News from Piltdown and Fletching

90 Years Ago
Sussex Agricultural Express
16 March 1934

PILTDOWN.
AGENT Mr. F. A. Grover, The Stores, for the sale of this paper, and Receiving Office for Advertisements.

BLIND CORNER
The Uckfield Rural Council have drawn the attention of the County Council to the high hedge at the junction of the road leading from Shortbridge to the main Maresfield - Newick road at Piltdown, as this completely blocks visibility.

UCKFIELD COMMENTS
The Blackshirts have come to Uckfield, at least one of their number was in the town on Saturday offering the Fascist newspaper for sale.

The Vicar of Fletching (the Rev. H. W. Burns Cox) gives a tip for the boat race in this month’s Parish Magazine. He writes: “For the benefit of those poor souls who favour Oxford for the boat race I am going to forecast another Cambridge victory! But whether Oxford win or not there is a distinctly cheering improvement in their early training this year, and it would be nice if they could pull out a win.”

“In 1934 Cambridge won the men’s boat race by 4 ½ lengths, finishing the course in 18mins and 3 seconds – a record at the time (both teams beat the previous record that day). One of the 1934 Cambridge crew was William George Ranald Mundel “Ran” Laurie. Ran went on to win Olympic gold as a rower in 1948, with Jack Wilson in the coxless pairs. Ran’s son is Hugh Laurie, of Blackadder, House and The Night Manager fame. Hugh rowed for Cambridge in the 1980 boat race – the closest race in a century – when Cambridge lost to Oxford.

https://blog.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/cambridge-racing eight/#content

My brother-in-law was a GP in a practice in Oxford when Ran was senior partner.”

FLETCHING.
AGENT Mr. D. Claridge, Post Office, for the sale of this paper, and Receiving Office for Advertisements.

PROPOSED GARDEN FETE — Mr. and Mrs. G. N. Hardinge have offered the grounds and gardens of Clinton Lodge for a garden fete for the church lighting fund, and at a meeting in the Reading Room on Monday evening, a date in July was provisionally fixed.

EXTRA SERVICE — With the idea of giving the opportunity for worship to the aged and infirm in Piltdown, the Vicar (the Rev. K. W. Burns Cox) is holding a Sunday afternoon service at the Lamb Hall, placed at his disposal by Mrs. Tester. This follows a service at three o’clock held in Sheffield Green Reading Room at the opposite end of the parish.

NATIONAL DEPOSIT SOCIETY — The annual meeting of the local district was held in the Reading Room on Thursday last week, Mr. S Pittman presiding. Mr. G. Dadswell, who has been secretary for the 25 years the branch has been in existence, reported that starting with nine members there were now 83, and the branch was in a flourishing condition. Mr. Pittman was re-elected chairman, and the district committee was reappointed with Mr. E. H. Gilson in place of the late Mr. 0. Neve. Mr. Gilson was nominated for the Divisional Committee, and Mr. J. Baker was chosen delegate to the annual divisional conference at Lewes.

From Wikipedia: National Deposit Friendly Society, was formed in 1868 as the Surrey Deposit Friendly Society by the Rev. George Raymond Portal to provide sickness cover for the poor. The deposit principle was that part of the contribution was for the benefit of the individual, and part for the common pool. Portal’s Society was unusual in that it admitted women and children. By 1930, the membership reached one million.