British History – Page 66

On this day in history….2nd May 1942

On this day in history : 2nd May 1942 – HMS Edinburgh is sunk in the Barents Sea off the Norwegian coast….with a cargo of gold bars, which lay un-salvaged until 1981….

HMS Edinburgh, October 1941 – Royal Navy official photographer Coote, RGG (Lt) – Public domain

Under the command of Rear-Admiral Stuart Bonham-Carter HMS Edinburgh was acting as flag-ship escorting a convoy of 17 ships departing from Murmansk, Norway on the 28th of April 1942 bound for Britain…. On the 30th of April a torpedo hit the Town-class Light Cruiser and she began to list…. Quick acting crew managed to close the watertight bulkheads at the front to prevent her from sinking….

Rear-Admiral Stuart Bonham-Carter – from the collections of the Imperial War Museums

Shortly after another torpedo was to hit Edinburgh’s stern, crippling her…. It was decided to try and attempt to tow her back to Murmansk; two destroyers – Foresight and Forester – along with four minesweepers – Niger, Hussar, Gossamer and Harrier – were despatched to accompany her….

HMS Edinburgh’s wrecked stern – image assumed Royal Navy – Public domain

Progress was slow but on the 2nd of May the small convoy and stricken Edinburgh reached Bear Island, the most southernmost Norwegian Svalbard Archipelago island – but then she was attacked by three large German destroyers….

Edinburgh cast off her tow and started to sail in circles, at the same time firing her guns…. One of the German destroyers was so badly damaged its crew scuttled it….

Edinburgh took another torpedo hit and her crew were forced to abandon…. Gossamer and Harrier took the crew onboard; 58 men had lost their lives….

Harrier then attempted to scuttle Edinburgh using gunfire….although 20 shells were fired she remained afloat…. Even after depth charges were used she refused to sink…. Eventually Forester used her last torpedo to sink HMS Edinburgh….

Barents Sea Map – assumed author NormanEinstein CC SA 3.0

4.5 long tons of gold bullion went down with Edinburgh….465 gold ingots in 93 wooden boxes, which were stored in the bomb room at the front of the ship…. She was carrying the gold back to the UK; it was part of a payment from Russia for war equipment received from the Western Allies…. In 1942 the bullion was worth £1.5 million, equating to nearly £70m today….

In 1954 the British government offered the salvage rights to a British salvage company….but because by then the relationship had become strained with Russia plans were put on hold…. In 1957 the wreck became a designated war grave making any further thoughts of retrieving the gold improbable….

However, in the late 1970s the government became increasingly worried that Russian salvagers were going to attempt to recover it…. In the early 80s a contract was awarded to a leading global diving company…. Experienced divers from Jessop Marine, under the guidance of Wharton Williams Ltd were to attempt to cut into the wreck – far more sensitive and appropriate for the situation as opposed to the normal explosive methods usually employed….

In April 1981 survey ship Dammtor began to search for Edinburgh in the Barents Sea – in less than 48 hours it had found her….in 800ft of water…. Using detailed film footage the team were able to evaluate the recovery project…. Edinburgh’s sister ship HMS Belfast, moored in the Thames, was also invaluable to the planning of the operation…. The divers were able to gather vital information and knowledge as to the layout and interior of the ship especially around the bomb room area….

The diving operation began on the 30th of August 1981, under the leadership of Mike Stewart, a former Royal Navy clearance diving officer. On the 15th of September diver John Rossier found the first gold bar….by the 7th of October 431 of the 465 gold ingots had been recovered….but then bad weather forced the operation to stop…. However, it was a bullion recovery project in deep water diving that set a world record – a record that still stands today….

In 1986 a further 29 bars of gold were brought up….that means there’s still five bars down there…!

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….1st May 1840

On this day in history : 1st May 1840 – The Penny Black, the World’s first adhesive postage stamp is first issued in Great Britain – but is not officially valid for use until the 6th of May…

At the time Britain’s postal system was slow, mis-managed and expensive…. The postage was usually paid for by the recipient – who could quite simply refuse a letter they did not wish to receive…. Alternatively it may have been correspondence they were desperate to receive but were too poor to pay for…. Letters were charged per sheet and the distance travelled…. Teacher, inventor and social reformer Sir Rowland Hill campaigned for a reform on the complicated system; he proposed a pre-paid adhesive stamp…. One penny would allow a letter weighing up to half an ounce (14g) to travel any distance across the land….

Teaming up with Sir Henry Cole, civil servant and inventor – who incidentally introduced the first commercial Christmas card – a competition was launched for the design of the stamps…. Some 2,600 entries were received but none were considered to be suitable….

Hill settled on a rough design with a profile of a young Queen Victoria in her days as a princess – believing this to be an image that would be hard to forge…. From this idea a portrait was engraved by Charles Heath and his son Frederick…. They based the final design on the cameo-style head that had been featured on a medal issued to commemorate Queen Victoria’s visit to the City of London in 1837…. This portrait remained on all British stamps until her death in 1901….

The Jacob Perkins’ press, which printed the Penny Black and the 2d Blue, in the British Library Philatelic Collections – Image credit: takomabibelot CC BY 2.0

Since then all British postage stamps have included a portrait or silhouette of the reigning monarch…. Britain is the only country in the World that doesn’t use anything other than the monarch’s image to show country of origin….

Although officially not sold until the 6th of May 1840 there were places, such as Bath, that sold them before…. There are some stamps around with the date mark of May the 2nd and even one example dated May the 1st 1840….

The Penny Black lasted less than a year as it was hard to see the red cancellation mark to show the stamp had been used…. Added to that the red ink was too easy to remove…. In February 1841 the Penny Red was introduced….

In total 286,700 sheets of Penny Blacks were printed, giving 68,808,000 stamps…. The only complete intact sheets still in existence are owned by the British Postal Museum….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….30th April 1948

On this day in history : 30th April 1948 – Iconic British all-terrain vehicle, the Land Rover, makes its debut appearance at the Amsterdam Motor Show….

The Land Rover was the brainchild of Maurice Wilks, chief designer at Rover and his brother Spencer, who was the Managing Director…. Maurice had been using an American Willys-Overland Jeep on his Anglesey farm but it was proving to be temperamental…. In 1947 the brothers decided to put their heads together and come up with a more reliable vehicle – one that could work on the farm but be more versatile than a tractor…. The very first prototype they developed had a central driving position and used many components from the Willys Jeep….

Three prototypes were shown at the Amsterdam Motor Show – later these vehicles would evolve into the ‘Series I’…. With a 50bhp 1595cc Rover petrol engine, 80in wheelbase, pick-up body and canvas roof it was priced at £450…. The original plan was that it would be a temporary stop-gap for Rover in the difficult financial period following World War 2….

1953 Land Rover Series I 80 – Sicnag via flickr

1951 Land Rover Series 1 RAF Utility at Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre vintage car show – Pete Edgeler via flickr

After the show the three vehicles were brought back to Solihull, converted to right hand drive and sold…. In the first year after the launch 8,000 Land Rovers were built and in 1949 the British Army ordered its first batch to trial…. It quickly became obvious this was not just a farm vehicle….with its diverse versatility it has since been used by organisations all over the World…. From our own emergency services here in the UK to wildlife safari operators in South Africa this workhorse is at home anywhere…. Since 1953 it has been a firm favourite with the Royal Family….

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in a Land Rover in Mackay, Queensland 1954. Image credit: State Library of Queensland

Armoured Land Rover – Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Police Land Rover at Luton airport – (Mick Baker)rooster via flickr

The last Defender rolled off the production line in 2016….but what of the very first one? HUE 166, chassis no.LR1, affectionately known as ‘Huey’, is now kept at the British Motor Museum in Graydon….

Another of the three prototypes has surfaced in recent years…. SNX 910 went to work on a farm and wasn’t registered for road use until June 1955…. It sold in 1961 and was to change hands a few more times before ending up in Worcestershire…. It then went to a farm in Wales and spent the next twenty years in a field…. In 1988 the Land Rover’s engine seized and since it wasn’t worth repairing as a farm vehicle it became redundant…. Eventually it was sold to a Land Rover enthusiast in Birmingham who had the good intention of restoring it…. However, like so many of these intended projects, it never happened and the vehicle was left standing forgotten in the garden….

It was in 2016 that somebody with a keen eye spotted the lonely Landy…. After confirmation from Jaguar Land Rover that it was indeed one of the original three prototypes it was passed to the Land Rover Series I Reborn restoration programme to be brought back to its former glory – ready to take its rightful place next to Huey….

SNX 910 awaiting restoration – image credit Land Rover MENA via flickr

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….29th April 1986

On this day in history : 29th April 1986 – The funeral of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor – who is laid to rest alongside her husband, the abdicated King Edward VIII at Frogmore in Windsor….

The service at St. George’s Chapel was a simple affair, unlike most royal funerals…. One hundred guests attended, among them Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Leader of the Opposition Neil Kinnock…. The royal family was represented by Her Majesty the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, Princess Diana, Princess Anne and the Queen Mother….

At the Duchess’s request there was no funeral address and very few flowers…. Although a single striking wreath of orange, yellow and white lilies from the Queen lay on the English oak coffin – with its simple inscription on a silver plate ‘Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, 1896-1986’…. The final blessing was given by Dr. Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury….

Just eight personal friends and four members of the royal family – the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and Princess Diana – stood at the graveside for the burial…. The Queen had decided that the Queen Mother would not be present as she and Wallis had endured a difficult relationship…. The Queen Mother blamed the premature death of her husband, George VI, on the stress that came with being King – a role forced upon him after the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII, to marry the woman he loved…. Something the Queen Mother could neither forgive nor forget….she was still angry…. Indeed she had once called the Duchess “the lowest of the low”….

The American divorcee married her second husband Ernest Aldrich Simpson, an Anglo-American executive and former officer in the Coldstream Guards and they settled down to live in London…. He had divorced his first wife Dorothea, with whom he had a daughter, to marry Wallis….

Not long after Wallis became friends with Thelma, Lady Furness – who was the mistress of Edward, Prince of Wales…. On the 10th of January 1931 Thelma introduced Wallis to the Prince; he then met her with her husband several times more between 1931 and 1934 at various functions – Wallis was even presented at Court…. Meanwhile, Ernest was beginning to experience financial difficulties….

In January 1934 Lady Furness visited New York, whilst she was away Wallis and the Prince became lovers…. Soon he was besotted, showering her with gifts and jewels…. His parents however, particularly his father, King George V, were outraged….

Wallis Simpson and Prince Edward 1935, Austria – Public domain

On the 20th of January 1936 King George V died and Edward succeeded to the throne…. Wallis was still married and the new King’s behaviour made him unpopular with the government and deeply upset his mother and brother, the Duke of York….

King Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson on holiday in Yugoslavia – via Flickr the Commons – Public domain

Wallis divorced Ernest, on the grounds of his adultery – but even now she was free to re-marry she was thought to be unworthy as a Consort…. So, to marry the woman he loved King Edward VIII had to give up the throne…. On the 10th of December 1936 he signed an Instrument of Abdication….

They married on the 3rd of June 1937 in France….and remained together until his death in 1972…. Afterwards Wallis lived in chosen exile in France…. There are some who believe she married Edward for his wealth….but for others their’s was the love story of the century….

Wallis and Edward, 1970 with President Richard Nixon – Image credit: Jack E Kightlinger – Public domain

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….28th April 1772

On this day in history : 28th April 1772 – The death in Mile End, London of what is believed to be the World’s most ever travelled goat ~ having circumnavigated the globe twice….

When practical it was normal practice to carry livestock onboard a ship for use during the voyage – and remained so until the time refrigeration became available…. Small animals, such as pigs, goats, lambs and chickens provided fresh meat, milk and eggs…. Goats were a popular choice, being hardy and easy to breed….

The goat we are concerned with here must have been truly exceptional…. We don’t have a name for her – but sometimes she is referred to as ‘Sir Joseph Banks’ goat’…. We’ll come to that shortly….

NPG 5868; Sir Joseph Banks, Bt by Sir Joshua Reynolds — Sir Joseph Banks by Sir Joshua Reynolds, oil on canvas, 1771-1773 – Public domain

Our goat’s first trip around the World was onboard HMS Dolphin, the first ship to circumnavigate the globe twice…. George Robertson was master on the second voyage, which sailed under Captain Wallis…. Robertson wrote a book recounting the journey and it was entitled ‘The discovery of Tahiti; a journal of the second voyage of H.M.S. Dolphin round the world under the command of Captain Wallis, R.N. In the years 1766, 1767 and 1768 written by her master’ – and in it he makes reference to the goat….

But what really earned our little goat her stripes was her second circumnavigation – this time with Captain James Cook on his first voyage onboard HMS Endeavour from 1768-1771….

Endeavour departed Plymouth on the 26th of August 1768…. It carried onboard 96 people, including a team of elite scientists consisting of naturalists, an astronomer – and eminent botanist Sir Joseph Banks…. Also onboard were a number of pigs, goats, poultry, 2 greyhounds and a milking goat….yes, our goat….

HMS Endeavour by Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810) – Public domain

Cook was fastidious about keeping a clean, hygienic, disease-free ship and knew the importance of a good diet to maintain a healthy crew…. Our precious goat more than stepped up to the mark in performing her duty of providing fresh milk each day…. One sailor onboard recorded….“I must not omit how highly we have been indebted to a milch goat; she was three years in the West Indies, and was once round the world before in the Dolphin, and never went dry the whole time; we mean to reward her services in a good English pasture for life”….

And that is exactly what happened…. Sir Joseph Banks had a silver collar made for her to wear…. His friend, Dr. Samuel Johnson – English writer, poet and playwright, most noted for his Dictionary of English Language in 1755 – comprised a Latin epigram for her which was engraved upon the collar….

‘Perpetui ambita his terra praemia lactis,

Hac habet, altrici capra secunda Jovis’….

Later Boswell wrote Dr. Johnson’s biography and expanded on its meaning….

‘If fame scarce second to the nurse of Jove,

This Goat, who twice the world had traversed round,

Deserving both her master’s care and love,

Ease and perpetual pasture has found’….

Our little goat was bestowed ‘the privileges of an in-pensioner of Greenwich Hospital’ and cared for and put out to pasture…. Sadly her retirement was to be short-lived, as she died not long after…. I can’t help thinking that maybe she missed her sea legs….