The Hull Book of Days E-Book

Susanna O'Neill

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Serie: Book of Days
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 403

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

Taking you through the year day by day, The Hull Book of Days contains quirky, eccentric, amusing and important events and facts from different periods in the history of the city. Ideal for dipping into, this addictive little book will keep you entertained and informed. Featuring hundreds of snippets of information gleaned from the vaults of Hull's archives and covering the social, criminal, political, religious, industrial, military and sporting history of the city, it will delight residents and visitors alike.

Leseprobe

THE

HULL

BOOK

OF

DAYS

SUSANNA O’NEILL

First published in 2014

The History Press

The Mill, Brimscombe Port

Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

This ebook edition first published in 2014

All rights reserved

© Susanna O’Neill, 2014

The right of Susanna O’Neill to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

EPUB ISBN 978 0 7509 5172 2

Original typesetting by The History Press

Ebook compilation by RefineCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk

CONTENTS

January

January 1st

January 2nd

January 3rd

January 4th

January 5th

January 6th

January 7th

January 8th

January 9th

January 10th

January 11th

January 12th

January 13th

January 14th

January 15th

January 16th

January 17th

January 18th

January 19th

January 20th

January 21st

January 22nd

January 23rd

January 24th

January 25th

January 26th

January 27th

January 28th

January 29th

January 30th

January 31st

February

February 1st

February 2nd

February 3rd

February 4th

February 5th

February 6th

February 7th

February 8th

February 9th

February 10th

February 11th

February 12th

February 13th

February 14th

February 15th

February 16th

February 17th

February 18th

February 19th

February 20th

February 21st

February 22nd

February 23rd

February 24th

February 25th

February 26th

February 27th

February 28th

February 29th

March

March 1st

March 2nd

March 3rd

March 4th

March 5th

March 6th

March 7th

March 8th

March 9th

March 10th

March 11th

March 12th

March 13th

March 14th

March 15th

March 16th

March 17th

March 18th

March 19th

March 20th

March 21st

March 22nd

March 23rd

March 24th

March 25th

March 26th

March 27th

March 28th

March 29th

March 30th

March 31st

April

April 1st

April 2nd

April 3rd

April 4th

April 5th

April 6th

April 7th

April 8th

April 9th

April 10th

April 11th

April 12th

April 13th

April 14th

April 15th

April 16th

April 17th

April 18th

April 19th

April 20th

April 21st

April 22nd

April 23rd

April 24th

April 25th

April 26th

April 27th

April 28th

April 29th

April 30th

May

May 1st

May 2nd

May 3rd

May 4th

May 5th

May 6th

May 7th

May 8th

May 9th

May 10th

May 11th

May 12th

May 13th

May 14th

May 15th

May 16th

May 17th

May 18th

May 19th

May 20th

May 21st

May 22nd

May 23rd

May 24th

May 25th

May 26th

May 27th

May 28th

May 29th

May 30th

May 31st

June

June 1st

June 2nd

June 3rd

June 4th

June 5th

June 6th

June 7th

June 8th

June 9th

June 10th

June 11th

June 12th

June 13th

June 14th

June 15th

June 16th

June 17th

June 18th

June 19th

June 20th

June 21st

June 22nd

June 23rd

June 24th

June 25th

June 26th

June 27th

June 28th

June 29th

June 30th

July

July 1st

July 2nd

July 3rd

July 4th

July 5th

July 6th

July 7th

July 8th

July 9th

July 10th

July 11th

July 12th

July 13th

July 14th

July 15th

July 16th

July 17th

July 18th

July 19th

July 20th

July 21st

July 22nd

July 23rd

July 24th

July 25th

July 26th

July 27th

July 28th

July 29th

July 30th

July 31st

August

August 1st

August 2nd

August 3rd

August 4th

August 5th

August 6th

August 7th

August 8th

August 9th

August 10th

August 11th

August 12th

August 13th

August 14th

August 15th

August 16th

August 17th

August 18th

August 19th

August 20th

August 21st

August 22nd

August 23rd

August 24th

August 25th

August 26th

August 27th

August 28th

August 29th

August 30th

August 31st

September

September 1st

September 2nd

September 3rd

September 4th

September 5th

September 6th

September 7th

September 8th

September 9th

September 10th

September 11th

September 12th

September 13th

September 14th

September 15th

September 16th

September 17th

September 18th

September 19th

September 20th

September 21st

September 22nd

September 23rd

September 24th

September 25th

September 26th

September 27th

September 28th

September 29th

September 30th

October

October 1st

October 2nd

October 3rd

October 4th

October 5th

October 6th

October 7th

October 8th

October 9th

October 10th

October 11th

October 12th

October 13th

October 14th

October 15th

October 16th

October 17th

October 18th

October 19th

October 20th

October 21st

October 22nd

October 23rd

October 24th

October 25th

October 26th

October 27th

October 28th

October 29th

October 30th

October 31st

November

November 1st

November 2nd

November 3rd

November 4th

November 5th

November 6th

November 7th

November 8th

November 9th

November 10th

November 11th

November 12th

November 13th

November 14th

November 15th

November 16th

November 17th

November 18th

November 19th

November 20th

November 21st

November 22nd

November 23rd

November 24th

November 25th

November 26th

November 27th

November 28th

November 29th

November 30th

December

December 1st

December 2nd

December 3rd

December 4th

December 5th

December 6th

December 7th

December 8th

December 9th

December 10th

December 11th

December 12th

December 13th

December 14th

December 15th

December 16th

December 17th

December 18th

December 19th

December 20th

December 21st

December 22nd

December 23rd

December 24th

December 25th

December 26th

December 27th

December 28th

December 29th

December 30th

December 31st

JANUARY 1ST

2012: Anyone who has lived in Hull for any length of time should recognise the name Pauline Gift. Her son, Roland, became a well-known musician touring with his band The Fine Young Cannibals, but Pauline herself is a character well remembered for her eccentricity and generous nature. Born just outside Hull, she grew up off Spring Bank before moving to Birmingham just prior to the Second World War. Whilst there she became the first woman in Birmingham to get a mortgage! When she returned to Hull, she ran a number of Aladdin’s cave-style shops specialising in vintage clothing and bric-a-brac. Her daughter, Helga, commented to the Hull Daily Mail after her mother had passed away that, ‘She did vintage when the word truly did mean vintage. And she started it in an era when it wasn’t socially acceptable.’ Pauline’s first shop was on Cave Street in 1974, followed by Grafton Street and she then spent twenty years in Pauline’s Gift Shop on Princes Avenue after Roland had bought the premises. Pauline died on January 1st 2012 and, as Helga says, ‘She was an amazing, eccentric woman who will be missed by a lot of people.’

JANUARY 2ND

1744: Joseph Milner, known as an evangelical divine, was born on this date. A highly intelligent man, he suffered a severe attack of measles at the age of three which left him delicate. His mind, however, was very sharp and he had a wonderfully retentive memory. While he was in deacon’s orders he left Thorp Arch, where he was studying, to take up the post of headmaster of Hull Grammar School. Joseph is said to have greatly improved the school during his headship and William Wilberforce was a student there at this time. In 1768, Joseph was chosen as afternoon lecturer at Holy Trinity Church and became a strong supporter of the evangelical movement of the time. He also took charge of North Ferriby parish church, being first a curate, then the vicar for seventeen years. In both Hull and Ferriby he was seen as a prominent moral force and the poor especially flocked to hear him preach. It is said that Hull became a centre of evangelism largely because of him; he was one of the greatest contributors to its success in the city. He has left behind a legacy of published works about the Church, his best known being the History of the Church of Christ. On a journey to York in 1797, he caught a cold and died several weeks later. A monument to his memory was erected in Holy Trinity Church.

JANUARY 3RD

1945: Born in Hull on this date, musician and songwriter Philip Goodhand-Tait had a good start, with a natural talent for music, an excellent ear and a mother who taught piano. He and some friends formed their own band, the Stormsville Shakers, in 1961 with the ambition of attracting a record company to sign them up. Philip was inspired to write songs after working with talented songwriter Chris Andrews, and the band thought they had found their hit song when they collaborated with him on a tune. However, the record company Chris worked for would not allow an unknown band to use the song and it was later released as Sandie Shaw’s ‘Long Live Love’, which became her biggest success, a number one record in the UK Top 10. The band, however, did develop an excellent reputation as a backing group and worked with many famous names as well as eventually releasing some of their own music. Philip has written songs for various well-known artists such as Gary Numan, the Blowmonkeys, Steppenwolf, Steve Marriott, Sandie Shaw and Greg Allman. When reflecting on his career, Phillip said, ‘I’ve had the luckiest breaks and known some wonderful people during my life ... music has been a constant companion, one which I hope to have with me until the end of my life.’

JANUARY 4TH

1828: The Hull City Repository Archives show that on this date the youngest son of Thomas Richardson became apprenticed to his cabinet-making business. Richardson & Sons was founded by Thomas Richardson in 1812 and was reputedly one of the finest cabinet-making enterprises of the day. The archives show that in 1851 they employed sixteen men and eleven apprentices, which is no surprise as theirs was one of the largest manufacturers of furniture in the country at the time, furnishing mansions both in England and abroad. Starting in Dagger Lane, the business was moved to Bond Street as they expanded, then Waltham Street. Reports show that theirs was a first-rate place of employment, the Hull Packet stating that in 1860 they afforded upwards of 100 workers a pleasure trip to Bridlington, one of many employee treats. It is said the workmanship of this company was well sought after by the rich and famous and even Queen Victoria had a special set of chairs made for her use when she and Prince Albert visited the city in 1854. One writer described their work as such: ‘For quality variety and richness, it bears the palm of excellence over all others. The showrooms contain specimens of the carvers’ skills that astonish by their marvellous beauty.’

JANUARY 5TH

1941: Amy Johnson was one of the most famous women to come from Hull. Born in July 1903, she attended Kingston High School, continuing her education at Sheffield University where she obtained an Economics Degree. She began flying as a hobby – some saying it was during a five-minute ride at a travelling air show in Hull when her interest was first aroused – and she soon showed great aptitude. She made her first solo flight after less than sixteen hours’ tuition and gained her pilot’s licence after just over a year as a student. By the end of 1929 she had also obtained a ground engineer’s licence, the first woman in Britain ever to do so. After this there was no stopping her and she became a pioneer in aviation, setting many long-distance flying records. Her father helped her to buy her own plane, a Gypsy Moth, with which she had a lifelong love affair. During the war she flew for the Air Transport Auxiliary, delivering military aircraft from factories to airbases. She died, aged just thirty-seven, during such a flight on this date, when her plane came down in the Thames Estuary. Her body was never found.

JANUARY 6TH

1954: Oscar-winning film director, producer and writer Anthony Minghella CBE was born on this date. He graduated from the University of Hull in 1975 with a First Class Honours Degree in English Drama, then returned there to lecture for seven years whilst studying for his doctorate. Anthony was one of the greats of English cinema, his most celebrated works including Truly Madly Deeply (1990) and The Talented Mr Ripley (1999). The pinnacle of Anthony’s career was directing The English Patient (1996), which won nine Academy Awards. He returned to the University of Hull in 1997 to deliver some drama masterclasses and to receive an Honorary Degree. He spent ten years at the university in all and was greatly admired and respected by his colleagues and contemporaries. Drama lecturer Tony Meech taught and worked alongside Anthony. He recalls, ‘Anthony was a person of extremely high intellect and he had incredible creative flair. Despite his world-wide success, Anthony never forgot about his time at the University of Hull. He was one of the best friends that Hull had and he never missed an opportunity to acknowledge the debt he felt he owed the university and the Department, for the opportunities he was afforded there.’ The university named its newly refurbished drama studio after Anthony, opened by Alan Plater in 2008.

JANUARY 7TH

2010: On this day, Hull-born weatherman Alex Deakin appeared on Celebrity Mastermind, where he finished second. Apparently the very same day was the coldest of the 2009/10 winter. Alex graduated with an MSc in Physics with Astrophysics at Birmingham University, after which he joined the Met Office in 1997 and worked in the York and Bristol Weather Centres. Alex joined the BBC Weather Centre in November 2000. In an interview with BBC News he confessed to getting nervous before his broadcasts. When asked if he ever made any mistakes, his response was to admit to ‘several; the best one was when I pulled my earpiece out by mistake and I rabbited on for about four minutes!’ A more infamous incident, however, was reported in the Sunday Telegraph in September 2012. ‘BBC weatherman left red-faced over on-air “C-word” forecast. A BBC weatherman, Alex Deakin, has been left embarrassed after accidentally broadcasting live one of the most unacceptable words in the English language … During a BBC World weather forecast, he told viewers: “By and large it’s simply [a] lovely winter’s day tomorrow, bucketloads of c---, er, sunshine across central and eastern areas”.’ Fortunately he was not fired over his gaffe, but if he were, his dream job would apparently have been to play as a professional footballer!

JANUARY 8TH

1997: The Hull Daily Mail reported the death of legendary Hull man Bob Carver on this date. ‘Bob Carver’s’ is a celebrated name in the city, as the family has run the most renowned fish and chip shop in Hull for generations. The business was started in 1888 by Bob Carver, who handed it on to his son, Bob, in the early 1920s. His son and grandson, also called Bob, carried on the trade. ‘He loved the business and enjoyed meeting people,’ Bob the grandson told the Mail, ‘he will be sadly missed but the Carver business will continue, hopefully, for another four generations.’ The business is not only famous for its fish and chips but also for the Hull potato and sage ‘pattie’. They have, in addition, had a stall at the historic Hull Fair, in the same position, for decades. There was a gap during the war when Bob served in the army, but afterwards he went back to the council and demanded his old spot back. They have been on Walton Street ever since and claim it is the best pitch at the fair.

JANUARY 9TH

1875: On this date Hull’s tram route to Beverley Road was opened. Prior to this, and also in competition with it during its operational lifetime, other modes of transport in Hull included wagonettes, omnibuses and hackney carriages. The trams, however, proved popular and by 1882 over 30,000 passengers were using the tram system every week. The early Hull tramway network consisted of a 1,435mm wide tramline following the five main roads out of the city centre. The tramway was horse-powered to begin with; then, in 1896, it was converted into an electric system and changed to double track. There were around thirty vehicles initially – all single deckers – then, later, some double-deckers arrived, being able to seat around forty people. As time went on more lines and further extensions were added to the city tracks, but by the 1930s the trolleybus was beginning to take precedence. The final tram to run in Hull was in June 1945, the journey being celebrated by 800 lights which illuminated the tram. Local dignitaries hopped aboard for the last ride and thousands turned out to witness the occasion.

JANUARY 10TH

1875: Robert Searle was a lucky Hull man who managed to escape the gallows. It was on this date that he entered into an argument with workmate James McConnell. The two men were working in the stoke hole of the SS Sappho, which was lying in the Albert Dock. The quarrel must have been particularly heated, as it resulted in Robert stabbing James in the chest, which proved fatal – he died within forty minutes. Robert must have realised what the consequences of his serious crime would be as he turned on himself and cut his own throat. His suicide attempt was unsuccessful, however, and instead he was treated and then sentenced to death. The next month, though, he managed to get a reprieve! Robert was not the only murderer to escape death at the gallows. Jane Crompton apparently also managed to avoid the death sentence, even though the sixty-five-year-old mother had cut off the head of her four-year-old daughter! She even admitted to disliking the girl and often wishing her dead. Another woman, Priscilla Utting, also only received a prison sentence, despite strangling her two-year-old daughter with a handkerchief. A horrific year for Hull.

JANUARY 11TH

1968: The St Romanus, skippered by Jimmy Wheeldon, was the first to be lost in the triple Hull trawler tragedy of 1968. Concerns had been raised previously about the safety of the ship, making it more difficult to crew, and it sailed on January 10th without a radio operator. Lack of radio response after this date was not initially seen as significant. The owners, Hamling Bros, did not make any serious effort to contact the trawler again until January 20th. On January 24th, the Inspector of Fisheries was made aware of the situation and immediately ordered a Pan Pan (urgent message) to be sent across the fishing grounds. An Icelandic trawler, Viking 111, had received a mayday call from the St Romanus on January 11th but ignored it as they were too far away. On January 13th, an inflated life raft was found 265 miles north of Spurn Point, but it was not linked to the St Romanus as she had not been declared missing. Not until February 21st were fears realised, when a lifebuoy from the trawler washed up on a Danish beach. The skipper’s wife had spoken to her husband on January 10th. He had promised to call the following day. That call never came and the trawler and entire crew were presumed lost on January 11th en route to the fishing grounds.

JANUARY 12TH

1898: On this date Sir Tatton Sykes was sued by a London moneylender, to whom the Baronet’s wife owed £16,000. He claimed he had promissory notes allegedly signed by Sir Tatton, but the latter declared his wife had forged his signature. Sir Tatton and Lady Jessica Sykes were forced into a marriage. Jessica was thirty years his junior and it is claimed he was an eccentric, mean-spirited man, whereas she was a lively eighteen-year-old girl, so they never got on. Seemingly Jessica sought a different life away in London, where she drank, gambled and took lovers. She even earned herself the nickname ‘Lady Satin Tights’. When the debt collectors began to call, Sir Tatton despaired and put an announcement in The Times newspaper:

I, SIR TATTON SYKES, hereby give notice that I will NOT be RESPONSIBLE for any DEBTS or ENGAGEMENTS which my wife, LADY JESSICA CHRISTINA SYKES, may contract, whether purporting to be on my behalf or by my authority or otherwise.

When Lady Tatton died, Sir Tatton was overheard leaving the church saying, ‘Remarkable woman, but I rue the day I met her.’ Jessica was, however, loved by the people of Hull for her good works and kind heart. For twenty-five years she delivered Christmas treats to schoolchildren in Hull and she was held in great affection by them.

JANUARY 13TH

1948: On this date the well-known actor Malcolm Storry was born in Hull. His career began in theatre, but behind the scenes, as an assistant stage manager. Then, in the 1970s and ’80s, he became a regular stage actor. Probably most well known for his TV performances, Malcolm has appeared in such series as Pie in the Sky, Heartbeat, Dangerfield, Midsomer Murders and The Knock. He has also appeared in major films including The Last of the Mohicans, The Scarlet Letter and The Princess Bride, among others. Whilst in an interview for whatsonstage.com, Malcolm confided that his favourite playwright was Peter Flannery. Other favourites later named were Michael Gambon as co-star and Jonathan Kent as his director.

He has appeared in many Shakespeare productions and admits the role he would most like to play would be Iago in Othello. Displaying his cheeky Hull sense of humour, when asked who he would most like to swap places with, living or dead, he apparently replied, ‘Last week’s lottery winner.’

JANUARY 14TH

1892: On this date the deaths of HRH the Duke of Clarence and Cardinal Manning were publicly announced. The Duke of Clarence, the eldest son of King Edward VII, died of pneumonia, a complication of the influenza pandemic which was then spreading across the country. The Lord Mayor at once ordered the bell of St Paul’s Cathedral to be tolled, heard up to 20 miles away. Cardinal Manning, the second Archbishop of Westminster, had served as leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales for nearly thirty years. His death affected many of London’s poorest, who came out in force to pay their respects and it is well documented that his funeral was the largest ever attended in Victorian England. A great sense of sadness and mourning fell and towns across the country paid their individual respects to these two notable figures. In Hull this happened on the day of the prince’s funeral. The majority of Hull’s shops closed and there was an entire cessation of business for several hours. Flags were flown at half-mast on the churches and public buildings in the town, muffled peals were rung, the minute gun was fired by HMS Audacious, and, it is said, never since the death of the Prince Consort in 1861 had the town presented such a general appearance of mourning.

JANUARY 15TH

2009: Dr James Bickford died on this date, aged ninety-one. Originally from Devon and qualifying in medicine, James joined the Navy during the war, afterwards finding it difficult to obtain a post in general medicine. His father suggested psychiatric care and in 1956 he became Superintendent at De La Pole Hospital, Hull, where he made radical changes to the way the patients were treated. His approaches and practices were at odds with the mainstream ideas of the day, but his compassion and care drove him on. When he joined the hospital, many of the wards were locked and there was little for patients to do. With the support of the staff, who were swayed by his convictions, patients were encouraged to engage in a variety of physical and mental activities. Basic literacy skills were taught together with singing, sports, gardening, metalwork and woodwork. He arranged summer camps, trips to the sea, sledging in winter and holidays to the Norfolk Broads and the Isle of Man, as well as some abroad. James is quoted as saying that, ‘With very little effort and no expense, great improvements in the lives of older people and relief of many debilitating symptoms could be achieved simply by means of compassion.’ He was a real pioneer, with nationwide influence.

JANUARY 16TH

1980: David Whitfield, the first British male vocalist to earn a gold disc for selling 1 million copies of the same record, died on this date. He was on tour in Australia when he suffered a brain haemorrhage aged fifty-four, his ashes being flown back to the UK and scattered just south of Spurn Point. Born in Hull in 1926, in a small terraced house without hot water or an inside toilet, David rose to become a big star in both Britain and America during the 1950s. From the age of eleven he sang in pubs to supplement the family income. One night, during the Second World War, he was asked to sing at Perth Street Club. This was his first booking and he was paid 7s 6d (37p). His big break came in 1949 when he won Opportunity Knocks. He then became a regular singer on Radio Luxembourg, which procured him legions of devoted fans. The year 1954 saw David’s greatest record, ‘Cara Mia’, which sold more than a million copies. That same year he sang for Queen Elizabeth II at the London Palladium. During his career he recorded twelve top 10 hits and two No.1s in Britain. He was also the first British soloist to achieve a top 10 hit in America’s famous Billboard Hot 100 chart.

JANUARY 17TH

1786: Commodore Edward Thompson was the son of a Hull merchant. Born in Hull in the 1730s, he was sent to sea at a young age. In 1757 he rose to the rank of lieutenant, then on the outbreak of the American War Edward obtained a captain’s commission, being appointed commander of the frigate Hyaena. It was said that he was always a well-liked and respected man, one friend saying that his popularity in the service was almost unparalleled, ‘from the sweetness of his temper, and benevolence of his nature’. In 1785 he had command of the Grampus, in which he went out to the west coast of Africa as commodore of the small squadron there. Unfortunately, he contracted a fever and died on board ship on this date. A friend said of him, ‘He was considered as a brave and skilfull commander, and had that infallible testament – the affection of his crew.’ Despite his prominent career, he is probably better known as a literary figure. His nickname in the navy was ‘Rhyming Thompson’. He was famous for having edited an edition of the works of Andrew Marvell and also John Oldham and Paul Whitehead. He was excellent at comic poems but also wrote dramatic works and sea shanties, taking inspiration from his own sea voyages.

JANUARY 18TH

1921: In 1865, the Hull Seaman’s and General Orphan Society was established to house children whose fathers had been lost at sea. The orphanage was opened in 1866 for children who had seafaring connections with, or were born in, the port of Hull or its ancient limits of Bridlington, Grimsby and Goole, or within 7 miles of Trinity House. The Wilsons, the well-known shipping family, donated generously to the orphanage, paid for extensions to be built and even organised summer excursions for the orphans. In 1916, the Wilson Company was bought out and so the orphanage lost a major source of its funding. By 1920, it was necessary for it to change premises and it moved into Hesslewood Hall. On January 18th 1921, girls first arrived at this new home, the boys following in February. For over 100 years the orphanage bathed, fed, clothed, educated, housed and took responsibility for the health of hundreds of orphans, whose motto was ‘courage to climb’.

JANUARY 19TH

2003: On this day, the bassist for Hull band The Gargoyles tragically died in a collision with a car whilst out on his push bike. Paul Warhurst was one of the members of the off-the-wall 1980s band, along with former members of chart-topping band The Housemartins, Hugh Whittaker and Ted Key. Ted stated that, ‘The other band members are devastated, he was much-loved. Paul’s death is a tragic loss to the local music scene.’ He added, ‘I think it’s more sad than anything because The Gargoyles had recently reformed and were planning more gigs.’ The band, in their own words, were on a ‘quest for the absurd’. Their lyrics and song themes were viewed as ridiculous to many, but they had a loyal fan-base and they said the songs made sense to them. Such ideas included travelling around the world on a space hopper! Once, when interviewed by the Hull Daily Mail, Ted shared a memory of the day twenty-three Gargoyles fans crammed into the back of the band’s van on the way home from a gig in Aldershot. ‘Somehow our manager, Marge, managed to drive straight over the top of a roundabout,’ he recalled. ‘It was better than Alton Towers – but luckily, by the time the police arrived we’d managed to hide everyone.’

JANUARY 20TH

1920: The Hull Daily Mail reported an East Hull blaze on this date, detailing heavy damage caused at a seed warehouse. Apparently several thousand pounds’ worth of damage was caused at the warehouse of Mr T. Miller and Mr J. Sisson on Lime Street in the early hours. Fortunately, the blaze was noticed by a policeman out on duty, who called in the fire services directly. The fire, however, was well underway by the time they arrived, with dense volumes of smoke pouring out of the buildings. It spread to the upper part of the building, destroying a cabinet maker’s storage, and the fire crew were said to still be at the premises at four in the afternoon, making the area safe. Then, in the evening, they were again called out to a smaller blaze at Stoneferry, where a lobby had caught fire, and then a third fire was reported at a shop premises in Saville Street which, although small, caused the firemen ‘an unhappy half hour or so’. The flames here were particularly difficult to extinguish as they had been caused by a pan of burning sulphur, meant as a rat-exterminator. Three fires in the space of a few days. Coincidence?

JANUARY 21ST

1994: First constructed in 1810, then opened in 1847, Hull’s Victoria Pier was initially known as Corporation Pier until 1854, when Queen Victoria left the city from this port following her visit to Hull. It had a railway station office, but was one of the few piers in the country with no trains! The station office was used just as a ticket office and waiting room for the Humber Ferry, a ferry service between New Holland and the port of Hull. The building is a handsome red-brick structure, described as including ‘a central dormer with shouldered coped gable topped with a finial and containing a clock, and a trefoil with the company’s initials’. Fortunately, this grand construction will stay with us for quite some time, as it became a listed building on this date. Originally a two-tier affair, the pier itself was a beautiful creation and became a popular place for a perambulation. The ferry service was also extremely popular until the opening of the Humber Bridge. The last ferry, named the Faringford, left the pier on June 24th 1981.

JANUARY 22ND

1912: The Hull Daily Mail printed a photograph of the stranded RMS Bayardo on this date. Built just the previous year, by Earls of Hull for the Wilson Line, she ran aground just off Alexandra Dock on January 21st, whilst returning from Gothenburg on her thirteenth voyage. The caption accompanying the photograph stated how the ship had run aground on the Middle Sand in the Humber and it was feared her back was broken. She was pictured a few more times in the paper, being aided by a lighter and tugs, until being declared a total loss.

The same paper also ran a story on this date entitled ‘The Boy and his Mouth’ about schoolboy Robert Wilson, who apparently made a bet that he had a larger mouth than any of his friends. As proof he inserted a billiard ball between his jaws, which got stuck, and it took two hours and three doctors to remove it. Poor Robert lost five front teeth for his daring wager!

JANUARY 23RD

1790: World-renowned ship HMS Bounty, known for its infamous mutiny, was burned on this date. Originally known as Bethia, the ship was built in Blaydes shipyard in Hull in 1784. It was used as a coal transporter until it was bought by the Royal Navy for £2,600 and refitted in 1787. It was sent to the South Seas under the command of Lieutenant William Bligh to collect breadfruit plants. The idea was to try and grow the plant in the West Indies, where it would be a cheap source of food for slaves working on the sugar plantations. It was an arduous ten-month voyage to Tahiti, the cramped crew of forty living in an area that usually housed fifteen. Some say it was the contrast between these living conditions and the five months of freedom, living on land and gathering plants in Tahiti, that led to the mutiny on the journey home. William and those loyal to him were set adrift in the open oceans whilst the mutineers took charge of the Bounty and settled in the Pitcairn Islands, where they burned the boat to avoid detection. That area is now known as Bounty Bay and parts of the famous wreck can still be found there.

JANUARY 24TH

1986: On this date the Hull Daily Mail ran a story on a legend from the 1800s. The tale concerned Hull’s Ha’penny Bridge – otherwise known as South Bridge – opened in the 1860s as a toll bridge, presumably the fee being a ha’penny. The bridge was built to give better access to the newly built Victoria Dock, as it was easier than the ferry system used by workers to reach the dock. The newspaper stated that the ghost of a girl apparently haunted the bridge. Hull girl Louise was abandoned by her lover, Robert D’Onston, for a rich heiress. He is said to have finished their affair on the bridge at midnight one night in August 1867, but Louise made him promise that, alive or dead, they would meet there again in one year’s time. Robert kept his promise but when he arrived at the bridge one year later he was greeted by the ghost of his former lover, pacing the bridge. The newspaper reported that the bridge disappeared from records during the war and no one seems to know quite what happened either to the bridge or the ghost of poor broken-hearted Louise.

JANUARY 25TH

2008: Tracy Seaward was born in Hull and attended Wolfreton School, followed by Hull College. She then went on to study film and cultural studies at Leeds, forging a successful career thereafter as a well-known film producer. Considered as one of the film industry’s most respected producers, Tracy has worked on a number of acclaimed films including Dirty Pretty Things, which was nominated for the 2003 European Film Award and the 2003 Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film. She produced ExistenZ (1999), The Good Thief (2002), The Constant Gardener (2005), War Horse (2011) and The Queen, which was awarded the BAFTA Award for Best Film in 2007. Tracy was also trusted with the honour of being the producer of the Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony in London 2012. On January 25th 2008, she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Hull in recognition of her work. This also cemented the university’s reputation as one of the country’s premier universities for drama and film studies. It was the first university in the world to launch a Master’s Degree in British Cinema in 2007.

JANUARY 26TH

1968: The Kingston Peridot was the second Hull trawler to be lost during the triple Hull trawler tragedy of 1968, news of her loss reaching the city just as the realisation of the St Romanus’ demise was dawning. Kingston Peridot set sail on January 10th – the same date as the St Romanus – and, like her, was lost without trace, taking the crew of twenty with her. The Kingston Peridot was in contact with her sister ship, the Kingston Sardius, who received information on the morning of January 26th that Kingston Peridot was to try and head east, closer towards her because of the severe gales which had increased to Force 9, causing a serious build up of ice. This, however, would not be possible until the crew had spent time de-icing the ship. Despite repeated calls from Kingston Sardius over the next twenty-four hours, the Kingston Peridot was never heard of again.

A full-scale alert and search followed but nothing was found. The ship had vanished. One of her life rafts washed ashore on January 29th and on January 30th Hull citizens were made aware of her loss. An official inquiry deduced that the most likely explanation was that Kingston Peridot had capsized on January 26th, or even January 27th, due to severe icing up in the terrible weather conditions.

JANUARY 27TH

1990: On this date The Christians’ album entitled Colour entered the charts at No.1. The Christians were a band formed by Hull-born musician Henry Priestman. When quizzed about the name of their band, which at first seems overtly religious, it became clear that the name was inevitable, as the other band members were brothers whose surname was Christian – the same as Henry’s middle name! Henry wrote the songs but also played guitar, keyboard and accordion, as well as performing some backing vocals. Their band sold over 3 million albums for the Island record label and their debut LP created five UK top 30 singles and became the Island’s all-time biggest selling debut album, with UK sales alone exceeding 1 million copies. Henry said that the band had a sponsorship deal with Cheetah who, in the early ’90s, at the height of their success, donated various drum machines, synths and mother keyboards to them. Cheetah were involved with developing a hard-disc recording system and The Christians were asked in 1991 to help demonstrate this revolutionary new product on BBC TV’s peak hour programme Tomorrow’s World. Henry has had a full and varied career and he has been used as a session musician by various top names.

JANUARY 28TH

1904: The Hull Daily News reported the sad story of the loss of two Trinity House boys on this date. H.S. Woodroffe, aged sixteen, and R. Richardson, aged fourteen, were both apprentices on board the Routenburn, a four-masted ship bound for San Francisco. The paper reported that:

The Routenburn was only three days out, when she encountered a fierce gale. Tremendous seas boarded the iron ship, and washed the decks fore and aft. Woodroffe was caught and swept through one of the portholes into the surf and drowned. No one for the moment appears to have been aware of the loss of the lad. Later the weather developed into a hurricane. Immense volumes of water leaped on board, and Richardson was washed overboard. The crew raised the alarm, and a line and life-buoy were secured and thrown to the drowning young fellow. He clutched the line and was dragged through the sea safely until he was alongside of the ship’s side. They were hauling him on board when, from sheer exhaustion, he dropped the rope and was drowned. Both lads were well conducted, and most popular with all the crew. Their untimely end cast a gloom over the entire ship.

JANUARY 29TH

1883: On this date the SS Lord Cardigan, one of numerous ships built at Martin Samuelson’s shipyard in Hull, was lost at sea. The SS Lord Cardigan was built and launched in the first year of the shipyard’s business, named after the commander of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War in 1854. Martin set up his shipyard in 1849, which eventually covered 12 acres and forever after the area has been known locally as Sammy’s Point. The Hull Free Press described Martin as a man full of energy, ‘who bowled along like an express train’. One of the highlights of his career was in 1863, when he launched four vessels from his shipyard, drawing thousands of spectators to watch the spectacle. Martin was an honourable man and was both Mayor and Alderman of Hull in his time. In the first ten years of his business he built ninety-five vessels, mostly steamers, and it is said by 1863 ‘the firm built a larger number of vessels than any other firm in the kingdom’. The land was subsequently bought by a succession of owners, all in the ship business, and was then used by the Humber Conservancy as a buoy depot, but was abandoned in the 1980s. The Deep aquarium now stands on the site.

JANUARY 30TH

2009: The Hull Daily Mail interviewed Keith Herd on this date. Keith was responsible for creating Hull’s first recording studio, Fairview Studios, in the 1960s, before even Leeds or Sheffield had one. It became a real success and recorded such bands as The Housemartins, Def Leppard, Shed Seven and guitarist Mick Ronson. He also recorded Hull’s first ever girlband Mandy and the Girlfriends. Mandy began her career aged just thirteen, later forming Mandy and the Girlfriends with four others. They began to practise in Mandy’s garden shed and as news of them spread, the novelty of an all-girl band ensured them various gigs around Hull. Their fame became more widespread and they received invitations from London. On their first gig there they supported The Animals. In 1967, they were asked to perform a tour of US air bases in Germany, which the girls accepted. They became such a hit that they recorded an LP of covers for the men to listen to after their departure. When Keith, aged seventy-two, released a double CD of some of Fairview’s early recordings, Mandy and the Girlfriends opened it with the first two tracks.

JANUARY 31ST

1952: On this date the Hull-based healthcare firm Seven Seas Ltd was founded. The company explained that cod liver oil had a long history as a popular folk medicine among Nordic and Scottish fishermen. In the eighteenth century, scientific research apparently endorsed its reputation as it was conclusively demonstrated that cod liver oil could help to fight the effects of malnutrition. It quickly became accepted by the medical profession as a mainstay in combating the diseases of poverty. By the early twentieth century, cod liver oil was a vital tool in the battle against the crippling bone disease rickets, after it was discovered that it was a rich source of bone-building vitamin D, vitamin A and polyunsaturated fats. A consortium of East Yorkshire trawler owners invested in the commercial production and by 1935 they launched their brand Seven Seas. From then on the company went from strength to strength, being especially sought-after during the Second World War rationings and again with the discovery that cod liver oil was a rich source of Omega-3 nutrients, an important discovery in the treatment of heart conditions. The company was recognised the world over and more than 250 people were employed at the Hull branch, until its closure in 2012.

FEBRUARY 1ST

1902: This was the date that seventy-eight-year-old Anne Todd died. The unfortunate lady was almost beaten to death by two intruders who broke into her Cottingham home in February of the previous year, but she survived until nearly a year later. Apparently, the law states that if a victim dies of their injuries within a year of their attack, it is classed as murder. Her injuries were most severe but she did manage to tell police that her attackers had been a man and a woman. After that her memory failed, which was a shame as the intruders left Anne’s purse, containing £8, untouched, leaving a large question mark over the motive.

1960: On this date the countryside magazine, Dalesman, attempted to explain that aged ditty connected with Hull; From Hell, Hull, and Halifax, Good Lord, deliver us. Dating back as far as the 1600s and named the Beggar’s Litany, it is said to be a thief’s plea to be spared the harsh punishment these three places all offered. In Hull, criminals were hanged and sometimes tied to gallows in the Humber Estuary at low tide and left to drown as the sea returned, and Halifax had a device to behead any thief who stole anything to the value of more than 13p!

FEBRUARY 2ND

1911: At a mass meeting of railwaymen on this date, it was decided that a strike was to be called on the fourth of the month. Like other groups of transport workers, many railwaymen worked in poor conditions, receiving low wages and being involved in high-risk occupations. The Board of Trade reported in October 1903 that long periods of duty, up to and exceeding eighteen hours, were still common. Unionisation was considered to be synonymous with insubordination. By 1911, the unions claimed that employers constantly refused to recognise the voices of the union at negotiations. This particular strike in February was called in support of six fish porters and four casual workers at Paragon Station, who had been dismissed over wage disagreements. There was also strong resentment for the increasing substitution of boys for adult male labour in fish-portering. The strikes meant that a general stoppage on the railway system would take place. Initially, on the Friday night goods and passenger traffic was kept running but as men came off their shifts they joined the strike, until both skilled and unskilled workers were picketing side by side. The strike lasted three days, ending with the promise that the points at issue would be addressed at the next conciliation meeting.

FEBRUARY 3RD

1999: Charles Bronson, known as Britain’s most disruptive prisoner, took a hostage in Hull Prison on this date after hearing that his grandmother had died. Friends postulate that Charles was distressed because he had missed his father’s funeral and felt he had let his mother down by not being present. Phil Danielson was taking a tutorial in the prison when Bronson burst in and took him hostage at knife-point for forty-three hours. It is said that during the ordeal, Charles carried a makeshift spear and tied a leather skipping rope round the neck of Mr Danielson. However, this was not the first time that Bronson was involved in a jail hostage-taking. Charles was originally given seven years for armed robbery in 1974 but stayed in prison – spending twenty-two years in solitary confinement – due to repeated attacks on prison staff. Mr Danielson was awarded £65,000 compensation from the Home Office and Bronson was given a further life sentence.

FEBRUARY 4TH

1988: The Hull Daily Mail