HATFIELD THIS CENTURY Hatfield people explore their history since 1900 No. 27 Newsletter Dec. 1997 Secretary Mrs C. Martindale Editor: Mr F.J. Cox How the Poor Lived Annual General Meeting Letters . A most informative and enter- The AGM will be held at Frome taining talk about the Poor Laws Oxlease House on Tuesday the Somerset and workhouses by Dr. Kate 12th of May. It may be of interest to the Thompson, the County Archivist Upon completion of the business members of Hatfield This was enjoyed by about 30 Janet Robinson (nee Tingey) will Century that my father, members and friends at St. be coming from her home in Norman Tingey, died at the end Michael's Church Hall on the Herefordshire to talk about the of July. 8th of October. Tingey family and their effect After his brother Randall Lone Star upon Newtown, entitled "Tingey retired, my father ran the last Tales". shop of the five which once Your committee has arranged a More details in our next edition. constituted J. Tingey & Son talk by Ron Kingdon on British (Grocers). He was the last Tin Plate Toys with particular The Chairman and Tingey to be in business reference to Die Cast Machine Committee in Hatfield and sold the last shop, tools and Lone Star. This will be send their good at Roe Green, in 1980. held at St. Michael's Church wishes for Christmas Although I live too far away to Hall on Wednesday the 11th of & attend your meetings and talks, I March, at 2.30. every happiness in enjoy my membership of your On this subject it is hoped to the New Year to all project. prepare an exhibition relating to our Members and Yours sincerely, Lone Star, its products and work Elizabeth John people. Samples of toys, stories their Families of working conditions and inter- views with people who worked This Century .... and Cecil Crescent, there or did work at home will Next? Hatfield be used as a core for another In the Mid 1920s I had a display at the Mill Green With the approach of the Mill- Saturday job delivering bread Museum. But we need a co- enium we should be considering ordinator to collate the stories in the Newtown area, Roe and artefacts. We should be the name of the Group. Green and Old Hatfield. I inundated with volunteers from worked for Hulks the bakers in the Birchwood area - we hope! Hatfield Last Century seems a lit- St. Albans Road. They held a tle too obvious, so come along contract to supply bread for the Oral Interviews and give your committee some workhouse. This meant an early names to consider. This is your call about 7am to deliver some 20 A further 10 edited interviews association and the committee loaves. have been presented to Hatfield wants to abide by your wishes. Library to add to the 33 which A new logo might also be G.W.Bennett are available for loan there. adopted if one is suggested. New history and guide for the Mosquito Aircraft Museum A Review by Sue Kirby Philip Birtles, Chairman of the de Museum at Salisbury Hall • the de Havilland DH.125 Havilland Museum, has opened on 15th May 1959, the G-ARYC recently published a first class first aviation museum in history and guide de Havilland Britain, as a registered charity There are also displays on Heritage : A History of the with proceeds in aid of the piston, jet and rocket engines, Mosquito Aircraft Museum. RAF Benevolent Fund. In 1974 propellers and guided missiles. It's a 32 page full-colour the Museum was able to buy booklet, beautifully designed part of die land and set about This is a concise and and illustrated. expanding its collection. It well-written booklet, a changed its name from the colourful souvenir as well as a The initial chapter deals, briefly, Mosquito Appeal Fund to the useful concise reference aid. It with the history of Mosquito Aircraft Museum. In is available for £4.95 from the Salisbury Hall (which is a 1977 a company was formed to de Havilland Heritage Museum moated manor house dating operate the Museum which is now (formerly the Mosquito back a great deal further than known as the de Havilland Aircraft Museum) the birth of aviation) and, at Aircraft Museum Trust Ltd. greater length, with the The current site of the Museum PO Box 107 aviation links of the site which is now too small and the Trust Salisbury Hall date back to 1939 when de is working on a strategy to London Colney Havilland's took it over as the move the Museum to a larger Herts design office for the top-secret site on the disused Hatfield Mosquito unarmed wooden aerodrome. AL21BU bomber. The first Mosquito to fly from Salisbury Hall was the Subsequent sections of the The Museum is open 1st March Night Flyer prototype W4052 guide describe the historic - 31st October Tues, Thurs and on 15th May 1940. The aircraft on show at Salisbury Sat 14.00 - 17.30 and Sun and October 1940 bomb attack Hall including Bank Hols 10.30 - 17.30 tel on the Hatfield aerodrome (01727)822051 destroyed the Airspeed design • the Cierva C24 Autogiro office (which had been moved G-ABLM from. Portsmouth), the • the Airspeed AS.58 Horsa Technical School and much Glider I.T. work in progress for the Mosquitos. As a result • the de Havilland DH.82a We had not considered getting Mosquito production was Tiger Moth G-ANRX on the Internet but details of widely dispersed and the Horsa • the de Havilland DH.826 the association are being (a troop-carrying glider) Queen Bee LF789 included on the database designers moved to Salisbury InfoCentre run by the Libraries Hall. After the war the de • the de Havilland Hornet Arts and Information Havilland design team did MothG-ADOT Department of the Herts. some preliminary work on County Council. what became the Goblin • the de Havilland DH.89 jet-powered Vampire. The de Dragon Rapide G-AKDW Computer terminals are located Havilland Aeronautical in all Hertfordshire public Technical School then used the • the de Havilland DH.98 libraries. site until 1948. Mosquito prototype W4050 Info Centre is on the Internet at http://hertslib .hertscc.gov.uk Salisbury Hall was then • the de Havilland DH.100 Vampire FB.6J-100P abandoned and allowed to War Memorial deteriorate until rescued by • the de Havilland Comet 1a Walter Goldsmith and his F-BGNX family in the 1950s. The Town Council has Goldsmith, Sir Geoffrey de • the de Havilland DH. 112 completed the major repairs Havilland, John Cunningham, Venom NF.3WX853 and improvements to the War Bill Baird and some others • the de Havilland (Hawker Memorial by the main entrance started the Mosquito Appeal Siddeley) DH.121 Trident Two to Hatfield House. The roof Fund to provide a home for the and Three has been retiled, the walls Mosquito prototype. The repaired and cleaned and the steps replaced with a ramp..