Victoria Road, St Budeaux

Here's a very rare and interesting photo showing Victoria Road in St Budeaux (please click on the photo to see a larger version).
At first glance, it might not seem obvious where this photo was taken. However, it becomes clear when you realise that the patch of ground on the left would later become the location of the State Cinema.
The Masonic Hall, on the corner of Kathleaven Street, is situated half way up, on the right.
At the top of the photo is Normandy Way (then named Vicarage Road) which led eventually down to Saltash Passage.
Much has changed over the years. The road appears much narrower and is devoid of any traffic. It looks a very different scene today with constant roadworks and a steady stream of cars, buses and lorries.

John F Kennedy at Millbay Docks?

On the Plymouth council website, it says that John F Kennedy once disembarked at Millbay Docks in Plymouth. I've never seen this mentioned anywhere else and I'm sure that if a historical figure as important as John F Kennedy had visited Plymouth, it would be mentioned elsewhere. Also, I have never seen any photos of JFK at Plymouth. The site doesn't say when the incident was meant to have happened and I wonder if it's an error? Does anyone know of any information regarding his visit to Plymouth?
Kennedy made his first trip to England in September 1935 when he travelled with his parents and his sister, Kathleen. He also sailed to France in July 1937 and in June 1938, he travelled to London with his father and his brother, Joe. His father was Roosevelt's U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James, at the American embassy in London. In August of the same year, the family stayed in a villa near Cannes. Later, in 1939, Kennedy toured Europe, the Soviet Union, the Balkans, and the Middle East before travelling to Czechoslovakia and Germany before returning to London on the 1st September , 1939 which was the day Germany invaded Poland. On 3rd September of the same year, the family attended speeches at the House of Commons which endorsed the United Kingdom's declaration of war on Germany. Kennedy was sent as his father's representative to help with arrangements for American survivors of the SS Athenia, before flying back to the U.S. from Foynes, Ireland to Port Washington, New York on his first transatlantic flight.
I intend to investigate his trip to Plymouth further so check for later blog posts to see what I discover. Perhaps, while on one of the trips mentioned, he landed at Millbay. The council's web page can be found here:
http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/millbay_docks_25-32.pdf
Other celebrities mentioned on the site that diembarked at Milbay include General Allenby, Charlie Chaplin, Maurice Chevalier, Winston Churchill,
Clemenceau, Bebe Daniels, Marlene Dietrich,Walt Disney, Douglas Fairbanks, Helen Keller, Pierre Laval,Vivian Leigh, Lloyd George, Ben Lyon, Anna Pavlova, General Pershing, Mary Pickford, Cecil Rhodes, Bernard Shaw, General Smuts and  HG Wells.
I hope to write about some of these visitors in later posts.

Patsy Scantlebury

Recently, the film 'The Way We Live' was shown outside at the Lido in Plymouth. It tells the tale of Alice Copperwheat and her family whose house is destroyed in the Blitz and who are then billeted to Horrabridge before becoming the owners of a brand new pre-fab. There are various scenes of the city as it was in 1945. The film also tells of the plans to rebuild Plymouth. 

Patsy Scantlebury, who lived in St Budeaux, was chosen for the role after being seen on Plymouth Hoe jitterbugging with an American sailor. At the time, she was just 17. She had previously worked in a post office. The cuttings on this page come from various newspapers and magazines of the day. Patsy went on to sign a seven year contract with the J Arthur Rank Organization and appeared as an air hostess in the film 'Blind Goddess' as Patsy Drake (her stage name). The cuttings show various publicity shots and also cover the wedding of Patsy's sister, Sheila. 

 

Coincidentally, on the same day that the film was shown at the Lido, Patsy's cousin wrote to me. She told me that Patsy's parents had both lived at Normandy Way in St Budeaux and Patsy herself now lives in British Columbia, Canada.

Glenn Miller

On 28th August, 1944, Major Glenn Miller and his American Band of Allied Expeditionary Force appeared at tthe Odeon Cinema in Frankfort Street, Plymouth. It was reported that Bing Crosby would also be appearing and large queues started forming at 9 pm in readiness for the concert at 10.15 pm. Crosby was unable to attend because of other commitments but Glenn Miller appeared and played to a packed house of military and naval personnel (civilians weren't permitted). The police and military police controlled the crowds outside. Miller and his 52 piece orchestra played all the music that he had become famous for. Sergeant Johnny Desmond was the lead vocalist and the Crew Chiefs also appeared on stage. Previous to his appearance, Miller had been given a tour of the city.

The top photo shows Miller meeting Sam Donohue. This photo wasn't taken in Plymouth although these two did meet up in the city. Sam led the Artie Shaw Naval Band based at the Vicarage Road USN Camp. Sam and several of the band members were in films and backed Frank Sinatra post war. The dance hall was next door to the Cornwall's Gate Inn.
Miller had arrived earlier by plane at Harrowbeer. He gave two other concerts, one at Shapter's Field in Cattedown (where there was a US base) and the other at the US Navy Field Hospital at Manadon.

On December 15, 1944, while flying to Paris from England to give a concert, Glenn Miller's plane, a single-engined UC-64 Norseman, disappeared over the English Channel. No trace of the plane, the crew or Glenn Miller were ever found. 

The Odeon was also used by Field-Marshall Montgomery who briefed officers prior to the D-Day landings.
The cinema survived the war and remained in the newly built New George Street until it was demolished in 1963 so that the Littlewoods store could be built. Today, Littlewoods has been replaced by TJ Hughes. It's interesting when walking by the building to think that the likes of Glenn Miller and Field Marshall Montgomery once passed this way.

Jack Cohen's Joke Shop

The town of today is a totally different one to the one in which I grew up in, in the 1970s. It's amazing that shops like Woolworth's, Littlewoods and the Co-op at the bottom of town are gone forever.
It seems sad seeing Jack Cohen's Joke Shop lying empty at the bottom of Frankfort Gate. On Saturday's, we would catch the bus into town, taking with us our old records to exchange for new ones in the market, our old books and comics to exchange in Bonus Books and, after we'd been to the cinema to see the latest blockbuster, we'd always pop into Jack Cohen's before returning home. Jack was a lovely bloke and always very friendly to kids. The popular jokes of the day included inky soap, itching powder, whoopee cushions and stink bombs. My friend, Nicky Rich, would buy them all and then try them out on the teachers at school when we went back on Monday. Teachers were a different breed back then and it never went down very well so he often got the cane or detention!
My mum once took me in the shop because they had Action Men in the window. They turned out not to be Action Men but cheap Chinese copies. I had one anyway and Jack said to me, 'Don't forget to feed him!'
The funny thing is, that real Action Men were kept but the cheap copies were thrown away and now they're very collectable.
The last time I saw Jack was in the late 1980s, still running the shop. It seemed to have lost some of its appeal. I suppose times had moved on. Even so, the shop was taken over by a new owner and traded for many years after.
It seems a shame seeing it today, empty, knowing that it will probably just be knocked down and be gone forever.
The photo shows the shop in the 1960s with King Street Arch in the foreground.

Entertainment in Plymouth in 1909

I have been writing a book about Houdini's tours of Britain in the early 1900s and Lorna Basham from the Plymouth Library kindly sent me some cuttings from 1909 which include reports of Houdini's visit to Plymouth.
The illustration shows a drawing made by a member of the audience during Houdini's appearance on stage at the Palace Theatre in Union Street.
An advert for the show was featured in the Western Morning News and read:

PALACE, PLYMOUTH

TWICE NIGHTLY 7 and 9

MONDAY, AUGUST 16TH, 1909, AND DURING THE WEEK

Performances commence 10 minutes earlier on Saturday only.

HOUDINI

The Original Handcuff King and Jail Breaker.

BILLY YOUNG.   JACKLEY TRIO.

MAY MAIDMENT.  STUART AND MORGAN.

TWO MOR BOYS.                               THE PALISCOPE.

BILLY WILLIAMS

The Man in the Velvet Suit.

Houdini is remembered for jumping in chains from Stonehouse Bridge and his escape from a wooden box constructed by workers from the nearby dockyard. All is revealed in my upcoming book together with many other stories of his shows, challenges and escapes around the country.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in nearby Devonport, 'Sexton Blake' was been performed at the Theatre Metropole in Devonport. The Theatre Royal in Plymouth was performing 'the musical success', Sergeant Brue.

Elsewhere, The Hippodrome in Devonport announced:

TONIGHT

 First appearance in Devonport of the celebrated MISS WHITTAKER (a personality) supported by MR F. WILBUR HILL, presenting a singing and instrumental novelty. Also featured OHINKO, the wonderful young juggler.
Names, unlike Houdini, now all long forgotten.

At the Pier Pavilion for Regatta Week were 'Leslie's Popular Comedy Cadets'.

Meanwhile, Leonard Teel's Pom-Poms appeared at the bandstand on the Hoe.

Also appearing in the town were, 'Bostock and Wombwell's Travelling Zoo' whose advert read:

VALUE

ONE WORD TO THE WISE IS SUFFICIENT

THE MOST COMPLETE ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTION

Apart from music hall entertainment, there were also many local auctions.Two names live on today in the auction world; Shobrook's and Rendell's. Their lots for auction consisted mainly of old furniture and bric-a-brac.

The town was alive with both indoor and outdoor entertainment. Imagine seeing Houdini jump off Stonehouse Bridge and then taking a stroll along the Pier before seeing 'Bostock and Wombwell's Travelling Zoo' and all for less than one shilling!

Memories of Lawrence of Arabia

Ray Attwood kindly contacted me about papers that he'd found which had belonged to his father, Frederick Henry Attwood, who died in 1992.
His father had recorded his meetings with TE Lawrence. The story makes very interesting reading and I thought that I would share it here. I believe that it has never been published before.
The notes read:
'This I leave to the readers to judge for themselves, all I can do is to state the facts as I saw them at the time and which after 60 years plus is still clear in my mind.
The weather was fine, sunshine, wind south west force 5, the event was the Turnchapel Sailing Club weekly meeting of the 14 Dinghy.
The course was down the Cattewater past Mount Batten Pier out into Plymouth Sound. Around a mark buoy off the pier, then back up the Cattewater to the finishing line, which was a line ashore from the foredeck of the cable-ship C.S. Mackay Bennet (a vessel of world interest, having picked up 275 bodies from the S.S. Titanic) and on which I was raised.
Having been given permission by my father to sail his 14 footer, only under guidance of a very experienced yachtsman, Harry Higgins. I was laying along side West Lakes Quay, Turnchapel when Ted Sallows, a nephew of Harry's, came to tell me that Harry, who was a shipwright, would not be available that evening, having to work overtime. Somewhat disappointed at receiving such information and in complete contradiction to my father's orders, that I was under no circumstances to sail her without the second-hand being an experienced yachtsman. I looked up on the quay where a few locals etc were gathered and enquired if anyone would care to take a chance and sail with me.
It must be remembered that the dinghy was a Morgan Giles 14'  international and was a flighty hand-full for even a experienced helmsman.
Life-jackets were not used in the early 30's and in fact if one had been available I would have considered it to be unmanly to have used one.
My enquiry for a second-hand to take the fore-sheet, was answered by an airman who having caught my glance raised his arm slightly and said "I will", as he walked down the steps I pulled alongside, he stepped in saying "Good evening" took the fore-sheet and away we went to the starting line.
Between the time of his coming aboard and the start, I had time to look at him and although only a teenager, I had, having been raised on the C.S Mackay Bennett, come through a childhood where part of my education in the ways the world had been influenced by tough seaman from Novia Scotia - Newfoundland, l and a fair number of Outer Hybridises Scotsman, who had found their way to Halifax, Novia Scotia many years before and while not big headed, I have a fair idea of how to assess a fellow human being.
He appeared to be about 40-45 years of age, 5ft 3" - 5ft 5" tall, slight build and the little I could see of it, sandy coloured hair, yet there was an air of confidence about him, I was somewhat awed by him, for which having been with him only some 10 minutes or so I was somewhat at loss to understand.
None of my Blue-nose friends would have said that I was easily overawed, and certainly not my school head master Mr Rogers (father of Paul Rogers the Shackespearn actor), who, when I visited him at Newton Abbot while on leave from the army in 1940, told my fiancee that in all his years of teaching he had never come across anyone whose ideas were so fixed and could not be influenced and expressed the wish
that she had more luck in doing so, than he had had.
The one thing about my newly acquired shipmate was his eyes, at times they appeared to be startlingly blue and at others gray, steady, clear and confident. Having got off to a good start, by first of all sailing in toward Mount Batten Air Force station on a starboard tack, we came about on to a port tack, beat up toward Sutton Harbour entrance, hoping that by coming about on a starboard tack and with tide ebbing we could make Mount Batten Pier, we were however to fail to maintain way, because, while level on the Cattewater side of the Plymouth Citadel the wind dropped completely and we could only drift out into the Sound and toward our furtherest mark-buoy.
No words had been exchanged between us until I said that I did not like taking advantage of a tow back by the motor boat who was collecting all the other entrants and were being towed back to the committee boat (C.C Mackay Bennett).
My shipmate simply stated that I was skipper, so accordingly I told the steward in the motor-boat to inform the timekeepers that I intended to continue the race and being now the only competitor, would claim maximum points and first place on completion.
The race which started at 6.65 pm and normally took 2.5 - 3 hours, to complete the course twice, on this occasion, with the aid of a late light breeze, finished at 11.50pm.
A finish which was not at all popular with the time-keepers.
No beer at the Borindon Arms that night and I had to face my father's anger having disobeyed his order by sailing without an experienced instructor.
During this time my shipmate had been stowing away the sails
etc, and knowing that Harry Higgins, would for the rest of the
sailing season be working overtime, I asked the airman whether he would like to continue every Wednesday evening throughout the summer. As he stepped out of the boat he replied "Delighted, 6pm next Wednesday, good morning".
His good morning reply made me appreciate his grand sense of humour.
Apart from the first greeting and his acceptance to continue the race and his departing words, he had been silent for a whole 5.5 hours and yet I had no feeling that either he or I were the slightest bit bothered and we did not even know each others names.
The following Wednesday at 6pm he again stepped into the boat said "Good-evening", took over the fore-sheet and with a spanking south west force 4 wind we were away again to the starting line.
Coming out into the Sound, the wind had increased to force 5
and I was somewhat apprehensive, as no matter how close I brought her head up into the wind we were shipping water, should I come up head to wind and take in a reef?
At this stage I said to my shipmate "have you done any sailing"?
"A little, with this type", thinking his little was more than my little experience, it was with great relief that I brought up head to wind and we changed places, I to the fore-sheet, he to the tiller and mainsheet.
Having been raised at sea, I had seen some very good Skippers on both small and medium sized vessels, my shipmate was First-Class. By the time we crossed the finishing line I knew that I had been given a first class lesson on how to sail a small craft.
At the conclusion of the race I realised with a degree of guilt that we did not have a name for each other and having made known my name he replied "Shaw, aircraftsman, see you next Wednesday 6pm, good night".
Thus one can see our conversation on our second meeting was indeed limited, but at no time did I feel anything but confident and at ease in his presence.
Later that night when sitting down to supper, my father who had obtained his ticket in sail, inquired as to why I had disobeyed his instructions once again by sailing in a Force 4/5, accepted the part when I was not skipper and required to know who the Airman was and where he had obtained such expertise as a sailing master and expressed a wish to be introduced to him the following Wednesday.
At this stage my mother suggested that if on the following Wednesday, should it be convenient to Mr Shaw, to invite him to supper.
When we next, I passed on the supper invitation, but he stated that for an unknown period of time his duties would be such that he would be involved in late night operations, but that should it interfere with our arrangements at any time, he would let me know in time for me to obtain another crew member.
On the following Friday morning post, my mother received a letter from Mr Shaw thanking her for a supper invitation and that he would be pleased to accept as soon as duties permitted.
The sailing dates continued for a further 6 weeks, when an invitation to Sunday lunch was accepted, mother duly provided the roast beef etc, as usual with anyone who sat down at our table. He ended up uncomfortably full.
Following the meal, and when showing him my two recently purchased second-hand motor cycles, i.e 1924 belt driven horizontal twin Douglas, and Rudge Malti 600 cc single cylinder belt driven, Mr Shaw stated that he had a Solo motor cycle and invited me to a trip as a pillion passenger. This duly took place, but what a surprise, the Solo was a Brough Suprior, the journey was to Staddon Heights over the fairways of the United Services Golf Club out to the large wall that overlooks Plymouth Sound and Breakwater, into Saddiscombe, Brixton, Plymstock, Hove and back to Turnchapel.
The following Wednesdays included Mother's coffee and sandwiches as though we were going sailing for a week instead of 3-4 hours. She had expressed the view that Mr Shaw did not look as though he was well fed at Mount Batten Station.
Our conversation at all times was very limited, both feeling that the need for conversation was second to the job of dinghy sailing and winning.
At no time did my family think that Mr Shaw was other than an Aircraftman stationed at Mount Batten. Doubt was raised however when having spent a Sunday afternoon on Plymouth Hoe band-stand with my mother, listening to a Scottish Pipe Bank. As we were returning to the car, we looked up to the balcony of Lady Astor's house and there was Mr Shaw among the guests.
I made no mention of having seen him there when we met for the next race meeting, at the completion he stated that he would be unable to carry out any further sailing as he was leaving Mount Batten and he would like to say goodbye to my parents so the remainder of the evening was passed, my mother again doing the honours with the food and completing the ironing of some shirts she had washed and repaired , the property of Mr Shaw.
For a week following his farewell nothing unusual occurred, but one morning mother, who felt that she had to help any one in distress was approached by a very distraught wife of Sgt Carpenter who stated that her husband had been placed under close arrest and could mother obtain information from the Station C.O.
This was followed by national and local press reports of how R.A.F personnel were confined to barracks and some were under arrest for misappropriation of monies and the theft of petrol.
At this time it was made known that our Mr Shaw was in fact Lawrence of Arbia and had supposedly been investigating the alleged deficiencies at Mount Batten.
The reported death of Lawrence in the national press came as a surprise and to our family it was felt that for a man who was so quiet, gentle and unassuming it was indeed a tragedy.
The report stated while travelling at 70 mph he had hit a boy riding a butchers bicycle, the boy had been unhurt, but that Lawrence had been killed.
Following this report, for some obscure reason, a emergency meeting of the sailing club was called. Chaired by Mr Dort Pascho General Manager, Norrington Chemical Works Cattedown, it was decided that as Lawrence had sailed with the club, it would be a mark of respect to send a floral token.
Accordingly Mr Pascho did so, and attended the funeral in Dorset. It was thought by other members of the club, that to make a personal appearance seeing that apart from members of my family and Mr Pascho no other members had spoken to our Mr Shaw, it was somewhat surprising.
The visit was duly carried out, but on his return, Mr Pascho, when seen by my father, seemed perturbed and said that he could not reconcile himself with the press reports regard the circumstances of the death of Lawrence.
He stated that after the funeral he had actually taken photographs of the brough Suprior and that in his opinion a motor cycle traveling at the reported speed of 70 mph or even that of stationary motor cycle falling over, the damage would be greater than that shown on the photographs. Damage would surely have been, either handle-bars, wing, footrest etc. He had taken photographs from both front and rear offside centre view of tank engine etc. It was seen that apart from a slight dent on the top of the rear wing, no damage had occurred. Also that the whole service, which was attended by very notable personalities, seemed to be lacking in sincerity, some mourners wearing cloths not normally worn at funerals, ie, sports trousers and jacket and almost unkown, women mourners entering the church and not wearing hats or even a scarf.
My father having seen the photographs discussed some with Mr Pascho, suggested that in view of what such photographs conveyed, and the conflict they could cause it would be prudent to keep a low profile.
This proved to be sound advice, as Mr Pascho was to discover within a short period of time, while in his office he was visited by two men in civilian cloths, who identified themselves as Wing Commander Lloyd and the other, whose name he could not remember, but who stated he was from the Foreign office and that he had information to the effect that Mr Pascho had in his possession photographs taken of a motor cycle owned by Mr Shaw and the photographs, the negatives plus anything relating to this matter be handed over to him immediately and that he was to discuss this meeting with no one in future.
Furthermore. they wanted the names of any other persons who had seen the photographs and with whom he had discussed it. The result of which my father was visited by the same two men, he was also told that as a matter of national security he was not to discuss this matter with anyone.
My father recorded details of the interview immediately afterwards. This report together with the letter received from Lawrence to my parents, was given to me on the death of my father, both the report and letter was destroyed by fire at my home in Sussex on the 1st June 1950.
The reader is now left to decide whether Lawrence of Arabia was killed in a motor cycle accident, if so, why was it found necessary to send Wing Commander Lloyd and Foreign office official to visit Mr Pascho and my father or did he continue to carry out the outstanding work for which his country has so disgracefully ignored him.'