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.

The Great Liners

Plymothians would line the docks in the hope of seeing famous passengers disembark from the many ocean liners that called at Millbay. The Queen Mary was Cunard's pride and joy and famous passengers who docked at Plymouth on The Queen Mary included Gloria Swanson and Jack Warner who both arrived in the city in 1938. The Mauretania came to Plymouth regularly and delivered passengers and mail to the city. Film stars were quite often amongst the passengers and these included the American crooner, Bing Crosby. The Mauretania was built by Swan, Hunter and Wigham in Newcastle in 1907. It was the world's fastest liner from 1907 to 1927 and was part of Cunard Line's Liverpool to New York service. Charlie Chaplin disembarked from the Mauretania in 1931 to the delight of many Plymothians that had come to see him. The star of many silent films, he made his famous film, 'City Lights' in this year. Whilst in Plymouth, Chaplin was the guest of Nancy Astor at her home in Elliott Terrace on the Hoe. Also visiting Astor at the same time were Amy Johnson and George Bernard Shaw.The Mauretania made it's final eastwards crossing on September 1934, from New York to Southampton and was sent to the breakers yard on July 1935. The Normandie steamed into Plymouth Sound in 1937 after crossing the Atlantic in a record breaking time. The Normandie (pictured) was the industry's first 1,000 ft ocean liner. Walt Disney was among the many famous passengers who landed at Plymouth. The liner capsized and caught fire in New York while being converted for use in the Second World War.

Liner passengers would start their onward journey to London from Millbay Station. Many film stars including George Raft and Charlie Chaplin would board the trains here with thousands of less famous travellers. The station and hotels were built to accommodate the many visitors.

The days of the great ocean liners calling at Plymouth are now long gone but occasionally one drops anchor in the Sound but they are few and far between.

Plymouth Argyle

Argyle played their first full game in 1886. Their captain was F Howard Grose and the team met at Grose's home in Argyll Terrace. Originally called Argyle Athletic, they were named after Grose's admiration for the playing skills of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders regimental team. They originally only played away games as they had no pitch of their own and their practice sessions took place at Freedom Fields. In 1901, they started playing at the ground at Home Park which had been built for the Devonport Albion Rugby Club. In the first two years, Home Park was also the home to whippet racing and cycling tournaments. In 1903, they were allowed to join the Southern League and they then played their first game as Plymouth Argyle.

The photo shows the team in 1922. Back row: J Devine, F Cosgrove, J Muir, W Cook, P Corcoran, W Frost, J Little, C Miller. Second row: F Haynes (trainer), I Leathlean, J Hill, J Logan, R Jack (sec. man) J Jobson, C Eastwood, S Atterbury (assistant trainer). Seated: J Dickinson, B Bowler, H Batten, H Kirk, M Russell, W Forbes, H Raymond, W Baker, A Rowe. Front row: J Kirkpatrick, J Fowler, J Walker, T Gallogley, F Richardson, R Jack, J Leslie and A Wilson.