On Sunday 6th January 2013 it was exactly one hundred years since Frederick Hitch VC, veteran of the battle at Rorke’s Drift, Natal Province, in South Africa and also a London Cab Driver, died. Private Fredrick Hitch was a Rifleman of ‘B’ Company, 24th Regiment of Foot, South Wales Borderers.  Members of the London Taxi Benevolent Association for War Disabled and the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers met at 2pm for a short service at the tomb of Frederick Hitch at St Nicholas Church, Chiswick.

The London taxi trade was involved in renovating Hitch’s tomb and grave in the centre of the churchyard, Block P, grave 17. It is recognisable by the helmet which features on the tomb, along with an inscription. During the service, Fr. Simon Brandes spoke of Hitch’s bravery at Rorkes Drift, the Zulu war for which he was awarded his VC and of his journey through life.  Fr. Simon went on to speak of the journeys taxi drivers take their passengers on during their working lives. Mr. Richard Hudd laid a wreath at the tomb for the London Taxi Benevolent Association for War Disabled and Mr John Dixon laid a wreath for the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers.

This was the 125th anniversary of the battle at Rorke’s Drift. The Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers makes an award for bravery, named after Private Fredrick Hitch, This is a most prestigious award and is only given to those few drivers who have shown outstanding courage above and beyond that expected from their normal duties of driving a ‘Cab’. It is difficult now to decipher the inscriptions on the tombs of the many famous people who are buried in the Churchyard and Burial Ground, but not far from Hitch’s tomb is perhaps the Church’s most famous tomb, that of William Hogarth, the celebrated painter, engraver and caricaturist, who spent his last years nearby in Hogarth’s House and was buried there in 1764. Walking down the Burial Ground, on the right hand side is the fine bronze classical tomb of  the artist J. M. Whistler (d.1903) and nearby, to the left, is the last resting-place of Henry Joy, the trumpeter who sounded the ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’, who died in 1893.

Figures released recently show a huge rise in revenue for councils through parking fines and charges. This is damning proof that local authorities are hammering motorists visiting town centres, the Forum of Private Business has said.

The not-for-profit small business support organisation last month called for local authorities to dump car parking charges for 2013 as part of a drive to help struggling high street traders in what looks set to be another difficult year. The Forum said this would increase footfall in town centres and make them more attractive places for firms to do business, and reduce the number of vacant commercial premises.

But research released by the Institute of Advanced Motorists showed how local authorities across the country made record profits in 2011/12 at the expense of motorists compared to previous years, with the average take increasing by 15 percent. Westminster Council topped the national list, raking in an extraordinary £38 million from fines and charges levied against motorists. It is not just the shops who suffer from a lack of shoppers, these fines and charges affect those earning their living on the roads.

Taxi drivers have complained of fines on many occasions and following a recent documentary on BBC TV, perhaps the best advice is to always appeal a ticket. Fewer shoppers and visitors in central London is bad enough for the cab trade, but as cab drivers we know only too well finding a safe place to park to answer a call of nature can also result in a costly ticket. The documentary was an observational one, showing both sides of the parking war. Last year saw more motorists receive tickets than ever before and the programme followed how some of these fared on appeal.

Courtesy of TaxiCabNews