When peace came to Watford, a service of thanksgiving was held at the Parish Church on Sunday 17 November 1918. The following July, on National Peace Celebration Day, a procession of soldiers and sailors marched to Cassiobury Park where Watford folk enjoyed a concert, a funfair, and dancing on the lawns.

Yet over 700 Watford men did not return from the war; the official roll of honour was displayed in the public library. A further 176 Watford residents had died from Spanish Flu.

Despite the sadness, the town began its post-war recovery. The population grew from 41,000 in 1911 to 46,000 in 1921, swelled partly by Londoners who fled the Gotha Bomber air raids and settled in Watford. There was a baby boom, with births rising from 596 in 1918 to 1,077 in 1920. The five biggest Watford churches saw a marriage boom, with wedding numbers rising from 165 in 1918, to 233 in 1919, and 251 in 1920.

Employment in Watford changed. The 1911 Census saw men engaged principally in building work, food manufacture and railway occupations, while women worked mostly in domestic service, dress-making, and laundry services. By 1921 both men and women were more likely to be clerks or draughtsmen, or employed in commerce, insurance, professional occupations, or the printing industry.

Mr Dennis Herbert became Watford’s MP in the General Election of 1918. The Labour Party secured its first majority on Watford Urban District Council in April 1919, an administration which lasted twelve months.

Population growth led to overcrowding. It was estimated that, in 1919, eight per cent of Watford homes accommodated at least one family. However, the early post-war years saw the completion of the town’s first council estates: Harebreaks, Sydney Road, Willow Lane and Rose Gardens.

Watford celebrated again in October 1922 when it became a borough, a status conferred because of its growth and prosperity. The Right Honourable George Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, became the town’s first Mayor. The leader column of the West Herts and Watford Observer wrote: “We may now look forward to the further progress which the town, the largest in Hertfordshire, will make in the future.”