Council defies heartless thieves

by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
15/07/2008

Three sisters have thanked Hammersmith and Fulham Council's parks constabulary for replacing a plaque commemorating their parents' lives after it was stolen by heartless thieves.

Tina Marshall, 71, Denise Brand, 69, and Elaine Jenkins, 62, were astonished to hear the brass plaque had been prised off its wooden and concrete plinth in Normand Park. It stood in front of a tree planted in memory of their parents Dennis and Dorothea Haylock, who lived in Lintaine Grove – where the park now stands.

“We were absolutely stunned when we found out it had been stolen,” said Tina. “My daughter, Nadia, who lives on North End Road, noticed it had gone when she was walking through the park and phoned me up to tell me. It beggars belief, really.”

“I just do not know what they could have got out of it,” said Denise. “They start with something like this and it makes you wonder what they will do next.”

Elaine said: “I just thought ‘how could someone stoop so low?’. I mean what is a brass plaque that small worth to someone? Nothing, but to us it meant an awful lot.”

Elaine then emailed Parks Inspector Stan Davies to let him know what had happened, who then offered on behalf of the council to replace the plaque for free – much to the surprise of the family.

“I could not believe it,” said Elaine. “I told my sisters and we were all overcome really. It was just the fact that someone did that for us – it was such a nice thought; such a lovely thing to do. We really appreciate all his help and kindness.”

Stan said: “Elaine rightly described it as ‘an absolute disgusting thing to do' in the email she sent me. These thefts are very rare but unfortunately they do happen. Although the value of the plaque would have been minimal to a thief, its value was priceless to the family who were understandably upset. 

“So I asked Elaine to send me the inscription and we got a new plaque made in plastic to try and stop people stealing it again. I hope we were able to help reduced the distress this senseless and hurtful incident caused.” 

After Mr Haylock’s death in 1989, the sisters decided to plant a tree in his memory at a spot just yards from where the family home was originally and near Lillie Road, where Mr Haylock owned two shops.

Tina said: “Our father was a jack of all trades and even had a brief stint in the RAF. Then he had two shops which sold everything and anything. He was the first person around here to sell Christmas crackers: there was glue everywhere in our house because we were all helping stick them together.”

Denise added: “He had a vinegar factory too and everyone in the houses up and down the street used to be pickling onions, which were then sent to BHS to sell in their stores. Dad was ahead of his time – I suppose you would call him an entrepreneur these days.”

In 2002, at the age of 90, Mrs Haylock passed away and her name was added to the plaque in the park. The area holds many memories for Tina, Denise and Elaine – but they are not all good.

Despite being just children during the Second World War, Denise and Tina recall sleeping in West Kensington tube station, the bombs falling on houses and the devastation caused by the London Blitz. The Haylock family was bombed out of 12, Lintaine Grove, and moved into number 26, and they also lost family and friends to the bombings.

Grandfather William Haylock was killed on December 29 1940, during the most devastating raid the capital had seen, when a bomb fell on his home in Silvio Street, where Normand Park is today. The sisters were evacuated several times to Leicester but remember that particular evening vividly.

“Granddad was killed on my birthday,” said Tina. “We were all supposed to go over to his house but he said not to come, so we didn’t. It was as if he knew something was going to happen.”

And though there were difficult times for the Haylock family on Lintaine Grove, it seems that there could be no better place for a fitting tribute to the couple who were so well loved in the community that they could not bear to be parted from.

“Dad loved Fulham – he was born here and he grew up here,” said Denise. “Mum managed to get him to live in Wimbledon but he kept on to her so much about moving home that she finally gave in and they came back to Heckfield Place. Apart from those few months, they lived in Fulham all their married life.”

Councillor Paul Bristow, Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, said: “This was an appalling act of vandalism that caused considerable emotional distress to the whole family. We were so shocked by this heartless crime that, as a one-off gesture, we were more than happy to replace the plaque without charge.

“We hope that this will be a fitting tribute once more to Mr and Mrs Haylock.”