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Regarding the Loughton Housing Scheme, in February 1915 Messrs. French and Co. informed the authorities that they could complete the houses by April 7th, but labour was short. In fact the work would be finished by July, except for gravelling the footpaths.

After 31 years as rector of the parish, at the end of April 1915 the Reverend J. Athawes retired. Before coming to Loughton, for 15 years he had conducted a secondary school in South London, and due to this experience whilst in the village he would be chairman of the old School Board, and later of the School Managers. For 10 years he sat on the Bucks County Education Committee, and for 21 years acted as an inspector of schools in the Deanery under the Oxford Diocesan Board. In church matters he revitalised the attendance, and during his term two new bells were added, to make a peal of six. Having been chairman of the Parish Council, in other civic duties for 27 years he sat on the Newport Pagnell Board of Guardians. This would include 8 years as the vice chairman of the Board and the Rural District Council, and in appreciation the members would present him with a reclining chair, a reading table and lamp, an illuminated address, and a purse of gold. On his instructions at the Rectory on Tuesday, May 11th 1915 at 2p.m. a sale took place to include ‘A Quantity of superior HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE and Effects,’ a 6½ octave pianoforte in oak case, by Collard and Collard, a very choice Limoges coffee service, a light two wheel trap, and a nearly new Green’s 12 inch lawn mower.

On the outskirts of Loughton, a disastrous fire destroyed 8½ tons of valuable clothing material when, on the afternoon of Monday, May 31st 1915, two loaded wagons of woollens and other goods caught alight. They were being towed by a steam wagon, owned by Messrs. Kelsall and Kemp, of Rochdale, and the goods had evidently been smouldering for some miles. Destined for France, they were being transported from the weaving mills of Rochdale to London, and, comprising bales of khaki cloth, material for soldiers’ shirts, flannels and flannelettes, and hundreds of bales of cloth for suits, all were rendered useless. Whilst the load was passing through Loughton a passing cyclist had drawn the attention of the two crewmen to the smoke issuing from the wagons, and they immediately brought the steam engine to the side of the road. However, when trying to remove the covering sheets the driver and stoker were driven back by the heat, and this also prevented the red hot coupling pins from being removed, to separate the wagons from the engine. The Fenny Stratford Fire Brigade soon arrived and began pumping water from a brook, but this was to little avail, as the fire had taken such a hold. Sparks from the steam engine were thought to have been the cause, and the total damage amounted to about £2,500.

The youngest son of the late George Kitchener, of Loughton, on Sunday, June 27th 1915 Private Arthur Kitchener, R.A.M.C., died following complications having contracted a chill. Three weeks ago he had visited his mother, resident in Wolverton, and after his leave had returned to the clearing hospital close to the firing line.

On Thursday, December 30th 1915, at the Bucks Education Committee meeting it was reported that the managers of the Shenley and Loughton Schools had been asked if, under the headship of Mrs. Cresswell, and with all the present assistant teachers, they would agree to the amalgamation of the schools for the period of the war. In reply the managers said that owing to the distance, and the occurrence of floods, they would prefer that Loughton School should remain open for the reception of infants under Mrs. Stevens, but that Mrs. Cresswell should take the headship at Shenley. It was resolved to recommend that his arrangement be approved for the winter, with the question of complete amalgamation being reconsidered in the spring.

In January 1916 a licence to keep petroleum was granted to Messrs. Wells Bros., boot retailers and repairers of the village.

On Wednesday, February 23rd 1916, at the Military Tribunal of the Newport Pagnell Rural District a farmer’s son from Loughton applied for exemption. He was aged 26 and there was only himself and his father to work a farm of 200 acres, since the other two men had not been replaced. 11 cows had to be milked and 42 arable acres ploughed, and by the verdict of the Tribunal six months exemption was granted, since, apart from being in a certified occupation, the applicant was practically doing the work of two, and “It was slavery to the man.”

Held at Bletchley in February 1916, Miss Ethel Gurney, of Vicarage Farm, gained an honours certificate in the Victoria College of Music advanced senior grade exam for the pianoforte. She also gained an A.V.C.M. diploma, which entitled her to wear the cap and gown of the college.

Her husband being a German, now interned in a detention camp on the Isle of Man, in March 1916 Mrs. Freitag, who was living with her married sister at Loughton, wrote to the Board of Guardians stating that she was not strong enough for work. She enclosed a doctor’s certificate, and in his report Dr. J. Harvey, of Wolverton, said that in 1912 she had undergone open air treatment for tuberculosis, and again in 1914. However, despite some improvement she was not fully recovered, and when Mrs. Brett paid her a visit on February 11th she found that she had no resources or friends to help. Mr. Maycock, the Loughton representative on the Board, had pointed out in a letter that the money in the relief of these cases came from a Government Fund, and by the unanimous decision of the Board it was decided to continue the relief.

When the headmaster of Shenley Council School, Mr. Melton, joined the army, the vacancy was filled by Mrs. Maud Cresswell, the headmistress of the Loughton school, from where, causing its closure, she transferred with the Loughton schoolchildren on May 1st 1916. However, it was soon made very clear that many people would have preferred a man as the new head, and trouble soon arose when one of the pupils was found to be working on the land. Then when in a later incident it became necessary to punish the lad, the subsequent caning so enraged his parents that when his mother came to the school the police had to be called, such was the disturbance that she made. The father also made his opinions felt, for on meeting the headmistress in the street his tirade of verbal abuse expressed the wish that “We will kick you out …” Therefore, when Mr. Melton came back from the Army many hoped that he would return to the school, but instead he moved elsewhere, and a petition was subsequently raised asking the Education Committee to appoint a man as the headmaster. On May 19th 1919 this was duly presented to the Managers, who on the same date attended a meeting with the boy’s father. During the course of this he made several slanderous accusations against Mrs. Cresswell, but following her evidence, and that of other witnesses, the jury returned a verdict in favour of Mrs. Cresswell, and, with this also being the opinion of the judge, she awarded damages of £200.

A letter to the local press in March 1917;

“SIR, - What seems to be a very indiscreet and unpatriotic action has been taken by the postal authorities concerned in removing the Loughton Post Office to the most unsuitable spot in the village. From the latter point of view it has caused great dissatisfaction in the village. The office has been temporarily held by a young woman - afflicted and unable to do heavy work. However it was recently announced that applications were wanted for the post. There were four applicants, one being the above mentioned young woman; another, the wife of a soldier serving his King and country (she, too, a sufferer, and unable to do heavy work). The other two female applicants have good homes, and someone to work for them. One of these, on hearing that the young woman mentioned was one of the applicants, withdrew her application as she considered this girl (who has unfortunately lost a limb) the most worthy of the help it might afford her. If the other applicant had only had a little of the same spirit, she might have done likewise. However, the latter was chosen to hold the post office in future. From the other point of view (as is well known in this locality) Loughton is a village which in winter is frequently flooded, and when only an ordinary flood the house chosen is cut off from two-thirds of the houses in the village. And when there is a deep flood no one can get at the house at all without going into the fields (out of a footpath) and entering by the back way. Therefore, if this is the candid decision of the authorities, when the village is flooded the majority of the parishioners will not be able to post a letter without wading through water; not to mention the Old Age Pensioners, who will be very much upset if they are not able to get at the Post Office on Fridays. As my last point, I would like to remind the Post Office officials that now (if it is not too late to re-consider the matter) on the Shenley side of the water there will be two Post Offices and a letter box in a distance of less than three-quarters of a mile, while the other part of the village is without any service whatever. I am sure I am backed by the majority of the villagers when I say that the person, or persons, responsible for such an action was suffering from a lack of knowledge of the village or lack of common sense. For, after all, what is a Post Office for?

Yours,

INCONVENIENCED.

Loughton,

March 15.”

Now resident in the village, in August 1917 Mr. Will Purvis, a former Northampton journalist, was awarded the M.B.E. A well known drama critic and book reviewer, being himself the author of several works, for many years he had specialised in gardening matters, and in the early days of the war his articles in the London Press, regarding agricultural colonies for discharged soldiers, attracted much attention. In fact he was invited to take a responsible position with the Ministry of Food, and subsequently played a prominent part in its publicity work.

In June 1918, Gunner Alf Bodley, R.F.A., the son of Mr. and Mrs. David Bodley, of Loughton, was in Eastleigh Hospital, suffering from wounds in the muscle of an arm. These had been sustained whilst in action on June 1st, and he had just been awarded the Military Medal for gallantry at Kemmell Hill.