A woman applying for a maintenance order at Watford Police Court on Tuesday, stated that since her husband deserted her, he had only returned home once – and that was to see the dog.

[From the Watford Observer of February 9, 1935]

 

The death has occurred of the famous actor George Arliss, who was well-known in this district – his film of the life of Disraeli was shot in the neighbourhood. His real name was Andrews and he was the brother of Mr Cuthbert Andrews of Woodlands Road, Bushey.

[From the Watford Observer of February 8, 1946]

NOSTALGIA NOTE: George Arliss was the first British actor to win an Academy Award – Best Actor for the film Disraeli, in which he played the title role, in 1929. He also received an Academy Award Nomination the following year for his role as Rajah in The Green Goddess. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and died on February 5, 1946, aged 77.

 

On Tuesday evening a person, sworn into Her Majesty’s service, was proceeding on duty towards Tyler’s Farm and after passing two or three hundred yards beyond Cold Harbour Farm he was suddenly startled by a peculiar noise which somewhat quickened his movement in the direction he was going. On inquiry, the cause seems to have been a sudden overflow of water from Bushey Heath gushing up an open ventilating pipe from the new sewer, which is placed up the side of an oak tree in one of Mr Adkins’ fields near the high road. This should be known, particularly to drivers of carriages etc, to put them on their guard when driving up the lane, to avoid accidents [and] to reassure the timorous.

[From the Watford Observer of February 22, 1896]

 

Among the schoolboy “howlers” told at the Old Centralians’ annual dinner, two may be repeated which may not be generally known. One is of the boy who gave the feminine of Buck as “Buckshee”; and the other concerned the student who rendered “I am out of work” into French as “Je suis hors d’oeuvres.”

[From the Watford Observer of February 17, 1934]

 

Elton John, on concert tour in Japan, telephoned Watford FC again this week to check on the club’s result at York. Says general manager Ron Rollitt: “He feels we are doing so well with him out of the country, he reckons he should stay away.”

[From the Watford Observer of February 15, 1974]

 

‘There is no meal on God’s earth so good as a supper of bread and cheese and spring onions when you have been working on your plot,” said a speaker at a meeting of the Voluntary Allotments Committee, held at Watford on Friday. The speaker added: “If you have never had a dish of early peas you have grown yourself, picked yourself and cooked immediately afterwards, you don’t know what peas are like.”

[From the Watford Observer of February 2, 1935]

 

These stories conclude the Nostalgia column first published in the Watford Observer on February 7, 2014. The next Nostalgia column – a Valentine's Day special featuring a lovesick ghost, a matchmaking mayor, a heart-shaped bed and a recipe for Cupid's cake, among many other things – can be found in this week’s Watford Observer (dated February 14, 2014 and available in newsagents now, priced just 90p) or read online here from 4pm on Thursday.

If you have anything to add – or would like to tell us anything you think our readers may enjoy about Watford’s history – we are always pleased to hear from you. Contact Nostalgia, by clicking here watfordnostalgia@london.newsquest.co.uk