British History

On this day in history….7th April 1976

On this day in history : 7th April 1976 – Controversial MP John Stonehouse resigns from the Labour Party – causing a Parliamentary crisis, as he leaves the Government with a minority of one….

John Stonehouse – Photo credit : Andre Cros – City archives of Toulouse CC BY-SA 4.0

Prime Minister James Callaghan had been in power for just two days and was left with 315 MPs to the opposition parties’ 316…. In his resignation Stonehouse had attacked the Government, saying it was “dangerous and unrealistic”….and he called for an immediate general election…. Stonehouse himself was facing prosecution at the Old Bailey, after faking his own death….

Stonehouse’s troubles had begun in the early 1970s…. He had set up a string of companies but by 1974 most were in financial difficulty….and he had taken to ‘cooking the books’…. Desperate to find a way out, on the 20th of November 1974 he had left a pile of clothes on a Miami Beach – leading the authorities to believe he had drowned – or had even been eaten by sharks! So convincing was his stunt that a minute’s silence was held for him in the House of Commons….

In reality Stonehouse was actually in Australia setting up a new life with a fake identity and his mistress – his secretary Sheila Buckley…. The police eventually caught up with him in Melbourne on the 24th of December 1974…. He was deported back to Britain six months later….and was remanded in Brixton Prison – but released on bail in August 1975…. Although they were not comfortable with the circumstances Labour had not expelled him from the Party and he continued to serve as an MP…. However, at a meeting of the Party at his constituency of Walsall North, a committee had voted 47-1 to ask him to resign…. When he did eventually resign in April 1976 he lashed out at the Labour Party, accusing his constituency of prejudging him….

Stonehouse’s trial began on the 27th of April – he faced 18 charges of theft, forgery, attempted insurance frauds and conspiracy…. Sheila Buckley also faced charges…. After 68 days he was found guilty and sentenced to seven years imprisonment…. Buckley received two years, suspended for two years….

In 1979 Stonehouse was released on health grounds and in 1981 he married Sheila Buckley…. He was to die of a heart attack in 1988…. As for Jim Callaghan – he managed to cling on to power – with the 1977 Lib-Lab pact….finally losing the 1979 general election to Margaret Thatcher….

On this day in history….6th April 1930

On this day in history : 6th April 1930 – Mahatma Gandhi defies British law by raising a lump of salt and declaring ~ “With this I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire”….

Gandhi leading his followers – Public domain

The Salt March, or Salt Satyagraha, was an act of civil disobedience led by Gandhi between March to April 1930, in protest against British rule in India….

Britain’s Salt Act, 1882, forced the Indian people to buy salt – an important staple in the Indian diet – from the British instead of being able to collect it for themselves…. When asked why he chose to highlight salt Gandhi replied….”next to air and water, salt is perhaps the greatest necessity of life”…. To make matters even worse for the people a heavy tax was also levied on the mineral, amounting to 8.2% of British tax revenue from the Raj….

Gandhi set off on his 240 mile march from his religious retreat at Sabarmati Ashram for Dandi, on the Arabian Sea coast, on the 12th of March 1930 with a few dozen followers…. The 24-day march was well planned….it passed through 4 districts and 48 villages…. 10 miles a day were covered and each stop was chosen for its recruitment potential…. Gandhi addressed the people and by doing so collected more and more followers on the way…. By the time he reached Dandi on the 5th of April tens of thousands accompanied him….

At 6.30am the following morning Gandhi arrived on the seashore to ‘make’ salt…. However, the police – knowing of his intention – had got there before him and had already crushed the salt deposits into the mud of the flats…. Undeterred, Gandhi leant down, picked up a small lump of the natural salt and made his declaration…. Upon his words thousands of his followers did the same – and civil disobedience was to break out all across India…. Some 60,000, including Gandhi himself, were arrested and imprisoned by the British authorities….

Gandhi at Dandi, picking up salt from the beach – Public domain

On the 21st of May a further march of 2,500 peaceful protesters, led by poet Sarojini Naidu, took place to the Dharasana Salt Works, 150 miles north of Bombay…. They were met by hundreds of policemen, who proceeded to beat them savagely…. Britain faced an international outcry….

Gandhi with Sarojini Naidu – Public domain

In January 1931 Gandhi was released from prison…. At a meeting with the Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin, he agreed to call off the protests – with the promise of equal negotiating power at a conference in London to discuss the future of India….

India eventually gained its independence from Britain in August 1947….

British History

On this day in history….5th April 1912

On this day in history : 5th April 1912 – The birth of English character actor John Le Mesurier – perhaps best known to us for his role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in ‘Dad’s Army’….

John Le Mesurier as Sergeant Wilson – Fair use

Born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley in Bedford, Le Mesurier was the son of a solicitor and spent his early childhood in Bury St. Edmunds, West Suffolk – before attending boarding school in Kent and then later Dorset…. After leaving school he was encouraged to follow in his father’s footsteps….but he had hankered after a career on the stage since an early age…. So he joined an amateur dramatic group – and then in September 1933 he left the legal profession and enrolled in the Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art…. A fellow student was Alec Guinness – who became a lifelong friend….

Le Mesurier made his stage debut at Edinburgh’s Palladium Theatre in 1934, with a part in the J.B.Priestley play ‘Dangerous Corner’…. During the War years he was commissioned in the Royal Tank Regiment and in 1943 was posted to British India where he spent the remainder of the War…. After being demobbed in 1946 Le Mesurier returned to Britain to resume his acting career, making his film debut in 1948 in the short mystery film ‘Death in the Hand’….

Although Le Mesurier preferred comedy his versatility saw him in a variety of roles, from ‘Hancock’s Half Hour’ to ‘The Italian Job’…. The role of Sergeant Arthur Wilson in ‘Dad’s Army’ came about in 1968…. He based the character on himself – upper-middle class, softly spoken, polite and forgiving in nature…. He was an unassuming man – playing down the BAFTA he received in 1971 for Best Actor of the Year for his role as Adrian Harris in Dennis Potter’s Play For Today ‘Traitor’….

Le Mesurier (second from left) with the cast of Dad’s Army – 1971 Christmas Special ‘Battle of the Giants!’ – Fair use

Behind the scenes Le Mesurier had a turbulent and perhaps tragic personal life…. He had married his first wife, June Melville, in April 1940….However, on returning home from India, after being demobbed, he discovered she had become an alcoholic…. They divorced in 1949…. In the November of 1949 he married Carry-On star Hattie Jacques and they had two sons, Robin and Kim…. But in 1962 she began an affair with her driver, John Schofield – even going as far as moving him into the family home, whilst Le Mesurier was still there…. Le Mesurier desperately tried to repair the marriage – but became quite unwell, collapsing whilst on holiday in Tangier in 1963 and needing hospitalisation…. When he returned home to find his wife and her lover still together he suffered a relapse….

Eventually Le Mesurier and Jacques divorced…. He even took the blame for the breakup of the marriage to save her reputation…. He had met Jean Malin by this time and in March 1966 she became his third wife…. Only a few months later she was to begin a relationship and move in with his friend, comedian Tony Hancock…. But being an alcoholic Hancock was to behave in an abusive manner towards her…. A year or so later she attempted suicide; she left Hancock and returned to her husband….

From July 1983 Le Mesurier’s health noticeably deteriorated, he was hospitalised after suffering a haemorrhage…. Six years before he had been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver on account of his prolonged heavy drinking…. Later in 1983 he was to have a recurrence of his condition, he was admitted to Ramsgate Hospital…. Before slipping into a final coma he reportedly said to his wife “It’s all been rather lovely”…. Le Mesurier died on the 15th of November 1983…. He left behind his own death notice to be printed in The Times the following day – saying that he had “Conked out” and he ‘Sadly misses family and friends”…. His ashes were later buried at the Church of St. George the Martyr, Ramsgate…. The following year his autobiography ’A Jobbing Actor’ was published posthumously….

British History

On this day in history….4th April 2000

On this day in history : 4th April 2000 – Freak weather conditions, including blizzards and flooding, brings chaos to rail, road and air travel – on one of the the coldest April days on record in the UK….

It was two weeks into British summer time and heavy snowfall had blanketed much of the countryside…. One of the worst hit areas were the Pennines, where the A57 Snake Pass was blocked….

Thousands of newborn lambs were frozen in the snow, as gale force winds blew snowdrifts of up to 5ft deep….

The AA reported many accidents across the UK although much of the traffic was at a standstill…. Cars were abandoned on Dartmoor as winds in Devon reached 65mph….

Amber weather warnings were in place…. Across parts of the South heavy rain caused flooding and some homes were flooded….

Trains were unable to run and Luton Airport had to close for 10 hours overnight – with some 20 planes being diverted to Birmingham and Stanstead….

Luton Airport – Looking up Airport Way from an aircraft approaching the terminal from the runway….

At the time scientists were identifying a general trend in climate change but were in disagreement as to what was causing it…. Reports were suggesting it was down to a combination of human activity, solar activity and warmer oceans….

British History

On this day in history….3rd April 1895

On this day in history : 3rd April 1895 -The libel trial brought by Oscar Wilde against the Marquess of Queensberry begins – only for Wilde to later be imprisoned on charges of homosexuality….

Playwright, poet and novelist Oscar Wilde had become a celebrity in Victorian England – not just for his writing but also for his eccentric flamboyant style and sharp wit…. He stood out in society – dressed in his snazzy bright silks and velvet and choosing to wear his hair dandyishly long…. He totally bucked the austere Victorian trend of the time….

Wilde was born in Dublin in October 1854; he began writing and publishing his poetry whilst at Trinity University, Dublin, during the 1870s…. He then went on to study at Oxford….

He was to become perhaps London’s most popular playwright, with works such as ‘Salome’ and ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ and his novel ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’….

Homosexual acts between men were illegal in Britain at the time and so Wilde was careful to conceal his sexual orientation…. He married Constance Lloyd – the daughter of Horace Lloyd, a wealthy lawyer – in May 1884 and they had two sons, Cyril in 1885 and Vyvyan in 1886….

Oscar Wilde in New York, 1882 – Public domain

In 1891 he began an affair with young British poet and aristocrat Lord Alfred Douglas, who was 16 years younger than him…. Douglas’ father, the Marquess of Queensberry, found out about the relationship and was livid…. He set about exposing Wilde, confronting the pair several times – a bitter feud was to ensue…. Eventually Queensberry left a calling card with the porter at the private ‘Albemarle Club’ in London, reading “For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite” [sic]…. Wilde had been publicly accused….

Close friends who knew Wilde’s secret begged him to flee to France and stay there until things had died down – homosexuality had been legal in France since 1791…. However, Wilde ignored their pleas and instead decided to sue the Marquess for defamation and libel…. Queensberry’s lawyers responded by hiring private detectives to uncover evidence of Wilde’s liaisons with young men…. It probably didn’t take too much investigation – as Douglas was less than discreet and had introduced Wilde to the underground world of Victorian gay prostitution….

Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas, 1893 – Public domain

The trial opened at the Old Bailey – and it soon became evident that things were not going to go Wilde’s way – basically because what Queensberry accused him of was true…. To make matters worse for Wilde the Defense accused him of enticing 12 other young men to commit acts of indecency…. His 1890 novel ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ – in which an artist is attracted to a younger man – was also brought into question and it was implied that he had used it to seduce Douglas….

After three days Wilde dropped the lawsuit – this action was seen as an admission of guilt – a warrant was issued for his arrest…. Once again his friends urged him to go to France – but Wilde was determined to stand his ground….

Wilde was arrested on grounds of indecency…. The trial began on the 26th of April 1895 – he pleaded not guilty on 25 accounts…. The trial ended with the jury unable to reach a verdict…. Three weeks later a retrial took place and this time Wilde was found guilty…. He received the maximum penalty, two years hard labour…. On the 25th of May 1895 Wilde was taken to London’s Pentonville Prison and he spent the next few months untwisting old ropes to recycle the fibres for making oakum (used to seal gaps in the shipbuilding industry)…. He was then transferred to Reading Gaol, where he served the rest of his sentence – being released in 1897….

Wilde’s cell in Reading Gaol, as it is today…. Photo credit : Jack1956 CC0

While he was in prison Wilde’s health declined considerably…. After his release he spent his remaining three years living in exile in France – where he died in Paris on the 30th of November 1900 of meningitis….