This weekend marks twenty years since the twelve year old Gemma Rolfe was killed whilst a passenger in her stepfather’s car whilst travelling along Slade Green Road on May the 19th 2003. Their car was hit by a stolen white Austin Maestro van and Gemma was killed – she was cut out of the wrecked Suzuki Vitara, but did not survive the ordeal. The driver of the stolen van then made off, and has never been reliably identified, and it is thought that some local residents may be concealing his identity. The Police have never closed the enquiry and are using the twentieth anniversary of the crime to re – launch the appeal for witnesses to come forward and tell them who the hit and run driver was. Twenty years on, someone has blood on their hands, and needs to be brought to justice. Comments to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
Over the last couple of months, despite having subscriptions to several paid streaming TV services, I have found that I have been giving much screen watching time to a relatively little known terrestrial Freeview channel called Talking Pictures TV, which is a British free-to-air television channel that broadcasts classic films and television programmes from the 1930s to the 1970s. It was launched on 26 May 2015 on Sky channel 343, but later also became available on Freeview, Freesat, and Virgin Media. The channel's programming includes a wide variety of films and television programmes, including comedies, dramas, musicals, and documentaries. Talking Pictures TV has been praised for its wide range of programming and for its commitment to classic British films and television programmes. The channel has also been credited with helping to revive interest in classic British cinema and television. Apart from recently watching the classic British comedy "School for Scoundrels", I have been watching the excellent 1979 drama "Danger UXB", which was a 13-part World War Two drama series based on the true-life exploits of bomb disposal expert Major Bill Hartley, whose book, 'Unexploded Bomb', recounted his continual death-defying ordeals in the face of extreme danger, whilst carrying out one of the most hazardous tasks on 'civvy street.' Anthony Andrews starred as Lt. Brian Ash, a young officer who is assigned to the 27th Tunnelling Company, only to discover that his unit has been seconded to the Bomb Disposal Unit of the Royal Engineers. The day before Ash's arrival, his predecessor had been killed trying to disarm a bomb, and so Ash finds himself quite literally in the firing line, learning his job 'on the hoof', a particularly deadly apprenticeship in a job where one wrong mistake could be the last one you'd ever make. Fresh-faced and naive at first, Ash soon wins over the respect of the men in his unit and aided by the experienced Sgt James (Maurice Roëves), grow in confidence with each mission, which culminates in an open-ended explosive final assignment. There was to be no second series, though, and the 13 episodes made by Thames/Euston Films and shown in 1979, stand today as a perfect example of edge-of-the-seat historical drama. Bearing in mind the true-life subject matter it is hardly surprising: Although there were very few bombs dropped on Britain in the first few months of the Second World War a War Office report to the Cabinet, in May 1940, recommended steps that needed to be taken when heavy bombing began. By July Britain was suffering intense bombing raids and by the end of August 2,000 UXBs (Unexploded Bombs) remained to be dealt with. To find the necessary personnel to deal with them seven general construction companies and 4 quarrying companies of the Royal Engineers were converted. The "Bomb Disposal Section" consisted of one officer and fifteen other ranks divided into two sub-sections; one for "removal" and one for "sterilisation". Training for the bomb disposal units was very scant at best as no information was available as to the types of bombs the enemy might use or of the nature of the mechanism of their fuses, and the 'disposal experts' had to largely rely on their own common sense. Once a UXB had been confirmed the unit moved in and started work. Very often considerable excavation was needed before the bomb could be reached as it could have penetrated up to sixty feet into the earth, requiring casing and timber to be used to steady it and reach the fuse. Any violent disturbance might set the bomb off, and even if it didn't there were other hazards. Once the bomb was reached, its type and probable performance had to be determined by inspection. It might be fitted with a delayed action fuse which had not run its allotted time, it might be a simple contact fuse which had not operated, or it might be that the delayed action mechanism had been put out of gear by the shock of landing, in which case any disturbance might set it in action again. The whole of the East and South East of London was utterly plastered in explosives by the Luftwaffe during World War 2, many of which failed to detonate. This failure to detonate was down to a number of reasons; earlier on in the war, most bomb fuses were electro mechanical, and quite often the vibration of being loaded and carried on a bomber would cause the mechanical part of the fuse to jam. Later, as the fuse designs improved and became more reliable, some bomb fuses were designed with a user set delay before they detonated; the Nazis correctly surmised that an unexploded bomb could cause even more disruption and diversion of resources than one that went off immediately, as proved to be the case. Later in the war, the reason for bomb failures changed again; as the Nazis retreated after the Normandy D-Day invasion, they drew much of their manufacturing East, and into the heart of Germany. Most of their established armament factories had been bombed by the Allies, and they resorted to constructing giant weapons factories in caves and old salt mines. These were mainly staffed by slave labour – prisoners from the Russian front and concentration camp inmates. The work regimes were brutal, and many died in the arms factories. Ironically the use of slave labour backfired, as there are many documented instances of sabotage caused by the slaves – things like tiny pieces of cardboard slipped into the electrical arming switch of the bomb fuse, making it unable to complete the circuit and detonate. The Imperial War Museum has a display of WWII German bomb fuses, including a couple of ones that were deliberately sabotaged at the point of manufacture. Danger UXB was historically and technically accurate, and I happen to know that a boxed set of Danger UXB DVD's has pride of place in the Royal Artillery officer's mess. I would recommend the series on Talking Pictures TV if you get a chance to give it a watch.
A substantial proportion of Maggot Sandwich readers are retired, and a number of those are people with little or no interest in technology - one of the reasons I limit the amount of column inches devoted to that subject. Unfortunately this particular demographic is likely to be hit hard by a change that is happening in the very near future. If you've got an old mobile handset you may soon lose internet access. Vodafone has become the first major mobile network to switch off 3G in parts of the country with other networks set to follow. The switch off is most likely to be an issue for users of older mobile devices and Sim cards that can't connect to newer 4G or 5G networks. It means that if you have a phone or Sim that only supports 3G, you will no longer be able to conduct most internet-related tasks once your network turns it off (you'll technically still have access to the internet on 2G but the speeds will be so slow you'll struggle to be able to perform most tasks). You will still be able to make calls and send text messages over 2G, though you'll also lose the functionality to do this when 2G is eventually switched off too. Telecoms regulator Ofcom estimates 5.5 million people will be affected by the combined shake-up. Other devices, such as personal care alarms, security alarms, car satellite navigation systems and payment terminals, might also be affected by the 3G switch-off - though it's unclear if these rely on a particular network's service. The Government has set a deadline for 3G to be turned off by 2025 and 2G by 2033 - though some networks will do so sooner. Here's when the major mobile networks plan to turn off 2G and 3G: Vodafone: The 3G switch-off began in February 2023 in Basingstoke and Plymouth initially. From June 2023, this will be extended to Greater London, Hull, and Oxford. Vodafone hasn't said exactly when 2G will be turned off yet. EE: 3G will be switched off in early 2024, with its 2G network to be switched off "later in the decade". Three: 3G will be completely turned off by the end of 2024. Three doesn't use the 2G network. O2: Yet to confirm exact dates. For example, Asda Mobile, Lebara, TalkMobile and Voxi all use the Vodafone network, so users on these networks will need to check if their service will be amongst those affected. The UK Government has set a deadline of 2033 to phase out the older services. Ofcom says turning off 3G networks will free up capacity, or "spectrum", that can then be used to expand 4G and 5G network coverage, which should help to negate so called "signal dead spots".
Over the last couple of weeks I have been commuting into central London via the Elizabeth Line. My job is normally about 95% home based, but recently I have been travelling into the Covent Garden office on a semi regular basis. One thing that I have noticed is the number of people taking illegal electric scooters on the trains, despite an outright ban on the vehicles by Transport for London (TfL). It would appear that on the leg of the Elizabeth Line between Abbey Wood and Paddington a number of illegal E-Scooter users are flouting the ban and engaging in further criminal activity. Having said that, on the other parts of the TfL network, there has been enforcement. E-scooter owners caught breaking the ban on taking them on to London’s transport network have paid out more than £12,000 in fines and legal costs this year, after a fire safety crackdown. Transport for London banned private e-scooters from Tubes, trains, and buses in 2021 after one caught fire and caused panic on a packed District line train at Parsons Green. The ban — backed by London Fire Brigade — extends across the Tube network, as well as all buses, Overground and tram services, and the Docklands Light Railway. Last week a report in the London Evening Standard showed that at least 27 people have been convicted by magistrates for flouting the ban since the start of 2023, with orders to pay £4,865 in fines and £7,656 in TfL prosecution costs and court fees. In many cases, e-scooter riders were convicted and ordered to pay more than £500 each despite protesting that they were unaware of the ban. Joanna Power, 36, was stopped at Gospel Oak station in February after taking her e-scooter on an evening rush-hour Overground service from her home in West Hampstead. “I didn’t know,” she replied, after being confronted by a TfL officer and accused of breaking the by-law. At court, she was ordered to pay a £220 fine, £250 in costs, and an £88 victim surcharge. Hayley Cain, 40, from Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire, was similarly stopped by an officer at Vauxhall station in January. “Sorry, I didn’t know that,” she said, when told of the ban. She added: “It’s my form of commute.” She too was ordered to pay a £220 fine, £250 in costs, and an £88 victim surcharge. Private e-scooters are banned from roads and public spaces in London. TfL’s prosecution statements say it brought in the ban after fires involving an e-scooter and an e-unicycle. “These incidents prompted TfL to launch an urgent review… supported by evidence from London Fire Brigade experts.” In March, the Evening Standard reported how firefighters have been called out to more than 150 fires in a year caused by e-scooter and e-bike batteries overheating. There are fears of a major disaster if a fire broke out deep underground in central London. As I have written before, I am not against the use of E-Scooters, but it has to be within the scope of the law, with riders being licenced, regulated and insured. What do you think? Comments to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
This week marks the tenth anniversary of the opening of a cycle trail through Frank’s Park, It is part of the Green Chain of cycle routes that cross the region. The Green Chain consists of three hundred parks and other open spaces that spans from Slade Green marshes across Shooters Hill to Dulwich park. The chain provides a network of cycle and pedestrian friendly routes which are designed to eventually cover all of Greater London. The aim is to encourage people to take up cycling by making the whole experience more user friendly by providing places to securely park bicycles, places to purchase refreshments and also bike hire points. Frank's Park had been in need of some fresh blood and new ideas for a very long time, and the cycle trail has encouraged a greater use of the park. Back in the days when Trinity school was still Picardy, it was based on two separate sites – the Oaks in Erith Road, and the Beeches on the other side of Frank's Park in Halt Robin road. This meant that pupils had to commute through the park (or “the woods” as they were normally known) in all weathers. Heavy rain and snow were both very challenging – both school sites(not to mention many of the pupils) would be encrusted in mud when it was wet, and snowy weather would bring a succession of pupils with minor bangs and scrapes as a popular way of going from The Oaks (at the top of a hill) to the Beeches (at the bottom) was to use one’s school bag as an improvised toboggan. Understandably chaos often ensued. Once the Beeches was sold off to become a school for children with special needs, and Picardy school was re-branded as Trinity, the use of the park by school children pretty much ceased. Whilst it was still popular with dog walkers, it never got the level if use it did during the Picardy school years.
The end video this week is long - around an hour and ten minutes in total duration, so you may wish to fast forward through bits of it. It is a first - person, real time filmed walk in and around Erith. It probably won't be of much interest to locals, who will know it all too well, but I have quite a considerable number of readers who are not local - or indeed even located in the UK, and for them it may well be of great interest, as it gives context to some of the stories I cover. Let me know what you think - email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment