The Beatles

The Beatles appeared at the ABC on the 13th November, 1963. While in Plymouth, the Beatles were interviewed for a tv show made by Westward Television called, 'Move Over, Dad!' The interviewer was Stuart Hutchison. So many fans blocked the street, that the Beatles had to be taken through a tunnel, from the ABC to Westward Studios, to be interviewed. The concert very nearly didn't take place as Paul had been suffering from gastric flu and their booked appearance at Portsmouth on the previous night was cancelled because of this.

Below is a transcript of the Beatles interview with Stuart Hutchison;

Hutchison: 'Well Paul, how are you after your collapse we read about?' Paul: 'I didn't really collapse. That was just the naughty newspapers, writing it. Misquote! Nah, I just had a bit of flu, you know. I'm fine today, thank you.' Hutchison: 'You're feeling alright?' Paul: (in a comical voice) 'Lovely. Real lovely.' Hutchison: 'How are the rest of you? How are you going to avoid catching...?' John: (in a pathetic voice) 'We're fine, thank you.' George: 'Oh, we're OK. Yeah, great.' Hutchison: 'Are you taking any cold prevention, now?' Paul: 'Yeah, I'm taking 'em all. Got 'em all.' John: (quietly) 'It's only 1/6 a tube.' (Paul giggles) Hutchison: 'How about these escape plans you keep beating about? You got out of one place disguised as policemen.' Beatles: 'No, no!' George: 'We didn't, actually. We put the policemen's helmets on...' Paul: 'Just for a laugh, you know.' George: 'Yeah.' Paul: 'The policemen said, 'Aww, let's have a laugh, and put these helmets...' George: 'We jumped out of the van, and you know... The press were there to take the photographs, so we jumped out with the helmets on. So the next day it was...' Paul: 'The next day you read in the papers...' George: '...here they are, disguised.' Ringo: 'Have you ever seen a policeman in a corduroy coat?' John: 'I have. I saw one back in 1832, I think.' Ringo: 'He knows, you see.' Hutchison: 'Did you put the helmets on over the haircuts?' Paul: 'Yeah.' Ringo: 'Sure.' John: 'Well, we couldn't put them underneath.' (Beatles laugh) Paul: 'And I also read in the papers today, there's a man who said we wear wigs!' Ringo: (loudly) 'We don't!' Paul: 'We don't. Honest. Feel it.' Hutchison: 'True. It's lovely, yes. Oh, on this program a few weeks ago, somebody said the Beatles haircut was going out because the fringe was so long you couldn't see the birds. What comment have you got to make on that?' John: (yells) 'It's a dirty lie!' George: (laughs) Paul: 'We can see quite well. I can see quite well, thanks, John.' George: 'Well, some of us can.' (laughter) Hutchison: 'Are you looking forward to doing it tonight?' Beatles: 'Yeah! Paul: 'Of course.' Hutchison: 'Well, they've all been looking forward to seeing you, and they're out there now. Thank you very much, boys.' Beatles: 'Thank you.' John: 'Pleasure.'

The Beatles visited the ABC again on the 29th October, 1964.

The Beatles visited a third time in September 1967 while filming the Magical Mystery Tour and pictures appear of them sitting on the Hoe overlooking the Sound.

Charles Darwin

At Devil's Point, at the end of Durnford Street, there is a plaque commemorating the sailing from Barn Pool, at Mount Edgcumbe, of HMS Beagle. Charles Darwin's journey is mentioned in the Quarterly Review of 1840: 'On the 27th November, 1831, the well-manned, well-appointed and well-provided Beagle sailed from Barn Pool, and having circumnavigated the globe, and accomplished all the objects the expedition had in view, as far was practical, she anchored at Falmouth on the 2nd October, 1836, after and absence of four years and nine months.' Darwin had lived in Plymouth for two months before his famous voyage around the world in HMS Beagle. The ship was captained by Robert Fitzroy. Darwin, who was then just 22 years old, joined the crew as a naturalist. He had a wealthy family who paid the £30 fare needed to travel on the Beagle.

When he returned to England, he married Emma Wedgwood, the daughter of the potter, Josiah Wedgwood.

He carried on his research and in 1859, his book, 'The Origin of the Species by Natural Selection' was published in 1859.

Darwin died in 1882 at his home in Orpington, Kent. He is buried at Westminster Abbey.

Kiss me, Hardy

Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy once lived at 156 Durnford Street. Although he rose through the ranks to become a Vice-Admiral, his Naval career is remembered by just three words, 'Kiss me Hardy'. When Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson was fatally wounded aboard HMS Victory in 1805, he was taken below deck where he was later visited by Hardy. Nelson's words to him were, 'Take care of poor Lady Hamilton', before he uttered the immortal words, 'Kiss me, Hardy'. It has been suggested that what Nelson actually said was, 'Kismet, Hardy' meaning that this was his fate. However, that was not the case as many officers present, including his surgeon, William Beatty, who wrote down his words, bore witness to the actual event. When Nelson uttered the words, 'Kiss me, Hardy', Hardy knelt beside him and kissed him on the cheek.Many people think that these were his last words, but, his final words were uttered just before he died three hours after he had been shot. These words were, 'God and my country'. A young sailor from Cawsand, Lieutenant John Pollard, was a midshipman on the Victory when Nelson was fatally wounded. Although not a well known name now, it was Pollard who shot and killed the enemy sailor who shot Nelson. He was known thereafter as, 'Nelson's Avenger'. However, several other men also claimed to have shot the Frenchman. In An Authentic Narrative of the Death of Lord Nelson by Sir William Beatty, published in 1807, he wrote: 'There were only two Frenchmen left alive in the mizzen-top of the Redoubtale at the time of his Lordship's being wounded and by the hands of these he fell. At length one of them was killed by a musket ball; and on the others then attempting to make his escape from the top down the rigging, Mr Pollard (Midshipman) fired his musket at him and shot him in the back when he fell dead from the shrouds on the Redoutable's poop.' Beatty's account supports Pollard being the 'avenger'.

The Blitz of 1941

During the Second World War, the heaviest attacks on the city came in 1941. In the two intensive attacks on the 20 and 21 March, 336 people lost their lives. Five further attacks in April brought the toll to 590. There was hardly a building in Plymouth that wasn’t touched in some way by the Blitz. Much of the city centre was obliterated and although many buildings remained amongst the debris, most were damaged beyond repair. It’s hard now to imagine the total devastation the bombing caused. Many of the most popular streets, Bedford Street, Union Street, Old Town Street, Frankfort Street, Cornwall Street, George Street etc were either totally destroyed or severely damaged. Major buildings such as the Guildhall, the Municipal Buildings, St Andrew’s Church, Charles Church and the General Post Office were obliterated. Many schools were also hit. These included Plymouth High School for Girls, the Hoe Grammar School and the infants school at Summerland Place. Many churches were destroyed also including St James the Less, King Street Methodist, St Peter’s, George Street Baptist and many other. The bombing was indiscriminate and destroyed anything that got in its way. In the dockyard, the bombing was bad but not as damaging as would have been thought and within a few months, it was back to 90% efficiency. Outside the city, the bombing was just as devastating and areas affected included Devonport, Stonehouse, St Budeaux, Swilly and Saltash Passage. Devonport lost many buildings including the Post Office, the Alhambra Theatre, the Synagogue, the Hippodrome and the Salvation Army Headquarters. Residential houses that were either destroyed or beyond repair amounted to 3,754.Others that were seriously damaged but able to be repaired amounted to 18,398. Houses that were slightly damaged amounted to an additional 49,950. It’s hard to imagine today, unless you’ve lived through it, such devastation to a city. Many children were packed off to live with relatives, friends or obliging families in safe areas in the countryside. Thousands left on special trains and many saw it as an adventure while others were upset to leave their parents behind. Lady Astor said at the time, 'What helped the evacuation was that everyone seemed to have a cousin in the country!'. News of the devastation of Plymouth soon reached the rest of the world and gifts arrived from all over particularly the United States who sent ambulances, soft toys, food packages and surgical dressings. The Royal Sailors Rest received crates of supplies so large that they were unable to get them into the building. At the end of the war, there were a total of 4,448 casualties due to the raids and heavy bombing of the city. Throughout it all though, the people of Plymouth remained strong and there were regular dances on the Hoe almost in defiance of the enemy as they bombed the city. Plymouth was reborn after the war and the city was rebuilt almost from scratch. Few buildings remained in the heart of the city that were there before the war and even now, the city is constantly changing.

Lawrence of Arabia

T E Lawrence was stationed at Mount Batten in Plymouth and was posted to RAF Cattewater during March 1929 and stayed in Plymouth until

1935 where he worked on high-speed boats.

Previously, at the beginning of the First World War, Lawrence had been a university post-graduate researcher and had travelled extensively within the Ottoman Empire. When he volunteered his services, he was posted to Cairo. Lawrence fought with the Arab troops against the enemy forces of the Ottaman Empire. In 1918, he was involved in the capture of Damascus and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. After the War, his fame spread and he became known as Lawrence of Arabia.

When he joined the RAF in 1922, he enlisted as John Hume Ross to protect his identity. This was discovered in 1923 and he was forced out of the RAF. He changed his name to T E Shaw and enlisted in the Royal Tank Corps. He was unhappy there and petitioned the RAF to re-accept him, which they did in 1925.

He died aged 46 in a motor bike accident near his cottage in Wareham.

There is a plaque at Turnchapel which commemorates Lawrence. It reads:

'Lawrence of Arabia 1888-1935.

On his return from India in 1929 T.E. Lawrence, under the assumed name of Shaw, was posted to a flying boat squadron at RAF Mount Batten he remained in the marine craft section until his discharge 19 February 1935.'

The Ferry House Inn

The original house where the Ferry House Inn stands in Saltash Passage was built in 1575. It was recorded that it was converted into an Inn in 1850. However, in other records, the landlord in 1812 is said to be a Mr John Sole. Perhaps the
1850 date is wrong and maybe it should be 1805.

The Inn got its name from the ferry that left from the slipway opposite. Before the building of the Royal Albert Bridge, the ferry ran along the route of the bridge and not from the front of the Ferry House Inn which may suggest that the Inn had a different name originally. The history of the Inn itself seems very scant though there is much recorded about the ferry.

The ferry ran for at least six hundred years and carried passengers across the Tamar long before the Inn or the building existed.

Daniel Defoe,the author of Robinson Crusoe, crossed here in 1724 and wrote, 'the Tamar here is very wide, and the ferry boats bad, so that I thought myself well escaped when I got safe on shore in Cornwall.'

For many years, the Inn has provided food and drink for passengers on their way to Cornwall via the ferry.

It is still open for business although the last ferry ran in October 1961 the day before the Tamar Bridge opened to traffic.

The Inn is said to be haunted but no-one knows by who. Perhaps it's the ghost of an earlier landlord, the aptly named John Sole.

Plymouth Trams

Transport played a big part in linking the three towns. Plymouth's first tramway was opened in 1872 by the Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport Tramways Company. Before the advent of electricity, the trams were pulled by horses. The 4ft 8 inch track ran from Derry's Clock, along Union Street, over Stonehouse Bridge and ended at Cumberland Gardens in Devonport. In 1874, the line was extended to run to Fore Street in Devonport. Electric trams took over from the horse drawn ones in the early 1900's and the service eventually covered most of the area known today as Plymouth.

The photo shows a tram at Saltash Passage. Saltash Passage would have been the last stop by the river before this tram headed off back into the town. In 1923, the line was extended from St Budeaux along a track that had been closed since the First World War. The trip from the pier to Saltash Passage covered a remarkable 9 miles and was the longest journey in the city. The fare was 4d. This one's marked 'Theatre' and its final destination would have been by Derry's Clock.

By 1922, motor buses were running in the city and trams became a less viable proposition. In 1941, only the tramline from Drake's Circus to Peverell was still in use but this was discontinued after the war and the city's last tram ran on 29th September 1945.