Village Voice Oct/Nov Issue 188

MEMORIES OF
A LOCAL TRAGEDY
A recent visitor to Penn House who knew
it as a schoolboy during the War drew my
attention to a terrible event which
occurred in Penn nearly eighty years ago
and is now half-forgotten: the brutal
murder of two small girls...
On 19th November 1941, Kathleen Trendell,
aged nearly 6, and Doreen Joyce Hearne, aged
8, emerged from the gates of the village school
and wandered together towards the Parish
Room, where an army lorry was parked.
Recognising the driver from a previous
encounter, they asked him to give them a ride
and proceeded to climb aboard: the lorry then
drove away. It was not until later that evening
that the girls’ anxious parents reported their
absence to the police.
A huge search of the area was instigated,
helped by many local residents. For three days
no trace of the girls could be found. Then on
22nd November came a shocking discovery.
The girls’ bodies were found in some rough
woodland near Mop End. Each of them had
been strangled and repeatedly stabbed through
the neck. Amongst the first on the scene were
several boys from Emsworth House School, at
that time located in Woodrow. The sight of the
mutilated bodies left some of them traumatised
www.pennandtylersgreen.org.uk
Village Voice October/November 2018
for many weeks.
Thanks to detailed descriptions of the lorry,
as well as forensic evidence gathered near the
bodies, the police, led by Chief Inspector
George Hatherill of Scotland Yard, were rapidly
able to home in on the chief suspect; 26-yearold
Gunner Harold Hill of 86th Field Regiment,
Royal Artillery, based in Suffolk. The
combination of evidence, which included
fingerprints, was damning. In early 1942 Hill
was tried at the Old Bailey and found guilty. He
was hanged at Oxford Castle a few weeks later.
On 27th November a special service of
remembrance was held in St Margaret’s Church
attended by the whole of the Village School.
Afterwards the two girls were given a joint
funeral and buried together in the churchyard.
For the Village, the shock was profound: at a
time when newspaper columns were dominated
by the War, the tragedy of the murders plunged
the residents of Penn and Tylers Green into
grief as few events have since. Frederick Howe
The Beaconsfield Film Society
(www.beaconsfieldfilmsociety.com) has been
screening films since 2008 and is a not-for-profit
organisation led by a volunteer committee. We
show two films each month and offer a varied
programme of styles from across the world,
which are sometimes preceded by a short film.
We try to balance mainstream cinema with
award-winning and arthouse films. The Society
has about 400 members who enjoy the
privilege of watching screenings in the
purpose-built auditorium at the National Film
and Television School in Beaconsfield. Members
pay a reservation charge of £6, which includes a
glass of wine or soft drink, and nibbles. Guests
are welcome, either accompanying a member,
or by contacting the BFS via the website. Guest
reservation charge is £10. Doors open at
7:15pm. Programme starts at 8pm prompt (no
trailers!). Cinema location - National Film and
Television School, Station Road, Beaconsfield,
HP9 1LG. We look forward to welcoming you
soon at one of our screenings.
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