100 Years Ago - June 29, 1912
THE government was criticised after it made no provision for the enfranchisement of women in its Reform Bill.
Speaking at a meeting of the West Wight Women’s Liberal Association, Mrs Purchase said after 30 years’ work for the Liberal party, she was not considered equal to the "infantile man", simply because she was born a woman.
She said it would be a slur on the party if the Bill was passed without some provision being made for votes for women.
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St John Ambulance men from the Island attended the review of the brigade by the King.
Fourteen members of the Newport division, 13 from Sandown, ten from Ryde and six from Shanklin, attended the review at Windsor Great Park.
The Island contingent marched in fours to the parade ground, before joining 14,000 men and 3,000 nurses for the parade.
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The King and Queen and Princess Henry of Battenberg accepted souvenir copies of a book written by an Island vicar.
Copies of A Durbar Dream, written by the Rev F. J. Bamford and produced by villagers in Newchurch, were given to the royals as gifts.
In a letter to the vicar, the Queen said she was touched by the loyalty and affection shown by everyone involved.
75 Years Ago - July 3, 1937
The cleanliness of Island beaches was set to be improved with the installation of a new refuse plant.
Southampton installed a new plant to manage the refuse, which was previously dumped at sea off the IW.
Island authorities had complained the floating refuse washed up on the shores of coastal resorts.
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The foundation stone for the new County Hall was laid by Sir Godfrey Baring.
Building work on the new County Hall, at the site of the old county offices in the lower part of Newport High Street, began six months before the laying of the stone.
The steel framework had been erected and it was possible to visualise how it would look on completion.
It would cost £57,000.
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Around 1,500 scouts, cubs, guides and brownies took part in a rally at Newport Football Club.
A march and salute was followed by various displays, demonstrating the usefulness of guiding and scouting, as well as the lighter side of the movement.
The rally was one of many held across the country.
50 Years Ago - June 30, 1962
Fire caused severe damage to an ancient manor house in Carisbrooke.
The fire at the 400-year-old Whitcombe Farm was spotted by a herdsman, who was attending his cows when he saw smoke coming from the chimney.
A cellar, used as a store, and a children’s room were wrecked and smoke and heat caused damage all over the property. The farmer, Mr D. F. F. Colledge, was away at the time.
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Maintenance staff at the Kingston electricity generating station performed another feat, by breaking the record for erecting a high pressure turbine, in 29 hours.
After delivery of the twin turbine at 4pm, staff worked through the night and by 9am the following day, the turbine was up and delivering power.
The timing of the operation was important because of impending works on the mainland, which would affect the Island’s supply.
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A driving test with a difference reached a successful conclusion in Newport.
Arthur Fleming, 37, of Great Preston Road, Ryde, who was deaf, passed his test after his instructor, Mr I. MacRill, devised a system of special hand signals to replace the spoken word.
Mr Fleming only needed 15 hourly sessions and during his test, he answered a number of questions by means of diagrams.
25 Years Ago - July 3, 1987
For the first time, patients using the Island hospital car service would have to pay.
The service was being discontinued by the NHS and handed to volunteer drivers to run on a self-funded basis.
The move was expected to provoke considerable public reaction.
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Just weeks after the completion of an £80,000 improvement programme at the IW Conservative Association Club, in Newport, torrential rain flooded the ground floor, causing major damage.
St Thomas’s Square was one of a number in the town affected by a sudden storm, as drains were unable to cope with the torrent.
The worst damage was caused to the new 20ft by 15ft parquet dance floor, while the snooker room and women’s toilets were inches deep in water.
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Ryde Cemetery became the target for night time wreckers in one of the worst incidents in a long history of vandalism there.
Medina Borough Council was assessing the damage after an 18ft by 19ft store had been set on fire, headstones smashed and graffiti sprayed everywhere.
10 Years Ago - June 28, 2002
The development of the remainder of Pan in Newport was a golden opportunity for it to be a showpiece for the rest of the country to follow.
That was the view of Cllr Terry Butchers, who said the Island should get exactly what it wanted from the site.
Ideas for the area included a development of around 500 homes.
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Ryde Rowing Club, one of the oldest sports clubs on the Island, celebrated its 125th anniversary.
The original clubhouse was on Ryde Pier, where social and competitive events were held until 1968.
A new clubhouse opened at Appley in 1975, before it was replaced with a two-storey building in 1998.