On This Day – Bronze Hearts and Murderers

Kiss me Hardy

1867 The four bronze lions at the base of Nelson’s Column were completed.

There’s Nothing New About Murder

1910 American-born murderer Dr Hawley Crippen poisoned his wife before cutting her into small pieces and burying her in the cellar of his home in London. He was later executed at Pentonville Prison.

2000 Family GP Dr Harold Shipman was jailed for life for murdering 15 of his patients, making him Britain’s most prolific convicted serial killer. An official inquiry concluded that Shipman may have killed as many as 250 patients over 23 years.

 

 

On This Day – No Weddings But A Lot of Funerals

Penny for a Guy

1606 Sir Everard Digby, Thomas Winter, John Grant and Thomas Bates who, along with others, had tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in November 1605 were hanged, drawn and quartered for their part in the ‘Gunpowder Plot’.

“Let not poor Nelly starve”

1649 The executioner Richard Brandon beheaded King Charles I at Whitehall. The courts deemed him a ‘tyrant, traitor, murderer and enemy of the people’.

Warts and All

1661 Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, was exhumed and formally executed, after having been dead for two years! Ironically, it took place on the anniversary of the execution of King Charles I, the monarch that Cromwell himself had deposed 12 years previously.

Never So Many

1965 The state funeral, in London, of Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Britain. It was the biggest state funeral of its kind since the burial of the Duke of Wellington in 1852.

As if it were Yesterday

1969 The Beatles’ played their last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert was broken up by the police.

Bloody Sunday

1972 ‘Bloody Sunday’ in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. British paratroopers, believing they were under fire from Catholic protesters on a banned march which had become a violent riot, opened fire, killing 13 people.

 

 

On This Day – Horatia Nelson, Desert Island and a Disc Jockey

Horatia Nelson Thompson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1801 The birth of the illegitimate daughter of Lord Nelson and Emma Hamilton. She was christened Horatia Nelson Thompson. One of Nelson’s last wishes was that Horatia should take the name Nelson. He left her £200 a year in his will, adding : “I desire she will use in future the name of Nelson only.”

Desert Island Discs

1942 The first broadcast of Desert Island Discs on BBC radio, devised and presented by Roy Plomley. It is the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio.

 

Tony Blackburn

1943 The birth of Tony Blackburn, English disc jockey. He broadcast on the “pirate” stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1, in 1967.

 

On This Day – Carry on Henry, Over the Limit, and Other Stories

CARRY ON, HENRY

1457 The birth of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty in England. Henry won the throne when he defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle and he restored order after the Wars of the Roses.

1547 The death of Henry VIII, exactly 100 years after the birth of his father Henry VII. His nine year old son, Edward VI becomes King, and the first Protestant ruler of England.

 

OVER THE LIMIT

1896 Walter Arnold of Kent was the first British motorist to receive a speeding fine, for exceeding 2 mph in a built-up area. He was doing 8 mph as he passed the house of the local policeman. The constable gave chase on his bicycle and after a 5 mile chase Mr. Arnold was arrested. He was fined one shilling for his offence.

SOOTY

1918 The birth of Harry Corbett, the English puppeteer who created Sooty. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Sooty is the longest-running children’s programme in the UK. The puppet was 60 years old on 19th July 2008 and, as this was close to Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday, Sooty sent him a birthday message!

BOXING CLEVER

1994 The first women only boxing tournament was held at the Marine Halls, Fleetwood. Diane Berry became the first British super-flyweight women’s champion.

 

On this Day – Ah, Mr. Darcy!

199 years ago

 

 

1813 The novel Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, was first published. It follows Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with the issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England.

 

 

 

On This Day – The Dodgson, the Young and the Baird

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1832 Birth of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (‘Lewis Carroll’), the English mathematician who wrote Alice in Wonderland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1868 E.D. Young reported to the Royal Geographical Society that Dr. Livingstone, the British explorer and missionary in Africa, was still alive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1926 John Logie Baird gave a special public demonstration of television to members of the Royal Institution in London. Baird’s invention used mechanical rotating disks to scan moving images into electronic impulses.

 

On This Day – WALTZING MATILDA

AUSTRALIA DAY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

224 years ago – on this day 1788 The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sailed into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on the continent. 26th January is now commemorated as Australia Day.

 

On This Day – The Burns Night

ROBERT BURNS was born on this day, 253 years ago. There will be celebrations in Scotland tonight. I have no actual statistical data, but it’s reasonable to assume that only Happy Birthday to You is sung more often than his creation.             Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne! Chorus – For auld land syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne. And surely ye’ll be your pint stowp! And surely I’ll be mine! And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne. Chorus… We twa hae run about the braes, And pou’d the gowans fine; But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit Sin’ auld lang syne. Chorus… We twa hae paidl’d in the burn, Frae morning sun till dine; But seas between us briad hae roar’d Sin’ auld lang syne. Chorus… And there’s a hand, my trusty fere! And gie’s a hand o’ thine! And we’ll tak’ a right gude-willie waught, For auld lang syne. Chorus…

 

Daily Quotes 50

TWO SIMON GRANT MYSTERIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HIDING THE ELEPHANT – Chapter 50

The Hales kept away, aloof and inviolate in their role of chief mourners. A funny little couple with faces like two sprouting potatoes and dressed very much alike were the first to ask if Grant expected any more murders. Oh, no, Grant most certainly didn’t expect any more murders. Mr. and Mrs… er…, they supplied a name but not very clearly, they needn’t worry at all. Statistically, Northamptonshire was one of the safest areas to live in. It went from there. Mostly about unreported burglaries and the uncouth youth of today, nothing like it used to be. Mrs. Powell asked if Grant thought thatCheshirechap would know Lennie Unsworth’s whereabouts. Yes, Grant was confident Mr. Humberside would be able to offer significant help with that line of inquiry.

Bloody hell. Humberside’s capture and return to theUKmust have been already splashed all over the news. BloodyCarlton.

‘Well, wherever she is, Lennie won’t be coming back to any lead parts again, that’s for sure.’

‘How’s that, Mrs. Powell?’

‘Haven’t you heard, Inspector? This place is closing after the next show when the lease runs out. Can’t pay the rent. Not now that Fran’s gone. The Masters woman’s been making some noises but she’s got no money of her own and I can’t see her husband paying for it. But, she’s got what she wanted. Hale cast her as Salome. Apparently, my accent was too much of the Fens. I ask you. It’s been twenty years and more since I’ve left the Fens. My Hugh and I celebrated our twentieth in June.’

The potato couple said they had been thinking of switching over to the Wellingborough Operatic anyhow; he had a lovely baritone. Someone said the Operatic was good but a bit old fashioned for his taste and he himself was joining a writers’ group. He was a creative type.

Grant thought he could see the top of Emma’s head or the curve of the neck on several occasions, but the room was quite crowded by now.

‘You wanted to talk to me, I believe, Inspector. What’s the poor little me accused of?’

Some voices can do that. Everyone else stopped talking and slowly moved away. There was far more of Alicia Masters outside her dress than in. Did she know this was meant to be a wake?

 

LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS – Chapter 50

‘You coming, Sir?’ Rav Singh returned into the house.

‘In a minute. We’ll follow yout in in my car.’

‘How’s the albatross?’

Grant turned towards the crystal mirror in a baroque frame and tapped his own shoulder. ‘I can’t see any. Can you?’

Singh laughed. ‘Neither can I. See you at the Station.’ He turned to leave, then laughed again. ‘There’s been a turn-up back at the ranch. You’ll never believe this. Monica, the Super’s secretary, eloped yesterday.’

‘Don’t be an idiot, Rav. Women of Monica’s age and disposition don’t elope.’

‘She did.’

‘Who with?’

‘Samantha’s, the Super daughter’s, fiancée.’ Singh waved cheerily and walked off.

 

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Daily Quotes 49

TWO SIMON GRANT MYSTERIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HIDING THE ELEPHANT – Chapter 49

The Word on Sunday and a few others ran it on the front page. The qualities varied from a small marginal item at the back to a couple of columns among other news from the Balkan war. The gist of it was the same. The British navy patrolling theAdriaticsearched a Turkish ship for evidence of supplies of arms to Bosnians. The ship was on a return trip and any evidence gathered was purely circumstantial, but they found a stowaway. The upshot was that Cedric Humberside, the hit and run driver in the baby Silcock case and later implicated in the brutal murder of Frances Swan and mysterious disappearance of the dead woman’s best friend, Helena Unsworth, a Hallbrook veterinary surgeon in the CroatianportofSplit, that very same Cedric Humberside was being brought back toBritainand justice. In addition to a very good photograph of Humberside, The Word scooped with a few more details. The British were to transport the prisoner toZagreb, the capital ofCroatia, in a military aircraft and escort him from there toLondonimmediately on the scheduled flight.

‘You know what that means, don’t you?’ Grant was fuming. ‘Carlton’s made sure that every single paparazzi in the country and his aunt are there to meet that plane.’

‘Let him have his fun. What’s the harm?’

‘I don’t know yet, but I’d have preferred a news blackout.’ It was no use taking it out on Debbie. She seemed livelier today. ‘You’ve consulted young Matthew on a number of points, I take it?’

‘A girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do. All in a good cause.’ Debbie grinned.  ‘Matthew doesn’t think there’s a way of breaking the PIN unless the card happened to fall into the hands of high tech professionals.’

‘So, what does that tell us?’

Debbie shrugged. ‘Apparently, there have been cases inAmericaof crooked bank clerks observing customers punch their PIN into the machine through security cameras and then accessing their account that way. Not likely in this case. The hole in the wall inSt. Albanshasn’t even got a camera. But, Mrs. Unsworth may have written her PIN actually on the card. Matthew says lots of people do that.’

‘As simple as that?’

‘Lighten up, Boss. Something about this case has got to be simple.’

 

LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS – Chapter 49

The first thing Grant saw through the half-open door was an oversized shadow on the wall. The profile was grotesquely reminiscent of Miss Piggy with glasses.

‘I’ve told you,’ Jennifer Spriggs materialised by his side from thin air. ‘Just as I’ve been saying all along.’

Grant produced a card from his inside pocket. ‘Call this number, ask for Inspector Singh. We’ll need two cars. And Singh himself,’ he whispered.

‘But…’

‘Please.’ He reached back into the pocket to hand her his mobile but she had already pulled her own out of a fancifully beaded bag.

‘He’s mine, Grant. Mine!’ Spriggs literally gritted her teeth. ‘And don’t you forget that.’

‘I won’t.’

 

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