1930

The Basildon Operatic Society founded as St. Mary's Athletics Club by the choirmaster at St. Mary's Church, Langdon Hills Mr. William "Pop" Holland. "Pop" Holland, of Berry Lane, and members of the choir performed their first production, Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance" at St. Mary's Church Institute Hall. In 1933 the company changed their name to Laindon and District Amateur Operatic Society which they used until changing to Basildon Amateur Operatic Society in the early 1960s. Their present name dates from the 1990s. Early pre-war performances were held at Laindon High Road School and later Laindon Community Centre and the Arts Centre at Basildon, which from 1968 became their base for many years.

St. Michael's Mission Church in Salisbury Avenue, Lee Chapel opened. This small church was in use to 1935 when a new church with the same name was built to the north of the railway in Green Lane. A church Sunday school was established here and the Berry Athletic Boxing Club were also known to have used the building for training purposes. It survived to the late 1960s. Mandeville Way now passes through the former course of Salisbury Avenue.

Billericay Rural District Council builds its first houses in Laindon. The twelve three bedroomed semi-detached houses at Green Lane were the first rental properties to be constructed in Laindon on behalf of the local council. Around 1933 following the opening of Markhams Chase Primary School the road was renamed Markhams Chase and later still in the 1960s, during the construction of the Lee Chapel North housing developments, the original course of the road was diverted away from St. Nicholas Lane to a new junction with Ballards Walk. This left the houses in their own cul-de-sac which was then renamed Weymarks, which it remains today. The houses, originally numbered 1-12 inclusive, are now over 80 years old having survived Basildon Development Corporation's 1950s/1960s demolition programme, though following the council's right-to-buy some are now in private ownership.

28th March

The Broadway Cinema in High Road, Pitsea opens. With seating for 700 and a stage the theatre was able to provide variety shows as well as a varied film programme. During the 1940s it became part of the local Radion group of cinemas, and by 1954 had been acquired by Granada Theatres Ltd. who renamed it Century in February 1955. It closed as a cinema in October 1970 and was in use as a bingo hall until July 27th, 2009 when current owners Gala Coral decided to close their Pitsea club. Outwardly the buildings appearance remains little altered from when it was first built. It was designed by the architect team of A.J. Varndell and L.A. Green.

9th May

(Irene) Joan (Marion) Sims, 09/05/1930 - 28/06/2001, born at Station House, Laindon. The popular actress of Stage, Screen and T.V. was the only child of Gladys (née Ladbrook) and John Henry Sims, the station master and lived at Station House until 1952 by which time her acting career, (which had included "Langdon Players" productions), was well established. She appeared in over 70 films and is perhaps best remembered as a regular member of the 'Carry On' team, appearing in 24 of the 30 films made between 1958-1992.

1st August

The Laindon Recorder newspaper first published. This popular weekly broadsheet paper continued through to 1953 when it became the Basildon Recorder; switching to tabloid size around 1957. It was once owned by Essex Publishing Company of Wanstead but is now part of 'Echo Newspapers' and called 'Basildon Billericay Wickford Recorder'. In the 1950s it was available every Wednesday, changing to Friday following the merger with the Basildon Standard, and remains so today being available either at selected outlets or delivered free to households in the borough.

13th October

St. Nicholas Church Hall destroyed by fire. The hall, which was built in 1923, was of wooden construction and heated by a large combustion stove with the chimney pipe exiting through the roof. It stood at the top of Church Hill (St. Nicholas Lane) adjoining the grounds of St. Nicholas Church in what is now the church car park. The fire is alledged to have originated in the stove's chimney pipe which overheated causing the roof to ignite. At the time of the fire, and on that day, the hall had been in use for many years as an annexe to the nearby Laindon Council School. There were no casualties. During the Second World War a pill box was constructed close to the site of the former hall. This was later removed either during the 1980s or 1990s. A new brick built church hall was constructed the following year in Doves Hill, off Pound Lane.

1931

January

The new St. Nicholas Church Hall completed. The brick built hall stood at the top of Doves Hill, a short steep unmade turning off Pound Lane. It replaced an earlier wooden built parish hall destroyed by fire the previous year. A foundation stone was laid in November 1930 by Mrs. Alexandra Brooks of Goldsmiths, Langdon Hills. The hall was in use for various social activities including wedding receptions and as a rehearsal facility for musical and majorette groups etc., though not as the previous hall had done, as a school annexe. It survived through to the late 1980s or early 1990s but had been a constant target for vandalism due to its remote location. Following its demolition the land upon which it stood has now been left to nature.

26th April

Population Census for Basildon district; 12,968.

8th August

Laindon Baptist Church in High Road, Langdon Hills, opening ceremony held. The church was originally on the opposite side of High Road next to the Nightingale Parade shops. The new site had been secured back in 1923 with a £200 loan which was paid back through fund raising activities organised by Pastor Charles E. Becket. There is a stone on the front exterior wall inscribed with the words: To The Glory Of God This Stone Was Laid By Rev. T.W. Shepherd On Behalf Of The Church May 25th 1931.

27th October

Mr. Victor Raikes (later Sir) (30,436) elected Conservative member of parliament for the Essex South Eastern constituency - including Basildon. He took the seat with a majority of 10,370 from Labour's John "Jack" Oldfield, who held it from May 1929. Mr. Raikes had previously stood twice at Ilkeston in Derbyshire in 1924 and 1929, where he was beaten on each occasion by Labour's George Oliver. Conservatives win General Election.

1932

Land at Westley Heights, Langdon Hills is purchased by Essex County Council for use a public open space. Further acquisitions included Hall Wood in 1933, parts of One Tree Hill (60 acres and a cottage) in 1934, Great Sutton Wood and Old Hill in 1944 and Coombe Wood in 1955. In 1973 much of these areas were declared Country Parks.

Sonny Firman establishes a milk delivery service. The Langdon Hills milk round business was founded by Sonny Firman and run from the Model Dairy at Westley Hall, Homestead Drive. Advertised as S.R. Firman "The Reliable Milk Service", the family run business began with a horse and cart and eventually grew to take in much of the surrounding area. The business survived into the 1970s, when as Firman's Diaries, it was taken over by Whife & Sloper of Markhams Chase, Laindon.

Holy Cross Church Hall in Rectory Road, Basildon opened. The parish hall, which stood close to the junction with Church Road, was built under the guidance of the Rector of Laindon-cum-Basildon, Rev. M.N. Lake. A service for the laying of the foundation stone had earlier been held on 20th August. The hall, Church Road junction, and that section of Rectory Road is now lost to the Tractor Plant factory, completed in 1964.

Langdon Hills Wesleyan Church extension completed. The original building dates from 1907 when the Nightingale Mission Church moved across the High Road from Nightingale Hall. The enlarged church, which was built at a cost of around £1000, survived to 1956 when a new methodist church was constructed to the rear of the building. Nineteen foundation stones decorate two of the outer walls, one of which was laid on behalf of the trustees on June 18th 1932. The former church is now a church hall.

15th January

Salvation Army Hall at Northumberland Avenue, Laindon is certified as a place of worship. The building, which stood on the eastern side close to the Winston Social Club, was in use until 1969, though possibly later, when a new hall opened at Fauners in Basildon. Its certification was cancelled on 05/05/1971. It was demolished around the turn of the 1970s.

24th February

Salvation Army Hall at High Road, Pitsea is certified as a place of worship. This building, which stood at the junction with Woodfield Road, survived to the early 1970s. Its certification was cancelled on 05/05/1971.

27th February

All Saints' Church Hall in Timberlog Lane (now Clay Hill Road), Vange opened by the Lord Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr. Henry Albert Wilson. The local MP, Victor Raikes and the Lord Bishop had laid the foundation stones on December 12th, 1931. St. Paul's Mission Church were later to use part of the hall which was built at a cost of £1,200.

8th June

Elim Pentecostal Church at High Road, Langdon Hills certified for worship. The church was built facing the High Road between Vowler and Florence Road with a detached house either side. It survived to 1977 and a new church was built in Vowler Road on the existing enlarged plot which opened around 1978. Prior to opening the Pentecostal Mission was based at Avondale Hall in the High Road.

30th September

Laindon Combined Treatment Centre at Bristow Road, Laindon opened. A proposed Combined Treatment Centre had received approval from Essex County Council's Public Health & Housing and Education Committees in September 1931. The estimated cost was put at £1,500 and the following month the County Architect invited tenders for its construction. Prior to completion from 1925 Essex County Council had use of Manor Hall in the High Road which was attended monthly by a Health Visitor, School Medical Officer and district Nurses. Chairman of the County Council, Alderman John H. Burrows performed the official opening duties. The centre, which was constructed in Bristow Road (later addressed as Florence Road), survived to August 1971 when services were transferred to Laindon Health Centre, which had just opened. It was demolished soon after and the site then remained unused until around 2006 when plans were approved for a residential block of flats. The block, associated access road and parking spaces now cover the site and that of the remaining undeveloped portion of the former Bristow Road.

1933

Laindon railway station overbridge extended. The bridge, which dated from the station's 1888 opening, was rebuilt and extended with an additional span to incorporate 4 railway tracks as part of a proposed quadrupling of the line between Upminster and Shoeburyness. In the event the scheme failed to materialise and only one additional track was laid to the south side of the existing layout. In the 1990s the pedestrian path on the east side of the bridge was closed off and a new steel pedestrian bridge was put into place, which remains in use to the present.

Langdon Hills water tower known to exist. It stands at the summit of Langdon Hills close to the Thurrock border on the east side of High Road in its own plot between the residential properties Silsden (since renamed Green Pastures) and Trevelyn. It was built by F.R. Hipperson & Son, public works contractors, for the South Essex Waterworks Company to serve the growing population in Langdon Hills and Laindon. The white eight sided windowless tower stands around 50ft tall with a short centrally built six sided crown and mast that has windows and doorway atop a raised square enclosed platform area from where a number of communications aerials are affixed. It was renovated in 1956 at a cost of over £2,669 and serving up to 2,250 locals with a daily consumption of around 50,000 gallons rising to between 60,000 and 70,000 during peak months. In 1970 the water company merged with Southend Waterworks Company to form Essex Water Company who in turn merged with Suffolk Water Company in 1994 to form Essex and Suffolk Water, who currently own and maintain it.

Vange swimming pool known to be in existence. The privately run open-air public swimming pool was situated at Riverside Farm, Wharf Lane on the south side of the Pitsea to Tilbury rail route. It was fed with sea water pumped from the tidal Vange Creek and had a diving board, water shute and open-air changing rooms. The public could swim with no time limits from as early as 7 A.M. till late - the pool was floodlit nightly - and enjoy refreshments and games in the pool's pavilion. For much of its life it was one of only two public swimming pools in the district - the other being at Buttsbury - and survived to 1952 when it closed following an alleged public health scare relating to the quality of the water. It was later filled in around 1961 after the farm had been purchased by Basildon Development Corporation as a potential recreation centre which failed to materialise after the farm was destroyed by fire. The site is now covered by the Kierbeck Business Park.

The London bound up platform at Laindon Railway Station was converted to an island to allow trains to 'wait'. A third line passing loop was installed to serve the new platform 1, which in 1957 became the main platform for London bound trains with the former up main becoming reversible. All platforms were also extended to 700 feet to accommodate full length trains.

9th September

Gospel Temperance Hall, Woodfield Road, Vange opened as a meeting place for a branch of the Independent Order of Good Templars. In attendance was the District Chief Templar Bro. George Chaplin. The hall was provided by Mr. Charles Campbell, a member of the Pitsea Lodge.

19th September

St. Alban's Hall Mission Church in Church Road, Basildon opened. The Archdeacon of Southend, the Venerable Percy Matheson Bayne carried out the service of dedication. The new hall, of timber construction, was built partly with money from the sale of the old hall that stood in Rectory Road close to the Basildon rectory and money from the Bishop's Appeal Fund. In the 1950s the Basildon Residents Protection Association regularly held their meetings there. It was later demolished in the creation of Basildon new town.

October

Markhams Chase Council School opens. The new school, opened for mixed juniors, was built to alleviate overcrowding at the Laindon High Road Council School which, from its 1928 opening, had provided places for all children of school age. The first Headmistress Janet Duke spent 31 years in charge before retiring after the summer term in 1964. In October 1964 the School was renamed Janet Duke County Infant & Junior in honour and recognition of all her years of service. In September 2010 the school became Janet Duke Primary.

5th October

St. Margaret's Mission in Basildon Road, Laindon is certified as a place of worship. The registration however was shortlived being cancelled within the first two years of opening on 22nd May 1935.

20th October

Laindon Baptist Church school hall opened. Mrs. S. Halley of Leigh opened the new hall which cost £635 and stands within the church grounds facing St. David's Road. Years later in the late 1970s the hall and church were linked when an extension was completed.

1934

St. Peter's Church at St. Nicholas Lane, Laindon opened. The wooden built church was erected on the north side of Nicholas Lane almost opposite the Church Institute (St. Peter's hall). It fell within the parish of Laindon-cum-Basildon. It was demolished around 1969 though special occasion services continued in 1970 at St. Peter's Church House, 91 New Century Road, Laindon.

Anne Boleyn Mansions at Pitsea Broadway completed. The mock tudor building was constructed on behalf of local dairy farmer Harold Howard whose initials H.G.H. and date are inscribed on the front brickwork. It has been part occupied by Lloyds - later Lloyds TSB and now T.S.B. bank - since the completion date.

Alfred D. Cheshire is appointed Clerk to the Billericay Urban District Council. Mr. Cheshire succeeds Mr. C. Edgar Lewis who held the post from the formation of Billericay Rural District Council in 1895.

1st April

Billericay Urban District Council, formally Billericay Rural District Council, constituted. Formed as a direct result of the 'Essex Review Order, 1934', the administration was responsible for the following parishes: Basildon, Bowers Gifford, Great Burstead, Little Burstead (until 1938 transferred to Thurrock Urban District), Laindon, Lee Chapel, Nevendon, North Benfleet, Pitsea, Vange and Wickford. Parts of Langdon Hills, previously in the Orsett Rural District, were also transferred to the new district. The administration of the district was divided into 8 Wards represented by 23 publicly elected councillors. Council meetings, previously held in Brentwood, were conducted from a building at 108 High Street, Billericay.

3rd April

Mr. Harry Egerton Bebington, conservative councillor for Ward No. 3 (Laindon), is unanimously elected as the first chairman of Billericay Urban District Council. Mr. Matthew Land, conservative councillor for Ward 8, is elected vice-chairman.

17th December

Pitsea Combined Treatment Centre at High Road officially opened. The centre, which is built on behalf of Essex County Council, is located within the grounds of Pitsea County Primary School. Mrs. Alexandra Brooks, deputising for her husband Alderman Alfred Brooks, performed the opening ceremony. The centre is now known as Pitsea Clinic.

1935

A commercial refuse dump for household waste is established on marshland at Pitsea and Bowers Gifford. In 1929 during the consultation process the Billericay Rural District Council expressed no objections provided that the required conditions to prevent risk of nuisance were observed. Council approval was finally given early in 1935. The refuse, which is collected from London and the surrounding area, is either carried down the River Thames in open barges or from 1970 onwards, following a lease agreement with Basildon Council, transported by road. Three specially constructed wharfs with cranes at Holehaven Creek unload the waste to open top container trucks which transport it for landfill where it's then compacted by International Bulldozers. Sidings at Pitsea were also provided for rail transportation though these were later lifted. From around 1971 the site comprised 1,300 acres and lagooned areas of the site began receiving hazardous or toxic waste by which time the dump, or landfill site as it was now known, had become one of the largest in the United Kingdom. It was estimated that by 2001 some 30 million tonnes of refuse of various types had been deposited at the site. The site currently accepts around 300,000 tonnes of waste annually. Completed areas of the site are now closed off and landscaped as part of a marshland land reclamation scheme, though the remainder, which comprises around 593 acres to the east of Wat Tyler Country Park, will continue to receive waste until eventual closure, planned for 2025. Various companies have been responsible for the overall management of the site beginning with Land Reclamation Co. Ltd. through to the 1970s when waste management company Redland Purle of Rayleigh, Essex took over to December 1980, followed by Cleanaway and current operator Veolia, who have been given an extension to continue operating the landfill site through to closure.

Pitsea underline railway bridge reconstruction and road widening scheme completed. The bridge, located at High Road and designated 'Bridge 96' on the direct London to Shoeburyness rail route, dated from the opening of the line in 1888 and had become an accident blackspot due to its short width and single pedestrian pathway. The cost of the work, carried out on behalf of the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company, was estimated at around £23,000, which included new pedestrian pathways and some realignment to the existing A13 roadway.

St. Michael's Mission Church at Green Lane, Lee Chapel opened. This small wooden built church replaced an earlier building with the same name built in 1930 on the south side of the L.T.S. railway at Salisbury Avenue. Part of the cost was met through a church grant of £35 from the Executive and General Committees. The dual purpose building survived to the early 1960s when it was demolished in preparation for the future Lee Chapel North housing development. St. Michael's Women's Fellowship were among the local community groups known to have held their meetings there.

4th March

Rosedale Theomonistic Church in Pound Lane, Laindon is certified as a place of worship. This small church located in Pound Lane between Dickens Drive and St. Nicholas Lane was shortlived and its registration was cancelled from 6th April, 1936. The building then became the Regal Social Club. A residential property now stands on the site of the former church and social club.

9th September

Nevendon Craylands Council Senior School opened. The school, situated in Timberlog Lane (later renamed Craylands), Nevendon, opened as separate schools for boys and girls, only becoming mixed in 1949. From 1949 to 1968 - when the school merged with Fryerns Grammar & Technical to become Fryerns Comprehensive - the school was called Craylands County Secondary School. Mr. Louis Allen Gredley, 1st and only Headmaster of the boys' school continued in the role following the 1949 merge through to his retirement in 1952. Miss Jane Mary Morgans was appointed Headmistress of the girls' school. The school was formally opened on Wednesday 9th October by Mr. William Owen Lester Smith, M.A., Director of Education, Manchester who had previously held the same post in Essex. The school closed in 1999 and the building, which had stood empty for over ten years was demolished in 2011 to make way for a new housing development.

21st September

The Laindon War Memorial unveiled. The memorial, commemorating those that died in the Great War (1914-1918), was placed in the grounds of the British Legion Hall in High Road, Laindon. Its design is a simple circular column of blue pear Aberdeen granite topped with an ornate flat base upon which stands a cross. In the 1970s when the hall was demolished for new housing the memorial was removed and eventually resited in the High Road in front of the Laindon shopping centre. It now commemorates both world wars and is inscribed in capital letters: TO THE GLORIOUS DEAD 1914 - 1918 LAINDON AND DISTRICT 1939 - 1945 AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN, AND IN THE MORNING, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM. Although originally sited within the grounds of the British Legion Hall the war memorial was not the property of the Laindon branch of the British Legion but presented as a gift to the people of the district by Mr. Albert Eli Symes of Brentwood, who founded around 1882, the respected building & civil engineering company A.E. Symes Ltd, then based at Brentwood and Stratford. One of his daughters, Mrs Ivy McLachlan performed the opening ceremony aided by the Rector of Laindon, Rev. Michael Neville Lake and Rev. Tom W. Shepherd, of the Laindon Baptist Church.

14th November

Mr. Victor Raikes (later Sir) (25,912) re-elected Conservative member of parliament for the Essex South Eastern constituency. He won with a greatly reduced majority of 970 over Labour opponent John "Jack" Oldfield, who was attempting for the second time to win the seat back he took in 1929. Conversatives win general election.

1936

The A127 London - Southend Arterial Road transition from single to duel carriageway reaches completion.

Old Tom Motor Services of Manor Road, Laindon acquired by City Coach Company Ltd. Old Tom's bus company was founded by Tom Webster of Wash Road, Laindon in 1921. He ran the company, which was based at Manor Road, Laindon, with his two sons Tom jnr. and Dick. At its peak he owned around 10 buses and operated a number of routes including a regular weekday service to Romford. The City Coach Co., who had a depot at Tylers Avenue in Southend, were one of the biggest independent bus operators at the time and would go on to run a regular circular route between Laindon Station and Pipps Hill via Church Road.

Vange Fire Station at High Road opened. The small station located at the corner of High Road and Freshwater Drive was manned by part-time volunteer's led by chief officer William Bishop. It operated as a section station attached to Billericay Fire Brigade who also provided the single engine, formerly stationed at Billericay.

The first properties on the Kiln Farm (Riverview) housing estate at Pitsea become occupied. The new estate, comprised of mainly two bedroomed semi-detached bungalows, is laid out along six roads with the entry one being Riverview located off the main A13 High Road. The other five are Claremont Drive, Avondale Road, Elm Tree Road, The Meads and the only cul-de-sac on the estate Woodlands Close. Years later from the 1950s onwards some of the properties came into development corporation ownership who then offered them for rent. Basildon Council later took over ownership of those properties when the development corporation's successor, the Commission for the New Towns, was wound down in the 1990s. In the late 1960s twenty four properties in the form of twelve semi-detached bungalows, even numbered 2-48, in The Meads were demolished to allow the A13 to be re-routed away from the High Road. This was completed by 1973 but the new road with increased traffic created a noisy environment for the properties in the immediate vicinity and it took until 2014 before high fencing was finally erected as a sound deadening measure. The estate is now considered to be in Vange.

A small Sub-Post Office and general stores opens at 178 Worthing Road, Laindon. The owners, Frederick and Annie Rogers ran the shop until the 1960s. The shop, which also had a public telephone kiosk outside, stood on an unmade section leading to Dunton Drive. This part of Worthing Road and all its properties are now lost to the Presidents and Commonwealth housing estates, constructed in the early 1980s.

St. Margaret's Church of England Primary School in Bowers Gifford opened. The school, which was built in London Road, took its name from the local church which has served the area since the 14th century. Part of the cost of the school was met through various fundraising events organised by the church. A service of dedication at the laying of the foundation stones was conducted by the Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt. Rev. Henry Albert Wilson on Sunday 5th October 1935. The school is now voluntary aided with around 214 pupils.

26th May

Proposals to divide the district into six electoral Wards returning 4 councillors for each ward are agreed at a council meeting held on Wednesday 26th May. Authorisation, which raised the number of elected councillors from 23 to 24, took effect from 1st April, 1937. (The Billericay Urban District (Alteration of Wards) Order, 1937). The first elections were held on Saturday 3rd and Monday 5th April, 1937.

1937

S.X. Tool and Engineering Co. Ltd. founded. The business was known to have two locations at Laindon; one, during the 1940s and later, to the south side of the London bound A127 Arterial Road, and the other at Pound Lane (now Pound Lane Central), as well as another site, possibly at Chadwell Heath. They designed and manufactured press tools, jigs and special purpose machinery. The Pound Lane factory was in operation from the mid 1960s and possibly earlier to around the late 1970s or early 1980s. Following its closure, the Pound Lane site was later cleared and remained undeveloped for many years before eventually being sold off for private housing.

1st January

The parishes of Basildon, Bowers Gifford, Great Burstead, Little Burstead, Laindon, Lee Chapel, Nevendon, North Benfleet, Pitsea, Vange and Wickford abolished and aborbed into a single Billericay parish. (The County of Essex, Urban District of Billericay (Union of Parishes) Confirmation Order, 1936).

1st March

A new sub-division Police Station at Pitsea opened in Rectory Road. This two storey building would survive until November 1967 when operations were centralised in Basildon at Great Oaks. The building was later demolished. Years later another police station opened in Rectory Road on the site of the 1937 building.

7th December

Nevendon Treatment Centre in Timberlog Lane, Nevendon opened. The new centre, which was designed in the style of the adjacent Nevendon Craylands senior school, was provided by the County Council to serve the wider community which was seeing a population growth following the land sales and on going plotland developments. It was built by A.E. Wright Limited of Knotts Green Road, Leyton who submitted the lowest tender of £3,237 around December the previous year. Vice-chairman of Essex County Council, Alderman Colonel Gilbertson Smith, T.D., D.L., performed the opening ceremony. An ambulance station was also established which would remain here until 1962 when a new station was built at Great Oaks in Basildon. The centre is now in Craylands and known as Craylands Clinic.

1938

The Langdon Players amateur dramatics group formed. Although formed before the Second World War productions were suspended through the war years and continued on May 10th 1946 when they staged Quiet Weekend by Esther McCracken. The group, whose membership once included the television and film actress Joan Sims, staged many of their productions at Laindon High Road School. Two of their members, Chairman Ivy Jobson and Phil Lee, both from Langdon Hills, were still active in the group into the early 1960s. The group was eventually succeeded by the Basildon Players and is believed to have staged its final production in 1963.

22nd August

In anticipation of the potential for war breaking out in Europe Billericay Urban District Council appoints an Air Raid Precautions Officer. During late September the officer's office was busy with council staff distributing gas masks to the public. Trenches and underground shelters were also dug. The council also sought volunteers for the various branches of the Air Raid Precaution Services and instituted courses in first aid.

1st December

Billericay Urban District Council acquires land in Laindon for the purpose of open space and recreation. The parcels of land, known as Pound Lane Open Space and totalling around 2 acres, were purchased under the Public Health Act 1875 to create an environment for use as a public amenity. Further acquisitions took place later the same month and again in 1939 and 1952, where a small portion in the south east corner was bought under the Housing Act 1936 for the purpose of future housing. The land is now known as Pound Lane Recreation Ground. An application in August 2010 on behalf of a local resident applying for Village Green status was later rejected by Essex County Council in 2013.

1939

Dunton Pumping Station in Lower Dunton Road completed.

12th July

St. Paul's Chapel, Vange opened. The chapel, located in Timberlog Lane (now Clay Hill Road), was created by converting part of All Saints Church Hall. It had seating for seventy and survived as a Mission Church until 1958 when a new C of E church, St. Chad's, was built on land adjacent to the church hall. The 3rd Bishop of Chelmsford, The Rt Rev. Henry Albert Wilson performed the opening ceremony during a service conducted by the Rector of Vange, Rev. John Beauchamp Gordon.

3rd September

The United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany following the German invasion of Poland on 1st September. The war, known as World War II or the Second World War, lasted through to 1945. The Basildon area, with its close proximity to London, was often on the receiving end of a whole range of incendiary bombs as the Germans, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, sought to overcome Great Britain. A total blackout was in force, and later as war intensified, Parish Invasion Committees were formed and a German Prisoner of War (POW) camp (No. 266) opened in Langdon Hills sometime around the end of hostilities on a field at the top of Dry Street. The POW camp viewed from above on an October 1946 ordnance survey photograph of Langdon Hills revealed approximately 28 huts spread out in three rows.