Fryent Country Park extra! – The bunker on Gotfords Hill

I am pleased to publish this spin-off from Philip Grant's series on the history of Fryent Country Park

One of the encouraging things about sharing the local history I know is that other people sometimes add things that I didn’t know! This has happened through comments made in response to Part 3 of the Fryent Country Park Story.

One comment, from Wally, which began with memories triggered by an old photo of a gipsy camp, went on to say: ‘On top of “Mole Hill” in about the 60's an underground bunker was dug and buried and we saw its construction. Never found out what it was for or if it's still there.’ “Mole Hill” was actually Gotfords Hill, which today looks serene in its country landscape, but I had heard rumours about something “secret” which used to be there.

1. Looking across the Country Park fields, to Gotfords Hill, Kingsbury and beyond.

An anonymous comment followed, first saying: ‘I remember the bunker and what was inside,’ and later adding: ‘like a man hole cover in a concrete surround, a jacobs ladder leading down to a couple of rooms one with a early warning machine.’ There had obviously been something on that hilltop, but what was it?

The following day another comment arrived, which provided hope that we might soon have the answer. Brian wrote: ‘I have some photos of the bunker - not very good ones and I can't remember where I got them from, so I don't know who owns them.’ A day later, he had sent them to Martin, and we had our first glimpse of the Gotfords Hill bunker.

2. Royal Observer Corps volunteers at Gotfords Hill, 1968.

3. ROC men around the open trap door to the bunker.

The photograph above gives a clear picture of five of the men, four of them wearing the uniform of the Royal Observer Corps (“ROC”), a volunteer organisation linked with the RAF. Do you recognise any of these men, or are you one of them, who could tell us more? Once
the uniform was clear, it led me to an excellent website run by the Royal Observer Corps Association, which has helped provide the following information.

The Observer Corps was set up in the 1920s, to help the RAF in keeping track of enemy aircraft that might attack this country during any future war. I had heard that Gotfords Hill was the site of an observation post during the Second World War, and that would explain its later use by the ROC. 

Although the RAF had radar around the coast, to help spot approaching formations of German bombers during that war, it relied on a network of observation posts to help track their movements once they were over Britain. The post on Gotfords Hill probably reported directly to Fighter Command HQ at Bentley Priory, on the type and number of planes they could see, and the direction they were flying. Because of their vital work during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, King George VI awarded the Observer Corps its Royal title in 1941.

4. A World War 2 Observer Corps observation post. (Still from a British Pathé newsreel film in 1941.)

After 1945, the nature of any future conflict changed, with faster jet aircraft and the development of nuclear weapons. The role of the ROC also changed, and from 1957 it was brought under the control of the new United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation (“UKWMO”). Between then and 1963, around 1500 underground ROC posts were built, in a network across the whole country. Many reused old ROC locations, such as Gotfords Hill.

Wally’s comment was right, when he said that an underground bunker was dug and buried there in the 1960s. The bunker had reinforced concrete walls, one foot thick, and could only be reached by ladder down a 14-foot concrete shaft from the surface. The Gotfords Hill bunker opened in 1961, and was named ROC Post Colindale (which has led to at least one website saying it was in the London Borough of Barnet!). It was reached via a footpath across the field from Valley Drive, and through a locked gate in the high wire fence surrounding the site.

5. ROC members around the top of the bunker, with Valley Drive in the background.

The bunker consisted of two rooms, a monitoring room and a storeroom (with a chemical toilet in it). The Cold War was at its height in the early 1960s, and in time of an emergency the job of these ROC posts would be to report where nuclear bombs had exploded, and to monitor the spread and toxicity of the radioactive fallout. Two or three observers would be expected to seal themselves into the bunker, and stay there, potentially for many weeks!
 

6. Inside the monitoring room in the Gotfords Hill bunker.

The radioactivity readings, from equipment linked to the surface, would have been used alongside reports from neighbouring posts (Acton, Northolt, Chorleywood, Kings Langley and Bowes Park/Haringay) and data from the Met. Office to predict where the nuclear fallout would spread to, and alert people there of danger coming their way. If you are interested, there is a public information film [“The Hole in the Ground” (1962)] on YouTube, all about these methods:

I remember those times, as my grandfather was an active member of the Civil Defence Corps then. Aged 11 to 13, I was “volunteered” to help, as a casualty, with a number of their training exercises. For one big exercise there was no gory make-up, just dozens of us delivered to a mock casualty clearing station in a local school. We each had a card listing the symptoms we had to describe to the first aiders, whose task it was to decide what to do with us. My “condition” was radiation sickness, and the symptoms were awful! Since then, I’ve been convinced that nuclear weapons should never be used again.

As the threat of a nuclear war with the Soviet Union diminished, half of the underground ROC bunkers were closed in 1968, and Gotfords Hill was one of them. The photographs that Brian shared with us are dated 1968, and may have been taken as the ROC members paid a last visit to their post (if whoever took them would like to get in touch, we would be happy to give a proper acknowledgement). Although the hatch and its surround have gone, the sealed-off bunker underneath must still be there!

7. Closing the hatch to the bunker in 1968, with the fields of the future Country Park beyond.

The final photo shared with us shows the metal hatch being closed; but the pictures have also “lifted the lid” on the mystery of the Gotfords Hill bunker. It is now part of the Fryent Country Park Story!

Thankfully, the bunker never had to be used for the purpose it was built to serve, but history can teach us things, if we are willing to learn. In the 1950s, the government perceived a danger which threatened the life of everyone in the country. They planned for what would be required to deal with that threat, put in the resources necessary, and trained the staff and volunteers who would be involved. Even though that threat passed, without becoming a reality, the country was prepared.

Philip Grant.

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON FRYENT COUNTRY PARK

 

History of Fryent Country Park – Part 1

History of Fryent Country Park – Part 2

History of Fryent Country Park – Part 3

History of Fryent Country Park – Part 4

History of Fryent Country Park – Part 5

History of Fryent Country Park – Part 6

History of Fryent Country Park – Bunker Special

 

Daniel’s Den Snipathon Launch - Linda's epic haircut! They deserve a donation

From Daniel's Den

Daniel’s Den Snipathon is our major fundraising event of the year! 26 days of snipping activities all raising money for Daniel’s Den! It was launched on Sunday April 26th 2020 by Linda and her daughter Shauna! This is the video of Linda having 26 inches cut off her hair - it was an epic community event!

Lots of neighbours came to cheer her on (social distancing rules in place! Follow the link to donate! https://t.co/BexMnn9HNx

About Daniels Den Snipathon

The 2.6 Challenge has inspired us to run a 26-day fundraising campaign called Daniels Den Snipathon. Everyday someone or something will be snipped! 

It will kick off on Sunday April 26th 2020 (the day the London Marathon should have been run) when one of our volunteers Linda will cut off her hair all 26 inches of it!! 

Here is her story

'What I love about Daniels Den is that its not just a job or volunteering opportunity - its family. 

It is not just a session, set up, run, pack away and done its so much more. It reaches further - building links with other organisations, developing relationships with the children and families, with the other volunteers, with the people who run the venues where our sessions are held and the wider community. 

The staff and volunteers offer a non-judgemental ear and share suggestions and advice. Its a huge support network. 

I remember when my daughter started full time school and she asked me why I was still volunteering at Daniels Den as she wasnt there anymore. I said "if there were no volunteers when you started going to DD it would not have been such a good place would it? No one to do the craft, no one to make the juice and fruit, no one to do singing time etc". It took her a while to get her head around it, but finally did. 

I'm the volunteer fundraising events coordinator and this idea has been floating around in my head for a few months - but the time seems right now. People need to be part of something at this time, to give them something to be involved in as we cant meet them at the moment.' 

So everyday someone in Daniel's Den is going to do a snipping challenge. Photos and videos will be shared. Here are just some of the challenges taking place 

Cuthbert the Caterpillar is going to have his 'hair' trimmed

Titch and Roxy, Lindas dogs are going to have the hair in their toenails clipped

Danielle will snip baby Hallies fingernails

Our children will make a collage of their favourite things 

The money raised will help our fundraising targets for the year and enable us to reach more families. 

We have decided to donate 26% of what we raise to two charities close to our heart - St Luke's Hospice and our local women's refuge! And the hair that Linda snips will be donated to the Little Princess Trust to make wigs for children that have lost their hair due to cancer treatment. 

The motto of our charity is TEAM Together Everyone Achieves More and all donations are welcome. 

Thank you!

Remembrance silence for bus workers who have lost their lives to Covid19 - Willesden bus garage tomorrow

TUC issues safety demands before any return to work after lockdown

From the TUC


The TUC is today calling on government to introduce tough new measures to ensure that before lockdown restrictions are eased, all employers assess the risks of their staff team returning to work outside the home.

In a new report, the TUC outlines what government and employers need to do to keep workers safe at work after lockdown is eased, and to give staff the confidence they need:

Risk assessments in every workplace 

The union body is demanding that every employer in the UK be required to carry out a specific Covid-19 risk assessment, developed in consultation with unions and workers. 
The assessment must:

• Identify what risks exist in the workplace and set out specific steps to mitigate them, including through social distancing.
  
• Be agreed with the staff trade union, where there is one. 
  
• Be signed off by one of the UK’s 100,000 trade union health and safety reps, or by a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector, to make sure that it is robust.
  
• Be completed and communicated to workers before they are expected to return to their normal place of work, which means that employers should start work on their assessments now.
  

Employers who fail to complete their risk assessments or put the appropriate safety measures in place should face serious penalties, including prosecution.

Workers have been failed 

These are demanding measures, which represent a step-change in the UK’s approach to health and safety at work, says the union body.

But the TUC believes that too many workers have already been put at unnecessary risk during the pandemic, including through lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and inadequate social distancing procedures.  

Safety concerns

New TUC polling, also published today, shows that 2 in 5 (40%) workers surveyed, along with those who have recently become unemployed, are worried about returning to the normal place of work, including half (49%) of women.

Asked about their specific concerns:

• 2 in 5 (39%) are concerned about not being able to socially distance from colleagues when back at work, and over a quarter (28%) are concerned about not being able to socially distance from customers or clients.
  
• Over a third (34%) are concerned about exposing others in their household to greater risk.
  
• Nearly 1 in 6 (17%) workers across the economy are concerned about not having access to appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) at work.
  

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: 

Many employers have struck sensible deals with unions to protect workers’ health, safety and wellbeing. But too often decent employers are let down by those who play fast and loose with safety. 

We need tough new measures from government to reassure working people that their health and safety is a priority. Too many workers have already been forced to put their health on the line during this pandemic.

We all want everyone to get back to work and start rebuilding Britain. But workers need confidence that they won’t have to put themselves or their families at unnecessary risk.

Government must ensure that every employer performs a comprehensive risk assessment before asking staff to return to work. And bosses who don’t take steps to protect workers should be prosecuted.

If workers are asked to work in conditions they think are unsafe, they can refuse. And they should know that their unions will have their back.

The Fryent Country Park Story - Part 5

The fifth is a series by local historian Philip Grant

 

The Fryent Country Park Story – Part 5

So far, our journey has brought us from Saxon times up to the late 1930s, when the land which is now our country park was first protected as “open space”. If you missed Part 4, you can find it here.

 

1. An autumn field in Fryent Country Park.

When war broke out in 1939, it was clear that the country needed to produce more of its own food. By the following year, at least one field behind Slough Lane had been turned into allotment gardens, but most of the meadows were still grazed by sheep belonging to a farmer from Edgware. Then, in 1942, Middlesex’s Food Production Committee had 56 acres of the old hay meadows on their Regional Open Space ploughed up, to grow wheat.

 

2. Threshing the wheat at Little Cherrylands field in 1942. (Brent Archives – Wembley History Society Colln.)

One long-time Kingsbury resident, who was a schoolboy at the time, remembers stacking sheaves of wheat in Richards Field East, to help with the harvest, as a number of local people did. He also remembered that there was a military observation post at the top of Gotfords Hill. There is rumoured to be a bunker underneath the hill, reached through a trap door, but that was supposed to be top secret! (Recent comments suggest it was 1960s Cold War, not WW2.)*

 

3. Muriel Jefferies helping with the harvest at Bush Farm in 1942. (Photo courtesy of Martin Francis)

In July 1944, a V1 flying bomb exploded in Salmon Street, killing a lady in a house there. One of the five others injured was blown from the top of a stack of straw, at nearby Little Bush Farm. By that time, the end of the war was in sight, and the government was beginning to look ahead to post-war problems, such as the urgent need for new housing.

Wembley Council had said that it wanted 400 of the temporary factory-made bungalows, which the government planned to produce. By November 1944, land near the southern end of Fryent Way had been identified as one possible site for these “prefab” homes. Middlesex C.C. refused permission, as this was part of its Regional Open Space. However, in 1946, after Wembley had used up all its sites at the edge of parks and sports grounds, the County Council relented, on the promise that the land would be returned to open space after the 10-15 years these prefabs were due to last.

 

4. A row of prefab homes at Pilgrims Way, c.1950. (Photo from Brent Archives)

Work had hardly begun on the 114-home estate when the severe winter of 1946/47 intervened. It was too cold for the German prisoner-of-war labourers to lay the concrete roadway. By April, work was underway again, and the first aluminium bungalows began arriving on site in October. All of the new homes were occupied by July 1948, and the Council had named the estate Pilgrims Way. This was because the ancient footpath (“Eldestrete”), which ran across it, was thought to have been used by pilgrims visiting the shrine of Our Lady of Willesdon, in the late 15^th and early 16^th centuries.

One of my best sources for what the area was like in the 1950s and 1960s are the memories of children who grew up on the Pilgrims Way estate, collected as part of a “Prefabs Project” ten years ago. Maureen said: ‘it was an amazing place in which to spend the long summer hours of our childhood. A huge area of rolling hills, trees, woods and fields.  Many of the fields with cows in them. At the top of Barn Hill there was a pond that was the focal point, which as a child l thought was massive. Wally me and the other kids would spend hours fishing in this pond for ‘red throats’ and other tiddlers using a jam jar with string tied around the top.’

 

5. Barn Hill pond, c.1950. (Photograph by Ian Stokes, courtesy of Barn Hill Conservation Group)

Paul remembered the woods and fields as ‘a child’s paradise to play in’, and not just in summer. ‘When it snowed we’d sledge at great speed down a very long steep hill next to Barn Hill pond, stopping only when the barbed wire fence of the cow’s field at the very bottom loomed into sight.’ Sheila’s summer days included: ‘just playing in the fields, making endless daisy chains, looking for grass hoppers, climbing trees, walking amongst the cows, never feeling unsafe only popping home for a slice of bread and jam then out again.’

 

6. Cattle grazing in a field on Barn Hill, c.1960s. (Source unknown!)

The cows belonged to a farmer from Edgware, as all of the active farmsteads along Salmon Street had gone. The farmhouse at Bush Farm was demolished around 1939, Little Bush Farm after its V1 damage in 1944, and Hill Farm to make way for housing in the 1950s. In the 1960s, the farmer began ploughing up some of the old meadows to plant crops. When he started to cut down some of the centuries-old hedges, the recently formed Brent Council put a stop to this, and ended his tenancy.

7. The Pilgrims Way prefab estate, and fields at the southern end of Fryent Way, mid-1960s.
                         (Brent Archives – aerial photographs collection)

Brent had inherited the Pilgrims Way estate when Wembley joined with Willesden to form the new London Borough in 1965. Although only meant to be temporary, the last of the prefabs there remained in use until 1972. All of the land was supposed to be returned to open space, but the Council persuaded the Greater London Council (which had taken overall responsibility for this “Green Belt” land when Middlesex C.C. was abolished in 1965) to let them retain three acres for housing. A new Pilgrims Way was built, with two Closes off of it, called after old local field names, Saltcroft and Summers.

 

8. The “Pilgrims Way” footpath in 2019, and the old estate entrance at the top of the hill in Fryent Way.

The rest of the former prefab estate was allowed to become woodland, with its old entrance still just visible. But what should the Council do with the land they had taken back from the farmer? One group of Labour councillors, mainly from the Willesden wards, said that Council housing should be built on it. Another group, of Conservatives, thought that it should be turned into a municipal golf course. In 1973, however, Brent Council decided to retain the fields as meadowland, that would be open for the public to use.

There was one more threat to our future enjoyment of this open space that had to be overcome – the Olympic Games! Fryent Way had been part of the course for the marathon at the 1948 Games (British athlete, Tom Richards, won the silver medal, after a Korean runner ahead of him dropped out on the long climb up the hill from Kingsbury, in the final stages of the race back to Wembley Stadium). In 1980, London wanted to bid for the 1988 Games, and the fields at Fryent Way were the only suitable site for the athletes’ village that would be needed. Luckily, the government decided to back a bid from Birmingham instead (which was unsuccessful).

9. A cutting from the "Wembley Observer" about the Olympic Village site, February 1980. (Brent Archives)

I apologise for the poor quality of the picture above, but hope that, as well as its caption, it shows the sorry state the hedges were in then. Something needed to be done to improve this area of ancient Middlesex landscape. Please join me next weekend, for the final part of The Fryent Country Park Story to discover what that was (there’s a clue in the title!).

As before, please add any information, memories or questions you have in the comments section below.

Philip Grant

* Comments by readers of Part 3 have provided information about, and photos of, the
bunker at Gotfords Hill, referred to above. An “extra” article about the bunker will
be published in the next few days.

LINKS TO OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES
 

History of Fryent Country Park – Part 1

History of Fryent Country Park – Part 2

History of Fryent Country Park – Part 3

History of Fryent Country Park – Part 4

History of Fryent Country Park – Part 5

History of Fryent Country Park – Part 6

History of Fryent Country Park – Bunker Special

 

Amid public sector Covid19 deaths please join in International Workers Memorial Day to pay tribute - Tuesday 28th April

You can download this image and print to display in workplace on your front window

Yesterday evening Brent Trades Council held a timely meeting about workers' rights during the Covid-19 crisis hearing from trade unionists representing workers on the front line. The meeting decided to take  part in the annual International Workers Memorial Day event which has added relevance at a time when there have been deaths of NHS staff, care workers, bus workers teachers  and others as a result of exposure to the virus and government failures to provide the necessary PPE (personal protection equipment).

Details will be published by the Trades Council  on Facebook later about any specific Brent events but this is information from the TUC:

Every year on April 28th, all around the world the trade union movement unites to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day (#IWMD20).

We remember those who have lost their lives at work, or from work-related injury and diseases. We renew our efforts to organise collectively to prevent more deaths, injuries and disease as a result of work.

Workers Memorial Day is commemorated throughout the world and is officially recognised by the UK Government.

We remember those we have lost. We organise in their memory.

Theme for 2020: Coronavirus

The coronavirus pandemic affects every worker regardless of sector or locality. Tens of thousands of workers worldwide have died. More have fallen ill or continue to go to work risking their lives. Many workers are still attending work ill-equipped and without necessary safety measures in place.

We could not have a starker reminder of the important role of trade union health and safety reps in saving and protecting workers’ lives, than the current crisis we are living through.

While we may not be able to attend the memorial events which usually take place on IWMD, as public gatherings around the world are not advised or allowed; there are many ways trade union members can take part in our collective day of remembrance and solidarity.

We remember those we have lost. We organise in their memory.

While we may not be able to attend the memorial events which usually take place on IWMD, as public gatherings around the world are not advised or allowed; there are many ways trade union members can take part in our collective day of remembrance and solidarity.

How you can take part…

Minutes silence

At 11am on Tuesday 28th April, take part in the minute's silence. 

It will be a moment to pay tribute to the sacrifice made of so many workers during the pandemic, to remember those who've sadly lost their lives, and to thank all those who continue to do vital work at great risk.

The initiative is supported by the government, and reps may wish to request employers mark it, by asking the workforce to cease work for one minute at 11am.

Help spread the word about the minute's silence, by encouraging as many friends and colleagues to take part, whether in their workplace of at home.

You can quickly spread the word by posting this tweet, sharing this Facebook status or asking your contacts on WhatsApp to join you in taking part in the silence.

Register for our video call

The TUC Education team will be hosting a video call at 2pm on the day, where you will be able to hear from speakers and submit questions and contributions in advance. Register for the video call.

Organise an online campaign

Think of digital tools you can use to call for stronger health and safety protections. Whether it a current call for urgent PPE, or a longer term demand for union recognition - you can make use of the TUC’s Megaphone tool to create a petition about the issues where you work, or email and call elected officials to demand that workers' safety is prioritised over corporate interests.

Host a video call or webinar

Where you might have ordinarily held a rally to mark IWMD, it could be done online, with union members having the opportunity to hear speeches. You could ask injured workers and family members who can talk first-hand about the need for strong health and safety protections, the important of campaigning and of strong and active unions. Consider inviting elected officials and community leaders to participate in the call.

Warning that allotment BBQs risk closure of sites

Brent Council took a sensible decision to keep allotments open as a place for exercise at the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, as long as social distancing and other guidelines were kept.

The decision has led to many plots looking better than they have done for years as the result of their owners' enforced time off work.

Now that is threatened because there have been instances of 'gatherings', ignoring 2 metre social distancing, around barbeques on some sites.

A well-placed Brent Council source said that if this continues it could lead to the closure of allotments. The source emphasised that it was a minority ignoring the rules but closure would affect everyone.

Brent Council has only recently improved the management of allotments, letting vacant plots more quickly and generally taking more of an interest. If sites were to close at peak growing season plots would become overgrown with weeds  and brmables and difficult to get back under cultivation.

Two thirds of Britons believe Climate Change as serious as Coronavirus and majority want Climate prioritised in economic recovery

Recent polling by Ipsos conducted across 14 countries globally shows that 66% of Britons believe that in the long-term Climate Change is as serious a crisis as COVID-19, this compares to 71% on average across those 14 countries.

Respondents from China were the most likely to believe that in the long-term Climate Change is as serious a crisis as COVID-19 at 87%, while respondents from the USA and Australia are the least likely, but still well over half at 59% agreeing.

Globally 65% agreed that it is important that climate change is prioritised in the economic recovery after Coronavirus. In Britain, however, this is lower at only 58%.

The polling also shows that both the world and Britain are split on whether or not the government should take actions which might harm the environment to help the economy recover. Globally 44% are in favour and 48% disagree, with Britons split 46% agreeing and 43% disagreeing, meaning we edge slightly to believing that the government should help the economy recover even if that’s at the potential expense of the environment.

Kelly Beaver, Managing Director of Public Affairs Ipsos MORI said:

It is clear that while we deal with the Coronavirus crisis, Britons are still concerned with the environmental issues facing the world and the country. And whilst a majority say they want the environment prioritised in the economic recovery, people in Britain are divided (almost equally) on whether or not the government should take actions which might harm the environment to help the economy recover.