Uncategorized – Page 6 – Cottage Capers

On this day in history….3rd February 1935

On this day in history : 3rd February 1935 – The manufacturers of Ovaltine create a children’s secret society – ‘The League of Ovaltineys’ – to promote the sale of their malty milk drink….

Ovaltine had been developed in Bern, Switzerland in 1904 – and was originally called ‘Ovomaltine’, coming from ‘ovum’ – the Latin for ‘egg’ – as the recipe contained eggs…. However, when it was first exported to Britain in 1909 a mistake was made in the trademark registration with a misspelling of the name – and so it became known as ‘Ovaltine’…. The recipe changed for the British market – the egg was omitted, leaving the main ingredients as milk, malt and cocoa….

In 1935 the company came up with a clever idea of how to promote their product – by making it a favourite with children…. They launched a very unique club just for the youngsters – ‘The League of Ovaltineys’…. Each member would receive an Official Rule Book and a membership badge…. They were then encouraged to tell three friends about the club – who then in turn collected three of the paper discs found on the top of Ovaltine tins, giving them to the original member in order to become Ovaltineys themselves…. The original member then gained ‘silver star’ status within the League…. It could be argued that the company was promoting an early form of ‘pyramid selling’…. It was obviously a very successful marketing ploy – the club became very popular and sales of Ovaltine soared – by 1939 The League of Ovaltineys had five million members….

As well as containing a series of secret hand signals, which Ovaltiney members could use with each other, the Rule Book received by each member on joining also provided access to an all important secret code…. One of the main features of the League was its own radio programme which was broadcast on Radio Luxembourg every Sunday evening between 5.30pm and 6pm…. During the show secret messages were given out to the members which could be decoded using the handbook….

Back in the 1930s televisions were scarce and did not generally feature in a child’s day to day life (unlike now) – and so the radio was an important medium for most families….and many would gather together to listen to their favourite shows…. The Ovaltiney weekly broadcast was to become one such family favourite for so many households across the nation – with its familiar opening theme tune to signal the start….

“We are Ovaltineys,little girls and boys,
 Make your requests; we’ll not refuse you, 
 We are here just to amuse you.
 Would you like a song or story?
 Will you share our joys?
 At games and sports we’re more than keen,
 No merrier children can be seen.
 Because we all drink Ovaltine
 We’re happy girls and boys”….

The song was written and composed by music hall and radio comedian Harry Hemsley – who also starred in the radio show…. The broadcast featured the Chief Ovaltiney – whose true identity was never revealed…. He was assisted by a team of young children – (who came from the Italia Conti School – an academy of performing Theatre Arts, founded in London in 1911 by successful and established actress Italia Conti who had a reputation for working with children)…. Each team member had just a letter for a name, spelling out ‘OVALTINEY’…. Harry Hemsley portrayed the Fortune family – playing all the parts himself – imitating the voices of ‘Father’, six year old ‘Johnny’, five year old ‘Elsie’, four year old ‘Winnie’ and the gurgles of six month old ‘Horace’…. It was ‘Winnie’ who acted as interpreter for baby ‘Horace’ – paving the way for what was to become a well-known catchphrase in British households of the time – “What did Horace say, Winnie?”….

Then at the close of the show the familiar good night song came….

“And now the happy Ovaltineys
 Wish you all adieu,
 But don’t forget your Ovaltine
 It’s very good for you.
 But we’ll be here again next Sunday
 With songs and stories new,
 And so until we meet again,
 The Ovaltineys bid you all adieu”….

As well as the Rule Book and membership badge the club members would also receive sheet music to accompany the radio show – and from 1936 the ‘Ovaltiney’s Own Comic’ was published weekly, featuring the adventures of Johnny, Elsie and Winnie – being drawn by S.K.Perkins…. The club would also provide regular competitions and activities….

In 1952 a new version of the radio show was launched; once again on Radio Luxembourg but this time airing at 6.15pm on Sundays…. During the late 1960s the Ovaltiney Club was relaunched, with comedy duo Morecambe and Wise as its presidents…. Instead of sheet music League members received an LP of music – reflecting the more modern pop culture of the children of the day…. In 1975 ‘We Are The Ovaltineys’ was used by Ovaltine as a TV advertisement – and a single released, thus giving the song yet another lease of life to be embedded into the nostalgic memories of a further generation….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….2nd February 1979

On this day in history : 2nd February 1979 – Sid Vicious, bass guitarist and vocalist with punk band ‘The Sex Pistols’, dies from a heroin overdose in New York….

Chicago Art Department c/o L. Schorr via Flickr CC BY 2.0

Born John Simon Ritchie in Lewisham, South East London on the 10th of May 1957, Vicious first met John Lyndon (Johnny Rotten – front man of the Pistols) whilst they were both studying at Hackney Technical College in 1973…. Vicious was asked to join The Sex Pistols after the departure of Glen Matlock in February 1977…. Manager Malcolm McLaren said of him…. “If Johnny Rotten is the voice of punk, then Vicious is the attitude”….

The Sex Pistols 1977 – Vicious left, Steve Jones centre, Johnny Rotten right…. Riksarkivet (National Archives of Norway) Photograph : Billedbladet NA/Arne S.Nielsen via Flickr

It was also in 1977 that Vicious met his American girlfriend Nancy Spungen…. She was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1958 and after being expelled from college crossed the Atlantic to London, where she became involved with Vicious…. What followed was a turbulent relationship with bouts of domestic violence fuelled by drug abuse….

It was after the break up of the Pistols that Vicious and Spungen moved to New York, living at the Chelsea Hotel…. The couple had plans of Vicious perusing a solo career, with Spungen acting as his manager – but in reality their days were spent in a fog of drugs….

It was on the 12th of October 1978 that Vicious awoke from a drugged stupor to find Spungen dead on the floor of their bathroom…. She had a knife wound to her abdomen and had bled to death…. Vicious was arrested on suspicion of her murder….

At first he admitted to having killed her – they had argued….but he didn’t mean for her to die…. He later retracted his confession, saying he couldn’t remember what had happened….then changing his story once again, to say she had fallen on the knife during the argument….

On the 22nd of October Vicious attempted suicide by slashing his wrists using a lightbulb…. He was hospitalised – and whilst there tried to take his life again by jumping from a window – however, quick acting staff managed to prevent him from doing so….

The Sex Pistols’ record label, Virgin Records, managed to secure bail for Vicious pending his trial for the murder of Spungen…. But he found himself in trouble again on the 9th of December 1978; whilst attending a concert at a New York club he attacked the brother of singer Patti Smith with a broken beer bottle…. This time he was sent to Rikers Island jail and spent 55 days on an enforced detoxification programme….

For a second time Virgin Records bailed him out; with a surety of $50,000 he was released on the 1st of February 1979…. That evening a party was held at the Manhattan apartment of his new girlfriend to celebrate his release…. Vicious immediately resumed his heroin habit….

According to witnesses present Vicious collapsed around midnight and had a seizure – classic symptoms of a heroin overdose…. But he recovered and went off to bed – but at some point in the early hours, around 3am, he died….

It was his mother who found him the following morning, lying next to a syringe and a charred spoon…. Some accounts say Anne Beverley was also a heroin addict – others go even further to say she was the one who supplied her son with the drug that night….

Following the death of Vicious a dispute arose as to where he should be laid to rest…. Reputedly no funeral parlour in New York would take him – he was eventually cremated in New Jersey…. It had apparently been his wish to be buried with Nancy but as she was interred in a Jewish cemetery in Pennsylvania this was never going to be the case…. Anne Beverley sought the permission of Nancy’s family to scatter her son’s ashes on Nancy’s grave – but this request was denied…. It is reputed that Anne secretly did this anyway….

Death certificate of Sid Vicious – New York City Bureau of Vital Records – Public domain

Sid Vicious was always portrayed as being a rather vile character….spitting, swearing, even vomiting on fans…. Perhaps this shocking image is what helped to ‘sell’ the band – all part of the ‘act’…. Some sources, including Nancy’s mother, recount that Sid was actually quite shy and even gentle in nature! As for Nancy, she was painted as being uncouth, wild and totally out of control…. It is now believed that she suffered from an undiagnosed psychiatric disorder….

Nancy Spungen – Photo : Mary Ellen Mark, 1976 – Fair use

It later emerged from a scrawled note found in one of Sid’s pockets that the pair had a suicide pact…. Nancy had always been convinced that she would be dead before she was 21…. Sid was desperate to fulfil his part of the pact…. Their sorry tale really does bring home the bitter truth of the evilness of drugs….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….1st February 1327

On this day in history : 1st February 1327 – Fourteen year old Edward III is crowned King of England – but the country is to be ruled by his mother and her lover….

Edward was born on the 13th of November 1312, probably at Windsor Castle…. His father was King Edward II and his mother Isabella of France – the pair had married in January 1308…. Isabella was the daughter of Philip IV of France….

Isabella of France, 15th century depiction – Public domain

Isabella of France, third from left, with her father Philip IV of France, centre – Image : Michaelsanders at English Wikipedia – Public domain

Edward II’s reign was a troubled one….he had difficulty asserting his authority over the powerful barons…. His own father had left him with enormous debts, a war with Scotland that was proving to be impossible to win – and hostilities with France…. It was all a recipe for disaster….and his nineteen year reign was to eventually come to an acrimonious end….

Royal 20 A.II, f.10 — Edward II shown receiving the English crown in a contemporary illustration – British Library digital collections – Public domain

Isabella returned to France in 1325 to settle a long-standing dispute between her husband and her brother, Charles IV of France…. The dispute involved the Gascogne region of Southwestern France… She was successful in her negotiations and managed to secure the land for England – on the condition that in return Edward II would pay homage to Charles IV…. Edward II, reluctant to leave England because domestic troubles were arising once again, decided to send his son on his behalf…. Once the young Edward had arrived and joined his mother, Isabella announced her refusal to return to England…. She also became the mistress of Roger Mortimer of Wigmore….

The future Edward III giving homage in 1325 to Charles IV under the guidance of Isabella of France – Public domain

Mortimer, 1st earl of March, owned wealthy estates in Wales and Ireland and was opposed to King Edward II and his Despensers, which had eventually landed him in the Tower of London in 1323…. However, he managed to escape and fled to France…. He and Isabella began to plot….

An invasion of England in September 1326 saw the fall of the Despensers and the deposition of Edward II (and his murder in 1327)…. Edward II was charged with incompetence and breaking his coronation oath – he was forced to give up the throne…. Mortimer was heavily implicated in the proceedings….

Young Edward III was crowned but it was Mortimer who was to become the de facto ruler…. He soon set about seizing many of the noble estates and titles across the land…. He became a very unpopular man – even more so after a humiliating defeat by the Scots at the Battle of Stanhope Park….

In 1330 young Edward III decided it was time he assumed responsibility and dealt with Mortimer…. Edward had married Philippa of Hainault in January 1328 and had become father to a son in June 1330 – he now had an heir of his own….

With the help of his close friend William Montagu – and a small number of loyal trusted supporters – Edward took Mortimer by surprise at Nottingham Castle on the 19th of October 1330….

Mortimer was taken to the Tower of London…. He was condemned without trial, being accused of assuming royal power – and other charges…. His estates were forfeited to the crown…. and he was hanged at Tyburn on the 29th of November 1330…. His body was left hanging on the gallows for two days…. However, Edward III did show some degree of leniency – he refrained from having Mortimer disembowelled….

The Tyburn – from the collections of The National Archives (United Kingdom) – Public domain

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….31st January 1953

On this day in history : 31st January 1953 – The Princess Victoria, a car ferry, sinks in the Irish Sea during a severe gale – claiming the lives of over 130 passengers and crew….

MV Princess Victoria – Image credit Wrecksite – http://www.wrecksite.eu – Public domain

The Princess Victoria, owned by British Railways, was one of the first roll on-roll off ferries…. It had left Stranraer on the Southwest coast of Scotland bound for Larne, Northern Ireland at 7.45am, in the charge of Captain James Millar Ferguson…. 128 passengers were onboard, along with 51 crew and 44 tons of cargo…. Warnings for severe gales had been issued….

Just 90 minutes later the ferry was in serious trouble – as a huge wave had smashed through the stern doors, mangling them out of shape…. The crew desperately tried to shut the doors but water poured on to the car deck…. As the ship filled with water it began to list alarmingly towards the starboard…. The passengers, by now wearing life jackets, tried helplessly to bail water out of the lounge area….

At 10.32am the first SOS was sent out by the ferry’s radio operator…. In the confusion the responding rescue lifeboat was given the wrong directions of how to find the stricken vessel….

At 1pm a message was put out from the Princess Victoria to other vessels in the area that the intention was to abandon ship at 2pm…. The very last message was transmitted at 1.58pm…. By 2pm the ferry was listing so badly that it was impossible to launch the lifeboats on the starboard side….

Two lifeboats, filled with women and children, were dropped so violently into the sea that they capsized, tipping their occupants into the icy sea…. The ferry then tipped over…. As the Princess Victoria went down 55-year-old Captain Ferguson stood on the deck, one hand gripping the hand rail – the other raised in a salute….

Memorial in Portpatrick – Image credit : I Craig from Glasgow CC BY 2.0

44 men were saved by the rescue operation – not one woman or child survived…. Among the dead were deputy Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, J Maynard Sinclair and MP for North Down, Sir Walter Smiles….

At the inquiry it was revealed that the Princess Victoria had been unseaworthy and British Railways was to blame for this…. In concluding the inquiry summarised : “If the Princess Victoria had been as staunch as the men who manned her, then all would have been well and this disaster averted”….

67 bodies were recovered from the sea after the sinking of Princess Victoria….

Later the highest civilian award for bravery was given posthumously to the ferry’s radio operator, David Broadfoot – who remained at his post sending out SOS messages right up to the moment the ferry sank….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….30th January 1649

On this day in history : 30th January 1649 – King Charles I is beheaded for treason at Whitehall, in London….

Charles had ascended the throne in 1635 after the death of his father James I – and it was to be a rocky ride with Parliament from the start…. He was to upset things further by marrying French Princess Henrietta Maria, a Catholic, within a year of becoming King – this enraged the Protestants among his subjects….

Charles I by Sir Anthony van Dyck 1637/38 – Public domain

Charles believed kings had a divine right in the matters of ruling the land – that belief and his tax policies soon turned the government against him…. His response to political opposition was to dissolve Parliament several times and in 1629 he got rid of Parliament altogether and ruled alone…. This finally led to the outbreak of the first English Civil War in 1642, with the opposing Parliamentarians being led by Oliver Cromwell….

By 1648 Cromwell’s New Model Army had gained military supremacy in England…. Charles had been captured, managed to escape and had been recaptured….

His trial was set for early January 1649…. Out of 135 appointed commissioners only 68 turned up – and nearly all of them were Parliamentarian supporters…. The trial of a king was unheard of and those who chose to stay away were trying to disassociate themselves….

Charles I at his trial by Edward Bower 1649 – Public domain

For the first three days Charles was brought to the Court and asked to make his plea – each time he refused…. After the third day he was removed from Court and the witness accounts against him were heard…. On January the 26th Charles was condemned to death; he was brought back to Court on the 27th to hear the declaration…. 59 out of the 68 commissioners signed the death warrant….

Charles I in the dock – (his back pictured as he faces the High Court of Justice) – Uncredited engraver – Public domain

Charles spent his last days at St James’s Palace – he was possibly moved there to spare him from hearing the scaffold being erected…. He prayed, spent time with his loyal supporters and – perhaps most importantly – his children, whom he had not seen for some 15 months….

When Tuesday the 30th of January dawned it was a bitterly cold day…. Charles dressed in fine clothes, black with a blue sash…. It is said he asked for a second shirt to wear as he didn’t want to shiver and have the crowd think he was shaking with fear….

The scaffold, draped in black, had been erected in front of Banqueting Hall, at the Palace of Whitehall…. Crowds of spectators surrounded it….

At around 2pm Charles climbed on to the platform and proceeded to give his last speech…. He declared himself innocent of the crimes set against him…. He said he always desired the freedom and liberty of the people – he claimed he was a martyr of the people…. Few in the crowd heard his speech on account of the vast number of Parliamentarian guards blocking the scaffold….

Finishing his speech Charles bowed, put on his silk nightcap so that his hair would not get in the way and then placed his head on the block…. As he stretched out his hands, his signal to the executioner, the axe fell – severing his head in one clean blow…. A groan escaped the watching crowd – some dipped their handkerchiefs in the blood, believing a king’s blood could cure their illnesses….

Contemporary German print of Charles I’s beheading – Public domain

There has always since been speculation as to the identity of the executioner, who was masked to prevent him from being identified…. Whoever it was, because of the single clean blow, knew what they were doing – they had experience…. The common hangman of the time, Richard Brandon, had reputedly refused to undertake the execution – even with the offered £200…. However, it is quite likely that it was indeed him who performed the act….

To pacify the family of Charles his head was sewn back on to his body…. Burial at Westminster Abbey was refused – instead King Charles I was laid to rest at Windsor Castle….