On this day in history : 7th July 2004 – Bolton born Fred Dibnah, steeple jack, steam enthusiast and TV presenter, goes to Buckingham Palace to receive an MBE from the Queen…
Fred Dibnah at Alder Mill around 1981 – John Harwood via Flickr
Fred had planned to drive Betsy, his beloved traction engine, to the Palace – but was refused permission as the Royal Parks Agency were concerned its weight would cause damage to the surface of The Mall…. Instead he was allowed to drive the engine to Wellington Barracks, which is just a short distance from the Palace….
Fred collected his medal wearing morning dress and a top hat…. When he had initially learned of the honour he had said…. “I’m looking forward to meeting the Queen but I shall probably have to get a new cap”…. He went on to say…. “And I’d like to meet Prince Charles because we share the same views about modern architecture”….
He had received the accolade in the 2004 New Year Honours List for his services to heritage and broadcasting…. Fred had been famous in his home town of Bolton long before his TV days, for toppling many of the area’s landmark chimneys which had served the old mills – and which had dominated the skyline…. He became known nationally in 1979 when the BBC made a documentary entitled ‘Fred Dibnah, Steeple Jack’, earning producer Don Howarth a BAFTA for best documentary….
Fred Dibnah visits the Great Central Railway Works at Loughborough, as part of his final televised tour of Britain’s industrial heritage….
After receiving his MBE Fred said…. “I was slightly nervous shaking hands with the Queen, she asked if I was still climbing chimneys. It beats me how she keeps tabs on everybody. I never thought I would be receiving an MBE”….
Fred Dibnah, June 1985 – trainsandstuff via Flickr
On this day in history : 6th July 1978 – Three bags of horse manure are thrown from the Public Gallery of the House of Commons during a Scottish devolution debate….
Image from YouTube
It was during points of order; Labour MP Tam Dalyell was on his feet speaking about the Scottish education system when he was pelted with manure…. Dalyell was determined to carry on with his speech regardless….much to the approval of his colleagues…. One MP remarked that he could not sit down ‘because the Bench has been soiled by some offensive matter that has just been thrown from the Public Gallery’….The sitting was suspended for twenty minutes whilst a clean-up operation took place….
Tam Dalyell – Open Media Ltd CC BY-SA 3.0
A number of protesters, including 26-year-old Yana Mintoff, daughter of the Maltese prime minister, had smuggled in the bags of manure hidden under their clothing…. The doorman later said he thought there had been a funny smell but assumed the group just needed a wash…. Yana Mintoff and fellow protester John McSherry were arrested and later fined….
Yana Mintoff Bland (right) in more recent times, receiving a biography about her father, Dom Mintoff – Josgre CC BY-SA 3.0
At the time Dalyell remarked the protest was about Malta rather than Scottish education and said he didn’t take it personally…. In reality it was actually a protest against the presence of British troops in Northern Ireland…. Yana said she had thrown the manure as a protest in support of political prisoners in Ireland…. For her it was about human rights – she believed prisoners were being subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment in the prisons of Northern Ireland….
On this day in history : 5th July 1888 – Three matchgirls are fired from Bryant and May, accused of telling lies to a journalist about their working conditions; 1,400 female workers go on strike….
Matchgirls striking – Public domain
The mood amongst the Bryant and May factory workers had been darkening for a number of years…. It was a time when employers could do pretty much as they pleased…. Employees could be fined for being late, or even for talking…. In the early 1880s boss Theodore Bryant had even deducted a shilling from each pay packet to purchase a statue of William Gladstone…. Such was the disgust, that at its unveiling in 1882 some workers attended the ceremony to throw stones at it…. Some strike action was taken between 1881 and 1886 – but it had little effect….
Workers in a match factory (possibly Bryant &; May) – The Graphic – Public domain
Conditions at the factory in Bow, East London were appalling…. Girls as young as 12 worked long hours for very little pay….and the work was dangerous…. Lack of ventilation meant the dreaded ‘phossy jaw’ was almost inevitable….
The phosphorous fumes created during the manufacturing process caused a type of cancer which led to facial deformities…. Phossy jaw is a painful swelling in the jaw that produces a foul smelling pus…. the jaw would then turn green and black as the bone rotted away…. The condition would be fatal without surgery….
Phossy jaw – Public domain
In 1888 journalist and campaigner for women’s welfare and rights, Annie Besant, wrote a radical article entitled ‘White Slavery in London’…. She told of the terrible conditions in the factory – respectable Victorians would have been shocked when they learned of the appalling working environment these workers had to endure…. The Bryant and May bosses were furious and singled out three girls they believed were responsible for talking to Besant….and they were sacked….
However, the rest of the match girls decided to take action….1,400 workers went on strike which in turn effected some 3,000 Bryant and May staff…. For three weeks production came to a standstill….strike headquarters were established and workers had to rely on donations from the public as there was no strike pay or indeed benefits available then…. The public showed their support by not buying Bryant and May matches…. Rallies and marches were organised and there was a visit to Parliament to speak with MPs….
Clashing with police at a match strikers’ march – Public domain
The bosses threatened to relocate the factory but finally after three weeks gave in to the workers’ demands….and the 3,000 returned to work – fining had ended and the three girls were re-employed….
Things did not end there though…. On the 27th of July 1888 the first meeting of the Union of Women Match Makers was held…. Premises were secured using money left over from the strike fund and the union grew….eventually being renamed so men could join too….
1889 saw a sharp increase in strike action, such as the Great Dock Strike…. Many workers had gained confidence because of the victory of the match girls….
On this day in history : 4th July 1985 – Child prodigy Ruth Lawrence graduates Oxford University with a starred first in mathematics…. At 13-years-old she is the youngest known Oxford graduate….
Ruth Lawrence circa 1991 – Photo credit : George M Bergman CC BY-SA
Ruth was born in Brighton on the 2nd of August 1971 to Harry Lawrence and his wife Sylvia Greybourne – who were both computer consultants…. When Ruth turned 5-years-old her father gave up work to educate her at home….
Aged 9 she passed her ‘O’ level in mathematics and then achieved Grade A at A-level pure mathematics…. In 1981 she passed the Oxford University entrance exam in maths and in 1983 at the age 11 joined St. Hugh’s College…. Her father accompanied her to lectures…. Ruth completed her Bachelor’s degree in two years – as opposed to the usual three….and graduated at the age of 13 with a starred first and special commendation…. This made her the youngest person to graduate Oxford University in modern times….
St. Hugh’s College, Oxford – Credit image : Fittoprint CCO
Ruth continued her studies; she went on to gain a Bachelor’s degree in physics in 1986 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in mathematics in June 1989….
Once again accompanied by her father, Ruth moved to the US to work at Harvard and became a junior fellow at 19-years-old; she then went on to the University of Michigan as an associate professor….
In 1998 Ruth married fellow mathematician Ariyeh Neimark and she moved to Israel and became an associate professor at the same establishment as her husband, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem…. This time her father did not accompany her! In 2012 she became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society….
Ruth became the mother of four children…. She has expressed some regret at her childhood and vowed she would not put her own children through the rigorous studies she had to endure….
Ruth Lawrence in 2014 – Image credit : Ben David CC BY-SA 2.0
On this day in history : 3rd July 1970 – A charter flight from Manchester carrying 105 holiday-makers and 7 crew goes missing over Northern Spain….
The Comet jet, DAN-AIR Flight 1903, chartered by British tour operator Clarksons Holidays, had left Manchester just after 4pm bound for Barcelona; most of the passengers onboard were from the Greater Manchester area…. On reaching Parisian airspace a change of route had been issued due to air traffic control delays….
The aircraft which crashed, seen in 1964 when it was operated by B.O.A.C. – Image credit : Ralf Manteufel GFDL 1.2
The flight had been due to land at Barcelona at 7pm local time; the last radio contact air traffic controllers had with the plane was around this time, when it was supposedly 12 miles northwest of Barcelona at 6,000ft…. The weather was clear, there had been nothing to indicate there were any problems….the aircraft simply disappeared….
An all-night search took place and eventually the wreckage was found the following day…. The plane had crashed onto the wooded slopes of Serralada del Montseny, in the Montseny Mountains of Catalonia, Northern Spain….the highest peaks of which are over 5,600ft…. All lives had been lost, the impact explosion would have killed instantly….
Les Agudes, one of the highest peaks of the Montseny mountain range – Image credit : Pere Lopez CC BY-SA 3.0
There was some confusion as to the location of the wreckage, as it was 32 miles north of where it should have been at the time…. It appears the Dan Air crew had mistakenly reported flying over a recognised landmark….at the same time another plane was coincidently flying over the area that the crew thought they had reached…. Air traffic control assumed the echo of the second aircraft was that of the Dan Air plane….so did not pick up on the navigational error…. The Spanish Air Ministry report, which was published in November 1970, concluded a mutual misunderstanding as the aircraft was off-course due to navigation errors by the crew….
The dead were buried in a mass grave in the village of Arbucias….Sadly no relatives were able to attend the funeral as Spanish law insists remains have to be buried within 48 hours for public health reasons…. At the same time as the funeral memorial services were held across Manchester….
Cottage Capers 