Red Sonya.

Local customers of the Belvedere branch of Lloyds Bank have started a petition to try and save the well used and much loved branch, which is slated to close for good on the 28th of May, as part of a programme of cutbacks and branch closures enacted by the giant banking group. Objections have come from elderly people who don't use online banking, and a number of local businesses who have commercial accounts at the branch in Nuxley Road. It is rumoured that the site of the bank has been, or is about to be sold off to a property developer for a series of flats to be built, which would not at all surprise me. The lady behind the online campaign said in a recent online interview that:- "It would be awful to lose the small number of independent shops we have if they are unable to bank locally. The village and surrounding area of Belvedere is also home to many elderly residents. Some of whom are unable to travel on public transport to Bexleyheath or Woolwich. For those who can, it’s not very safe for them to carry large quantities of cash around with them if they are elderly and vulnerable. I understand that a lot of banking is done online. However, many people feel safer and more in control of their money when having the guidance of actual humans. It’s good we are evolving with technology and moving forward with the times, but sometimes certain circumstances mean people need a local bank". The News Shopper contacted Lloyds for comment about the branch closure, and a spokesperson gave the following corporate line:- "We have made the difficult decision to close Belvedere on 28th May 2020 due to the changing ways customers choose to bank with us, which means the branch is being used less often. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause; customers can continue to bank locally by visiting the nearby Post Office, which is less than half a mile from the branch. The nearest alternative branch is Bexleyheath". The Lloyd's spokesperson is obviously not familiar with Belvedere - the post office is actually around 100 metres from the Lloyd's bank branch, not half a mile as they stated. What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. You can sign the online petition by clicking here. 

In a move which will have been a surprise to many readers, fellow local Blogger Malcolm Knight has taken the decision to revise and remodel his Blog "Bexley is Bonkers". The long established, influential and popular site has been retired in its present form. Instead it has been relaunched in a far more slimline and responsive version. Malcolm writes:- "Readers who looked at the website yesterday and found it gone deserve an explanation of what is going on, or at least a partial one. Bonkers is ten years old and has grown far too big. Even though redundant pages have been progressively weeded out there are close to 40,000 files and very nearly 100,000 hyperlinks, It may be a conservative estimate because the Menu is a separate entity and the file counter excludes pages linked only from the Menu. On top of that there are 30,000 images and that is after deleting a great chunk of them last year and again recently. The site is hand coded, no Wordpress or anything like that so the housekeeping tools are primitive. I can no longer keep on top of it and it is time to start again. I might also add that with increasing age and having lost my original team of helpers I frequently lack the energy and enthusiasm to follow up leads and attend meetings. (Nearly 77 and generally flu ridden in case you are wondering.) For the future Bonkers probably will not die completely but I expect Council meetings will more often be reported from the Webcast - when it works properly - rather than driving to the Civic Offices and very occasionally running the gauntlet of people I would rather not. In the streets, not in the Civic Centre I hasten to add. I also genuinely feel that Bexley Council has improved immeasurably, there are things I don’t like but it must be five years since a Councillor or Senior Officer became involved in something which was criminal and caused the police to investigate and refer cases to the CPS. Readers like scandal and while that was going on I could count on more than 10,000 unique visits per month to the site from Bexley people and far far more individual repeat visits. With nothing very special going on those numbers are well down, 5,000 unique visits would be a good score in 2020. One wonders whether it is worth the effort but I do get a huge amount of encouragement to continue from the loyal few. One thing that surprises me is that when I indulge in wildly off topic subjects and perhaps rant about something or other the number of visitors goes up so I may do more of that sort of thing when Bexley news is thin on the ground. You will have probably noticed that the Menu is now much smaller than before. Every page sources its Menu from the same file so they are all identical except for the Contact form pages which are compiled from a commercial package which is not fully compatible with the main Menu system. It is a pain to construct separately and it will not be updated in line with the gradually expanding Main menu until the latter becomes stable. The banner icons which allowed quick access to blogs, Today, Month and the rather obscure Any Day will be restored as soon as possible but until then the Menu is the main navigation point As you should notice - well you are here! - the 2020 blogs are restored but any references back to previous years will fail because those earlier blogs are not on line at all, not even in some hidden form. If I ever find the time the backward references will gradually be restored. but there are more than 5,000 to trawl through. Council meeting reports will probably be the priority but many older blogs may never be seen again. Finally because Bonkers was never designed to be a blog the main entry pages do not directly access the blog pages. The tail wagged the dog of the original plan and it has always annoyed me. I am not sure how yet but the plan is that www.bexley-is-bonkers.co.uk will display the latest blog page immediately. For a long time www.bexley-is-bonkers.com always has but almost no one uses it and it costs quite a lot of money to maintain! So there it is. Thank you for your patience and I hope the occasional visit to Bonkers will continue to be rewarding". I sincerely hope that Malcolm continues with his insightful, pithy and witty Blog postings - he has established himself as a vital local commentator. What do you think? Please feel free to contact me by Emailing me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Regular readers will be aware that I have posted a number of articles over the years about former Bexleyheath resident and decorated Soviet spy Melita Norwood. Her story is now pretty well known, despite the utterly awful recent fictionalised film starring Dame Judi Dench called "Red Joan" which deservedly sank without trace at the box office. Several books have been written on the subject of Melita Norwood and her long career as Russia’s top female spy; the best account is in my opinion “The Spy That Came In From The Co-Op” by Andrew Pierce. He conducted a series of interviews with Norwood in her house in Bexleyheath from the day the spying story publicly broke in the spring of 1999 (he had been travelling to interview her on another subject, but the news story meant that he had a whole more important book to write than that he had intended). Over the course of a few months and many cups of weak and milky Co-Op 99 brand tea – purchased from the Long Lane branch, she told him her complete story, whilst sipping from her Che Guevara mug. Like many traitors, Melita Norwood had a very selective memory, and her politics remained those of the extreme left until her death in 2005. What has until very recently been very much less known is the identity and story of her GRU (Soviet military intelligence, as opposed to the KGB) handler, the story of which has only very recently come to light. Ursula Kuczynski (15 May 1907 – 7 July 2000) also known as Ruth Werner, Ursula Beurton and Ursula Hamburger, was a German Communist activist who worked for the Soviet Union in the 1930s and 1940s as a spy, most famously as the handler of nuclear scientist Klaus Fuchs and Melita Norwood. She moved to East Germany in 1950 when Fuchs was unmasked, and published a series of books related to her spy work, including her bestselling autobiography, Sonya's Report. Her spying career, and her later writing career make for interesting reading. Ursula Maria Kuczynski was born in Schöneberg, Prussia, German Empire, the second of the six recorded children born to the distinguished economist and demographer Robert René Kuczynski and his wife Berta Gradenwitz/Kuczynski, who was a painter. Her family was Jewish. The children were academically gifted, and the household was prosperous. Her elder brother, Jürgen, would later become a distinguished historian-economist who had a controversial relationship of his own with the espionage community. In 1926/27 she attended a librarianship academy while working at a lending library. She then took a job at Ullstein Verlag, a large Berlin publishing house. However, she lost this job in 1928 after participating in a May-Day Demonstration and/or on account of her Communist Party membership. Between December 1928 and August 1929 she worked in a New York book shop before returning to Berlin where she married her first husband, Rudolf Hamburger, who was an architect and fellow member of the Communist Party. It was also at this time that she set up the Marxist Workers' Library in Berlin which she headed up between August 1929 and June 1930. With her husband she relocated, in July 1930, to Shanghai where a frenetic construction boom afforded ample opportunities for Hamburger's architectural work. She would remain based in China till 1935. It was here that the couple's son, the Shakespeare scholar Maik Hamburger, was born in February 1931. After they had been in Shanghai for a little more than four months she was introduced by the US journalist Agnes Smedley to another German expatriate, Richard Sorge, outwardly a journalist, who is better remembered as "Ramsai" an active agent of the Soviet Intelligence Directorate (GRU). Sources are vague as to whether the Hamburgers were already working for the GRU before they left Germany for China, but in any case it was after the meeting with Sorge that between 1930 and 1935 "Sonja" (the cover name by which Kuczynski was known in The Service - means dormouse in Russian) operated a Russian spy ring under Sorge's direction. In Autumn 1934 she had to send her son Michael to live with her husband's parents (now relocated from Germany to Czechoslovakia) when she was sent to Moscow where she undertook a seven-month training session before returning to China. There had been a concern that if baby Michael had accompanied her to Moscow he might inadvertently have blown her cover later by blurting out words in Russian. It was also during this period that she mastered various practical aspects of spy-craft. This included radio operator skills that were much prized in the world of espionage: she learned to build and operate a radio receiver, becoming an exceptionally fluent and accurate user of Morse code, although her "fist" (the distinctive technique a morse coder uses on a Morse key, which is almost unique between operators) was very unusual - she learned Morse using the Cyrillic alphabet, which made her transmissions somewhat distinctive to listeners. Between March and December 1934 she was based in Shenyang in Manchuria which had been under Japanese military occupation since 1931. Here she met the GRU's chief agent who was working under the name "Ernst". Sonja and Ernst had a romance which would result in the birth of her daughter Janina in April 1936. Her husband Rudolf Hamburger generously acknowledged "Nina" as though she were his own daughter. The GRU were nevertheless concerned that the affair with Ernst might lead to the unmasking of both agents, and she was recalled with Rudolf to Moscow in August 1935. In September 1935 they were both posted to Poland where, apart from at least one more lengthy visit to Moscow, they would remain till Autumn 1938. In the meantime it would later transpire that in 1937 the Soviets awarded her the Order of the Red Banner for her espionage work in China. Without ever wearing a uniform, she now held the rank of colonel in the Soviet military. She divorced later that same year, and early in 1940, while still in Switzerland, married her second husband. Len Beurton, like her, was working for the Soviet GRU, and like Kuczynski he came with an unusually wide range of names. He also came with a British passport, and by marrying him Agent Sonya automatically acquired a British passport too. Sent by the GRU she and her new husband now relocated from Switzerland to England where she would remain for the rest of the 1940s, and where her second son was born in the late summer of 1943. They had settled in north Oxford, but soon moved on to the first of a succession of nearby villages, settling initially in Glympton, and then in Kidlington. In May 1945 the Beurtons relocated again, to a larger house in the north Oxfordshire village of Great Rollright where they remained till 1949 or 1950, becoming so integrated into the village community that both her parents, who were frequent visitors in Oxfordshire even after the war ended, and who both died in 1947, are buried in the Great Rollright churchyard. In each Oxfordshire property in which she lived Agent Sonya installed a radio receiver and transmitter (which during the war would have been considered illegal had it come to the attention of the authorities). Living in Oxfordshire placed them conveniently close to Ursula's parents who had emigrated to London after 1933, and were then living with friends in Oxford because of the air raids in London. The Beurtons' Oxfordshire village homes were also close to the UK's Atomic Research Centre at Harwell, and to Blenheim Palace, where a large part of the British intelligence service had been relocated at the start of the war. In Oxfordshire, together with Erich Henschke, she worked on infiltrating German Communist exiles into the US Intelligence Agency. By Autumn 1944 she and Henschke had succeeded in penetrating UK activities of the US Intelligence Service (OSS). The Americans were at this time preparing an effort called "Operation Hammer" for parachuting UK-based German exiles into Germany. Ursula Beurton was able to ensure that a substantial number of the parachuted OSS agents would be reliable communists, able and willing to make inside intelligence from the "Third Reich" available not merely to the US military in Washington, but also to Moscow. From 1943 she also worked as a courier for the USSR's "Atomic spies", Klaus Fuchs and Melita Norwood. Agent Sonya thus hastened the development of the Soviet atomic bomb, successfully tested in 1949. In addition to the (retrospectively) high-profile spies Fuchs and Norwood, Sonya was the GRU handler for (among others) an officer of the British Royal Air Force and a British specialist in submarine radar. She was also able to pass to her Soviet employers information from her brother, her father, and other exiled Germans in England. It was, indeed, her brother Jürgen Kuczynski, an internationally respected economist, who originally recruited Klaus Fuchs to spy for the Soviets at the end of 1942. Many years later Ruth Werner (as she would by that time have become known) recalled that she was twice visited by MI5 representatives in 1947, and asked about her links with Soviet intelligence, which Werner refused to discuss. Werner's communist sympathies were no secret, but it seems that British suspicions were insufficiently supported by evidence to justify her arrest. Her visitors were unaware of or unconcerned by her periodic, and apparently casual, meetings with Fuchs in Banbury or on country cycle rides. At that time the British intelligence services seem to have been disinclined to follow up their concerns. Two years later detonation of the first Soviet atomic bomb refocused priorities within MI5, however. Klaus Fuchs was arrested towards the end of 1949; in January 1950 he was put on trial and confessed that he was a spy. The day before his trial started, fearing that she was about to be unmasked, Agent Sonya left England. In March 1950, after two decades away from the city of her birth, she turned up back in Berlin. Meanwhile, Klaus Fuchs finally identified her as his Soviet contact in November 1950. The espionage-related aspects of her friendship with Melita Norwood only began to emerge several decades later. Between 1958 and 1988, she produced a succession of books under the name by which she subsequently came to be known, Ruth Werner. Most were story books for children or suitably expurgated memoirs of her time in espionage. Her autobiography appeared in East Germany under the title "Sonjas Rapport" (Sonya's Report) and became a bestseller. There was no mention of Klaus Fuchs who was still alive in 1976, and, presumably for the same reason, no mention of Melita Norwood. An English language version appeared in 1991 and a Chinese translation in 1999. An uncensored German language version came out only in 2006, although many questions were still left unanswered. She died in 2000. more information has become available concerning at least some of her espionage achievements, and appreciation of Ruth Werner's exceptional abilities has grown. In the opinion of one historian who has studied her career, she was "one of the top spies ever produced by the Soviet Union and her penetration of Britain's secrets and MI5 possibly went far deeper than was thought at the time she was operational." An unidentified GRU chief is reported to have observed during the war, "If we had five Sonyas in England, the war would end sooner." Werner herself could be more reticent about her contribution: "I was simply working as a messenger". What is incontrovertible is that she engaged in an exceptionally high risk trade on behalf of Stalin's Intelligence machine without being shot by the enemy or sent to the Gulag by her own side. Her husband and the father of her first son, Rudolf Hamburger, who also worked for Soviet intelligence, fell foul of the Soviet regime in 1943 and was deported to the Gulag in the east of the Soviet Union. He was released in 1952 but remained officially "banned" and was sent to Ukraine, only being permitted to return to Germany in 1955. This type of experience was far from unusual among Soviet spies. Sandór Radó with whom she had worked so closely in the hills above Geneva also spent long years as a guest of the Russian Gulag. Richard Sorge, who probably recruited her to work for Moscow in the first place, was caught and hanged by the Japanese. Werner herself, as far as her story has come into the public domain, suffered nothing more harrowing than a couple of pointed but ultimately inconclusive meetings with British Intelligence agents in 1947, and was able to escape to the safe haven of East Germany before her espionage activities became the subject of any trial or other retributive process. Simple survival represented a considerable achievement under the circumstances of her two decades in espionage, and seem to justify the media epithets she attracted to the effect that she was "Stalin's best spy".

I found out this week that the inventor of the barcode recently died. George Laurer was born in New York City in 1925. He attended a technical school to learn how to repair radios and televisions, but his instructor persuaded him to reach higher. Laurer joined IBM where he developed what is officially known as the Universal Product Code - better known as the barcode. The Universal Product Code is now a packaging mainstay on everything from cereal boxes and produce to electronics and aeroplane tickets, but it might not have worked without IBM engineer George Laurer. Laurer, who died in December aged 94 in North Carolina, had been given an assignment by his manager: Write a proposal for supermarket executives explaining how IBM would take a previously invented bar code pattern, in the shape of a bull's-eye, and make it work in supermarkets across the USA. Instead, Laurer had created something else — the bull's-eye was gone and in its place was a linear bar code. Laurer had deemed the bull's-eye design unworkable. The circular code, inspired by Morse code and patented by N. Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver in 1952, was too small, and it would smear when run through the poor-quality printing presses used for most food labels at the time. "My nature and my training would not allow me to support something I didn't believe in," Laurer said in a 2010 interview. "I simply went against my manager's instruction and set out to design a better system." In a rented space in Raleigh, Laurer and a team of IBM colleagues refined and tested the design. Woodland, who created that first bull's-eye bar code and whom Laurer called the father of the supermarket scanning system, came on board to help. When it came time to present to the team of supermarket executives, Laurer said his boss "made it clear that if I was wrong or I could not sell the idea to the brass, it would end my career, not his. My arguments must have been persuasive". Over his lifetime, Laurer received more than two dozen patents. But he never got rich from his most famous breakthrough. That's because IBM didn't patent the UPC and mostly gave it away to sell scanning equipment. Laurer didn't get recognition for his innovation until decades later. Even once stores widely adopted the barcode, Craig Laurer said, his father didn't think it would have the longevity it ultimately has. "He expected it to be supplanted with some other technology within a decade or so," he said. "Instead, it grew beyond the grocery industry into all retail and then worldwide." Today, the barcodes Laurer designed are scanned more than 6 billion times a day, according to the nonprofit organisation GS1, which manages the codes."My father always said he would go to the supermarket, and just stand there when they checked him out, knowing that it was his invention," Craig Laurer said. "But he'd stand there in awe and say, 'This just can't work this well.' It amazed even him." What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Another week with very little crime to report. No burglaries and only two reports of vehicle crime. Front and rear number plates were taken from a vehicle in Frinsted Road on the morning of Friday 31st January. A victim had his vehicle keyed in Downbank Avenue overnight of Monday 3rd February. Sainsbury's in Erith Road has had two reports of shoplifting over the last week despite two people arrested outside the store in the last couple of weeks. Barnehurst are continuing to roll out Smart Water in Holmesdale Grove. The next community contact session will be held at Barnehurst Golf Course on Wednesday 19th February at 11am". Belvedere ward - no report this week. Bexleyheath ward:- "Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association have been invited to assist Yorkshire building Society (112 Broadway) in their Fraud Action Day on Wednesday the 26th of Feb between 10am and 2pm, come along, get some fraud prevention advice and join us for a cup of tea and a biscuit. Sadly we have had a lot of Catalytic Convertors Stolen this week from ASDA and The Mall car parks see below crime prevention information from The Mets website Catalytic converter theft. The precious metal in catalytic converters has led to an increase in their theft. To keep yours safe, ask your car dealer if they can give you any advice on locks or guards that are approved by the vehicle manufacturer. Alternatively, try to make sure your vehicle is parked in a garage overnight, or if you have a commercial vehicle park it in a secure compound. If this isn't possible, park in an area that's well-lit and overlooked and try to park so that the convertor can't be easily reached by potential thieves. Vehicles that sit high above the road are particularly vulnerable. You should also register your converter and mark it with a forensic marker, which will make it harder for thieves to dispose of". Crayford ward:- "An unknown amount of money was snatched from a till in Stadium Way on Thursday 30th January at 19.29 by two males. A male was arrested after racially abusing a passenger on a bus and then throwing an item at glass causing it to smash at Stadium Way on Friday 31st January at 22.10. There have been reports of wing mirrors being smashed off vehicles in Mill Place in the last week. On Tuesday 4th February at 20.53 a black Mercedes was deliberately set on fire to at the end of Lower Station Road. The team have been busy around the ward and stopped and searched several people. There will be a community contact session (it's totally informal) at Crayford Library on Friday 14th February between 10.00-11.00, please come along for a chat if you can".  Erith ward:- "We have had our first ward panel meeting of 2020. Many thanks to all that attended and The Exchange in Erith for letting us their facilities. Areas chosen for the team to concentrate on for the next few months are Erith Park and Erith Town Centre. The team have been working on a few warrants this week and are getting some good results. Crimes of note from this last week: Theft from MV (Motor Vehicle) Sunday 02/02/2020 Rutland Gate, Theft of Motor Vehicle Tuesday 04/02/2020 Thwaite Close". Northumberland Heath ward:-"Theft of number plates at Walsingham Walk, Cavendish Avenue Theft from motor vehicle on Brook Street. Work tools had been stolen from the vehicle. Attempted burglary on Avenue Road were the suspect has tried to gain entry into two addresses .The suspect has then tried to gain entry into the victims vehicle. Still ongoing investigation as the victim has CCTV evidence. Burglary on Swanton Road. There has been an eviction within the Northumberland Heath Ward. This is regarding a large amount of anti – social behaviour reports from the local community and the police. We have been receiving good feedback from local residents regarding the CCTV camera that has been placed at Northumberland Heath Recreation Ground / Sussex Road". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Only one crime of note this week. 6 males were arrested in the early hours of Thursday 30/01 down by Erith Yacht Club after the gate was forced open and a stolen car was found nearby. Enquiries are ongoing into various offences and our thanks to response team officers and the police helicopter for their work on our ward in the early hours. The team assisted Hyde Housing on Weds 05/02 in securing an empty property on the Frobisher Road estate after reports of possible squatters. There was nobody inside during our time there. PC James and PCSO Mark were involved in a reported incident of threats made in Orchard House on Tuesday 04/02. No further incidents have occurred and thanks to PCSO Adam from Erith SNT for assisting with the door to door enquiries. Our next CCS in on Saturday 15/02 from 1030 at the new estate on the old Linpac site in Slade Green Road which will be doubling up as a Smart Water giveaway event". Thamesmead East ward:- "Burglary Manordeane Road owners returned home from holiday to find garden shed broken into with a set of golf clubs and golf shoes removed by suspect/s unknown. Overton Road East Tuesday 4/2/20 between 11am – 6pm Victim returned home to find front door has dents and marks around the door handle, with letter box bent out of shape no entry gained by suspect/s. Motor Vehicle Crime. Kale Road Monday 3/2/20 1am – 8am victim has had both front and rear number plates removed by suspect/s unknown. Good News - Following information by residents of drugs/ASB whilst proactively patrolling Aspen Green. Drug use is being disrupted as persons seen running away. Patrolling of the area will be ongoing by the team". West Heath ward - From Neighbourhood Watch Member - in Bostall Park Avenue. "On 5th February I received an email which appears to come from TV Licencing. THIS IS A SCAM! It looks very authentic but beware. I had 1 last year claiming my direct debit had been rejected by my bank and asked me to confirm my bank details. Having changed banks a few months before I could easily have fallen for it, but I never respond to any emails, texts or calls like this without checking them out. I phoned TV licencing and was told my licence is still valid and they don't even have my email address. The one today is much the same but says my licence expires today; No doubt to panic me into responding. My licence still has several months to run and TV licensing still don't have my email address so definitely a scam". From Police SNT Team - PCSO Dee Reid:- "Excellent news this week no burglaries have been reported to us. On Monday February 3rd at just after 4am, two males were seen trying car doors in Canberra Road he first male was described as being in his late twenties, F600. The second male was described as being quite small and younger than the other male. The next drop in police surgeries will be held on Thursday February 13th at 4pm and Saturday February 22nd at 1pm. These sessions will be held at the Bostall Library, King Harolds Way".

The end video this week is a visitors impression of the local area. It is interesting to see how an outsider sees what locals live with on a daily basis.

The Park.

The pedestrian crossing outside of Christ Church Erith that had been out of use for two weeks after a car mounted the pavement and damaged the traffic light control unit has been a source of much local dissatisfaction and concern. One anonymous reader Emailed me to say:- "I'm absolutely amazed nobody has been hurt trying to cross that road during peak hours. I was very nearly run over by a blue Tesla Model S on Tuesday night following an evening of leaving drinks. It's incredulous they haven't at least installed temporary traffic lights. Even as a driver it's dangerous to signal pedestrians to cross as I cannot account for other drivers (and interestingly enough, I discovered last week that you are legally liable should you indicate to another person that they have right of way, this includes flashing lights or simply giving way)".  I was on the 99 bus by the crossing on Friday afternoon last week - a woman with a double buggy only just made it over the closed crossing, as an old BMW 3 series came zooming along from the direction of Queen's Road, just missing her. Had the woman and children been a couple of seconds later, there would have almost certainly been a fatality. Finally, last Tuesday, fully two weeks since the crash that broke the lights, engineers were on site to carry out repairs. The traffic lights are now fully functional once again. In that extended two week period of outage, no temporary traffic lights or other provision was made for the hundreds of local commuters who needed to use the crossing every day. I am astounded that there was not a serious accident at the closed crossing. One other reader suggested that if the council could not provide temporary traffic lights, then perhaps they could have employed a lollipop lady or man at the very least to cover the peak commuting periods. I get the feeling if the crossing lights had been out in Bexleyheath or Welling, the council would have done something far more proactive, but, as Erith is considered to be in the frozen North of the borough, the council could not care less. What do you think? Drop me a line to hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Another issue which has raised a great deal of concern locally is the proposed redevelopment of the area of park land in West Street, adjacent to Chichester Wharf, Erith. Jonathan Batten, the Chair of the Erith Think Tank recently published the following statement and call for action:- "This message has been co-written by Tina and Johnny. Thank you to those of you who were able to attend on Tuesday (12th), and to the representatives from Extinction Rebellion Bexley who also joined us. Detailed minutes from the meeting are attached. Due to illness, the meeting mainly focused on the West Street Park proposed development - plans have now been submitted by BexleyCo to the planning department, with a deadline of objections being December 15th (!!). Pictures of this are attached, including a map showing the location, to those who are not familiar. In short, this is a much used and appreciated area of green space on West street, including 21 mature trees. Green space is finite across Erith. Bexley Council own the land, and have transferred it to their development company BexleyCo for development. The proposed development includes 30 flats, all of which will be sold for market rate; no affordable housing - the planning application can be viewed here. At a previous meeting, the Think Tank attendees were torn between two opinions; either that the development should be stopped, or that it was unclear what dividends (if any) Erith would receive for the great loss of green space, and therefore it was impossible to make a valued judgement. Everyone felt that if it were to be developed, Erith should see some tangible improvement (in infrastructure, for example). We have written to all of the Bexley Councillors on the Planning Committee, the leader of the Council, and to BexleyCo, requesting where the profits from this development will be spent (in Erith), and stating that we cannot support this development until we have sufficient information to make a valued judgement. The leader of Bexley Council, Teresa O'Neill, responded thus: The planning application has been submitted by BexleyCo for 30 homes which, given BexleyCo will look to give Bexley residents priority & aim to create quality housing, will be an opportunity for local residents. The application will go through the usual planning process which will ensure local residents will be consulted and can comment in the usual manner. The application proposes a contribution to affordable homes - and BexleyCo have plans to create affordable housing - that will benefit Bexley residents. All of the above will be in addition to the fiscal contribution to provision of services for local people. We have further queried how flats sold on the open market will have 'priority' to Bexley residents. There will not be any tangible dividend for Erith from the profits of this development, nor any infrastructure included in this scheme. Point 8 from our Manifesto states: We aim to inform, in plain language, about plans for Erith's present and future. To this end, and because the BexleyCo have done such a poor job of consulting local residents, including ignoring a previous consultation on this same plot by Bexley Council in 2015 (no formal response or analysis of this consultation is available), Tina proposed, and it was agreed at the meeting that the Think Tank should organise an 'activation' event, in collaboration with Extinction Rebellion Bexley, to raise awareness of this development. This event will happen in the park from 11.30am on Saturday November 30th, and will include an 'exhibition' showing BexleyCo's plans, highlight the parks value and ecology, and propose an alternative vision for the space. We will be seeking signatures on a petition, and planting a tree (donated kindly by the Wasteless Market) as part of the 'Big Climate Fightback' led by the Woodland Trust at midday. We will also be releasing a press release, and inviting local press. We will be engaging with local residents until 4pm. We are seeking your thoughts and permission to move forward with this activation? Can you help us? We need activists on the day to set up, speak to the public and hand out flyers. Regarding the alternative vision - we are not just opposing the development, but want to proffer an alternative vision! There is an exciting initiative, Pocket Parks, that allows for groups such as the Think Tank, to apply for funds to improve and revitalise parks for the benefit of local communities. You'll see from the minutes that we had lots of ideas for how the West Street park could be improved, intensifying and promoting its use, and making it more of an asset to all of Erith, as well as adjacent residents. We will present visuals of some of these ideas at the exhibition on the 30th". Fascinating stuff. I will be attending the event in the park next Saturday from 11.30am with my camera. Do come along to help preserve our much needed public open spaces. 

The third - and as far as I can tell - the final famous actor who had links with the local area - primarily living for a while in Nuxley Road, Upper Belvedere (not Nuxley Village - there is no such place) - is one who is not particularly well known in the UK, but was very famous and well liked in the USA. As a child, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. received a boarding school education. Acting in school plays, he later trained briefly at the Yale School of Drama but didn't apply himself enough and quit. As an NBC network radio page, he auditioned when he could and found minor TV and stock theatre parts while joining up with the Neighbourhood Playhouse. Following WWII war service with the Army infantry in which he was a commissioned officer, he was awarded the Purple Heart after being wounded, a director and friend of the family, Garson Kanin, gave the aspiring actor his first professional role in his Broadway production of "The Rugged Path" (1945) which starred Spencer Tracy. With his dark, friendly, clean-scrubbed good looks and a deep, rich voice, Zimbalist found little trouble finding work. He continued with the American Repertory Theatre performing in such classics as "Henry VIII" and "Androcles and the Lion" while appearing opposite the legendary Eva Le Gallienne in "Hedda Gabler". Zimbalist then tried his hand as a stage producer, successfully bringing opera to Broadway audiences for the first time with memorable presentations of "The Medium" and "The Telephone". As producer of Gian Carlo Menotti's "The Consul", he won the New York Drama Critic's Award and the Pulitzer Prize for best musical in 1950. An auspicious film debut opposite Edward G. Robinson in House of Strangers (1949) brought little career momentum due to the untimely death of his wife Emily (a onetime actress who appeared with him in "Hedda Gabler" and bore him two children, Nancy and Efrem III) to cancer in 1950. Making an abrupt decision to abandon acting, he served as assistant director/researcher at the Curtis School of Music for his father and buried himself with studies and music composition. In 1956, Zimbalist was put under contract by Warner Bros. and moved to Hollywood. Zimbalist's first recurring role in a Warner Bros. Television series was as roguish gambler "Dandy Jim Buckley" on Maverick, opposite James Garner in 1957, and making five appearances as the character. In 1958, Zimbalist played the co-lead Stuart "Stu" Bailey in 77 Sunset Strip, a popular detective series running until 1964. During this period, he made several concurrent appearances in other Warner Bros. television shows, such as Hawaiian Eye, The Alaskans, and Bronco. He also starred as the lead in several feature films for Warners, such as Bombers B-52, The Deep Six, A Fever in the Blood and The Chapman Report. Zimbalist was in such demand during this time that he was given a vacation by Jack L. Warner due to exhaustion from his busy schedule. Zimbalist was most widely known for his starring role as Inspector Lewis Erskine in the Quinn Martin television production The F.B.I., which premiered on September 19, 1965 and aired its final episode on September 8, 1974. Zimbalist was generous in his praise of producer Martin and of his own experience starring in the show. Those who worked with him were equally admiring of the star's professionalism and likeable personality. Zimbalist maintained a strong personal relationship with F.B.I. director J. Edgar Hoover, who requested that the show be technically accurate and portray his agents in the best possible light, and he insisted actors playing F.B.I. employees undergo a background check. Zimbalist subsequently spent a week in contact with Hoover in Washington, D.C. and at the F.B.I. Academy in Quantico, Virginia. The men remained mutual admirers for the rest of Hoover's life. Hoover held up Zimbalist as a model for F.B.I. employees' personal appearance. After 77 Sunset Strip he appeared in other series, including CBS's short-lived The Reporter starring Harry Guardino as journalist Danny Taylor of the fictitious New York Globe. He also appeared in leading and supporting roles in several feature films, including Harlow, A Fever in the Blood (a film about a ruthless politician), Wait Until Dark and Airport 1975. Zimbalist had a recurring role as Daniel Chalmers, a white-collar con man, on his daughter Stephanie Zimbalist's 1980s television detective series Remington Steele, and in the television dramatic series Hotel. In 1990, he played the father of Zorro in the Christian Broadcasting Network's The New Zorro. Zimbalist relinquished the role after the program's first season due to the filming at studios outside Madrid, Spain, and the role subsequently went to Henry Darrow. He had a small recurring role in the 1990s hit science fiction television series Babylon 5 as William Edgars. Also in the 1990s, Zimbalist played Alfred Pennyworth in Batman: The Animated Series as well as in Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, Justice League, Static Shock, and the animated films Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero, Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman; he also played villain Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. He appeared on the Trinity Broadcasting Network and as himself in the 1998 Smithsonian Institution production of Gemstones of America. He performed as the narrator in "Good Morning, America" by Elinor Remick Warren. Zimbalist wrote an autobiography, My Dinner of Herbs, published by Limelight Editions, New York. Efrem Zimbalist Jr's local connection was uncovered by Jacqui Davies, a local author, who met him as a baby. She recalls:- "I was always told by my elder sister I met Efrem when I was a baby. He was in Upper Belvedere during latter part of World War 2. A lot of American pilots and service men visited; also still not sure why but I know the married couple who managed the Royal Standard pub opposite my Nan's house in Nuxley Road had a lot of well known people who popped in there. I do not know if they were into entertainment but it would not surprise me. I was around 2 or 3 years of age; I was born in 1953 so must of been around 55 or 56 after war time yes I thought maybe he came back to visit people in the area as had association during the war. There was also a lot of Canadians around at the time I was told. My story goes my mum who knew the people who managed the pub took me over there to meet him. Why is a mystery believe me I have tried to get evidence all these years but nothing. The rest of my siblings were not taken it seems it was just me. My mum use to help with parties doing catering etc she also worked for Roger Moore and his first wife Dorothy Squires they threw a lot of parties also. I tried to contact Efrem's daughter but I only had Facebook to do it on I doubt she ever got my message as generally fans run these sites. I was hoping for some evidence but drew a blank".

I know many readers have concerns over their security and privacy whilst online. Whilst most modern web browsers are pretty good at protecting users from the worst online threats, a new one is hoping to really stir things up. The Brave web browser has been created by software guru Brendan Eich, an influential figure who invented the JavaScript programming language, and co-founded Mozilla - the organisation behind the excellent Firefox web browser. Brave, an open-source browser based on the open source Chromium browser project, which is also responsible for Google Chrome - the most popular browser around, and is notable for two things. First, it blocks adverts, trackers and cross-site cookies by default. This feature is called Shields. An icon in the toolbar tells you how many items are blocked, with numbers in the 30s and 40s common. If the site is either well-behaved and you want to allow ads to be displayed, or so badly behaved that it does not work with Shields on (and you are desperate to see the content), you can disable Shields for a site by clicking the icon. Eich says in the Brave 1.0 announcement that the industry's fixation on ads, personalisation and data collection "not only violates privacy, but slows down page loads, drains batteries, and makes for a miserable experience". Currently the Brave browser has a tiny market share of around 8.7 million users. The browser can be downloaded for free for Windows, Linux, MacOS, iOS and Android. I have been running it for the last week on my Apple Mac, and also on my Raspberry Pi running Raspbian Linux; if you are used to Google Chrome, the transition to Brave is extremely easy - your bookmarks and all of your preferences and settings are imported into Brave with a click of a button. The browser looks and feels very similar indeed to Chrome, so nobody should feel outside of their comfort zone. The additional privacy and security controls are mostly enabled automatically, though you can make any personal adjustments in the settings option. Although it is only at version 1.0.1, it is feature full and pretty robust - which bearing in mind it is using the long established Chrome code base, it should be. I have found a couple of minor bugs - nothing earth shattering, but worth me filing a bug report with the software engineering team. Several browsers have taken steps to block trackers and ads, but in many cases, they are limited or need to be enabled. Firefox started blocking some trackers by default earlier this year. Apple's Safari goes a step further by blocking almost all third-party trackers from sites you don’t visit frequently while allowing trackers from sites you check regularly but limiting their duration to 24 hours. Microsoft Edge is still testing a feature that also only blocks some trackers by default, which should arrive on January 15th. Google announced in May that it plans to launch some tracker-blocking tools, but doesn’t plan to block cookies on a large scale and hasn’t rolled out those tools quite yet; instead, the company has said it’s expecting to deliver a way to block certain “classifications” of cookies in Chrome by default in February 2020. Built-in ad-blockers are a little harder to find. Most of the time, you need to download an extension. Chrome automatically blocks ads that fail standards set by the Coalition for Better Ads. The mobile versions of Microsoft Edge have a built-in ad-blocker, but you need to turn it on. Brave’s privacy options go beyond blocking ads and trackers. It actually has two private modes: Private Window and Private Window with Tor. The first is like any other browser’s private or incognito mode: none of your data is saved to your device, but it may still be seen by the websites you visit, your network administrator, or ISP. For added security, Brave has a private mode that uses Tor, also known as The Onion Router, a browser that hides your information by encrypting it and passing it through three relays, bringing that level of security to your browsing. However, Brave notes you may want to switch to Tor’s own browser if security and anonymity are absolutely necessary. The bottom line for all of this is that Brave is built on well proven code from Google Chrome, but with several added layers of privacy and security protection baked in - all for free. You can download the Brave web browser by clicking here.

Rumours are circulating that after getting the old Erith Town Hall a locally listed status, Bexley Councillors have been discussing selling the building for conversion into flats. A couple of readers actually overheard a group of councillors discussing the proposed project. Currently I have no details of the proposal, but it has been known for quite some time that the building was likely to be repurposed, now that the housing functions of Bexley council - which were sited at the Erith Town Hall - have been merged with Bromley Council, there is very little use for the building now. The rumoured repurposing the building into apartments is of little surprise. What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com in complete confidence.

The London Evening Standard once again showed its lack of knowledge, if not outright contempt for the local area in an article it published in its property section last week. The article goes:- "Abbey Wood is the first easterly stop of the central section of the Elizabeth line. Bindu Batta has bought a one-bedroom flat at Erith Baths, within walking distance of the station. The 36-year-old scientist had been commuting from Surrey and now lives in touching distance of central London. Using shared ownership she put down a deposit of £22,500 for a 40 per cent share of a £227,500 home. Her journey into central London from Erith is easy and the last train back is 12.55am, “so I can still go out”. Prices start from £73,125 for a 25 per cent share". The glaring error is that the Standard journalist has confused Abbey Wood with Erith - the Erith Baths development is a short walk from Erith Station, but as the article is written, it makes it sound like the walk is to Abbey Wood Station - the walk from Erith Baths to there is a major route march, and in reality it is two stops on the railway, or a substantial bus journey. Lazy, inaccurate journalism. The Standard does not really care about readers South of the River Thames.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "In the past week Barnehurst Ward has suffered one burglary in Twigg Close. This occurred on Friday 15/11/2019 between the hours of 05.15am – 07.45pm. Glass to the rear door was smashed and entry gained. Victim returned to an untidy search and items taken . There has also been an attempted burglary in Appledore Avenue on Thursday 14/11/2019 at 00.35 hours. Suspect was captured on CCTV wearing dark trainers with white soles, a hooded jacket and very quickly attempted the front door handle before walking away in the direction of Fairford Avenue. Following the burglary at 03.55am Merewood Road reported in last week's update we were contacted by a local resident also from Merewood Road who had CCTV footage of a male trying his door handle at 04.02am, In the background a white Audi A3 could be seen in the road with the driver's door open. The suspect was seen returning to this vehicle before making off. We have obtained a registration number from the vehicle and Investigations are ongoing. The team will be rolling out Smart Water kits to residents of Eastleigh Road this weekend. In the meantime we are concentrating on patrols in and around Merewood Road, ABC Roads. The next community contact session will be on Thursday 5th December 2019 at 11.00 in Barnehurst Golf Club. We will be holding a later session on Tuesday 17th December 2019 at 16.00 hours". Belvedere ward:- "School talks have been taking place at Belvedere Junior School this week. Year 4 had a talk about the local Police, what we do and how we can help. Year 5 and Year 6 received talks about bullying, cyber bullying and internet safety. All the pupils seemed to take an interest in the subjects spoken about and we hope that they took on board what was being said, along with having a bit of a laugh in the process. On Sunday 17/11/2019 the annual Sikh Parade took place around Belvedere. The parade went very well and the participants had a good, safe time. There was minor road disruption, which upset a few people, but overall no real issues. There was a report of a burglary at Dowling House a week or so ago. It seems like the door was either left open or the suspect had a key as no damage was caused to gain entry. Dowling House is a secure building with key fob/door buzzer access. Jewellery was the main items taken. Two males were seen to be snooping around the communal garden of Russet Court on the Thursday 14/11/2019, at around 12:30. They were challenged but claimed to be assessing the land at the school as they are looking to buy and develop the land. They were both Asian looking, aged around 30-35 years. The school stated they were not aware to be selling any land. Issues continue in Wadeville Close. The courtyard area of the supported living buildings are having two youths, aged around 14-15 years, loitering inside. They are reportedly smoking cannabis and using this area so as to not be seen. If anyone is seen loitering and look out of place please consider contacting the team. Our next street-a-week is on Monday 25/11/2019 at Wadeville Close. TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF VEHICULAR TRAFFIC ORDER 2019 (WOOLWICH ROAD, BELVEDERE). Temporary closure of Woolwich Road starting on 2nd December for about 3 days. The London Borough of Bexley, being the Traffic Authority for the above mentioned road, in exercise of powers conferred by section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, HEREBY GIVE NOTICE that, to enable FM Conway's on behalf of the London Borough of Bexley to undertake highway improvement works, they intend to make an Order the effects of which will be the introduction of no waiting and no loading in Woolwich Road from outside 146 to 104 both sides of the carriageway. There will also be a road closure to vehicular traffic in Woolwich Road from the junction of Court Avenue to The Junction with Tyeshurst Close. During the closure there will be no egress or ingress to The View except for emergency vehicles. There will also be a banned right turn from Court Avenue, restriction will be removed when works allow. The Order will come into effect on 2nd December 2019 and is valid for a period of 18 months. However, the works are expected to be completed within 3 days. Whilst the works are in progress, an alternative diversion route will be provided via: Eastbound Diversion; Woolwich Road; Nuxley Road, Bedonwell Road, King Harold's Way, Brampton Road, Woolwich Road. Westbound Diversion; Woolwich Road, Brampton Road, King Harold's Way, Bedonwell Road, Nuxley Road, Albert Road, Woolwich Road". Bexleyheath ward:- "Wednesday 13/11/19 1400 – 1445 Theft of Purse in Card Factory Thursday 14/11/19 2255 Theft of Motor Vehicle St Francis Avenue Friday 15/11/19 1900 – 2355 Criminal Damage to Church Bexleyheath Broadway – broken window Sunday 17/11/19 1930 Robbery of a bag from young male on bus Monday 18/11/19 1200 Theft of Motor Vehicle Gravel Hill Close Monday 18/11/19 1145 Theft of Purse in Marks and Spencer. Please ensure that doors and windows to properties are locked and secured with keys (lift the handle and turn the key in the lock) where applicable – revisit home security and lighting now the dark lights are coming. Please be careful with purse/wallets whilst out shopping, make sure they are secured inside your bags with a zip type handbag". Crayford ward:- "Just one burglary and one theft from motor vehicle to report this week. Between 20.00 on 15th November and 09.30 on Saturday 16th November the rear window was smashed on a vehicle parked on Iron Mill Lane, the glove compartment was rifled through but it's not known what may have been taken.There was a burglary on Saturday 16th November between 09.30-11.00 in Woodfall Drive. Entry was made through the front door, the lock was damaged. There were untidy searches in all rooms but especially the children's bedrooms, cash and an iPad in a pink case were stolen. Burglary is one of the most awful crimes and this time of year with dark nights often sees an increase. Please do all that you can to prevent this happening to you, review your home security and refer to www.met.police.co.uk for further tips and security advice. The Crayford Winter Festival takes place on Saturday 30th November between 15.00-19.00 in Waterside Gardens, we will be there along with our colleagues from Neighbourhood Watch, we look forward to seeing you there!"

Erith ward:- "At 01:50 on the 21/11/19 four men tried to unsuccessfully break in to the car park at phase one of Erith Park. Their attempt at entry involved trying to rip out the wiring for the gates, and a push with their car. Photo above for your information". Northumberland Heath ward:- "This week we have had some ASB in the Kebab Express on Bexley Road, the team have viewed the CCTV, identified one of the suspects and conducted a home visit to speak with the youths parents. We will continue to identify further suspects and further home visits will be conducted. We will not tolerate ASB on our ward. The team has issued a CPN (Community Protection Notice) to a male this week who has been involved in ASB and being investigated for drug supply. One male was arrested for malicious communications. We have had two Motor vehicle crimes on the ward this week as follows:- On Thursday the 14th November between 08:45 – 09:00 a silver Mercedes VRM GV07 HLO was stolen from Detling Road. Two suspects were seen, one white male and one black male, no further description. On Tuesday the 19th November overnight a vehicle was broken into on Belmont Road, house keys and bank cards were stolen from the vehicle. Please be mindful not to leave valuable items in your vehicle, especially if they are on display, this will make your vehicle a target." Slade Green and Northend ward:- "A burglary took place at sometime between Sunday 17/11 and Monday 18/11 in Springhead Road. There are no actual details at this time as to if anything was stolen as the property is being renovated at the owner is yet to get back to police but entry appears to have been made by smashing a window in the back door. Enquiries are ongoing. In the early hours of Tuesday 19/11 a vehicle in Manor Road had jewellery, a purse and cash stolen from inside. The victim has stated they are quite sure they forgot to lock their car doors but luckily cancelled the banks cards before they could be used. A local CCTV camera did pick up footage of unknown suspects trying car doors during the early hours. Please ensure your vehicle is always locked and do not leave ANY valuables inside your vehicle, even if they are seemingly out of sight. This coming Saturday 23/11 is the St Augustines Christmas Fete in the church hall from 1100-1400. We cannot be there due to days off etc but please pop along to show your support if you can. PC's Mark and James are leaving us for the next month as they are both attending a firearms course in the hope of furthering their career, we wish them well. During this time, our ward is being covered by officers from neighbouring wards including North Heath, Erith and Barnehurst who we thank in advance for their help". Thamesmead East ward:- "Vehicle Crime - Thamesbank Place Friday 15/11/19 between 8:30pm – 11pm Victim returned to vehicle and found that the rear window had been smashed with 'no entry gained or anything stolen '. Whilst in the process of cleaning up the broken glass the victim was approached by a neighbour who stated that at approximately 11pm the night before a vehicle similar to the victims drove into the car park turned around and drove out slightly before reversing back in. Shortly after she heard the window break and the vehicle drive off, but did not see who broke the window. This coincides with the time that victim heard the alarm going off. Mangold Way Friday 15/11/19 between 5:30pm – 9am Saturday 16/11/19 Victim returned to vehicle when she was approached by a neighbour who stated that all four tyres on victim's vehicle were flat. A local garage has confirmed that each tyre was stabbed twice. No suspect/s seen. Other Theft - St Martin's Close Saturday 16/11/19 between 4pm – 12pm Sunday 17/11/19 Victim was returning home when victim received a call from a flatmate stating the door to victim's room was left open and victim's things were scattered around the room. On returning to victim's room it was discovered a laptop and £500 which had been previously withdrawn to pay the rent, had been removed by suspect/s unknown. Criminal Damage - Fleming Way Tuesday 19/11/19 between 1pm – 4pm Victim's kitchen window smashed by means of climbing onto a recycling bin no suspect/s seen.  Good News. A vehicle was recovered following a telephone call from a local resident who stated the vehicle had been at the location for 3 days. Various checks were completed confirming the vehicle had been stolen from Plumstead". West Heath ward:- "We have had two burglaries reported to us over the last week. The first took place in Glenview between Saturday November 9th and Tuesday November 12th at 8pm. The victim was on holiday at the time of the incident and this was reported by a neighbour. The rear patio was forced and a side door was damaged .It is not known at this time if any property was stolen. The second burglary took place in Penhurst Road Between Tuesday November 12th at 6.15pm and Wednesday November 13th at 10.30am. Entry was gained via a kitchen window causing the burglar alarm to activate, thankfully the suspects made off and nothing was taken. Several motor vehicle crimes have taken place this week. One theft of a black Mercedes Benz from a driveway in First Avenue on Wednesday November 13th between 02.30am – 06.00am. A vehicle was broken in to in Lodge Hill between Thursday November 14th between 09.30am and 05.30 on Friday November 15th. The driver's window was smashed but nothing was taken. Vehicle broken in to in Gipsy Road overnight on Thursday November 14th 8.30pm to Friday November 15th at 8.10am when the victim discovered the vehicle door ajar. Several pairs of Ray Ban sunglasses were stolen from the vehicle".

The end video this week was taken from the BBC News website; it features former Erith and Thamesmead MP Teresa Pearce, and how she and other MP's suffer from abuse and intimidation from members of the public. Teresa Pearce is not standing in the next election - she is going into retirement. I personally do not envy anyone who stands for public office; the stresses would appear to be immense, and you never get to switch off - the role is pretty much 24/7. Send any feedback to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Nonexistent Nuxley Village.

Erith has certainly had its share of press attention this week, not least on Monday, when a suspect package was discovered in Pembroke Road, adjacent to the railway line. Train services were stopped, and the Police and emergency services summoned. Eventually the package was found to not be a bomb, and the line re – opened; train disruption continued for several hours, as services were misplaced. Obviously the authorities had to err on the side of caution when dealing with the suspect package, but a few questions still need to be asked. Who found the package, and why was a bomb suspected? I lack the detailed background knowledge to fully understand the circumstances, but it does seem rather unlikely that ISIS or Al Qaeda would target Erith over a more high profile target in central London. Still it is reassuring to know that the authorities are on their toes when it comes to potential local threats.

According to the online resource the Rightmove Rental Tracker, Erith and Belvedere are the cheapest places to rent property in Greater London. Average prices for two-bedroom flats are £1,013 and £1,064 a month respectively, almost half the London average, yet direct train services reach London Bridge station within 40 minutes. Belvedere sits one stop further up the line, which also stops at Abbey Wood, Plumstead and Woolwich, an area set to gain high-speed Crossrail links from 2018. With rents rising by up to 21 per cent in some parts of the capital in the past year alone, it is no surprise that the most affordable areas also are becoming the most in-demand among renters. The Rightmove report refers to Erith as “little known”, and “North East of Bexleyheath and North West of Dartford”. It makes Erith sound like it is halfway up the Zambezi – the survey is obviously conducted by estate agents unfamiliar with the area. This is not unusual, as I have previously covered; A lot of people, some long – time local residents included, who call Nuxley Road in Upper Belvedere “Nuxley Village” – even though no such place has ever existed since the beginning of recorded time. The origin of the names of the  places in the local area, and some of the surrounding landmarks dates back to the early fifteenth century, and the name Belvedere even earlier. The area of Bedonwell gets its name from the Bedon stream, which runs through what is now known as Streamway; the Bedon is a minor tributary of the River Thames, which is now run through an underground drain for much of its length. A fifteenth century form of the name was Beton Well, meaning “praying well”. The exact origin is lost in the mists of time, though the old English word “bydan” meaning a shallow valley may have something to do with it. On the South side of the stream was a further area of open heath land, called Nuxley or Little Heath, which occupied an area around what was later Bedonwell Primary School (and is now a Doctor’s surgery and private flats). The name Nuxley was sometimes spelled Naxley, which in turn is a corruption of Knocksley, meaning a small hill. Nuxley Road was originally named Bexley Road, until March 1939 when it was renamed as Nuxley Road, which it remains to date. There is no record of Upper Belvedere ever having been named Nuxley Village, and parish records for the area date back to 1235 AD, and survived the reformation, when ownership of the parish was transferred from Lesnes Abbey to the owners of Parsonage Farm (on what is now Parsonage Manor Way). During the late 19th century, Parsonage Farm was owned by the Vinson family, who were at the time rich and powerful enough to issue their own trade tokens (a kind of informal local currency). There are records that beer houses such as the Fox, and full pubs such as the Eardley Arms took trade tokens for payment for food and drink until sometime around 1900. The farm buildings, which were  constructed in the Middle Ages (principally to provide food and drink for Abbot and Monks at Lesnes Abbey) lasted until the end of WWII, when it was used to house an auxiliary fire station. After the war the building was so derelict it was demolished. Thus, the name “Nuxley Village” is a construct – a fictional creation of local estate agents who have no knowledge of the history of the area. Upper Belvedere has been so called for at least the last 781 years, and the thoughtless action of a handful of ignorant house peddlers is not going to change facts any time soon.

A report last week in the New York Times poses serious questions about the long held belief that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It turns out that the idea is the result of spin over the years by breakfast cereal companies and others. skipping  breakfast can allegedly lead to weight gain, a sluggish metabolism, or stress. According to a new piece in The New York Times however, our beliefs about breakfast are all based on "misinterpreted research and biased studies"–propaganda, basically. Author Aaron E. Carroll notes that almost all breakfast studies suffer from a "publication bias." There are flaws in reporting of studies that skew findings to link skipping breakfast with causing obesity. Carroll writes: "The reports improperly used causal language to describe their results. They misleadingly cited other's results. And they also improperly used causal language in citing others' results. People believe, and want you to believe, that skipping breakfast is bad. Additionally, there are usually conflicts of interest behind the studies, considering most of them are funded by the food industry. The Quaker Oats Centre of Excellence, for instance, paid for a trial that concluded eating oatmeal or frosted cornflakes reduces weight and cholesterol. People are conditioned from a young age to believe that breakfast is essential to performance. It turns out that's because most of the research geared toward kids is meant to evaluate the impact of school breakfast programmes. They don't take into consideration that 15 million children in the U.S. go hungry at home–of course they would do better in school if they eat". That isn't the same, though, as testing whether children who are already well nourished and don't want breakfast should be forced to eat it," Carroll writes. Overall, you should just go with your gut. If you're hungry in the morning, eat. If you're not, don't think you're sinning by skipping it. Finally, approach all studies skeptically – Carroll put it best: "Breakfast has no mystical powers."

Yet another serious incident on Erith Pier has caused the Gravesend Lifeboat to be called out. Even at maximum speed, the lifeboat takes quite some time to travel Westwards from Gravesend; several times when it was been called to Erith, it has been in relatively close proximity whilst on patrol. The most recent incident happened at around 4am on Sunday morning, where a man was reported to be hanging off a ladder on the far end of Erith Pier. The RNLI and Police were called, and the man was rescued. To my mind, this once again shows that we need a fully staffed lifeboat sub – station in Erith. As I have written before, Erith is approximately equidistant between Gravesend and London Bridge – the two locations of the nearest lifeboat stations, which means potentially it is the point furthest from a rescue service in the event of a river emergency. The RNLI are getting call – outs to Erith every other week at present. Thus far the recent emergencies have all reached positive conclusions, but it is only a matter of time before we have a fatality. Erith Pier already has a plaque fixed to the wall of the building at the far end. This commemorates the young man who ended his life by throwing himself into the river back in 2011. I am writing to the RNLI to see if any consideration has been given to a substation at Erith. As I have previously mentioned, the old Port of London Authority office adjacent to the wooden jetty on the river front would make an ideal substation – it has power and water, and enough space for four people to stay whilst on call. The lifeboat could be moored at the end of the jetty. What do you think? Does the level of river – related emergencies justify the expense of an RNLI substation? Another emergency happened in the outskirts of the town on Sunday. A number of ambulances and other emergency vehicles raced along Manor Road, heading in the direction of Erith Yacht Club at around half past three in the afternoon. A biker had crashed, and in the process had suffered head injuries. It turned out that he had been illegally riding on the marshes. For some unknown reason a lot of local bikers have the erroneous idea that off – road biking is permitted on Slade Green Marshes, when in fact it is specifically forbidden, and the Police have successfully prosecuted individuals for doing this in the past. Slade Green Marshes are an area of outstanding scientific interest, being the home to a number of rare and protected plants and small animals. Biking on the marshes, as well as being noisy, inconsiderate and polluting, causes erosion to the footpaths and damage to the flora adjacent to the pathways. I don’t know the specifics of the biker involved in the accident last Sunday, so I will not comment further. Slade Green Marshes were the location of a large explosion back in 1924 – here is a contemporary press account of the disaster:- February 19th: "The Slade Green Filling Factory, situated midway between Erith and Dartford on Crayford Marshes, was the scene of a terrible disaster yesterday in which eleven girls and a foreman lost their lives. Between 8.45 and 9 o'clock the girls were at their work breaking open Verey light cartridges and extracting powder. Suddenly there was a flash and in a moment that building ? of brick and corrugated iron ? was an inferno of smoke and fire. As the fire reached the cartridges they exploded, appearing like stars among the smoke. Eleven of the eighteen girls were trapped by the fire. Miss Charlotte Coshall, the forewoman and seven of the remaining girls managed to get out of the building, some with their clothes alight. The awful suddenness of the catastrophe and the smoke and fumes prevented any possible chance of rescue. The Slade Green Filling Factory was originally munition works under Government control but more recently has been used by Messrs WB. Gilbert Ltd for the breaking down of munitions. The factory consists of a number of buildings, all separate from each other and reached from Slade Green by a narrow winding road over the marshes. Close to it on the Erith side are the Thames Ammunition works. Some of those who escaped turned back at once but, finding it impossible to reach the unfortunate girls inside, rushed towards the gates of the works screaming for help. One eye witness said the foreman who died had tried to lift a girl through the window but the heat and smoke were too great and he fell back. When help eventually arrived only one girl was alive, Miss Edna Allen, and she was terribly burned. She was taken to Erith Cottage Hospital but died during the night. The inquest will be opened at Crayford tomorrow (Wednesday) and a memorial service will be planned later".

The photo above was sent to me earlier this week by Maggot Sandwich reader, and occasional contributor Alan Magin. He was responding to the request I published last week for any information regarding the very early years of Thamesmead. Alan has exceeded my expectations. Alan describes the photo thusly:- "Photo shows me sitting astride a pre-stressed beam, with another about to be sited. It was a Saturday morning, l couldn't turn down a few hours overtime! It took me 10 months of travelling into London, from June 1968, with people fainting on the train in the heat of that hot summer, to make me realise I wanted out of the Rat-Race! I applied for a job with the construction company Holland Hannen and Cubitts Ltd. I was duly employed as a Junior Engineer/Chainman on the Civil Engineering side of things, (roads, sewers & bridges). Oh, by the way this is East Bridge on Yarnton Way in the summer of 1969. The site agents name Denis Counden, he is standing next to me wearing the trilby hat. The guy on the ground is the site manager Bill Monday, he is not saluting Mr. Hitler, but guiding the crane driver. The guy half-way up the ladder is Alan Rush a Civil Engineer, he designed and built the culvert (getting a BSc in the process) that runs under Alsike Rd, taking water away from the Sedgemere, Sydney Rd Estate that so often flooded back then! I was in construction until joining The London Fire Brigade in February 1974". Fascinating stuff - thanks very much for allowing me to publish it! The lack of any form of safety equipment such as hard hats, steel toe capped work boots, safety glasses and high visibility jackets really shows that things have changed since the photograph was taken. 

A real turnaround for catering in the local area - after woeful results only a couple of years ago, the following press release was published earlier this week:- "Bexley is now of one of the highest rated places to eat in London according to the latest national figures. Over 95% of food businesses in Bexley have food hygiene ratings of 3,4 and 5, which puts Bexley as the best in London, alongside Kensington and Chelsea. Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Environment and Leisure, Cllr Peter Craske said; “The variety of restaurants and places to eat is one of the reasons Bexley is a great place to live. Unseen by residents, our food safety team do a great job, inspecting premises and ensuring people can eat out in confidence. Our figures have improved massively over recent months thanks to changes in practice, a tougher stance on non-compliant businesses and an improved visit regime. I hope this will encourage everyone to continue to support our great restaurants, pubs and cafes.” Premises are encouraged to inform customers of their food safety hygiene rating. Look for the green sticker in the window of restaurants or takeaways or ask the proprietor what rating they have. Or use the Food Safety Hygiene app before you leave home". This is a real piece of positive progress. Only two years ago Bexley was at the very bottom of the pile as far as food hygiene was concerned - this reversal is extremely welcome news indeed. 

I think that pretty much everyone has heard of smart televisions, but did you know that smart radios also exist? Indeed, I recently bought a smart radio that you can see above. The Roberts 93i smart radio is a very good piece of kit; it receives analogue FM stereo broadcasts, DAB and DAB+ broadcasts, and also wirelessly connects to your broadband / fibre optic router to bring you thousands of Internet radio stations. It can also connect to Spotify and play audio files in multiple formats from a connected memory stick, or from a local music server. The sound quality is excellent (with my usual caveats about "old style" original DAB, as used by stations such as Planet Rock, which are only available in relatively low bitrate mono). Internet, DAB+ and FM sound quality is outstanding. You can read the What Hifi? Review of the Roberts 93i here. I highly recommend this radio.

Another radio - related discovery is the web based shortwave receiver - screen capture above. You can access this software defined interactive radio by clicking on the link here. The radio is simultaneously usable by several hundred people at a time - all listening to different frequencies. Give it a try - instructions are on the website. If you have never seen a waterfall display before, drag the on screen pointer to the areas with the white lines - that is where the strongest signals are. The online radio picks up all sorts of H.F signals - amateur radio operators, ships at sea, airliners on long distance journeys, military and clandestine numbers stations, and international shortwave broadcast stations - not to mention quite a few pirate broadcasters. Give the site a try and see what you think. Feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

I discovered an interesting historical fact this week. The huge, 219 metre (719 feet) tall antenna tower at Crystal Palace, that supplies TV and radio signals for a large part of London and the South East was designed and built by Erith based company British Insulated Callender's Construction Co Ltd (later known as BICC) with steelwork fabrication by Painter Brothers Ltd, Hereford, back in 1955. Much of the tower’s construction was prefabricated and test erected in sections in the Callender’s Erith works before it was pulled apart and transported to site for final erection. When completed in 1956, the tower was the tallest structure in Greater London, a title it held until the completion of the One Canada Square Tower in Canary Wharf back in 1991. The first transmission from Crystal Palace took place on 28 March 1956, when it succeeded the transmitter at Alexandra Palace where the BBC had started the world's first scheduled television service in November 1936. In November 1956 the first colour test transmissions began from Crystal Palace relaying live pictures from the studios at Alexandra Palace after BBC TV had closed down for the night. In May 1958 the first experimental Band V 625-line transmissions started from Crystal Palace. The transmitter tower holds another record, one that cannot be beaten. On 18 July 1986, with the First Night of the Proms on BBC2, the transmitter became the first in the world to transmit stereophonic sound using the NICAM digital sound system. On 2 December 2009, the site entered service as one of the first DVB-T2 transmitters in the world, carrying a variant of the BBC's Multiplex B broadcasting high-definition TV services. All of the analogue television services transmitted from the Crystal Palace tower were discontinued back in 2012; all TV signals are now from a digital multiplex. The only analogue output of the tower is now FM radio (BBC radios 1,2,3,and 4) a couple of independent local stations, along with some legacy services on Medium Wave. The historical connection that Callender’s had with the BBC back in the day was wider than merely being the constructor of the Crystal Palace transmitter tower. Callender’s had This was an amateur band, called The Callender’s Cableworks Band, which was active between 1898 and 1961, of which all members were employees of Callender's at Erith. They rehearsed and performed in their leisure time, while the company in its role of patron lent its name and supplied uniforms and instruments. The band broadcast prolifically on BBC Radio in the 1920s and 1930s. The Band was started in the 1890s as a Salvation Army brass band, but because they felt limited as to the types of music which they were permitted to play, they formed their own temperance band. However this caused difficulties in purchasing their own uniforms and instruments, so their employer, Callender's, stepped in as patron. From then on they were Callender's Cableworks Band under various forms of that name. They were always an amateur band, rehearsing and performing in their leisure time. The Senior Band had a high reputation, and in 1932 were described as the finest in the south of England. In 1929 Jim Thompson joined the band; later in 1939 he was to found the Belvedere Male Voice Choir. In 1932 the band consisted of all brass instruments, plus four saxophones. At the time they were the only brass band with saxophones. In competitions over the years they had 25 wins, 11 second places and 3 third places. By the end of 1932 the band had performed on radio a total of eighty times – something unprecedented at the time. The band finally disbanded in 1961 as members retired and few young volunteers could be found.

The end video this week was created by Maggot Sandwich reader and local Councillor Abena Oppong - Asare. It is a compilation of images from the "Our Erith" art exhibition that was held at Christ Church Erith on the weekend of the 13th - 15th May. See what you think, and either leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.