Moving out for the Olympic athletes

WITH reference to your request for Olympic memories, I have a personal memory of 1948 (Watching the 1948 torch pass by, Gazette, July 4).

While completing my national service in the RAF in 1948, I was stationed at Uxbridge at the London Air Traffic centre located in the collection of huts by Hillingdon House.

At the time of the Olympic Games at Wembley, the competitors were billeted at RAF Uxbridge, and we had to move out to temporary accommodation at RAF Stanmore Park, commuting to Uxbridge by RAF coaches for each shift at the centre. Happy days.

KEITH HAYWARD

Pinn Way

Ruislip

Flame was burning bright in 1908 too

I WAS interested to read the article on page three of the July 11 Uxbridge Leader (The Olympics in our borough).

The headline above the photo is ‘The first time the relay came through’, referring to the 1948 Olympics, but this is incorrect.

There is an article in the recent edition of Hillingdon People magazine, with a photo of the 1908 Olympic Games, stating that the marathon race passed through most of Hillingdon.

You can find the route on a map showing it passed through Uxbridge, Ickenham, Ruislip and Eastcote as it made its way from Windsor to White City.

MARY WILLIS

Via email

? Mary Willis is correct. The flame did pass through Uxbridge in 1908, as this beautiful picture (above) from that year shows. It was a hot and sunny day, as it would be again in 1948 when the flame once more travelled along the town’s most historic street.

What price some sunshine this year?

Fire in Labour belly now a damp squib

AFTER attending a Hillingdon Against Cuts demo at the home of local democracy, the Civic Centre, I decided to finish the day with a trip to the council meeting.

What has happened to the Labour councillors? They were letting the Tories walk all over them, and the speeches they gave were either inaudible or banal.

According to one, the betting shops in Hayes change normal people into uncontrollable vandals. What’s that all about?

I remember the time when being a Labour councillor meant you had fire in your belly and you stood up for the downtrodden. You took to the streets with petition after petition against the ‘Tory oppressors’.

Not any more – you take your money and say and do as little as possible.

I blame Tony Blair and his New Labour rubbish, when anyone and everyone could join the party. The socialist principles are diluted to such an extent that they no longer exist.

TIM EDWARDS

Granville Road

Hillingdon

Digging for ballast created lovely lake

I WONDER if many of the people who visit the Little Britain Lake know its origin. My younger brother and I do!

It began as a field belonging to our grandfather, who was known as ‘Shaker’ Butler and who owned houses and various types of carts used to convey passengers on shopping trips from Yiewsley and West Drayton to Uxbridge, and outings to Ascot race meetings, Maidenhead and Burnham Beeches.

The horses were usually kept in stables next to the family homes at numbers one and two Ford Road, Little Britain, but put ours into the field during the better weather months.

When Grandfather died, his four sons were contacted by a company called H Sabey & Co Ltd, who wanted to purchase the field and dig for ballast.

Our father, known as ‘Jummy’ Butler, and his brothers decided to sell the field.

Work commenced and lots of ballast was carted away, eventually leaving a great area of deep and dangerous water – definitely no swimming allowed!

Then after many years we noticed greenery and fish, and also various types of wildlife appearing in the water.

Today that area of water is known as Little Britain Lake – a pleasant spot to may people.

ELLEN BURKE (NéE BUTLER)

Darrell Charles Court

Uxbridge

Good care is great – when you get it

PATIENTS might be excused for scepticism at the revelations contained in the letter from the chairman of an NHS commissioning group (Getting public view on changes to care, Letters, July 4).

How many years have we been listening to all the hype about more care in the community, when in reality we are getting less?

Many ordinary citizens will have heard within their own group of friends and families of excessive delays for GP and specialist appointments, or premature hospital discharge, to free up the ever-reducing number of beds.

Where is the factual evidence of better care in the community we were promised years ago, and yet again in Dr Goodman’s letter?

The imminent closure of one of the two district nursing offices serving Uxbridge, with the loss of half its front-line nurses serving the locality, does not support what we are being told.

They tell us centralising will give us higher-quality care and service. That’s if we can get any in the first place.

CHRIS BURKE

Via email