Quintet.

The front doors of the former Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith, were open to the public for the first time in well over a decade last Sunday afternoon. The reason for this was a performance by five members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra of three pieces of classical music, including one by a little known composer from Erith, whose work has not been performed in public in living memory. A capacity audience of 130 visitors listened to the nearly two hour long recital, which was held to raise money to refurbish the book lift in the Grade II listed library building, which is being restored and converted into a community, arts and education centre by not for profit group The Exchange. The programme of music consisted of:- Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Phantasy Quintet, followed by a piece by Percy Hilder Miles (1878-1922, of Erith) String Quintet in A - which to me in some parts sounded very similar to the theme from the "Band of Brothers" TV series by HBO, but I digress. This piece was followed by a short interval, then the recital was concluded by W.A. Mozart (1756-1791) String Quintet in C. The recital was hugely popular; I spoke to many concert goers who were keen for recitals of this type to be staged on a regular basis. The BBC Symphony Orchestra members who formed the string quintet were so impressed by the excellent acoustics in the building that they are keen to return to make some recordings. The Phantasy Quintet by Percy Hilder Miles was performed in public for what may well have been the first time in nearly a century; Miles was born in Crayford 1878, he lived nearly all his life in Erith, at 18 Queen's Road. Percy was a child prodigy, composing from the age of 8. He was also a very talented violinist and performed the Beethoven violin concerto with an orchestra at the age of 13. At 15 he entered the Royal Academy of Music and one year  later composed this quintet in A major, which was the piece played last Sunday. Later, in 1917 he reminisced about the work in a letter to his cello-playing brother Maurice: “A thing of mine I have a very warm affection for is the A major quintet...for grace and charm, general euphony, transparency and naturalness, I have never beaten that A major quintet”. It is a short work which reveals the influence of Brahms and Dvorak, both of whom had written viola quintets only a few years earlier. Percy became a Professor of Harmony and Counterpoint at the Academy upon graduation and later became an examiner for the Associated Board. As such he travelled all over the Empire, going six times around the world, including a stint in Australia. Percy never married and sadly he died of pneumonia in 1922 aged just 43. He left behind over 150 compositions, mainly Chamber Music, but also some songs and a few orchestral works and concertos. He is buried with his parents in Brook Street cemetery. There are plans for the first ever CD recording of his music in the Autumn.

Another event to shortly be taking place in the former library is that visitors from the parallel world of Par Bexia are inviting residents to visit their planet at two special performances at the The Old Library, Erith. The visit to the Old Library, Erith on 21 and 28 June is connected to the Performing Places project and is being hosted by The Exchange, who manage The Old Library.  The Old Library plays host to an exciting programme of events and is also home to the fabulous Bookstore Café. Performing Places features beings from a parallel universe Bexleyheath, called Par Bexia. Par Bexia is falling apart. The Par Bexians want to understand more about our Bexleyheath and how we care for the town centre and the people that live, work and visit it. They believe they will learn how to care for their own place from this visit. The Performing Places concept was developed by Professor Sally Mackey from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and has already been delivered successfully in several other towns, including Oldham, Abergavenny and Camden. The Old Library event, called The Bexliest Day of our Lives, promised to treat Bexley residents like real VIPs. They will shoot through the galaxy in our time travelling space portal, be offered a Bexley burger in our famous Earth Café, the chance to meet our very own Bexley human replica robots - and maybe even audition for a special Parbexian episode of ‘Bexley’s Got Talent’. This piece of children’s theatre will be performed by Drama, Applied Theatre and Education students from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and is aimed at 10 and 11 year olds, with their families. You can find more about the event, and book spaces by clicking here.

As I covered back in April, Bexley Council and a couple of their hired consulting firms undertook two open days in the empty commercial units at 68 Pier Road, Erith. This was to encourage opinion and feedback on the proposals the council had published relating to improvements in the public realm in the local area. Over two hundred people turned up to these events, and the council have now decided to expand the consultation with two additional open days. The events are held as part of the Erith Kitchen, at Pier Road on Friday, June 14 4pm-9pm and Friday, July 12 4pm-9pm. Residents can also fill out a survey online at www.greatererith.com/riversidegardens.

Residents in Sandcliff Road in Erith are up in arms yet again – and with very good reason. They are blighted by the incompetence of Thames Water. Ever since 1998 the road has had drainage problems – a giant chemical effluent leak caused several thousand gallons of industrial liquid waste to seep up through the drains and flood a number of houses in the road; I recall at the time that several houses were evacuated for months on end – and one was condemned as unfit for human habitation, Thames Water were subsequently fined £250,000 by the Department of the Environment for the spillage, and their apparent inability to properly organise the subsequent clean up. There have been a number of sewage floods in the road since, to the point where locals re – named the road “Poo Mews” – something which seems to have stuck. Back in 2012 there were floods of liquid excrement – you can read all about it on the News Shopper website here. Since then, nothing much has been done to permanently rectify the situation. In the last few days with the heavy rain, Sandcliff Road has once again been flooded with raw sewage. It strikes me that the local residents are blighted not just by the actual floods, but by the damage to the reputation of the road. I would not be surprised if house prices are badly affected by the situation – after all, who would want to live in an area where you had a strong chance of ending up knee deep in other people’s number twos when you ventured outside your front door? From Thames Water’s perspective, it is a PR disaster; I think the main reason that they don’t take a more proactive approach to the problem is that Sandcliff Road is a little travelled side lane, with a predominantly working class population. If a flood of dung was to happen in somewhere rather more affluent (rather than effluent) like Bexley Village, I reckon that the “sharp elbowed middle classes” would have got a rather better reaction from the powers that be. I have walked down Sandcliff Road several times recently, and I can confirm the aroma of multiple bowel movements is hard to ignore; it is just as well I am a non smoker, as the volume of methane in the air could well be close to a combustible level. I feel sorry for the residents, and hope that the problem can eventually be resolved. If you have any insight into this situation, please Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com - any messages will be treated in the strictest confidence. 

In last week's Blog update I wrote at some length about historical local engineer Thorsten Nordenfelt and his work on early submarines; I touched on the subject of his collaborator, the Reverend George Garrett, and now I will expand on this. The Reverend George Garrett (1852–1902), clergyman and submarine designer, was born on the 4th July 1852 at 45 Waterloo Road, Lambeth, London, the third son of John Garrett, an Irish curate, and his wife, Georgina. The Garretts moved to Manchester in the early 1860s, and George attended Rossall School in Fleetwood until 1867, when the family was financially ruined and he was moved to Manchester grammar school. From 1869 he worked as a schoolteacher and studied chemistry at Owens College, Manchester. The combination of work and study reflected the financial pressures on his father. At Owens he developed an effective system for self-contained breathing, using caustic potash to remove carbon dioxide from the exhaled air. Work on this device probably damaged his lungs, and brought about his early death. In 1871 he went to work and study in Ireland, and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, with an honours degree in experimental sciences in 1875. After a year travelling in the south seas Garrett married Jane Parker of Waterford—they had four children—took the Cambridge theology examination, and in 1877 became curate to his father. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–8 and the war scare that gripped the British empire inspired Garrett to develop a simple one-man submersible, built in Birkenhead and demonstrated by the autumn of 1878. This secured support for a company from a mystery backer, possibly the Swedish armaments magnate Thorsten Nordenfelt, for the construction of a larger, 33 ton, steam-driven version. This craft, the Resurgam, was completed at Birkenhead in November 1879. Extensive trials were conducted at Liverpool and at sea, demonstrating that it could be submerged, if only briefly, and propelled underwater. This was the first time any vessel had been mechanically propelled below the surface. In February 1880, while on a voyage to Portsmouth for Royal Navy inspection, the boat was lost off Rhyl in a storm. In August 1882 Garrett travelled to Sweden to work for Nordernfelt's Submarine Torpedo Boat Company. Here the interests of inventor and owner clashed; Garrett sought an effective submersible, while Nordenfelt wanted a torpedo boat that could submerge. While Nordernfelt's name graced the product, the design was essentially Garrett's. The new boat carried a single locomotive torpedo. The boat was completed in August 1883, but underwater trials were hampered by the poisonous fumes from the steam plant. However, public trials were held in September 1885. Despite Garrett's best efforts the flawed design did little more than show that it could operate on the surface and run briefly underwater. It was sold by Nordenfelt's agent Basil Zaharoff to the Greek navy, and delivered in January 1886. While trials in Greece were a failure the Turks were persuaded otherwise, and bought two boats. These were badly built, inferior, if larger, versions of the prototype, and did not work when completed in 1887, though Garrett did manage to carry out the first submerged launch of a torpedo. In their efforts to make the boats work the Turks even commissioned Garrett as commander, though on an honorary basis. A fourth boat was built at Barrow in Furness to an improved design, but the hectic schedule of work in Britain and Turkey finally caught up with Garrett, never in good health, who suffered a breakdown. He recovered in time to demonstrate the latest craft at Portsmouth in May 1887, and at the jubilee naval review in July. Eventually the Russians agreed to try the vessel on a sale-or-return basis, but it was wrecked, en route on the Danish coast. Garrett, who was living in some style at Southampton, continued to work on enclosed steam systems, but when the Nordenfelt company was subsumed into the new Barrow Shipbuilding concern, which eventually became Vickers, Garrett lost his major backer. The Germans built two Garrett/Nordenfelt submarines, but paid no royalties. Not surprisingly, they also made them work rather better than the originals. In 1890, after discussions with John Jacob Astor, Garrett moved to the United States to become a farmer in Florida. He was already seriously ill with the pulmonary disease that was to kill him. Farming proved disastrous, and after a spell as a railway fireman in New York, and an American soldier during the Spanish-American War of 1898, when he became an American citizen, he died of tuberculosis in New York Metropolitan Hospital on 26 February 1902, aged forty-nine. He was buried in Mount Olivet cemetery, Maspeth, New York on 1 March. Garrett's career combined innovation, triumph, absurdity, and failure in a way that quickly obscured his real contribution. By creating a submersible, though it failed, he spurred the work of others, notably the American John Holland, which resulted in effective submersible warships entering service within a decade of Garrett's death. The Garrett family remained in the United States, and subsequently prospered. At the time of writing the Resurgam had been located by divers, with the possibility of being raised.

Monty Python’s Spamalot is a musical comedy adapted from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Like the motion picture, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian legend, but it differs from the film in many ways. The original 2005 Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, received 14 Tony Awards nominations, winning in three categories, including Best Musical. This is the amateur premiere by members of Erith Playhouse. You can read more about the production and also book tickets by clicking on the link here.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association, starting with the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Good news for Barnehurst, no burglaries have been reported in the last week. We have had another theft from motor vehicle in Barnehurst Avenue on Friday 07th June 2019 at 1900 hours. On this occasion a hole was made to access the vehicle however nothing was taken. This area has been targeted particularly over the last month. Can we ask you double check your vehicle is locked as thieves will go round trying door handles until they get lucky. Remove all items even if you feel they have no value. Sensor lights may quickly discourage thieves away from your vehicle too. A quantity of drugs were found following a drugs warrant being executed on Friday 07th June 2019 in the local area. Investigations are ongoing. Just a reminder our community contact session will be on Tuesday 18/06/2019 at 4.00pm in Barnehurst Golf Club, Mayplace Road East, hope to see you there". Belvedere ward:- "On two consecutive nights recently there were reported break-ins at B&Q in Lower Road. These offences took place in the early hours of both Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th June at around 2am. Two males were seen to break into the store via the locked exit doors after having smashed through glass panels with a hammer in order to gain entry. In total around £6500.00 worth of goods were removed from the store. There was a burglary in Abbey Road on Sunday 9th June at around 7.30pm. A male gained entry to the property via the rear door before being disturbed and challenged by a resident of the address. The suspect made his way from the property without having taken anything from within. An attempted garage burglary took place in Grosvenor Road on Sunday 9th June at 5.35pm. Two young males were caught on CCTV as they were observed trying to enter several garages without success. All of these incidents are still being investigated. The team also attended the Sikh Temple in Lower Road on Sunday 9th June to offer Smartwater kits to the community". Bexleyheath ward:- "Good news: There have been no reports of residential burglaries over the last week. There has been a report of a theft of motor vehicle along Heversham Road on Monday 10/06/2019 between 3 & 4pm. Ward officers are conducting regular patrols along drug hot spots on the ward along Albion Road and surrounding areas, so far the team has had approximately 18 stop and searches. Car parks on the ward are also included in the patrols. ASB patrols also take place around the war memorial as the team have received complaints about ASB and drugs. If you do wish to pass on information to Police then please contact Crime Stoppers on 0800 555111. Please do not hesitate to contact us via Twitter, Facebook, email and the ward phone. If you are after crime prevention advice, please look at the Met Police website which has lots of information that you may find useful. Remember in an emergency please dial 999 and 101 for non-urgent reporting". Crayford ward:- "On Monday 3rd June property was stolen from a delivery vehicle at the rear of Currys. The rear number plate was stolen from a vehicle parked in Old Road on 5th June. A white Ford Transit van was stolen from Bexley Lane at 00.20 on 7th June, this has since been recovered by Crayford Safer Neighbourhood team in Shearwood Crescent. A bag was stolen from the locked staff room of a local business in Waterside on Friday 7th June between 18.15-18.20. The bag was discarded nearby but money, ID, and an IPhone were stolen. Between Thursday 6th and Friday 7th June a car was broken in to and money taken in Woodside Road. A front number plate DY59FHM was stolen on 8th June from Maiden Lane, this should be on a blue Fiat Punto. A blue Nissan was stolen from Ridge Way between Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th June, it has since been recovered from Halcot Avenue. A lady had her money taken on Monday 10th June at 14.00 whilst near Stadium Way, at this time there are no further details. £10,000 worth of tools have been reported stolen from a building site at Mayplace Primary School in Woodside Road on Tuesday 11th June, no further details given at this time. A light metallic grey sports car with a canvas roof has been stolen from the garage area of Claremont Crescent on Monday 10th June, the wing mirror was broken on the driver's side, the garage door had already been damaged. We have been very busy around the ward this week with our officers conducting uniform and plain clothes patrols, many stop and searches completed and class A and B offences detected". Erith ward:- "We have been hit again with quite a few theft from motor vehicles, do all you can by not leaving anything on show in your vehicle overnight, even a little bit of small change left is enough to tempt some people. Also remember to lock the vehicle doors, you will be surprised at how many people forget to do this. One Burglary from the week at Bexley college where a male broke into the café and stole some items of food and drink this was captured on CCTV. Crimes of note from the week: Shoplift <£200 Wednesday 05/06/2019 Morrisons, James Watt Way; Theft from motor vehicle Monday 03/06/2019 Winifred Road; Theft from motor vehicle Thursday 30/05/2019 Pembroke Road; Theft from MV Thursday 16/05/2019, Erith Road; Other theft Saturday 08/06/2019 W M Morrison petrol station, James Watt Way; Burg-Bus/Com Monday 10/06/2019 Bexley College, Walnut Tree Road; Theft from motor vehicle Wednesday 05/06/2019 Chandlers Drive; Theft from motor vehicle Tuesday 11/06/2019 Chichester Wharf".

Northumberland Heath ward:- "Unfortunately we had two garages broken into. Burglars will usually try a shed or garage first because they can potentially find tools needed to get into a house nearby. It's worth having a good padlock on the door with no exposed screws. Pay attention to hinges as these are sometimes easily removable. Consider a battery operated alarm; they look low-key but respond to movement or contact with an extremely loud siren. If you have windows then these could be vulnerable unless they are secured with wire mesh or grills. Drape a sheet or blanket over items inside to keep them covered from view. Ideally lock everything away securely. Never leave your garage or shed door unlocked if you are not around. Check that your insurance covers the contents of your outbuildings. A set of number plates has been taken from a parked and unattended vehicle in Frinsted Road. If you happen to see registration number RN51CCY please contact police so further enquiries can be made. Should you wish to protect your vehicle from this type of offence drop us a line and we may be able to provide appropriate anti-theft devices. Our next open surgery to give local residents an opportunity to speak to us about any issues or concerns is due to take place 4pm Friday 21/6/19 at the Library in Mill Road DA8 1HW. The surgery is scheduled to run for an hour and no prior notification is required to attend". Slade Green and Northend ward:- "Two vehicle crimes in the last week to report. Tools were stolen from a van in Peareswood Road overnight on Sunday June 9th and overnight on Monday June 10th some Rayban sunglasses were taken from the glove box of a car parking in Hazel Road. Please do not leave anything valuable in your car, even if it is parked on a driveway as both of these vehicles were. The police helicopter was flying over and the ward in the early hours of Sunday June 9th and noticed a moped driving dangerously on the pavements in Slade Green. Units were called and after a short chase, both suspects were caught, arrested and interviewed. We just are awaiting a charging decision but our thanks goes to our colleagues in the air. 2 positive stop and searches from Mark and James this last week with a PND fine issued to a suspect after a car was stopped in Whitehall Lane with 3 occupants. The vehicle and suspects were all searched with some drugs recovered. The team helped Immigration Officers last week on an operation in Belvedere, no arrests made. Photo's were sent to us by Orbit Housing showing a group of youths on the roof of Grange House Sunday afternoon. No positive ID's at this time but enquiries are ongoing and the access door to the roof area has been secured with warning letters sent out to all residents in the block and in Daleview". Thamesmead East ward:- "Vehicle Crime - Theft of Motor Vehicle Martham Close Thursday 06/06/19 between 10am – 6pm Vehicle seen on drive at 10am Victims husband arrived home at 6pm the vehicle was no longer at the location however there was evidence of broken glass on the ground. Victim had been home all day and heard nothing. Thamesbank Place Friday 07/06/19 between 2:30pm – 8am 08/06/19 Victims vehicle has been removed from location without permission my suspect/s unknown. Chadwick Way Monday 10/06/19 between 12pm – 9:40pm suspect/s unknown taking victims vehicle from the location without permission. Theft from Vehicle. Maran Way Monday 10/06/19 between 9:15pm – 8am 11/06/19 Victim states vehicle broken into suspect/s removed items within". West Heath ward:- Unfortunately we have two burglaries and an attempted burglary over the last week. On Thursday June 6th between 07.15 and 07.30 the victim was at their home address in Woolwich Road when the victim was at her home address in her bedroom. At approx. 0715 hours the victim's husband left their home address via the side gate as he does every morning. At approx. 0720 hours the victim heard a noise as if a door was being closed and thought nothing of this as she normally hears next door in their property. A few minutes later she went downstairs and noticed her phone had been taken from the kitchen side along with her purse containing multiple store/membership cards and 2x debit cards. A Lloyds Bank car and royal bank of Scotland card which was also taken. There was no sign of forced entry. On Monday June 10th between 1am to 2pm a window was forced to a property in Amberley Way several electrical items were taken. One attempted burglary in Long Lane on Monday June 19th at approximately 11.30pm. The property was empty following the recent death of the resident, a window was forced but entry was not gained. We have also had several reports of motor vehicle crime this week. A black Ford Fiesta was stolen from Woolwich Road overnight between Tuesday June 4th between 5pm and 5.30pm the following day. A green Volkswagen Polo was stolen from Brampton Road between midnight and 6.30pm on Thursday June 6th. The team executed a warrant in Darenth Road on Wednesday June 12th to seize a believed pit bull to assess the dog and to ascertain if it could potentially be of a dangerous breed".

The end video this week comes courtesy of long established local recycling firm, Abbey Car Breakers, whose large facility is located at Wheatley Terrace Road in Erith, close to Morrison's supermarket. They have around seven hundred vehicles for breaking and recycling on site at any one time, and also sell new and refurbished spare parts for a wide range of vehicles. I had occasion to visit Abbey Car Breakers last week, on the lookout for a rare and  hard to located component for a friend's car. The last time I visited Abbey Car Breakers was about thirty years ago, and the place seems to have changed little - they still have a huge supply of new and used spares for a wide range of vehicles. Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Bishop Odo.

The photo above shows the view looking Westward along Manor Road towards Erith Town Centre. What impresses me with the shot is, bearing in mind the industrial, retail and residential nature of the town, just how green it all is. I think many local residents overlook the fact that the area has some great open spaces such as Frank's Park, The Riverside Gardens and Erith Pier. 

An application has been submitted to Bexley Council to convert the former Club Extreme / Tease (prior to that T's) nightclub building in Erith town centre into a Day Centre, Youth Centre, Conference and Place of worship. The issue has been picked up by the News Shopper, although I originally wrote at some length about the situation back in October of last year, when the redevelopment proposals were first submitted to the planning department of Bexley Council. Since then the plans for the reuse of the old building have been revised and resubmitted after they were initially rejected by the Council. The upper floor of the building that housed the former night club has been empty and unused for over a decade. The lower floor is home to discount supermarket Farm Foods, and the Erith Police office. Back in July 2009 a chap called Wayne Miles submitted an application to open a nightclub called the Double Deuce Club on the site of the former T's / Club Extreme. Controversially he wanted his new club to open from 10pm until 7am seven days of the week, including Sundays. For an unknown reason the submission was withdrawn, and to the best of my knowledge it never went before the Bexley Council Licensing Sub - Committee for examination. No subsequent applications have been made by him, as far as I am aware. The new proposal makes for very interesting reading. The plans that have been submitted to Bexley Council are for a facility that will very closely mirror the controversial one already in operation in the former Erith Snooker Club site in the upper floor of Electricity House, less than one hundred metres from the proposed new facility. The P2 Event Centre in Pier Road offers precisely the same facilities as the proposed new one in the old Extreme / T's night club site. If you click on the link to the P2 Event Centre, please be aware that the photographs on the website do not represent the actual Pier Road location - they were taken elsewhere and do not represent the reality. The whole website is outright deceptive and misleading.  From my research it would appear that a rival African church are hoping to take on the former T's / Extreme night club site and turn it into another praise and conference centre. Bearing in mind the many other African churches already in the local area, it begs the question - is there actually a further market for more of the same? It is good that a site that has been empty and unused for more than a decade will be put back into operation, but have the prospective new tenants done any market research into the demand for something that already exists very close by?

Last Saturday a B12 bus was approaching its terminus in Erith town centre when it crashed in James Watt Way, opposite McDonalds. Local resident Dawn took the photo above and passed it onto me; Did you witness the accident? I was told about the incident by another reader, but was unable to get to the location in time. If you have any information on exactly how the crash occurred, then please let me know in complete confidence, should you so wish. Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Last week I was sent a link to a page on the Sun newspaper website about early plastic surgery performed on wounded service personnel during and after the First World War. The story had come about as a large number of "before and after" photos of patients subject to very early plastic surgery have recently come to light. You can read the Sun's story and see the photos by clicking here. A little known fact is that the hospital that is now known as Queen Mary's in Sidcup was instrumental in pioneering several forms of surgery that have become vital in modern medicine. A chap called Doctor Harold Gillies – a New Zealand born surgeon, who earned the title of “The father of plastic surgery” pioneered reconstructive surgery on wounded soldiers who had been injured in the trenches of the First World War, and who had a remarkable local connection. Harold Gillies initially opened a small unit in the Cambridge Hospital at Aldershot which had beds for two hundred injured men. He pioneered the use of skin grafting – a technique he adapted from one first used by professor Hippolyte – Morestin in France, he employed dental reconstruction techniques invented by Charles Valadier, coupled with the use of X-Rays, and photographs to detail the injuries of his patients; he was also fastidious about cleanliness and the use of antiseptics (a very important point, as antibiotics were yet to be discovered, and deaths from sepsis or blood poisoning were still very common). Harold Gillies also came up with the simple but effective policy of ensuring that all patients were attached to a luggage label listing their injuries, and where the injured soldier needed to be sent for treatment – many of the men were unable to speak through injury, or otherwise rendered unconscious. Once The Battle of the Somme took place, the two hundred bed unit in Aldershot was drastically overcrowded – at one point there were ten patients for every bed. A new home needed to be found for the plastic surgery unit, and one was found at Queen’s Hospital at Sidcup (what is nowadays Queen Mary’s).  The unit took up much of the hospital, and it was conveniently close to the Royal Artillery barracks at Woolwich, where a small number of patients were located during their convalescence. Doctor Gillies was an interesting man – on top of being a very early pioneer of plastic surgery, he was a great golfer, a professional standard violin player, rowed in a winning team for Cambridge University in the boat race, and created a comedic alter – ego called Doctor Scroggy which he used to entertain his patients. He would walk around the wards of Queen’s Hospital at night, dispensing champagne and oysters to the injured soldiers, despite the strict ban on alcohol within the hospital grounds. He encouraged the recovering men to perform theatrical productions and shorter skits, which often involved the recuperating soldiers dressing in drag. Harold Gillies was aware of the emotional as well as physical trauma he was treating – and his solution was to make recovery fun. His influence was such that later, in the Second World War, he was able to rebuild the burned faces and hands of airmen, alongside his better known cousin, Archibald Mcindoe, whose disfigured pilot patients later formed The Guinea Pig Club. Harold Gillies also performed the first gender reassignment operations, and became a leader in the field of sex change surgery.  He was ahead of his time in so many ways, and much of his work first undertaken at Sidcup has been used as the foundation for modern reconstructive surgery. It is a shame that the story is not better known until now.

Following my piece on the fees earned by the Dartford River Crossing since it was originally meant to have become free to use after the construction fees were repaid, I have had an Email from a regular reader who chooses to remain anonymous. They write:- "I read, with great interest, your piece on the River Thames Crossing Tax (aka Dartford River Crossing tolls). As the busiest toll point in the UK, it has been a licence to print money for successive governments for decades. Therefore, the chances of the tax being rescinded is less than zero, I would suggest. I notice that Gareth Johnson, the Tory MP for Dartford made no comment. Perhaps, to be fair, he was not asked for his view. It would, however, have been interesting to find out if he just went along with the government line, or if he had a more sympathetic view toward those using the crossing, regarding this blatant piece of highway robbery.  As it clearly states in your report, the crossing broke even, in respect of the cost of building it, many years ago. The pledge had been that once that target was reached, the tolls would be ended. However, just as the government nowadays have no compunction, or conscience, in telling lies regarding Brexit, so too did they lie about ending the tolls. There was, and is, no way they would (will) give up this tax. Unfortunately, they cannot see the wood for the trees (so typical of our political classes). Haulage companies, and own account transport (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, etc, etc) pay huge annual sums for their fleets of trucks to use the crossing. However, they don't ask their shareholders to cough up the cash to pay for that. Those costs are passed on to their customers (you, and me) via unnecessarily higher prices at their checkouts, and for any other goods transported via the crossing.  It will be interesting to see what effect the new crossing, to the east of Gravesend, will have on the existing Dartford Crossing, if any. Assuming of course, it ever gets built, and does not become another 'white elephant', and bottomless money pit, like Crossrail. In any event, the only way you will ever be able to cross the Thames in that neck of the woods, for free, in future, is to swim". A very interesting and somewhat contentious view, but one I feel that many local people can identify with. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

On a more happy note, tickets are now on sale for the first classical concert to be held in the former Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith, organised by not for profit group The Exchange. On Sunday the 9th of June from 3 until 5pm, a concert will be held by a string quintet formed of members of the BBC Concert Orchestra. The quintet will be performing a programme that includes Vaughan Williams, Mozart and Erith composer Percy Hilder Miles. The purpose of the concert is to raise £3,000 which would fund the restoration of the original library book hoist, which was installed in the building in 1906 and allowed the librarians to easily move books from the bookstore on the lower ground floor to the public part of the building on the ground floor. Tickets for the event are made available by a minimum donation of £10, though more would be appreciated if possible, and concessions for a minimum donation of £5. You can read more about the concert programme, and the performers, as well as booking tickets by clicking here. The composer Percy Hilder Miles was born in Crayford in July 1878 and lived in Erith for almost all of his life, dying from pneumonia there in April 1922, aged only 44. He was a classical composer, conductor and violinist. He won a number of prestigious awards during his relatively short lifetime - he won the first Sauret prize in 1897, the Hine Exhibition composition prize in 1893, the MacFarren Scholarship in 1896, and the Charles Lucas Medal in mid summer 1898, as well as the Mendelssohn Scholarship in 1899. In 1896 he received a silver medal, which was presented annually to the most distinguished student at The Royal Academy of Music, The Royal College of Music, or the Guildhall School of Music, in rotation, the recipient nominated by the principal or director of the school. A box containing a substantial number of Miles' compositions is stored at the Royal Academy of Music, mostly in manuscript, some published works also are included. Built in 1906 Erith’s Old Library was funded by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and sadly closed to the public in 2009 in need of much repair.  The first phase of works is now complete and the building recently reopened as The Exchange, a centre for arts, heritage and community.  This will be the second concert following on from the successful anniversary of the building concert which featured new jazz/brass band ‘Don’t Problem’. Whilst the Carnegie Hall in Erith may not have as illustrious a musical history as its sibling venue in New York, which has played host to Billie Holliday, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, it boasts brilliant acoustics and will provide a fantastic venue for what promises to be a memorable concert. The string quintet is headed by local professional musician Phil Hall, who plays the Viola. In a press release, Sarah Batten of The Exchange said:- "We are delighted that Phil has managed to arrange for such talented musicians to come and perform in Erith –it will be a real treat for the town!” To book tickets for this prestigious event, which is bound to be very well attended, please click here.

Supermarket giant Morrisons is introducing a “We’ll Weigh What You Need” service at its fresh food counters. Both the Erith and Thamesmead branches are apparently going to be early adopters of this new policy. The service aims to reduce the amount of food thrown away in customers’ homes – which amounts to £500-a-year – according to the government’s Food Waste Champion. Its fresh food counters means that customers shopping at Morrisons can purchase the exact amounts of food they need. Food waste is one of customers’ top concerns and Morrisons, alongside other businesses, has signed up to a number of commitments including pledging to halve food waste by 2030. Jayne Wall, Director of Market Street operations at Morrisons, said in a recent press interview that: -“Listening to customers has told us they want help at our fresh food counters, because they don’t know how much to buy, they want to reduce their food waste, or they want to reduce the cost of their food shop. Our expert counter staff will help them buy exactly what they need, reducing their food waste bill and saving their pennies in the process.” In actuality Morrison's have long offered this kind of service on their fish and butchery counters, but this new initiative is designed to publicise a service that has been somewhat low key and generally unrecognised by their customers until now.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. First the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Another week on the Ward and I am pleased yet again to report no burglaries but please remain vigilant. On a more negative note we did have a spate of motor vehicle crimes late last week with a series of thefts from motor vehicles occurring on the Thursday 9th and Friday 10th May. There were four of these covering Manor Way, Thirlmere Road, Colyers Lane and Coniston Road. Cars were broken into and various items taken from inside and number plates taken in one instance. However, neighbouring wards have recently been involved in a joint venture to target these crimes and a suspect was arrested and since then these crimes have declined in number. Having said that there was a theft of motor vehicle from Swallow Close which occurred on 13th May when a motor cycle was taken off the drive. Three suspects were spotted. One riding the stolen vehicle and two others leaving the scene on mopeds. This could be a new team on the scene. Barnehurst officers continue to combat drug use and dealing, and working with Crayford and Bexleyheath officers they have completed several positive stop and searches with several of these occurring in Martens Grove Park, an area which although no longer on Barnehurst Ward is still regularly frequented by Barnehurst residents. Just to remind you all there is a community contact session to be held at Barnehurst Golf Course on Tuesday May 21st at 5pm. This is your opportunity to have a cuppa with your local police team and discuss any issues you may have". Belvedere ward - no report this week. Bexleyheath ward:- "A burglary was reported on Wednesday 08/05/2019 along Heversham Rd – Back patio door was smashed, incident had happened during the day and nothing was taken from the address. There has been one report of an attempted burglary along Wenvoe Avenue Bexleyheath, suspects had tried to gain entry via the front door; A theft of motor vehicle had been reported along Brantwood Road on Thursday 09/05/2019, vehicle was taken from outside the home address; A theft of mobile outside McDonalds on the Broadway on the Wednesday 15/05/2019 6pm; Purse taken from Superdrug store on the Broadway Tuesday 14/05/2019 between 12 – 1pm; Belvedere Road Shed broken into item taken from inside Sunday 12/05/2019 during the day; Knife point robbery car stolen – near Garrard Close; Sterling Road - Van stolen from Sterling Road, keys left in ignition. Someone jumped in vehicle and drove off. Wednesday 08/05/2019 at about 530pm; Theft of motor bike on Woolwich road parked on driveway outside front door. 08/05/2019 between 1115 and 1pm. Patrols are regularly conducted on the Ward which includes the areas mentioned above where they have been conducting stops. The team are aware of ASB issues along Martin Grove Park with motor bikes. Patrols are conducted and if there is any information that could help then please get in contact". Crayford ward:- "A white Suzuki motorcycle with the number plate OE02 VJK was stolen from Woodfall Drive between 19.30 on Thursday 9th May and 05.50 on 10th May, the owner still has the keys. On Thursday 9th May between 22.55 and 22.59 a white Kawasaki was stolen from the underground car park at Town Hall Square, this vehicle had a tracker and has since been located. An incident occurred between 23.00 on Thurs 9th May and 8.30 on Fri 10th May at Beech Walk, a front and rear window was damaged but no entry was gained to the property. On Thursday 9th May at 17.48 a fence panel was lifted in Crayford Way and hired machinery was stolen from the garden within. Between 23.00 on Thurs 9th May and 06.00 on Fri 10th May wheel covers were stolen off a Ford mini bus whilst parked in Inglewood Road. Between 17.30 on Fri 10th May and 11.00 on Sat 11th May a Vauxhall Vivaro was broken in to outside Keats House in Bexley Lane, the driver's door handle had been damaged and a hole was drilled in the rear door to open it. Fortunately, no tools were stored within the vehicle. Overnight between 19.00 on Fri 10th May and 11.00 on Sat 11th May, money was stolen from a vehicles parked on a driveway in Mayplace Road East. Power tools were stolen from a silver Nissan whilst parked outside St Paulinus Church in Perry Street on Saturday 11th May between 11.00-11.20, the locks were broken. A shed was broken in to at the allotments at Crayford Way between Friday 19th April and Sunday 12th May, the lock was ground out and a petrol lawn mower and petrol strimmer were stolen. At 00.10 on Monday 13th May, suspects were disturbed when they broke in to a home in Whitehill Road. The occupant heard the letter box rattle and went down stairs and saw a male in his hallway, who ran out and got in the passenger seat of a red metallic hatchback which headed off towards Maiden Lane. On Sunday 12th May at 22.30 a resident reported that someone unknown kicked their front door in Crayford Way, the intention is unknown. Number plates S88 GCW were stolen from Iron Mill Lane between 17.00 on Sun 12th May and 09.00 on Mon 13th May, these plates should be on a grey Honda Civic. A Mercedes was broken in to in Gable Close between 22.00 on Mon 13th May and 6.30 on Tues 14th May, the thief stole ladies Ralph Lauren Polo sunglasses, men's prescription Rayben sunglasses and expensive clothing. Number plates were stolen from a parked vehicle in Mill Place between 18.00 on Mon 13th May and 12.00 on Tues 14th May, no other details have been provided at this time. As you will see from above the majority of crime in Crayford is vehicle related, please consider marking any tools or valuables that have to be kept within the vehicle so that in the event of theft they could be returned to you and consider removing anything else. I know this doesn't stop the crime occurring but it does reduce the impact it may have on your day to day life. We are aware that opportunists will take what is not theirs if it is easily available to them. Please keep your personal effects about your person or in a closed bag and try to avoid leaving them in plain view. Our team were involved in a drugs warrant at Town Hall Square on Friday 10th May, this matter is ongoing at this time. Our next community contact will take place on Thursday 16th May between 15.00-16.00 at Crayford Library. We should be at Vintage Lindy Lou's between 16.00-17.00 on Wednesday 22nd May (please note that this may be cancelled at short notice) . The next community contact session after that will be at Crayford Library on Tuesday 28th May between 10.00-11.00". Erith ward:- "We had our Ward panel the other week really good turn out or people so massive thank you if you attended, also a thank you to the Exchange in Erith for letting us use a room for the meeting if you would like to attend feel free to contact us for more details. We also attended a residential meeting at the new Quarry estate in doing this we signed up one new NHW member. Upcoming Community Contact Sessions: Friday 17/05/19 Erith Library 1600; Saturday 25/05/19 Costa Erith 1600; Thursday 30/05/19 Costa Erith 1200. Crimes of the week: Making off Friday 10/05/2019 W M Morrison, James Watt Way; Making off Saturday 11/05/2019 Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc, James Watt Way; Theft from Motor Vehicle Monday 13/05/2019 Lesney Park Road". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Unfortunately, we have had a burglary in Bedonwell Road since our last report. On Tuesday May 8th at approximately 7.55pm the occupants heard noises and assumed it was another family returning home; Two males with their faces covered entered the property using an implement to force the UPVC front door. The males fled after realizing the occupants were at home without taking anything. It is not clear if the males were on foot or left in a vehicle. We have had an increase in Motor Vehicle Crime in the last week. Theft of number plates from a van in Avenue Road between Thursday May 9th and Friday May 10th at 9am when the owner discovered them missing; A Nissan Juke was broken in to in Plaxtol Road in the early hours of Saturday Morning May 11th. The vehicle was parked on the drive, an untidy search was carried out. Nothing of any value was taken; Theft of a rear number plate in Beechfield Road between Thursday May 9th at 7pm and Friday May 10th at 7.30am; A black Ducati Motorbike was stolen from Collindale Road between Tuesday May 7th and Friday May 10th. The bike was later found in Belvedere and returned to the owner. The next Community Contact Session / Drop In Police Surgery will be held on Friday May 24th at 4pm in the library in Mill Road Erith".

Slade Green and Northend ward:- "We have had four ‘theft from motor vehicle' reports this weeks. These occurred on Manor Road, Longreach Road, Alderney Road and outside Grange House and all occurred overnight. As always, please please please make sure that your vehicles are locked and nothing of any value is left on display! There has also been an increase in theft of number plates reported recently. If anyone would like a packet of anti-theft screws then please feel free to ask and we will be more than happy to supply them. In more positive news, we have not had any residential burglaries reported this week. We have Community Contact Session booked in on Sunday 19th May at 6pm at the office and again on Wednesday 22nd May at 2pm at Slade Green and Howbury Community Centre. Please feel free to pop along if you have any concerns or just for a friendly chat. Have a great week all".  Thamesmead East ward:- "Burglaries - On Tuesday 07/05/19 a burglary occurred in Redbourne Drive between the hours of 08:35 pm and 08:39pm.Entry was gained by smashing a rear kitchen window, locking the front door from inside. Damage to window and fence lock amounted to £153.00; Wednesday 08/05/19 at 07:45pm a property in Thamesbank Place was broken into, wooden door forced open and the glass in door smashed, damage £300.00.victim to update officers as to what has been taken. Attempted Burglary - On Wednesday 08/05/19 at 07:45pm an attempted burglary occurred in Thamesbank Place. Glass of the front wooden door smashed and the garden door damaged, no entry gained. Damage to the doors £500.00 ; Crime Prevention - Close and lock all your doors and windows, even if you're going out for a few minutes..Photograph and keep a detailed inventory of each item of jewellery and keep it in a separate place. Motor Vehicle Crimes - On Monday 13/05/19 between the hours of 4:00pm and 11:00am of Tuesday 14/05/19 Criminal damage occurred to a vehicle parked and locked securely in Crowden Way ,the passenger side of the vehicle was scratched,£400.00 to make repair.Monday 13/05/19 between the hours of 6:00pm and 09:10am of Tuesday 14/05/19 a vehicle parked in Bayliss Avenue had the rear window smashed. Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention - Did you know that your vehicle is like a shop window? If you can see any property left on view then so can a thief . Take it with you-- Mobile phone, coins ,sunglasses, can earn quick cash are irresistible to the opportunist thief. Remember the cost of replacing a window is often much more than of what's been stolen. Wallets, handbags purses and credit cards should never be left in an unattended vehicle. Good News - PC Pruden having seen a male sitting on a low brick wall underneath concrete steps in Kale Road conducted searches on three males present, resulting in cannabis seizures and two males receiving a Community Resolution each. Community Resolution: The offender will not receive a criminal record, however a crime will be recorded on police systems for which the offender will be held responsible. The information may be used to inform any future matters brought to police attention". West Heath ward:- "During 8th – 15th May 2019 the ward has suffered 7 Motor Vehicle Crimes but no burglaries. Two theft of motor vehicles: On Wednesday 8th May between 12 noon and 1830 hours a vehicle was stolen in Woolwich Road and between Fri 10th May at 1800 hours and Sat 11th May at 0700 hours in Exmouth road a vehicle was stolen from the driveway. Five theft from motor vehicles: In Glenview between Wed 8th May at 1800 hours and Thurs 9th May at 0900 hours a vehicle had its number plates stolen; At around 0100 hours on Friday 10th May power tools were stolen from a vehicle in Stapleton Road; During Thursday 9th May 2200 hours and 10th May 0400 hours cash was taken from a vehicle in Whitfield Road; Documents were stolen from a vehicle in Pembury Road between Thurs 9th May at 2300 and Fri 10th May 0600 hours; A vehicle was broken into in Glenview between Sat 11th May 2100 and Sun 12th May 0845 hours and various items were taken. To combat this spike of vehicle crime the ward has changed their shifts and worked with other Welling officers from Crook Log and East Wickham. During the plain clothes operation two males were stopped and one arrested as he was wanted for theft of a motor bike. A male was seen loitering in an area known for drug use, he was stopped and searched and issued with a community Resolution as he was found to be in possession of cannabis. The team have assisted Crayford ward officers in effecting a Section 23 Misuse of Drugs Act Warrant. The team continue to carry out high visibility and plain clothes patrols". 

The end video this week shows an aerial view of the historic tithe barn at Howbury Moat in Slade Green. The site was originally the home of Bishop Odo, the half brother of William the Conqueror, and second in charge of England in his time. There is uncertainty about his birth date. Some historians have suggested he was born around 1035. Duke William made him bishop of Bayeux in 1049. Although Odo was an ordained Christian cleric, he is best known as a warrior and statesman, participating in the Council of Lillebonne. He found ships for the Norman invasion of England and is one of the very few proven companions of William the Conqueror, known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The Bayeux Tapestry, probably commissioned by him to adorn his own cathedral, appears to labour the point that he did not actually fight, that is to say shed blood, at Hastings, but rather encouraged the troops from the rear. The Latin annotation embroidered onto the Tapestry above his image reads: "Hic Odo Eps Episcopus Baculum Tenens Confortat Pueros", in English "Here Odo the Bishop holding a club strengthens the boys". It has been suggested that his clerical status forbade him from using a sword. In 1067, Odo became Earl of Kent, and for some years he was a trusted royal minister. On some occasions when William was absent, he served as de facto regent of England, and at times he led the royal forces against rebellions; the precise sphere of his powers is not certain, though it is thought that such was his wealth and power that he did not charge rent or tithes to the peasants who lived and worked on his Slade Green estate, something that made him very popular with the residents of the area in those days. Odo took part in the First Crusade, but died on the way at Palermo in January or February 1097. He was buried in Palermo Cathedral, where his tomb can be seen to this day. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.