Broadway.

I took the photograph above in Bexleyheath last week - click on it to see a larger version; it shows Police responding to a fight between two groups of school children in Bexleyheath Broadway. I gather this is quite a regular occurrence. I know that many locals avoid visiting the Broadway between 3 and 5 pm on school days, as they are concerned about the level of violence that can occur. In my personal experience, most of the kids are fine - it is a very small, vocal and violent minority that seem to cause the trouble. From my research, Bexley Police are taking a multi pronged approach to this worrying problem. The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has a number of initiatives in place to tackle school violence in Bexley. These include: - School Liaison Officers (SLOs): SLOs are police officers who are based in schools and work with school staff to identify and address potential problems. Police officers conduct targeted patrols around schools at times when children are most likely to be vulnerable, such as before and after school, especially in Bexleyheath Broadway. Police work with schools and community organisations to provide support and intervention for young people who are at risk of joining gangs. Police officers regularly attend parent and carer meetings to provide advice and support. Police officers participate in a variety of community events and activities to engage with young people and build positive relationships. Despite the progress that has been made, there are still challenges in addressing school violence. Crime is becoming increasingly complex and sophisticated, and young people are increasingly using online platforms to commit offences. Additionally, social media can be used to spread bullying and harassment, and it can also be used to organise and plan violence.

As people gear up for Christmas, the whole thorny issue of gifts and gift wrapping comes up. I have a major issue with gift wrapping paper for Christmas presents; due to the treatment much of the paper receives during production, it cannot be recycled, and is especially bad for the environment, as the only way to get rid of it is to put it in landfill, or to burn it, releasing carbon into the atmosphere. What I have chosen to do is rather than wrapping Christmas presents, I will be giving them in sparkly gift bags, which can be reused, year after year. As I have previously written, this is also the reason that I don't send Christmas cards, as I believe them to be ruinously bad for the environment - wood and rags are pulped to make the cards, energy is used to print them, fossil fuels are used to transport them to the shops, electricity and gas are burned to light and heat the shops, then once they are purchased, more fossil fuels are used to deliver the cards around the planet, then after a few days they are discarded, and many cannot be recycled, due to the plastic or wax derived finishes that many cards have. I can understand the practice in the past; when a Christmas card sent to friends and loved ones would be a form of annual communication when you might otherwise not hear from them, but nowadays this is far from the case; instant worldwide online communications mean that from my perspective, Christmas cards are consigned to the past. one can send electronic, online greetings for a fraction of the cost of a postage stamp. What do you think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

One of the most widely known companies to have a historic association with Erith was Callender's Cables, formerly known as The Callender Bitumen, Telegraph and Waterproof co. Originally the company was primarily concerned with the production of bitumen and waterproof damp course material for the building trade, with cable making little more than a side line. The rapid growth in telecommunications in the late Victorian era led to cables becoming the company's main product, and in 1896 the firm was reorganised as the Callender Cable and Construction co, which was later changed to British Insulated Callenders Cables, or BICC. By 1965 the Erith based factory was the principal manufacturing facility for the world's largest cable group - the production area covered some 65 acres and provided employment for 1,300 local workers. Callenders were one of the main manufacturers of PLUTO (Pipeline Under The Ocean) - more of this later. Callenders also contributed much to the area of culture and the arts; Callenders Band, which was started in 1890 as a Salvation Army band. Some members wanted to play a wider variety of music, so the band was relaunched as a temperance promoting popular music band. They became popular around the country and gave many public performances, and had a regular feature on pioneering radio station 2LO during 1922. They continued with much popular support until the outbreak of World War 2, when the group was disbanded. It did reform briefly at the end of the war, but it did not achieve its' earlier success, and was disbanded for good in 1948. During the late 1930's Callenders Cables was strongly suspected of being a hot bed of communist activity, much of which later was discovered to have been fermented and controlled for Moscow by Melita Norwood, a well known communist who was at the time Britain's longest publicly undiscovered traitor - though MI5 knew about her for years, and chose to do nothing. I have written about her extensively in the past. I recall back in 1999, when she was first uncovered in the press, I was bemused to discover she lived only a few doors away from a very close friends' parents in Bexleyheath. What a small world we inhabit.

The photo above (click on it for a larger view) shows the Pipeline Under The Ocean (PLUTO) control room during operations in late 1944. Much of the multiple PLUTO pipe infrastructure was constructed in and around Erith in the middle to late phases of World War II. The technology developed was later put to very good effect and made the United Kingdom one of the world centres for oil and gas engineering, something that is still true to this day. There is a lot of history in the local area relating to this stunning feat of military and civil engineering, and only a handful of those involved in the project are still alive now. PLUTO, the WW2 Pipeline Under the Ocean, was designed to supply petrol from storage tanks in southern England to the advancing Allied armies in France in the months following D-Day. A reliable supply of petrol for the advancing Allied forces following the D-Day landings was of the highest priority. Planners knew that the future invasion of Europe would be the largest amphibious landing in history, and without adequate and reliable supplies of petrol any advance would at best slow down and at worst grind to a halt. A loss of momentum could jeopardise the whole operation as German forces would have time to regroup and counter-attack. Conventional tankers and 'ship to shore' pipelines were in danger of cluttering up the beaches, obstructing the movement of men, armaments and materials and, in all circumstances, were subject to the vagaries of the weather and sea conditions and they were easy targets for the Luftwaffe. The idea of a pipeline under the ocean, (the English Channel), was an innovative solution. Oil storage facilities located near the English Channel were vulnerable to attack by the Luftwaffe. To reduce the risk of losses, a network of pipelines was, during early discussions about PLUTO, already under construction. The network was designed to carry fuel from less vulnerable storage and port facilities around Bristol and Liverpool to the English Channel. This network would later be linked to the planned pipeline at Shanklin on the Isle of Wight and Dungeness further to the west. The terminals and pumping stations were heavily disguised as bungalows, gravel pits, garages and even an ice cream shop! The Combined Operations Experimental Establishment (COXE) was involved in many diverse top-secret projects including the waterproofing vehicles, the removal of underwater obstacles on landing beaches and the testing of landing craft under a variety of sea and beach conditions. To this formidable list was added the supply of petrol to France using underwater pipelines. All these challenges were borne out of a culture that encouraged bold and imaginative solutions to intractable problems. Such a  culture was encouraged at the highest level when Winston Churchill ordered Roger Keyes, the then Director of Combined Operations, and his successors, to think offensively when many were at the time rightly concerned with the defence of the country. In the early part of 1942 Geoffrey Lloyd MP, who was in charge of the UK's fuel policy, met with Mountbatten, Chief of Combined Operations (CCO) and others to consider the fuel supply issue. There was no 'off the shelf' solution that did not invite the Luftwaffe to attack shore installations or slow pipe-laying and support vessels. Lloyd approached Sir William Fraser CBE, Chairman of the Anglo-Iranian Petroleum Corporation.- They picked up on an idea of Mr Hartley, the Chief Engineer of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co., to use existing submarine cable technology, minus the core, as the basic building block of a petrol pipeline. Siemens Brothers and Co Ltd., of Woolwich, who were experienced in the design and manufacture of such cables, eagerly took up the challenge. Other design work was undertaken by Henlys, Pirelli, Johnson and Phillips, the National Physical Laboratory and the Post Office. It was a complex task, and there were many failures arising from twists, kinks, bursts and collapse due to external water pressure and other powerful forces. One of the major companies involved in the production of the highly specialised pipeline was British Insulated Callender's Cables (BICC) of Erith, but even this was not enough to meet the volume of demand, so American firms - General Electric, Phelps-Dodge, Okonite Callenders and General Cable were drafted in. Of the 710 miles of PLUTO pipeline manufactured in total, 140 miles came from the USA.  The first pipeline to France was laid on 12th August 1944, over the 130 km (70 nautical miles) from Shanklin Chine on the Isle of Wight across the English Channel to Cherbourg. A further three pipelines soon followed. As the fighting moved closer to Germany, seventeen other lines were laid from Dungeness to Ambleteuse in the Pas-de-Calais. The PLUTO Pipelines were linked to pumping stations on the English coast, housed in various inconspicuous buildings including cottages and garages. Though uninhabited, these were intended to cloak the real purpose of the buildings. Pluto Cottage at Dungeness, a pumping station built to look like a small house, is now a Bed and Breakfast. In England, the PLUTO pipelines were supplied by a 1,609 km (1,000 mi) network of pipelines (constructed at night to prevent detection by aerial reconnaissance) to transport fuel from ports including Liverpool and Bristol. In Europe, the pipelines were extended as the troops moved forward and eventually reached as far as the Rhine. In January 1945, 305 tonnes of fuel was pumped to France per day, which increased tenfold to 3,048 tonnes per day in March, and eventually to 4,000 tons (almost 1,000,000 Imperial gallons) per day. In total, over 781 000 m³ of gasoline had been pumped to the Allied forces in Europe by VE day, providing a critical supply of fuel until a more permanent arrangement was made, although the pipeline remained in operation for some time after Along with the Mulberry Harbours that were constructed immediately after D-Day, Operation Pluto is considered one of history's greatest feats of military engineering. The pipelines are also the forerunners of all flexible pipes used in the development of offshore oil fields. Much of the development and construction of this amazing war - winning engineering effort is down to the direct involvement of BICC in Erith, and their highly specialised engineers, something that local residents can be justly proud of.

Many thanks to regular reader and occasional contributor Gary for sending me some information, which led me to carry out some research of my own on the subject he raised. Much has been written recently about the decline of British pubs. The British pub has been a cornerstone of British culture for centuries. It is a place where people can gather to socialise, eat, drink, and watch sports. However, the pub industry has been in decline in recent years. A number of factors have contributed to this decline, including: - People are increasingly working longer hours and have less time for leisure activities. They are also more likely to eat and drink out at restaurants and bars rather than pubs. Supermarkets are selling more alcohol at lower prices, which has made it more difficult for pubs to compete. People are drinking less alcohol than they used to, and they are more likely to drink wine or beer at home rather than in pubs. The smoking ban in England and Wales in 2007 made pubs less attractive to some people who still smoke. The cost of running a pub has increased in recent years, due to factors such as rising energy costs and taxes. As a result of these factors, the number of pubs in the UK has been declining steadily. In 2001, there were over 52,000 pubs in the UK. By 2022, this number had fallen to under 40,000. The decline of the British pub is a sad loss for British culture. Pubs are important social hubs, and they play a vital role in the communities they serve. They are also a place where people can go to relax and unwind, and they can be a source of support for people who are going through difficult times. It is important to remember that pubs are not just businesses. They are also social institutions that play an important role in British culture. We must do everything we can to save them. While the British pub industry is facing challenges, there are still reasons to be optimistic. There are a number of pubs that are thriving, and there is a growing movement to support them. With a little effort, we can ensure that the British pub remains a cornerstone of British culture for generations to come.

Delia Ann Smith was born on June 18, 1941, at the Wynberg Emergency Maternity Hospital in Woking, Surrey. Her childhood was spent in Bexleyheath, where her love for food blossomed at an early age. Inspired by her mother's culinary prowess, Delia spent hours in the kitchen, absorbing the knowledge and techniques that would shape her future career. Despite her culinary aspirations, Delia's formal education did not reflect her passion for food. She attended Bexleyheath School, then a secondary modern school, and left without any qualifications at the age of 16. However, this setback did not deter her from pursuing her culinary dreams. Delia's first foray into the world of food writing came in 1969 when she joined the staff of The Mirror Magazine. Her first recipe for the publication was a simple yet satisfying dish of kipper pâté, beef in beer, and cheesecake. Her ability to explain complex cooking techniques in a clear and approachable manner quickly gained her recognition. In 1972, Delia joined the London Evening Standard as a cookery writer, where she penned a weekly column for over a decade. Her popularity soared, and her books began to sell in record numbers. Her debut cookbook, "How to Cheat at Cooking", published in 1971, became an instant bestseller, introducing her practical and accessible approach to cooking to a wider audience. Delia's culinary journey extended beyond the written word. In 1973, she made her television debut with the BBC series "Family Fayre", which showcased her signature blend of simplicity, flavour, and home-style cooking. Her television presence further cemented her status as a culinary icon, introducing her to a global audience. Over the years, Delia has published numerous cookbooks, each exploring different cuisines and culinary techniques. Her books have sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making her one of the most successful cookery writers of all time. Her impact on British cuisine is undeniable, and she has inspired countless home cooks to explore new flavours and cuisines. Delia's culinary legacy extends beyond her cookbooks and television appearances. She is also a keen football fan and has been a joint majority shareholder at Norwich City F.C. since 2004. Her passion for the club is evident, and she has been a vocal advocate for its success.

The photos above were taken this weekend at the annual Christmas Tree Festival at Christ Church Erith. The event raises money for several good causes, including The Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice. Hundreds of visitors turned up to the event, which is one of the most popular and well - attended in the local calendar. A very wide cross - section of the local community visited the church over the weekend - the event started on Friday lunchtime, and finishes on Sunday evening, with many live musical performances taking place whilst the visitors walked around the church, which was filled with decorated Christmas trees sponsored by local organisations and individual families. A very large number of local and not so local people visited the events; I spoke to a chap who had travelled all of the way from Eastbourne to pay a visit to the church. Visitor numbers were definitely up by a significant percentage when compared to previous years, and donations made were also up, though the final figure of the money collected for good causes is not yet available. The event is free, though donations to the various good causes that the event supports are always very welcome. The Christmas Tree Festival is one of numerous events which take place over the course of a year that really show how much of a sense of community involvement there is locally. Thanks to the numerous Maggot Sandwich readers who came over to say "hello" during the festival whilst I was holding a donation bucket.

I have written in the past about the late Lenny McLean "Britain's hardest man"; the end video this week is a reading of an excerpt from his autobiography. He lived for the last few years of his short life in a house close to Bexleyheath Station. Lenny McLean was a man who lived life on his own terms. He was a bare-knuckle boxer, bouncer, bodyguard, and actor who had a reputation for being one of the toughest men in Britain. He was also a charismatic and witty individual who was known for his unique brand of humour. McLean was born in Hoxton, London, in 1949. He grew up in a tough neighborhood and was involved in street fighting from a young age. He was a natural boxer and quickly became a local legend. In the late 1960s, he began fighting professionally in unlicensed boxing matches, where he earned the nickname "The Guv'nor." McLean's reputation for toughness extended far beyond the boxing ring. He was known for being a formidable enforcer who was not afraid to use his fists to settle disputes. He was also close with several notorious criminals, including the Kray twins and the Richardson brothers. In the 1980s and into the 90's, McLean began to pursue a career in acting. He appeared in a number of films and television shows, including "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels".  McLean's personal life was also turbulent. He was married twice and had three children. He was involved in several legal battles, including a high-profile assault case in the 1980's. During the filming of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, McLean fell ill with what he believed to be flu. He was diagnosed with pleurisy. A further X-ray examination proved he was suffering from lung cancer, which had metastasised to his brain. He died shortly afterwards on the 28th July 1998 aged 49 at his home in Bexleyheath. The end video, as previously stated, is a reading of an excerpt from Lenny McLean's autobiography, detailing an underworld deal that went wrong, close to the Dartford Tunnel. Comments and feedback to me as usual to hugh.neal@gmail.com.