British History

On this day in history….11th June 1776

On this day in history : 11th June 1776 – The birth of English landscape artist John Constable – who’s most famous paintings include ‘The Hay Wain’, ‘Wivenhoe Park’ and ‘Dedham Vale’….

John Constable by Daniel Gardner, 1796 – Image credit : Stephencdickson, own work – CC BY-SA 4.0

Constable was born in the village of East Bergholt, on the River Stour in Suffolk…. His father, Golding Constable, was a wealthy corn merchant and mill owner, with a modest-sized ship that he used to transport corn to London…. John Constable was the fourth child and second eldest son – and was expected to take over the family business as his older brother had a learning disability…. After finishing his schooling, firstly at boarding school in Lavenham and then day school in Dedham, Constable joined the business….

From an early age Constable had a gift for sketching and showed a keen interest in nature and the countryside around him…. His natural talent was encouraged under the guidance of local amateur artist John Dunthorne…. He was further inspired when he met another amateur artist, Sir George Beaumont, who was also a collector of paintings by the Old Masters….

Constable persuaded his father to allow him to study at the Royal Academy Schools and he enrolled in 1799…. His work was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1802…. With his career now on a different path it was Constable’s younger brother who was to take over the family business….

In 1816, at the age of 40, Constable married Maria Bicknell…. The marriage was very much against the wishes of her father as Maria was a TB sufferer…. The couple lived in Hampstead as it was thought to be healthier than central London – and they also made frequent trips to Brighton so she could benefit from the sea air…. They were to have seven children….

Maria Bicknell by John Constable, 1816 : Tate Britain – Public domain

When painting Constable was always at his happiest when he was in locations known to him, especially the areas around the villages of Suffolk – East Bergholt, Dedham, Stratford St. Mary and Langham were all favourite haunts…. “I should paint my own places best”…. He also painted in Hampstead, Brighton and Salisbury – where he visited frequently on account of being good friends with the nephew of the Bishop of Salisbury….

Dedham Vale – John Constable : Victoria and Albert Museum – Public domain

Wivenhoe Park – John Constable : National Gallery of Art, Washington – Public domain

Maria died in 1828, after giving birth to their seventh child…. Constable was devastated…. The following year he was finally elected to a full membership of the Royal Academy…. His rival, William Turner, had achieved this honour much earlier in life, whilst in his 20s…. Constable gained little recognition for his work in Britain until after his death – he only sold twenty paintings in his lifetime in his own country…. He fared much better in France where in 1824 ‘The Hay Wain’ won a gold medal at The Salon, Paris…. Constable was to greatly influence the French Romantic artists…. However, he declined to travel to promote his work…. “I would much rather be a poor man in England than a rich man abroad”….

The Hay Wain : National Gallery, London – Public domain

He died on the 31st of March 1837, of what is thought to be heart failure…. He was buried with Maria in Hampstead….

Constable’s tomb – St John-at-Hampstead – Image credit : Stephencdickson CC BY-SA 4.0

On this day in history….10th June 1993

On this day in history : 10th June 1993 – The death of comedian, actor, presenter and writer Les Dawson – known for his deadpan comedy and for his deliberate playing of the piano off-key….

It is probably safe to say Les did not set out to become an entertainer and there must have been many a time when he nearly gave up altogether – as success did not come easily for him….

He was born in Collyhurst, Manchester on the 2nd of February 1931, to an Irish mother, Julia Nolan and English father, Leslie Dawson Sr, who was a low-paid labourer…. It was a close, loving family – but poor…. Les moved schools frequently as the family would often have to do a moonlight flit to avoid the rent man…. From an early age Les showed a natural talent for writing and enjoyed composing poetry – but he kept his passion quiet as he thought he would be teased by his classmates….

On leaving school at the age of 14 he found employment with the Manchester Co-op – and then later became an apprentice to an electrician…. However, this wasn’t something he particularly enjoyed and when he was called up to do his National Service it probably came as quite a relief….

After National Service he returned to Manchester with the idea of becoming a serious writer…. He submitted his poetry and essays to various magazines and publications – but with no success…. Feeling despondent and thinking a change of scenery might help he decided to move to Paris….

Les was an accomplished piano player and managed to land a job playing in a Parisian bar…. However, he couldn’t understand why there were never any customers…. It took a while for the penny to drop that the bar was actually a smoke screen for a brothel…. To amuse himself he began to play familiar classic tunes in an off-key comical way – and soon built himself a regular little fan club…. But the money he earned was not enough to survive on, so after four months he packed his bags and returned to Manchester….

Buoyed by his brief success as a comic pianist he decided to enter a talent contest – but his act fell flat on its face…. So Les got a job as a door-to-door salesman, selling vacuum cleaners – only to soon realise he wasn’t cut out for this kind of work…. Next he tried his hand at journalism, working for the Bury Times – but this didn’t suit him either….

Still hankering after a showbiz life he started to perform in working men’s clubs across the North…. His audiences were not always the most appreciative – but it was a good learning curve for him and slowly but surely he was beginning to come to the attention of those in ‘the business’…. It was also on the club circuit that he was to meet his first wife, Meg….with whom he was to have 3 children…. It was Meg who encouraged him to enter ‘Opportunity Knocks’ in 1965 – and although he didn’t win he certainly made an impression and was subsequently booked for the ITV show ‘Blackpool Night Out’…. Les Dawson, with his rubbery face contortions, mother-in-law jokes and comical piano playing had finally successfully launched his career as a comedian….

By the end of the 1960s he was a household name…. He now had his own series ‘Sez Les’ on Yorkshire TV – and from that came the two memorable characters of Cissie Braithwaite (played by Roy Baraclough) and Ada Shufflebottom…. The show ran for 11 series between 1969-1976 and then Les went on to do ‘Dawson’s Weekly’ before in 1978 being signed with the BBC for ‘The Les Dawson Show’ – which ran until 1989…. He became the presenter of the game show ‘Blankety Blank’ in 1984 after taking over from Terry Wogan….

In April 1986 Meg died from cancer and Les withdrew from public life to look after their children…. Being a heavy smoker and drinker he wasn’t in the best of health himself – and this was to lead to a heart attack….

Les remarried in May 1989 – and he and his wife, Tracy, were to have a daughter…. After another serious heart attack in 1992 his doctors advised him to stop working – but he was having none of it…. The 23rd of December 1992 saw him as the subject of ‘This Is Your Life’ – it was to be one of his last TV appearances….

On the 10th of June 1993 he was at hospital, waiting for his test results after having had a check-up, when he suffered another heart attack…. This time it was fatal….

British History

On this day in history….8th June 1982

On this day in history : 8th June 1982 – Fifty-six British servicemen are killed during an Argentine air attack on two supply ships in the Falklands conflict – in what becomes known as the ‘Battle of Bluff Cove’….

Anchored off of Fitzroy, Port Pleasant, supply ships RFA Sir Galahad and RFA Sir Tristram were in the process of being unloaded, when at 14.00hrs local time five A-4 Skyhawks from the Argentine Air Force’s 5th Brigade made a surprise attack….

RFA Sir Galahad – Image credit : Dmgerrard at English Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0

Three bombs hit Sir Galahad and it instantly burst into flames…. With the fire spreading rapidly ammunition onboard began to explode and men jumped overboard to escape…. A further two bombs hit Sir Tristram – helicopters that were being used to ferry supplies rushed to help….

At 16.50hrs a second air attack took place…. Four Skyhawks sank a landing craft utility which was carrying vehicles to Bluff Cove – six Royal Marines were killed…. this time a Sea Harrier combat air patrol was able to respond and three of the Skyhawks were shot down…. A third wave of Skyhawks arrived shortly afterwards, attacking ground targets – but with little success…. HMS Plymouth was also targeted in a separate attack, which caused considerable damage and injured five onboard….

In total 56 British servicemen were killed in the attacks, 48 of these were onboard Sir Galahad and 2 on Sir Tristram…. A further 150 were injured – many through burns…. Sir Tristram was later rebuilt but Sir Galahad was beyond repair and so was towed out to sea and scuttled….

RFA Sir Tristram after the Argentine attack – Image credit : Ken Griffiths – own work – CC BY-SA 4.0

Among the wounded onboard Sir Galahad was Simon Weston…. His injuries were so severe that 25% of his skin suffered third degree burns…. He was to endure years of reconstructive surgery which was to involve over 96 operations and procedures….

Weston was later to travel to Argentina for a TV documentary and was to meet Carlos Cachon, the Argentinian Air Force pilot who had carried out the bombing on Sir Galahad…. The visit was returned when Cachon and his family visited Weston in Liverpool…. The two became great friends….

Simon Weston – Photo credit : cropped image (Wikipedia) taken from original photo by Phil Guest via Flickr – CC BY-SA 2.0

British History

On this day in history….7th June 1394

On this day in history : 7th June 1394 – The death of Queen Anne of Bohemia, the first wife of King Richard II – who was so devastated by the loss of his wife that he tore down their home….

The marriage had not been a popular choice amongst the English nobility nor Members of Parliament…. Although her father, Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, was a powerful man it was thought by many there would be little trade or political advantage in such a union….

It did not help matters that her arrival on English soil was delayed by severe storms….and no sooner had she disembarked from the ship it was smashed to pieces…. This was inevitably seen as a bad omen and a sign of things to come…. Anne landed in Dover in 1381, travelled to Canterbury and then on to London – where she was received with harsh criticism…. The Westminster Chronicle referred to her as ‘a tiny scrap of humanity’…. Much of the scorn may have stemmed from the absence of any dowry – indeed, in order to wed her it was Richard who paid 20,000 florins (around £4m) to her brother, King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia….

Despite all of the grumblings and misgivings the marriage ceremony went ahead at Westminster Abbey on the 20th of January 1382…. It was, incidentally, 537 years before another royal wedding was to be held at the Abbey….

Coronation of Richard and Anne – Public domain

Richard and Anne were just 16-years-old when they married….they were to form a close and loving relationship – Richard was devoted to his wife…. Over time she won the hearts of the English people; she was known for her kindness – earning her the name of Good Queen Anne…. She would often intervene to try and help people, such as those seeking pardons or clemency…. In 1384 she begged Richard to save the life of former Lord Mayor of London, John Northampton – who had been arrested on charges of sedition and sentenced to death…. His sentence was commuted to 10 years…. She also interceded on the behalf of Richard’s former tutor, Simon de Burley, who faced execution for his role in the Peasants’ Revolt…. In this instance she failed to help….

As King and Queen of England the royal couple chose their main residence as Sheen Manor – which was situated on the site which was later to become Richmond Palace…. Richard was the first King to choose this location as his main home…. Although married for 12 years Richard and Anne were to have no children…. She died at Sheen Manor, probably of plague, on the 7th of June 1394…. She was buried in Westminster Abbey – in a double tomb so Richard could later be laid to rest beside her – another royal first…. He was so distraught after her death that he ordered Sheen Manor to be torn down….

In 1406 he went on to marry Isabella of France – a political union (at least one would hope) as she was only 6-years-old…. However, just 3 years later he was lying beside Anne….

British History

On this day in history….6th June 1896

On this day in history : 6th June 1896 – The birth of Henry Allingham – the WW1 veteran who was to become a supercentenarian and officially the longest-lived man ever from the United Kingdom….

Henry as an infant, 1890s – Public domain

Henry was born in Clapton, London and he was only 14 months old when his father died from TB…. His mother, Amy Jane – a laundress – returned to live with her parents and brother and so Henry spent his early childhood living in Walthamstow…. His mother remarried in 1905 and the family settled in Clapham…. On leaving school Henry found employment at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital as a trainee surgical instrument maker – but it wasn’t work that inspired him and so he found a job with a company specialising in building car bodywork….

When World War Once broke out Henry was keen to join up immediately but by then his mother was ill…. She died in 1915 and it was after this that he joined the Royal Naval Air Service…. After training he was posted to Great Yarmouth, where he carried out aircraft maintenance – before finding himself in Norfolk, involved with anti-submarine patrols…. Eventually, in September 1917, he was sent to the Western Front to join No.12 Squadron RNAS and in the November was posted to the aircraft depot at Dunkirk – where he spent the remainder of the War….

Henry in RNAS uniform, 1916 – Public domain

He met Dorothy Carr in 1918, in Great Yarmouth and they were married in Romford later that same year…. They were to have two daughters, Betty in 1920 followed by Jean in 1923…. Henry was formally discharged to the RAF Reserve in 1919….

After the War Henry returned to his engineering work in the car industry – working for companies such as Thorns Car Body Makers and Vickers General Motors – before ending up at Ford, in their recently opened Dagenham plant…. He remained at Ford until his retirement in 1961 and then he and Dorothy moved to Eastbourne on the South Coast – where Dorothy died in 1971 of lymphatic leukaemia….

In October 2003, at the age of 107, Henry helped launched the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal…. In August 2004 he joined three other WW1 veterans for a ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Britain entering the War – by now Henry was the last surviving member of the RNAS…. He also attended the Remembrance Sunday Parade the following year….

He was awarded the Freedom of Eastbourne in April 2006 – the town where he managed to live at home by himself until the following month…. He was still in generally good health but his eyesight was failing – and so in May 2006, a month before his 110th birthday, he moved into a care home near Brighton for blind ex-service personnel run by Blind Veterans UK….

Despite his eyesight Henry made some 60 public appearances over the next year…. In November 2007 he became the longest-lived member of the British Armed Forces and the longest-lived WW1 veteran…. Then on the 19th of June 2009 he officially became the oldest living man in the world…. He was the first British man to reach the verified age of 113…. He put his longevity down to “cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women – and a good sense of humour”….

Henry died in his sleep at his care home on the 18th of July 2009….