Saturday 16 January 2016

Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition

Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:

Q1. Dagenham

Q2. Bobby Moore

N.B. For question two, Bobby Moore is also known as Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore.

The initial clues seem to place us in Dagenham, in Essex. According to some of the sources I checked , the name 'Dagenham',  is possibly derived from 'Daeccanham', which in old English may mean 'ham or farm of  a man called Daecca'. From reading some of his biographies, Five Elms Farm, Dagenham, was the birthplace c 22 January 1920, of a footballer called 'Alf Ramsey', who was capped 32 times for England.

The actor mentioned in the clues, is probably 'Dudley Moore' and some of his bios claim he was born c 19th April 1935 and attended 'Green Lane Junior School' and 'Dagenham County High School'. He did release a record called Goodbye-ee, with Peter Cook.

The housing estate is probably Becontree, which some references claim has twenty six thousand homes and was constructed between 1921 and 1935. Becontree is also thought to be derived from old English and means 'Tree of a man named Beohha'. A grocer born c 1898 and fifth of six children, is most likely Sir John Edward Cohen, founder of Tesco who opened his first stores in Becontree And Burnt Oak c 1931.

Travelling west from Dagenham would bring us to Barking and it is here, in the Quaker Burial ground that the prison reformer 'Elizabeth Fry' ( born c 1780), was buried. Barking Abbey appears to have been founded c 666 ad, by Saint Erkenwald (feast day 30th April ), with the first Abbess being Saint Ethelburga (feast day 11th October). Some of captain Cook's biographies claim that he was born c 1728 and was married in the nearby St Margaret's church c 21st Oct/21st December 1762.

The park where the author enjoyed a flask of tea, is probably Greatfields park, which lies South East of Barking Abbey and a few streets away from number forty three Waverly Gardens, where the footballer 'Bobby Moore' (born c 1941 ) was brought up. Moore was captain of the England football team on ninety occasions.

N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to Moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive posting related to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish them.


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