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September 2002
I expect that August 2002 will be remembered as the month in which the two Soham girls, Jessica and Sarah, were abducted and murdered. Lakenheath village, I am sure, would not wish itself to be known nationally for its association with this horrific event. As Feltwell Parish Council Chairman I sympathise with the Chair of Lakenheath Parish Council; the media frenzy could not have been a pleasant experience. Had the murderer driven 5 miles further north he would have been in Feltwell Parish, not a thought I want to entertain for very long. However, I cannot escape the fact that for the week prior to the discovery of the bodies I drove that very road 4 times each day taking my daughter to and collecting her from work. We were in Cornwall for a week when the news broke and our daughter, who we had left at home, reported that on the day the Police closed the Wangford Road it took her 40 minutes instead of 20 to get to work. The road was re-opened last Thursday, almost 2 weeks later after the gruesome discovery and it was a most peculiar feeling travelling along it and seeing all the flowers that had been laid along the roadside. It was very quiet in the car on that journey.
Life in Feltwell on the other hand has been very quiet and there is little to report. The County Council resurfaced part of Lodge Road and in order to do the job they had to close it for a day. This was during the time of the Wangford Road closure so anyone in the area who wished to travel east had to go through Hockwold. I bet they noticed a big increase in traffic on that day. The County are now working on remodelling the top junction as they have decided that it is a potentially dangerous one. Anybody who has lived in this area for any length of time in the last 50 years could have told them that! The gears of local government certainly grind slowly.
As I've been on my summer break I took the opportunity to clear my desk. I nearly managed it but people kept giving me things for the magazine and the website but the pile is smaller than it was, honest. So, additions etc this month include links to the American school website at RAF Feltwell and to Ian Sanders page because he has a photograph of a Feltwell Pillbox! I eventually worked out how to get the 1837 Tithe map onto the site and, I must say, I'm rather pleased with it. A list of all Feltwell residents who served in the war has been added to the Roll of Honour page and I've added some details to the 1930s Chronol0gy. Several new photographs of 'old' Feltwell from Maureen Reed, see the What's New page for details. I've also changed the focus of the RAF Personnel page to become a Memorial Page for anyone who wants to make an entry for a relative or themselves. I hope this one will grow. Also a few lose ends and broken links fixed.
I've got the 1881 Census for Feltwell tabulated by street (took hours of work! and thanks for the original, Robert) if anyone would like a copy. It runs to about 70 pages in Word 2000 but I could Zip it to you, or just the names you're interested in.
Only 2 new members this month - David L. Anderson-Walmsley who served with the Thor Squadron and Sharon Ostrander, nee Daniels, who lived in the Old Rectory in 1964.
