A brave grandmother foiled a masked gunman who demanded money from the till of a newsagent’s shop on Tuesday.

Shop assistant Mrs Margaret Markey sent the six-foot gunman packing after she shouted: “You’ve got to be stupid.”

She then chased the raider from the Sherwood House newsagent’s in Abbots Langley, but he escaped empty-handed.

The drama happened after the balaclava-clad gunman burst into the small corner shop. He brandished an automatic pistol at Mrs Markey as she was serving a woman customer.

Mrs Markey said she challenged the gunman despite realising his gun might be real.

The raid happened at about 11am at the newsagent’s in College Road. Police, some with tracker dogs, searched the area for the gunman, but were unable to find him.

Sgt Keith Emerson of Watford Police this week applauded Mrs Markey’s heroism. He said: “It was very brave. She deserves a medal.”

[From the Watford Observer of May 13, 1983]

 

The Watford Peace Memorial Hospital Committee considered on Wednesday the question of purchasing more chairs for the wards, and the committee voted money for the purpose.

Mr Holland-Hibbert said a little while ago he saw a patient balancing on a chair that had only three legs.

[From the Watford Observer of May 3, 1930]

 

The biggest attraction yet given us at the Town Hall is George Formby who tops this week’s bill.

He brings each house down with acts similar to those performed before the King and Queen last week.

He is superb in his cheekiness. The Formby grin and the Formby ukulele would get away with anything. He gives us several of his latest successes including The Old Coal-Hole, You’d Be Far Better Off in a Home and Bless ‘Em All and his Home Guard number, and then in response to terrific receptions there are the inevitable Chinese Laundry Blues and Window Cleaning songs which brought him fame.

We have heard so many imitations of these numbers that it is a pleasure to hear the real thing. Earlier in the programme he does some amusing cross-talk with Beryl, a clever partner.

The supporting cast includes the Greene Sisters, those exponents of “scat” singing, who used to enliven the “Hi Gang!” programmes on the radio; Olso, a “mathemagician” who is a perfect wizard with arithmatic and Tommy Jover, with Nina and Ray, who give some of the funniest clowning and burlesque we have seen for years. Others include a dancing xylophonist.

[From the Watford Observer of May 16, 1941]

 

Bachelor Patrick Farrell, of Eastlea Avenue, Watford, performed a remarkable achievement at Clarke Way Community Centre on Tuesday night. He drank a yard (2¼ pints) of mild ale in 11¾ seconds).

What is more, 20 minutes later, after whetting his whistle with the odd pint meantime, he downed a second yard – also in 11¾ seconds. His nearest competitor managed it in 20 seconds.

[From the Watford Observer of May 18, 1962]

 

Captain Henderson made an appeal to the neighbourhood of Rickmansworth at the end of last year for donations towards the funds of the fire brigade, to enable him to add a steam fire engine to the station for the better protection of this large district.

The appeal so far has been well responded to, the insurance offices contributing largely, the large land proprietors, with few exceptions, doing the same. The amount asked for was £400 and only £40 more is required.

[From the Watford Observer of May 9, 1891]

 

Local life insurance agent Mr Donald Gay was issued with a new car by his firm on Tuesday last week . . . and he will be needing another when he returns from his holiday in Spain.

The reason: On Friday the sparkling olive-coloured Hillman he had for three brief days was sorrowfully battered in his firm’s car park in Clarendon Road.

Mr Gay went to lunch on Friday in a colleague’s car, leaving his Hillman in the spot where he had been parking his old car for four years without a single mishap.

When he returned, the immaculate chrome plating and the hitherto unscratched paintwork were hidden under the weight of a chestnut tree which had snapped off in a strong wind and crashed on to the top of the car. When asked the number of the car by a police officer, Mr Gay replied: “I’ve no idea – I’ve only had it since Tuesday.”

[From the Watford Observer of May 4, 1965]