BAILIFF’S ADVENTURES

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 March 1928, Page 9

BAILIFF’S ADVENTURES

SEIZING TRAMCARS A £15,000 GIFT Mr. H. E. Bockett, the Hacknev High Bailiff, in an interview with a “Sunday Times” representative recently, described a few incidents in his career, public attention to which was drawn when, in the course of official duties, ho seized a London County Council tramcar. Some of Mr. Rockett’s experiences include: Inheriting .£15.000 last year from an American "canned meat king.” Diving off Brighton Pier to rescue a baby blown into the sea in its perambulator. (Mr. Bockett was awarded the Royal Humane Society’s silver medal.) Seizing the “flip-flap” at the FrancoBritish Exhibition at. Shepherd’s Bush. Telling of his inheritance. Mr. Bockett said: “It was a sequel to events which were little more than a memory —a memory’- of happy days when I answered the call of the sea and served on a vessel sailing between England and America.

“1 was purser in those days on the Cunard liner Samaria. We did the trip between Liverpool and Boston, and in the course of my duties I met an American ‘canned meat king,’ who had made the crossing once or twice “Tho day came when he sent his wife and daughter to Europe in my charge. 1 looked after them on that trip and also saw to their comfort on the return journey. It was my job and I thought nothing about it. “The American died last year and left mo £15.000 in hard cash, and American estates.”

Mr. Bockett, who is a Freeman of the City of London —his father and grandfather were Freemen also —related how, in 1 908. acting for the Borough of Hammersmith, he distrained on the Franco-British Exhibition at Shepherd’s Bush for non-payment of rates. ‘“rhe first thing I did.” he said, “was to seize the ‘Flip-Flap,’ one of those dizzy pleasure machines. I threw out the attendants in charge of the turnstiles, engaged my own men to take their places, and then when we had taken sufficient money’ I allowed the manager to resume operations.” Referring to the L.C.C. tramcar episode, Mr. Bockett said his own idea was to seize a fire engine instead of a tramuar. His council, however, thought a tramcar would met the case.