Time for another correspondence catch-up week. Thanks, as always, to everyone for writing. I’ll always try to help wherever possible.

We begin with an email from Jennifer Sturgess of Cooks Mead, Bushey.

She writes: “I’m really hoping you can help me. I’ve been searching for a long time, trying to find out the name of a shop in Watford High Street around the late 1970s time. It sold perfume and toiletry gifts and was very close, if not next to, Garners the bakers on the corner of Clarendon Road.”

She adds that she wants to know as it has been driving her crazy trying to think of it (I’m sure we’ve all been there!)

“We used to get all our Christmas presents there as it was such good value,” she adds.

I’m sure at least one reader will remember the name so let’s try to put Ms Sturgess out of her misery.

Please contact me via the addresses on the facing page and I’ll pass the answer on.

Staying in the Bushey area, and an intriguing photograph from former resident John Pipe.

Mr Pipe lives in Bournemouth these days, but lived in Hertfordshire until 1999.

He writes: “We have recently been given a large collection of old family photos from relations who lived in the Watford/Bushey area.

“One photo intrigues us and, as so often, there is nothing written on the back. It appears to be people working in a printing company.

“I wonder if any of your readers would be able to tell us where this might have been taken? It looks around the 1920s, but I might be wrong.” I’ve reprinted the picture at the top of this column. Anyone got any ideas?

Jill Waterson has sent me this short piece she’s written, called Memories of Watford Co-op Youth Choir.

She writes: “This year marks the 170th anniversary of the founding of the first Co-op in Britain by the Rochdale Pioneers. To commemorate this, North Watford History Group is currently engaged in researching the history of the Co-op in north Watford.

“Part of this is concerned with looking at the educational and cultural activities of the Co-op, which included a drama group, choirs, and youth groups.

“During the Second World War, the Watford Co-op choirs were apparently much in demand for singing popular Russian songs at events in support of our Russian allies.

“There was also a junior choir, and in around 1942, it made a record of Russian songs, a copy of which was sent to the Co-operative Movement in Russia as a gesture of solidarity.

“Don Wilcox, a member of North Watford History Group, remembers being a member of this choir.

“He writes: ‘As a member of NWHG, we were discussing our latest subject, the Watford Co-op Society, when a member mentioned the youth choir that sang Red Army songs, and made a recording of them. I suddenly realised I was involved in that same choir (1940-1942). I would have been approximately 12 to 14 years old.

“‘I lived in Beech Road and I and a neighbour, Maurice Katz, who was an evacuee from Bethnal Green, decided to join them in premises at 280, St Albans Road with the choir mistress, Ms Dodds.

“‘I remember we sang a song called The Song of the Steppes, and also Red Air Force songs. As we became good, we finished making a recording of the songs at a house in Harrow that had a room with all the walls lined with heavy curtains. I am afraid I do not have a copy of that record.’”

Jill continues: “If anyone has any memories or other information about the choir, the record, or other aspects of the history of the Co-op in north Watford, North Watford History Group would be delighted to hear from them.”

If you do, send your memories into Nostalgia and I’ll pass them on.

Robert Eberhard, who lives in Epsom, got in touch with me via Watford Museum, with regards the designer / maker of a stained glass window in memory of Wallis Bandey dated 1952 which used to be in Queens Road Methodist Church which was demolished in 1966.

The window, which features a standing figure of biblical character David (of Goliath fame), was moved to Trinity Methodist Church in Whippendell Road.

Mr Eberhard adds: “ I did not record the other details of the window, there are many small scenes, I think associations with the gentleman commemorated.

“I record and research stained glass window designers (click here for more) and the window is particularly interesting.

“It has very heavy leading and the depiction of the small scenes has been done with great skill, so it would be good to know who made it.

“Queens Road Methodist Church seems to have disappeared without trace – there is nothing about it in Watford Library or Museum.”

If anyone remembers the window, or has any more information about it or the Methodist church, please get in touch.

Ernie Mackenzie, of Gammons Lane, is a regular correspondent who often appears on these pages. He writes: “What a very enjoyable anecdote Tony Quick gave us of Watford FC players taking part in a Popeye lookalike contest, and the subject of comradeship regarding three good old stalwarts Tony played with in the 1950s.

“Dave Underwood, Pat Malloy (trainer) and George Catleugh were all strong, brave, staunch generous characters. I remember on one occasion on the train home from an away game at Port Vale in 1961, several of us youngsters were in the same compartment as the players.

“Dave certainly had good communication skills so it was not long before he asked the question: ‘How many of you boys are going to the next away game at Palace?’ each boy who answered ‘yes’ received the entry fee to the game from Dave, Pat and George from their own pockets.

“Another short anecdote regarding Watford FC players travelling home on the train after an away game was told to me by Reg Saphin, the goalkeeper who came from QPR before Dave Underwood.

“He said regarding a meal after the game, they had a pork pie on the train home handed out to each player by chairman Rigby-Taylor.

“Reg said he reckoned Rigby-Taylor had shares in Gibson’s and Keen’s. Like Tony, I also enjoyed the comradeship of these lovely characters of days gone by.

“Returning to the Popeye lookalike contest, for those who do not know what Pat, Dave and George looked like, I would say Pat had an advantage over the other two contestants when trying to contort his face because he looked like he had done a bit (pugilism). I am not being rude or disrespectful to Pat as having had many conversations with him I have  always found him to be very cultured, refined, showing great regards for others and never had a bad word to say regarding Watford FC.

“Finally I would like to say it gives me great pleasure to reminisce about my two very dear friends Ray Quick and his brother Tony, also Pat, Dave and George. Bless their old hearts!”

ONLINE TOMORROW: A love story from a "Yank from Bushey Hall"

This column formed part of the Nostalgia column first published in the Watford Observer on March 14, 2014. The next Nostalgia column – with information about south west Hertfordshire ghost stories and the day comedian Terry Scott opened Watford Museum, among other things – can be found in tomorrow’s Watford Observer (dated March 21, 2014) or read online here from 4pm next 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