On this day in history

[Brian S]

12 Jan 1895
The National Trust was founded by three Victorian philanthropists - Miss Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley. Octavia Hill was concerned about the poor availability of open spaces for poor people. She campaigned against development on existing suburban woodlands, and helped to save London's Hampstead Heath and Parliament Hill Fields from being built on. The National Trust is now the largest membership organisation in the United Kingdom, and one of the largest UK charities by both income and assets. Its aim is to preserve places of historic interest or natural beauty for the enjoyment of the British public. Its stately homes such as this one at Lyme Park (see

picture) are well know, but the National Trust also owns vast tracts of countryside (see

picture of Wast Water) and coastal areas including here - the Needles (see

picture).

 

[Brian S]

That is one hell of a feat, true heroes, on both counts

12 Jan 1899
Unable to launch their lifeboat at Lynmouth (see

picture) because of heavy storms, the crew, horses and helpers dragged their 10 ton lifeboat Louisa and carriage, in the dark, the 15 miles overland to Porlock Weir. The 11 hour journey across Exmoor included a haul over Countisbury Hill (gradient 25% : 1 in 4) followed by descending another 1 in 4 hill down into Porlock where the corner of a househad to be demolished to gain access. Their rescue of the 18 crew from Forrest Hall was successful. The journey was re-enacted in daylight on 12th January 1999.

 

[Brian S]

"Enry's Ammer"
"Splash it on all over"

12 Jan 1959
Henry Cooper defeated Brian London on points over 15 rounds, becoming British and European heavyweight boxing champion. Cooper was the first to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award twice (in 1967 and 1970). He is the only British boxer to win three Lonsdale Belts outright and he was knighted in 2000.

 

[Brian S]

Bloody Sat Navs (before their time I know,)

12 Jan 1982
Mark Thatcher, son of the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, went missing in the Sahara while taking part in the Paris-Dakar Rally. He was rescued two days later, and it turned out that he had lost his way. The incident provoked a tidal wave of jokes and cartoons making fun of his sense of direction.

 

[Brian S]

Jeez that's a lot of people, and he's one lucky boy to be the only one to have survived

13 Jan 1842
Dr. William Brydon, an assistant surgeon in the British East India Company Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War is famous for being the only member of an army of 4,500 men and 12,000 civilians to survive a massacre after the army's long retreat from Kabul. He safely reached the British sentry post at Jalalabad, Afghanistan 'On This Day'. The episode was made the subject of a famous painting by the Victorian artist Lady Butler, who portrayed an exhausted Dr. Brydon approaching the gates of the Jalalabad fort perched on his dying horse. The painting is titled Remnants of an Army.

 

[Brian S]

"we'll see how it goes" jealous because they weren't signed up to them

13 Jan 1964 Capital Records grudgingly released the first Beatles record, ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’, in the US to, as they said 'see how it goes’. It became their fastest selling single ever. Within only three weeks, a million copies had been sold.

 

[Brian S]

German Jet Fighter 1942 ? how come they didn't use it in The Battle of Britain ? Would of run rings round the Spitfire's and Hurricane's

13 Jan 1942
First use of an aircraft ejection seat by a German test pilot in a Heinkel He 280 Jet fighter

 

[goodoldboy]

https://www.theguardian.com/austral...cres-protest-australia-day-undeniable-history
part of Australian history that is constantly ignored or unknown by the majority

 

[Chas]

I was never a fan of his but today would have been his birthday . Stéphane Grappelli, who was born on 26 January 1908 in Paris

 

[BobMurphy]

Returning to Edinburgh after yet another Inter-Bank Meeting in London, around Edinburgh Festival time, I sat next to Stéphane Grappelli on the little Scott Airways Dornier 328 turbo-prop. He was very pleasant - we shared my Polo Mints !

Bob.

 

[moggy1968]

German Jet Fighter 1942 ? how come they didn't use it in The Battle of Britain ? Would of run rings round the Spitfire's and Hurricane's

13 Jan 1942
First use of an aircraft ejection seat by a German test pilot in a Heinkel He 280 Jet fighter

Might be connected with him being the first to use an ejection seat!! The Germans never really managed to sort out the jet engine for aircraft use, that was done by the British after the war. Actually in dogfights massive disparity of speed is problematic and aircraft actually tend to slow down, to improve manoeuvrability . Speed is mostly handy for getting away!

 

[Brian S]

27 Jan 1606

The trial of Guy Fawkes, (born here - see

picture) and his fellow conspirators began. They were charged with treason for attempting to blow up the Houses of Parliament in November 1605.

 

[Brian S]

The start of the RNLI, everyone of them a Hero, very very brave people

27 Jan 1757

The birth, in Richmond, of Henry Greathead, the pioneering lifeboat builder from South Shields. It took some years before his lifeboat became well known to the public. The first was purchased in 1798 by Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland, for North Shields. By 1802 Greathead's work was "deemed a fit subject for national munificence" and, over a period of years, 30 more lifeboats followed. Greathead never took out a patent on his invention, and was always willing to share his plans with others for the public good.

 

[Brian S]

27 Jan 1989

Thomas Sopwith, British aircraft designer, died aged 101. Remembered for his Sopwith Camel and Sopwith Pup planes he also won a £4,000 prize for the longest flight from England to the Continent in a British built aeroplane, flying 169 miles in 3 hours 40 minutes. His company produced more than 18,000 British World War I aircraft for the allied forces, including 5,747 of the famous Sopwith Camel single-seat fighter. Sopwith was awarded the CBE in 1918.

 

[moggy1968]

27 Jan 1989View attachment 139771
Thomas Sopwith, British aircraft designer, died aged 101. Remembered for his Sopwith Camel and Sopwith Pup planes he also won a £4,000 prize for the longest flight from England to the Continent in a British built aeroplane, flying 169 miles in 3 hours 40 minutes. His company produced more than 18,000 British World War I aircraft for the allied forces, including 5,747 of the famous Sopwith Camel single-seat fighter. Sopwith was awarded the CBE in 1918.

never knew he died so recently

 

[Chas]

1943 The Soviet Union announces the final defeat of the German 6th Army at the port of Stalingrad, in southern Russia, following five months of fighting.

 

[clivehorridge]

32000 raids! That’s a lot of raids

Meanwhile back in the sensible room (I know what you meant) a thousand bombers must have been one hell of a sight.

I thought it looked odd when I typed it, but there was no other way to describe it.

Yep, my old man said it was totally awe inspiring to see that number of aircraft each time, in one raid.... indeed all part of the plan, imagine being on the receiving end...

 

[Julian T]

I know something that was done was what was called a 1000 bomber raid, so I assumed he had been on 32 1000 bomber raids.

Link here to 1000 bomber raid.

 

[clivehorridge]

I know something that was done was what was called a 1000 bomber raid, so I assumed he had been on 32 1000 bomber raids.

Link here to 1000 bomber raid.

An interesting article there Julian.

It would seem that the 1000 bomber concept was much more limited than I’d imagined. I do know from my father’s file that in the 462 Squadron he flew 32 missions and that his crew were among the 1000 bomber missions.

462 Sqadron was closely associated with the RAAF as my brother and I have found out trying to piece together the history of our father’s “bit” in the WW2 effort.

He was never very explicit about it, and although he was a volunteer, the war not a subject he enjoyed being brought up.

Interesting stuff, thanks...

 

[moggy1968]

An interesting article there Julian.

It would seem that the 1000 bomber concept was much more limited than I’d imagined. I do know from my father’s file that in the 462 Squadron he flew 32 missions and that his crew were among the 1000 bomber missions.

462 Sqadron was closely associated with the RAAF as my brother and I have found out trying to piece together the history of our father’s “bit” in the WW2 effort.

He was never very explicit about it, and although he was a volunteer, the war not a subject he enjoyed being brought up.

Interesting stuff, thanks...

Although volunteers, many of them struggled to come to terms with what had happened, and in those days that was dealt with by burying it. My mums uncle was a Navigator in Mosquitoes. He got the DFC, but could never come to terms with being the one that dropped the bombs. His brother was a GP and offered to sign him off sick, but he declined the offer. He was such a lovely man but had a lifetime of mental illness and ended his days in a psychiatric unit.