LOOKING BACK
EACH week we look back at Isle of Wight history and heritage, using the Isle of Wight County Press Archive.For more, please see the Isle of Wight County Press newspaper, every Friday.Search for your own stories by accessing our archive here.

Ten years ago: Mystery circles in the sand and grass at Compton intrigued visitors and would have no doubt sparked the fascination of the Island’s former UFO society.
The truth, though, was much more mundane than alien life. It was, in fact, the work of Eric Geddes, of Freshwater, who used 37 planks of flotsam wood to create it.
However, the origin of a second nearby spiral was a mystery, consisting of more than 1,000 stones.

100 Years Ago
March 10, 1917


ONE of the greatest tragedies to befall the Island was the sinking of the SS Mendi, resulting in the loss of 625 lives.
The merchant navy ship was transporting labourers from South Africa to serve in France, was hit by the cargo ship Darro.
The incident occurred because of poor visibility and thick fog just a few miles off St Catherine’s Point.

75 Years Ago
March 14, 1942


Following the announcement gas for the poisoning of rabbits would be sold at a greatly reduced price for the next six months, the County Press was flooded with letters.
N. Kennedy wrote: "What a waste of valuable food, costing almost nothing to catch."
C. H. Gibson added: "Food provided in our midst should not be subjected to a peacetime activity."

50 Years Ago
March 4, 1967


For the first time since it was started in 1959, there was difficulty filling all available space at the annual Hotels Catering and Traders exhibition at Ryde Town Hall.
The struggles of the exhibition were attributed to government tourism policy by Alderman Woodnutt.
Others decried the Ventnor line rail closure, which had resulted in up to a 25 per cent reduction in trade the previous season for certain areas of the Island.

25 Years Ago
March 13, 1992


The ongoing battle to unify the Island’s disparate councils came one step closer. The Tory-controlled Medina Borough Council fell into line with the other two local authorities, calling for a single unitary authority in an effort to find £5 million in savings (nearly £10 million in today’s money).

10 Years Ago
March 9, 2007


A little ship with a big history was brought to the Island for restoration.

The vessel was originally one of the Dunkirk little ships, used to evacuate British troops stranded on the beach in 1940.

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