Weekly news from Bedford, UK

During this period childen are around the streets with the Trick or Treat game. Though, speaking personally, I don't like the Halloween practice, for the most part it is harmless fun for children.

But sometimes it can be threatening to people when they hear a knock on the door in the evening, and sometimes it leads to people feelng intimidated.

So Beds on Sunday leads with a warming: Children out trick or treating this Halloween (October 31) could face a night in the cells.

Officers plan to open up the custodial facilities at Ampthill Police Station and any children caught pelting people or houses with eggs and flour are likely to end up behind bars for the rest of the evening.

Police in Shefford and Ampthill have issued a letter to schools in Mid-Bedfordshire informing pupils that officers will be dealing positively with people whose behaviour is anti-social.

The letter from PC Nick Battams, beat manager for Shefford, reads: 'Each year Bedfordshire Police receive calls regarding the behaviour of a few thoughtless individuals whose actions bring alarm, distress and misery to many.

'Sadly, incidents of eggs and flour being thrown at people and their property under the 'Trick or Treat' guise are increasing. When the elderly and vulnerable are victims, then the remnants of someone's so-called 'fun night out' may well be there for sometime. It becomes a constant reminder and causes the same emotional distress as if the incident had just occurred.'

Extra police will also be on patrol across Mid Bedfordshire to combat any problems on the witching night.

Officers are also advising parents to supervise young children as much for their own safety as the safety of others.

A spokesman for Bedfordshire Police added:

"If your children are found engaged in such activity, they will be arrested for the offence of public nuisance and taken to Ampthill police station where custody facilities will be available.

"Acceptable behaviour contracts will also be considered. Halloween can be spent enjoyably by young people without the necessity of causing residents discomfort."

A murder suspect Abdul Rashid was arrested as he stepped off a plane.

The mutilated body of Amjad Farooq was discovered in a field in Silsoe seven years ago.

Mr Rashid, 32, from Luton, appeared before Bedford Magistrates' Court on Friday morning accused of the murder of Mr Farooq.

Because of the seriousness of the case the bench has sent the case straight to Luton Crown Court.

Mr Rashid was arrested directly off a plane that flew into London Heathrow Airport from Pakistan on Wednesday afternoon on an international warrant.

He was named as wanted by Bedfordshire Police in 1998 in connection with the murder of Mr Farooq.

Amjad Farooq's body was discovered in a field in Silsoe on August 13 1998.

His mutilated body was found fully-clothed by a woman taking an early morning walk near Newbury Farm.

The 38-year-old was abducted from his home in Honeyhill Road, Queens Park, Bedford. A neighbour had phoned the police earlier that evening to say a man had been bundled into a car and driven off.

Nine members of Mr Farooq's family from Luton and Wakefield, Yorkshire, were originally charged with his murder in 1999. Two were later convicted at Luton Crown Court in 2000.

Mr Rashid was remanded in custody. He will appear at Luton Crown Court later this month.

THE Government arbitration service moved into new offices eight months ago, spent £70,000 tarting them up - and is now moving out.

The Arbitration, Conciliation and Advisory Service(ACAS) moved its offices to Priory Business Park in February.

It then spent the next few weeks redecorating and refurbishing the building.

Now it looks as though the operation will be moved to Bury St Edmunds, where ACAS has its regional office.

An ACAS spokeswoman said:

"The future of the office is under consideration. We did move office in February because the lease had expired on our former premises.I cannot confirm the cost of refurbishment."

(And who pays???)

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was stabbed on the doorstep of his own home.

The incident happened in Rendlesham Walk, Bedford, at around 3.30pm on Thursday, September 29, after a row between the victim and a second man.

The victim received cuts to his head, face and neck and stab wounds to his back and was in hospital for two days.

A man has been charged in connection with the incident but police still want to hear from anyone who saw what happened.

BoS reports that a Ugandan asylum seeker, who was being held at Yarl's Wood, has been sent home without her three children.

Earlier this week an African newspaper reported that Rose Nammi, one of several women who was on hunger strike at the centre, was forcibly put on a plane and returned to Uganda without the youngsters, one of who is only three.

Legal experts say this is the first case to come to light of a mother being removed from Britain without her dependent children.

"We are not talking about terrorists here. We are talking about a family," Usha Sood, the lawyer for the three children, told The Times newspaper.

Like several of the women on hunger strike in Yarl's Wood, Mrs Nammi said she fled Uganda after being repeatedly raped. When her husband disappeared, she organised her escape, taking her three children with her.

But the Home Office refused her application for political asylum and a subsequent appeal in 2002 did not take place as she was unable to attend.

Last month, the Yarl's Wood women issued a statement through their support network saying: 'Despite Uganda being cited as one of the safer and more stable African countries, we were raped, beaten, imprisoned and then forced to flee for our lives. If we return, our lives will be in great danger.'

The Home Office will not comment on individual cases but insists all asylum application cases are looked at carefully and anyone has the right of appeal whatever their country of origin.

It denies that anyone is sent back to a country where their life could be in danger.

Leading veterinary charity, PDSA, is counting the cost after charity bags left outside homes in Biggleswade were stolen by bogus collectors.

The organisation's Stevenage shop raises funds to provide free veterinary treatment in the local area where the PDSA's PetAid practice service welcomes the sick and injured pets of people in need.

Distributors had handed out bags to collect old clothes across the Biggleswade area but shop manager, Anne Williams, said:

"Our stock collector expected to pick up a substantial number of PDSA sacks this morning and was astounded to discover they had been taken.

"It is appalling that a charity helping pets in need of vets has been treated in this way.

Taxis taking children to and from school are costing the county council £14,000 per day.

The taxpayers' annual cab bill comes to £2,676,000.

The taxis are mainly used to take children with special educational needs but also includes taxis for families who need support.

One county councillor believes a more imaginative approach could be used. Cllr John Mingay said:

"In most other countries there are dedicated school buses.

"On the one hand we seem to have problems providing standard school transport and on the other we have these costs.

"Perhaps it is time to look at what it would cost to run our own school mini buses."

A Bedfordshire County Council spokesman confirmed the cost as:

• Special Education Needs journeys - 192 routes at a daily cost of £11,616

• Mainstream education journeys - 70 routes at £2,469 a day.

Based on a 190-day school year this gives an annual figure of £2,676,150

Cllr Peter Hollick, Bedfordshire County Council cabinet member for education, said:

"Our school transport service is a cost-effective solution that is much cheaper to run than the service provided by neighbouring counties.

"It is particularly important to children and young people who have special educational needs that are best met in other parts of the county to where they live.

"The use of taxis means that we can provide these point-to-point journeys more cost effectively than other forms of transport."

(I have not checked on this, but I believe that John Mingay is a Town, not a County Councillor. Unless he is both, which must make him an extraordinarily busy man!)

Campaigners opposed to late night drinking applications are hoping that planning law may be on their side.

The J D Wetherspoon-run Bankers Draft in High Street, formerly the Mildand Bank almost opposite Porter Blacks, recently had a licensing application for extended hours approved by Bedford Borough Council.

Unfortunately for the public house, they also have a condition in their 1999 planning application that restricts them from being open after 11.30pm.

Planning inspector at the time, Eric Searle, reported that:

'The council is concerned about general disturbance outside of the premises if the change of use takes place.

'At night there is a more lively atmosphere but as the proposal is for a public house with normal operating hours I do not believe that, of itself, it would create disturbances unacceptable in a town centre location, where a variety of uses to keep the centre alive are encouraged by both national guidance and by the council.'

Wetherspoon have put in a new planning application to try and get the condition removed, but objector Dan Levene is trying to get the council to reject this. Mr Levene, who lives in Castle Road, said:

"It seems bizarre that the licensing committee have granted permission for this pub to serve alcohol until 3am despite planning conditions.

"Pub chains have employed barristers to find loopholes in the licensing laws, so it's only fair that residents are able to find a loophole that actually works in their favour for a change."

A spokesman for Wetherspoon said:

"Like many other companies, we are taking advantage of current licensing laws so that its pubs can stay open longer for responsible drinking.

"In this particular case we are aware of the conditions imposed and our legal department are dealing with the planning services in an attempt to get it removed. This would mean that Wetherspoon will be able to use its extended license within the permit of the law."

Although no date has been confirmed, it is thought that the planning application will be heard at the next committee meeting on Monday October 17.

Last week I reported on the death of Ronnie Barker, one of the leading comedians of the last century. Now BoS reports that one of Bedford's most famous sons could be honoured in the same way as John Bunyan and Trevor Huddleston.

Following the death of Ronnie Barker on Monday, Bedford Borough Council is being urged to erect a statue in his memory.

The Comedy Statue Society have sent a letter to Bedford Mayor, Frank Branston, and other councillors asking them to consider marking Ronnie Barker's life with a statue in the town where he was born. They believe that a statue would be a fitting memorial and would also attract more tourists to the town.

There is already a blue plaque outside 70 Garfield Street, to mark the site where Ronnie Barker was born in 1929.

Mayor of Bedford, Frank Branston said:

"I would certainly be interested in talking about the matter. There is, of course, the small matter of who would pay for it. I recall that the cost of the statue of Nelson Mandela proposed for Trafalgar Square was more than £400,000.

"According to the obituaries, while Ronnie Barker was born in Bedford he left when he was four. His subsequent career had no connection with Bedford. Nevertheless, I would be happy to discuss it."

Ronald William George Barker was born on September 25 in Garfield Street, Bedford, but lived in Oxford from the age of four. He first worked in a bank, but had been performing and stage managing with amateur dramatic societies for 18 months when he left to go into the professional theatre.

Ronnie Barker will be best known for his roles in three television productions; The Two Ronnies, Porridge and Open All Hours. Along with Ronnie Corbett, The Two Ronnies was first broadcast in 1971 and ran for 13 years, being repeated many times afterwards.

Porridge was the first television comedy to be set in a prison and starred Barker as the lovable rogue Fletcher who was always trying to get one over on other prisoners and the guards.

Open All Hours saw Barker team up with David Jason to play the ever so tight-fisted and lecherous shopkeeper Arkwright, who could never quite get the till to work.

All three programmes secured Barker's place as one of Britain's best loved comedy actors and writers. Barker penned most of his material under the names Gerald Wiley, Jonathan Cobbold and Jack Goetz.

Despite being at the height of his fame in the 1980's and commanding audiences of over 15 million people Barker retired and decided to open up an antiques shop.

Barker did briefly return from retirement to appear with Ronnie Corbett at the 1997 Royal Variety Performance and he also picked up a lifetime achievement award at last year's BAFTA ceremony.

Ronnie Barker is survived by his wife Joy and their three children.

SIR - With regards to the cost of spending a penny on the market square, I wonder if the health and safety people get a kick out of wasting our money.

Any such problems should have been ironed out initially and not when the job is nearly complete.

While I appreciate there is a need for health and safety I wish they would just get on with their job and stop trying to cause as much trouble and expense as they can.

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SIR - Cllr Will Hunt says that the Western Bypass would be a huge relief for the people of Kempston (Bedfordshire on Sunday, October 2) as 1,500 cars an hour come through the town.

Well Mr Hunt, I suggest you publish the figures that confirm 1,500 cars do come through the town every hour.

This may happen for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening, but not all day.

To improve traffic flow the road lay-out needs to be improved at bus stops where buses cause long queues behind them as happens at shops outside Natwest Bank and Cutler Hammer sports ground.

The bypass is an environmental disaster, cutting through swathes of countryside just so traffic can queue to get off the roundabouts at each end, as happens every day at the Kempston interchange roundabout.

So Mr Hunt, publish the figures showing cars per hour going through Kempston.

As for those of us who want to keep some green areas in Kempston rural we just have to bide our time until elections come around and we can rid ourselves of those who ride roughshod over public opinion.

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SIR - It's so easy to complain these days just about any and everything.

A couple of weeks ago you ran an advertisement for The Anchor at Tempsford, and yes I booked in.

Boy what a surprise my wife and I received, it was absolutely fantastic.

I wish the new owners well and I have now made it a regular visit. On Friday night we had a fantastic meal, followed by a cabaret.

I don't expect you to print this as I said earlier all we do is complain. This instance a little praise is well worth it.

Well done The Anchor.

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SIR - I support the action of Mike Berrill, principal of Biddenham Upper School in relation to the pupil smoking an illegal substance on a bus.

I have every confidence that Mr Berrill and the school will find the right balance.

To your letter writer last week, P Begley, I would like to point out that as adults we ourselves are not perfect.

So it is with youngsters and without condoning any wrongdoing, our disapproval needs to be tempered with understanding.

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SIR - With regard to the article, 'Boy, 5, left scarred by broken glass': I have lived in Cranfield for 28 years and watched the deterioration of the village parks and then the wonderful upgrading with the new equipment.

However, I deplore the needless vandalism that takes place leaving dangerous shards of green glass hidden in the grass where unsuspecting children, animals and adults may fall.

I took my two-year-old grandaughter and her dog to the main village park the other week and found to my horror smashed bottles of wine and beer, empty beer pack boxes, plastic bags from local shops nearby and beer bottles rammed so hard into every hole in the lovely wooden play frame that the only way to remove them was to break them, leaving jagged glass for children to put their hands, faces and bodies on.

How thoughtless.

I only hope that the teenagers who create this dangerous mess and the shopkeepers who supply the alcohol to underage drinkers (if they were older they would sit in the pub in warmth and comfort) think twice in future what they are doing.

As for cleaning up the park, I spent half an hour with another grandmother clearing up glass and putting it in the bags that were lying around but I was still concerned that someone would fall on that or into the overflowing bins.

The village community voted to save the park so please can it be kept clean and safe otherwise why did we bother going to all the trouble of setting up the voting and saying what we wanted for the future?

Certainly when the police supplied the means for the teenagers to skateboard for a few weeks they seemed very happy with that and were actively occupied.

The 'muga' I am sure will help but maybe if we just ask the young people what they want, like they have in Marston, then perhaps we can avoid this vandalism in the future.

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• SIR - After reading the article on the five-year-old boy scarred by broken glass I felt sick to the stomach.

The little boy is my grandson, who since the accident has been to hospital four times, with more appointments booked, and been to the doctors. His leg is now infected.

What really makes my blood boil is that Cllr Ken Matthews is basically saying this is going to happen again before anything is done.

This is not acceptable.

I have witnessed first hand the distress my grandson Lewis is going through by constant visits to the hospital, not going to school and not having friends round to play because his leg has to be kept up.

Something must be done before another child is scarred for life.

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SIR - After reading again about yet another plan to build a warehouse next to Cardington's Hangars, I have an idea.

I think the hangars and the open ground near them should be declared world heritage site.

The hangars are not just a part of Bedford's history they are part of the history of England and the world.

They should be used by the county council as a way to bring tourists to Bedford.

We should be proud of their past in the history of England and not as a building site.

THE leader of a Bedford-based Nazi party faces prison for stirring up race hate.

Kevin Quinn (pictured) , 40, of Ouseland Road, admitted in the Old Bailey on Tuesday that he possessed the racially inflammatory material, 'The Longest Hatred'.

Father-of-four Quinn, who is the national director for the November 9th Society, was being tried with five members of the extreme right-wing group the Racial Volunteer Force, an offshoot of Combat 18.

The five were accused of targeting Jewish, Muslim and black people in Britain by promoting revolution and violence in their magazine 'Stormer' and on a website.

All six were charged after a national police operation involving forces from Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire, Surrey, London, Merseyside and Manchester.

Originally the six had pleaded not guilty to race hate charges but changed their pleas at the start of the trial after legal arguments.

Quinn and the other five defendants will be sentenced by Judge Jeremy Roberts, QC, at the Old Bailey on November 3 or 4 after reports have been filed.

Plans to reopen one of Bedford's biggest pubs are in the hands of a national restaurant chain.

Porter Black's, in High Street, Bedford, closed its doors more than 12 months ago after the company, which owned the sports bar - Porter Black Holdings - went into receivership.

The pub has remained closed since.

But now a premises licence application has been lodged by national restaurant chain Blubeckers. A spokesman for Blubeckers said:

"We have applied for a premises licence but we are open minded about what might happen.

" We are in the process of trying to obtain the freehold. We might sell the property afterwards but it is more attractive if it has a licence.

"At the moment we don't have any plans to open it as a Blubecker restaurant."

Plans to turn Bedford's art gallery and museum into a 21st century national attraction are gathering pace.

An application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £4.9million has resulted in the need for further research to be undertaken.

The Lottery is then due to make its decision next year following detailed assessment of the bid.

A further endorsement of the project from the Government has come from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which has invited the project to apply for £2million towards costs.

The Art Gallery and Museum are seen as major assets in the development of the cultural quarter of the town at Castle Lane.

The new development will see a joined up Art Gallery and Museum with state-of-the-art facilities that will enable many of the world famous collections to be on display in dedicated spaces for the first time.

The project will show Bedford's unique collections and put Bedford on the map as a destination for cultural excellence.

The Art Gallery and Museum will have:

• new exhibition galleries for Bedford's collection of paintings, prints, ceramics, glass, furniture, costume, and local heritage including archaeology, natural sciences and community and industrial heritage.

• Touring exhibitions from national galleries - the Tate, British Museum and the V&A.

• A dedicated gallery for watercolours to regularly show the jewels of the collection Turner, Gainsborough, Constable, Rossetti, Freud and more.

• A new gallery to tell the story of Bedford, including the history of Bedford Castle.

• New spaces for education programmes for children, young people and adults including the use of computer technology and on-line learning.

• Plenty of 'hands-on' activities.

• A new cafe and shop.

• Improved storage conditions that will conserve the collections for future generations and that allow public access behind the scenes.

Bedfordshire County Council, Autoglass, Charles Wells Brewery, Lousada PLC and the East of England Development Agency are the latest organisations which have expressed support and are looking to work in partnership with Cecil Higgins Art Gallery and Bedford Museum.

They join Bedford Borough Council, the Bedford Charity and the Wixamtree Trust which pledged their support for the project following a feasibility study last year.

Mark Taylor, director of the Museums Association, said:

"Bedford is fortunate to have such excellent collections at the Art Gallery and Museum.

"The plans will ensure that more of the collections can be on display and galleries can be brought up to date to meet the expectations of today's visitors."

Pensioners are fighting for the right to train in gyms free of charge.

Biggleswade and District Pensioners Association is proposing to ask Mid Bedfordshire District Council to offer free use of fitness facilities in the area.

The group want the council to offer members of bona fide pension groups the opportunity to use Flitwick Leisure Centre, Biggleswade Saxon Pool and Sandy Sports Centre during off-peak times.

Pensioners currently have to pay between £20 and £25 membership for the gyms as well as £2.50 per session and they feel that the price is too high.

Chairman of the association, Ken Lynch, said:

"This campaign is designed to improve the quality of life for pensioners in Mid Beds.

"The Government want pensioners to be more active and if the council agree to our request it will mean many more pensioners are able to use their nearest gym.

"With rises in council tax as well as gas and electricity, it's no wonder pensioners cannot afford to stay fit and healthy."

A spokesman for Mid Bedfordshire District Council said:

"We are very much in support of older people in the district keeping healthy and fit.

"We promote equal and fair access to all and discounts are only given on a means-tested rather than age-related basis.

"It is highly unlikely that we could agree to this request, which would require not only a change in our agreed policy on concessions by council but also an impact on all council taxpayers.

"The three leisure facilities are designed to operate at the minimum subsidy to the council tax payer and any cost of concessions such as these would have to be borne by council tax payers whether they used the facilities or not."

Plans for a tidy tip next to a busy park have been criticised by Conservative councillors.

In the middle of next year the Barkers Lane tidy tip in Bedford - run by the county council - is due to close on a temporary basis while major improvements are undertaken.

The county council is currently considering whether to provide 'bring to' sites while the work is done.

It has approached private land owners and the borough council as to whether any suitable alternatives can be found.

So far up to 15 sites are being considered for temporary tips, including the borough council owned former nursery in Mowsbury Park, off Kimbolton Road.

The news hasn't been greeted well by some Conservative borough councillors. Cllr Andrew McConnell said:

"Changes to the facilities at the Barkers Lane site are well overdue and I welcome moves by the county council to improve these facilities.

"However, proposals to use the former nurseries in Mowsbury Park are completely unacceptable.

"This is too close to a residential area and the extra noise and traffic congestion caused would be unacceptable.

"I am also concerned this could be the thin of the edge of the wedge. With 500 new homes already due to be built in Brickhill, any changes at the former nursery site could lead to future development of Mowsbury Park - we must stop this from happening. I am seeking reassurances that it will be protected from development."

The Times&Citizen reports that a mum whose son was left severely disabled because of complications during his birth has told of her relief at winning £2.9 million in damages from Bedford Hospital.

Jolon Pendergast, 12, suffers from a string of neurological problems because of delays during his birth.

His mum, Sue, claimed medical negligence and has fought an 11-year battle for compensation from the NHS hospital trust.

This week the High Court in London approved a £2.9 million settlement which should ensure Jolon, a pupil at Ridgeway School in Kempston, receives the care he needs for the rest of his life.

Sue, 36, said:

"It's been 11 years and it just seemed endless. The realisation that it has actually finished means we don't have to look at the past now and can look to the future.

"But it's still very difficult to take in and not quite real.

"It's a real weight off. We can relax a bit and know he will be cared for now. I now know that we can be a family and we will not lose him."

When Sue was pregnant with Jolon she had requested a caesarean section for various personal reasons but a combination of factors meant that she had to give birth naturally and Jolon got stuck in her pelvis.

He spent the next few weeks on a life support system and five weeks in special care. During the following years he was diagnosed with a string of developmental, behavioural and neurological problems.

He suffers from epileptic fits, lower limb motor neurone problems, illnesses relating to cerebral palsy and other neurological problems. Doctors have said he has a life expectancy of just 17 to 18.

Their compensation battle began a year after he was born and finished in an out-of-court settlement earlier this week.

The hospital trust's QC David Westcott said his clients admitted a "limited" breach of duty in accepting that Jolon's delivery "ought to have occurred 14 minutes earlier". But the trust disputed that his developmental problems were caused by the delay.

Sue, of Church End, Arlesey, said:

"They did not admit full liability but we got an apology. Funnily enough, that was all we wanted in the first place.

"If we had been given an honest apology we probably would not have fought so hard for this.

"Without them offering us one made us more upset and more determined to get to the bottom of it."

Despite the lengthy legal battle against the trust, Sue is full of praise for Bedford Hospital, which she said has been excellent in caring for him since his birth.

She and her husband Jason, 37, are now planning for the future and hope to make Jolon's life as comfortable as possible.

Sue said: "We don't want things to change too much, we want things to stay pretty much as they are but with a bit of support.

"It really hasn't sunk in yet. Once the ball starts moving it will start sinking in but it hasn't yet.

"We can close the door now and look to the future and we are looking forward to giving him a more stimulating life and for him to experience things."

It was 75 years ago this week that one of the most famous disasters in British airship history shook Bedfordshire.

The R101 crashed in northern France on October 5, 1930, and was a heavy blow to the morale and prestige of post-war Britain.

Nowhere was it felt more heavily than in Bedford, as the giant airship had been built in Cardington, and its construction had been the main focus of local people for several years.

The Bedfordshire Times wrote: "The sympathy of the civilised world will be with the
community whose very existence was bound up with the building and prosperity of the R101.

"For eight years that band of brothers has been dedicated to the great enterprise.

"Less than a week ago a packed crew sailed with such anticipation, such hopes and fears.
"Today, with few exceptions, they lie at peace, in the silent majesty of death."

The R101 first flew in October 1929, when more than a million saw it take to the skies above Bedford.

After that the pilots never let it fly without doing a lap of the area so that townsfolk could see her, a fact which helped cement the R101's place in local hearts.

As the newspaper put it, the leaders of the scheme, "had become households names ... whose personalities were the subject of daily contact in life in Bedfordshire".

One year later the fateful final flight took place saw the ship leave Bedford at 7.36pm
following another circle around the town.

It headed towards London, and as it passed over Hitchin some claimed they could already see her tipping slightly at the nose.

At 10pm the ship was over the Kentish coast and by midnight it reached France, bound toward Paris. But it never got that far.

In the early hours the R101 crashed at the little village of Allonne, close to Beauvais, and burst into flames. Just six men survived while 48 perished.

The Bedfordshire Times reported: "Bedford's beautiful buoyant cathedral of steel lies broken on the fields of France, but France and Beauvais have done what they could.

"They have accorded our dead the highest honours. And Bedford will do no different."
The dead ranked from the Air Minister, and two of his directors, to the 18-year-old
galley boy.

And the disaster shocked Britain, with Bedford plunged into mourning.

The crew and passengers were buried on October 11 at St Mary's Churchyard in Cardington, and the town drew to a respectful halt.

Businesses and restaurants closed by decree of the Bedford Chamber of Trade, and visiting mourners were advised to make their own arrangements for lunch.

The Master Bakers' Association called an emergency meeting and decided there would be no baking or delivery.

The fish-fryers of Bedford closed all day, and not a single pub or house of entertainment opened before 6pm.

A procession across London took the bodies to Euston, and The Bedfordshire Times filled several paragraphs listing who marshaled the route.

All three armed services sent detachments, bands and chiefs of staff, who were accompanied by police and relatives.

A second procession met the coffins at St John's Station, and a two-and-a-half mile route took them to their final resting place.

Even then the spectacle was not over. A huge 30-foot grave had been dug, with a sloping bank, so the deceased could be marched in and placed, rather than lowered down.

And, at St Paul's Cathedral a national memorial service took place, attended by the Prince of Wales, showing the respect paid by the whole country.

May I wish you a restful week ahead

Robert

Week ending 15 October 2005