Looking back in our archives
Jun 2 2010
50 years ago
June 3, 1960 'MR' AND NOT 'MADAM' SAYS THE NEW MAYOR
REPRESENTATIVES of every aspect of the borough's public and social life were in the council chamber when Cllr Mrs Florence Charlotte Pusey was elected mayor of the borough for the ensuing year.
Among the visitors who were given seats in the well of the council chamber were Mr Michael Stewart MP, Mr W Compton Carr MP, and several freemen and former mayors.
Cllr JT Horton, proposing the election of Mrs Pusey, referred to her many years of council and public work. During the war, he said, she helped to establish a maternity home for London mothers at Blackpool.
She later allowed the use of her home for refugees from foreign countries, and at one time there were 24 Basque children in her home while their parents were being traced. Her work for the old and children was well-known.
She was the third woman to be mayor of the borough.
The new mayor said she acknowledged the honour with real humility.
She was born in Fulham and her husband was also a member of a well-known Fulham family.
Women had proved their right to take their place alongside men in almost every walk of life.
One third of the members of that council were women.
She said: "There appears to be confusion outside this chamber as to whether I should be addressed as Mr Mayor or Madam Mayor," she said." And I am informed that the choice is mine.
"Apart from a personal desire to be correct, the American half of me cries out that tradition is worth holding on to, and therefore I choose the traditional Mr Mayor."
25 years ago
June 7, 1985 FULHAM DRUG MENACE SOARS, WARN POLICE
FULHAM is fast becoming one of London's main drug centres, senior police officers warned this week.
And detectives at Fulham CID are stepping up their action against drug pushers who prey on the young of the area.
The heroin dealers who are being attracted to Fulham because of the proximity to Chelsea and the so called 'High Class Junkies' are encouraging local youths to become 'hooked'.
This is the view of Det Chief Insp John Bunn who is heading the fight against Fulham's growing social disease.
Over the past year, police have become more and more concerned about the escalating number of drug-related burglaries.
DCI Bunn told the Chronicle this week: "Fulham does seem to be the target for drug-related burglaries at the moment." Our figures have doubled over the past year and we have on average about four burglaries a day."
