Somme Casualty: Leonard Fisher of Redbourn

Leonard George Fisher (1892-1916) of Redbourn was one of the Hertfordshire men who died in the battle for the Somme in 1916.

Jonathan has kindly provided a biography - including details of the battles he fought in.

See Leonard FISHER

Anti-Aircraft Guns in Hemel area in 1918

Some of Harry Chandler's memories of Hemel Hempstead during the First World War have been posted on Facebook. He mention the searchlight and anti-aircraft gun east of Randall Park. These installations are described in The London Gunner comes to Town as follows:

In the autumn [of 1917] the plans for the air defences of London included a ring of anti­-aircraft guns and searchlights which were stronger to the north and east of the city. Several smaller units were based in the Hemel Hempstead area and the Management and Estates Committee asked Waiter Locke to negotiate with the military authorities about the proposed searchlight station in Randall Park. This was the westernmost of a series of 3" 20cwt gun stations and searchlight posts which stretched across Hertfordshire. The western approaches to London were defended by searchlight stations armed with 18 pounder guns (a modified version of those being used by the Royal Field Artillery in France). These formed a line starting at Gadebridge. and running south through Boxmoor. Bovingdon and Flaunden. It seems very likely that these guns were never used in anger, as no later German it attacks, either by Zeppelin or aeroplane, came so far west.

So now we know why George moved down in the world

Help Desk

Redbourn

Divorces were uncommon in Victorian times - and when they did happen they could be very expensive. When Carole contacted me about George Thomas Saunders of St Agnells Farm, Redbourn, nearly two years ago it was clear that something had happened in about 1865 to explain why he was an apparently well-to-do farmer in the 1861 census - and a mere farm servant, with a different wife - in 1871. Thanks to Sarah we now know that there was a messy divorce case in 1866, followed by his going bankrupt. [Details]

Latest Issue of Herts Past & Present

Hertfordshire Association
 for Local History

The Spring 2013 Issue of Herts Past and Present has now been published and the articles in this issue are

• Brief Guide to Sources: Vestry Minutes - by David Short
• King Aethelred's land grant of 1 hide at Flamstead to St Albans monastry, 1005: Bounds centred upon Lybury Lane, Redbourn, by Victor S. White
• Traditional Woodland Management in South-East Hertfordshire, by Peter Austin
• The Role of the St Albans City Military Service Tribunal in the First World War, by Jonathan Mein and Anne Wares
• Golf in Hertfordshire, 1890-1912, by Julie Moore

Redbourn Memories - The Football Club and much more

I have just added a copy of Redbourn Memories by Geoff Web to my reference library. Like his other book The Character of Redbourn it contains a large number of photographs including people - with names. For instance the Redbourn Football Team is pictured in 1899, 1906/7, c 1909, c 1910, 1912/13, c 1920, 1923/24, c 1925, 1930/31, 1935, 1937, c 1948, c 1950 and 1955. There are many other group pbotographs - of the schools and the boys football team, and also of Redbourn Cricket Club (earliest picture c 1890).

Redbourn Football Club - 1899

Back Row: ? Carke, ? Belshaw, J. Holtham, --, Walter Hyde, Sam Skillman, Perce Jarman, ? Arnold, John Sansom, ? Rose

Middle row: ? Halsey, T. Squires, Tom Jarman, F. Pratt

Front row: C. Purdey, Dick Quick

While this is (and its companion books) are excellent sources for pictures showing named inhabitants of Redbourn in the first half ot the 20th century there is, unfortunately no index!

Hertfordshire and the Public Catalogue Foundation

The Public Catalogue Foundation has been recording the oil paintings in public ownership in the United Kingdom and this can be viewed on the BBC site Your Paintings. I decided to have a look to see if there were many that could be relevant to this web site and a search for "Tring" produced a number such as this one of the Tring Market House, which is held by the Dacorum Heritage Trust on loan from the Tring & District Local History Society. A search for "Hemel Hempstead" showed three pictures held by the Dacorum Heritage Trust - The Six Bells Pub, Bury Road (which had been given by Stephen Hearn, of Tring Market Auctions), Hemel Hempstead Market, showing members of the Cranstone Family (purchases with money from the Heritage Lottery Fund), and Highfield Farm, Hemel Hempstead (donated by the artist, David Neal). Searches for several smaller villages produced nothing by I found this lovely painting of Redbourn Church painted in 1901 and on display in the Wardown Park Museum, Luton.

While this new site does not many  Hertfordshire paintings why not add a comment here if you find one relevant to your family history!

Redbourn, Hertfordshire, in 1904

St Mary's Church, Redbourn
Sketch by F, G. Kitton, 1904

As the first stage in a full upgrade of the Redbourn pages I have created a new page Redbourn in 1904 which includes the above sketch, an account of Redbourn written in 1904, and two postcards of Redbourn High Street from the same period. I have also reorganised the page on St. Mary's Church and made appropriate changes to the main Redbourn page. Further improvement to the coverage of the village will be carried out when I have time.

Ford of Redbourn - update of an old query

In 2001 I answered a question by Geoff asked about Henry James Ford of Redbourn, and Geoff later added some further information. Ten years later Mike has produced an update/correction including information not available in 2001.

Genealogists' Magazine - Walsh of Redbourn

Genealogists Magazine
September 2011

The September Issue of the Genealogists' Magazine (published by the Society of Genealogists) includes a detailed article on the descent, by two different routes, of the Queen from John Walsh, who was buried at Leatherhead at the age of 84 and described in his will as "heretofore of Redbourn in the County of Herts." John Walsh's birth details are still unknown, but if you are descended from him you are a cousin of the Queen.

Additions to the Society's Library include Percy Ilott's Hertfordshire Stories, Plays and Poems, published in 1938.

The Society's list of events, lectures and courses includes a half day lecture, My Ancestor was a Bastard, on 26th November. This is given by Ruth Paley, the author of a book with the same title, available from the Society's web site.