Crime at the Village Hall Part 1

Terror reigned at Yapton and Ford Village Hall, Sussex, in 1951. There was a coconut matting thief at large!

Four coconut mats were missed from the village hall cupboard after a Sunday evening film show, and the caretaker reported this loss to the Village Hall Secretary the very next day. He in turn informed the village bobby.

Exhibit A, a coconut mat

Identification of the mats was made easier by the caretaker having the foresight to mark the reverse of each with a large letter Y. The mats were found in possession of the very man who had put on the film show at the hall. He had been undertaking this entertainment regularly for two years, and had come to be trusted in the company of the village hall’s valuables. Although he protested that the mats had accidentally fallen into his possession, he was found guilty of theft and fined £5 by Arundel Magistrates Court.

The scene of the crime as it looks today

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The Ode to the Village Hall

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Woods Ware China at the Serving Hatch - The Book!

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Woods Ware China at the Serving Hatch

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