British History

On this day in history….28th April 1923

On this day in history : 28th April 1923 – The opening of the British Empire Exhibition Stadium – later to become known as Wembley Stadium, one of England’s main venues for sporting and entertainment events….

Wembley Stadium with its Twin Towers – Image credit : Merv Payne CC BY-SA 2.0

In 1920 it was decided to hold a major exhibition in London in order to promote trade throughout the whole of the British Empire…. Land was earmarked at Wembley Park pleasure gardens for an exhibition centre and a grand event was planned for 1924…. An organising committee was established with the Prince of Wales as President – who was keen to see a great national sports ground included – the ears of the Football Association pricked up….

£750k was raised, including a £175k contribution from the government and work began in 1922 with the first turf being cut by King George V…. Contractors Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons worked to a design by Sir John Simpson & Maxwell Anton, which was to include the Twin Towers – two domed towers which were to become the Stadium’s trademark landmark…. The construction took just 300 days, being completed by April 1923…. As a safety check 1,000 men sat, stood and marched on the stands, which were designed to accommodate 30,000 seated spectators whilst a further 100,000 could be housed standing….

Three days after the Stadium’s completion, on the 20th of April 1923, the FA Cup Final was held…. The event had received worldwide publicity – bringing fame to the Stadium, long before its main purpose, the planned British Empire Exhibition, had even taken place…. The official spectator capacity for the football match was 127,000 but more than 300,000 descended on the Stadium….

Crowds at the edge of the pitch – Public domain

Crowds spilled on to the pitch and it looked as if the match was going to have to be cancelled…. The day was saved by mounted police constable George Scorey and his trusty white horse, Billy – who between them managed to clear the pitch…. The final score was Bolton 2 West Ham 0 – in a match that became known as ‘The White Horse Final’….

Billy the White Horse and Police Constable George Scorey – Public domain

The official opening by King George V of the Empire Exhibition Stadium took place on the 23rd of April 1924…. It was to be the first time ever the King was heard on the radio…. Over 27 million visitors attended the exhibition over its duration….

In August 1927 the Stadium was bought by Arthur Elvin and it became a successful greyhound racing venue…. He also arranged for it to become the stadium used for the annual F.A. & Rugby League Challenge Cup – and 1928 saw the addition of motorcycle speedway….

The 1930s saw improvements to the terraces and seating facilities….and in 1948 the Stadium was loaned free of charge to allow the London Olympic Games to use it…. In 1963 a glass roof was added – and this was also the first year a European Cup Final was played there, when Milan beat Benfica 2-1…. Since then many large events have been held, from concerts to football matches, including the 1966 World Cup….and that final – England 4 West Germany 2….

The Queen presents the World Cup trophy to Bobby Moore, 1966

In 1996 the spectator capacity was reduced to 76,000 and converted to all seating…. The last football match to be played was an international which saw England beaten by Germany 1-0…. In 2002 demolition began to make way for a new stadium – with the famous Twin Towers coming down in February 2003 – to be replaced by the now iconic arch in May 2004….

On this day in history….27th April 1922

On this day in history : 27th April 1922 – The birth of aviator Sheila Scott – who broke over 100 aviation records and was the first British pilot to fly solo around the world….

Sheila Christine Hopkins was born in Worcester and she had a troubled childhood…. She attended the Alice Ottley School, a prestigious school that has seen pupils such as Barbara Cartland and Vanessa Redgrave…. But Sheila was not to do well at the school and was nearly expelled on several occasions….

During World War 2 she was to serve as a nurse at the Haslar Royal Naval Hospital – and then between 1945-1959 she was to pursue a career as an actress and model…. Using the name Sheila Scott she had small roles in theatre, films and TV…. She married Rupert Bellamy in 1945 but it was to be a short-lived marriage, ending in 1950….

Sheila learned to fly at Thruxton Aerodrome, near to Andover, Hampshire in 1958…. Her first aircraft was a Thruxton Jackaroo – a converted de Havilland Tiger Moth – which she bought from the RAF…. She owned this plane until 1964 and won several races with it…. To pay for her flying she worked as a demonstrator for Cessna and Piper….

In April 1966 she bought her Piper Comanche, which she named ‘Myth Too’ – it was the aircraft in which she set almost 90 of her records…. In 1967 she set the world record for flying between London and Cape Town and also in the same year the record for crossing the North Atlantic Ocean…. In 1969 the South Atlantic – and then in 1971 flying from Equator to Equator over the North Pole…. Sheila was the first to fly over the North Pole in a light aircraft….

The Comanche ‘Myth Too’ (which was damaged after Sheila owned it) – Image credit : Alan Wilson via Flickr

Her first solo around the world flight began on the 18th of May 1966, from Heathrow…. 34 days later, after flying some 31,000 miles and 189 hours of flying time, on the 20th of June 1966 she arrived back…. She was to repeat the trip again 1969-70…. In 1971 she bought her Piper-Aztec in which she completed her third solo around the world trip…. Unfortunately this aircraft was destroyed in 1972 whilst at the Piper factory in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, after a severe flood caused by Hurricane Agnes….

Sheila was to win several awards…. She received a Herman International Aviation Trophy for setting a new light aircraft speed record of 28,633 miles solo in 33 days and 3 minutes in 1967…. She won the Brabazon of Tara Award in 1965, 1967 and 1968, the Britannia Trophy of the Royal Aero Club of Britain 1968 and the Royal Aero Club Gold Medal in 1971…. In 1968 she was awarded an OBE….

She wrote two books:- ‘I Must Fly’ (1968) and ‘On Top of the World’ (1973)…. She founded the British branch of the ‘Ninety-Nines’ an international organisation providing support, networking, mentoring and scholarship for female pilots – which was originally created by Amelia Earhart in 1929…. She was also a member of the ‘International Association of Licensed Women Pilots’ and the ‘Whirly-Girls International’ – a non-profit making educational organisation to help women advance in helicopter aviation….

Image credit : SDASM Archives via Flickr

After having achieved so much in her lifetime it is sad to think Sheila’s life ended in poverty, living in a bedsit in Pimlico, Central London…. She died of cancer at the Royal Marsden Hospital on the 20th of October 1988, aged 66….

British History

On this day in history….26th April 1880

On this day in history : 26th April 1880 – The birth of Eric Campbell – the actor who invariably played the part of the bully in Charlie Chaplin’s films – and who’s life came to a tragic end….

Campbell was born in Sale, Cheshire – although it had previously been thought that he was born in Dunoon, Scotland…. His parents were William, a cotton dealer and Jane Campbell – and he was one of four sons…. He began acting as a boy and was later discovered by theatre impresario of the music hall Fred Karno…. Campbell was a gentle giant; at 6ft 5in tall and weighing nearly 20 stone it was his sheer size and baritone voice that impressed Karno….

He married Fanny Gertrude Robotham, a fellow music hall performer, on the 30th of March 1901…. They travelled to New York in 1914 and Campbell was hired by Broadway producer Charles Frohman…. In March 1916 he was acting in George M. Cohen’s play ‘Pom Pom’ when brothers Charlie and Syd Chaplin came across him…. They took him back to Hollywood with them….

Campbell may have been built like a wrestler but he had a comparatively small head – which he kept shaven…. Charlie, by darkening his eyes, exaggerating his eyebrows and getting him to grow a scraggy beard, created Campbell into the prefect villain to play opposite his own ‘Little Tramp’ character…. Campbell’s first film with Chaplin was ‘The Floor Walker’ in 1916 and was followed by a quick succession of other films…. By the summer of 1917 Campbell had become Chaplin’s favourite co-star – he appeared in a total of 11 of his films…. Possibly his best role was in ‘Easy Street’ in 1917….

Chaplin was, at the time, the most famous movie star in the world….and he had many imitators…. However, Campbell also had his fair share, including Oliver Hardy, of Laurel and Hardy fame….

Campbell’s career had really taken off – it looked as if his future was rosy…. Chaplin’s contract with Mutual had ended and he was signed with First National Pictures – a real scoop for him – and he intended on taking Campbell with him…. In the meantime Campbell was working with Mary Pickford, co-founder of Pickford-Fairbanks Studios, with Douglas Fairbanks, on the 1918 film ‘Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley’…. But tragedy was about to strike Campbell’s life….

On the 9th of July 1917 his wife, Fanny, died suddenly of a heart attack, after they had been out for dinner at a restaurant near to their Santa Monica home…. Then as his 16-year-old daughter, Una, walked to a nearby shop to buy an outfit in which to mourn her mother, she was struck by a car, leaving her with serious injuries….

In September 1917, still grieving, Campbell met comedienne Pearl Gilman at a publicity gathering…. Twice divorced, each time from an extremely wealthy man, Gilman was nothing short of a gold-digger….and she set out to take full advantage of Campbell’s situation…. Five days after they had met the pair were married….two months later Gilman sued for divorce, claiming he was a heavy drinker and had abused her…. Campbell moved out of their home and took a room at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, next door to his best buddy, Charlie Chaplin….

With Charlie Chaplin in ‘The Immigrant’ 1917 – Public domain

On the 20th of December 1917 Campbell attended a Christmas party – and drowned his sorrows…. At 4am he drunkenly drove towards home – but was involved in a head-on collision – he was killed instantly….

After his cremation his ashes were to remain unclaimed…. His daughter had returned to the UK by now, to live with relatives in Nottingham…. It was to be 30 years before Campbell’s ashes were eventually laid to rest in an unknown site within the Rosedale Cemetery, Los Angeles….

British History

On this day in history….25th April 1931

On this day in history : 25th April 1931 – The birth of English artist, author and conservationist David Shepherd – known for his paintings of wildlife, aviation and steam locomotives – and his wildlife foundation….

David Shepherd mid 1990s – Image credit : NotFromUtrecht – own work – CC BY-SA 3.0

David was born in Hendon, London and spent much of his childhood in Totteridge, North London before boarding at the Stowe School in Buckinghamshire…. At the age of eight he won a painting competition in the children’s publication ‘Nursery World’….

He left school in 1949 and travelled to Kenya with hopes of realising a career as a game warden – only to be rejected…. On returning to England he was to face rejection once again – this time when he applied to the Slade School of Fine Art – part of the University College of London – he was told that he had ‘no talent whatsoever’! However, not everybody agreed with this opinion – as David was taken under the wing of and taught by artist Robin Goodwin – a member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists and a lecturer at the Slade School….

David started his art career as an aviation artist – working for the armed services he was given the chance to travel the world…. It was whilst in Kenya in 1960 that he was commissioned by the RAF to produce his first wildlife painting – a rhinoceros on a runway…. It was to prove to be a turning point in his career as an artist….

Whilst in Tanzania and during an excursion into the African bush David came across a harrowing sight – a waterhole that had become poisoned – some 255 zebra lay dead around it…. The experience inspired him to become involved with conservation – and becoming a some what outspoken campaigner…. He always felt it to be his duty to help those animals endangered by human society – elephants, tigers, rhino and so many more – the creatures that gave him so much success as an artist…. He received an Honoury Degree in Fine Arts from the Pratt Institute, New York, in 1971….

David Shepherd, 2014 – Photo credit : Meg Ghyll via Flickr

His first major fund raising success was for Indria Gandhi’s ‘Operation Tiger’ in 1973 – when his painting ‘Tiger Fire’ raised £127K – over £1.4 million in today’s terms…. One of his most famous paintings is ‘Tiger in the Sun’ from 1977…. He is also well-known for his paintings of elephants – especially ‘The Ivory is Theirs’ and ‘Wise Old Elephant’…. Over the years his paintings have raised vast amounts for conservation projects…. In 1979 he was awarded with an OBE….

In 1984 David set up ‘The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’…. With his own efforts and those of supporters and artists from all around the world the Foundation has raised and donated in grants well in excess of £10 million to wildlife survival projects in Africa and Asia….

In 2011 he launched the campaign ‘Tiger Time’ – to save tigers in the wild, receiving much celebrity support including from Sir Paul McCartney, Joanna Lumley, Stephen Fry and Ricky Gervais…. In 2012 David was awarded the Conservation Award in the Wetnose Animal Aid Awards and in 2016 he received the Animal Hero Lifetime Achievement Award…. He was a Member of Honour of the WWF….

Aside from his work as a conservationist in wildlife he was also a steam enthusiast and owned a collection of steam locomotives…. He did much in the conservation of our steam heritage and was involved in the founding of the East Somerset Railway – and also served as President of the ‘Railway Ramblers’….

David Shepherd with wife, Avril, 1991 – Image credit : H.G. Graser – own work – CC BY-SA 3.0

David died in hospital on the 19th of September 2017 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease…. He left behind his wife Avril, four daughters, his grand children and great grand children – all of whom share his passion and continue his work….

British History

On this day in history….24th April 1906

On this day in history : 24th April 1906 – The birth of Mimi Smith – the maternal aunt and parental guardian of Beatle John Lennon – and who thought his music would never amount to much….

Mary Elizabeth ‘Mimi’ Smith (nee Stanley) was the eldest of five sisters and from an early age had to help look after her younger siblings…. The family lived in a small terraced house in Newcastle Road, Liverpool – not far from Penny Lane…. On leaving school Mimi trained as a nurse (later in her working life she was to become the private secretary of businessman Ernest Vickers)…. When her mother died Mimi took on the matriarchal role in the family….

She met George Smith, a milkman who delivered milk to the hospital she worked at, in 1932…. He and his brother ran the family dairy and shop – Mimi would have considered him a good catch…. After a seven year courtship the pair finally married on the 15th of September 1939 and bought a semi-detached house – ‘Mendips’ – in Menlove Avenue, a middle-class area of Liverpool….

‘Mendips’ – Image credit : Havaska – own work – CC BY-SA 3.0

Mimi’s sister, Julia – younger than her by eight years – had married Alf Lennon on the 3rd of December 1938 and baby John was born on the 9th of October 1940…. Julia phoned her sister from the hospital and Mimi rushed to see her and the new arrival in the midst of an air raid….

Not long after Julia and Alf separated – Julia took John with her and moved in with her new lover…. Mimi undoubtedly would have been appalled by her sister’s behaviour – and even more so about the living arrangements…. Twice she contacted social services because the child was sleeping in the same bed as the adults…. Eventually Julia was persuaded to hand John over to Mimi and George – who incidentally were never to have any children of their own….

In July 1946 Alf Lennon took his son on an extended holiday to Blackpool – only his real intention was to emigrate to New Zealand with him…. It was Julia who managed to get John back and return him to Mimi…. After that he was to spend the rest of his childhood at ‘Mendips’….

John Lennon at home with Aunt Mimi at Menlove Avenue – Image credit : Eliodue via Flickr

As a guardian Mimi was strict…. She could be stubborn, impatient, unforgiving and didn’t suffer fools lightly…. Money and keeping up appearances were important to her…. That said she had a good sense of humour…. Often when she was chastising John he would crack a joke and the two would end up in fits of giggles…. He thought the world of her – even so she was a little jealous of the relationship he had with his Uncle George….

With Uncle George – Image credit : Eliodue via Flickr

John’s mother bought him his first guitar, although Mimi was to claim it was her…. She and Julia saw him first perform with The Quarrymen – who over time evolved into The Beatles…. Mimi gave the impression of being shocked by his performance – but secretly she was probably quite proud….

George died of a liver haemorrhage in 1955…. Not long after Julia was killed on Menlove Avenue, after being knocked down by a car being driven by an off duty police officer….

John was to attend Liverpool College of Art – as Mimi insisted that he get some academic qualifications…. “Music’s all right John, but you’ll never make a living out of it”…. She was dismissive of his friends – calling Paul McCartney ‘John’s little friend’ – and disapproving of him because he was working-class…. Mimi was never ashamed of showing her snobbery…. She was equally disapproving of John’s girlfriends – and later even more so of his wives….

When John married Cynthia on the 23rd of August 1962 Mimi refused to go to the wedding and pulled out all the stops to prevent the rest of the family from attending either…. She blamed Cynthia for falling pregnant and trapping John into marriage – but when Cynthia nearly lost the baby she agreed to rent them a downstairs room at ‘Mendips’…. By this time John’s career with The Beatles was taking off, which meant he was often away – leaving Mimi and Cynthia alone…. Mimi made her life unbearable – and shortly after the birth of Julian she could stand it no more and so in November 1963 she went to live with her mother….

Ringo Starr, George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, 1963 – Public domain

In 1965 John bought Mimi a £25k bungalow in Poole, Dorset…. He also gave her a weekly allowance of £30…. However, on discovering Cynthia’s mother also received the same allowance she was furious…. John, Cynthia and Julian visited her at the bungalow in the summer of 1965 – it was the last time she would see the three of them together….

John and Yoko Ono married on the 20th of March 1969…. Mimi happened to bump in to Cynthia at a funeral – she criticised her strongly, for divorcing John and letting him start a relationship with Yoko….”making a fool of himself”…. But she was later to admit Yoko was a good wife and mother….

Yoko Ono and John Lennon, March 1969 – CC0

After John’s death Yoko took their son, Sean, to visit Mimi – who said “Sean is like John in every way – looks and manner – and he has got John’s sense of humour. As long as he keeps away from music he will be alright”….

Yoko was later to buy ‘Mendips’ and donate it to the National Trust…. Mimi died at her bungalow in Poole on the 6th of December 1991….