41st REPLY

NAME: James (Jas) Cowen    Then & Now

DATE: 28 July 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63

I enjoyed your info about John Laing builders and the naming of roads, Alan [reply 35]. Clearly it's a mixture of towns in England and other things. I well remember John Laing and building work by them. Why not all town-related I wonder? I also enjoyed info about EHJ response to latecomers in your day [reply 29]and the 'Lateness Secret'. I think he had mellowed somewhat in my day as usually the great mass of us Borehamwood latecomers were generally let off. Reference was usually made to George Jones, a sub prefect whom he liked, or Henry Griffiths occasionally. Both of these I have seen again at recent OE 40 club dinners. I remember he used to forgive usually young Tilson, who used to live in Furzehill Road on the grounds he was in so much trouble already elsewhere. Why he had a soft spot for him in those frequent caning days I know not. With the register taken in the form rooms each day I don't recall much use of the 'Lateness Secret'

42nd REPLY

NAME: James (Jas) Cowen    Then & Now

DATE: 29 July 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63

Of course, Martyn, talking of Sir Cliff Richard and buses I remember well the 1963 film Summer Holiday, when he and some friends went on an AEC Regent III RT double decker from Aldenham Bus Garage to Athens via Yugoslavia. They met up with some girls en route.  One of the fellows was played by Melvyn Hughes and one of the girls by Una Stubbs. This was a successor film to the 1961 film The Young Ones. In my home video collection I have a copy of both the films. I was interested in a recent Radio 4 Today programme where they were interviewing people who owned their own Routemaster (RM) buses and who drove them about regularly. This was celebrating an RM 60th Anniversary. I should have liked to drive a bus or a coach but doubt if that will happen now unless some such owner gives me a go with L-plates. I do enjoy instead driving my campervan. It gives a good high view of the passing scenery.

43rd REPLY

NAME: Alan Pyle  

DATE: 30 July 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1948-1953

Not old at all James, merely retired! [Reply 38]. And you are correct about the 358 from Drayton Road to St Albans [Reply 40]. Hard to describe how important the bus services were in those days before mass ownership of cars. As other contributors have observed, just to see the destination boards was in some ways to read of far off places!

44th REPLY

NAME: James (Jas) Cowen    Then & Now

DATE: 31 July 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63

In regard to Borehamwood old bus routes do any remember the small green 355 buses that used to go to London Colney? My memory is not so great after all these years. Can any recall where the bus started in Borehamwood and the exact route it took? As with the 358 there is currently a 355 with a completely different location. I do not recall whether I ever travelled on the old 355. In schooldays I went to London Colney by bike.

45th REPLY

NAME: James (Jas) Cowen    Then & Now

DATE: 31 July 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63

This last Saturday I went to the 10th wedding anniversary garden party of my nephew Phillip and his wife April, which is only a little before the 10th anniversary of the 1st post to this site [see thread 1]. There I talked a lot with my cousin Caroline, who went to Borehamwood schools like me and now has a house in the Washington area near Newcastle‑upon‑Tyne. I said that my wife and I recently travelled on the 107 bus and I had to remind my wife to get out in the middle of the bus rather than the front, like a lot of London area buses. We do not have this practice on Stagecoach and Wiltshire buses in our area. Caroline said they don't in their area either. Do other correspondents find their buses follow London area or Wiltshire in this respect? I can see the reasons pro and con this practice. Caroline also told me that the Crown pub that has been closed in Borehamwood for 17 months and the yard is scheduled for a small housing and shopping development. She also said that she had travelled on a Green Line bus recently, though not in Borehamwood. Looking on the Internet [eg the Green Line website] I note there is still quite a large Green Line coach network with many of the old routes no longer there but quite a lot of newer routes. The design and colour paintwork of the coaches has changed from 50 years ago but not a lot, though bus specialist enthusiasts may disagree. Some buses go through Welwyn and Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield and South Hatfield, Hertford and St Albans.

46th REPLY

NAME: Alan Pyle  

DATE: 02 August 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1948-1953

My recollection of the 355 in Borehamwood [reply 46] was of a single deck country bus which lurked in the corner of the car park of the Red Lion looking like a supporting character from the Rev W.Awdry's Books.

47th REPLY

NAME: James (Jas) Cowen    Then & Now

DATE: 08 August 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63

Thanks for recalling the 355 little green bus going from the corner of the car park of the Red Lion (now a McDonalds), Alan. I can now see a picture of it. Perhaps I did see it departing whilst waiting by the Red lion for our minibus to take the Borehamwood Athletic Club athletes to a meet elsewhere, provided it ran on Saturdays.

I also find interesting your reference of the 355 being like a supporting character from the Rev W Awdry's books. I do remember the original books in the series first published from 1957 and subsequent years and obtained copies of the little books. This was just after starting at QEs. They were much enjoyed and of course have continued to be popular, including the Thomas the Tank Engine days on preserved railways and elsewhere. I was recently with my wife, eldest son Paul, his wife Sanae and two of the grandchildren, Wendy and Michael at Butlins in Bognor and enjoyed a show with Thomas and the Fat Controller. Of course Bertie the Bus was a small red bus rather than green but probably not much different in size. I look forward to reading Oliver the Western Engine with my youngest grandchild (now 8 months old) when bigger. He too is called Oliver.

48th REPLY

NAME: Nick Dean   

DATE: 27 September 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1964-71

Currently reading David Kynaston's A Shake of the Dice 1959-62 [see also W13/2], I came across the following: "At Borehamwood, the Rev J W Larter claimed that young families were always 'looking back to London' instead of settling down, with too many parents 'guilty of putting personal pleasures above showing an interest in their children's hobbies' ."  I didn't live in Borehamwood, but wondered if any of our contributors would have recognised these sentiments? On the plus side, I was rather amused by a letter in the TV Times from a lady in Sevenoaks (March 1960) following a documentary about teenagers: "I reassure those who are beginning to fear for the future of England that ... there are teenagers in thousands who, in spite of liking jazz, coffee-bars, and the society of the opposite sex, are both intelligent and well-mannered." It would be nice to think that Queen Elizabeth's helped to contribute to this very promising state of affairs.

49th REPLY

NAME: James (Jas) Cowen    Then & Now

DATE: 28 September 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63

The shop occupied by Cyril Brine in the Arcade [see w12/6] was at the front left looking towards it. I used to think it rather grand that Borehamwood did have an arcade. It seemed to bring a touch of Central London or Southend to the place. I cannot after all these years recall much else that was there, though I think there were some slot machines and also a clothes shop on the other side. It was I recall not a long passage between the 2 sides of the Arcade. Perhaps other old Borehamwood guys have better recall. I do still recall the co-op shop (and our co-op number 1130993), the bike shop and towards the station the ironmonger's shop on that side of the road. Some of the porters from Borehamwood station used to work in the ironmongers when their station shifts allowed and were very friendly guys  On the other side of the road were Kilby's the grocers and Wilkins's the shoe shop, which repaired as many shoes as it sold new.

50th REPLY

NAME: James (Jas) Cowen    Then & Now

DATE: 01 October 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63

In regard to the bus strike of 1958 [replies 21 & 22], I am a little surprised no-one apart from Vic has commented about it. I sometimes have dreams about traumatic experiences in my life such as doing exams or working at jobs with all kinds of almost unsolveable problems. One of these I used to have was cycling to school and wondering which route I should take and how I was going to get there on time. This I believe is a subconscious effect from those days of the bus strike. EHJ in his book An Elizabethan Headmaster refers to the strike very briefly in one paragraph saying it had little effect on pupils absence/presence at school. Was his memory of it correct?

51st REPLY

NAME: Derek Scudder

DATE: 01 October 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

I remember Cyril Brine's shop in the arcade. The arcade itself was, towards the end, a rather sad, shabby place. The only other shop I remember in it was a barber's. I recall the ironmongers as being just down from the Crown, on the same side as the arcade. Other notabe shops in the Village were Alperts, a fairly cheap men's clothing shop and Girlings which was a bit more upmarket. And there was Central Garage which pretty much faced the end of Furzehill Road. I had a part time job there during the winter of 1969/70 to build up funds for a season's racing. Notable customers included Alfie Bass and Graham Hill.

52nd REPLY

NAME: James (Jas) Cowen    Then & Now

DATE: 07 October 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63

Ah yes, Derek, I remember well the Central Garage. That's where I usually filled up my motor bikes and scooters and in early years caught the 107/306 buses to school Most of my holiday jobs were in Barnet (Union Café and High St Greengrocers) but I did work at Bullens, the removal and storage firm at the Red Lion end of B/W, both as a labourer and travelling to the London Docks with a driver to load up the lorry. I enjoyed it all very much. Where did you do your racing you built up funds for? I used to enjoy going to off road trials/scramble races with one of my brother's mates Gary Chapman and his dad/family. I wonder whether you knew them?

53rd REPLY

NAME: James (Jas) Cowen    Then & Now

DATE: 13 October 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63

For any of you old Borehamwood gang who enjoy the nostalgia of bygone years there is a facebook account for the Elstree and Borehamwood museum that is now open at the new civic site at 96 Shenley Road. It is open 12pm to 6 pm Tues/Wed/Thurs and 10am to 3 pm Saturday. On the facebook page pictures may be seen amongst others of Girlings shop, the Borehamwood Ironmongers and Hanson's tearoom. I also enjoyed the views of the Thatched Barn, Keystone Knitting Co. and the old hairdressers in Theobald Street. I enjoyed reading the comments of contributors to the Facebook page and maybe later will add some of my own. I found especially interesting the comments on Girlings, the Ironmongers and Hanson's. Mary Hanson became the first museum chairperson and is still on the committee.

54th REPLY

NAME: Derek Scudder

DATE: 22 October 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1957-64

Interesting to hear the Hanson family are still active in Boreham Wood. When I was working at Central Garage about the only thing to look forward to was going into Hansons for a cup of tea. My racing was strictly road racing - Brands Hatch and the like - starting in 1968 through to 1997. A few wins, a few broken bones but a lot of enjoyment. However I did get talked into passengering a motocross outfit by somebody at Maws when I worked there after leaving school. He was the brother of somebody who Vic may remember - Barbara Sunderland who worked on the packing line. I only did it once, he was a bit of a lunatic and I was petrified. I must have been OK though as he wanted me to do it regularly, but I declined the offer.

55th REPLY

NAME: Vic Coughtrey   Then & Now

DATE: 22 October 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1954-59

Well, well! Barbara Sunderland! I remember her very well, Derek. She worked on the cotton wool packing line fed by the two rows of carding machines that I had to keep going by continuously loading them with laps of raw cotton, wool and silk. She was the only one of those packers who didn't get very angry with me whenever cartons of cotton wool were rejected as being underweight, thus causing the women to lose their bonuses for the week. This happened whenever I failed to keep every single machine loaded (usually due to machine breakdown and therefore not my fault). Although I haven't seen Barbara for 50 years, I can still picture her sunny smile. In fact that's the exact phrase I once used in a tea break: "Barbara, you have such a lovely sunny smile!" She looked very embarassed and said nothing, but a bystander whispered "She's married, you plonker!".

56th REPLY

NAME: James (Jas) Cowen    Then & Now

DATE: 04 November 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63

Last week whilst also going to the OE 40 Club lunch at the Memorial Ground Pavilion I spent some time the previous day in Boreham Wood. In one way it was just like the old days of 50 years ago. There was the High Street i.e. Shenley Road with loads of traffic both ways and the frequent appearance of 107 and 292 buses. A picture in the museum and on their website of the 1960s road looks little different to today. On the other hand of course the shops are all different and there is a big shopping centre of branches of larger chain stores behind Shenley Road with free parking for 3 hours. I went in the museum on the top floor of the new library at 96 Shenley Road and looked at the exhibitions on Hillside School and the film industry employees reminiscences. I understand from Henry Griffiths (ex OE and B/W lad) that some like him who were meant to go to Summerswood School in fact were placed in Hillside. The exhibition will be more relevant to these lads than me.

In regard to other Boreham Wood news the Crown pub is still boarded up and no new development has yet begun. The houses in the Barham Avenue area are still as fabulously large as ever. I used to work down there as a gardener and also visit my Strickland cousins (referred to elsewhere on the site). In the museum I enjoyed looking at books and leaflets on the 1st Elstree scout troup's history, of which I was a member, mainly as a cub scout as well as old photos of Elstree Cricket Club, where I used to go often on Sundays with my Dad. There were files on Furzehill School and pictures of the fire there in 1949. I enjoyed my visit and a taste of the old days. The main street used to be Theobald Street and there was a picture of it from before my time. I bought a framed copy of it and also of the old station.

57th REPLY

NAME: Vic Coughtrey   Then & Now

DATE: 04 November 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: Pupil 1954-59

Although not a Borehamwood boy, I was quite familiar with the place. That was because my dad worked as a machine operator in the Sellotape factory in Manor Way from around 1949 until his death in 1961. Occasionally on Summer Sundays he would take me to Elstree aerodrome, as I was a plane fanatic, and this usually included a stop-off in Borehamwood to show me round the place. I think I was more impressed by the futuristic exterior of the Sellotape factory than by the Ivanhoe set in the grounds of the film studios.

58th REPLY

NAME: James (Jas) Cowen    Then & Now

DATE: 09 November 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: pupil 56-63

Ah yes, Vic, I remember the film sets over the fields by Elstree Way, as no doubt will others. The castle was very visible on the 107/306 bus routes on the way to school. As for the Tapes factory in Manor Way this is also well remembered. Didn't employees have long term service with companies in those days? Of other factories I remember the Praktica factory, where I used to take my SLR cameras for repairs. It was so good to have that locally. Both my dad and I also had short term jobs with Elliot Brothers, the computer company - part of GEC, situated near The Thatched Barn entertaining complex. I would like some time to do a tour of Boreham Wood to see what, if any, of the old factories etc. of 50 years ago remain. I doubt if there is much.

Whilst making various enquiries on the Internet about the Boreham Wood of 50 years ago I came across the Francis Frith site that had photos and Twitter conversations about Boreham Wood as it was then. These were much enjoyed and I have ordered a framed picture from the site of the Crown and JW Roberts office from 1955. I would recommend the site to others.

I have long been a fan of the Francis Frith Collection which has a great collection of photos of towns etc. from the past. The organisation is local to me, being based in Andover, and our main address book is filled with Francis Frith photos and I also have a book from them. Do others enjoy the nostalgia coming from them? The coverage is nation wide.

59th REPLY

NAME: Stephen Giles  

DATE: 10 November 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: inmate 1957-64

I remember going to see bands play at the Thatched Barn. At one time they would be set up on a balcony, which I found very annoying as it was not possible to see which equipment they were using - guitars and amps etc. Then eventually the bands would play at floor level. Funnily enough, if I go to a gig these days, I inspect the band's equipment through my camera (30x zoom) which is doubled by my zoom lens! Last gig we went to was an Any Trouble reunion in London - interesting (Martyn Day) that singer/guitarist Clive Gregson was still using his trusty Vox AC30!

60th REPLY

NAME: Martyn Day   Then & Now

DATE: 18 November 2014

CONNECTION WITH QE: Inmate 1956-63

I played at the Thatched Barn in 1963 with my own band, The Trekkas. Instead of setting up on the balcony as we expected we were told to play underneath it, in what seemed like a large open fronted box. (At the time the balcony was being used for a buffet. Later that night it was clearly being used for other purposes.) Any doubts we might have had about acoustics were quickly and bluntly dismissed by the man with our £25 in his pocket - more than double our usual rate. It was a private 21st Birthday Party. By the time we started playing in our box most of the guests were so relaxed they could hardly stand. I remember one woman commenting that we sounded 'muffled''. I told her that we were trying to recreate the authentic cellar sound of The Cavern in Liverpool. She seemed content and so was the man with the money who actually gave us £30.

At that time I had just started work in the Special FX Department at MGM Studios which was just around the corner. I well remember the back lot and its old film sets [see replies 57 & 58] as I often wandered around there. On one occasion the RAF delivered a load of old Mosquito airframes, built of balsa wood, for a crash sequence in 633 Squadron. Stripped of their two Merlin engines and avionics a gang of riggers appeared able to move them around with ease. Incidentally a music teacher once told me the main musical pulse driving Ron Goodwin's 633 Squadron title theme was "built around a 6-3-3 signature laid over a 4/4 frame!" It's still a favourite toe-tapper at my end of the woods.