Today in British History

[Gary Cooper]

As suggested by @bumhole in the St. Patrick's Day thread

17th March​

1473

James IV of Scotland was born. He was the last British monarch to die in battle at the Battle of Flodden on 9 September 1513.

1649

Oliver Cromwell abolished the monarchy and the House of Lords, declaring England a Commonwealth.

1891

SS Utopia collided with HMS Anson at Gibraltar. Utopia sank in 20 minutes, killing 562 passengers.

1912
Captain Lawrence Oates died on Scott's Expedition to the Antarctic.

1984
The University Boat Race had to be postponed when the Cambridge boat hit a barge and sank. The race was held the following day.

1995
Ronnie Kray died in Broadmoor

 

[AlienFTM]

1944 Up the Irrawaddy. Cpl Jack Snaith, 2 Borders, injured during the advance, was caught by Japs in the Field Hospital and slaughtered along with the doctors and nurses and other patients. Well, that's how my grandfather told my brother that that's how his son / our uncle died.

Here's the official line from his OC:

 

[BIGBIRD101]

1190 - Crusaders complete massacre of Jews of York
1337 - Edward, the Black Prince is made Duke of Cornwall, the first Duchy made in England.

 

[bumhole]

We have a rich and fascinating history, and yet we are so keen to forget or ignore it.

 

[paddyplanty]

We have a rich and fascinating history, and yet we are so keen to forget or ignore it.

Bumhole mate,
About 10 years ago I took my eldest to see Steeleye Span as I'd never seen them myself. At one point one of the band members almost got tearful as he mentioned how long they'd been going before they sang 'Will the circle be unbroken'.
Anyhow since then both kids have gone into folk dance, winning a national comp at Rapper Sword and got along to see the likes of Bellowhead, Demon Barbers etc at the same time as McFly and Catfish and the Bottlemen so I personally don't worry too much about traditions and history being forgot.
We also get along to Pace Egging at Heptonstall, Rushbearing at Sowerby Bridge and Wassail. Funily enough we're neither folkies or religious - these events frequently involve beer though. And pork pies - don't forget the pork pies.

I was just wondering, is a message from Bumhole technically 'an extrusion'?

 

[LilStill]

George Washington beat us at Boston, this day in 1776.

 

[AlienFTM]

George Washington beat us at Boston, this day in 1776.

Never played it. What's the roolz?

 

[Gary Cooper]

17th March 1828​

Patrick R Cleburne was born in Annbrook House, Great Island, County Cork. He served in the 41st Foot before emigrating to the US in 1849. Cleburne practiced law in Arkansas until he was commissioned a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army in 1862. He fought in the western sector of the Civil War and so was less famous that the generals of the eastern front but to his men he was the Stonewall Jackson of the west, consistently out fighting his enemies. Controversially he proposed that the Confederates enlist coloureds in the army in return for freedom, a suggestion that caused him to be overlooked for promotion. Brig Gen Patrick Cleburne was killed in action in Franklin, Tennessee. Nov 30th 1864.

1942

The San Demetrio, a tanker en route from Baltimore, Maryland to Britain with 11,000 tons of fuel on board, was torpedoed by U-404 at 0215 hrs. 19 men died in the action while 34 survived. In November 1940 San Demetrio was badly damaged by the German Pocket Battleship Admiral Scheer. The crew abandoned ship though she did not sink and they later reboarded her and brought her to harbour. Ealing Studios made a film of this voyage called “San Demetrio, London” in 1943.



​

 

[Gary Cooper]

18th March​

978

Edward the Martyr, King of England was murdered.

1745

Robert Walpole died. He was the first PM and was in power for 20 years or so.

1869

Future Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, was born.

1893

Wilfred Owen, World War I poet was born.

1913

King George I of Greece was assassinated by a Socialist named Alexandros Schinas as he went for a walk in Thessaloniki. George was the great - grand uncle of Queen Elizabeth and the grandfather of Prince Philip. A few weeks after the event Alex fell out of a police station window, as you do.

1984

The University Boat Race which had to be postponed the day before when the Cambridge boat hit a barge and sank was held. Oxford won by three-and-three-quarter lengths in a time of 16 minutes 45 seconds. The 1984 race was the first to be held on a Sunday.

 

[LilStill]

1967: Supertanker Torrey Canyon hits rocks

The supertanker Torrey Canyon has run aground between Land's End and the Scilly Isles, leaking oil into the sea.

1979: Three die in Golborne mine blast
Three die and eight are seriously injured in an explosion at a colliery in Lancashire.

 

[rickshaw-major]

We used to do this in HQ 39 Bde during the morning brief. Great thread.

KOSB formed on this day in 1689.

Oh and edited to add. Sir Fitzroy Maclean was now one week old - in 1911

 

[vvaannmmaann]

1967: Supertanker Torrey Canyon hits rocks

The supertanker Torrey Canyon has run aground between Land's End and the Scilly Isles, leaking oil into the sea.

1979: Three die in Golborne mine blast
Three die and eight are seriously injured in an explosion at a colliery in Lancashire.

My Grandad took me to see the Torrey Canyon episode.
He would still remark years after the event that the "Fecking crabs and fishheads couldn't even destroy a sitting target"

 

[LilStill]

My Grandad took me to see the Torrey Canyon episode.
He would still remark years after the event that the "Fecking crabs and fishheads couldn't even destroy a sitting target"

Token effort only, I'd suggest. There was great potential for the spilled oil to be transformed into Brylcreem; a substance on par with myrrh, if you're aircrew, and therefore not something they're likely to blow up.

 

[AlienFTM]

1912 Captain Lawrence Oates died on Scott's Expedition to the Antarctic.

Just noticed this and it intrigues me. Captain Oates was a Skin (Inniskilling Dragoons, now, through Skins (5DG) to become RDG) and while I was co-located with the Skins at Mercer/Imphal in the early 80s, I was aware that they commemorated Oates Day in his honour. Wikipedia confirms that RDG do indeed still celebrate this day. But if his birthday was Paddy's Day, Shirley the Skins would be celebrating the latter anyway, in which case, what date was Oates Day?

Well there's a thing, according to the BBC.

The Royal Dragoon Guards remember Oates each year on his birthday, St Patrick's Day, which was also the day he died at the age of 32.

I am glad I bothered.

 

[AlienFTM]

My Grandad took me to see the Torrey Canyon episode.
He would still remark years after the event that the "Fecking crabs and fishheads couldn't even destroy a sitting target"

I came up the Channel on a banana boat returning from South America following the death of me father, docking in Southampton 23 March 1967. How well I remember in subsequent days at age 11 the news coverage of Buccaneers bombing the wreck.

 

[bumhole]

This day1891 - Britain is linked to the continent by Telephone.

It was laid by H.M.T.S. "Monarch" and the Post Office officials in March 1891, when the heavy snowstorm and other inclement weather then in force greatly interfered with the operations. The length of the cable is 20 N.M.: it extends from St Margaret's Bay, near Dover, to Sangatte, near Calais. The land lines on each side had already been completed by the French and English Governments respectively.

The cable was manufactured by Siemens Brothers and Company Limited an electrical engineering design and manufacturing business in London, England.

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Token effort only, I'd suggest. There was great potential for the spilled oil to be transformed into Brylcreem; a substance on par with myrrh, if you're aircrew, and therefore not something they're likely to blow up.

From BBC reports and wikipedia
"Since then, the RAF and the Royal Navy have dropped 62,000lbs of bombs, 5,200 gallons of petrol, 11 rockets and large quantities of napalm onto the ship."
"The RAF and the Royal Navy also came in for ridicule, as 25% of the 42 bombs dropped missed the enormous stationary target."
Seems Grandad was right after all.

 

[rickshaw-major]

This day1891 - ...It was laid by H.M.T.S. "Monarch" and the Post Office officials in March 1891, ......

Interesting as my ex-Pa in Law served on the Post Office cable Ship Monarch (at the Alert as well). Didn't realize the name went so far back.

 

[bumhole]

And on this day 18 March 1915, the main naval attack on the Dardanelles was launched.

The fleet, comprising 18 battleships with a supporting array of cruisers and destroyers, sought to target the narrowest point of the Dardanelles, where the straits are 1 mile wide. Despite some damage sustained by ships engaging the Ottoman forts, minesweepers were ordered to proceed along the straits.

According to an account by the Ottoman General Staff, by 2:00 p.m. "all telephone wires were cut, all communications with the forts were interrupted, some of the guns had been knocked out ... in consequence the artillery fire of the defence had slackened considerably".

Minesweepers manned by civilians, under the constant fire of Ottoman shells, retreated, leaving the minefields largely intact. HMS Irresistible and HMS Inflexible were critically damaged by mines.

HMS Ocean sent to rescue the Irresistible, was also damaged by an explosion, and both ships eventually sank.

RIP

 

[bumhole]

18th March​

1893 Wilfred Owen, World War I poet was born.
.

'Oh! Jesus Christ! I'm hit,' he said; and died. Whether he vainly cursed or prayed indeed, The Bullets chirped-In vain, vain, vain! Machine-guns chuckled,-Tut-tut! Tut-tut!

Happy Birthday LT Owen. I appreciated your work.