We campaigned first in Keston and then Bromley Common yesterday. Luckily the rain stopped as we started to canvass the Kemble Drive area. The sun came out quickly and it turned into an excellent session with very supportive results.
Morale was high as our team then went on to Chatterton Road on Bromley Common where I walked and talked to various people as well as three bulldogs - all of whom were seemingly totally unfazed about the General Election. One of them, Bulldog Lloyd, consented to be photographed with me. He instructed his charming human to take the attached photograph. Whilst that was happening I casually asked Lloyd which way he might vote. Slobbering towards me he growled he had always been a Tory animal. Lloyd said his dog’s life had been much better since 2010 and mentioned that bones his human had found for him were a little bigger than they had been 5 years ago. I put Lloyd down as a confirmed ‘C’ on the canvass sheet.
Chatterton Road is something of a jewel. Most of the shops are locally owned and several new ones have been set up there since my last visit. Business seemed brisk and I heard from several people that they use them as their first port of call for when shopping. That is good news for the local community.
We took a late lunch at the Harvester Inn on Southborough Lane. As we went into the place I looked at the blue plaque on the front of the building. I remembered that in May 2011 I had attended an unveiling ceremony for the plaque which was placed to recall what happened in the Second World War. A V2 rocket landed on the place on Sunday 19th November 1944 killing 27 people and maiming a large number of others. There was no warning whatsoever. It was a huge local tragedy as the War was almost over. In 1944 the Harvester Inn was then called the Crooked Billet. Obviously the Harvester Inn was rebuilt on the old pub’s ruins.
Keston, Bromley Common, Hayes, Coney Hall, Kelsey, Eden Park, Shortlands, West Wickham and Copers Cope were in the front lines for German air attacks and took serious civilian casualties. Just on the Beckenham War Memorial alone there are over 300 women and children’s names!
Early evening I managed to cut the grass at home in Shortlands which, unusually for me, I found quite relaxing. Then, during the evening, I attended the Beckenham Conservative Party Association Quiz Night in the Langley Sports Club. I was not allowed to make a speech or talk politics and so simply enjoyed the event. Needless to say the team I joined, that of Hannah Gray and her great family, did not win! I am a Jonah for any quiz team.