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Looking Back: Friday, March 28, 2008

By Emily Pearce - Friday, March 28, 2008
100 Years Ago
March 28,1908
It was decided at a meeting of the IW Guardians to increase the number of places available at the workhouse, due to a large influx of inmates.
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Col J. E. B. Seely MP presided at the annual dinner of the London Vectensians. The society was praised by the County Press for the friendly counsel it offered to young Island men upon their arrival in the bewildering maze of the metropolis and for promoting the attractions of the IW in the capital.
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A lecture on earthquakes was given at Newport by Dr Milne, who pointed out that England, though rarely subject to earthquakes, had more interest in them than any other nation. The San Francisco earthquake alone resulted in payments of £12 million from British insurance companies.
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The deputy coroner held an inquest on the body of a baby boy found at Appley beach, recording a verdict of wilful murder.

75 Years Ago
March 25, 1933
Eminent botanist James Groves, of Freshwater Bay, died aged 76 due to heart failure. He was widely recognised as an authority on grasses, mosses and charophyta, a group of water plants. In 1924, he published two volumes on British charophyta, which formed the only complete record of the family of plants in existence.
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Mrs Benzie’s Amateur Players gave a performance of The Last Of Mrs Cheyney at the Alexandra Hall in Cowes, following the comedy’s successful run on the London stage with Gladys Cooper and Sir Gerald du Maurier in the lead roles.
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At a meeting of the Shanklin branch of the League of Nations, the chairman gave a speech condemning those who so readily pointed out the league’s failure to prevent hostilities in the Far East. He said war was as old as history and nothing short of a miracle could remove an instinct so deeply ingrained.
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A greatly respected and well-liked Ryde chimney sweep committed suicide by lying face down in a pond. He had been suffering from depression after pains in his leg left him unable to work as much as he would have liked.

50 Years Ago
March 29, 1958
The County Technical College Photographic Club held an exhibition of members’ work, with photographs of a Tyrolean village, a church spire and a seagull, as well as portrait and landscape works, receiving awards.
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It was stated at a meeting of the IW Employment Committee that just over 100 people remained unemployed on the Island, after 250 people had found work through the employment exchanges. There was a great deal of concern about the lack of opportunities for young people.
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England cricketer Colin Cowdrey gave a talk on Test matches, and showed films of matches he had played in, to prisoners at Parkhurst.
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After a Southampton couple lost an envelope containing their Bournemouth honeymoon fund, Mr F. H. Jung, of the Beach Hotel, Ventnor, offered them a free week’s holiday at his hotel.
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A report on the health of Island schoolchildren revealed 30 per cent of boys and 15 per cent of girls were regular smokers.

25 Years Ago
March 25, 1983
A controversial TVS television documentary, Plight of the Wight, criticised local authorities for failing to support the tourist industry. Joyce Hutchinson, owner of a Newport shop and wine bar, described Islanders as having a small-town mentality and enjoyed watching others fail.
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Thieves broke into Ryde Rowing Club and stole a number of valuable trophies, including the Sandown Bay Regatta Challenge Cup, also known as ‘The Bucket,’ thought to be worth more than £3,000 alone.
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The Southern Water Authority (SWA) began work on an £11 million scheme to completely modernise Cowes sewerage system. SWA divisional manager Bruce Hewett said: ”The sewerage system at Cowes is old, inadequate and an expensive headache for the authority.”
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The Ventnor Laundry, with its 80ft high ornamentally decorated chimney, celebrated its 100th anniversary, having survived storms, fire and wartime air raids.

10 Years Ago
March 27, 1998
The Island’s Gay Men’s Health Project produced the first IW gay guide — an information booklet about the Island’s gay and lesbian scene. A spokesman for the project said: “The booklet has been produced to counteract the impression that no gay life exists on the IW, which could not be further from the truth. There is a well-established gay scene — you only need to know how to find it.”
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Young falconer David Orchard, nine, impressed his classmates at Shanklin Primary School when he took his Canadian red-tailed hawk, Goldie, to meet them. Headteacher David Kitching said: “The youngsters were enthralled to see such a beautiful bird.”
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Spot checks on school buses revealed a 50 per cent failure rate, sparking claims that the lives of school children were being put at risk. Ten vehicles carrying youngsters were stopped on Island roads, and five of them had defects — two of them serious enough to warrant immediate probation notices.
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Pupils from St Mary’s Primary School, Ryde, officially opened the town’s new £6.5 million Somerfield store. 87 permanent jobs, and 25 temporary ones were created, and it was hoped the supermarket would bring investment back into central Ryde.