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Looking Back: Friday, March 14, 2008

By Emily Pearce - Friday, March 14, 2008
100 Years Ago
March 14, 1908
A labourer from Godshill was charged with sacrilege, after stealing 2s 1d from the church poor box.
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A fatal accident occurred at Gatcombe Mill Shute, when a 41-year-old carter was run over by his own wagon. The deputy coroner of the Island heard the man tripped and fell under the wheels.
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Madame Ada Crossley, the world-famous contralto, was the main attraction at a concert held at Ryde Town Hall. She sang Caro Mio Ben, On the Way Home and The Banks of the Allan Water, returning for two encores.
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The Island Divisional Committee of the Hampshire FA launched an investigation into the conduct of Cowes Red Star players after their league match against Freshwater RA was abandoned. Five players, including the captain, were suspended for disorderly conduct and abusive language.

75 Years Ago
March 11, 1933
Members of the Shanklin, Lake and Branstone Union Co-operative Society agreed to supply pasteurised milk for the first time. Milk retailers, however, voiced considerable opposition to the scheme.
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Maj B. S. K. Guise-Moores was appointed as the new deputy governor of Parkhurst Prison, following the transfer of the previous deputy governor to Walton Prison in Liverpool. Meanwhile, Parkhurst and Exeter prisons were chosen to pilot an experiment that provided prisoners with their own newspapers. The aim of the experiment was to keep prisoners in touch with the outside world, although crime news was excluded.
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Captain James Seely, the eldest son of the late Colonel Frank Seely and a nephew of General Seely, received minor head injuries when he was thrown from his horse while out hunting.

50 Years Ago
March 15, 1958
The annual British Red Cross first aid Ward Cup competition for cadets was held at St Mary’s Hospital. Four teams took part, and the winning trophy went to the Ryde Cadet Unit.
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Sandown Ratepayers’ Association was warned that another two or three years of delays on the Portsmouth to Ryde ferry service would ruin the Island’s holiday trade. Mr G. E. Clements said British Railways had a monopoly of the ferry service, and if it could not cope, then it should give someone else a chance.
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At a meeting of the Island branches of the Historical Association and the UN Association, Mr W. Barrett gave a talk on Germany. He said that although the Germans were perceived as militaristic and incapable of democratic government, there were other sides to the German character.
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The IW Car Club announced plans for a 250-mile Island car rally, culminating with a concours d’elegance at Ryde Esplanade.

25 Years Ago
March 11, 1983
Sir Christopher Cockerell, the inventor of the hovercraft, ushered in a new era of cross-Solent travel. He officially launched the locally designed and built hovercraft, which was brought into service by Hovertravel on its Ryde to Southsea route.
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After devoting more than 50 years of her life to voluntary work in the service of her fellow townspeople, Gertrude Bartlett was named Sandown’s Citizen of the Year.
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The Fisherman’s Cottage Club in Shanklin was badly damaged when a fire ripped through the first floor of the building. Sheila Anderson, co-owner of the club and the only person inside at the time, managed to escape unhurt with her dog.
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Police launched an investigation after jewellery worth more than £1,000 was stolen from the Duver Inn, St Helens, after a walk-in burglary.
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Thieves broke into St John’s Church, Ryde, and stole a steel chest containing a valuable silver communion plate. They also took a small jewelled cross, two chalices and a tape recording of a wedding service.
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Simone Wilkinson, a Cowes woman who was jailed for protesting against nuclear weapons, won the support of thousands of Americans during a 14-day tour of the USA.

10 Years Ago
March 13, 1998
The IW Healthcare NHS Trust placed an order to buy the Island’s own MRI scanner. St Mary’s Hospital was one of the first sites in the UK to install the Siemens scanner, which was funded by public donations.
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All four shops and coffee houses belonging to Niton Bakeries, the Island’s oldest chain of bakery shops, were closed, with around 30 staff losing their jobs.
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The IW Council stepped in to try to alleviate the Island’s worst housing crisis of the decade. The authority made an urgent Island-wide appeal to landlords for temporary accommodation, after an acute shortage of spaces left some families homeless.
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Pub chain J. D. Wetherspoon secured planning permission for an establishment in Union Street, Ryde. The chain said it was planning to spend £50,000 transforming the former Fowlers store into a food and drink outlet employing up to 24 people.
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Forest Enterprise was branded a countryside vandal for felling 800 trees at Parkhurst Forest. Hillis Gate resident Ted Allen said: “They have devastated the area, putting pure profit before woodland of great environmental value.”