Did you see the wonderfully quirky story on Look North last night about Mablethorpe councillors writing to the Prime Minister to ask for the redundant Ark Royal aircraft carrier to be berthed at their resort, as a tourist/visitor attraction and a function/meeting venue?
One councillor, in particular, seems to be spearheading the project and we should all take our hat off to him. A man of vision, even though some local residents interviewed seemed to think it all a bit pie in the sky (if you can use such a phrase about matters nautical).
It's to be hoped there will always be a place in local politics for those who might be felt a shade eccentric. When Glanford Borough Council held meetings in the wonderful, wood-panelled meeting chamber in what's now Hewson House, off Bigby Street, Brigg, we could enjoy the contributions of true characters like Fred Cook (New Holland). Fred, 30 years ago, was a veteran independent and you could never forecast what view he was going to hold on any particular issue. But as a true backbencher - he literally sat on the back bench of the chamber - he always had something to contribute. And his comments were always worth reporting.
In the early years of Brigg Town Council, Ivor Strudwick, of St Helen's Road, also expressed some strong views from time to time. Once, after Glanford Borough Council had taken over running Brigg Corn Exchange and the building was not getting the finance for repairs Strud though it needed, he hit out at "the backwoodsmen of Glanford" whom he suggested came from places of which no-one had heard.
Now that rebuke, once reported in the Lincolnshire and South Humberside Times, hit home with some of the village people, including Coun Terry Atherton (Kirton Lindsey), later to be the very successful Conservative leader of Glanford Borough Council and have Atherton Way, Brigg, named in his honour.
However, Terry sometimes spoke in similar vein when taking a swipe at the Labour stronghold of Scunthorpe, which he famously described as being "that little island in our midst." Meaning, of course, the steel town was surrounded by his borough.
Returning to the Ark Royal, Brigg had an old barge for many years, moored not far from the County Bridge, near Riverside House and the White Hart pub. Anyone remember it? Not exactly a tourist attraction, this vessel slowly sank into the Old River Ancholme. Somewhere in my late father's archive a picture exists of it, circa 1970, when the end was near and it faced the final (watery) curtain.
Of course, Brigg had a few prehistoric boats of note which, if still with us, would definitely draw the crowds, just as they did in the late 19th and early 20th centuries after being dug out of the mud. The best was sent to Hull Museum where, during the Second World War, it sadly perished during an air-raid by Hitler's Luftwaffe. Preserved for thousands of years underground, only to be written off by a Flying Pencil!
(German nickname for a type of Dornier bomber, if you didn't know.)
See yer sneaking in there a 'Flying Pencil' - crafty, eh, showing off with yer wartime aeroplane knowledge. Didn't know you were that old, Scribs - always put you about 68...
ReplyDeleteDonier Do 17 - German bomber - one of those bombed our chippy!
Do I get a Christmas cracker?
In conclusion, wot aeroplane was known as the 'Flying Coffin'?
Have just thought of something else -
in the 60's the RAF had so many aircraft to get rid off that they wrote to local Air Cadet units asking them whether they wanted a aeroplane.
We had some extra land at my squadron and we gained a Meteor T9 and seemingly hundreds of ejector seats.
Anyone thought about approaching old Boris Johnson and seeing if we can borrow HMS Belfast from outside Tower Bridge?
We could sail it up the Ancholme and once berthed either ouside Lidl's or Tesco (I don't thing it will go under the bridge) folks could climb aboard at the bow (sharp end) disembark at Horkstow (blunt end).
We could get Brigg Boat Club to lift it out during the winter for a bottom scrub.
I've get me RYA coastal skipper badge, so all I'll need are some folks to stoke the boiler and a lady to make sarnies during the trip.
Brigg TC could make a couple of quid by advertising it as a cruise ship, but passengers will have to boil their own soup.
At weekends, we could sail to Brandy Wharf and back - but we may have to go via the Leisure Centre channel cos' of the low town bridge.
Failing HMS Belfast - how about a couple of tanks - come in useful for snow? The town mayor could use one as a staff car. If interested, I'll get some third-party quotes.
See yer sneaking in there a 'Flying Pencil' - crafty, eh, showing off with yer wartime aeroplane knowledge. Didn't know you were that old, Scribs - always put you about 68...
ReplyDeleteDonier Do 17 - German bomber - one of those bombed our chippy!
Do I get a Christmas cracker?
In conclusion, wot aeroplane was known as the 'Flying Coffin'?
Have just thought of something else -
in the 60's the RAF had so many aircraft to get rid off that they wrote to local Air Cadet units asking them whether they wanted a aeroplane.
We had some extra land at my squadron and we gained a Meteor T9 and seemingly hundreds of ejector seats.
Anyone thought about approaching old Boris Johnson and seeing if we can borrow HMS Belfast from outside Tower Bridge?
We could sail it up the Ancholme and once berthed either ouside Lidl's or Tesco (I don't thing it will go under the bridge) folks could climb aboard at the bow (sharp end) disembark at Horkstow (blunt end).
We could get Brigg Boat Club to lift it out during the winter for a bottom scrub.
I've get me RYA coastal skipper badge, so all I'll need are some folks to stoke the boiler and a lady to make sarnies during the trip.
Brigg TC could make a couple of quid by advertising it as a cruise ship, but passengers will have to boil their own soup.
At weekends, we could sail to Brandy Wharf and back - but we may have to go via the Leisure Centre channel cos' of the low town bridge.
Failing HMS Belfast - how about a couple of tanks - come in useful for snow? The town mayor could use one as a staff car. If interested, I'll get some third-party quotes.
Could have been a Foche, Ken. Care required with the pronunciation.
ReplyDeleteNope!
ReplyDeleteIt was one of ours - a Fairey!
...a Fairey Battle.
It entered operational service in 1937, but by 1940 it was obsolete - outclassed by German fighters. However, the type was the first RAF to bring down a Germin during the Battle of France.
Although it had a Merlin engine, it was grossly underpowered. It had a crew of 3; poor armanents and had a very long distinctive canopy.
The canopy shape, combined with a 50 percent loss rate on ops. gave rise to the unfortunate nickname - 'Flying Coffin'
It was removed from front-line service in 1940.
A better known Fairey Aviation Company aeroplane was the FAIREY SWORDFISH of the Fleet Air Arm.
It was so obsolescent before the war that the navy wanted to replace it long before 1939. But its lack of sophistication became its great advantage.
The German anti-aircraft crews and equipment had been designed/trained to intercept fast aircraft....but the Swordfish could cruise at about 40 knots, just above the waves and the Germins found it difficult to get a decent fix.
It remained on front-line ops throughout the war.
The Fairey company also made fast boats - ie MTB's and air-sea rescue launches......and it was in the RAF air-sea rescue branch that AC1 Shaw made his reputation as an expert on fast boats.....which leads me to the next question, Scoop.
AC1 Shaw was better know as whom????
ps The Garmins had Fokker and Foche.
For example in the Great War there was the Fokker Triplane and in WW2 the Foche Wulf.
Some years ago I went round to a married couple's house. Over some beers we watched a war film. The guy got so animated that he was telling the RAF guys to shoot down those XXXXX.!!!!
Later, the missus was profusely apologising for her husband's swearing, 'I've never heard him swear before....it must be too many cans of beer.
We had to explain that Fokker was the name of the aircraft company and not her husband suddenly becoming a sufferer of Turettes (?Spell) Syndrome.
Finally, when this Flying Pencil bombed the Hull museum, the building was damaged so badly that after the war all they could afford was just to clear the ground area.
Some say that the boat was in the now covered-over basement with other artefacts....and could be unscathed.....what definitive info do we know about this notion, Nige?
Lawrence of Arabia?
ReplyDeleteLawrence of Arabia?
ReplyDelete