David Soul's appearance in Plymouth in 1977

Nowadays, it's hard to imagine  the excitement that took place in Plymouth when David Soul turned up one evening at a boxing match in the city early in 1977. The story was exclusively revealed in the following day's Sunday Independent. At the time, Starsky and Hutch was incredibly popular on the tv and any programme that featured David Soul or Paul Michael Glaser was watched by millions. The seventies was a time when thousands of fans would turn out at airports and bring everything to a standstill. Other acts who'd experienced this during the 1970s included the Osmonds, David Cassidy and, of course, the Bay City Rollers (who also appeared in Plymouth).
David was soon interviewed by Westward Television and it was revealed that he was in the city to make a movie, which was originally called 'Mud.' He was so popular at the time that it had to be kept secret where he was staying but, as Westward had interviewed him in his hotel room, it soon became apparent to many that he was staying at the Holiday Inn and soon the area was deluged by fans. He was quickly moved and stayed at the Devon Tors Hotel, just by the roundabout at Yelverton.
I was at school at the time and many kids said that their dads had been drinking at the Moorland Links Hotel in the evening and David had been there and had a chat with them and even sung a couple of songs.
The local papers were full of stories about the film and the Sunday Independent regular featured photos, one of which showed David skinny-dipping at Denham Bridge. Soon after, he contracted pneumonia and the story was reported in the Times of 20th May 1977. It read:
'Actor and singer David Soul, co-star of the television series Starsky and Hutch, has been admitted to a London hospital after suffering from pneumonia.
Work on the motion picture 'Mud,' in which the blonde actor is starring, came to a halt when he was taken from the film's South Devon location to London on Thursday.
Soul had been feeling ill throughout the week but said he thought he had been suffering only from influenza. On Wednesday he flew to Glasgow to top the bill in the Scottish Jubilee Royal Variety show attended by Queen Elizabeth.'
One newspaper story reported how a girl from Plymouth had begged her parents to take her to Hollywood and the set of Starsky and Hutch to hopefully meet her heroes. However, when they arrived, they discovered that Soul was filming just ten miles away from her home.
At the time, I would have loved to have seen the filming taking place. One day, I was out with my parents in our car and there was the film crew gathered near the cricket club at Yelverton. My dad wouldn't stop the car, so that's all I saw. The next day, I decided to catch the bus and travel to the same spot to see if filming was still taking place. There was nothing going on, so I stayed on the bus. A few seats away from me was the actor, 

Tony Melody. I recognised him from comedies on the television but, at the time, had no idea that he was also in the film. He got off the bus at Dousland presumably to continue filming and I missed my chance to see the film in production. From the newspaper reports, it appeared that shooting was taking place at Maristow, so I walked from Yelverton to Lopwell Dam, which seemed endless. I saw nothing, realised there was no bus service and had to walk all the way back home! It was certainly a long day.

Westward Television showed occasional clips from the movie, most of which showed David slipping up in cow manure!

As far as I remember, the movie had its premier in Plymouth the following year. By then, its name had been changed from 'Mud' to 'The Stick-Up.' Unfortunately, the movie was panned by critics and seemed to be hardly shown anywhere afterwards. I still have never seen it and, unusually, it's never been shown on tv in the 37 years since! I see recently, however, copies of the DVD, previously unavailable in the UK, have been popping up on ebay so perhaps, one day, I'll get around to watching it.

I never did get to meet David Soul but a few months later, my mum gave me a copy of his album which had been signed by him. The Music Box at St Budeaux had managed to get copies of his LP signed at the Moorland Links for various customers but several never picked them up for some reason. My copy said 'to Julie' but that never really bothered me! Like most things I had in the 1970s, it's long since disappeared!

Robert Lenkiewicz, a treasure hunt and a forgotten cannonball

I recently walked down to the Barbican to look at Robert Lenkiewicz's quickly deterioring mural, located close to the premises of the South West Image Bank. It seems a shame that the council didn't preserve the artwork or allow it to be restored while Lenkiewicz was still alive.

I met Robert Lenkiewicz only twice and he was a man of a few words and was always accompanied by a girlfriend decades younger than himself. One meeting was in the queue for the ABC cinema in about 1989. It was evening and he was dressed in his familiar black smock and red scarf, complete with young girlfriend. I think the movie showing was John Cleese's 'Clockwise' (which was awful).
The first time I met him, though, involves a far more interesting (and ridiculous) story. It was about 1981 and I was still in my teens. My brother worked as a black cab taxi driver and said that he had had someone in his cab who was a film director. He was making a film, supposedly, about a treasure hunt featured in a booklet and, apparently, the clues led to Plymouth. He asked my brother if he knew anyone with a metal detector and he remembered that I had one so, without telling me, he sent him around to my parent's house. Anyway, an overweight man, with straggly grey hair and beard, a nylon mustard-coloured polo neck jumper, and a huge gold medallion around his neck, arrived in a clapped-out Mini. He looked all the part of a film director and, after he had a cup of coffee (with six sugars), I located my metal detector and we set off to the Barbican. Of course, now, with hindsight, I can see it would have been better to tell him that I was too busy! So, we drove towards the Barbican and he told me about the book and how the author had hidden buried treasure somewhere in the British Isles. He also told me that his company had filmed Mari Wilson's (long forgotten) first video. So, we arrived on the Barbican and parked by Lenkiewicz's mural (you could park anywhere, free, in those days). The film director (I don't think he ever did tell me his name) explained that the clues suggested that one of the characters in the painting pointed to the location of the treasure which, in this case, was the flower bed directly in front of the mural. At this point, Robert Lenkiewicz appeared (complete with young girlfriend) and it became apparent that he and the film director had some sort of history. As their conversation progressed, I learned that the film director had been digging in the flower bed the previous night, someone had called the police and he had ended up spending the night in a cell. Lenkiewicz thought that this was great fun, although he said little else. So, I was asked to turn on the metal detector and I waved it over the flower bed. Straightaway, I got a very loud signal and clearing away the dirt, discovered a cannon ball which measured about 4 inches in diameter. It was obviously hundreds of years old and must have been in the soil when the flower bed was first constructed (the flower bed appeared to have been built some time in the 1950s or 1960s). It would have been good to keep but the director 'bagged' it for himself and said that it would make a good paper weight for his desk back in London. By now, Lenkiewicz had got bored and had gone back to his studio. I was bored too but the director wanted to try one more location which was in the flower beds in Frankfort Gate. I refused to metal detect in the middle of the town but went with him anyway. He happily dug around one of the trees and some kids laughed as they went by and shouted, 'Look, it's Percy Thrower!'
After that, he dropped me home and set off to London in a Mini that didn't look like it would complete its journey. It seemed a very long day and I was very relieved to return back.
I never heard anymore about the director, the proposed treasure hunt film, or the cannon ball, and didn't meet Lenkiewicz again until I was behind him in the cinema queue in 1989.
This story is certainly ludicrous and I'm not sure how many people will find it interesting but it's the only Lenkiewicz related story I have!
Incidentally, I'm sure someone with a metal detector will think that the flower bed in front of Lenkiewicz's mural is worth checking out. I never went back to it and I'm sure no-one else, apart from a council gardener, has ever dug further than a few inches. Of course, I wouldn't suggest digging up council property so any secrets therein will, probably, remain hidden.
The moral of this story is, of course, never talk to strangers (especially if they tell you they're a film director).

The Sweeney comes to Plymouth

In the 1970s, one of the coolest programmes on British television was 'The Sweeney' starring John Thaw and Dennis Waterman. Both stars came to Plymouth in the 1980s. John Thaw filmed, mainly at Cawsand, a long-forgotten film from Westward Television about Francis Drake.
In the early 1980s, Dennis Waterman came to Plymouth, along with Rula Lenska, to take part in the poppy day remembrance ceremony during November. For some reason, the ceremony was held at the bottom of the escalator beside C&A's in the old Drake Circus shopping centre. I went along to see it all and there was quite a crowd of people waiting. I don't remember much about the day except that Rula looked very friendly and Dennis

looked a bit stern. Maybe he was just being sombre for the event. I took many photos which I've just found recently so here they are! I think that maybe they were both appearing at the Theatre Royal at the time so it should be easy to track down the exact date. 

           

Footnote: It appears that Dennis and Rula appeared in Cinderella in Plymouth in 1985 alongside Peter Purves.

The Santa Claus Ship 1914

In November 1914, America sent a ship full of Christmas gifts for war orphans in Plymouth. American newspapers reported on 26th November that the 'Santa Claus Ship' was met with much joy and that Plymouth and Devonport had been festooned with decorations to welcome the Americans. Huge crowds gathered to greet the Jason as warships directed it into the harbour. Lord Kitchener sent a message expressing the army's gratitude which was read at a banquet to the ship's officers. America, at the time, were still neutral and the Christmas gifts were supplied to orphaned children of all troops, on both sides. The ship was loaded with 8,000 tons of gifts comprising of 5,000,000 separate articles which had been donated by American children and were destined for British, Belgian, French, German and Austrian children whose fathers were away fighting in the war. The ship was officially welcomed by Earl Beauchamp, the president of the council, on behalf of the government. He was accompanied by Mr F D Acland, the Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs, together with a large gathering of naval and military officers. Among the greetings awaiting the ship was one from the Queen to the wife of the American Ambassador. In her letter, the Queen wrote: ‘I am anxious to express, through you, my warm appreciation of this touching proof of generosity and sympathy and to ask you to be so kind as to convey my heartfelt thanks to all who have contributed towards these presents, which will, I am sure, be gladly welcomed by the children for whom they are intended and received with gratitude by their parents.' The scheme was initiated by the Chicago Herald and a Mr O'Loughlin, who represented the journal, stated that 200 other newspapers throughout the United States had assisted in the project. As well as an enormous collection of toys, gifts also included shoes, boots, clothing, sweaters and stockings. So much was collected that 100,000 tons of presents had to be left behind. While the Jason was at Plymouth, gifts were left for British and Belgian children before the ship carried on its journey to Marsailles to deliver presents to

German children. It then continued on to Genoa to distribute gifts to further German and Austrian children. Gifts heading for Russia were loaded on to a different vessel. This story and many others can be found in my new book, 'Plymouth in the Great War,' which is available at all good bookshops.

Mary Newman and Saltash Passage

There's no evidence whatsoever that Mary Newman, the wife of Sir Francis Drake, ever lived in Saltash and almost certainly didn't live in the house known as 'Mary Newman's Cottage.' Her connections with St Budeaux are well known and she was married to Drake at the church at Higher St Budeaux on 4th July, 1569. Perhaps an article in the Western Morning News of Friday 24th May 1935 offers a more plausible answer to where Mary Newman might have lived. Reverend T.A. Hancock, the then vicar at Higher St Budeaux, was interviewed for the article about forthcoming celebrations connected with Drake. Part of the article reads:
'As far as I know, there is no real evidence of the fact that Mary Newman was residing at Saltash at the time of her marriage, he added, and pointed out that in Mr Bracken's 'History of Plymouth' it states that 'the frequent occurrence of the name Newman in the registers indicates that her family were natives of St Budeaux, and accounts for her marriage in her own parish church.'
'My own personal opinion,' said Mr Hancock, 'is that Saltash in connection with Mary Newman, has been confused with Saltash Passage. Saltash Passage was in the ecclesiastical parish of St Budeaux, but in the civil parish of St Stephens-by-Saltash and in the county of Cornwall. Not only was Mary Newman married in St Budeaux Church but also her sister.'
There are two buildings that come to mind that date to this period. One is the Ferry House Inn, which was built in 1575(six years after her wedding) and the other is the old barn off Normandy Hill (shown in photo). Whether Mary Newman ever stayed at either will probably never be known as records relating to her life are generally sparse.

The Fair at Plymouth

Regular fairground attractions appear on Plymouth Hoe every year especially during the school holidays. The fair has been visiting this part of the city for well over 100 years. The original site was at West Hoe and popular rides back then included the Helter Skelter, the motor car switchback, the carousel and the swing boats. There were also rifle ranges, a coconut shy and stalls where you could throw a ball to win prizes. Many of the photos shown here come from Hancock's Fair which was touring in the late 1800s onwards. Hancock's Fair of 1910 included side-shows, roundabouts, switchbacks and competitions including a beauty show, a baby show and a wrestling match. Also appearing that year was Professor Bianchi who was described as 'the greatest foot equilibrist in the world.'

The fairground was destroyed by fire during 1913 as suffragettes protested against the arrest of Mrs Pankhurst. The Western Gazette of Friday 9th December 1913 reported:

'A large timber yard in Richmond Walk, Devonport, was totally destroyed by fire on Monday morning and great damage was done to property adjoining belonging to Hancock's World Fair. Suffragettes literature was found on the scene of the outbreak, which is the place where Mrs Drummond and other militants recently awaited the landing of Mrs Pankhurst from America, not knowing that she had already been arrested.

Some of the occupants of the World's Fair's vans had narrow escapes. Miss Hancock was in great distress on Monday. 'We are completely ruined,' she tearfully told a press representative. 'About £3,500 worth has gone and we have not a penny of insurance. Times have been very bad lately and we thought we might save the premiums. When the suffragettes were here to rescue Mrs Pankhurst, I said they were brave women and I got into trouble for it. I think now that they are only cruel, selfish women.'

Hancock's Fair must have recovered from their plight as reports in local papers show them still touring in the 1920s.

By the 1930s, the fair had a new venue but not all were in favour. In June 1935, the council deliberated about allowing the fair on the main part of the Hoe during Regatta week.
Alderman G Scoble stated: 'I have had a good experience of fairs and I have reached the conclusion that the public desires these fairs. Much of the sting of the old complaints has been removed. Instead of blaring trumpets, we will have the sweet music of amplifiers. There will be no nuisance except chip-potato paper and a few things like that. Seeing that we have a Lord Mayor now, we should celebrate the occasion properly with a fair on the Hoe. Nothing would be more enjoyable than to see members of this council on the hobby horses. If the fair is a necessary evil, let us have it on the Hoe.'

However, Alderman Cornish was less than happy with the proposal. He stated: 'If you have any sense of decency, you will not allow this orgy to be perpetrated on what visitors call one of the finest places in the world. An alternative would be to have the fair in the Guildhall Square.'

Alderman G P Dymond also objected stating: 'I remember the last time this fair was held on top of the Hoe, it was said 'Never again!' The disfigurement lasted so long that people were disgusted to think that we allowed the fair to take place on the Hoe at all.'
Other councillors protested about the 'hooliganism and loose play' at the fair on previous years but it was suggested that there should be full police supervision.

After listening to all of the arguments, the council, in its wisdom, decided to allow the fair to take place.
Over the years, the fair has lost none of its appeal and the rides featured are many and varied. Throughout the 1970s, one of the most popular touring fairs was Whiteleggs which will be remembered fondly by many.
As a kid I loved such rides as the dodgems, the cyclone, the waltzers, the big wheel and the big dipper but it would take a lot to get me on one of them nowadays!

Plymouth's Great War by Chris Robinson

My own book about Plymouth in the Great War came out recently and is now available in Waterstones, WH Smiths etc if you want to get a copy. It is also available at Amazon here.
In a day or so, Chris Robinson's book about the First World War, which is called 'Plymouth's Great War - The Three Towns in Conflict' is released and looks a stunning publication. It's packed with photos of Plymouth, the troops and the people of the city. Many of the photos haven't been seen in print before and, like all of Chris's books, it looks an incredible read.

I haven't seen a picture of the cover anywhere, so here's an exclusive. The book is 272 pages and will be published by Pen & Ink Publishing  on October 28, 2014, ISBN 978-0956985873.
I'm pleased to see another book, other than mine, about Plymouth and the First World War and I'm looking forward to reading it very much.


Stanley Gibbon's postal origins

I recently received a very interesting email from Jonathan Hill in Exeter. Although it's known that Stanley Gibbons was from Plymouth, little seems to be known about the origins of his stamp collecting business although it's recorded that his father, William, owned a chemist shop in Treville Street and that Stanley had an interest in stamps from when he was a boy and joined his father's business after the death of his eldest brother. His father encouraged his stamp collecting hobby and a stamp desk was set up within the chemist's shop.
Jonathan's email adds to the story:
'Hello Derek,
I was very interested to read your information about Stanley Gibbons
on your blog (http://plymouthlocalhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/stanley-gibbons.html).
My father Geoffrey Hill, who was born in Plymouth in 1903, used to tell
me about the family's pawn broker's shop they had in Devonport. I
recall my father's grandfather (my great grandfather) was in partnership in the business with a man called Stanley Gibbons, when one day in the 1870s
a sailor came in through the door and threw a canvas kit bag onto the
counter. It was full of Cape triangular stamps. My great grandfather,
being only interested in jewellery, silver and similar antiques,
wasn't impressed, but Gibbons was. He bought the lot from the sailor,
eventually splitting from the business and going to London to set up
as a stamp dealer. I've never read this anywhere else. I haven't got
immediate access to the family tree (it's in storage somewhere), so I
can't say what my great grandfather's name was. I have no reason to suspect my father made this up and hope that one day I'll find out (and prove)
more! The family were antique dealers and pawn brokers in Plymouth
from Victorian times until the Blitz (where the family shop was totally destroyed!).
Best wishes, Jonathan Hill (Exeter).'

Frankfort Gate

The area of Frankfort Gate, together with the nearby premises, was once a bustling shopping area for all the family. Today, it has been 're-branded' as the West End (probably by the same committee that re-branded Plymouth as 'the Ocean City') but was previously just called the 'bottom end of town' by many people. It's still reasonably busy but not so much as it once was.
In the late 1970s, the area, where Toys R Us stands today, was just cleared land which was used as an open car park for most of the time and on certain days, as an open air market. It sold a variety of items such as household wares, shoes, clothes, prints and mirrors featuring the images of Elvis, the Fonz or Starsky and Hutch or, if you were more classy, Southern Comfort. I'm sure that Chris Dawson had a stall there selling items from a large lorry.
Walking across the stretch of land led you to the Odeon Cinema in Union Street which, at the time, had a huge mural of Marilyn Monroe on its side (I wish I had a photo of it). The cinema was hugely popular together with the Drake and the ABC by Derry's Cross.

A zebra crossing took you across the road from the car park to Jack Cohen's Joke Shop. Every boy loved the shop which sold itching powder, stink bombs, inky soap and a variety of other practical jokes and pranks which were played on teachers and parents daily by naughty schoolboys. Jack served in the shop and was lovely to everyone. Further down the street was the Green Shield Stamp shop. Green Shield stamps were given away with everything including shopping and petrol. These were then stuck in a booklet and when you had enough, you could redeem an item from the shop which included things like garden gnomes, clock radios and teasmades as well as many larger items such as lawn mowers. The Co-op also issued stamps which could be redeemed for cash (50p for each book filled).

At the bottom of Frankfort Gate, was a shop selling collectable stamps which stood there for many years. Boys were very keen to collect stamps, as were adults, and apart from stamps the shop also sold albums and other related items. Shops selling collectable coins also traded in the area. Many of the common hobbies of the 1960s and 1970s have now long since died off.

Nearby was Universal Book Stores . They sold second-hand books but also took your old ones in part exchange for others. The great draw for kids was that they had many annuals as well as comics, including endless American ones, which featured superheroes such as Spiderman and Superman.
Then there was the Poster Shop which always seemed to have a poster of Debbie Harry in the window. As well as posters, they sold badges featuring the names of all the latest bands as well as various other stuff, some relating to the cartoon dog, Snoopy. The shop was open for many years. Many shops sold posters at the time and Pace Posters, now long forgotten, were very popular. These could be found in newsagents everywhere and adorned all kids' bedroom walls.
Further up was the London Camera exchange where you could sell or trade-in your old camera for a better one or exchange it for various lenses or other equipment. They also sold films, developed photos and sold other camera accessories. The shop was always full of camera enthusiasts, as was the nearby Wightman photography shop in Market Avenue.
On the corner, nearest the market, was the only charity shop I can remember in town at the time. Oxfam wasn't quite like it is today. It sold clothes as they were donated, none were washed, and the shop had its own peculiar pong. For people who enjoyed visiting, it was easy to find items or clothing dating, sometimes, back to wartime. The whiff of someone's old clothes was always a givaway on the bus back home which mixed with the smell of endless cigarette smoke (sometimes from the driver).
On the other side of the street, as in Union Street, there were various second-hand shops selling things like old televisions, reel-to-reel tape recorders, cine projectors and records and record players. All redundant now due to the digital age.

Across the way, was the indoor market which was always incredibly busy and sold fruit and veg, clothes, pets, jewellery, collectables and knic-knacs. Many kids had a rabbit, hamster or budgie as a pet in the 1970s and the market was the place to get them. The second-hand record stall was very popular and records could be bought or traded in. The stall was there for at least thirty years and had a huge 'wanted' poster, featuring a cowboy and gun, requesting your old records.

Leaving the back door into Cornwall Street, a short walk took you to Woolworth's. Many items seemed to cost 6/6d and they sold everything you needed as well as paintings, one of the most popular being seagulls flying over a Cornish coast (only seen in doctor's waiting rooms nowadays!) I was reminded recently that Woolworth's also had its own photo booth and for 20p you could get a strip of four photos. There was always a queue for the machine but people weren't getting their photos taken for driving licences or passports, it was just the novelty of having your photo taken and seeing it instantly. The photo booth at Bretonside was equally as popular.
Leaving Woolworth's and heading back down to Frankfort Gate, there was just time to pop into Dewdney's to get a pasty. They came in one flavour (meat and potato) and there was always a cat sat in the window. A huge queue would lead out of the shop, which was always packed. It was one of the few fast-food shops of its day. It's just as popular today although the cat's long since gone.
Of course, the area has changed greatly over the years and many of the shops that were once there in the 1970s have gone forever. Today, there's more tattoo shops, takeaways, phone and computer shops and all the things needed for a modern life. Times change but many of the old shops are still fondly remembered.

Derry's Clock and car park in the 1970s

Here's an interesting photo of the open-air car park beside Derry's Clock in about 1971. It's interesting to see all the old cars (all would now be classics) including Ford Prefects and Escorts, Morris Minors, Austin 1100s, Minis and many more.

It's interesting that the wrought iron entrance to the old underground toilets (or pissoirs as they were originally called) still survive in the photo even though they were bombed in the Blitz.

On the left can be seen Derry's Clock and, on the right, is the brick building housing the popular picture house, the ABC. The concrete wall in the middle of the photo was where the queues would form for the cinema when ever a popular film was on. The queue would stretch right back and around the corner. When I was a boy, I remember joining these queues several times to watch Roger Moore in Live and Let Die, Gary Glitter in Remember Me This Way and Clint Eastwood in Every Which Way Was Loose. Most were great films apart from the Gary Glitter one which was awful and my visit to see it is mentioned in my book, A 1970s Childhood.

Of course, the area today is under the Theatre Royal and its adjacent car park although it doesn't seem too long, to me, that it was all just like this. The older you get, the nearer the past seems!

Memories of Glenn Miller

Deryk Maker kindly wrote to me recently with his memories of seeing Glenn Miller in Plymouth in 1944. I wrote about Glenn's visit to the city in a previous blog which can be found here:
http://plymouthlocalhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/glenn-miller.html
I enjoyed reading Deryk's memories very much and I've reproduced his email here so everyone can enjoy reading them:

Hello Derek,
As it is now 70 years since I was lucky enough to attend the Glenn Miller concert at the Odeon Cinema in Plymouth on the 28th August 1944 you might be interested in my recollection of the occasion. At the time I was on a Engineering Cadetship course at the then Plymouth Devonport Technical College, prior to entering the Navy.
I had heard that the concert was open to armed services personnel
only, so rather in hope than expectation I donned my Home Guard
uniform and cycled from my 'digs' in Milehouse down to Frankfort
Street where I was fortunate to not only gain entry to the cinema
packed mainly with US soldiers and sailors but also to stand against a
side wall close to the stage and with an uninterrupted view.
After so many years my memory of the whole programme is now rather
vague but it was my first unforgettable experience of seeing a really
big and famous band in action. I believe the band's lead singer Johnny
Desmond and close harmony singers The Modernaires or an equivalent
group appeared, and at least one of my favourite numbers Tuxedo
Junction, featuring the unison, bite and precision of the brass
section was played, while the distinctive mellow harmony of the saxes
and clarinet was also well in evidence, but whether that good example
of the latter sound, At Last was included I can't recall. The whole
atmosphere was electrifying and the capacity audience clapped, stamped and roared their approval.
The concert finished in the early hours and I emerged from the cinema
to find that my bike had been stolen! - No matter! As I wearily
trudged my way back to Milehouse I reflected on the musical thrill of
a lifetime that I had experienced. I often wonder whether any other
civilians managed to attend too!
Kind Regards,
Deryk Maker.

Smeaton's Tower's colour scheme



When the idea was first suggested to move the lighthouse from the Eddystone Reef to Plymouth Hoe, it wasn't popular with everyone. Many felt that it would ruin the look of the area and a obelisk already stood on the proposed site. The council turned down the idea three times but finally gave into the wishes of the people and the Trinity Board headed by the Duke of Edinburgh.
The Duke laid the foundation stone on the Hoe on 20th October 1882 and the lighthouse was opened to the public on Wednesday 24th September 1884.
Once on the Hoe, Smeaton's Tower was painted in the colours we see today, with a red lantern and red banded stripes. This colour scheme lasted until 1937, when it was decided a new paint scheme would be adopted to coincide with the coronation of George VI.

The Western Morning News of Tuesday 13th April 1937 reported on a council meeting discussing the matter:

Criticism of the plan to paint Smeaton Lighthouse green and stone colour was made by Mr Harry Taylor. Mr Taylor said the present colours of the lighthouse were known to thousands throughout the world and to paint it green and stone colour would alter the entire appearance of the tower. Mrs J Pook seconded. 'With all the alterations proposed on the Hoe, we shall hardly know the place presently,' she said. Mr P Ross defended the proposal and said the new colours would make it look more like a lighthouse. Mr Leatherby said at the moment the lighthouse looked more like a barber's pole.
A voice: 'Take it away, then.'
Mr Leatherby: 'I would, willingly, and I would take away a good many other monuments if I had my way.'

Mr Leatherby said the colours recommended would be more artistic.

The new colour scheme was adopted and lasted into the 1960s when the tower was repainted white with the lantern part painted red, some time during or before 1962. A black band was painted around the base of the lighthouse. This colour scheme lasted until the late 1970s but by 1980 (probably for the Drake 400 celebrations), the original red and white banded colour scheme, which we see today, was once more adopted.

Elephant swims the River Tamar

Here's an interesting photo from the Western Morning News of Monday 9th July 1923.
Under the headline 'Elephant swims Tamar' is the caption 'Julia, of Bostwick and Wombwell's menagerie, prior to swimming the Tamar, assisted in getting wagons on the ferry at Torpoint.'
It sounds an intriguing story. I'll try to find out more.
Update:
Searching through the newspaper archives, I've managed to find the story that goes with the photo and it's an interesting and comical one:
Western Morning News - Monday 9th July 1923.
JULIA'S BATHE.
ELEPHANT LEAPS FROM TORPOINT FERRY.
During the transportation of Bostock and Wombwell's Menagerie across the Hamoaze on Saturday, Julia, a fine female elephant, suddenly snapped her tether, and smashing through the gates of the ferry plunged into the water. She sank deep and for fully a minute and a half, there was no sign of her. The ferry proceeded on its way and just when hope had been given up, Julia's head appeared and she was seen swimming bravely for Torpoint.
When 20 yards from the shore, she heard her keeper's voice and, obedient to the call, turned and swam back towards the ferry. The tide was running strongly and Julia, battling with the current, seemed in danger of being carried away and drowned.
The aid of a steam pinnace was invoked but the captain, apparently misunderstanding what was required, tried to head Julia back to the Cornish shore. Nothing could persuade her to seek her own safety against the urgent call of her keeper, however, and the pinnace steamed to the ferry and took the menagerie on board.
The elephant refused all assistance but at length the keeper succeeded in lassoing her with a chain and the pinnace stood by.
Julia, never heeding, continued her swim and arrived at the Devonport shore apparently little the worse for her bathe.

A man and his son by the pier on Plymouth Hoe

This photo is another ebay bargain and shows a man with his son, pictured with the pier at Plymouth Hoe in the background. The photo must date from between 1937 and 1941 and the clues are all there. Up until 1937, the lighthouse was painted with red bands, much as it is today. However, in 1937, to celebrate the coronation of King George VI, the lighthouse was repainted green and stone, as it is in the background of this photo. The pier, of course, was destroyed in 1941 so it gives a good estimate as to when this photo was taken.
The pier in the background appears quite empty and it had been in decline for some time with much of its popularity being in the earlier part of the century.
It's a pity that it no longer exists. Some people would like to see it replaced but, of course, the project would be too costly so will probably, unfortunately, never happen.
There are many more photos like this one on my Flickr pages at https://www.flickr.com/photos/derektaitoldphotos

A bomb at Smeaton's Tower

Many people won't know about the bomb that was planted in Smeaton's Tower, back in 1913. The story was carried in newspapers up and down the country but the tale has since long been forgotten.

On Monday 21st April 1913, the Dundee Courier carried the following story under the headline 'Bomb is Placed in Lighthouse.' It read:
'A suffragette bomb was placed in Smeaton Tower on Plymouth Hoe and a serious explosion would have occurred if the fuse had not burnt out.
While passing the tower, a man named William Chubb, found in the porch a circular canister, six inches long, containing half a pound of powder. In the cover was a wick saturated with paraffin oil which had evidently been lighted but had been blown out by the wind. Painted in crude letters in black paint on the tin were the words - 'Votes for Women!' 'Death in Ten Minutes!''

The Western Times reported that the canister was handed over to the police who were 'endeavouring to trace the culprits.'

Suffragette bombs had been placed all over the country but the newspapers failed to report if anyone was ever caught for planting the bomb in Smeaton's Tower.
The photo, kindly sent to me by Chris Robinson, shows William Chubb with the redundant canister.

Plymouth's Nazi Salutes

If the Mayor of Plymouth today was to give a visiting dignitary a Nazi salute, there would be, quite rightly so, an uproar. However, this wasn't the case in 1937.
I don't believe that anyone has ever written  about this incident but there it is in black and white in a story published in the Western Morning News of Wednesday 21st July, 1937 under the headline 'Plymothians Give Nazi Salute' the story reads:
'Plymothians saluted their guests in the correct Nazi style last night, when the Lord Mayor, Ald. W.R. Littleton, gave a supper to the team which represented Germany in the recent International motor cycle trials.
They are guests of the city until they embark for Germany tomorrow morning.
When the toast of the King was accorded musical honours, the German guests raised their right arms and not a few joined in the National Anthem. Englishmen responded gallantly as 'Der Fuhrer' was toasted by giving the Nazi salute during the singing of 'Deutschland Uber Alles.'
Nor did it end here. To the chorus of  'For they are jolly good fellows' and cheers for the visitors, they retaliated with three 'Heils' and the 'Horst Wessel' song.
Speeches in German and English were brief and guests and hosts subsequently grouped around a platform for a German sing-song and an English cabaret.
Toasting the guests, the Lord Mayor voiced his pleasure at entertaining 'a very fine body of German sportsmen,' who, although having been in the city for a few hours, where already welcome and at home in its midst.
English visitors to Germany, he said, spoke in wonderful terms of the hospitality accorded and it was hoped that the team's visit to Plymouth would produce very pleasant memories.'
The Germans were later given a tour of the sights including the Guildhall, St Andrew's Church, Smeaton's Tower, the Barbican and the Elizabethan House in New Street. In the afternoon, they took a boat trip to Cargreen and,disembarking at Tinside, they took a swim in the pool.

Yes, I know that's a picture of Charlie Chaplin - I didn't want to look at the other fella...

The Football Battalion

I wrote previously about Plymouth's involvement in the Great War and, with the World Cup recently in the news, I thought that it would be interesting to write about the Football Battalion. There were many battalions formed in the earlier part of the war which involved work colleagues, school friends and sportsmen etc. These were known as the Pals Battalions.
In December 1914, the MP for Brentford, William Johnson-Hicks, had the idea to form the Footballers' Battalion, the 17th Service Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment. By then, there were already many local Pals regiments around the country and battalions featuring sportsmen seemed a good idea. The Saracens and Wasps announced that 98% of their players had joined the Rugby Battalion, however, the Footballers' Battalion had a very limited take up. From 11 Lancashire football clubs, only 40 players enlisted.
By the end of November, 11 players from Argyle had joined the army and recruitment gathered pace. Of the 5,000 professional football players in Britain, 2,000 joined up and approximately 600 were killed in battle.
In January, 1915, a story published in The Times read:
'More than 200 recruits have been enrolled in London for the Football Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment, in addition to 400 from other districts. Among the recruits are several Rugby international players of England, Ireland and Scotland, and the officers include more than one Double Blue. The commanding officer is Colonel C F Grantham, late of the Indian Army, and commissions have been given among others to Vivian J Woodward and Evelyn H Lintott, two well known players.'
At home, Plymouth Argyle had been making plans to join the Football League when war intervened. Professional football continued to be played up and down the country although there were some objections to the sport being continued while men were fighting and being killed overseas. Lord Kitchener's campaign, which included posters stating 'Your country needs you', appealed for fit young men to join the army. Criticism of football was voiced locally because of the three towns' strong military tradition. Local newspapers stopped reporting on match results so they could include page after page of those wounded or killed in battle.

On 2nd September 1914, Moses Russell (left) made his first appearance for Plymouth Argyle in a match against Brighton and Hove Albion. The result for Plymouth was a 2-0 win. Although international football was suspended with the outbreak of war, the Southern League continued. Russell made 25 appearances with Argyle before play was completely suspended in 1915.
He later served as a private in the mechanised transport section of the Army Service Corps and was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Evelyn Lintott (above top), both footballer and officer, was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. He had played for Plymouth Argyle as well as Queen’s Park Rangers before the outbreak of war.
On 8th August 1916, James 'Jimmy' McCormick (below), who played for Argyle 268 times up until 1915, was captured by the Germans during the Battle of the Somme. As a Sergeant in 17th Middlesex, he was badly injured before being captured at Waterlot Farm, Guillemont. He was repatriated in November 1918 and continued to play for Argyle on his return.
On 22nd October 1916, Sergeant William James Baker was killed at Serre during the Battle of the Somme. Baker was a former professional footballer and played for Plymouth Argyle many times. He was 33 years old when he died and was awarded the Military Medal. He is commemorated at the Sucrerie military cemetery at Colincamps.
Norman Wood played for Argyle twice before joining the Footballers' Battalion. He served as a Sergeant and was killed on 28th July, 1916 at Delville Wood during the Battle of the Somme.
Jack Cock, another Argyle player, was awarded the military medal for bravery in the field. He was, at one time, recorded as ‘missing, presumed dead’, but survived the war and went on to play for England.
There were many other heroic footballers who fought in the war. Luckily, the majority of those who enlisted survived the war but many were never to play football again.

Incidentally, for anyone looking out for my new book 'Plymouth in the Great War', it will be published by Pen and Sword and released in October. I was hoping for an August publishing date but, unfortunately, it's out of my hands.　

Derek Dougan, Cooper's News, West Park 1972

Back in the 1970s, Derek Dougan was a huge star so it was a bit of a surprise when my mum came home from the shop where she worked and said that he would be signing copies of his new book there. The shop was Cooper's News at West Park (formerly Eastabrooks) which was a small newsagents, now long gone. I wqas at junior school then, at the nearby Knowle Primary, where one of the playtime pastimes involved swapping football cards (we all had a collection).
The book was called 'The Sash He Never Wore' and the year was 1972. Derek appeared at the shop at 7pm at night and there was a crowd of kids (mainly boys) waiting for him. For some reason, I didn't go but the manager of the shop, Clive Thomas (who was a lovely bloke), kindly got me his autograph (which I still have) and a signed copy of his book (which unfortunately disappeared years ago). I was pleased to have them.
Years later, I wonder if anyone else remembers Derek's visit to West Park, even then it seemed an odd venue for him to sign his books.

Tom Baker at Dingles in Plymouth on 21 June, 1976

This interesting photo of Tom Baker, appearing at Dingles on 21st June 1976, appeared in the Herald recently.

I was at the event all those years ago and there's a photo, that I took on the day, further back on my blog. I remember getting there for 9am and Tom arrived soon after. All the children were very excited at Tom came up the escalator, dressed as Dr Who, and we all queued for his autograph. He had his trademark multi-coloured scarf on, which reached the ground. He was lovely to everyone and happily signed copies of the Dr Who Monster book. He also signed posters and gave out Target badges (Target was the publisher of the book). I had the signed book and poster for many years after but it's long since disappeared. I've still got the badge though and a signed photo.

Last year, the Herald contacted me and asked what it was like to meet Tom Baker and asked if they could use the photo I'd taken in an article celebrating 50 years of Dr Who. I told them that they already had photos of Tom's appearance but they said that they no longer existed and there was no record of the event. So I was amazed to see this photo in the Herald a few days ago together with the exact date of the event!
My memory has played tricks with me though because I originally thought that the signing had taken place in 1975 at Debenhams. Anyhow, it's good to see a clear picture of the event (unlike mine!) and Tom was a great bloke, by the way...

Autographs of American soldiers stationed in Saltash Passage in 1944

Bryan Watts kindly wrote to me recently telling me that he had several autographs from the American soldiers that were stationed in Saltash Passage in 1944.
Tristan Nichols hopes to write a piece up for the Herald very shortly. Meanwhile, here's Bryan's letter:
Dear Derek,
In 1944 I was aged nine and lived half way up Normandy Hill, as it is now, at that time it was called Vicarage Road. I sat in my front window and watched as the American troops marched down the hill to board the boats and landing craft moored there. Myself and other children in the area had been down to Saltash Passage many times to look at the craft vehicles there.

I remember being chased off by the guards and the threats of painful consequences if caught.

But I also met four of these soldiers at St Budeaux Baptist Church and on 26th March 1944, these four men wrote in my autograph book which I still have.
I have recently been trying to find out if there is any way of discovering what happened to them. Although I have their names and rank, the stumbling block in any enquiry seems to be

that I haven’t got their serial numbers. I wondered if you would interested in seeing a copy of the pages from my book. I also wondered if there was anyone else who was in that area then remembers going to the Christmas Party in the camp in December 1943. My ultimate aim is to try to send these messages to their descendants as a piece of family history.

Hoping you may find this of interest,
Yours sincerely,
Bryan Watts.

Bryan's email address is bryan.watts935@btinternet.com if anyone has any information that might help.

Jack Cohen's Joke Shop

I'm sure that many people in Plymouth will have happy memories of visiting Jack Cohen's Joke Shop in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. It was the haunt of many kids and some of the jokes stocked included itching powder, stink bombs (very popular), whoopee cushions and much more. I knew a kid at school called Nicholas Rich who loved playing practical jokes and I'm sure much of his pocket money must have been spent in there. Jack was always lovely to all the kids that came in the shop. I remember buying a cheap imitation Action Man, made in China, and he told me not to forget to feed him! He was always larking around. Jokes and magic tricks seemed to go out of favour sometime in the 1980s and Jack eventually sold the shop. It ran for a while longer, keeping the same name, but eventually closed in the 1990s and ended up in a unit in Lovejoys in the Barbican.
This photo is interesting because it shows Warnes, the newsagents, to the left of Jack Cohen's. I'm sure when I was a kid, that Jack Cohen's was on the left and Warnes was on the right, so they must have changed over at some point.
Further down the street was the Green Shield Stamp Shop where you could exchange the stamps that you got free with your shopping for gifts. The only thing that I can remember us ever getting was a garden gnome!

Footage of American troops at Saltash Passage in 1944

Until today, I hadn't realised that there was extensive footage of the American troops who left Saltash Passage for D Day in 1944. Here are two films which show all and they prove very interesting viewing.
The area is instantly recognisable although some buildings have disappeared over the years.
Chimneys are smoking in one film and a steam train can be seen crossing Coombe Viaduct. The films feature on YouTube but can be bought in high definition from a company called Critical Past.





I know that there is also colour footage of the troops although this is short. I'll try and locate it later.

A letter from an American soldier

With the recent commemoration of D Day, I was reminded of a letter that I received from an American soldier, who was a member of the 29th division. Back in 2006, I was researching a book about D Day so I wrote to the 29er magazine. John J Sommers of Fort Lauderdale, Florida kindly wrote back to me and sent some photos. I thought it would be interesting to share the letter and photos here. The letter read:
'Dec 9, 2005
Dear Sir,
I read your letter in the 29er magazine asking for photos for your book about Plymouth. I was stationed in Plymouth from September 1943 until D-Day June 1944 as a member of the 111th F. A Btn, C Battery, 29th Infantry Division. It was a very familiar name for me because I lived a few miles from Plymouth, Massachusetts in the States and spent many days visiting there. My unit was billeted in a very beautiful place that was a British training center for Army soldiers. It wasn't very far from the center of Plymouth because we could walk into town. We used to visit 'The Hoe', the dock where the Pilgrims left from and there was an indoor amusement center that was very popular. When we left town, we would take a road to the right that led into a gate into our quarters. There was a guardhouse to the left and a large school house looking building, on the left, once inside the gate. Across from the building was a parade ground. Past there was the Spider Barracks that had heat, wonderful heat.

I suppose that all those places are gone now, but, I'm trying to remember the name of the place. Was Okehampton the name of the area we trained in?
Enclosed find two photos of me and my friend, I was eighteen at the time when I arrived in England. Turned nineteen in January, 1944. I am going to phone another 29er and ask him to send his photo to you, he was a First Sgt. and the youngest at 22 in the division, maybe the Ninth Army.
Good luck with your book and I hope it's a best seller and let me know if I can be of any help.
John J. Somers.'
I wrote back to John but never heard any more. I've several other letters from D Day soldiers which I hope to find soon and which I'll put on this blog at a later date.

A 1950s Childhood

I recently wrote a book for Amberley Publishing called '1950s Childhood'. It would be hard for a child of today to imagine life for a child back in the 1950s. There was no internet, mobile phones (most homes didn't even have a landline) or any type of digital camera, digital music player or many of the other appliances that we take for granted nowadays. Few homes had televisions and the ones that did could only watch in black and white with only two television channels available. Their screens were tiny and it wasn't unusual, if one person had a tv in the street, for their neighbours to come in and watch it too. Music came from a gramophone player with heavy shellac records, usually playing at 78 rpm. Later, when more modern vinyl records came in, pop records were available, playing at 45 rpm. Indoor entertainment mostly came from reading books or listening to the radio. Gathering around the radio to listen to the latest serials, dramas, comedies and news was something a family all did together.
Outdoors, children played in the streets either kicking a can or football around, playing hopscotch, skipping or playing 'it' (tag). If it was spring or summer, children would play marbles or if it was autumn, they'd all find the nearest horse chestnut tree to play conkers.
Children with a bit of know-how (and help from their dads) would build wooden go-karts using discarded bike or pram wheels and any wood that they could find. Roaring downhill on a home-made go-kart was a hairy experience although many had makeshift brakes.
There were few cars about then, especially in the back streets, so it was quite safe to have a game of football in the street without coming to any harm.
Many more people talked to their neighbours and many left their doors open. Everyone knew theirlocal 'bobby', by name, and he would patrol the beat (on foot) looking out for any misdemeanours. Kids could be brought home (sometimes by the ear) by the local policeman for crimes such as cherry knocking (knocking on doors and running away), scrumping (pinching apples) or even for running across the road. Schools were more strict places and anyone who stepped out of line could get the cane, strap or be given lines. There'd be no talking in class and the teachers would expect to be called 'Sir' or 'Miss' as would all adults. Spelling, multiplication tables and fractions were all taught parrot fashion and would be expected to be learnt by the time the teacher gave a spontaneous test. The cane could be given for talking in class, not working fast enough, bad handwriting, running in the corridor, back-chat or numerous other minor offences.
More children played outside and either pretended to be cowboys and Indians, Robin Hood and his Merry Men or war heroes. It wasn’t unusual to see gangs of boys playing war games in the street and pretending to machine gun each other. If there were woods nearby, they'd also be climbing trees or building dens. Bomb sites also made an ideal playing ground and there was much to find such as discarded guns, hand grenades and various other items. There was no health and safety in those days!
Of course, with the Blitz, Plymouth changed greatly over the 1950s as much was rebuilt. Rebuilding started soon after the end of the war but continued well into the 1960s. Plymouth was seen as a modern city back then but would still seem like an alien planet to most children of today who are used to the digital world. There was something special about a childhood back then which seems to have been lost over the years. Perhaps it's just me, I am getting older!
　

New information board in Saltash Passage

A new information board was installed in the park at Saltash Passage yesterday (6th June). It looks excellent and contains information about the ferry, the American troops who left from the area for D Day as well as the history of the two bridges. It contains many old photos and is well worth a look.