More documents of interest (From Watford Observer)

More documents of interest

12:47pm Tuesday 16th June 2009 in

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Firstly, a correction. On January 16 Nostalgia should have stated that the council officer in charge of roadworks along Watford High Street in 1924, a Mr DM Rowland, moved from Oxhey to The Avenue, Watford, and not the road of the same name in Bushey.

The reason this error is being pointed out is because this week, we can reveal some more documents belonging to Mr Rowland, which were discovered at his address in The Avenue, and passed to Nostalgia by the property’s current occupant, Andrew Mortimer.

The first item of interest is a diary collating the number of eggs collected from the Mantua Poultry Farm from January 1948 to December 1954.

The front cover of Mr Rowland's egg log book.

The inside front cover bears the signature of D Mayhew Rowland, and it is revealed that Mantua is the name of his house in The Avenue.

After a slow start, the diary reveals a total of 425 eggs were collected in 1948. Together with weather reports, Mr Rowland also leaves several notes alongside his tallies.

A page from Mr Rowland's log book.

On June 8, 1949, he wrote: “Brown Legham Pullet found dead in the rain killed by something.”

Then on June 14, 1949, he remarked: “Two ducklings hatched, three more eggs to hatch. One young dead duckling.”

Mr Rowland had also kept a newspaper clipping from the Sunday Express, filed in August 1949, which reported that farms are producing too many eggs, and their 2s. 6d. a dozen price is too dear for wartime consumers to meet.

A second item, a letter, reveals Mr Rowland was a member of The Avenue Fire Guard Patrol Committee during World War Two.

The circular letter was sent to all residents in the Watford road, from Leslie HB Pratt, the committee chairman.

The householder’s patrol memo from 1941.

The letter, dated April 1941, reads: “It has been decided by the Committee for The Avenue, which now consists of Mr Starkey (No 46, my deputy), Miss Bouttell (No 19), Mr Rowland (No 62) and myself, that a voluntary levy of a half-a-crown per household should be made.

“Some householders have already paid this sum to Miss Bouttell towards expenses and necessary equipment for the Road.

“Mr Starkey has kindly consented to keep this equipment on his premises which are centrally situated for emergency. Mrs Clayton at No 63 or Mr Harrison at No 62 will be pleased to receive this money on behalf of the Committee.

“Donations for larger amounts will be accepted from householders not taking an active share in the weekly task of fire-watching. Volunteers for this work are still urgently required for the Reserves. The Committee tender their best thanks to all who are helping, especially to those who have other voluntary war duties to perform, as many have.

“PS – It cannot be emphasised too strongly that an abundant supply of water should be available for Stirrup Pumps.”

Mr Rowland’s participation as a Fire Guard is also noted in the 1944 Householder’s Fire Guard Patrol Duty Rota, No. K30/37, The Avenue, Watford, reproduced here. He is listed as a member of the committee at the bottom of the page.

Among the number of papers detailing Mr Rowland’s involvement as a Fire Guard is an instruction sheet entitled Fire Calls.

The fire guard plan.

Here it is reproduced in full.

Borough of Watford: Fire Calls

The fire guard plan will come into operation on 31st January, 1944. After this date to summon assistance at fires you must act as below:

• During an alert in the fire guard plan period – get a message to your nearest fire guard or the fire guard assembly point or block point. Do not telephone or use the fire alarm system.
• During other alerts – get a message to your nearest fire guard, wardens post, fire station or police station. Do not telephone or use a fire alarm system unless you cannot get your message through otherwise.
• At all other times – telephone the National Fire Service, use the fire alarm system or get a message to the fire station or the police.

To telephone the N.F.S., lift receiver, wait for dialing tone and then dial 0.

When operator answers, ask for Fire. Await connection to N.F.S.

And then give address of fire and any other necessary details.

The Fire Guard Plan period will begin on each occasion when the alert is sounded at night in the period from 8pm till 6am during the winter months and half an hour before, until half an hour after blackout during the remainder of the year.

And it will continue in your fire guard sector – if there are no fires in your sector or if your sector is required to give assistance to other sectors, until your Sector Captain dismisses the Fire Guard, or if there are fires in your sector or if your sector is required to give assistance to other sectors, until your Sector Captain dismisses the Fire Guard.

Give the Fire Guards every help you can, know your Assembly Point and Street Party Leader (or if you are in Business Premises, your Block Point and Block Leader), your Sector Point and your Sector Captain, and keep as much water as possible available in pails, baths, etc.

“The foregoing procedure cancels all previous information on the reporting of fires. Signed G Salter Davies, Town Clerk, January 14, 1944.

Mr Rowland also had a sheet of paper, informing him about a particular type of bomb.

An air raid document.

It reads: Borough of Watford Air Raid Precautions Headquarters: Anti-Personnel Bombs, Butterfly Types “Recent experience suggests that the enemy is likely to use large numbers of small Anti-Personnel Bombs in conjunction with Incendiary Bomb attack.

“As described in my circular of the 17th March, the precautions now to be taken must cover (a) an impact type fuse which will cause the bomb to detonate at once or, if defective, render it liable to detonate when interfered with (b) a delay action fuse which may cause detonation up to about 30 minutes after impact or, if defective, some hours later (c) a fuse which though not detonating on impact will remain thereafter highly sensitive to touch or vibration for an indefinite period.

There is no change in the appearance of these bombs except that some of them are painted yellow instead of greyish-green and are, therefore, liable to be mistaken for the “Small Yellow U.X.B.”

They may be released from the aircraft by the following methods: (a) From a rack in the aircraft holding 80 bombs from which the bombs can be released in multiples of 16. (This rack is believed to be obsolete).

(b) From a rack in the aircraft in multiples of 24.

(c) From a container holding 23 bombs which opens after release from the aircraft.

A rota for fireguard duty.