100 Years Ago - January 8, 1910
TWO men were sentenced to six months’ imprisonment with hard labour, following their conviction for menacing night poaching.
Labourers Charles Harvey and Walter Renyard, who had previous convictions for similar offences, were caught poaching on the Swainston Estate in the middle of the night. They were also found in possession of eight newly shot pheasants. The crime was aggravated by Harvey pointing a loaded gun at one of the estate watchers when confronted.
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A dispute between neighbours over an incorrectly delivered letter escalated into a violent row, resulting in one woman being fined 2s 6d with 15s costs. Julia Colley, of York Street, Cowes, was convicted of assault after throwing a bucket of water over her neighbour, Violet Cole, and her baby.
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Mourners flocked to memorial services held at St Paul’s Church, Barton, for the late Rev W. H. Nutter.
Paying tribute to the much loved vicar, the Rev Canon Clement Smith said a great sorrow had fallen upon the whole district.
75 Years Ago - January 12, 1935
Widespread flooding in and around Newport, described as the worst in living memory, followed an hour-long deluge of rain, hail and snow. Streams rose around 3ft in 20 minutes, causing around 50 houses and mills near Lukely Brooke and Blackwater Valley stream to flood. Chickens drowned in flooded gardens and cattle were driven to higher ground.
Roads were flooded and the train service between Merstone, Newport and Ventnor was disrupted due to water on the track.
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An inquest was held into the death of a plater’s help at East Cowes shipyard J. S. White and Co.
Frank Charles Twort, 26, was working on the destroyer HMS Fury when a keel plate fell on him, pinning him to the ground, fracturing his spine and leaving him paralysed.
Recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner Ingleby Oddie said a wooden beam securing the keel plate was obviously defective. He said the wood had dry rot, something which should have been spotted earlier.
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Lord Mottistone, chairman of the committee of the Air League of the British Empire, announced plans for a £10,000 fund to help poor young men learn to fly.
The fund would mean 800 more men would have the opportunity to become fully qualified pilots.
The scheme was highly praised by Lord Londonderry, minister for air.
50 Years Ago - January 9, 1960
Guest of honour at the Island Police Sports Club’s children’s Christmas party, held at the Royal York Hotel, Ryde, was Jacki, the Island division’s new police dog.
Jacki escorted Father Christmas, also known as
Newport PC Rowsell, as he distributed presents, fruit, sweets and balloons to more than 100 children.
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Residents were warned the Island’s water supply for the coming year could not be guaranteed. Speaking at a meeting at County Hall, water board chairman Alderman E. G. Heal said: "If we get a dry February and March I’m afraid we shall find it difficult."
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A new record released by Island singing sensation Craig Douglas, Pretty Blue Eyes and Sandy, made the US top 20. His previous record, What Do You Want, was also released in the US.
25 Years Ago - January 11, 1985
Cowes Week secured a new sponsor for 1985 — the Surrey-based Sandhurst Group of Companies.
In 1984 the event was forced to go ahead with fewer facilities, after organisers, the Cowes Combined Clubs, failed to find a sponsor for the event.
As a result, the social side of the event was noticeably subdued, lacking the glitz and glamour of royal visitors and huge crowds.
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County Hall demanded assurances from Marks and Spencer regarding the company’s much-publicised plans to open a store in Newport.
M&S said it was still interested but would not confirm plans to open a store on the site fronting St James’s Square, Pyle Street and the High Street.
The Island planning unit voiced concerns about the empty, run-down properties awaiting development.
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A double-decker bus slid across an icy road in Ventnor and crashed into an antique shop.
Although there were a dozen passengers on the bus no-one was hurt in the accident, which saw the bus skid into Gibbs’s antique shop on the corner of the High Street, shattering an 18ft window and sending items flying from the shelves.
Also badly damaged was the flat above the shop, owned by Mr and Mrs Stephen Brown.
10 Years Ago - January 7, 2000
St Mary’s Hospital was put on red alert over the holiday period, at one stage having only one spare bed.
The large increase in emergency admissions was a result of the flu virus sweeping the country.
The out-of-hours GP service, IDOC, dealt with a massive 2,700 calls between Christmas Eve and the end of the holiday period.
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Outraged party-goers besieged ticket outlets demanding their money back after the IW Council pulled the plug on an all-night New Year’s Eve rave just two days before it was due to take place.
The council secured an injunction to prevent the Wicked Y2K Mayhem party, at the Westfield Leisure Centre, Bonchurch, after learning 600 tickets had been sold when the venue was licensed for 300 people — a move welcomed by residents but slammed by organisers and the club’s owners.
A spokesman for Kevin Scott Promotions said: "It seems young people on the Island are not permitted to party."