BUSHEY PARISH MAGAZINE

MAY 2021 60 pence

Bushey pays its last respects to Prince Philip. RIP The Parish of Bushey marked the death on April 9 of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021) in services in all three of our churches. Requiems for the repose of his soul were held in St James’s on April 15, with a further special service the following day. In addition, the three churches were opened for private prayer and condolences and dressed with tributes. Bells were tolled at St James’s and St Paul’s on Saturday April 17, prior to the funeral service in St George’s Chapel, Windsor.

Tributes to Prince Philip in St Paul’s, left, and St James’s Spiritual side of a down-to-earth royal Like his namesake St Philip the apostle (see page 9), HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh combined practicality and spirituality. Most people were well aware of his practical side, allied to his reputation for plain speaking. His spiritual side was less publicised, but it was there – deep, rich and, according to those who saw it, endlessly inquiring.

In a sense, it was inherited. Prince Philip’s notably devout mother founded a nursing order of nuns in Greece. His great-aunt, Elizabeth Romanova, received posthumous glorification as a Russian Orthodox saint, one of the “new martyrs” acclaimed after the fall of communism.

Philip was baptised in the Greek Orthodox Church shortly after he was born. He was formally received into the Church of England in 1947, just 2 before his marriage to our future Queen. One of his many biographers described him as “a very religious man”, while another noted that, in Philip’s personal library of more than 8,000 titles, some 450 works were devoted to religion. Philip himself wrote on the topic, too, for example in his book (with Michael Mann) Survival or Extinction: A Christian Attitude to the Environment and in A Question of Balance, where he says: “Religious conviction is the strongest and probably the only factor in sustaining the dignity of the individual”.

However, as with St Philip, the prince’s spiritual journey also involved some very practical steps, linked, like his books, to his concern for God’s creation. In 1986, he organised a world summit on the environment, attended by leaders of all major faiths. Appropriately, it took place in St Francis’s hometown of Assisi. He helped set up the religious study centre of St George’s House in Windsor Castle and in 1995 founded the Alliance of Religions & Conservation, again reflecting his (very Orthodox) belief that worship and the protection of God’s natural world are inextricably intertwined.

That belief is best expressed in a prayer Prince Philip contributed to an anthology of 1998, quoted in the Daily Telegraph shortly after his death. It begins: “O Lord, the creator of the universe and author of the laws of nature, inspire in us thy servants the will to ensure the survival of all the species of animals and plants which you have given to share this planet with us…”. – Mick Groushko

Kat’s stay curtailed Our Ordinand Kat Page had originally planned to be here on placement for two years, but her husband Chris has been deployed to High Wycombe (a promotion – congratulations!). So Kat will be moving from Bushey, though still with us on Sundays until the end of June.

We give thanks for Kat’s stay here among us and the blessing she has been to our congregations at a difficult time. Please pray for Kat and her family as they make this transition and as she seeks to respond to God’s call in her life. 3

Ministry Team

Rector of the Parish of Bushey: The Revd Guy Edwards 0208 950 1546 [email protected]

Guy’s usual rest-day is Monday (Tuesday when Monday is a Bank Holiday). Please do not contact him then except in a serious emergency.

Associate Rector: Fr Tim Vickers 01923 464633 with responsibility for St James’s [email protected] Usual rest-day: Friday

Parish Curate: The Revd Andy Burgess 07539 409959 Usual rest-day: Monday [email protected]

Ordinand: Kat Page 07980 746243 [email protected]

Lay Leader of Worship: Christine Cocks [email protected] CHURCH WARDENS [email protected] To be elected on April 25, 2021

PARISH ADMINISTRATION Parish Administrator: Jacqueline Birch 020 8421 8192 Church House, High Street, Bushey [email protected]

Parish Finance Officer: Sinead English 020 8421 8192 Church House, High Street, Bushey [email protected]

PCC Secretary: Martyn Lambert [email protected] The Parish Office on the first floor of St James’s Church House is open as follows: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9.00am-3.00pm; Wednesdays, 9.00am-2.00pm.

Safeguarding Officer: Fiona Gray 07902 511392

Parish website: www.busheyparish.org webmaster@busheyparish

4 ‘Give Thanks’ appeal helps the vulnerable Christian Aid’s latest appeal, which invites people to give thanks for their Covid-19 vaccinations and help others in crisis across the world, has raised £130,000 to date.

Many of us in the UK are feeling a sense of relief as loved ones receive their vaccines. Christian Aid’s “Give Thanks” appeal encourages us to pass on the blessing by helping others who have little protection from the pandemic.

Funds from the appeal are enabling vulnerable communities around the world to obtain soap, water, food and vital health information as Covid -19 continues to destroy lives and livelihoods. Christian Aid partners have so far directly helped more than 500,000 people in 27 countries.

* Christian Aid Week in 2021 is May 10-16. This year is also Christian Aid’s 75th anniversary (see page 17). Where to find us online Parish of Bushey website: www.busheyparish.org

Parish of Bushey Livestream Facebook page (FB): https://www.facebook.com/busheyparishlive

YouTube channel We have a YouTube channel for our services and reflections. Search for "The Parish of Bushey" and subscribe. It's free.

St James’s FB www.facebook.com/st.jameschurchbushey

Holy Trinity FB www.facebook.com/HolyTrinityBushey

St Paul's FB: https://www.facebook.com/StPaulsBushey/

Dial a Sermon: The Parish has a phone number where people can listen to a sermon each week: 0208 0162 445. Please pass it on to anyone you know who does not have internet access.

5 From the Rector ‘Simpler, humbler, bolder’ I recognise that, after the trials of this past year, many of us will need a considerable amount of tenderness, room to breathe and opportunities to find healing. We are a little like hedgehogs coming out of hibernation or, more grimly, like a bruised prisoner who has come out of solitary confinement. The clergy team and others are drawing up plans for a series of events that will enable people to meet, relax, have fun and begin to share their experiences of the last 12 months or so. Please look out for details in our emails, weekly pew-sheets and social media posts.

As we start to put church life back on the road, there are some more- rigorous things to which we will also need to pay attention - among them the discerning of vision.

Bushey Parish was in its own local process of vision discernment when that was rudely interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and replaced by the restructuring discussion that has been proceeding since November. As we come to the concluding stages of that process, the need for vision is more and not less. We need to know what the church will look like post-Covid – what will be the “new normal” after the restructuring of our parish life? As we do so, we know we are not alone. Many parishes will be going through the same process, as is the national Church.

Christians come in two types. There are those who enjoy meetings, who find it easy to read closely argued papers and follow accounts, who have a natural feel for organisation, vision and strategy. And there are those who don’t.

Confessing myself to be in the second category, I was pleased to see the results of a vision process in the Church of England nationally. The conversation resulted in a simple diagram (see page 7), a short video and a readable, passionately argued statement from Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York. You can find them here: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/leadership-and-governance/emerging-church- england/vision-church-england-2020s 6 Of course, any vision from the Church of England needs to recognise that the purpose of the Church and the basics of commitment to Jesus are not “up for grabs”. They are determined by Jesus and articulated in the letters of Paul. We are “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church” and the Gospel is “proclaimed afresh, in every generation”. In one sense the Church does change - as a living organism, it must. But its roots, the place from which it gets its energy and identity, are never fundamentally altered.

Hence the report reminds the Church that it needs to be centred on Christ – rooted in the teaching, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. It needs to practise and be shaped by the Five Marks of Mission (see table, page 8). It needs to be a Church of “missionary disciples”. Not “loyal supporters” or even “committed worshippers”, but disciples who make disciples. This will be much less static and comfortable and much more exciting and fulfilling.

Furthermore, any vision needs to address present issues, but also to  7

The Five Marks of Mission: A reminder

1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom.

2. To teach, baptise and nurture new believers.

3. To respond to human need by loving service.

4. To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation. 5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of Creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

move us towards the future. including becoming a younger and  more-diverse Church. Locally, this means we need to offer a more- diverse range of activities and make better contact with other organisations in the community.

In terms of what we do in our Church life, our vision has to combine a strong traditional parish structure with newer experiments in mission, worship and community that go under the heading of “Fresh Expressions”. The Church of England of the future will be “mixed ecology” – both traditional, and innovative.

In addition, any vision needs to be simple – ours is of a “simpler, humbler, bolder” Church confronting the particular issues that need addressing in our time, to enable the Church to be what it is meant to be.

So those are the headlines. The article itself is longer, yet pithy and to the point. So please go to the CoE website and read the document. It has a great deal of thought and a wide-ranging consultation underlying it. It also has the potential to be life-giving as we address our own distinctive local community and respond to the unique opportunities of today as we emerge from our homes. - Revd Guy Edwards 8 Philip: The apostle with common sense Is there someone in church whom you respect for spirituality and common sense combined? Someone you feel easy about approaching to ask questions? That person’s patron saint should be Philip, whose feast day falls on May 1.

Philip came from Bethsaida and was a disciple of Jesus from early on. He knew how to lead others to Jesus; he brought Nathanael (or Bartholomew) to Him in a calm, kindly way. He knew how to do some financial forecasting: at the feeding of the 5,000, it was he who pointed out that without divine help, even 200 pennies’ worth of bread wasn’t going to feed that crowd. He was the one whom the Greeks approached when they wanted to ask Jesus to show them the Father, but didn’t quite have the nerve to go to Jesus directly.

People had confidence in Philip’s spirituality, common sense and kindliness. Such a person is a gift to any church!

Amnesty International celebrates 60 years Amnesty International was founded in London 60 years ago, on May 28, 1961. A non-governmental organisation with its headquarters in the United Kingdom, Amnesty campaigns to put pressure on governments where human rights abuse takes place and considers capital punishment to be "the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights” . It is believed to have more than 7 million members and supporters around the world. It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for its “defence of human dignity against torture”.

Amnesty came together following the publication of an article in The Observer newspaper entitled “The Forgotten Prisoners”, by Peter Benenson, a Jewish lawyer. Peter’s mother Flora Benenson was Russian; his father Harold Solomon was British, but he died when Peter was nine. Peter took his mother’s name much later as a tribute to his grandfather, a gold tycoon.

With a group of lawyers and as a member of the Labour Party he founded Justice, the human rights and law reform organisation, in 1957. However, the following year Peter fell ill and moved to Italy to convalesce, where he converted to Roman Catholicism. 9

10 Pentecost: Not a ghost but a gift We used to call it Whitsun (“White Sunday”), because long ago children marched to church in white on that day. No processions nowadays and we’ve even changed its name. It’s now Pentecost, which is more accurate, but needs explaining.

Pentecost, which comes from the Greek word for “fiftieth”, is celebrated 50 days after Easter (on May 23 in 2021) and marks a vital event in Christian history. In the year of Jesus’s crucifixion (which took place at the Passover), the remnant of His followers, just 120 of them, were together in an upper room in Jerusalem. They were afraid to show their faces in case the authorities arrested them. But on the day of Passover they had an amazing collective experience.

They described it in terms of wind and fire, a great surge of spiritual energy and confidence. Afraid no longer, they burst out on to the streets where crowds were gathering for the festival. Led by Peter, the disciples began to tell the multitude about Jesus and His resurrection. As they did so, although many of the people in the crowd were foreigners who spoke other languages, everyone heard them in their own tongues. Peter declared that what they were seeing was the fulfilment of an old prophecy when God would pour out His Spirit on the human race - men and women, young and old.

As a result of Peter’s words and the extraordinary spectacle, 3,000 people believed and were baptised in the name of Jesus. They were the nucleus of what, a century later, would become a Church that would turn history upside down. For Christians, Pentecost is in effect the birthday of the Church.

Many people find the whole idea of the Holy Spirit mysterious and elusive. It wasn’t helped by its earlier title of “‘Holy Ghost”. The spirit is not a ghost, but a precious gift. – David Winter 11 Trinity Sunday: Celebrating God in three persons Trying to explain the doctrine of the Trinity has kept many a theologian busy down the centuries. One helpful picture is to imagine the sun shining in the sky. The sun itself – way out there in space and unapproachable in its fiery majesty – is the Father. The light that flows from it, which gives us life and illuminates all our lives, is the Son. The heat that flows from it, which gives all of us the energy to move and grow, is the Holy Spirit. You cannot have the sun without its light and its heat. The light and the heat are from the sun, are of the sun, and yet are also distinct in themselves, with their own roles to play.

The Bible makes clear that God is One God, who is disclosed in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit. For example:

Deuteronomy 6.4: “Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Isaiah 45.22: “Turn to me and be saved… for I am God, and there is no other.” Genesis 1.1-2: “In the beginning God created…. and the Spirit of God was hovering…” Judges 14.6: “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power…” John 1.1-3: ”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”

Luke 24.49 actually manages to squeeze the whole Trinity into one sentence. Jesus tells His disciples: “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power (the Holy Spirit) from on high.”

In other words, the sun eternally gives off light and heat and whenever we turn to its brilliant light, we find warmth and life there, too.

*Trinity Sunday is on May 30 this year. 12

Hall Hire

The Parish of Bushey has three halls available for your party, meeting or function as Covid-19 restrictions permit. All have kitchen facilities.

St James’s Church House Hall High Street WD23 1BD Email [email protected]

St Paul’s, John Stobbart Hall Bushey Hall Road WD23 2EQ Jill Macey: 07736 680501 or [email protected]

Holy Trinity Bushey Mill Lane WD23 2AS Gill Onslow 01923 464839

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Herts Musical Memories regretfully announce that we are temporarily closing our groups. If you are a group member please keep in contact with us on 020 8950 5757 or email: [email protected]

and we will let you know as soon as we are able to resume normal services. If you are isolated and need further support at home please call

14 The gift at Pentecost The Revd Canon Paul Hardingham considers how the Holy Spirit can change our lives…

The celebration of Pentecost this month could be described as a birthday party for the Church, as we remember the gift of the Holy Spirit to the first disciples (Acts 2:1-13 and see also page 11).

God’s promise: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised”. The disciples met expectantly in prayer for God’s promised gift. Just as we look forward to birthday presents, how eager are we to receive more of the Spirit in our lives?

God’s power: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit”. The disciples needed the power of the Spirit to be different: not fearfully gathered behind locked doors, but energised to make Christ known. The Spirit can transform our lives into the likeness of Jesus and give gifts to equip our witness. Although the disciples’ experience of this power was overwhelming, it was essentially an encounter with God’s love. For us, nobody is excluded from this experience.

God’s purpose: The disciples “began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them”. The Spirit empowered their witness, so that everyone heard them speaking in their own “native language” (literally, dialect). We all have a story to tell of God’s activity in our lives and it’s the Spirit who translates our words and actions into a language that those around can understand!

At Pentecost, 3,000 people were added to the Church in one day! What do we expect of the Spirit in our day?

There didn’t seem to be anyone in

15 Hiding, waiting, hoping – free! The Revd Dr Jo White continues her series on reflected faith by looking at the freedom May brings….

After many long months during the Covid-19 pandemic, we are at last beginning to be able to come together again. Some countries and some areas of some countries will be more open than others and we can only hope, pray and wait for all of us to be able to be “free” again.

May, in the Church calendar, is supremely the month of freedom.

During the first few weeks we continue to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus and reflect on the Bible stories of those who met Him after His crucifixion and resurrection.

Then we celebrate His Ascension – Jesus’s return to His Father.

And finally, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and all those locked in that upper room – with the subsequent birth of His Church.

Freedom indeed!

This last year has for most of us felt like a waiting time, waiting to see and hold friends and family again. We have some understanding of fear and the hope within us. What a celebration there must have been when Jesus returned to His Father – and what a celebration also when the Holy Spirit so powerfully descended.

It is the story of those “simple” men, who were scared and hiding one day and next day bold and outspoken, that speaks to me of something outstanding happening.

As I received my anti-Covid vaccination I felt that same freedom from fear. Not that I would be 100 per cent safe and never ill again, but rather that whatever happened now would be manageable.

To do this month: Have a think about fears that you may have held inside you in this past year and how you have been able to manage 16 them. Have you known the Spirit of Our Lord by your side as you have walked these roads? I hope so, and I hope also that together we can help others to know His reassurance from fear. Freedom indeed.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of all people and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth.

Christian Aid marks its 75th anniversary Christian leaders, activists, writers and theologians worldwide have written prayers included in a new book to celebrate Christian Aid’s 75th anniversary.

Rage & Hope: 75 Prayers for a Better World embraces topics such as climate injustice, Black Lives Matter, violence against women, discrimination against Dalits in India, the Covid-19 pandemic, extreme poverty in Burundi and inequality in Myanmar.

Christian Aid’s work began in 1945, when it was founded by British and Irish churches to help refugees following the Second World War. Since then it has provided humanitarian relief and long-term development support, while speaking out against injustice.

Christian Aid helped during the Biafra war, advised Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, campaigned to make poverty history in the 2000s,and is now fighting climate injustice in countries around the world.

Rage & Hope: 75 Prayers for a Better World is available from: https:// spckpublishing.co.uk/rage-and-hope 17 Locked-down Lent couldn’t dampen… Despite the restrictions imposed as a result of Covid-19, the Parish of Bushey sustained - and even expanded - its customary Lenten observances and Easter celebrations this spring. Modern technology enabled us to bring a full programme of services to worshippers in their homes. Our five-week Lent course via Zoom gave participants a fresh appreciation of the psalms. And there were lots of activities that took us out and about (within the rules) - from our Lent trails telling the Bible story to our Holy Week “home kits” and Messy Church’s seasonal goody-bags. Home communions resumed and - come Palm Sunday - our churches began to reopen for in-person worship during Holy Week and Easter. Alleluia! Christ is risen!

The idea sort of started with Valentine’s Day, but the hearts outside our churches carried Jesus’s message of love through to Easter. Thanks to all who drew and coloured them

Free Mothering Sunday posies were a popular offering from our churches - here, St Paul’s

The Revd Andy assembles Holy Week “home kits” for distribution. Contents included a palm cross and other suitable reminders of this fateful week in Jesus’s life on earth 18 … Bushey’s Easter joy!

Two additions to St James’s churchyard for Holy Week and Eastertide this year. The Calvary was made and donated by two parishioners (the purple cloth was replaced with a white one at the appropriate time). The Easter garden was created by students of Falconer School, overseen by Mr Dennemont. Again, thanks to all

The Revd Guy and the Revd Andy launch our celebratory fireworks after the service on Easter Eve

Easter candle at Holy Trinity. He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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20 CMS honours its women missionaries Just over two centuries ago, in 1820, Mary Bouffler became the first woman sent out in her own right by the Church Mission Society (CMS) to become a missionary overseas. Sadly, she died within a year of arriving in Sierra Leone, but after her came a long line of countless CMS missionaries who also battled injustice and prejudice and fought for change, human rights and empowerment.

Now, to mark the 200th anniversary of Mary Bouffler’s death, the CMS is honouring the achievements of all the inspiring women who followed in her footsteps to share their faith and transform communities.

Among them are: Ann-Marie Wilson, who set up the charity 28 Too Many to highlight and stop the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM); Helen Kisakye (née Burningham), who founded Splash, a dance troupe in Uganda that intentionally includes young people living with disabilities; and Nevedita, who leads a programme in Sri Lanka for children who have been abused and traumatised.

Women have been integral to mission throughout CMS’s history. Healing, restoration and opportunity are common themes where these pioneers are involved.

CMS local partner Rachel Karanja, a businesswoman, church leader and entrepreneur from Kenya, explains that being left housebound for over a year after a stroke inspired her to set up Women of Destiny Kenya. She says: “The charity helps to support women who have faced significant struggles in their lives and enables them to discover their God-given destinies.”

Debbie James, CMS’s Director of Mission Transformation, comments: “At times in CMS’s own history, women have been undervalued. But what has been achieved over 200 years is testament to the tenacity, talent and imagination of countless women of God”.

21 Displaced Christians starving in Tigray Troops from the massive army of Marxist-ruled Eritrea have been massacring the Christian people of Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Recently, three days of slaughter there left more than 100 dead.

They are only the latest victims, for already hundreds more Christians have died at the hands of the Eritrean forces in Axum, in central Tigray. According to Amnesty International, it could amount to a crime against humanity.

Despite denials by the Eritrean government, details are now emerging. Torture, killing and other atrocities have been the pattern of recent months. Eritrea has a long track-record of brutal persecution. It is often considered to be the second-worst country in the world for Christians, after North Korea.

Food in Tigray is now desperately short. Famine has been predicted. Christian leaders from Tigray have appealed to Barnabas Aid to send funds. If you would like to help, please go to: https://barnabasfund.org

22 100 years of the British Legion One hundred years ago, on May 15, 1921, the British Legion was founded in the aftermath of the First World War. Its aim was to provide support to veterans of the British armed forces, their families and dependants.

It was created at a time when 2 million people were unemployed. More than 6 million had served in the war: of those who came back, 1.75 million had suffered some kind of disability and half of those were disabled permanently.

Four organisations came together at the instigation of Lancastrian Lance Bombardier Tom Lister, who was angered at the government’s unwillingness to help, and Field Marshal Earl Haig, who had been commander-in-chief of the British forces. The Legion campaigned for fair treatment of those who had given everything for their country and it continues this work today.

In 1922, the Legion’s poppy factory opened in the Old Kent Road, London, with 40 disabled men manufacturing 1,000 poppies a week. The first Poppy Day was held that same year. The Festival of Remembrance began in 1927, and the Legion became “Royal” in 1971 – 50 years ago – on its golden anniversary.

At first, membership of the Legion was confined to ex-service personnel, but in 1981 it was expanded to include serving members of the armed forces.

My Garden? A pheasant flapped and squawked so loud I thought I owned a garden I scarce could hear me think! A lovely place to be “Get off my ground, for two’s a crowd!” A bird said, “Beg your pardon, He kicked up such a stink! “This land belongs to me!”

The wild-life around me A squirrel dropped a nut on me So loudly do protest! Which wasn’t what I’d planned They growl and screech till I can see “Get lost!”, said he, “for can’t you see That I am just a guest! “You trespass on my land?” Nigel Beeton 23 Stories behind the stones: 6 All-round cricketer who became an umpiring great In the sixth instalment of our series on notable folk whose graves are in St James’s churchyard, we look at the life of Frank Chester (1895-1957), whose loss of an arm during the First World War cut short one glittering career…but led to another.

Frank Chester was born on January 20, 1895 in Bushey. His parents, George Henry and Amelia (née Hulance), lived in Falconer Road with his siblings Eliza, Frederick, Arthur, Dorothy and George junior.

The Chesters hailed from Camberwell, London, and George Henry was employed by the London & North Western Railway as a clerk at Camden. He and Amelia moved to Bushey around 1891 (initially to Park Road), presumably in search of attractive housing with free travel to George Henry’s workplace. George Henry died in 1920 and Amelia in Frank Chester and his wife Elsie 1951. Both are buried in St James’s are buried in plot A22 in the Old churchyard. Churchyard area of St James’s, a little way down from the back of the church, between two large yews Like many youngsters in Bushey, Frank attended Ashfield School. He was a promising cricketer from an early age and was spotted whilst playing for Bushey CC by a scout from Worcestershire County Cricket Club. Despite his father’s advice, he took up an apprenticeship with Worcestershire in 1911 and at the age of 16 was scoring runs prolifically and taking a large number of .

During the First World War, Frank joined the Royal Field Artillery, serving in France and then moving with his unit to Salonika in northern Greece. In

24 July 1917, he lost the lower part of his right arm following a shrapnel wound that turned gangrenous. As a result, his playing days were finished. He wore a false arm and hand, about which he was very self- conscious. In most photographs he is hiding the arm behind his back or in a pocket.

Frank was persuaded to take up umpiring, officiating at his inaugural first-class match in 1922, and became widely recognised and admired for his skills. By the time he retired in 1955, he held the world record for Test Match stands, a record only beaten much later by . Frank umpiring at Canterbury. Either Kent v Hampshire or Frank married Elsie Little in 1919 Kent v Gloucestershire in July/ and they had one son, Tom, also a August 1955, two years before Bushey resident for his whole life. he died The family lived first in Coldharbour Lane and then at 12 Herkomer Close, where both Frank and Elsie remained until they died. Tom was also a talented cricketer and was closely associated with Bushey CC for many years.

When umpiring, Frank famously carried six stones from his Bushey garden in order to count off the balls delivered in each over. At leisure at home, he enjoyed a drink and a game of snooker in Bushey Conservative Club. His lack of a useful right arm was overcome by the fashioning of a special cue rest, which for many years after his death remained on the club wall.

Frank’s autobiography, How’s That!, was published in 1956. He died on April 8, 1957; Elsie lived on until October 1995, reaching the good 

25 Frank Chester: A life in cricket Frank played as a left-handed middle-order batsman and slow left - arm bowler in 55 first class matches for Worcestershire, from 1912 to 1914.

Aged 17, he scored 108 runs against Somerset in 1913 to become the youngest player to reach a county century, a record that lasted until the 1950s. In 1914, he notched up his highest first -class score, 178 against Essex.

Following the end of Frank’s playing career, the former England captain Sir Pelham Warner encouraged him to make umpiring his vocation, saying: “Take it up seriously, Chester. One day you’ll make a fine umpire”. Prophetic words indeed.

Frank Chester made his Test debut as an umpire in June 1924, in the Second Test against a visiting South African team. At 29 years old, he was the youngest- ever Englishman to umpire a Test Match.

The Association of Cricket Statisticians & Historians puts Frank Chester top of its list of first-class matches as umpire, with 774 matches against his name. The real figure is likely to be even higher, as in earlier times scorecards were often discarded or destroyed.

The cricket “bible” Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack stated in Frank’s obituary that he “raised umpiring to a higher level than had ever been known in the history of cricket”. Writer and broadcaster EW Swanton described him “as nearly infallible as a man could be in his profession”, while the prodigious Australian batsman Sir rated Frank the greatest umpire under whom he had played.

*Many thanks to Keith Baker for his research, which has been used in the above article.

26 age of 98 in October 1995. They are buried together in St James‘s churchyard.

Son Tom married Bushey girl Kath Dutton and they had two daughters, Jane and Jill. Jill moved to Derbyshire some years ago but Jane still lives in Bushey.

We are very grateful to Jane and Ian Read, Frank’s granddaughter and her husband, for providing this fascinating article and for allowing us to use these photos of Frank. – Ann White Frank Chester in 1913 at Worcestershire CCC

Frank (second from right) being presented to HM The Queen at Lords in 1952, the year of her accession 27

FRIENDS OF BUSHEY MUSEUM We are looking forward to reopening, all being well, on THURSDAY MAY 20 We hope you will join us then. In the meantime, keep viewing the Museum virtually at www.busheymuseum.org

Opening hours (once permissible): Thursdays to Saturdays 11.00am-4.00pm

Bushey Museum & Art Gallery, Rudolph Road WD23 3HW

28 Is there life without the BBC? Could you live happily without the BBC? Just try it for two weeks.

That was the recent challenge of the corporation’s outgoing chairman, Sir David Clementi, to a group of critics who said they resented the licence fee.

Apparently, nine days later, two-thirds of the critics had changed their minds and conceded the licence was worth every penny. Sir David observed that when “things that they took for granted are removed from them, they realise how valuable the BBC is”.

So he encourages anyone else who thinks that the licence is not worth £3 a week to try life without the BBC. “I think that most people would find it very hard to cope.” Navigating the Dark A conversation between an artist and a theologian Thursday May 6, 7.00pm-8.00pm on Zoom - free

The artist is Jake Lever MA, FRSA , whose work we used in Bushey Parish for three evening reflections during Holy Week.

The theologian is Dr Paula Gooder, Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, London.

Together, they will be talking informally about art and spirituality and exploring themes of connection and belonging in Jake’s recent work, including his “Do the Little Things” art project.

For further information about the event, please visit Jake’s blog here: https://www.leverarts.org/blog

To book your ticket visit Eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ navigating-the-dark-tickets-148323582829

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30 The Children’s Page

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32 St Paul’s Church, WD23 2EQ

Pro-Warden Mrs Marion Golding 07787 538232 Organist Dr Martyn Lambert 01923 221979 Stewardship Officer Mrs Marion Golding 07787 538232

Hall Bookings Jill Macey 07736 680501 [email protected]

Holy Trinity Church, WD23 2AS

Pro-Warden Mrs Gill Onslow 01923 464839 Rock Solid (Sunday School) To be announced Organist Various Stewardship Officer Mrs Gill Onslow 01923 464839 Hall Bookings Mrs Gill Onslow 01923 464839 [email protected]

Messy Church Contact: Mrs Jane Groushko, 07974 771342

Forest Church Contact: Fr Tim Vickers, [email protected]

Parish Magazine Editorial Team Please send all items by the 5th of the month preceding publication to: [email protected]

Mrs Sue Baxter 07793 323571 Mr Michael Groushko 01923 467773

Advertising Liaison: Mrs Ingrid Harris [email protected]

Bushey Parish Magazine is published monthly, in hard copy (price 60p) and free online at www.busheyparish.org under “News”. 33 St James’s Church, WD23 1BD

Pro-warden Annie White 020 8386 1135

Bell Ringers Mr Stuart Brant 01923 330999 Tots Praise To be announced

Church Flowers To be announced

Community Outreach To be announced

Finance & Stewardship Group Ms Felicity Cox 07973 517812

Organist & Choir Mr James Mooney-Dutton [email protected] Director of Music (Choir practice Fridays 8.00-9.00pm in church and as announced*)

Parish Breakfast Team Mrs Catherine Brant 01923 330999

Sacristan To be announced

60+ Monday Club Mrs Caroline Harper 020 8420 4838 (Two Mondays a month in Church House 3.00-5.00pm, Jan & Aug excepted*)

Planned Giving Officer Greg Batts 07799 693284 [email protected]

Church House Hall bookings * [email protected]

* Suspended until further notice

34 From the Registers

FUNERALS “Let light perpetual shine on them”

April 6, 2021 Matthew Gascoigne

April 8, 2021 Esther Smith

INTERMENT OF ASHES “Ashes to ashes”

March 23, 2021 David Smith

March 26, 2021 Brian Mullan

April 11, 2021 Dorothy Robbins

Parish 100 Club: March winners Congratulations to our 100 Club winners for March: Joanna Hewitt (£60); Richard Humphreys (£40); and Leon James (£20).

*If you would like to join the 100 Club, it costs just £5 per month. You’ll be helping raise much-needed funds for the Parish, as well as being in with the chance of winning a monthly cash prize. For further details, contact Clare Humphreys on 020 8950 6352 or see www.busheyparish.org/parish-100-club 35 Worship in the Parish of Bushey—May2021 We have now reopened our churches for in-person worship on Sundays and on other occasions as notified, although we will continue to live-stream some services, too.* It is no longer necessary to book in advance to attend our regular Sunday worship. However, numbers are still limited - if in doubt contact the Parish Office or a member of clergy. Masks must be worn and all other hygiene requirements observed. For details of those, go to www.busheyparish.org/news/covid-safety-guidelines-in-church

Sunday services Sunday May 2 (Easter 5) 8.00am—Holy Communion, (BCP) St James’s Church 9.30am—Parish Eucharist, St James’s Church Holy Eucharist, Holy Trinity Church 11.15am—Holy Eucharist, St Paul’s Church

Sunday May 9 (Easter 6) 9.30am—Parish Eucharist, St James’s Church 11.00am—All-Age Communion, St James’s Church (to be confirmed) 11.15am—Holy Eucharist, St Paul’s Church

Sunday May 16 (Easter 7) *The 9.30am service 9.30am—Parish Eucharist, St James’s Church each Sunday will Holy Eucharist, Holy Trinity Church normally be live- streamed, as well as 11.15am—Holy Eucharist, St Paul’s Church open for in-person Sunday May 23 (Pentecost) worship. For details of 9.30am—Parish Eucharist, St James’s Church other live-streamed 11.15am—Holy Eucharist, St Paul’s Church services, see the latest 6.00pm—Evensong, St James’s Church weekly pew-sheet or other Parish media. Sunday May 30 (Trinity) Where to find us 9.30am—Parish Eucharist, St James’s Church online—page 5 inside Patronal Eucharist, Holy Trinity Church 11.15am—Holy Eucharist, St Paul’s Church

Weekday services Thursday May 13 (Ascension) 8.00pm—Holy Eucharist, St James’s Church Morning Prayer: Daily, Monday to Friday, 9.00am (live-streamed only) Evening Devotions: Wednesdays, 8.00pm (live-streamed only)

Private Prayer in church It is not yet possible to reopen our churches for private prayer on a regular basis, but the matter is under review. Please see pew-sheets and social media for the latest news. Anyone wishing to access any of the churches outside official opening times, please contact a member of clergy beforehand. 36