Early Years.
Frederick Edwards was born on the 10th October 1894 at Walkern, and he was baptised there on the 25th November 1894.
His father, George Edwards a farm labourer, married his mother, Emma Hart nee Carter in 1874 at Royston. She had been married before to John Hart in 1872 at Walkern but widowed in 1873. She had a son John W. Hart born in 1873 at Walkern. George and Emma went on, according to the 1911 census, to have nine children of which one sadly died before the 1911 census. All the children were born in Walkern. Only seven further children have been identified it is thought the eighth was possibly a still birth and the ninth was John W. Hart.
1. Rose Emma born in 1875. 2. Henrietta born in 1877. 3. Alice Mary born in 1879. 4. James William born in 1881. 5. Minnie Martha born in 1889. 6. George Henry born in 1890. Enlisted in Herts Regiment as Private 5678 (later Beds and Herts Regt. 266902) killed in action on the 31st July 1917 in France. 7. Frederick.
During the 1881 census the family were recorded as living at Totts Lane, Walkern. By the time of the 1891 census, they had moved to Froghall Lane, Walkern and they were still at the same address in 1901 and 1911. In 1911 Frederick was shown as working as a domestic house boy.
Little else is known about Frederick’s life until 1914 when he was employed as a Horse Keeper for Messrs S. Wright & Co. of Walkern. He then applied to join the Hertford County Constabulary.
Police Service.
Frederick’s Form 3 Hertford County Constabulary Record Sheet has survived, and it contains the following information. His age on joining was given as 20 years with his place and date of birth as Walkern on 10th October 1894. His height was 5 feet 8 ¾ inches, Chest: 35 inches – 37 ½ inches, Complexion: Fair, Eyes: Blue, Hair: Dark brown, Marks: Scar little finger left hand, Religion: Church of England, Next of kin: George Edwards, father, Froghall Lane, Walkern. He stated that he could ride a cycle but could not swim.
Frederick was medically examined by the Police Surgeon G.A. Upcott Gill on the 10th August 1914 who signed the following certificate: I hereby Certify that I have examined the above Candidate as to his health and bodily strength and consider him fit for the Constabulary of this County. In all probability he would have been interviewed at the Hatfield Police Headquarters on the same day.
He was Appointed as Constable 184 on the 12th October 1914. However, his pensionable service would not have started until he reached the age of 21 on the 10th October 1915. He immediately started his Probationer training at Police Headquarters at Hatfield earning £1/4/6 per week.
General Order 14 of the 21st January 1915 announced that 22 recruit Constables having been brought onto the Roster for duty were all being transferred on the 22nd January 1915 from Headquarters for duty at various stations. Frederick was posted to A Division at Ware.
Enlistment.
Frederick enlisted on the 10th December 1915 at Watford and on the 11th December 1915, he was transferred to Section B Army Reserve and returned to his Police duties. This was part of what was known as the Derby Scheme. Thousands of men around the country including dozens of Hertfordshire Police Officers enlisted under the scheme. The Hertfordshire Officers mainly enlisted between the 9th and the 11th December 1915. Every Section B Reservist was issued with an individually numbered Khaki Armlet with a red Crown displayed on it which was to be worn on the upper left arm to demonstrate they were a Reservist and were waiting to be mobilised.
Pay Rise.
Frederick passed his Ambulance Certificate on the 1st May 1916. This was important as it was a First Aid qualification which allowed him to wear a badge on his lower left tunic sleeve. Obtaining the badge was often linked as to whether or not you received a pay rise. In this case on 1st May 1916 Frederick was also awarded a pay rise from £1/4/6 to £1/5/8 per week.
Marriage.
Frederick married Maud Esther Asplen on the 12th August 1916 at Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire. They had two children:
1. Mary Dorothea born on the 17th November 1919 at Ware. 2. Ronald Frederick born on the 25th August 1928 at St. Albans sadly he died in 1935.
Published in the Hertford Mercury and Reformer on Saturday 12th August 1916 under the headline: Police Removal. P.c. Bignall, who has been stationed at Ware for the past five years, has removed this week to Aston, near Stevenage. During the time he has been at Ware he has proved himself an efficient member of the Force, and the best wishes of many of the townspeople go with him in his new sphere of labour. P.c. Edwards is entering the married men’s section hence the change.
General Order 124 of 18th November 1916 was a list of 16 Constables, including Frederick, who had signified their desire to sit for examination for promotion from Second Class to First Class Constable. The necessary examination papers were prepared and forwarded to the Superintendents concerned. The examination was held in accordance with the rules laid down in Order 192/1915.
Pay Rise.
General Order 126 of the 26th November 1916 informed Frederick that he would receive an increased rate of pay from £1/5/8 to £1/6/10 per week from the 12th October 1916.
General Order 137 of 21st December 1916 announced the result of the Examination for Promotion from Second Class to First Class Constable. Eleven officers, including Frederick who sat the exam on the 6th December 1916, qualified.
Mobilisation.
General Order 15 of the 16th February 1917 was entitled Police Constables (Naval and Military Services) Act 1914 Police (Emergency Provisions) Act 1915: The undermentioned Police Constables attested under the Group System having been called upon to report for Military Service in accordance with the Order of the War Cabinet dated 5th February 1917 de-badging all men aged 18 to 22 years on 20th January 1917 The Deputy Chief Constable hereby extends to them the provisions of the above Acts. They will be released from the Police Service granted leave of absence and paid up as set forth in the schedule appended.
Name Date to be Date Leave Recruiting released Police Pay of Office Police Service Ceases Absence
PC 184 Edwards F. 19/02/1917 19/02/1917 18 & 19/02/1917 Hertford 10 a.m. 20/02/1917
PC 256 Barber W.J. 21/02/1917 21/02/1917 20 & 21/02/1917 Watford 10 a.m. 22/02/1917
Army Service During The War.
Frederick’s Army Service Record has survived and from this and his Medal Index Card and Medal Roll we know the following: He said his address was 11, Gladstone Road, Ware, that he was 21 years 2 months old, his occupation was a Police Constable, he was not married and that he had never been in the Military before. [This was of course completed in 1915 before he married. Ed.]
His description on enlistment was: Apparent age 21 years 2 months. Height 5 feet 8 ½ inches. Chest 34 ½ inches – 2 ½ inches expansion. Distinctive marks 3 vaccination marks left arm.
Later the particulars of his marriage were recorded and his next of kin was shown as being his wife of 4, Park Road, Ware.
His Medical Examination Army Form B178, which was completed on the 10th December 1915 at Ware, shows in addition to his description on enlistment that he said he was born in Walkern, his weight was 149 lbs, and his physical development was very good.
Frederick was mobilised at Hertford on the 20th February 1917. [His Police Service Record shows he was released by them on the 19th February. Ed.] On the 22nd February he was posted as Gunner 206125 to the Royal Horse Artillery Depot.
PC 256 Walter Barber was mobilised two days after Frederick and became Gunner 206135 Royal Horse Artillery. Other than possibly during their basic training they did not serve together.
On the 19th July 1917 Frederick was admitted to the Brook War Hospital, Shooters Hill, Woolwich with Tubercular Disease of the breast. After 41 days treatment he was discharged on the 29th August 1917.
On the 23rd August 1917 he was sent to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force with the 3rd Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery. On the 6th October 1917 he joined the Ammunition Column for the 3rd Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery.
On the 27th May 1918 he was attached to the 3rd Brigade, Headquarters but on the 1st June 1918, he was posted back to the 3rd Brigade Ammunition Column.
On the 5th June 1918, his wife notified a change of address to the Sun Inn, Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire.
On the 29th June 1918 he was admitted to Hospital, but the reason is not known. He returned to duty on the 6th July 1918. Then on the 12th October 1918 he was granted 14 days leave to UK via Boulogne.
On the 28th January 1919 he was transferred to Class Z of the Army Reserve at Woolwich.
Statement as to Disability Army Form Z22 recorded: Unit: Ammunition Column. Regiment: 3rd Brigade Royal Horse Artillery. Regt. No: 206125. Rank: Gunner. Name: Frederick Edwards. Address: 4, Park Road, Hertford. Age last birthday: 24. First joined for duty: 24th February 1918 at Woolwich. Medical category: A1. 23rd December 1918 Examined in the field – I do not claim to be suffering from a disability due to my Military Service – signed F. Edwards.
Protection Certificate and Certificate of Identity Army Form Z11 recorded: Name: Frederick Edwards. Regt. No: 206125. Rank: Gunner. Record Office: Woolwich. Unit: Ammunition Column 3rd Brigade. Regiment: Royal Horse Artillery. Pay Office: Blackheath. Address for pay: 4, Park Road, Ware. Theatre of War: France. Born in Year: 1894. Medical category: A1. Place of re-joining in case of emergency: Woolwich. Granted 28 day furlough. Issued 31st December 1918 at Shorncliffe.
He was awarded the British War and Victory medals.
Like every other soldier Frederick was given 28 days leave when he was demobilised, and he used this time to arrange his re-joining of the Police. This would have involved a Medical Examination to ensure he was still fit enough for the duties of a Constable. The date of his re-joining the Police would have coincided with the end of his period of leave. His Police Service Record shows he was Discharged from the Army on the 12th January 1919 having served for 1 year 10 months.
Re-joining The Police.
General Order 15 of 14th January 1919 announced that nine Police Soldiers, having been released from H.M. Army, would be re-appointed to the Force. Frederick was shown as PC 184 Edwards F. posted to A Division at Ware on £2/7/0 per week from the 13th January 1919. Each officer had to be formally re-attested, and the Superintendents concerned had to report to this Chief Constable when this had been done with the date and place of attestation and before whom taken. The Electoral Rolls of 1919 to 1924 list Frederick and Maud Edwards as living at 4, Park Road, Ware. The 1921 census shows the family at the same address.
Pay Awards.
The following from his Police Service Record and General Orders informed Frederick that he would receive the following pay increases:
From his Service Record he received an increase from £2/7/0 to £3/18/0 per week as part of a national pay rise.
General Order 235 of the 4th December 1919 from £3/18/0 to £4/0/0 per week from 12th October 1919.
From his Service Record he received an increase from £4/0/0 to £4/2/0 per week from the 12th October 1920.
Foul Language.
Published in the Herts and Essex Observer on Saturday 10th September 1921 under the headline: Language At Ware. William Newton (45) of Ware, bargeman, did not appear to a summons alleging that be used bad language in the London Road, Ware, on Saturday night, August 27th. P.c. Edwards proved service of summons; P.s. Hagger gave evidence; and defendant was fined 18s.
No Driving Licence.
Published in the Herts and Essex Observer on Saturday 22nd October 1921 under the headline: The Motor Cycle Licence. Herbert H. Morgan of Lancaster Road, Stroud Green, summoned for driving a motor cycle without having a licence at Ware, on September 3rd, admitted the offence. P.c. Edwards gave evidence, and defendant was fined £1.
Pay Rises.
General Order181 of the 5th November 1921 from £4/2/0 to £4/4/0 per week from 12th October 1921.
General Order135 of the 25th October 1922 from £4/4/0 to £4/6/0 per week from 12th October 1922.
General Order 183 of the 5th November 1923 from £4/6/0 to £4/8/0 per week from 12th October 1923.
Transfer.
General Order 1 of the 2nd January 1924 instructed Frederick that from the 14th January 1924 he would transfer from A Division at Ware to D Division at Harpenden, to occupy the quarters at Harpenden Police Station being vacated by Constable 159 Viner. Owing to inclement weather the move was postponed until the 11th February 1924. The Electoral Rolls of 1924 to 1930 record Frederick and Maud Edwards as living at the Police Station, Vaughan Road, Harpenden.
General Order 168 of the 25th October 1924 informed Frederick that he would receive an increased rate of pay from £4/8/0 to £4/10/0 per week from the 12th October 1924.
Burglary Arrest.
Published in the Hertfordshire Express on Saturday 19th January 1929 under the headlines: Jewellery In A Suitcase. P.c. Baulk’s Smart Arrest At Harpenden. Accused Said To Be A Native Of Letchworth. P.c. Baulk, a young Police Constable who was formerly a popular porter at the Hitchin railway station, was responsible for a smart arrest at Harpenden on Friday night last week.
The arrest which followed a raid on a house at Harpenden the previous night was described at St. Albans Division Sessions on Saturday, when Herbert Alfred Collett (22), said to be a native of Letchworth, was charged with burglary and the theft of articles of clothing, jewellery, etc., belonging to Mrs. Doris P. Godwin, Station Road, Harpenden.
Mrs. Godwin spoke of leaving her house locked up at 8.15 p.m., and seeing the lights on when she returned at 9.45 p.m. When she opened the front door the lights in the sitting room went out. She called some men who were passing, and one went round and found the back door open, while another rode off to the Police Station. The house was in disorder.
P.c. Baulk stated that he went to the house and was informed that someone had taken a leather suitcase. He went to the Midland Station, where he saw accused, who had a suitcase, and said he was waiting for a train to London. Accused was invited to go to the Police Station. He consented, but on the way, he began to struggle, and he and witness fell to the ground. Two civilians and P.c. Edwards came to witness’s assistance. The suitcase and its contents, jewellery and clothing, were identified by Mrs. Godwin as her property.
P.c. Futter said accused wrote a statement that he was a native of Letchworth but lived in London, and that he visited Harpenden with the intention of breaking into a house. Accused was remanded in custody for a week.
Theft Of Parcel.
Published in the Hertfordshire Express on Saturday 19th July 1930 under the headline: Kings Walden. Incident In A Bus. Charged with stealing a parcel of clothing and foodstuff, the property of Mrs. Hilda Hartness, of King’s Walden, Jemima Mitchell, a caravan dweller of no fixed abode, was at last week’s St. Albans Sessions given the benefit of a doubt that existed in the mind of the magistrates, and the case was dismissed. The evidence was that Mrs. Hartness, who was travelling from St. Albans towards Luton, had some parcels in the bus, but did not sit near them. Defendant, who had several parcels, got off at Ayres End Lane. The bus proceeded towards Harpenden and Mrs. Hartness missed one of her parcels. The police were informed, and P.c. Edwards went to Harpenden Common and found defendant sitting near a caravan, while on a table outside the van was the parcel in question. Defendant said, “The conductor handed me out the parcels. I found I had a brown paper parcel which did not belong to me. After I had had a cup of tea I was going to bring it to the police station.” Defendant told the magistrates that she took the parcel by mistake, and (as stated) the case was dismissed.
Pay Rise.
Frederick received a pay increase from £4/10/0 to £4/12/6 per week from 12th October 1931.
Transfer.
Frederick was transferred on 23rd November 1931 from D Division Harpenden to A Division Stanstead Abbotts.
Cycle Theft.
Published in the Hertfordshire Express on Saturday 2nd March 1935 under the headline: Another Charge. Leslie Ronald Barnes, Peartree Lane, Welwyn Garden City, a plater’s mate, said that on Monday, October 22, he went to Welwyn Theatre, leaving his bicycle in the cycle shed at about 8.5 p.m. At 10.35 p.m. it had gone. He was shown the bicycle frame at Hertford Police Station on Thursday, February 14.
P.c. Edwards, of Stanstead Abbotts, said that on February 14 he saw defendant on the towing path, St. Margaret’s, Ware, wheeling a bicycle. He was taken to the camping ground, a meadow where defendant had permission to camp, where, under a waterproof sheet by the side of a tent where defendant was living, witness found the spare parts of the bicycle. When asked how he came into possession of the cycle parts and of the cycle he had been riding, he said “I stole them from Welwyn before last Christmas.”
Supt. Goodship said there were no previous convictions against defendant. His father told him that since he left school defendant had been working for him in his boot repairing trade at Stroud Road, N., until last June. When he left home, he went to the Camp at St. Margaret’s, Ware. It was stated that the Raleigh cycle stolen from Lemsford had been broken up and the owner could not identify the parts.
No Driving Licence.
Published in the Herts and Essex Observer on Saturday 30th May 1936 under the headline: Expired Driving Licence. Sidney Charles Hooper of South Street, Stanstead Abbotts, was fined 6s 6d and 5s costs for driving a motor lorry without a driving licence at Much Hadham on April 29th. P.c. Edwards, of Stanstead Abbotts, said that when asked for his licence defendant produced one which expired on April 18th.
Arson.
Published in the Herts and Essex Observer on Saturday 15th August 1936 under the headline: Rye House Castle Fire. Two Men Committed On Arson Charge. At Ware Police Court, on Tuesday, the two young men charged with being concerned together in setting fire to Rye House Castle, on August 5th, appeared on remand.
They were Henry Edward Darby, 24, commercial traveller, of Chase Cross Road, Romford, and Frederick George Bush, 20, factory hand, of Risky Avenue, Tottenham. Bush was represented by Mr. Samuel Lincoln and Darby by Mr. K.G. Blake (solicitor, Ware).
Thomas William Green, proprietor of the Rye House Hotel, stated that at about 10.25 p.m. on August 5th a man rushed into his hotel, and in consequence of what the man said, he (Green) ran out and saw smoke coming front the castle, which was about 100 yards away. He at once telephoned for the police. The next day he examined a room which had been burned in the castle. This room, which was next to the Conspirators’ Hall, contained a bed which had come from Hampton Court Palace. Practically all the roof of the castle was burned, and much damage was done to the Conspirators’ Hall.
Frederick Charles Banks. baker’s rounds man of Hoddesdon, stated that he was on the castle lawn about 7.50 p.m. when he saw Darby and Bush near the Retainers’ Hall. Two young women were with them. “I saw them go towards the door of the Retainers’ Hall and pull down a piece of board and all went in,” he said. “They remained inside about 20 minutes. They then came out and went towards the Rye House Hotel. About half an hour later I saw all four of them walking towards the Retainers’ Hall and they again went in. I did not see them come out. I next saw them walking in the direction of the railway station. Immediately before I saw them, I saw smoke coming from the castle.”
Banks added that at about 10.50 p.m. he saw the defendants and the two women in the waiting room at the railway station. They boarded the 11 p.m. train.
Miss Phyllis Ruth Cranwell, of Hoddesdon, who was with Banks, said it was one of the two young women who went into the Retainers’ Hall first, after one of the group of four had pulled down the piece of board. The others followed. It was about 10.30 p.m. when she noticed smoke coming from castle.
P.s. Reed, recalled, was asked by Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Blake whether Darby and Bush showed signs of having been drinking when he saw them detained at Broxbourne railway station. He replied that both men appeared quite normal.
P.c. Edwards said that about 11.45 a.m. on August 6th he picked up a white linen pocket handkerchief on the railway line at Broxbourne railway station. It was bloodstained and smelt strongly of paraffin. At Ware police station he showed Bush the handkerchief and asked: “Is this yours?” Bush replied: “Yes.” Bush smelt the handkerchief and said: “Paraffin.”
Mr. Lincoln (cross-examining) suggested that Bush had previously told the police where the handkerchief was which he had thrown away.
“There was no concealment by Bush,” Mr. Lincoln added.
Alleged Statements.
P.c. Hall read out a statement, which, he said, Bush made to him at 2 a.m. on August 6th. It was to the effect that he and a young woman met Darby and another young woman at Rye House, and during the evening they bad some drinks together. When we came out of the public house (the statement went on) I was under the influence of drink and was inclined to do whatever Harry (meaning Darby) suggested. He said: “Let’s get into the castle I know a way to get in.” The four of us came to the door of the Retainers’ Hall. Harry put his foot through asbestos. I, being silly, made the hole larger. Harry’s girl then got through the hole opened the door for us to go in. The four of us went in and walked around. We were all smoking while in there. I fell down the stairs through being under the influence of drink.
The statement continued that the four came out after about 25 minutes and went and had some more drink, after which Darby said he would like to go back to the castle and “Have some fun.” After they got in again, Darby found a small paraffin lamp which he lit and carried about. The statement continued:
He then found some petrol and paraffin. He then threw some petrol on the floor, a small drop, and then a lighted match on it. I got frightened and jumped on the match and put it out.
I got hold of some paraffin in a can and carried it about for a time. We then went upstairs and saw an old bed, or a lot of straw. Harry said: “Let’s set it alight.” I said: “Don’t he a fool,” and began to get the wind up, as Harry was then getting very erratic.
Harry said: “We will set alight to it and run.” Somehow or other the paraffin went on the bed and Harry then threw the lamp on the bed. I had a handkerchief round my hand And tried to get the fire out, but the flames were too fierce. The other three had run down the stairs, leaving me on my own to put the fire out. I could not put the fire out and had to run to save my own self.
The statement said that the four went to Rye House railway station and caught the 11 p.m. train to London. The train was held up at Broxbourne and they were told that the police would be arriving to question them. He (Bush) threw the handkerchief away which he had around his hand as it smelt of oil. He added that as far as he could remember the girls had nothing whatever to do with the fire.
P.c. Hall read a statement which he said had been made to him by Darby, beginning: “I wish to make a clean breast of what I know of the fire at Rye House.” Referring to the second time of going to the castle, the statement said: “Suddenly things went mad and we caught alight to the place. I don’t know by what means, but I know we were responsible for the fire.”
Replying to Mr. Lincoln, the witness said that inquiries showed that Bush had an unblemished character.
Replying to Mr. Blake, the constable said that inquiries about Darby were also satisfactory and he had a good character.
Mr. Lincoln submitted that there was no prima facie case and asked the Bench to say that they were of opinion no jury would convict. He submitted that there was no evidence that Bush had any thought or intention of setting fire to the castle. Indeed his conduct showed the contrary and that he did his best to put the fire out.
Mr. Blake asked the Bench to find that the defendants were under the influence of drink and were “simply larking about.” He submitted that there was no evidence to show that they maliciously intended to set fire to the building.
The two men, who pleaded “Not guilty,” intimated that they wished to give evidence.
After retiring the Bench ruled that there was a prima facie case.
Defendants’ Evidence.
Bush, giving evidence, said he was almost a teetotaller, and on the evening August 5th he was invited by Darby to have a drink and had more than he generally did. When they got into the Retainers’ Hall they saw a piano there and he (Bush) ran his fingers over it. It was the first time in his life he had been in such a state. When they went into castle the second time he felt funny at the knees and his head seemed to be in a whirl; he was staggering about. The lamp must have slipped out of Darby’s hand and on to the bed. He dived on to bed for the lamp, he said, but it flared up, and the bed caught alight. The flames got worse and he tried to put them out. He had to save himself and stumbled down the stairs after the others.
Darby, giving evidence, said that on going to the castle first he was “feeling lively,” after having had some drink. After they had had more drink he was not in his right senses. They found a lamp, but he did not know how the bed caught fire.
The Magistrates retired, and on their return the Chairman said they unanimously decided to send the men for trial at the next Hertford Assizes. Bail was allowed, defendants in £50 each and two sureties in £50 each.
Pay Rise.
On the 12th October 1936 Frederick received a pay rise from £4/12/6 to £4/15/0 per week.
The 1939 Register lists Police Constable Frederick Edwards and his family as living at 14, Cappell Lane, Ware.
Fatal Road Crash.
Published in the Hertford Mercury and Reformer on Friday 20th October 1939 under the headline: Sequel To St. Margarets Fatality Father Of Dead Girl Fined For Dangerous Driving Eight People In 9 H.P. Car. A Ware mechanic who was stated to have driven his nine horse power car, containing eight people, round a bend at 40 to 45 miles an hour, mounted a three foot high hank, and overturned in the road, causing the death of his two-year-old daughter, was fined £10 and had his licence suspended for a year at Ware Sessions on Tuesday. The defendant, Thomas William King, of 39 Musley Hill, Ware, was charged with dangerous driving at St. Margarets on September 3, and he was also summoned for driving without due care and attention. King, who was represented by Mr. F.J. Harrison, pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Evidence was given by Henry Caswell, of 319 Queensbridge Road. London, that on September 3 at about 3.55 p.m. he was driving a motor car from St. Margarets towards Hoddesdon and was on the bend near the Pumping Station when he saw defendant’s car approaching him. The car was being driven slightly on the offside of the road at about 40 to 45 miles hour. When the car had passed him, he heard the screech of tyres and a terrific crash, and he found that King’s car had hit the grass verge on its nearside and had overturned in the centre of the road. There was no other traffic about at the time. Caswell added, “It appeared to me that the car was out of control, and its speed was too great for it to negotiate the bend properly.”
Frederick Ponting, of 6 Park Avenue Road, Tottenham, a passenger in Caswell’s car said that King’s car was being driven very fast.
P.c. Edwards said that the brake mark made by the nearside wheel of King’s car began at the white line in the centre of the road and went to the bank on the nearside of the road. The bank was three feet high, and the fence on it was damaged for a distance of 16 feet.
Eight Passengers.
The Constable read a statement made by King, in which he alleged he had to swerve to avoid a cyclist who had pulled out into the centre of the road, and went on, “There were eight passengers in the car, three in the front and five in the back, four of the occupants being adults and four children. In the front were the driver and another man, who was nursing a ten month old child, and in the rear were two women with three children, a girl aged two, who was killed, a boy aged four, and another boy aged 11 months.”
The Magistrates’ Clerk Mr. N. Chalmers-Hunt, “In your opinion was the car overloaded?” “Yes.”
P.c. Edwards added that it appeared that the car had turned over two or three times. Both sides were extensively damaged, and the top was smashed in.
Mr. Harrison maintained that there was no case to answer, but the Bench decided to hear the defence.
Swerved To Avoid Cyclist.
King, on oath, said that when he came over the bridge at the Hoddesdon end of the bend his offside wheels were on the offside. Behind Caswell s car, which was approaching was a lorry and two or three cyclists. He had passed the car and was in the act of passing the lorry, when one of the cyclists swerved into the middle of the road. He pulled to the nearside, but his wheel struck the bend and the car overturned. King added that he had been driving at from 20 to 25 miles an hour; his car was incapable of travelling at 45 miles an hour.
Frederick James Hale, of 37 Musley Hill, Ware, a passenger in King’s car, gave evidence, but said he did not see the lorry behind Caswell’s car.
Mrs. King said her husband had been driving at about 30 miles an hour.
After a short retirement, the Chairman Mr. A.H. Rogers said the Bench considered the case proved. King would be fined £10, which included £1 costs, and his licence would be suspended for twelve months. The charge of careless driving would be dismissed.
Pay Rise.
Frederick received his final pay rise, a national increase, from £4/15/0 to £6/3/0 per week from 1st April 1945.
Retirement.
By the time of his retirement Frederick and family were living in their own accommodation at 41 Thele Avenue, Stanstead Abbotts.
Frederick submitted an application to retire on pension on the 15th November 1945. His application was accepted, and he retired on a pension of £213/15/9 per annum on the 31st December 1945 having served for 31 years 2 months as a Constable.
Frederick Edwards died on the 15th April 1970 at the Hertford County Hospital after a long illness. At the time of his death his home address was 1 Chapelfields, Roydon Road, Stanstead Abbotts. His funeral was held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday 21st April 1970 at Parndon Wood Crematorium, Harlow.
Add your comment about this page