大象传媒

This story was submitted by Allen Buckroyd, who compiled 鈥楪reat Baddow Oral History鈥�, published in December 2003. The book contained this contribution from Dora Norrington and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the terms and conditions.

Editorial in the book.
Dora Norrington recalled an infamous character of the time. He was living in Gt.Baddow before the war. From other contributions (to 鈥楪reat Baddow Oral History鈥�) it is believed that this man was William Joyce, Lord 鈥楬aw-Haw鈥�. (He renewed his passport in August 1939 and travelled to Germany in that month to offer his services to Josef Goebbels' Nazi propaganda ministry).

Dora Norrington - Lord 鈥楬aw-Haw鈥�
Dora: During the 1930s and the early part of the war we kept a post office and grocery shop at the corner of Baddow Road and Beehive Lane. There was a 鈥榖lack shirt鈥� (British Nationalist) living on the corner of Chelmerton Avenue. He was a very nice gentleman. He used to come in and buy all of his groceries. He was very polite.

Some months later, after we had sold up the shop and the war had started, a detective came to see us. He wanted to know all about this black shirt. I said, 鈥淚 can only tell you that he was a very nice gentleman. He never spoke anything about the war鈥�. The detective wanted to know so much, but I couldn鈥檛 tell him, and I didn鈥檛 want to be involved. The man we were discussing had disappeared shortly before the war started. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we want to know,鈥� the detective said. 鈥淲e want to know where he is and what happened. Did he have meetings? I had been told that there were lights on nearly all night鈥�. They suspected that there had been meetings going on in his house. There were always closed dark curtains at the windows. He was thought to hold meetings there and entertain many visitors as he bought large amounts of groceries from the shop, always calling first thing in the morning. Dora remarked to her mother at the time that he was a customer to be valued. He always wore a black shirt - was very good looking, polite and well spoken. (Sir Oswald Mosley also called in the shop).

He also sent telegrams from the Post Office and Dora remembers one in particular, going to London 鈥� 鈥淪aw G.P last night鈥�. What did he mean by GP? A doctor? Working it out much later, we think he meant 鈥楪erman Plane'.

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