Random Cutting - WWI Trench Mortar (1916?)

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At first glance this looks more like a medieval siege weapon (a trebuchet to be exact) than something from World War 1. This is probably a 240mm bore Flügelminenwerfer introduced in 1916.

Zeebrugge and Bruge Captured

The Star (London) dated Friday October 18th 1918

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Zeebrugge in Belgium was the port serving Bruge and had been used by the Germans as a U-Boat base. An attempt to blockade it in April 1918, by sinking old British ships in the harbour entrance, failed. The attacks in October 1918 were part of the final hundred days offensive to push the German Army out of the occupied countries and end the War.

Lille is in northeastern France very close to the Belgian border and was occupied by the Germans from October 1914 until General Sir William Birdwood and his troops liberated it on October 17^th 1918.

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By the end of September 1918 the German Supreme Command had informed Kaiser Wilhelm II that the situation facing the German forces was quite hopeless and recommended the acceptance of US President Woodrow Wilson’s terms for peace as laid out the previous January in his Fourteen Points speech. Negotiations continued from October 5^th until early November until finally an armistice was agreed for 11:00 on November 11^th 1918. 

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I can find nothing more about M Strojanoff, except that, in a New Zealand paper, he is referred to as Commissary of Police rather than Army. The cutting above could be the inspiration for a novel set during the Russian Revolution that some budding author is looking for.

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The reference here to Leinster is to the sinking of RMS Leinster by a U-Boat on October 10^th 1918 with the loss of 501 lives. See also this post.

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Not exactly Old Bailey material but shows that War or no War petty crime goes on.

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The Influenza outbreak of January 1918 to December 1920 was a true pandemic affecting every part of the World. An estimated 20 - 50 million people died of which 228,000 were in Britain. There had been a lull in cases since the spring but by October the second and most lethal wave of the pandemic had struck.

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I wonder what the owner’s Insurance Company had to say about ‘leaving the vehicle in the hands of a stranger for a few minutes’? 

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The average weekly wage in 1918 was £1 10s 6d. Using The National Archives currency converter that’s equivalent to about £65. 1s 2d is equivalent to £2.51.

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Air Raid Insurance became popular during 1915 when the Zeppelin airships began a bombing campaign. 2s 6d (12.5p) would get you £100 compensation.

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Better safe than sorry.

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You don’t see a lot of bunny rabbit recipes these days, boiled or scrambled.

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Advert for the official Coronation film in the cinemas only 5 days after the event for those that didn't have a TV to watch the live broadcast. The 'cast' of this documentary included Jeremy Clyde (as a page-boy) who went on to an acting career in the US and England starting in 1965 and still going. 

Random Cutting - Miss Jean Batten solo flight

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Aviatrix Jean Batten was born in New Zealand in 1909 and had her first solo flight in 1930. In 1934 she beat Amy Johnson’s record for a solo flight from England to Australia. She also set records for flights from England to Brazil and England to New Zealand. The 1937 flight detailed in the cutting set a record for the Australia to England solo flight. Miss Batten died in 1982 of an infected dog bite. 

Random thought - Originals vs. Reprints

As a collector of historical newspapers I not only get enjoyment from reading an old edition of a paper, but also from knowing that it was there on the breakfast table, in the bus or in the coffee-house being read at the time; be it the day after D-Day, after Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon or William IV died. I can’t get that extra frisson with a reprint.

Why am I boring you with this? I recently went to E-Bay to look for a newspaper or two that would enhance my collection and noticed dozens if not hundreds of World War II papers for sale with the same editions coming up time and again. A few of the listings stated that they were selling ‘reprints’ but most used the word ‘original’. Now it may be just co-incidence but a check of the first 10 ‘original’ papers being offered happened to be also editions of the same papers that were part of the Marshall Cavendish part-work of War Newspaper Reprints catalogued here.

Claiming that something you are trying to sell is original when it is a reprint, facsimile or reproduction is fraudulent. Some listings use the phrase ‘original copy of’ a newspaper, which is ambiguous – ‘copy’ and ‘edition’ can be synonymous with reference to newspapers but semantically ‘original edition’ can be quite different to ‘original copy’.

I admit that telling an original from a reprint is sometimes difficult unless you can see the one side-by-side with the other, so possibly those selling dubious originals and original copies are doing so in innocent ignorance, but some are trying to part collectors from their money in return for fakes. 

Film Star Natalie Wood Drowns

Daily Mirror dated Monday November 30^th 1981

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Natalie Wood was born Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko in San Francisco in 1938 and appeared in her first film in 1943. She is probably best remembered as Maria in ‘West Side Story’ as well as Oscar nominated parts in ‘Splendour in the Grass’ and ‘Love with the Proper Stranger’.

Her death by drowning was originally deemed to be an accident but the coroner’s verdict was amended recently to include the wording ‘drowning and other undetermined factors’.

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Yet again it turned out that the man primarily responsible for young John Haddon’s death had just recently been released from prison after serving 4 years of a 7-year sentence for the attempted abduction of another boy. Paul Corrigan had spent those 4 years planning to abduct, abuse and kill a child. He recruited teenager Derek McInnes to help him. At their trial they were found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. McInnes got 7 years and Corrigan life.

In 1999 the Fallon Inquiry into misconduct at the Ashworth Secure Hospital named Corrigan as the ringleader of a paedophile ring within the unit.

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This item refers to the first of the Northern Ireland supergrasses Christopher Black. His revelations led to the convictions of 22 members of the IRA, although 17 of these were overturned in 1983.

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David Frost and Lynne Frederick’s marriage lasted another 7 months before they divorced. She remarried but again it ended in divorce in 1991. She died at the age of 39 in 1994.

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The International Brotherhood of Teamsters was formed in 1903 and has a long history of Mob involvement, notably the presidency of Jimmy Hoffa who had disappeared in 1975 believed murdered. Organized crime influence on the Union was weakened by the deregulation of the freight transport industry in the 1980’s and then the RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) in 1989.

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Despite a £10000 reward being offered, the doorstep murder of Roy Herterich has never been solved.

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A serious analysis of PC Alan Godfrey’s UFO experience can be read at the Fortean Times archive here. I have seen PC Godfrey talk about that night and he certainly didn’t come over as deserving public ridicule by the Daily Mirror.

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Ex-keyboard player for the prog rock group Yes, Rick Wakeman and ex-page 3 model Nina Carter married in 1984 and remained so until 2004. Nice boots, Rick! 

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William Holden had died on November 12^th after a fall at his home in Santa Monica. Throughout the 1950’s he’d been one of the top 10 biggest box office draws, his 60’s films included the infamously violent ‘The Wild Bunch’ and in the 70’s he appeared with Steve McQueen and Paul Newman in ‘The Towering Inferno’.

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This cartoon doesn’t even have to label the lady with the handbag – everyone knew it was Margaret Thatcher.

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Football hooliganism goes back to 1880’s and beyond. I have only been to one professional match in my life so I don’t have any first hand knowledge, but I know that throughout the 70’s and 80’s non-fans like myself assumed that all football fans were violent yobs. They all weren’t but some were.

Random Ad - Slumber helmet (1930's)

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'The June Slumber Helmet Definitely Reduces' - your chances in the Most Attractive Bed Partner contest.