DESPITE its proximity to London and, during the second world war, the de Havilland fighter plane factory at Hatfield, St Albans emerged relatively unscathed from the two world wars.

In the first world war the city was an important "billeting" centre, main base for a whole Territorial Division, the Second London.

Distinguished local historian and former Mayor, the late Dr Elsie Toms, recorded in The Story of St Albans "Before the regiments arrived, officers came round the streets and mysterious chalk marks appeared on the lintels of doors, figures which were found to indicate how many men could be billeted in that particular house."

Napsbury Hospital was cleared of mental patients and became a vast military hospital with 2,000 beds. Convalescing soldiers apparently enjoyed their visit to the city.

Dr Toms reports that the second world war brought some 12,000 refugees from London, who were treated so kindly "that many of them fell in love with the place, and became adopted sons and daughters."

The city did suffer some bomb damage, and a few deaths from enemy action - and Verulamium lake was drained to avoid reflecting the moonlight.

Many people still have vivid war memories.

Mr F. G. Parrott of St Albans remembers his father in law, Bob Church, serving in the St Albans Home Guard. He said: "From what I recall my father-in-law telling me, the unit was equipped with something called a Smith Gun a home-made affair which was turned on its side to fire, rather like Dads' Army."

Mr Frank Sheppard still has photos of his father, one of the very few who served in both world wars, and three soldier brothers.

William Sheppard, who lived in Pageant Road, fought in the Middle East and then France in the 1914-1918 conflict.

After his three sons joined up in February 1940, Mr Sheppard, then in his 50's, insisted on joining the Royal Engineers.

On one memorable occasion he was called to an unexploded bomb in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. The Engineers were alarmed to see the King himself turn up to inspect the device.

"My father said to him: 'It's not safe for you to be here,'" said Frank, who still lives in St Albans. "He said: 'If it's safe enough for you, it's safe enough for me.'"

The squad conducted a controlled explosion, killing some of the King's ducks that had wandered too close. The King commended Acting Lance-Sergeant Sheppard for his bravery.

Frank's brother Ken was in the Tank Corps, and was wounded and captured at the fall of Tobruk.

After training together at Luton, Bert was discharged following a motorcycle accident, but Frank went on to fight in Normandy, Belgium, Holland and Germany.

Mr J Treacher, now living on the Isle of Wight, recalls spotting a possible spy in St Albans when he was a lad living in Hatfield Road and slipped out one night to a vacant lot about 100 yards away.

"As I ran along the trails, I could hear the drone of German bombers overhead and the machine guns of our fighter planes as they chased them away.

"The clouds blew clear and there in the bright moonlight I saw a man lying on his back shining a bright light up into the sky, and for the first time in my life I knew real fear.

"I dropped to the ground on my knees, with the hair rising on the back of my neck and I froze like a frightened animal.

"I knew if he moved slightly and saw me not ten yards away he would have silenced me permanently!"

When the moon disappeared behind clouds, he "got back on my feet and ran like I have never run before!"

His mother told him to tell his teacher at Beaumont school and "a couple of days later two tall men in dark overcoats and bowler hats arrived in a large black car driven by a uniformed woman driver and ordered me to take them to the exact spot where I had seen this man.

"I never knew anything more about this incident, as shortly after this my mother and us kids went to Wales for the rest of the war and I often wondered what the final outcome of this escapade was."

December 14, 2001 14:00