1933

1933 - Kelley's Directory once more shows how life in the village was beginning to come into the twentieth century. The list of private residents was increasing ( that is the better off members of the community who wished to be entered into the directory). For the most part the new building going on in the village was of individual reasonable sized dwellings which were given individual names. House numbers didn't generally appear in such a rural location for another few years.

Beer retailing had dwindled to 4 persons, plus Arthur Seabrook at the Leather Bottle. Farming was still the chief occupation in the commercial sector. A new category of farmer - the small holder had appeared in the village with the entry of Joseph Rance, a smallholder of 3 Cox Pond . His daughter, Ivy Durrant kindly let me interview her in 1995. At 82, she remembered well that they moved into the cottages when newly built. Another new entry had appeared, that of a filling station, the internal combustion engine had obviously found its way to Leverstock Green, although the more traditional crafts of the smith and the wheelwright were still present.

The post office would appear to have altered its status, and was now billed as a T. & T.E.D. office (whatever that may mean) The nearest money order office was now noted as being in Hemel Hempstead.

Although no mention was made of them, the village still had its own constable and teachers, now working at the new school in Pancake Lane. Three new professionals entered the scene, a doctor ( Bachelor of Medicine), the district nurse ( Miss Hendry ) and a home tutor for the blind. (Miss Kyrke-Penson) The full list is as follows:

Residents

Robert Adie, Denver, B.E. Joseph Bailey, Chambersbury

Ralph Henry Barbour, Westwick House William Beecham,Wood Lane End

Mrs. Bessant,Tile Kiln, B.E. Mrs. Bridge, The Little Lea

William Charles Child, Hill Side Archie, Fred. Day, Rook's Nest,B.E.

Miss M.O.Dell,Pancake Lane Charles Thos. Drake,Hill House

Rev.Arthur Durrant,Vicarage Charles Lamond Henderson,Ben.End Ho.

Sidney Herbert Lea M.D. Logandene John Art.Marston,Orchard Lea,B.E.

George Miller, Two Ways A.M. Plenderleith, Hill Farm House

Captain Humphrey B. Secretan, M.C. ,The Dells

Mrs. M. Secretan, Tile Kiln Cottage Charles James Turner, The Grange

Malc.R.Webster, St. Michael's End Percy Webster, Sibleys Orchard

Commercial

Marked with * indicates the farm was 150 acres or more.

George Bailey, farmer,Woodside, Bennetts end. Tel. Boxmoor 254X

Joseph Bailey, farmer, Chambersbury. Tel. Boxmoor 255Y

Frederick Boatwright, beer retailer

Frederick Charles Boatwright,farmer

*William A. Bothwell,farmer,Westwick Farm. Tel. Boxmoor 358Y

Albert Edwards, dairyman,Wellswood Farm

George, Albert, & Herbert Finch, farmers Corner Farm

Miss Mary E. Hendry, district nurse, Curtis Road

Miss Kyrke-Penson, Casa Lasata (Hertfordshire Society for the Blind.

Roland Frederick Houston, grocer and post office.

George Douglas Little, farmer, Westwick Hall Farm

George Arthur Mears,A.F.C.L. smith

Albert Mitchell, beer retailer

Harry Parradine, farmer, Little Coxpond Farm

James Meads Porter,beer retailer

Joseph Rance, smallholder, 3 Coxpond

Arthur Seabrook, Leather Bottle P.H.,Tel. Boxmoor 463X

Walter James Seabrook, beer retailer, Bennetts End, Tel. 355

Roderick ( or Rodney ) Sears, builder

James Sherfield, dairy farmer, Kiln Dairy

William Alfred Skeggs, grocer

MIss Emma Sollaway, shopkeeper

George Frederick Sygrave, refreshment rooms, Fordside

THREE HORSESHOES FILLING STATION : proprietor, Geo.Membery & Leonard F.Wells

Arthur Webber, farmer, Leverstock Green Farm

Robert William Wright,wheelwright and parish clerk.

11th January 1933 - At St. Albans Crown Court before Judge William Moore , Messrs Geo. F. Dell and sons of Leverstock Green sued A. E. Cooper of 28 Rucklers Lane for £4 11s 6d in respect of goods supplied. No defence was given and the defendant was ordered ro pay at 4s a month. [ Herts Advertiser & St. Albans Times January 14th 1933.]

20th January 1933 - The Herts Advertiser reported the death, following a five year illness, of Mrs. B. Wilkins of 8 Curtis Road. The funeral service was held in the Baptist Chapel, followed by internment in Holy Trinity's church yeard. [ Herts Advertiser & St. Albans Times January 20th 1933.]

20th January 1933 - The Herts Advertiser also reported that Mr. William Edward Barker of Blacksmith's Row was involved with a collission with an omnnibus traveling towards St. Albans . [ Herts Advertiser & St. Albans Times January 20th 1933.]

3rd February 1933 - After obtaining estimates for five lamps to be erected in Leverstock Green , St. Albans Council decided not to proced with the lighting plans owing to the fact that much of Leverstock Green currently within the District of St. Albans was soon to be transfered to Hemel Hempstead . [ Herts Advertiser & St. Albans Times February 3rd 1933.]

11th February 1933 - The Gazette reported that Lady Clayton East Clayton, daughter of the Rev. Arthur Durrant of Leverstock Green, was to start on a flight to the Libyan Desert in search for the lost Oasis of Zerrura. Flying in her own aeroplane, Lady Clayton East Clayton was to take with her a reserve pilot and maps left by her husband, who had undertaken a similar search the previous year. Sir Robert Clayton East Clayton had failed to find the oasis. but instead had been lost in the desert for five days. On returning to England he had later died from a form of infantile paralysis contracted whilst in Libya. See page on Dorothy Durrant.[ Gazette 11/2/33 ]

3rd March 1933 - The Herts Advertiser reported the death on this date of Mr. Reuben Seabrook of Bennetts End, and father of Fred Seabrook who had acheived notoriety over the romance with Lorna Durrant. He had suffered from a long and painful illness and died at the age of 77. No mention in the mourners was made of Fred Seabrook. [ Herts Advertiser & St. Albans Times March 10th 1933]

3rd March 1933 - The Herts Advertiser further reported that: "Through the generosity of friends, a stained glass window and new choir stalls have been erected in the church ( Holy Trinity ) in memory of the soldiers of the parish who were killed during the first world war." [ Herts Advertiser & St. Albans Times March 3rd 1933.] See Serving Kig & Country.

4th March 1933 - Rev. Durrant announced that the Bishop of St. Albans would be visiting Leverstock Green for moring service on March 26th to consecrate the new altar and to dedicate the new window and choir stalls which were being provided as a memorial to the soldiers of the parish who were killed in the war. He also indicated he would be happy to receivefurther offereings to help beautify the chancel. The stained glass window inserted int he north wall of the chancel shows St. Michael and St. Gabriel and bears the inscription: "Remember O Lord, Thy servants the soldiers of this parish who died for their King and country in the war 1914-18." A photograph of the new window was included in the photographic roundup in the Herts Advertiser for 10th March. It was also given to be understood that the Countess of Verulam would unveil the window on March 26th . [ Herts Advertiser & St. Albans Times March 10th 1933] See Serving King & Country.

13th March 1933 - Mr. Ayre reported in the school log book that "Class I visited the Lime Kiln this pm. to see Lime making." This would have reffered to the kiln on the edge of what is now Jarmans Field, near to Lime Walk, Bennetts End. [S73]

24th March 1933 - The records of Horn & Co, Undertakers from Marlowes show the following entry:

Ref 249/ Deceased: Mitchell, Kathleen

DATE OF DEATH: 24.3.1933

NOTE: She was 27 years old and the funeral was held on 29.3.1933 at the cemetery.

ADDRESS: Crabtree, Leverstock Green, Hemel Hempstead

[DCHT Undertaker's Records, Horn & Co http://www.hertsmuseums.org.uk/dacorum/funindex.htm ]

15th June 1933: -The records of Horn & Co, Undertakers from Marlowes show the following entry:

Ref 271/ Deceased / gentleman : Bessant, Charles Henry

DATE OF DEATH: 15.6.1933

NOTE: He was 78 years old and the funeral was held on 17.6.1933 at Leverstock Green Church

ADDRESS: Tile Kiln, Bennetts End, Hemel Hempstead

[DCHT Undertaker's Records, Horn & Co http://www.hertsmuseums.org.uk/dacorum/funindex.htm ]

13th July 1933 - The records of Horn & Co, Undertakers from Marlowes show the following entry:

Ref 284/ Deceased: Greenaway, James Thomas

DATE OF DEATH: 31.7.1933

NOTE: He was 70 years old and the funeral was held on 3.8.1933 at Leverstock Green Church

ADDRESS: 60 Kingsland Road, Boxmoor

[DCHT Undertaker's Records, Horn & Co http://www.hertsmuseums.org.uk/dacorum/funindex.htm ]

September 15th 1933 - Lady Clayton East Clayton, nee Dorothy Durrant, daughter of the Rev. Arthur Durrant, vicar of Leverstock Green, who had herself been brought up in Leverstock Green, was killed when she fell from an aeroplane at Brooklands ( near Weybridge in Surrey). See Dorothy Durrant. The machine was taxiing along the ground at about 60 miles an hour, just before taking off, when Lady Clayton East Clayton fell or jumped from the cockpit, hitting the gound with great force. She died within an hour of being admitted to hospital from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Half a century later in the Vintage Aircraft Magazine, (No 28, Autumn 1983), the following eyewitness account of Lady Dorothy's death was reported by Bill Boddy in his reminiscences on Brooklands as he remembered it:

"..........But there was a dark side. I was there when Lady Clayton East-Clayton somehow contrived to fall out of her Spartan Arrow right in front of the Clubhouse as she was taking off one September morning in 1933. Her injuries were fatal and the aeroplane had to remain there until the Air Ministry Accident Inspector arrived, to Duncan Davis' disgust as he thought this unconduisive to Club recruitment.".

The article also included a stunning aerial view of the Brooklands Aero Club, and surrounding race track, as well as a photograph of Lady Dorothy's Spartan Arrow plane, A-CHF - before the fatal accident.

The following was among the first items in William Hickey's now famous society column in The Daily Express. In the edition for September 16th 1933, at the very end of The Names Make News column, was a small paragraph as follows:

KILLED YESTERDAY IN UNUSUAL AIRPLANE CRASH.

LADY CLAYTON EAST CLAYTON

Young attractive widow of young 9th Baronet.

Married February 1932, husband died September 1932.

Launched only a few weeks ago, new hairdressing fashion:

over and through her blond hair were a sleek natural

looking lock of black.

WILLIAM HICKEY

[ Gazette, 23/9/33, S307, S308]

September 18th 1933 - This was the date of the inquest on Dorothy Clayton East Clayton nee Durrant. Full details are given on the page devoted to Dorothy Durrant.

(The article also included two photographs, one of Lady Clayton, a close-up of her face in her flying helmet. It is difficult to tell from the photo if it was taken at the time of her leap from the plane, or whether it was reproduced from another occasion. Under the photo was the caption: Lady Clayton jumped from her airplane at fifty miles an hour. The other photo was of Flying Officer William Kent who gave evidence at one of the other inquests.)

"Death by Misadventure" was returned in each of the three inquests held at Weybridge yesterday on the victims of the tragic sequence of fatalities at Brooklands on Friday and Saturday.

7th November 1933 - In the Wills and Bequests section of "The Times" was the following: "Dame Dorothy Mary Clayton East Clayton of Maidenhead Berkshire, explorer and traveller, who died at Brooklands on September 15th, left estate of the gross value of £2, 843 with net personality of £728." [ The Times, 7th November 1933.] (See entries under September 15th 1933)