A Quick Reminder: Looking back through the archives of The Keswick Reminder from around this week 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago.
20 years ago
Flying high
A Keswick man who was warned he might never walk again after a paragliding accident, has now achieved a dream by obtaining a pilot’s licence.
Mark Littlewood, 29, of Blencathra Street, travelled to South Africa earlier this year to take part in a course partially funded through a scholarship awarded by a charity inspired by the exploits of wartime disabled flyer Douglas Bader.
Mark, who was badly injured three years ago in a paragliding crash on Bewaldeth Fell near Bassenthwaite, has taken up paragliding again and also plans to gain a microlight licence to take other disabled people into the air. As a result of the course he took in South Africa Mark, who has learnt to walk again, not only gained his private pilot’s licence, but a night flight rating.
He was flying as a trainee instructor when he had his accident, the shock of which damaged his spine. He was in hospital for several months and was told by experts that he might not walk again.
He said the flying course had been very intensive. “We worked from 7am to 5pm six days a week for six weeks, but it was all worth it to gain a private pilot’s licence,” he added.
30 years ago
Park vandals strike again
On Wednesday morning builders on the site of the new Sports Pavilion in Fitz Park discovered that during the night vandals had returned and had again knocked down walls which had been erected the previous day.
It is exactly three weeks since the vandals first attacked the new Pavilion, knocking down walls which had been built only the previous day. This time, they had also knocked down some building which had been done several days before.
Sergeant Andrew Wadeson of Keswick Police expressed concern and surprise that this vandalism should occur to a building which is to be used by young people in the town.
Mr. David Hodgson, Managing Director of I. & R. Hodgson Ltd., the local firm which is constructing the new Pavilion, said this week that the vandalism three weeks ago had cost in the region of £2,500. He had not valued the cost of the destruction this week as yet.
Sports organisations and supporters from the Keswick area have been working for two years to realise a dream — a new sports pavilion in Fitz Park with up to date facilities for teams and their visitors, together with a kitchen and social room. A new hockey pitch and a junior football pitch, with a running track for the town’s athletes, are part of the plan, to add to the cricket pitch which is already in existence. Fund raising has been ongoing during the past two years to add to the generous donation from the Town Council’s Project Fund and a grant from the Sports Council.
40 years ago
Remembrance Sunday
Even those who have attended many Remembrance Day services in Keswick found it hard to recall an occasion when there was such a large attendance as last Sunday.
St. John’s Church was packed for the service of remembrance and there was another large turnout to see the Town Mayor, Councillor Martin Jordan, lead the wreath laying at the cenotaph.
The weather no doubt played its part, but compared with the decline in Keswick’s remembrance ceremony a few years ago it was evident that the event has experienced a major re-kindling of interest latterly.
The service was the first led by Canon Richard Watson since he became Vicar of St. John’s earlier this year. Other clergy taking part were the Vicar of Crosthwaite, Revd. Rodney Hughes, the padre of the Keswick R.A.F.A. Revd. Reg Harper and Monsignor Wilfred Buxton of the Catholic Church of Our Lady and St. Charles.
The silence of a Lakeland mountain top was broken by a lone bugler at one of Britain’s most unusual Remembrance events on Sunday.
A record four hundred walkers and climbers made the pilgrimage to the Fell and Rock Club memorial on the 2,900ft summit of Great Gable to observe two minutes’ silence and lay poppies. As the silence ended a mystery bugler stepped forward and sounded the Last Post.
Mr. Des Oliver, a National Park ranger who was attending his 30th Great Gable remembrance said: “Some years ago a local man used to carry a wireless up with him so we could hear the Last Post recorded from the cenotaph ceremony in Whitehall, and one occasion I can recall a lament on the bagpipes, but this is the first time I have seen a bugler at the ceremony.
“There was a tremendous crowd this year. There was single file traffic on Honister Pass because so many vehicles were parked while people walked to Great Gable.”
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,— In your leader last week you paid tribute to Lord Mountbatten and linked this with comments on Greenham Women Against Cruise. Lord Mountbatten, in his speech at Strasbourg on the 11th May, 1979, spoke at length about the need for nuclear disarmament and said: “As a military man who has given half a century of active service I say in all sincerity that the nuclear arms race has no military purpose. Wars cannot be fought with nuclear weapons. Their existence only adds to our perils because of the illusions which they have generated. There are powerful voices around the world who still give credence to the old Roman precept — if you desire peace, prepare for war. This is absolute nuclear non-sense …” and he concluded: “The world now stands on the brink of the final abyss. Let us resolve to take all possible practical steps to ensure that we do not, through our own folly, go over the edge.”
It was thus very appropriate that you should couple Lord Mountbatten’s memory with the Greenham Women.
You criticised the Greenham Women but the majority of these women do not lack self-control and dignity and in fact have shown tremendous dignity in their difficult physical conditions and during police handling. It is not long since we derided the people of Germany for not resisting the Nazi terror of extermination camps; we should now praise those dedicated women who, on our behalf, are trying to prevent a holocaust in which millions will be burnt to death.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Whitaker,
MBE… B.Sc.
Birch Croft,
Applethwaite,
Keswick.
50 years ago
Crane
Traffic was disrupted in Keswick on Monday afternoon when the jib of a mobile crane being carried on a low-loader articulated vehicle was thrust through a window of the first floor of the Keswick Restaurant as the vehicle was negotiating “Post Office corner”.
About six to eight feet of the jib went through the window, also knocking out bricks and smashing a table and chairs inside. Fortunately there was no one in the restaurant, which had recently been closed, or the situation might have been much worse since that particular corner was the most popular in the restaurant.
It took about half an hour to get the jib out and the vehicle was able to carry on, having already had an hour’s delay at Burns Brow where a break-down vehicle from Penrith was needed to pull it up the hill because the clutch was slipping.
