That Was The Week That Was – 6th May 1988
By Myles Cook
HERE IS the latest in our series of features looking back at some of the news items to be found in the Thurrock Gazette archives from 25 years ago.
Man Put His Own Home to the Match
William Potts, 37, of Dale Close in South Ockendon admitted to attempted arson when he appeared in Chelmsford Crown Court.
He claimed that family problems in the household had become too much for him, driving him to spray petrol around his home and setting it alight. Conscious of other’s safety, however, he first made sure that the neighbours on one side of his terraced house were out and that the other neighbours were warned to get clear.
Prosecutor, Mr David Knight, told the court that the fire had caused damage amounting to a cost of £100.
The fire had two main seating points, one in the hall and the other in the kitchen. Petrol-soaked bed linen was the accelerant method used.
Potts freely admitted to starting the blaze and opening windows to cause a draught when police arrived to arrest him. He confessed to spraying petrol about the house and throwing a lit match through the letterbox.
Mr Anthony Abell, defending, claimed that Potts had been under incredible emotional pressure at the time of the offence.
Potts and his wife had moved into the area from Woolwich, necessitating him to give up his driver’s job and this caused an atmosphere of friction to be continually present in the home.
At the time of the court case, the family problems had dissipated due to Potts finding a new job and affecting a complete change in his life.
Potts was sentenced to probation for three years.
New Vicar Arrives
Rev Ivor Moody was inducted as Vicar of St John the Baptist Church in Tilbury. The ceremony at the church was conducted by the Rt Rev Derek Bond, the Bishop of Bradwell.
The Mayor of Thurrock, Cllr John Dunn, and his wife were in attendance at the ceremony with a number of other leading local officials.
Rev Moody, 30, was born and raised in Hove, Sussex, and was the curate at St Margaret’s Church in Leigh-on-Sea.
He trained at Kings College, London, where he earned his Bachelor of Divinity degree before continuing his studies at the Theological College, Mirfield in West Yorkshire.
His wife Ruth was a nurse at the Fairhaven Hospice in Westcliff.
He was popular with the young people who attended St Margaret’s in Leigh, some of whom were in attendance at the induction ceremony.
Rev Moody replaced Canon Francis Hickey who retired 13 months before.
Factoid: Rev Ivor Moody is now The Rev’d Canon Ivor Moody, Vice Dean and Canon Pastor of Chelmsford Cathedral. He is also the Chair of Essex Mind & Spirit.
Love That Bloomed Among the Tulips
John and Johanna Klaver, of Wharf Close in Stanford, celebrated 50 golden years of marriage after the Dutch couple met at a young farmer’s dinner in Holland in 1935 where John asked Johanna to dance with him.
50 years after that first meeting, John, 81, and Johanna, 75, were still happily married with two children and five grandchildren to show for their happy union. The couple moved to Stanford to be near their daughter.
They grew up in Holland where John was involved with the bulb trade but moved to England following their marriage to set up a nursery business in Orsett.
Handicapped Live In Fear
Thurrock’s Labour Party expressed their support and concern for the plight of the borough’s mentally handicapped residents at a recent meeting.
The discussion highlighted the fears of parents who had gone to great lengths to support and care for their mentally handicapped children.
One parent expressed her nightly worry about what would happen to her children if she passed away during the night.
She also highlighted the regrettable need for protection against some elements of society, adding: “Leaving them alone in flats or at home, often with no preparation for the task and with the minimum of support, leaves them vulnerable to the ignorant in the community, as well as neighbourhood bullies, burglars and thieves.”
The Party suggested the provision of small warden-assisted complexes to provide a protective environment within the community whilst being an integral part of it.
Student Win Cash
The National Westminster Bank awarded students of Palmers College cash prizes to help fund their community projects
Approximately 150 students a year did community work as part of the Alternative Studies programme. Two projects were chosen for special mention that year, one at South Ockendon Hospital and the other at Elizabeth House, a home for the elderly.
Jennifer Butlin and Alexandra Diprose were chosen to represent the college at the special awards ceremony in London on 27th April 1988 where they received the cheque.
Follow Up
Sometimes, we find stories that keep cropping up as we progress through 1988 so we thought it would be nice to follow up on those stories.
Sandra Midlane
Detectives were still searching for the body of Sandra Midlane, 23, at Mucking tip near East Tilbury. Around 20 officers in protective clothing and masks were involved in the search that was thought, at that point, to be ready to stretch on for another week. Workers from Cory Waste were assisting the detectives with the search.
Mary Marley
Further details emerged in the case of widow Mary Marley who kept the body of her lodger shut in a bedroom for a year at her home in Seabrooke Rise. The inquest was told that the state of the lodger’s body was such that no determination as to the cause of death could be established and as such an open verdict was recorded on his death. Mrs Marley’s death was recorded as death by natural causes brought about by self-neglect.
The State Cinema
New offers were being made to help save the historic State Cinema, one from an un-named Grays businessman. Thurrock MP Tim Janman discovered that his rescue plan for the cinema was a legal possibility.
