/03/20 1600 Theft iPod left at Creams, Broadway Bexleyheath when returned items have been stolen 05/03/20 1945 Criminal Damage Garden Avenue – Brick thrown at window 06/03/20 1400 Theft Kings Arms, Broadway, Bexleyheath - Oil stolen from location 07/03/20 1330 – 2300 Burglary Other Theft Marriott Hotel; Items stolen from within hotel room Please revisit home security and ensure that you have deterrents in place to prevent crime, lights on timers, alarms, security lights outside, and ensure side/back gates are locked". Crayford ward:- "Another week of mainly vehicle related crime but unfortunately there have also been some burglaries. On Wednesday 4th March it was reported that two Males pushed their way in to an address in Iron Mill Lane demanding watches and cash, they appeared to know the victims, they left with nothing. On approx. Wednesday 26th February it was noted that a bank card and £500 cash was missing from an address in Cray Close, not known by what means it was taken. Overnight between Thursday 5th and Friday 6th March a shed was broken in to in Dale Road, entry made by moving bins to gain access to side gate, a motorcycle was stolen with the registration plate of GK18VJU. A white Transit van was stolen from Thames Road between 19.00 on Thursday 5th March and 7.55 on 6th March, registration number DN08ORU, this van is distinctive. A Hermes delivery driver had his vehicle, a silver Mazda, registration YR05MPF stolen from Iron Mill Lane on 6th March at approx. 19.56 hours. Keys, wallet, phone and parcels were also taken at this time. A catalytic converter was stolen from a red Honda Civic between Monday 2nd and Sunday 8th March from Old Road. Number plates LY16KVA were stolen from a black Nissan Note between 12.20 and 12.25 Saturday 7th March at Tower Retail Park. The rear number plate GU12 JZE was stolen off a silver Peugeot whilst parked at Heatherbank Close on Saturday 7th March. Front and rear number plates F11KHP were stolen from a grey Ford Fusion whilst parked at Chapel Hill on Tuesday 10th March between 10.00-10.40. We completed some Met Trace visits at Woolbrook Road on Saturday 7th March, this will be an ongoing project over the coming weeks. Officers from our team assisted with a knife arch initiative at Barnehurst BR Station. They have also recovered some stolen vehicles. Our next community contact session will be on Friday 20th March at Crayford Library between 10.00-11.00, please come along for a chat if you are in the area". 

Fire crews from the three stations in the borough (Sidcup, Bexleyheath and Erith) recently attended a training exercise at the Coca-Cola factory in Sidcup. This was done in partnership with Coca-Cola and allowed the crews to practice carrying out search and rescue of workers following a simulated chemical spill. The exercise went well, with all three ‘missing' workers being located and rescued.

Erith ward:- "An incident occurred on Thursday 27th February at Erith Leisure Centre in the Swimming Pool changing rooms at approximately 15:55pm. 3 lockers were broken into and items including bank cards were taken. Car keys, and house keys, were also taken and a car was stolen from the car park disabled bay with badges in window. This week the PCs on the team have been carrying out plain clothes patrols in hotspot areas, which include stop and searches, We have been doing daily weapon sweeps across the ward as part of a Bexley wide operation. No burglaries this last week in Erith but theft from and of motor vehicles is still on the increase. High street patrols in Erith at school closing times". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Good News no Burglaries reported this week. The team having been completing weapon sweeps on Northumberland Heath Recreation , Horsa road and Northumberland Park. Nothing found. The wall has been removed in Northumberland Park preventing youths congregating and smoking drugs. A new secure fence has been put up to prevent youths from damaging the centre. Theft of motor vehicle from Ightham Road and theft from motor vehicle on Colindale Ave. The team have also seized a dangerous dog and the investigation is still ongoing". Slade Green and Northend ward:-"No crime trends happening over the last week which is good news. PC's Mark and James have completed patrols over the whole ward in the last week culminating in 6 stop-and-searches with 3 positive results. Operation Sceptre is run in relation to knife related crime and we have completed weapon sweeps in Rainbow Road, Frobisher Road and in and around Orchard House, no weapons found. PCSO Mark has twice visited Little Daydreams Nursery at Orchard House this week, spending time with the young children and partaking in story time as well as their other activities. He has also made a visit to Peareswood Primary School on World Book Day last week and popped in every class to say hello to all the pupils. Our next Community Contact Session is on Saturday 21/03/2020 from 9am at the Forest Road Café". Thamesmead East ward:-"No Burglaries this week. If you have a video doorbell such as a Ring device and you get alerted to someone up to no good, please report this. We can often identify suspects who are blissfully unaware of the doorbell camera. Even when having hoods up we often get good facial images which are useful in identifying individuals. If this happens, please report online at www.met.police.uk. This will then come through to us so we can arrange to collect the footage. We will come to your property with a USB memory stick to copy it to. Motor Vehicle Crime - Southmere Drive Saturday 7/3/20 10:30am victim informed by member of public that suspects were seen trying to break into victim's van. Victim reports x3 drill holes were seen in the passenger slide door. Entry not gained, nothing taken. Fairway Drive Monday 9/3/20 4am – 4:37pm Front number plate removed from Nissan Leaf. St John Fisher Road Tuesday 10/3/20 9:15am – Wednesday 11/3/20 7am Victim reports vehicle broken into, nothing reported as stolen at time of reporting. St Brides Close Tuesday 10/3/20 4pm – Wed 11/3/20 9:10 Victim reports front passenger widow smashed, nothing taken. Wolvercote Road Tuesday 10/3/20 7:30pm – Wednesday 11/3/20 9am Victim reports driver's side window smashed, nothing taken. Kale Road Wednesday 11/3/20 6am 6:15am victim reports Theft from motor vehicle. The team were working in partnership with Police Scotland conducting arrest enquiries which proved successful after a male was arrested at New Eltham Station. The team recovered a Suzuki Jeep which had been stolen since October 2019 in Hartslock Drive". West Heath ward:-"We have had one burglary reported to us this week in Brixham Road. The burglary took place between Friday March 6th t 12.00 – Sunday 08/03/20 at 13.35 when the victim returned and discovered the incident after a short break. Entry was gained by smashing the window on the back door and conducting an untidy search of the property. A quantity of cash and jewellery was stolen. Theft of a BMW from Woolwich Road between Friday 06/03/20 - Saturday 07/03.20. Last week I reported that two Skodas that were stolen by means of a burglary in Chessington Avenue had both been recovered, sadly this was not the case and just one was found which had sustained damage. The team have been extremely busy as usual and have had some good results over the past week. A number of stop and searches were made across the ward which resulted in two suspects found in possession of drugs being dealt with by an out of court disposal. Two arrests were also made for outstanding suspects who were wanted on warrants".

The end video this week features a time lapse film of traffic on the River Thames adjacent to Erith Pier. Do give it a watch and Email any comments to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Horizon to Horizon.

The photo above was taken by local resident and occasional Maggot Sandwich restaurant critic Brian Silk. It shows the Sun rising over the River Thames at Erith. It is a beautiful shot, and proves that the riverside at Erith can be stunningly attractive when the weather and light are right. You can clearly see the classic Erith "Big Sky" - the town is the only place in the whole of the London Borough of Bexley where one can see from horizon to horizon with a completely unobstructed view - something I feel we ought to make much more of. Erith is undersold as a place to live - something I am keen to remedy. Brian has also written a short review on a long - standing Erith institution that has recently changed hands. "I recently checked out Dilz Café in West Street, ‘under new management’, having previously been West Street Café. I have to say I didn’t notice too much of a difference from this long-standing institution’s previous incarnation, but that’s no bad thing. Still the same kind of range of set breakfasts, snacks and sandwiches, and lunches and dinners. There were perhaps one or two additional menu items, but I can’t be sure. Still pay with your order at the counter and the food is freshly prepared. I suppose the new management thought, ‘Why change a successful formula?’ I chose the spaghetti bolognese for £4.95. I was not disappointed. A decent-sized meal arrived and it was really tasty. In fact, I had it again just a few days ago and it was every bit as substantial and good as the first time. Decent food at a reasonable price could describe all the Erith food outlets I use again and again (the others being The Running Horses, Yildiran and West Street Fish Bar) and that very much applies to Dilz. I look forward to trying out more of their menu before long. Dilz is at 115 West Street (opposite The Ship pub), phone 01322 446726". Excellent reporting Brian. If anyone else has content that they would like to supply me with, you can Email hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

There is much controversy about the various proposed schemes to add extra crossings across the River Thames to the East of London. As I featured last week, a group called Bexley Against Road Crossings (BARC) have formed to campaign against new river crossings. The next BARC meeting is on Tuesday 27 October at 7.15pm at Bexley Village Library, Bourne Road, Bexley. Personally I have no strong feelings either pro or anti additional crossings. Whilst the population of the UK is continuing to rise, and the London and South East region is particularly affected in this respect, I am also aware that the more roads you build, statistically the more traffic will use them. Malcolm Knight of the excellent Bexley is Bonkers blog does some detailed analysis of the BARC claims which you can read here. It makes for interesting consideration. One cross - Thames link that nobody seems to be disputing is the long established and well loved Woolwich Ferry. It is currently coming to the end of a £10 million improvement as part of a two-year upgrade programme, due to be completed at the end of this month. Over the course of a year the three ferries make around 50,000 crossings in total, carrying on average 1.1 million vehicles and 2.2 million passengers. The improvement works on the piers, loading bridges and vessels aim to extend the crossing's operational life and deliver a more reliable service over a period estimated to be around fifteen years.  The current three vessels were built in Dundee in 1963 by The Caledon Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, and were each named after prominent local politicians: John Burns, Ernest Bevin and James Newman (Newman was mayor of Woolwich, 1923–25). These vessels are now over fifty years old, and a considerable degree of engineering work has had to be carried out to extend their operational life to cover the new expected service period. 

Mobile phone usage has increased so much it has led to the invention of the term Nomophobia – the fear of being denied mobile phone contact. A study found that half of British people suffer anxiety if they lose their phone, run out of battery or credit, or lose coverage. Nine percent actually suffer stress when their phone is off. 3G mobile phone technology is also employed in many so - called Smart Meters, that various energy companies are currently plugging hard. These meters are part of the "internet of things". I have noticed that several of the national energy companies are currently targeting local residents with letters asking them to make an appointment to get their current electricity and gas meters replaced with a smart meter. Personally I have received three such letters from my energy supplier, EDF. As I have mentioned before, Smart Meters send real – time power usage data back to the supplier via a 3G mobile phone signal. This means that the meter does not have to be connected to a home data network. This sounds all well and good; the power company can bill you without having to send a meter reader to your house, and you get the option to monitor your power usage in an almost real – time way. There are however, problems. The data sent from the Smart Meter to the supplier is sent unencrypted, and “in the clear”; it is possible to intercept the data stream, and also a malicious attacker can potentially send instructions to the meter remotely. Several Smart Meter companies do tacitly admit this, but they play the whole lack of security aspect down. Secondly if one discounts the security implications, the various energy companies all supply different Smart Meters, many of which are incompatible with each other. If you choose to change your energy supplier, you will need to have your Smart Meter changed again – with the associated additional cost to you that this implies. Tellingly on the EDF letter there are a series of frequently asked questions. EDF initially state in the letter that “your current meter is old and now needs to be replaced – you need to book an appointment for an engineer to carry out this work”. They then go on to stress how old meters can be inaccurate and possibly unsafe. There is a giveaway in the FAQ’s that follow though – and I quote verbatim:- “Occasionally we may be unable to install a Smart Meter, usually due to communications issues with signal strength. If this happens we will not replace your meter, but will contact you again when we believe the Smart Meter national infrastructure will be able to support a Smart Meter in your premises.” There is the smoking gun – they don't actually need to replace the meter for the accuracy and safety concerns expressed earlier – they purely want to do it to make you have a Smart Meter, with all the security, privacy and expense worries that they entail. I have a preferred technique for dealing with such unwanted attention – I ignore everything they send me until they eventually give up and go away. Smart Meters primarily benefit the energy companies, because they no longer need to employ meter readers. The benefits to the consumer are minimal at best, and when allied to the security and compatibility concerns mentioned earlier, they don't add up for me. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Doreen Ives, Chair of the Erith Town Forum has released the following announcement:- "The next meeting of Erith Town Forum will take place on Thursday 29th October 2015, 7pm – 9pm at BEXLEY COLLEGE, Walnut Tree Road, Erith, Kent. Yes we have moved to Bexley College and to a Thursday evening.  The hall we use is normally the students’ lounge/restaurant. We have access to excellent computer facilities for presentations, and coffee or tea will be available. There is a security procedure we must follow so you should arrive five/ten minutes early to sign in. Obviously we only have access to the hall and toilets which are close by. Unfortunately as most of you will be aware, there is no car park specifically for the College but there is on street parking nearby. Richard Green, Bexley Town Centres Manager will give us updates on issues raised at our meeting in July. Tom Brown Director of Adult Social Care and Kevin Murphy Head of Housing Services will give a presentation including information about to the present use of the old Homeleigh site in Avenue Road. A second presentation will be given by Deniece Williams, a member of the Bexley Fostering Recruitment and Assessment Team. As you can see it should be a very informative meeting so I hope you will be able to come along".

The News Shopper have given extensive coverage this week to a story I featured on the Maggot Sandwich last week, about the launch of Operation Adgate, and also the new Neighbourhood Watch scheme called Bike Watch. The photo above was supplied to me by Dana Whiffen, the Chairman of Bexley Neighbourhood Watch Association. The problem is one of illegal bikers riding stolen, unlicenced, unregistered, uninsured bikes around the local area whilst not wearing helmets and pulling wheelies and other dangerous stunts on the public highway, then filming the results of their criminal activity and posting them on the Bike Life TV UK Facebook page, and also on to their YouTube channel. There has been a massive crackdown on these criminals led by Bexley Neighbourhood Watch Association and Bexley Police. Officers from Bexley borough have joined forces with the Met's roads and transport policing command, Bexley Neighbourhood Watch Association and the Gallions/Peabody Housing Association – in a bid to crack down on bike crime and anti-social behaviour across Thamesmead and elsewhere. Six illegal vehicles were seized and nineteen drivers reported for various traffic offences on the operation's launch day, Thursday the 16th October. In addition to this, legal action is being taken against an illegal biker that I recently had a personal encounter with. I hope to be able to report the full story after the 20th November, when the case will reach court. Until then I can say no more, though I know some readers are aware of the story. More on Neighbourhood Watch at the end of this update, with a video originally shot for a Russian TV news and current affairs show!

Many clubs and organisations, and all companies are required to have staff or volunteers qualified to administer first aid in the case of a medical emergency. Properly administered and professionally recognised first aid training can be expensive, so I am pleased to say that a professionally run course is shortly to take place in Erith, and local residents can take part, and get a substantial discount on the normal course price. The one day course will be taking place on Friday the 27th November in The Cross Keys Centre on Erith High Street. You can read more about the course, and how to book a place online by clicking here. I hope to cover this story in future, as it is a very welcome local addition.

You may recall that on a few occasions in the past I have written in some detail about an odious individual by the name of Joshua Bonehill. He is a self – professed racist, misogynist homophobic anti Semitic bigot. He targeted me with a threatening Email last year, which I published in full here. Bonehill has been in and out of court on numerous charges, and is currently on remand in jail on a charge of Inciting Racial Hatred. He managed the astonishing feat of being called back to court on a separate charge whilst actually already being in prison. Last week he appeared at Stevenage Magistrates Court charged with misusing a public computer network to propagate grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing material. He had written on his website that babies with conditions like Downs Syndrome should be killed at birth for the good of the nation. He accompanied the story, on a site describing itself as 'Britain's number one nationalist newspaper' with a picture of a Tesco worker with Downs Syndrome.  He was also charged over another article in which he claimed food sold by Tesco that had been imported from Africa contained the deadly Ebola virus. District Judge Carolyn Mellanby dismissed both charges, saying that his right to free speech protected him from being punished over the stories. Tesco said that they were alerted to Bonehill's article, and were contacted by almost two hundred customers concerned that the story was true; I share the opinion with Richard of “The Thamesmead Grump” fame, that I find it worrying that so many people are prepared to believe anything they read, “because it is on Facebook”) . Despite accepting that Bonehill was behind the stories, district judge Mellanby said he was protected by the Human Rights Act, which guarantees free speech. She said: 'Freedom of speech has a very high threshold and I would have breached Article 10 of the Human Rights Act if I had found you guilty. You have a right to express your opinions. You came close, but not close enough. I therefore dismiss the case.' Joshua Bonehill, of Yeovil, Somerset, who also goes by the name of Joshua Bonehill – Paine was returned to custody after the hearing ahead of a trial he faces at Southwark Crown Court in December. He is accused of inciting racial hatred before a neo-Nazi rally in London in July. Whatever happens in the December trial, I feel that Bonehill will be encouraged by the court judgement, and will make much of it whenever he eventually gets out of prison.

Another thirtieth anniversary for a well known technology is now upon us, though the press have been remarkably silent on the matter - though they did pick up on Back to the Future Day on Wednesday last week. The undocumented birthday was that for Microsoft Excel. The now dominant spreadsheet was originally released for the Apple Mac in September 1985 (and in the UK in October of the same year). Microsoft originally marketed a spreadsheet program called Multiplan in 1982, which was very popular on text based CP/M systems, but on MS-DOS systems it lost popularity to Lotus 1-2-3. This promoted development of a new spreadsheet called Excel which started with the intention to, in the words of Microsoft's Doug Klunder, 'do everything 1-2-3 does and do it better'. The first version of Excel was released for the Mac in 1985 and the first Windows version (numbered 2.0 to line-up with the Mac and bundled with a run-time Windows environment) was released in November 1987. Lotus was slow to bring 1-2-3 to Windows and by 1988 Excel had started to outsell 1-2-3 and helped Microsoft achieve the position of leading PC software developer. This accomplishment, dethroning the king of the software world, solidified Microsoft as a valid competitor and showed its future of developing graphical software. Microsoft pushed its advantage with regular new releases, every two years or so. Early in its life Excel became the target of a trademark lawsuit by another company already selling a software package named "Excel" in the finance industry. As the result of the dispute Microsoft was required to refer to the program as "Microsoft Excel" in all of its formal press releases and legal documents. However, over time this practice has been ignored, and Microsoft cleared up the issue permanently when they purchased the trademark to the other program. Microsoft also encouraged the use of the letters XL as shorthand for the program; while this is no longer common, the program's icon still consists of a stylised combination of the two letters, and the file extension of the default Excel format is .xls. Excel offers many user interface tweaks over the earliest electronic spreadsheets; however, the essence remains the same as in the original spreadsheet, VisiCalc: the cells are organised in rows and columns, and contain data or formulas with relative or absolute references to other cells. Excel was the first spreadsheet that allowed the user to define the appearance of spreadsheets (fonts, character attributes and cell appearance). It also introduced intelligent cell recomputation, where only cells dependent on the cell being modified are updated (previous spreadsheet programs recomputed everything all the time or waited for a specific user command). Excel has extensive graphing capabilities. When first bundled into Microsoft Office in 1993, Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint had their GUIs redesigned for consistency with Excel, the killer app on the PC at the time. Since 1993, Excel has included Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), a programming language based on Visual Basic which adds the ability to automate tasks in Excel and to provide user defined functions (UDF) for use in worksheets. VBA is a powerful addition to the application which, in later versions, includes a fully featured integrated development environment (IDE). Macro recording can produce VBA code replicating user actions, thus allowing simple automation of regular tasks. VBA allows the creation of forms and in-worksheet controls to communicate with the user. The automation functionality provided by VBA has caused Excel to become a target for macro viruses. This was a serious problem in the corporate world until antivirus products began to detect these viruses. Microsoft belatedly took steps to prevent the misuse by adding the ability to disable macros completely, to enable macros when opening a workbook or to trust all macros signed using a trusted certificate.  Many of us use Excel as part of our jobs nowadays - and I reckon that many are not aware of the long and rich history the application has. Whilst in very widespread use, it is not the only spreadsheet available, despite what Microsoft might have you believe. Happy 30th birthday Excel.

Here is an announcement that you may well find of interest. "THE FRIENDS OF CHRIST CHURCH ERITH ask you to a QUIZ NIGHT on Saturday 14th November 2015. Doors open at 7pm for a 7:15pm start in Christchurch Hall, Victoria Road, Erith, Kent, DA8 3AN (vehicular access via Glebe Way).  Maximum of 6 people to a team - £3 a person.  Form your own team or join one on the night.   Please bring your own drinks and nibbles.  There will also be a raffle.  A fun fund-raising event for the upkeep of the listed Church building.  Thank you if you have already bought tickets for the Quiz Night, but if not, then now’s your chance!  Tickets in advance only please:  Contact the Friends of Christ Church Erith at focce1874@aol.com".

Several readers have asked me to write in more detail about Edward Butler, the true inventor of the modern motor car. He was the first modern motorist, he invented several automotive components that are still in common use today, and his wife Kitty, also known as Kate Gildersleeves – is thought to be the World’s first lady motorcyclist. When Edward Butler was developing his petrol cycle (photo above - click on it for a larger view), he used Manor Road in Erith for testing purposes. The reason for this was (unlike today) the road was relatively quiet with little traffic; it also benefitted by being a very long road and mostly straight. It can therefore be said that Manor Road in Erith was the World’s very first car test track. It still gets used by would – be boy racers nowadays, despite a twenty miles per hour speed limit on the residential stretch of the road. The Butler Petrol Cycle is accepted by many automotive historians as the very first British motor car, although as it never went into production. Although Karl Benz is recognised as the inventor of the modern motor car, the aforementioned Edward Butler was said to have exhibited plans for a 3-wheeled vehicle two years earlier than Benz in 1884 at the Stanley Cycle Show, London, and it was also the first design shown at the 1885 Inventions Exhibition, London. Butler however did not patent his vehicle until 1887 due to British laws on experiments.  On the vehicle the patent read “Butlers Petrol-Cycle Syndicate Limited Patent”.  It also referred to “F.B. Shuttleworth, Erith, London.” as Butler built the Petrol Cycle in the engineering works of F.B. Shuttleworth who was an engineer who built naval torpedo ships and civilian yachts, and additionally was a steam boiler manufacturer.  In 1890 Butler finished his design which was a vehicle powered by an engine that combusted mineral hydrocarbons. The respected publication Scientific American published an article on the Butler Petrol Cycle in the February 14th 1891 edition of the magazine. This stated that one gallon of petroleum or benzolene was enough to “furnish sufficient power” to achieve a journey of forty miles at a speed ranging from 3 - 10 mph. Edward Butler is credited with first using the word “Petrol” and inventing the spark plug, magneto, coil ignition and spray jet carburettor.  The speed of the vehicle was regulated by a throttle valve lever  whilst over heating was prevented by water circulating through a radiator over the rear driving wheel. Butler was continually frustrated in his automotive experiments by the law. The Red Flag Act of 1885 was a major source of exasperation; the act restricted automotive vehicles to a maximum speed of 2 mph in the city and 4 mph in the countryside.  In addition each vehicle had to be attended by three people, of which one had to walk in front of the vehicle waving a red flag (The 1865 Red Flag Act) to warn other road users and help control horses. This act had originally appeared as a result of the growing number of steam powered vehicles in the UK. The restrictive nature of the Red Flag Act meant that inventors and engineers could only test their creations on private land, something which proved instrumental in holding back British car development, and allowing Karl Benz in Germany not only to gain a technological lead in car development, but more importantly to register a whole series of patents under his name. Butler became increasingly frustrated and disillusioned; In 1900 Butler penned a letter to “The Autocar” magazine of which they published on April 7th 1900. The letter read:- “Now that public attention is being drawn to the early attempts of the two German pioneers, Benz and Daimler, I trust that you may find space in your journal for an illustration of a small petrol vehicle, which I believe was absolutely the first made in this country, and if I could have interested any one to finance it when the drawings were exhibited at the Stanley Show in 1884, and the following year at the Inventions Exhibition, I should have been contemporaneous, if not earlier than either of them. Although I cannot claim to have done very much in the light of the present enormous development of the automotor trade, it may have been forgotten that I carried out a series of experiments in the perfecting of a motor vehicle at a time when progress was much hindered by the prejudice and want of interest - the motor part of which has been since used in many types of engines for industrial purposes.” By this time Edward Butler had already give up further work on his Petrol Cycle, realising that due to the restrictive traffic laws of the time, he was never going to win the race to build the World’s first commercially available motor car. He wrote “..the authorities do not countenance its use on the roads, and I have abandoned in consequence any further development of it.” Butler broke his Petrol Cycle up for scrap in 1896 where upon the patent rights were sold to H.J. Lawson and the engine continued to be produced for motor boats.  Shortly afterwards the Locomotive on Highways Act of 1896 was passed that allowed speeds of up to 14 mph and opened up the highways to motor vehicles, but this was too late for Edward Butler. He died in 1940, largely unrecognised for his pioneering work in automotive design. If things had turned out differently, instead of driving around in Mercedes Benzes, we could have been driving a Butler motor car.

The ending video is surprisingly timely; it shows an interview carried out by Russian television channel 1TV for their news and current affairs programme. This is an excerpt of the longer, Russian language piece which shows a member of Bexley Neighbourhood Watch explaining what the watch is, and how it operates for the benefit of the Russian audience who I understand currently don't operate anything similar at present. This version is in English, minus Russian language dubbing, which was added later by the producers. As a fellow Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator, I am pleased to see that we are getting some well deserved international recognition. Thanks to Dana Whiffen, the Chairman of Bexley Neighbourhood Watch Association for supplying the video clip.