Superfast broadband

The good news is that the dark green cabinets in Lilac Close and School Lane providing superfast broadband have now been connected to the exchange in Harston by OpenReach.  This means that most people in Haslingfield can now enjoy a much higher speed when connecting to the internet using Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC) technology which is known as fibre optic. The actual speed you can get will depend on where you live in the village and how far you are away from the green cabinets, with a claimed maximum speed of almost 38Mbps if you are very close. You may also need a new type of router called a VDSL router in your premises as the technology is different from the existing technology called ADSL broadband, which is used by most people.

You will need to contact an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to see if they offer the fibre broadband service in Haslingfield. There are already quite a few companies offering it. A good starting point will be here: http://www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/buy-it-now/  (note: Some may not offer the service until the end of September)

Ron van der Hoorn
Broadband Champion for Haslingfield

As Zeppelin raids continued, including on the Cambridge area,  German bombers continued raiding London, and Germany was making strides on the Western Front, a fear seems to have gripped the British mainland. Extreme circumstances produced extreme suggestions, like this letter in the ‘Cambridge Chronicle’ from F.L. Nicholls, Of Fulbourn:

“Sir – What is to prevent a flight of enemy aeroplanes landing in our villages, leaving one or two of their number with machine guns to protect the planes while the remainder carry death and destruction to everyone and everything they come across? ….

In every village we now have volunteers; some of these should always be ready with machine guns and grenades at home, and … a small supply of machine guns should be provided for use in case of emergency. Will this be done or shall we have to wait till some massacre of innocent civilian women and children and old people has taken place?”

Thankfully for the streets of Haslingfield and Fulbourn the German threat was thwarted in early 1918.