On this day in history : 2nd November 1954 – BBC radio comedy ‘Hancock’s Half Hour’ makes its debut….
Tony Hancock – Fair use
The very first episode ‘The First Night Party’ – with special guest appearances from Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Moria Lister and Bill Kerr – sees Hancock throw a party to celebrate his new radio show….having hired a venue from Sid…. Of course, things don’t go according to plan….
Approximately 100 episodes of Hancock’s Half Hour were made for radio broadcast….following Hancock’s adventures as an actor and comedian finding it hard to make his way in his chosen career…. In 1956 it made its first appearance on television, paving the way for the traditional sitcom….
Tony Hancock (right) and Sid James – Fair use
Writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson had met in 1948 whilst both in a sanatorium recovering from TB…. Later Hancock, Galton and Simpson went on to create Steptoe and Son for the BBC….
On this day in history : 1st November 1887 – The birth of English artist L.S. Lowry – famous for his matchstick figures, mill scenes and industrial landscapes….
Millworkers by LS Lowry – Photo by Bruce Lamberton – own work – CC BY-SA 4.0
Laurence Stephen Lowry was born in Barrett Street, Stretford…. His father, Robert, was a clerk for a property company and his mother, Elizabeth, a teacher and talented pianist…. She was to suffer ill-health after the birth and had to give up work and all aspirations of becoming a concert pianist…. This made her resentful and added to the fact that she made it no secret that she had longed for another daughter and not the son she got – Lowry himself admitted that his childhood was not an overly happy one…. His father was introverted and meek, whereas his mother was domineering….
In 1898 the family moved to Victoria Park, a pleasant leafy suburb of South Manchester…. However, in 1909 financial difficulties forced a move to Pendlebury, the industrial area between Manchester and Bolton….
On leaving school Lowry took a couple of jobs working for chartered accountants but after being made redundant for a second time in 1910 he began to work as a rent collector for the Pall Mall Property Company…. He remained working for this firm until his retirement in 1952….
Lowry had always enjoyed drawing as a child and once he had started earning his own money he paid for private art lessons…. Then in 1905 he began evening classes at the Manchester Municipal College of Art, where he studied under French impressionist Pierre Adolfe Valette – a man he greatly admired….
Still Life (1906) – Fair use
To further his art training he joined Salford’s Royal Technical Institute in 1915 and remained studying here until 1925 – by which time he had now developed his own unique style of urban landscapes, matchstick men and deep, brooding portraits….
Self Portrait (1925) – Fair useComing Home from the Mill (1928) – Fair use
Lowry’s father died inn 1932, leaving the family in debt and financial difficulty…. Before long his mother had become bedridden and it was Lowry who had to care for her…. The only time he got to himself was late at night – he would often paint into the early hours…. His mother never appreciated his talent; he had his first solo exhibition at the Lefevre Gallery, London, in 1939 – which was hugely successful and many of his paintings sold…. His mother did not live long enough to see his success – she died in October 1939….
View of a Town (1936) – Fair useAn Old Street (1937) – Fair use
During World War 2 Lowry became an official war artist…. By now he was battling with depression; he stopped looking after his home – and in the end the neglect had become so bad that in 1948 he was evicted from the house by the landlord…. Fortunately Lowry was now financially secure and so he bought himself a house, ‘The Elms’, in a more rural area of Cheshire…. Although he claimed he didn’t much like the house or area he set up his studio here and remained until his death….
Going to Work (1943) – Fair use
Lowry liked to holiday each year in the same seaside hotel in Sunderland…. Here he painted beach scenes, the nearby ports and coal mines…. If he saw something that interested his artist’s eye and had no sketch pad to hand he would utilise whatever was available, maybe the back of an envelope or perhaps a napkin…. He would give these sketches away to whoever was present and taking an interest in what he was doing…. These drawings are now highly desirable and fetch a small fortune….
July, the Seaside (1943) – Fair use
Although regarded as a private person and a loner Lowry was a likeable character and made many long lasting friends in his lifetime…. He never married but did have lady friends…. He particularly befriended colleagues in the art world – and would go out of his way to encourage young artists, often by buying their work…. He would frequently act as a mentor…. Lowry was also football fan and a keen Manchester City supporter….
He retired from his job as a rent collector on his 65th birthday…. By now he was beginning to tire of painting industrial scenes and although he didn’t totally abandon his trademark theme he began to paint small groups of figures…. Influenced by his holidays in Sunderland he also started painting more and more empty landscapes….
Seascape (1950) – Fair use
Into his old age Lowry continued to paint and draw – it is perhaps evident he did so purely to please himself – and did not intend it for public display…. His work from this time has an intimate, private, even surreal quality to it…. ‘Mannequin’ drawings….young women in absurdly restrictive clothing; tight bodices they could hardly breathe in – or even dressed in men’s evening attire…. A large quantity of these pictures were found after his death….
Man Lying on a Wall (1957) – Fair use
Lowry was admitted to Woods Hospital, Glossop, following a stroke…. He died of pneumonia on the 23rd of February 1976…. He was buried at Southern Cemetery, Manchester, alongside his parents….
Family Group (1958) – Fair use
A major exhibition of his work was later held at the Royal Academy and attracted a record number of visitors for a British artist…. His works are often now sold for millions….
L S Lowry contemplating Stockport (a scan taken from a photograph by Crispin Eurich in 1962) – Image credit : Smabs Sputzer (1956 – 2017) via Flickr
On this day in history : 31st October 1955 – Princess Margaret announces that she will not be marrying Group Captain Peter Townsend….
A brief statement from the Princess was broadcast on the radio during the evening – read by the BBC’s John Snagge – it came as an interruption to the normal programme schedule….
Princess Margaret in 1965 – Eric Koch / Anefo CCO
Princess Margaret and Group Captain Townsend had first met when she was just 14-years-old…. He was Equerry to her father, King George VI – and twice her age, married, with two children….
Townsend filed for divorce in November 1952 after his wife had an affair…. It was also around this time that Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend fell in love…. The relationship became known to the public after Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation in June 1953; a newspaper reporter noticed Princess Margaret flick a piece of fluff from Townsend’s uniform jacket – an intimate gesture between two people who are obviously close to one another…. The story broke in newspapers all around the world….
In an effort to dampen the Press interest, in what was viewed as a scandal, Group Captain Townsend was sent to Brussels on a two year posting as an air attaché at the British Embassy…. Princess Margaret, being under the age of 25, had to have the consent of the Queen to marry a divorced man…. The Queen, being the Head of the Church of England, was in a difficult position – the Church was firmly against a union between the pair…. If Princess Margaret had been over the age of 25, she would need the approval of the Government…. Prime Minister Winston Churchill advised this would be highly unlikely…. Amongst the general public there was much support for the couple….
Flight Lieutenant Townsend in 1940 – daventry B J (Mr) Royal Air Force Official Photographer – Public domain
Even with Townsend away in Brussels speculation surrounding their relationship continued…. The couple reunited in 1955, at the end of his posting…. Princess Margaret was now over the age of 25…. Anthony Eden was now Prime Minister – and under his direction it was decided that if she were to insist on marrying Group Captain Townsend she would be stripped of all her royal privileges; this included her home and her income….
It had always been assumed Princess Margaret, torn between royal duty and the man she loved, had bowed to pressure from the Church, Parliament and her sister, the Queen…. However, in 2009 a handwritten letter from Princess Margaret to Prime Minister Anthony Eden was discovered….which shed a somewhat different light…. The letter, dated 15th August 1955, suggests that she was uncertain of her love for Townsend – and that she needed time to decide what to do…. She told the Prime Minister she hoped to be in a position to inform him and other Commonwealth Prime Ministers of her intentions at the end of October or early November….
“Mindful of the Church’s teachings that Christian marriage is indissoluble, and conscious of my duty to the Commonwealth, I have resolved to put the considerations before others”….
But actually, regardless of the wording of her statement, it seems the decision was hers – and hers alone….
In May 1960 Princess Margaret married photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones (to become Lord Snowdon) – but they divorced in 1978….(the first royal divorce since King Henry VIII)….
Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon, Amsterdam, May 1965 – Jack de Nijs / Anefo CCO
Princess Margaret died in February 2002 – she was 71…. Group Captain Townsend had died seven years earlier, aged 80….
Margaret seated in the music room of Buckingham Palace, August 21, 1951 – Kristine via Flickr
On this day in history : 30th October 1981 – Secretary to the pro-euthanasia group ‘EXIT’, Nicholas Reed, is jailed for two and a half years on three counts of aiding and abetting suicide….
He was also found guilty of a further count of conspiracy to aid and abet…. His co-accused, Mark Lyons, who provided the pills and alcohol to those wishing to end their lives, received a two year suspended sentence…. Judge, Mr. Justice Lawson, stated that on account of his age (70) a suspended sentence be appropriate as Lyons had already served 325 days in prison whilst awaiting trial….
Voluntary Euthanasia Society poster – Image credit : The Wellcome Collection Cc BY-SA 4.0
‘EXIT’ : ‘The Society for the Right to Die with Dignity’ started in 1935 as the ‘Voluntary Euthanasia Society’…. It had been a relatively quiet, low-key organisation, conscious of staying on the right side of the law…. The name change to ‘EXIT’ was made to give more of an impact…. When Nicholas Reed, a dynamic young man in his early thirties, became Secretary of the group he transformed it….enabling it to give a loud, aggressive and controversial voice for the incurably ill and disabled…. He courted the media, held seminars, gave talks and interviews on radio and television…. He increased the membership of the London based group five fold; by the early 1980s it had more than 10,000 members…. The group’s activities spawned similar groups in many other countries, including the United States….
In 1979 EXIT had decided to publish a booklet entitled ‘Guide to Self-Deliverance’ – in which various methods of suicide were described…. The booklet was outlawed and so distribution was suspended in 1983…. Reed had already come to the attention of the police in 1980 when a raid on EXIT’s offices resulted in documents being seized and Reed being questioned…. However, it was after the death of a female multiple sclerosis sufferer that a case was finally brought…. A routine post mortem had revealed that she had taken barbiturates with alcohol…. Two women who had been at her house the day before she died told the inquest Mark Lyons had visited whilst they were there…. Police searched the flat where Lyons lived and found thousands of pills and tablets…. They also discovered diaries, full of appointments with people who wanted to end their lives…. Nicholas Reed denied he knew what Lyons was up to….saying he thought the appointments were for ‘comfort’ visits to those in need….
According to the prosecution, in one particular case Lyons had drugged a woman into an unconscious state and then tried to speed up the process of death by placing a polythene bag over her head…. The attempt was unsuccessful…. The prosecution also accused Lyons of gaining pleasure from his actions….
Reed for his part, refused to talk to the Press…. After an appeal his sentence was reduced to 18 months…. The Society changed its name to ‘VES’ – ‘Voluntary Euthanasia Society’….and later, in 2006, it became ‘Dignity in Dying’…. Holland was the first country to legalise euthanasia in 2002…. Of course, it continues to be a controversial subject here in the UK….
On this day in history : 29th October 1863 – Eighteen official delegates from national governments, including Britain, meet in Geneva and agree to the formation of the International Red Cross….
The resolution was to establish national relief services for wounded soldiers, the neutrality and protection of wounded soldiers and a protection symbol for medicinal personnel in the field…. The symbol was to be a white armband bearing a red cross emblem (an inversion of the Swiss flag)….
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement were inspired by Swiss businessman Jean-Henry Dunant, a devout Reformed Christian…. Dunant had been present at the Battle of Solferino in Italy, between the armies of Imperial Austria and the Franco-Sardinian alliance in 1859…. Some 40,000 men were left dead or dying on the battlefield; there was a critical lack of medical attention for the wounded men…. Dunant did everything in his capability to organise local people to help bind the wounds and feed the wounded men…. The situation left an acute sense of despair upon him….
Jean-Henri Dunant – Time Life Pictures – Public domain
On his return to Switzerland Dunant set about his aim to create a national relief service – he proposed it to be run by volunteers, trained during peace time to provide neutral help to all those wounded during times of war….
To help his cause he wrote a book, ‘A Memory of Solferino’ – which he published using his own money in 1862…. Copies were sent to leading political and military leaders and influential people throughout Europe…. When Gustavo Moynier, President of the Geneva Society for Public Welfare, received his copy he decided to set up a committee to test the feasibility of Dunant’s proposals…. The committee became known as ‘The Committee of Five’ and consisted of Jean-Henry Dunant, Gustave Moynier, Louis Appia (a renowned field surgeon), Theodore Maunoir (Appia’s colleague) and Guillaume-Henri Dufour (a Swiss Army general)…. Eight days later the five men renamed the committee ‘International Committee for Relief to the Wounded’…. An international conference was set up, which took place in Geneva between the 26th and 29th October 1863….at which the foundations of The International Red Cross were laid….
Dunant also proposed countries unite in an international agreement to recognise the status of medicinal services of the wounded on the battlefield…. This was to be the original Geneva Convention and was adopted in 1864….
Original document of the first Geneva Convention, 1864 – Kevin Quinn, Ohio, US – CC BY 2.0
When war broke out in July 1870, between France and Prussia, Colonel Lloyd-Lindsay (later to become Lord Wantage) called for a National Society to be formed in Britain…. At a meeting held in London on the 4th of August 1870 the resolution was passed…. The ‘British National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded in War’ was formed – and under the emblem of the Red Cross gave aid to the wounded on both sides in the Franco-Prussian War…. It also gave aid in all other wars for the remainder of the 19th Century….
Sorting and packing linen bandages at the London office of the Society, September 1870 – Illustrated London News, September 10, 1870 – Public domain
In 1905 the society was renamed the ‘British Red Cross’…. It was granted a Royal Charter in 1908 by King Edward VII – its President was Queen Alexandra….
Cottage Capers 