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On this day in history….6th April 1930

On this day in history : 6th April 1930 – Mahatma Gandhi defies British law by raising a lump of salt and declaring ~ “With this I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire”….

Gandhi leading his followers – Public domain

The Salt March, or Salt Satyagraha, was an act of civil disobedience led by Gandhi between March to April 1930, in protest against British rule in India….

Britain’s Salt Act, 1882, forced the Indian people to buy salt – an important staple in the Indian diet – from the British instead of being able to collect it for themselves…. When asked why he chose to highlight salt Gandhi replied….”next to air and water, salt is perhaps the greatest necessity of life”…. To make matters even worse for the people a heavy tax was also levied on the mineral, amounting to 8.2% of British tax revenue from the Raj….

Gandhi set off on his 240 mile march from his religious retreat at Sabarmati Ashram for Dandi, on the Arabian Sea coast, on the 12th of March 1930 with a few dozen followers…. The 24-day march was well planned….it passed through 4 districts and 48 villages…. 10 miles a day were covered and each stop was chosen for its recruitment potential…. Gandhi addressed the people and by doing so collected more and more followers on the way…. By the time he reached Dandi on the 5th of April tens of thousands accompanied him….

At 6.30am the following morning Gandhi arrived on the seashore to ‘make’ salt…. However, the police – knowing of his intention – had got there before him and had already crushed the salt deposits into the mud of the flats…. Undeterred, Gandhi leant down, picked up a small lump of the natural salt and made his declaration…. Upon his words thousands of his followers did the same – and civil disobedience was to break out all across India…. Some 60,000, including Gandhi himself, were arrested and imprisoned by the British authorities….

Gandhi at Dandi, picking up salt from the beach – Public domain

On the 21st of May a further march of 2,500 peaceful protesters, led by poet Sarojini Naidu, took place to the Dharasana Salt Works, 150 miles north of Bombay…. They were met by hundreds of policemen, who proceeded to beat them savagely…. Britain faced an international outcry….

Gandhi with Sarojini Naidu – Public domain

In January 1931 Gandhi was released from prison…. At a meeting with the Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin, he agreed to call off the protests – with the promise of equal negotiating power at a conference in London to discuss the future of India….

India eventually gained its independence from Britain in August 1947….

On this day in history….5th April 1912

On this day in history : 5th April 1912 – The birth of English character actor John Le Mesurier – perhaps best known to us for his role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in ‘Dad’s Army’….

John Le Mesurier as Sergeant Wilson – Fair use

Born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley in Bedford, Le Mesurier was the son of a solicitor and spent his early childhood in Bury St. Edmunds, West Suffolk – before attending boarding school in Kent and then later Dorset…. After leaving school he was encouraged to follow in his father’s footsteps….but he had hankered after a career on the stage since an early age…. So he joined an amateur dramatic group – and then in September 1933 he left the legal profession and enrolled in the Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art…. A fellow student was Alec Guinness – who became a lifelong friend….

Le Mesurier made his stage debut at Edinburgh’s Palladium Theatre in 1934, with a part in the J.B.Priestley play ‘Dangerous Corner’…. During the War years he was commissioned in the Royal Tank Regiment and in 1943 was posted to British India where he spent the remainder of the War…. After being demobbed in 1946 Le Mesurier returned to Britain to resume his acting career, making his film debut in 1948 in the short mystery film ‘Death in the Hand’….

Although Le Mesurier preferred comedy his versatility saw him in a variety of roles, from ‘Hancock’s Half Hour’ to ‘The Italian Job’…. The role of Sergeant Arthur Wilson in ‘Dad’s Army’ came about in 1968…. He based the character on himself – upper-middle class, softly spoken, polite and forgiving in nature…. He was an unassuming man – playing down the BAFTA he received in 1971 for Best Actor of the Year for his role as Adrian Harris in Dennis Potter’s Play For Today ‘Traitor’….

Le Mesurier (second from left) with the cast of Dad’s Army – 1971 Christmas Special ‘Battle of the Giants!’ – Fair use

Behind the scenes Le Mesurier had a turbulent and perhaps tragic personal life…. He had married his first wife, June Melville, in April 1940….However, on returning home from India, after being demobbed, he discovered she had become an alcoholic…. They divorced in 1949…. In the November of 1949 he married Carry-On star Hattie Jacques and they had two sons, Robin and Kim…. But in 1962 she began an affair with her driver, John Schofield – even going as far as moving him into the family home, whilst Le Mesurier was still there…. Le Mesurier desperately tried to repair the marriage – but became quite unwell, collapsing whilst on holiday in Tangier in 1963 and needing hospitalisation…. When he returned home to find his wife and her lover still together he suffered a relapse….

Eventually Le Mesurier and Jacques divorced…. He even took the blame for the breakup of the marriage to save her reputation…. He had met Jean Malin by this time and in March 1966 she became his third wife…. Only a few months later she was to begin a relationship and move in with his friend, comedian Tony Hancock…. But being an alcoholic Hancock was to behave in an abusive manner towards her…. A year or so later she attempted suicide; she left Hancock and returned to her husband….

From July 1983 Le Mesurier’s health noticeably deteriorated, he was hospitalised after suffering a haemorrhage…. Six years before he had been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver on account of his prolonged heavy drinking…. Later in 1983 he was to have a recurrence of his condition, he was admitted to Ramsgate Hospital…. Before slipping into a final coma he reportedly said to his wife “It’s all been rather lovely”…. Le Mesurier died on the 15th of November 1983…. He left behind his own death notice to be printed in The Times the following day – saying that he had “Conked out” and he ‘Sadly misses family and friends”…. His ashes were later buried at the Church of St. George the Martyr, Ramsgate…. The following year his autobiography ’A Jobbing Actor’ was published posthumously….

British History

On this day in history….4th April 2000

On this day in history : 4th April 2000 – Freak weather conditions, including blizzards and flooding, brings chaos to rail, road and air travel – on one of the the coldest April days on record in the UK….

It was two weeks into British summer time and heavy snowfall had blanketed much of the countryside…. One of the worst hit areas were the Pennines, where the A57 Snake Pass was blocked….

Thousands of newborn lambs were frozen in the snow, as gale force winds blew snowdrifts of up to 5ft deep….

The AA reported many accidents across the UK although much of the traffic was at a standstill…. Cars were abandoned on Dartmoor as winds in Devon reached 65mph….

Amber weather warnings were in place…. Across parts of the South heavy rain caused flooding and some homes were flooded….

Trains were unable to run and Luton Airport had to close for 10 hours overnight – with some 20 planes being diverted to Birmingham and Stanstead….

Luton Airport – Looking up Airport Way from an aircraft approaching the terminal from the runway….

At the time scientists were identifying a general trend in climate change but were in disagreement as to what was causing it…. Reports were suggesting it was down to a combination of human activity, solar activity and warmer oceans….

British History

On this day in history….3rd April 1895

On this day in history : 3rd April 1895 -The libel trial brought by Oscar Wilde against the Marquess of Queensberry begins – only for Wilde to later be imprisoned on charges of homosexuality….

Playwright, poet and novelist Oscar Wilde had become a celebrity in Victorian England – not just for his writing but also for his eccentric flamboyant style and sharp wit…. He stood out in society – dressed in his snazzy bright silks and velvet and choosing to wear his hair dandyishly long…. He totally bucked the austere Victorian trend of the time….

Wilde was born in Dublin in October 1854; he began writing and publishing his poetry whilst at Trinity University, Dublin, during the 1870s…. He then went on to study at Oxford….

He was to become perhaps London’s most popular playwright, with works such as ‘Salome’ and ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ and his novel ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’….

Homosexual acts between men were illegal in Britain at the time and so Wilde was careful to conceal his sexual orientation…. He married Constance Lloyd – the daughter of Horace Lloyd, a wealthy lawyer – in May 1884 and they had two sons, Cyril in 1885 and Vyvyan in 1886….

Oscar Wilde in New York, 1882 – Public domain

In 1891 he began an affair with young British poet and aristocrat Lord Alfred Douglas, who was 16 years younger than him…. Douglas’ father, the Marquess of Queensberry, found out about the relationship and was livid…. He set about exposing Wilde, confronting the pair several times – a bitter feud was to ensue…. Eventually Queensberry left a calling card with the porter at the private ‘Albemarle Club’ in London, reading “For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite” [sic]…. Wilde had been publicly accused….

Close friends who knew Wilde’s secret begged him to flee to France and stay there until things had died down – homosexuality had been legal in France since 1791…. However, Wilde ignored their pleas and instead decided to sue the Marquess for defamation and libel…. Queensberry’s lawyers responded by hiring private detectives to uncover evidence of Wilde’s liaisons with young men…. It probably didn’t take too much investigation – as Douglas was less than discreet and had introduced Wilde to the underground world of Victorian gay prostitution….

Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas, 1893 – Public domain

The trial opened at the Old Bailey – and it soon became evident that things were not going to go Wilde’s way – basically because what Queensberry accused him of was true…. To make matters worse for Wilde the Defense accused him of enticing 12 other young men to commit acts of indecency…. His 1890 novel ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ – in which an artist is attracted to a younger man – was also brought into question and it was implied that he had used it to seduce Douglas….

After three days Wilde dropped the lawsuit – this action was seen as an admission of guilt – a warrant was issued for his arrest…. Once again his friends urged him to go to France – but Wilde was determined to stand his ground….

Wilde was arrested on grounds of indecency…. The trial began on the 26th of April 1895 – he pleaded not guilty on 25 accounts…. The trial ended with the jury unable to reach a verdict…. Three weeks later a retrial took place and this time Wilde was found guilty…. He received the maximum penalty, two years hard labour…. On the 25th of May 1895 Wilde was taken to London’s Pentonville Prison and he spent the next few months untwisting old ropes to recycle the fibres for making oakum (used to seal gaps in the shipbuilding industry)…. He was then transferred to Reading Gaol, where he served the rest of his sentence – being released in 1897….

Wilde’s cell in Reading Gaol, as it is today…. Photo credit : Jack1956 CC0

While he was in prison Wilde’s health declined considerably…. After his release he spent his remaining three years living in exile in France – where he died in Paris on the 30th of November 1900 of meningitis….

British History

On this day in history….2nd April 1934

On this day in history : 2nd April 1934 – The birth of actor, teacher and writer Brian Glover, who made his acting debut in the film ‘Kes’ – but started out as an all-in-wrestler….

Wrestling was in his blood…. His father, Charles, was an all-in-wrestler going by the name of ‘The Red Devil’…. By day Brian’s parents ran a grocer’s shop – they didn’t actually get around to marrying until Brian was 20-years-old….

Brian was born in Sheffield but raised in Barnsley…. He won a scholarship for the Barnsley Grammar School and then went on to study English and French at the University of Sheffield…. To top up his student grant he started professional all-in-wrestling, with the name ‘Leon Arras the man from Paris’…. He took his name from a real life Frenchman who failed to show up at a wrestling competition – and Brian stepped in, it was his first public match…. He developed a style of his own, incorporating comic antics with catchphrases such as “ows about that then?” and “ask ‘im ref”….

In 1954 he began to teach at his old grammar school in Barnsley, drumming the delights of English and French into his students…. Also in 1954 he married his first wife, Elaine, with whom he had a daughter – they were later to divorce…. Brian continued to wrestle in matches across Europe…. He remarried in 1976, to Tara Prem, a TV producer and they had a son….

It was whilst working at Longcar Central School in Barnsley that Brian was to meet PE teacher Barry Hines, author of ‘A Kestrel for a Knave’ – which was published in 1968…. The story of Billy Cooper, a troubled young boy from a mining village, who cares for a kestrel he names ‘Kes’…. It is a book many of us will have read during our school years…. Barry went on to help adapt his book and co-write with Ken Loach for the 1969 film ‘Kes’…. He recommended Brian Glover for the part of the comical but domineering sports master, Mr Sugden….

Brian had no acting experience but was a natural as a character actor…. In 1970 he gave up teaching and his wrestling career soon after to become a full time actor…. With his broad Yorkshire accent, bald head and stocky frame he found himself cast many a time as a criminal or tough guy…. His TV work included parts in favourites such as ‘The Sweeney’, ‘Minder’, ‘The Bill’, ‘Coronation Street’, ‘Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads’, ‘Dixon of Dock Green’, ‘Dr. Who’, ‘Bottom’ and as prisoner Cyril Heslop in the sitcom ‘Porridge’…. He also appeared several times in the BBC’s ‘Play For Today’ series…. His dulcet tones could be heard in TV ad breaks for adverts such as Tetley’s “Tetley make teabags make tea” and Allison’s bread – “nowt taken out”…. He was even a narrator for the children’s series ‘Little Red Tractor’….

His theatre work was to include ‘The Changing Room’ at the Royal Court Theatre, London, a season with the Royal Shakespeare Company and performances of ‘The Mysteries’, ‘Saint Joan’ and ‘Don Quixote’ at the Royal National Theatre…. His film work was also extensive, with parts in ‘Alien 3’, ‘Jabberwocky’, ‘The First Great Train Robbery’, ‘An American Werewolf in London’, ‘Leon the Pig Farmer’ ‘Company of Wolves’ and the Bollywood movie ‘1942; A Love Story’….amongst others…. He also wrote over 20 plays and short films – as well as writing a regular column for a Yorkshire newspaper….

Brian died of a brain tumour in a London hospital on the 24th of July 1997…. He is buried in the Brompton Cemetery….