THECOCKPIT - Chislehurst Society

THECOCKPIT
A Publication of the Chislehurst Society (founded 1934)
The Cockpit,
:\0
011
Cbislelmrst Commons, has been the traditional meeting place for the C/;islelmrst people 011 all great occasionsfrom time immemorial
I),
Sumrntr l()IO
CHISLEHURST'S 'LOST' MEMORIALS
A
full inventory of the monuments in St Nicholas
Churchyard in the mid-nineteenth century is now
available online. This was given some publicity in March
this year, in a press release ftom the Kent Archaeological
Society that gave the following account.
Records ofthousands ofpeople who lived in Chislehurst and
district over a period ofmany centuries are now featured on
the KAS website, www.kentarchaeology.org.uk The recorcls,
in the form ofmemorial insaiptions (MI5) on gravestones,
tablets, tombs and monuments at St Nicholas, Chislehurst's
fifteenth-century parish church, were compiled 150 years
ago by Leland Lewis Duncan of Lewisham, antiquarian
and author, and were among the papers he left to the KAS
when he died in 1923.
Sir Edmond YValsingham's memorial at St Nicholas Church
Inside this edition of Cockpit:
•
Lost Memorials of Chislehurst
•
Edward Miskin, Parish Clerk, 1750-1822
•
Some Ch islehurst evacuees
The MIs have been transcribed and indexed so that they can
be read anywhere in the world by researchers who would
not be able to visit the KAS Library in Maidstone, Kent.
Many of these MIs have become illegible or even lost, so
Duncan's work is ofparticular value to flmily historians
and genealogists, because the memorials often give the
names of relatives, ancestors and descendants of the people
they honour. (End of Press Release).
Readers of Webb's History of Chislehurst will be
familiar with the name of Leland Duncan, who made a
considerable contriburion to that work, in the chapters on
the church and parish registers. An earlier antiquary and
recorder of monumental inscriptions who also deserves
to be mentioned is John Thorpe, an eighteenth century
resident of Bexley village, next to St Mary's Church, and
•
Old Crown Cottage and Bishop's Well: a Wartime
History
•
Chislehurst Caves in World War II: Secret Project
Mulberry Harbour
•
Alun and Joy Jones Awards - some images
a friend and correspondent of Edward Hasted. Many
of Thorpe's observations relating to Chislehurst are
also included in Webb. We owe an enormous debt to
painstaking men such as these.
To view these MIs, go to the website address quoted
above, and click on 'Chislehurst' in the Churchyard MIs
list in 'Library and Visual records'.
Go online to the Society's website at www.chislehurst-society.org.uk
EOWARD MISKIN, PARISH CLERK,
1750-1822
{Most of this essay is the work of Paul Miskin. Editorial
comments are in {. ..} to distinguish those in {..] or (..)
made by the author.}
The author is a descendant of Edward Miskin and Jane
(nee Scammell) who both lived in Chislehurst from at
least 1776 until their deaths around 1820. This piece
draws upon Paul's findings and the work of several family
historians. Special thanks are due to Nick Miskin, who
has researched the Miskin name extensively over many
years, and to the staff at Bromley Local Studies Library.
Claims Court today. The Vestry decided the amounts of
parish rates, which could be levied several times in a year
to meet both civil and ecclesiastical financial needs as they
atose. This Vestry system of administration continued
until an elected Parish Council was established in 1894,
following the Local Government Act of that year.
The Vestry was a meeting of male parishioners, who could
be of all social classes, usually chaired by the Rector.
What we might regard as 'minutes' of these Vestry
meetings contain the dates, attendees and decisions
made, bur usually withour much explanation or detail of
debate. Some of these records, called 'Orders of Vestry',
and covering the years 1752-1838, have survived, and
are now at Bromley Local Studies Library, where they are
a fascinating insight to aspects of both family and local
history in Chislehurst; for example:
Edward Miskin was born at Higham in Kent and baptised
near there on 25 March 1750 (New Year's Day under the
Julian calendar then used). ~te when Edward migrated
to Chislehurst, probably for work, is not currently known.
There are earlier traces of both Miskins and Stubberfields
17 July 1785: 'At a Vestry held this day the
(his mother's maiden name) in the Chislehurst Parish Revd Francis Wollaston appointed Edward Miskin to be
Registers, so there could have been family connections Clerk of this Parish in the room of Geo Keeble deceased:
with the Parish. Edward married Jane in 1776 at St {Webbs History gives details of a beating of the Parish
Mary Bothaw in the City of London, when Edward was bounds in 1775, when George Kebell [sic} was the Parish
described as 'of Chislehurst'. Jane Scammell was then Clerk -Ed.}
described as 'of St Mary Bothaw' bur was born and raised
in Wiltshire and her residence at time of marriage may Parish clerks ofi:en served for life, as it appears that Mr
in any case have been a temporary expedient. Her sister Keeble (aka Kebell) may have done. There is no indication
Susannah had married John Bradshaw at St Nicholas of Edward's duries or remuneration on appointment, bur
Church in 1772, so Jane had some prior connection to his signature appears in subsequent Parish records of
Chislehurst. As is ofi:en the case, each found snippet of baptisms, marriages and burials, and he attended many
information invites further questions and the full story Vestry meetings. On 19 April 1808 the Vestry ordered
a salary increase to £ 12.12s [that is 12 pounds and 12
has not yet emerged.
shillings, or 12 guineas, now £12.60 in decimal measure]
In Edward Miskin's time the Parish was still the focus of for Edward as Parish Clerk, and to £15.15s for Richard
local civil administration and, through the Vestry, had Gravett, the Vestry Clerk. Edward's pay was increased
wide responsibilities for what we now call social services, further, to £18 .18s on 28 September 1813, bur this was
weights and measures, highways and more, including in recognition of add;tional domestic duties within
nominating two parishioners to serve as constables, and six the church - and Edward was required to provide the
(including Edward for several years) as Commissioners of necessary materials from his increased salary.
the Court of Requests , similar in some ways to a civil Small
Edward and Jane Miskin raised a family in Chislehurst,
where they lived in Glebe Cottage, close to the Church.
They had six sons and a daughter, as follows.
Edward, b1779, was apprenticed to William Ports,
carpenter, and later migrated to Woolwich; Philip,
b1782; James, b1783, was apprenticed to William
Peck, cordwainer, and was later employed at the Royal
Arsenal, Woolwich; William, b1785, was apprenticed
to Benjamin Worrell, wheelwright, bur later became a
Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Clocknlakers of
the CityofLondon; Thomas, b1787, became a shipwright,
died young and is illterred in St Nicholas churchyard;
A drawingofSt Nicholas in the early 19th Century
r
Leonard, b1790, died in infancy and he toO rests in St
Nicholas churchyard; Euphemia, bI777, remained in
Chislehurst. After Jane's death in April 1816, Edward
continued to attend some Vestry meetings, until at least
1820. His daughter Euphemia married Henry Baskcomb
in September 1816.
Frank, and Barbara and John Loxley all ended up at in
Willaston, near Nantwich, Cheshire. I am still in touch
with Mrs Poynter, who looked after myself and my mother
when we subsequently joined Frank in August 1944.
I knew most of the people on the list. As the assembly
point was Sidcup Place, no doubt the children went to
Glebe Cottage became the Baskcomb household.
Edward died in 1822, by which time Euphemia had
borne a son, George Henry and a daughter, Anne
Euphemia. Euphemia and Henry Baskcomb remained
in Chislehurst thtoughout their lives and were interred
at St Nicholas in 1843 and 1849 respectively. Late in his
life Henry Baskcomb came into an inheritance via his late
sister Ann, widow ofJames Taggart, heir ofJohn Stevens.
Apparently on the strength of this, his son, George Henry
Baskcomb, became something of a local entrepreneur.
As you might expect, there is more about this in Webb's
History of Chislehurst, a valuable and interesting record
of local history, well worth investigating. Incidentally,
Nick Miskin has Edward Miskin's 'Btown's' Bible, with
his nameplate and date of 1815, which was previously
handed down thtough the Baskcomb family.
Family history is always incomplete, and can sometimes
include ertors of fact or interpretation. If any reader can
offer any comment, contribution or correction, then Paul
would be delighted to hear oLt.
Sidcup railway station to start their journey.
'To put this into the historical context of the time I quote
ftom Bob Ogley's recent book on flying bombs that says
2419 flying bombs or VIs fell on London between 13
June 1944 and 19 March 1945, and 517 V.2s fell in the
London area between 8 September 1944 and 21 March
1945. A total of 8958 people were killed and 29,504
injuted as a result of these weapons.'
For any younger readers puzzled as to why Chislehutst
children should be assembling at Sidcup Place, the answer
is that from 1934 until 1965 Chislehurst and Sidcup
were amalgamated into the Urban District of that name,
together with Mottingham, Foots Cray, North Cray, and
St Paul's Cray, and the Council Offices were located at
Sidcup Place.
GOVERNMENT EVACUATION SCHEME
Party Number R I U 60
Dace of Evacuation Saturday. 15 July 1944
SOME CHISLEHURST EVACUEES
Assembly Point SIDCUP PLACE
NO.S
An interesting relic from July 1944 has been donated
by Alan Godfrey, a past resident of Chislehurst now
living in Sidcup. It is a photocopied list of evacuees from
Chislehurst under the Government's Evacuation Scheme,
one of whom is the donor's brother, Frank. Mr Godfrey
writes:
'I have never seen an evacuation list before. The date
is of interest. A Saturday would mean that the trains
would not be carrying commuters and so could be full of
evacuees. Also it was my birthday, when I was six. My
mother and father must have had mixed emotions that
day because they were sending Frank off ro an unknown
future as well as trying ro celebrate my birthday. I was too
young to go away.
'The escort was Mr Bickel, the father of Alan and Peter at
the botrom of the list. Mr Bickel kept a copy of this list,
which only came to light last week when Alan was sorting
out some family papers. He still lives at the same address.
Party Roll.
ESCORT Mr Bickel
UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN
Name
Age
Home Address
GODFREY, Fcank
8
41 Albany Road
LOXiEY. Barbara
12
1, Alexandra Road
LOXLEY, John
10
RATCLIFFE, Michael
10
TREE, Leonard
10
3 1, Greenway
42, Park Road
DO RRER, John
11
7, Albany Road
ARMSTRONG, Philip
9
17. Belmant Road
ARMSTRONG,Janice
12
MITCHELL, Pamela
11
IS. Belmont Road
BELSHAM, Barry
11
54 Albany Road
TREADWELL, Mavis
14
44, Woodside Avenue
BICKEL, AlanJames
11
48, Holmdale Road
BICKEL, Perer John
7
Note: The Photograph on the front cover was not taken ;n
Chislehurst or Sidcup, but if any reader has such a photograph
please let us know.
•
had begun. On 27 July 1944, a V.I. Rying bomb fell
A WARTIME HISTORY
in front of Well Cottage, redUcing it and Old Crown
Cottage to a heap of ruins. Four other houses were
Editorial introduction
destroyed and nearly 100 others were severely damaged.
Mrs Lynne Ramsay of Bishop's Well, Crown Lane, has a Among the latter was Bishop's Well, a fine period house
collection ofletters relating to the post-war restoration of which was being used as a Services canteen. It had to be
Old Crown Cottage, also in Crown Lane. Her friend, Mrs pulled down, and was replaced by the modern house of
Margaret Purkis of Becken ham, lived with her parents in Bishopswell. Old Crown Cottage was a timber-framed
OLD CROWN COITAGE AND BISHOP'S WELL:
Holbrook Lane during the war. Her mother was involved
in finding accommodation for soldiers billeted in the
area, and she was offered the use of Bishop's Well, then
standing empty, which was owned by Miss Thornton
of Old Crown Cottage. I was invited to visit modern
Bishopswell to meet Mrs Ramsay and her friend, and to
inspect the letters. From Mrs Purkis I learned more abour
Chislehurst in wartime, and Mrs Ramsay generously
building of considerable antiquity and the owner, Miss
Thornton, was saved by a staunch upright timber which
held up the surrounding wreckage. The old inn once had
small, leaded panes, some bearing the initials of habitues
of earlier days, the Roor was two feet below ground level,
and as was to be expected in a building linked with the
days of smuggling, there was a large cellar. Some of the
old timbers were incorporated in the rebuilding that is
now Crown House.
offered to lend me these letters for closer study. The net
result was a mass of detailed information that would be far
In recent years, Crown House has been transformed
too much for the Cockpit ro bear, so some severe editing
beyond recognition, but we have a photograph of it
has been done. I made a fully detailed transcription of
[reproduced opposite] as described showing some of the
the letters between Miss Thornton and the local council
timbers mentioned above.
on the subject of restoration of the old cottage afrer it was
very badly damaged, when in 1945 a Rying bomb fell and The letters
exploded on the Common nearby. This also destroyed
These consist of correspondence to Miss M Thornton,
Bishop's Well and baclly damaged Norman Cottage and
sent between l3 September 1944 and 22 May 1946,
The Ivy House in Morley Road.
from Gordon Prior and Goodwin, Chartered Surveyors,
In addition, I have added notes from Tom Bushell's and chart the progress relating to repairs to Old Crown
Kentish Times articles, 'Old Chislehurst' (1959-60) Cottage.
and 'Imperial Chislehurst: which provide valuable
Mr Prior had spent time going through Old Crown
background information. I first read these many years
Cottage and Bishop's Well with the Chief Technical
ago, so I was already aware of this story. My thanks to Mrs
Adviser of the War Damage Commission for this area. It
Ramsay for the loan of these letters and to Mrs Purkis for
appears 'that there is enough left of Old Crown Cottage
her memories; these come at the very end of this article.
to justify its restoration, particularly bearing in mind its
The rwo houses involved
antiquarian interest', but the War Damage Commission
had not yet made their inspection and might not agree.
Modern Bishopswell stands on the corner of Crown Lane
Miss Thornton had pointed out that the building was
and Watts Lane. In the nineteenth century, as Bishop's
mainly oak timber framed and believed to be the oldest
Well, it was the home ofMr George Buchanan Wollaston,
house in the district, dating probably from the early
a notable collector of rare [ferns] and a friend of the
sixteenth century. Owing to its form of construction and
Empress Eugenie. In its grounds was a well, said to have
the site being well below road and garden level, the degree
been blessed by the Bishops ofRochester when they lived
of damage is conSiderably less than would have been
in Bromley Palace. Next door was a weatherboarded old
the case had it been entirely of brick construction. The
house then known as Well Cottage, and next to that the
Surveyors were of the opinion that the main structure
one-time Crown Inn, then called Old Crown Cottage
of the original building was sufficiently intact to justify
and now Crown House.
restoration. It was Miss Thornton's intention to have this
Mr Bushell tells us that the first Rying bombs appeared work carried out so soon as conditions permitted. Europe
on 15 June 1944, shortly afrer the invasion of Europe
was being invaded by the Allies, and all efforts were being
•
Crown House before its most
recent makeover.
This Specification included
removal of all remaining tiles
from roofs, stacking where
directed those that were
sound for later use, emergency
treatment of sagging roof
timbers, installing temporary
guttering,
checking
and
of
existing
treatment
brickwork, filling damaged
window openings, roughly
repairing all external doors,
and clearing away all debris.
Only timber salvaged from
I
i
Well Cottage or Bishop's Well
was to be used in first aid
repairs to Old Crown Cottage.
As for Well Cottage and the
put into that operation. Considering the 'conditions'
mentioned, the vast amount of war damage inflicted and former Library of Old Crown Cottage, any fittings and
the necessity of prioritising repairs, and the shortages of fixtures and anything else of value were to be stored, and
timber, bricks, tiles, etc., delays were hardly surprising.
all sound joists, rafiers and other joinery for later use
stacked. The building itself was then demolished. Much
Efforts were made to protect the ruins from weather
similar material from Bishop's Well was also salvaged.
damage, as no immediate aid was possible. The roof
was in a very dangerous condition, preventing access by Obviously, very little progress could be made until the War
workmen to fix tarpaulin sheets. Miss Thornton was had ended, but the letters reveal the tremendous amount
advised 'to consider the salvage of the most important of effort made on Miss Thornton's behalf to ensure she
building material which may be utilised at a later date on was not lefi homeless. In one dated 26 November 1945,
from her Surveyors to the War Damage Commission,
rebuilding works likely to be carried our:
headed 'The Old Crown Cottage, Chislehurst: it was
There was a report that Mr Small of the Ministry ofWorks,
understood by the writer that the cottage might be
Ancient Monuments Section, whom Miss Thornron had
scheduled as a Building of Architectural interest. At last,
met on 28 September, considered Old Crown Cottage
in another letter, dated 7 May 1946, from Gordon Prior,
well worth restoring, and that his department would
still at Grafion, Oakleigh Park Avenue, ro Miss Thornton,
support an application for 'a licence to render the premises
still at Rose Cottage, Chislehurst Common, headed 'Old
watertight in order that the fabric can be preserved until
Crown Cottage' he writes :
such time as reinstatement is permitted.' With regard
'[ am pleased ro inform you that [ have this morning
to the Library (of Old Crown Cottage), Well Cottage
and Bishop's Well, he considers that these are damaged received a Val. 4 form from the War Damage Commission,
beyond repair excepting the Orangery, which he favours indicating that they have classified Old Crown Cottage as
being repaired as soon as practicable. 1his Orangery a Cost of Works case and not a rotal loss. As a result,
still stands in the garden of Bishop's Well. The intention you will have the right ro repair the building at the
was 'to have Old Crown Cottage and Well Cottage Government's expense, subject to their approval of the
reinstated to more or less as they existed before damage'. plans and specification. I have also heard from them as
A Specification of First Aid Repairs was to be submitted
to the MoW in connection with a licence to spend up to
£300 on this work.
regards Mr Bulley's account and it looks as if this will be
paid in the near future.' This was the well-known local
building firm of Messrs C A Bulley & Sons, who carried
•
out the work specified to secure the bUilding. Afi:er all.
there was a war going on; it was something of a miracle
that so much effort was made for just this one small
building.
The final touch came with the lasdetter. dated 19 August
1946. ftom her solicitors to Miss Thornton. Rose Cottage.
C hislehurst Common. headed 'Bishopswell: announcing
that they had returned the Title Deeds relating to the
ptoperty to Martin's Bank. Chislehurst. with a duplicate
of the Conveyance of the site of the former house and
the draft copy of the Application to the Land Registry to
register against the ptoperty the Restrictive Covenants
imposed on the Sale.'
Bishop's Well and Chislehurst
memories of Mrs Margaret Purkis
in
Wartime:
'This is a summary of our life in Chislehurst during the
worst years of the Second World War. My parents. A1an
and Norah Campbell. lived at Westfield. Holbrook Lane.
with my brother Peter and me (Margaret).
'In 194 1 a large number of soldiers were billeted around
the area. mostly in large houses which had been left empty
during the worst of the bombing. My Mother. who was
a friend of Sophie Tiarks. was offered the use of Bishop's
Well. owned by Miss Thornton. who allowed it to be used
with no charge. for a place where the men could go in the
evenings. For the next four years. [my Mother] with my
Father and friends opened the house every evening from
6 to lOpm as a refuge for the men.
'In order to get food which was rationed she had to join
the WVS and each morning she and Miss Tiarks would go
down to the baker's in West Chislehurst to buy tolls and
buns. tea and coffee to serve the men. The
the house were used for darts. ping-pong
and music. As far as I remember all the
workers were volunteers and any food was
~~~\,
at cost. By 1942 I had joined the ATS
so only came to help occasionally. and of
course during this period Westfield lost its
windows and ceilings several times. Men
from the Pioneer Corps volunteered to
keep [Bishop's Well] and garden clean.
but [when] the [/lying] bomb fell in the
grounds nearby ... the house was badly
A photograph of Bishops Well
reproduced in the 1999 edition
ofWebbs History
damaged. This was [in away] very fortunate as it occurred
in the morning when only one man was working. '
Mrs Purkis wtote brief notes about the progress of the
War. which are swnmarised below. and give a personal
touch. The Battle of Britain was fought mainly in the
skies over Kent. with Chislehurst in the direct line ftom
the Straits of Dover to London. The village was just
outside the great barrage of captive balloons that covered
London. In May 1940 the Home Guard was formed. and
Peter Campbell joined with a garden broom as a 'weapon.'
From September to December 1940 there were 400 air
raids on Chislehurst. and dog-fights overhead between
British and German fighters. Sirens sounded several times
a night in the worst periods. Air Raid Wardens checked
on your blackout: 'Put that light out!' There were no street
lights. Makeshifi: shelters were constructed under tables
or in the cupboard under the stairs. We slept in the garage.
lhere was a great deal oflocal activity with Civil Defence.
to provide first aid posts. distribution of gas masks. Air
Raid Precautions posts. and the opening of Chislehurst
Caves as shelters. All the voluntary organ isations were
involved. including the Women's Voluntary Services.
Air Raid Wardens. and the FANY, the First Aid Nursing
Yeomanry. [This organisation. ofi:en the butt of jokes
when mentioned. did a splendid job. as also did various
rescue squads. formed to get wounded and dead people
out of bombed buildings. The Fire Brigades struggled ro
keep control of raging fires. especially in London. Ftom
the top of White Horse Hill you could see the Docklands
blazing. It really makes one wonder how our parents and
their generation coped with so much chaos. but C ivil
Defence rose to the occasion. Winston Churchill was
right: this WAS their finest hour! - Ed.]
"
#"
7'1.
~
., : . .
...
~
"
.
i
CHISLEHURST CAVES IN WORLD WAR
11:
SECRET PROJECT MULBERRY HARBOUR
An account by F H Smith, with introduction by Roy
Hopper, editor of Cockpit.
During the course ofa talk about Chislehurst (in 2006) I
mentioned the caves as chalk mines. Mrs Jennie Randall
who lives in Chislehurst, approached me afterwards and
asked if I knew that Mr Bailey, of Bailey Bridge fame,
had actually worked in the caves during the war on a very
secret business, which was in fact the Mulberry Harbour
project. I didn't know, and she got in touch with her source
ofinformation, a Mr F H Smith, who had told her the story,
which involved his father. In her covering letter she wrote:
'He kindly agreed to write it down so it may be passed on to
you and to anyone else in the Chislehurst Society who may
be researching this aspect of the caves' history. Ifyou wish
to contact him, his address is: clo Deal Maritime & Local
History Museum, 22 St Georges Road, Deal Kent, CT14
6BA: The following is Mr Smiths story:
This gentleman was also mentioned by Ms Chapman
in her book on World War II life in the caves. She calls
him 'the man on the motorbike.' It is interesting to note
that Mr Bailey, and I think also Mrs Bailey, lived in the
caves for a long period during the bombing periods. Ms
C hapman's book mentions a Mr Bailey who acted as one
of the cave 'wardens' at night. She did not mention who
he really was. H er book, being written some time after
the War and she being only a child at the time, even today,
she may not know who he was.
In passing, I should mention that although I have never
met Ms Chapman, I believe that I was at school with her
brother ftom 1943-45 (Beckenham Technical School)
and he told me abour the way his family lived in the caves
at night.
My father continued with his duties, working our from
Mr Bailey's office, until the summer of 1945 when my
father died oflung cancer caused by a lifetime of smoking.
It was at this point that I met 'the man on the motorbike.'
He came to collect the government steel inspection
stamps that my father had to use on constructions that
had passed inspection. [Here Mr Smith includes a rather
obscure sketch of a 'sort of crown, plus numbers' that was
clearly on the end of a steel punch.]
My father, who was born in Glasgow in 1889, was a
structural engineer who had spent nearly all his working
life involved with the design and on-site construction of
bridges and other large steel structures, mostly in India
and the Middle East. After his last contract had been
completed in 1938 he returned to England and was Laughable though it may seem today, at that time there
recruited by the Ministry of Supply as an inspector of were spies about and people kept secrets. From time ro
steel structures, including bridges.
time in your research you may well discover 'conflicting
information'; for example even those who slept in the
A few months before war was declared he was sent to
caves for a couple of years would not know the full extent
the Glasgow office which gave him inspection duties at
of the cave network. You will have seen copies of the
the C lydeside shipyards and other 'undisclosed' sites. My
wartime poster 'Careless Talk Costs Lives'.
father remained in Scotland and the far north of England
until abour the end of 1941, when he was transferred back I am not sure what else I can tell you but please do not
to England and worked from offices in the Chislehurst hesitate ro contact me if you think I can help.
Caves. These offices were run by Mr Donald Coleman
Signed F H Smith
Bailey of the (then, by 1942, well-known means ofgetcing
armies over rivers) Bailey Bridge and Mulberry Harbour
Department of the M inistry of Supply.
11
At this point it has to be explained that the Mulberry
Harbour was top seCret and was built using the name of
Bailey Bridge Construction as a cover. Anyone working
on Mulberry Harbour parts was told it was just another
bridge designed by Mr Bailey.
Although my father would have seen one almost every
day, the first time I ever knew about them was when we
invaded Europe. I do nOt know how many there were,
but Mr Bailey had a team of inspectors working from his
office. There was also a kind of 'Executive Officer' who
seemed to be a kind of'go-between' contact.
par·t 0/' Ml"lb"rTY H.<rb'1Urat
Arromanches, Normandy, shOWing Bailey Bridges
supporting the tracks usedfor D-Day landings.
•
ALUN AND JOY JONES ENVIRONMENTAL AWARDS
Ths year was the 20th year of the Alun and Joy Jones Environmental Awards, set up as a memorial to Alun and his
wife Joy, who gave so much of their time and energy to keeping Chislehurst special.
The theme this year was People in Chislehurst, and we had many entries from Chislehurst students featuring people
who have lived, worked or visited here in the past. There is not enough room to show all of these, but here are a few
of the more interesting historical entries. A fuller gallery will soon be on our website.
Coopers students
spent time this year
researching the lives
, ofthe many men
who are named
on the Chislehurst
I%r Memorial.
Tbey then produced
this piece or art
work based on the
poppy.
Q:teen Victoria
visited the
Empress Eugenie
at Camden Place
Chislehurst in
1876. Red Hill
students created
letters and
diaries recording
the event, and
placed them on
a magnificent
display.
A t-shirt was created as part ofa piece of
work remembering Richmal Compton,
the creator of]ust William.
Sir Francis I%lsingham was spymaster
to 0<een Elizabeth 1. He often visited
his brother Tbomas who lived at
Scadbury in the 16th Century. Red Hill
students prepared a number ofsecret
coded letters, together with cyphers to
enable them to be interpreted.
Andfor those ofus
whom the 1960's
was only yesterday,
there is no way we
could ignore this copy,
made by students at
Babington House
School, ofa magnificent
poster of]imi Hendrix
who performed at
Chislehurst Caves
during those heady days.
You can contad The Chislehurst Society by phone: 020 8467 0900 or email: membership@chis/ehursHociety.org.uk
By post: PO Box 82. Chis/ehurst, Kent BR7 SIT