Watford is to have its own memorial service to Sir Winston Churchill. It will be held at the Town Hall at 3pm on Sunday and members of the public are invited to take part.

The Mayor has expressed a wish that the service should also sound a note of thanksgiving.

There will be two readings – one by the Mayor from the Bible; the other by the Town Clerk from Pilgrim’s Progress.

Members of Bushey Urban Council stood in silent tribute before the start of their meeting on Tuesday.

The Chairman (Councillor Stuart Harford) said: “Our thoughts are just now preoccupied with vivid and touching memories of a very great and much-loved man who has just passed on and whose loss we mourn.

“A message of tribute and sympathy has been sent to Lady Churchill on behalf of the council and residents of Bushey.

“More was never owed to one man by people of this country. We were, in our darkest hour, inspired by the unmatched eloquence and courage of Sir Winston Churchill. Through him, too, many free people of the world were delivered from tyranny. He is assured of a place among the galaxy of the immortals, and his star will remain among the brightest.”

[From the Watford Observer of January 29, 1965]

 

Although they may not be aware of their role, the housewives of Watford are playing an important part in laying the fundations of Europe’s future livestock herds. The scraps and kitchen waste which they assiduously put out for collection each week, are being converted into flesh, blood and bone –in fact the finest pedigree pigs, at Watford’s own municipal farm.

The German New Order hs concerned itself in these last four years with looting, every horse, cow, pig and sheep from the conquered peoples. Now, however, fate is slowly but surely overtaking the Nazi military machine. The day is dawning when the Forces of the United Nations will cruch the last ounce of fight out of the foe. Britain and her Allies will be faced with the gigantic task of feeding the starving populations of the occupied countries and providing them with the means to feed themselves.

Homesteads will have to be rebuilt, farms re-established and broad acres of grassland stocked with livestock to replace the herds stolen by the Hun.

And this, says Mr F Farquharson, the Borough farm bailiff, is where Waford comes into the picture. The breeding qualities of the Watford herd are known all over the world – so much so that many of the pigs that will become the nuclei of the Continental herds will be Watford pedigree stock.  

[From the Watford Observer of January 14, 1944]

 

A Watford policeman, who marched with nearly 100 schoolchildren from Watford Junction to the town hall steps as they laid on a demonstration in support of their teachers’ wages claims, said it was one of the most orderly he had seen, and “certainly to their credit”.

The pupils, all from Francis Combe Comprehensive School, had every last detail of the demonstration organised.

Typewritten statements were distributed, one pupil collected signatures supporting their teachers, another, equipped with a large plastic bag, collected every scrap of paper dropped by the students, and still another led the group  in singing “All we are saying, is give them more pay” to a tune recently made popular by John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Plastic Ono Band.

All of the demonstrators sacrificed their lunch break to show their support for the teachers’ wages demands.

The typewritten statement, prepared by the demonstrators, read: “We propose to walk to Watford Town Hall, there to sit eating sandwiches as a protest at the stopping of school dinners, because our teachers are underpaid.”

The statement continued: “We are not protesting against the actions our teachers are taking, but against the Government for its lack of consideration where the rising cost of living is concerned.”

[From the Watford Observer of January 16, 1970]

 

Watford FC were well and truly at the double on Saturday [when they beat Swindon Town 2-0 at Vicarage Road]. They gained their first Division 3 “double” of the season; had their first home double-figure gate in terms of thousands; and took their number of home victories this season into double figures.

Also, centre forward Terry Garbett reached the double figure mark with his personal goalscoring tally in league matches.

The attendance of 16,942 was over 10,000 above the average home league gate of 6,665 and was also the best for a home league game since Ken Furphy took over as manager in November 1964.

Main reason for the excellent attendance, of course, was the sale of ground tickets for the F.A. Cup third round tie with Liverpool – and the number at the game for this reason greatly outnumbered those who came purely for the purpose of watching Watford beat Swindon.

[From the Watford Observer of January 20, 1967]

 

Lady Athene, a nine-year-old part-bred Arab, called at Harts Farm riding school and livery stable in Little Bushey Lane on Monday.  She was on the last leg of a 10,000-mile journey which has taken three years and raised nearly £14,000 for Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

In the saddle was Joe Roberts, an Englishman who wears the Canadian Mountie’s uniform for the journey, and who has had the horse since she was a year old.

It was when a close friend of his died from cancer that Joe decided to undertake the project. He sold up his home, gave up his job and devoted himself to the sponsored ride.

On Tuesday he rode the horse into London for the final stop – the Household Cavalry.

Joe, who has ridden an average 15 miles daily with Lady Athene, and taken her to bingo halls and night clubs, now plans to stop travelling. He is to concentrate on giving demonstrations and attending functions with Lady Athene to raise money in future.

[From the Watford Observer of January 18, 1980]