The Derek Tait Picture Library

This week I launched the Derek Tait Picture Library on Flickr. At the moment, there are hundreds of old photos of Plymouth and its surrounding areas at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/derektaitoldphotos

Over the coming weeks and months, the collection will grow online to include thousands of images, not just of old Plymouth but also of other places in the country and will include subjects such as transport, people, entertainment, events, celebrations, the Second World War and many local photos that aren't available anywhere else.

I think the library will prove a great reference source to anyone interested in local history. If you have any photos that you think could be included, please send them to me and I'll add them to the collection.

Benny Hill

Benny Hill appeared at the Palace Theatre on Monday 17th March 1955. Benny was billed as the 'BBC's latest star comedian.' He was born Alfred Hawthorne Hill, in Southampton, on the 21st January 1924. Before becoming a comedian, his jobs had included being a milkman, a bridge operator, a driver and a drummer. He became an assistant stage manager and took to the stage inspired by the stars of the old music hall. He changed his name to Benny after the American comedian, Jack Benny. He started slowly touring working men's clubs, small theatres and night clubs. After the war, he worked as a radio performer. His first tv role was in 1949 in a programme called, 'Hi there!' His career took off in 1955 when the BBC gave him his own show, 'The Benny Hill Show.' The show ran with the BBC until 1968. During that time, Benny also did work for ATV. In 1969, the Benny Hill show moved to Thames Television until 1989 when, due to political correctness and the distain of so-called comedians such as Ben Elton, the show was cancelled. Benny had been a huge star and had a number one hit, 'Ernie' in 1971. When the show was cancelled, Benny was forgotten by the tv channels and his health deteriorated. He needed a triple heart bypass which he declined. He died on 19th April 1992 at his home in Teddington. He was 68.

More Laurel and Hardy

After their British tour, and after their visit to Plymouth where Ollie was taken ill, Laurel and Hardy travelled back to America on the 3rd June 1954 on the Danish ship, 'Manchuria'.

This photo shows a recovered Ollie on the left with Stan on the right. They're dining at the Captain's table.

Unfortunately, Ollie died three years later on the 7th August 1957. He was 65 years old.

Stan wrote about their journey back home, in a letter;

'We sailed from Hull, England on June 3rd on a Danish Cargo ship. The voyage took 23 days, stopped in at St. Thomas (the Virgin Islands), Curaco Christobal and through the Panama Canal. It was very interesting, especially the Canal. The accommodations were very nice - good food and calm sea all the way, I really prefer travelling this way as you don't have to dress up for meals etc. as you do on the big passenger ships. There were only 10 passengers on this trip (12 is the limit they carry) so its practically like being on a private yacht.'

Stan died on the 23rd February 1965 at his home in Santa Monica. He was 74.

Westward Television

Westward Television was launched on the 29th April, 1961. The chairman of the company was Peter Cadbury who had previously been on the board of Tyne Tees Television. He named the company after a course in Westward Ho! where he played golf.

The station was based at Derry's Cross within purpose-built studios.

Well-known and much loved presenters included Kenneth MacLeod (pictured), Stuart Hutchison, John Doyle, Lawrie Quayle, Roger Shaw, Graham Danton as well as many others.

Westward's flagship programme was Westward Diary which went out at 6pm on Monday to Friday. The three original presenters were Reginald Bosanquet, Barry Westwood and Kenneth MacLeod. Many people may have forgotten that Reginald Bosanquet worked for Westward before becoming an ITN newsreader. Kenneth MacLeod later became the sole anchor man for the show which featured local news in the first half followed by items such as 'Pick of the Post' and 'Picture Puzzle' where people at home had to guess a mystery location to win a prize. In a time when there weren't so many cars, the picture puzzle was harder than it would appear today because many people hadn't been to the places shown. Other popular Westward shows included 'Treasure Hunt' with Keith Fordyce and 'A Date with Danton' with Graham Danton.

Shows, being live, regularly broke down and I can recall one show where nothing would work. Lawrie Quayle had just come back from a holiday in Spain and, as they had no news or anything else to show the public, Kenneth MacLeod chatted to him for half an hour about his holiday!

Another favourite on Westward Television was Gus Honeybun who became a favourite with children.There are still Gus Honeybun trains on Plymouth Hoe though none of today's children will have any knowledge of him!

When Westward was taken over by TSW in 1982, I think the people of the Westcountry expected something better but instead they lost something that had been very special to many people. The channel and its presenters are still fondly remembered.

Unfortunately, many of the presenters including Ken MacLeod, John Doyle and Stuart Hutchinson are no longer around although Gus Honeybun is apparently living happily on Dartmoor somewhere!

The Bounty

The story of the Mutiny on the Bounty is well known and documented. There is a link with Fletcher Christian and Plymouth but how accurate it is, no-one will ever know.

William Bligh (pictured) will always be remembered for the mutiny which took place on the Bounty in 1789. William Bligh owned a boathouse near to the Saltash Ferry and probably, at one time, lived there. Bligh was born at Tinten Manor at St Tudy on 9th September, 1754. Amazingly, his first sea voyage was on HMS Monmouth when he was just aged 7, as a servant to the Captain. By 1787, he had sailed with Captain Cook and had become Captain of the Bounty.

The Bounty's mission was to collect breadfruit plants from Tahiti and transport them to the West Indies where they were to be grown to provide a cheap food source for slaves.

Once Fletcher Christian and the crew of the Bounty had experienced the paradise of Tahiti for five months, collecting and preparing breadfruit plants, they were understandably, not happy about the prospect of their return to England when the time came to leave.

Tension overflowed once on board and Fletcher Christian took control of the ship.

Bligh's diary entry for 28th April, 1789, the day of the mutiny, reads: 'Just before sunrise, Mr Christian and the Master at Arms came into my cabin while I was fast asleep, and seizing me, tied my hands with a cord and threatened instant death if I made the least noise. I however called sufficiently loud to alarm the Officers, who found themselves equally secured by sentinels at their doors. Mr Christian had a cutlass and the others were armed with muskets and bayonets. I was now carried on deck in my shirt in torture with a severe bandage round my wrists behind my back, where I found no man to rescue me.'

Fletcher Christian took control of the Bounty and Bligh, and those faithful to him, were set adrift in a small boat. Bligh, being an excellent navigator and seaman, guided the 23 ft boat to Tofua and then on to Timor, which was in the hands of the Dutch. He travelled a total of 3,618 nautical miles with just a sextant, a pocket watch but with no maps. He made it back to England in March 1790 where he faced a court martial but was honourably acquitted.

Christian and his crew settled on the island of Pitcairn. Some were later captured but acquited at trial, some were hanged and some died at sea. Others died of natural causes.

There were various stories telling how Fletcher Christian met his death on Pitcairn. Some said that he had been murdered while others said that he had died of natural causes, committed suicide or gone insane.Rumours went around that he had faked his own death and returned to England. Midshipman Peter Heywood, who had sailed on The Bounty, reportedly saw Fletcher Chrisitan in Plymouth after the mutiny.

Bowls on the Hoe

Francis Drake was born at Crowndale near Tavistock in around 1540. Perhaps the most famous story connecting Drake with Plymouth Hoe is the one of how he played bowls on 19th July 1588 with his fellow captains. When news was brought to them that the Armada had been spotted off the Lizard, Drake announced that they still had time to finish the game and beat the Spaniards as well. Many people have dismissed the story as a myth and if the game did take place, it wasn't where the current bowling green is on the Hoe now. Interestingly, the game was banned by law at the time and the reason given was that it caused people to neglect their archery practice. It's possible that the rich had private games in their own gardens. Drake had a house with a garden in Looe Street and John Hawkins had a residence closer to the harbour. If the game did take place on the Hoe, it's likely to have been in the area of the much quarried Lambhay Hill where the Citadel now stands which would have also been near the chalk giants, Gog and Magog. From here, Drake would have had an excellent vantage point of the Sound right across to Rame. In the only remaining copy of Phoenix Britannicus, published in 1624, only 36 years after the event, the story is told as fact and states that the match did indeed take place on the Hoe.

Benny Baron

There has been a lot of interest in Laurel and Hardy and their appearance at the Palace Theatre on 17th May, 1954. Plymouth's Barry Ewart has a connection with both the comedians, as his grandfather, Benny Baron, taught Stan many of his routines. Although Barry never knew his grandfather, his mother used to tell him stories of when Benny toured the music halls with his partner, Jack Graham.

Barry's uncle, Billy Baron, remembers, 'Stan adopted exactly the facial expressions my father used in his act. He was the one who got everything wrong and used to 'cry' when his partner knocked off his straw boater.'

Barry says, 'In the film the 'Flying Deuces', Babe (Ollie) sings 'Shine On, Harvest Moon' and Stan does a soft shoe shuffle dance routine to the song which was taught to Stan, step for step, by my grandfather and it brings a tear to my eye every time I watch it.'

Barry continues, 'My grandfather first worked with a young Stanley Jefferson (later Stan Laurel) in the early 1900's ( before America beckoned). The first documented production I can find is a juvenile pantomime company run by H.B.Levy and J.E. Cardwell. The production was 'The Sleeping Beauty'. My grandfather Benny was older than Stan. Master Stanley Jefferson played Ebeneezer (Golliwog2) and my grandfather played Major Flashlight. Amongst others in the cast were Jack Graham (later to become my grandfathers stage partner in the double act, 'Graham and Baron'). Jack played Colonel Dreadnought. I have in my possession a letter from Stan to my grandfather (at a time when Stan was famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy) and a picture of Stan, Ollie and Benny when they toured during the 1950s. My late mother always used to refer to Stan as uncle Stan and she told me many stories. Apparently, Stan learnt the deadpan face , and the 'cry' from Benny. In the movie, 'The Flying Deuces', Babe sings shine on Harvest Moon. Stan does a soft shoe shuffle routine and this dance routine was taught to Stan step for step by Benny. My elder brother used to do part of this (my grandfather died before I was born). Apparently Stan wanted Benny to go to America where, he explained to Benny, it was money for old rope (he was still not famous then) but my grandmother was having none of it saying it was bad enough touring round Northern England and Scotland (mostly) with their by now growing family including my mum (Irene Baron). After a long stint in variety as a double act with Jack Graham my grandfather finally retired from the stage to run a pub in Sunderland called The Boars Head Hotel. Stan always kept in touch with my grandfather.'

Barry adds, 'My grandfather lived in Sunderland and my mother (Irene Baron) came from Sunderland to Plymouth in the early fifties to marry a matelot (my dad). I might add that my mother, when she was young, sang on stage with none other than Judy Garland, albeit in the chorus line, and most of my uncles played in the orchestra pit of the Sunderland Empire , and toured most of the theatres in Northern England.'