On this day in history: 17th December 1983 – An IRA terrorist car bomb explodes outside Harrods Department Store, in Knightsbridge, Central London – killing 6 people and injuring a further 92….
Elliott Brown via Flickr
At 12.44pm a call, using a code word, was made to the Central London branch of the Samaritans…. The caller said there was a car bomb outside Harrods and a further two bombs inside the store…. The car registration number was given but not a description of the car…. It was also claimed that further bombs had been placed on Oxford Street and in the Littlewoods store on Oxford Street…. Much of the message proved to be false information – and the police had already received 22 similar calls about suspicious devices that day – all of which were false alarms…. However, following receipt of the warning, the police immediately started to search – but did not evacuate the area….
At just before 1.30pm, on one of the busiest shopping days of the year, a Saturday just before Christmas, a car bomb containing 25-30lb of explosives and detonated by a timer, exploded…. It had been placed inside a 1972 blue Austin 1300 GT 4-door saloon car, parked close to the side entrance of Harrods, in Hans Crescent…. Five people died at the scene and another later in hospital…. Of these six, three were police officers and three were members of the public; a reporter, an American citizen and a young mother…. Another 92 people were injured, including 14 police officers….
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Home Secretary, Leon Brittan, expressed his revulsion at such a cold-blooded and cowardly attack…. The day following the bombing the IRA admitted responsibility….
As a result Scotland Yard increased security in Central London – hundreds of extra police and mobile bomb squads were drafted in…. Harrods, despite the damage, reopened three days later….the owners said they would not be defeated by acts of terrorism….
On this day in history : 16th December 1485 – Catherine of Aragon, the first of King Henry the VIII’s six wives, is born in Spain….
Catherine of Aragon – attributed to Joannes Corvus – Public domain
Born Catalina of Aragon, she was the daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile – a union that had united Spain…. On her maternal side Catherine’s great-grandmother was Catherine of Lancaster, for whom she was named – and so was related to English royalty….
Catherine had a strong Roman Catholic upbringing and was an extremely well-educated young woman…. She was tutored by Alessandro Geraldini, a clerk in Holy Orders…. She studied classical literature, history, religion, theology, philosophy, arithmetic, law, genealogy and heraldry…. She could speak, read and write in both Spanish and Latin….and could converse in French and Greek…. She was able to cook, draw, sew, spin, weave, embroider and make lace…. She was educated in etiquette and music….
Portrait by Juan de Flandes – of what is thought to be of an 11-year-old Catherine – Public domain
Catherine was ideal material for a future Queen of England and at the age of three was betrothed to Arthur, the eldest son of King Henry VII – and who was a year younger than her…. In 1501, at 16-years-old, she arrived in England for the marriage, which took place in St. Paul’s Cathedral on the 14th of November 1501…. Afterwards they lived in Ludlow Castle, on the Welsh border – but sadly it was to be a short-lived marriage, as five months later Arthur became ill and died….
Rather than return to Spain, as was expected, Catherine remained in England….and became betrothed to Arthur’s younger brother, Henry – six years her junior…. A dispute between King Henry VII and her father King Ferdinand II, over her dowry, meant the pair were not to marry for a number of years….
King Henry VII died on the 21st of April 1509 and the young 17-year-old Henry came to the throne…. He married Catherine in a private ceremony on the 11th of June and a few days later, on the 24th of June, the newly-weds were crowned King and Queen of England in a joint Coronation at Westminster Abbey…. And for the first few years they were happy together….
16th Century woodcut of the Coronation of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon – Public domain
In January 1510 Catherine gave birth to a stillborn daughter…. Her second child, Prince Henry, was born in 1511….there was much celebration as a male heir had arrived – but the baby was to die soon after…. Catherine bore six children in total but only one was to survive – a daughter born in 1516, who was later to become Queen Mary I….
Henry was desperate for a male heir and he began to turn his attentions elsewhere- namely to Catherine’s lady-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn…. He blamed his doomed marriage on an old curse that a man should never marry his dead brother’s widow…. In 1527 he asked the Pope for an annulment of his marriage – but was refused…. There was much public sympathy for Catherine….
For seven years the Pope continued to deny Henry’s request…. It was in 1533 that King Henry VIII secretly married Anne Boleyn, who was already pregnant with their child…. He then passed the Act of Supremacy, declaring himself head of the English Church…. Thomas Cranmer was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury and he annulled the marriage with Catherine…. Anne Boleyn was crowned Queen in June 1533…. Catherine was re-titled Dowager Princess of Wales – a title she was never to accept – and was forced to leave Court…. She was also prevented from seeing her daughter…
Catherine spent the rest of her days cut off from the life she had previously known…. She died on the 7th of January 1536, probably from cancer, at Kimbolton Castle, Cambridgeshire…. She was given a small, unremarkable funeral and was buried in Peterborough Abbey….
Grave of Catherine of Aragon in Peterborough Cathedral – Photo credit : TTaylor – Public domain
On this day in history : 15th December 1785 – The Prince of Wales (the future King George IV) secretly marries Maria Fitzherbert – a marriage not only secret but also illegal….
Miniature by Richard Cosway, watercolour on ivory, 1792 – Public domain
Maria was born Maria Smythe – and was raised in the Catholic faith…. She had already been widowed twice when she met a 22-year-old George at the opera one evening…. Maria was a few years older than the Prince….
George had always liked the ladies and was prone to falling in love easily – when he met Maria he was instantly smitten…. He asked her to become his mistress – an invitation she demurely declined…. Unthwarted, George proposed marriage….but once again Maria refused…. It is said George then threatened to kill himself if she did not become his wife….
Maria Fitzherbert – by Joshua Reynolds – Public domain
George and Maria were married in a ceremony conducted by Robert Burt – who was paid £500 to keep quiet…. The Royal Marriage Act of 1772 required members of the royal family to seek the permission of the Sovereign to marry…. King George III would never have allowed his son to marry Maria….the Act of Settlement 1701 forbade Roman Catholics from sitting upon the throne….
For nearly ten years George and Maria lived together at Brighton Pavilion, as husband and wife…. George liked to live an extravagant lifestyle and managed to get into considerable debt – (equating to more than £65 million in today’s terms)…. He could never have hoped to pay this kind of sum back – and so he approached the government for help…. Parliament agreed to increase his allowance….but there was a condition…. In exchange he had to give up his life with Maria and marry a Protestant of their choice – Caroline of Brunswick…. He had little alternative….
Caroline was also his first cousin, although the pair had never met…. By all accounts Caroline was quite disgusting – she was ugly, lacked discretion, rarely changed her underwear and hardly ever washed…. She didn’t fancy George much either – saying he looked “nothing like as handsome as his portrait”….
Caroline of Brunswick – by James Lonsdale – Public domain
Nevertheless, the reluctant couple married on the 8th of April 1795….nine months later they had a daughter, Charlotte Augusta…. After the birth George distanced himself from his wife….and a year later took their daughter away to be brought up by a governess….
Charlotte had a lonely, loveless childhood – eventually she rebelled and ran away to be with her mother…. George managed to persuade his daughter to return to Windsor – but was always worried his estranged wife would coax her away again…. So he made Caroline an offer she could not refuse….an allowance of £35,000 per year if she left Britain for good….
Sadly Charlotte died in childbirth in 1817…. George tried to rekindle his relationship with Maria after his separation from Caroline…. In 1800 they did indeed reunite – but things became strained between them, especially when George began to take mistresses…. In 1811 she decided enough was enough and leaving him a farewell letter departed for good….
George became King in 1821…. Caroline, demanding her position as Queen, returned to British shores – even turning up at Westminster Abbey on the day of the Coronation….but to no avail…. Ironically, she died three weeks later….
Coronation of George IV – James Stephanoff – Public domain
King George IV died in 1830….his brother King William IV succeeded the throne…. Eager to make amends to Maria he offered her Brighton Pavilion as a home….where she lived until her death in 1837….
On this day in history : 14th December 1959 – The shortest murder trial in British legal history takes place at Winchester Assizes….the proceedings take just 30 seconds….
Brian Cawley pleaded and was found guilty of the murder of Rupert Poole Steed – he was later sentenced to life imprisonment….
Cawley, a 30-year-old council worker lived, along with his wife and three children, rent free in a house owned by Rupert Steed, in New Road, Basingstoke…. Steed, a 43-year-old retired grocer’s manager and batchelor, had befriended the family – helping them out financially and buying them presents….
However, Cawley started to drink and as a consequence lost his job…. His wife left him, taking the children with her…. One night Cawley returned home….and for no explicable reason beat Steed to death…. After pleading guilty – at his 30 second trial – he began his life sentence….
On this day in history : 13th December 1914 – Lieutenant Otto Koehn – known as ‘the German jack-in-a-box’ – is discovered concealed in a packing crate at Tilbury Docks….attempting to escape to Hamburg….
Otto was a German prisoner of war…. He had been captured from a German freight ship travelling from the USA to Germany….and he had been taken to Poundbury Prisoner of War Camp in Dorchester…. Otto began to plan his escape soon after arriving….
Poundbury Prisoner of War Camp – fair use
Prisoners of war at Poundbury (perhaps Otto is one of them)…. Photo credit : Wessex Branch Western Front Association wessexwfa.org.uk – fair use
His opportunity came when some of the older prisoners were due to be repatriated back to Germany…. When the day came for their departure, there was an extra packing crate amongst their luggage….a crate measuring just 3ft x 2ft x 2ft…. Inside was Otto – which must have been quite a squeeze, as he was over 6ft tall! He had along with him a dozen bananas, some malt extract and three Champagne bottles full of water….
On arrival at Tilbury Docks the SS Batavian was waiting to take the prisoners for repatriation to Hamburg…. Dockers decided the best way to load the crate Otto was secluded in was by rolling it down the ramp to the ship…. So shaken and jolted was Otto inside he could stand it no more…. He burst out of the crate head first….and surrendered….
SS Batavier – unknown photographer – public domain
Otto was returned back to Dorchester….and earned the new name ….’Jack-in-a-box’….
Cottage Capers 