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
Plan to resolve parking “mess” rejected
Proposals to create a car park for fell walkers near Catbells were on Wednesday rejected by the National Park Authority who said the scheme would harm the landscape.
Dozens of cars park on the roadside below the popular route up Catbells and in the past this has caused access problems for the police and emergency services.
Local landowner Lord Rochdale’s Lingholm Private Trust, which owns the Lingholm Estate west of Derwentwater, had applied for permission to create a 100-space car park on a field at Gutherscale at the base of Catbells.
Lord Rochdale said the current situation was a mess and the car park would help solve the problem.
But according to objectors, the proposed car park would be worse than the existing situation and would spoil the area.
Swamp rescue
The swift actions of rescuers almost certainly saved the life of a man who was floundering exhausted in swampland close to the shores of Derwentwater at the weekend.
Norman Ryan, a long-standing resident on the Lakeside Caravan Park in Keswick who comes from Co. Durham, and a friend John Boow, from Mirfield in Yorkshire, had to use a kayak for support as they crawled out into the reeds to drag the semi-conscious man to safety.
Mr Ryan said: “A chap came to the door of our caravan and said there was this man floundering about in the swamp. I know that area well and realised we would have to act quickly.
“At first I tried calling to the man to get him to come towards us, but it was obvious that he was totally exhausted. Suddenly he stopped responding so we found a kayak nearby and dragged that through the reeds knowing it would support us. I climbed in and there was just enough distance to reach him and John helped me to pull him out.”
Mr Ryan said: “He was totally shot. He kept slipping into unconsciousness. I have no idea how he came to be there. I think he must have been taking a cut through the woods and was trying to make his way to where he could see lights.”
After hauling the exhausted victim ashore Mr Ryan covered him with a blanket while his wife made a hot water bottle. “He was a big man and he was in a state of sheer exhaustion,” he said. “If that chap had not heard him shout he would probably have disappeared forever. No-one would have known anything about where he was. The mud is very deep at that point and as we tried to rescue him he was telling us to leave him, he was so exhausted.”
Sergeant Dave Roberts of Keswick Police said: “The rescuers did a great job. Once we have got the full reports on the incident there is every prospect of recommending them for an award.”
The man was taken by ambulance to the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, and discharged the following day.
Letter to the Editor: Reflections on ‘D’ Day
The 6th Bn. The Border Regiment was the infantry battalion around which a Beach Group was built, comprising of about 3,300 men, made up of all the specialist units of the British Army, which landed with the assault troops of the Hampshires, Dorsets and Devons on Gold Beach.
We had boarded various ships – I can’t remember them all but I know the S.S. Aquabus was one at the end of May 1944 and were anchored in the Solent. We were briefed each day and spent leisure time playing cards or “Housey Housey” (now Bingo). We could write letters but these were not posted until well after ‘D’ Day.
During the night of June 5th we sailed out towards the Isle of Wight and joined up with an armada of ships, navy, troop ships, supply ships etc. No-one was allowed on deck but I was told by an officer that, as far as the eye could see, the sea was just covered with boats.
Everything was deadly quiet but just before dawn all the naval ships opened fire. The noise was shattering; the “Ajax” had fired a broadside from about 200 yards behind us and the battleship “Quorn”, about 30 yards on our right, joined in. Our turn came to scramble down the nets into our assault craft. We went through roughish seas but landed on the beach at Le Hamel without loss; our work started immediately, 1 Company taking over the defence of the Bridgehead, allowing the assault troops to move inland, helping to clear the beach of all obstacles (including lifting and burying the dead which were moved when the War Graves Commission arrived fourteen days later and after the cemetery at Bayeux was set up.
The Mulberry harbour was a great piece of engineering but that didn’t function until about three weeks later.
When our work on the beaches was over the Battalion was split up and we joined various Scots Regiments.
‘D’ Day was certainly the turning point of the Second World War. Many young men died in the liberation of Europe – they should never be forgotten.
Fred Aston
6th Bn Border Regiment and 6th Bn. K.O.S.B.
Keswick
30 years ago
Wreath laid for D Day
A wreath was laid at the War Memorial on Sunday afternoon by the Mayor of Keswick, Councillor Mrs. Maysie McCambridge, at a commemoration for the 50th Anniversary of D-Day.
A small group gathered at the War Memorial for prayers led by the Vicar of St. John’s, the Revd. Nigel Holmes, before Mrs. McCambridge and Mr. Alex Davidson, on behalf of the Royal British Legion, placed wreaths at the foot of the memorial. Flowers were also laid by Mr. Des Oliver of Thirlmere whose brother, Guardsman James Ashley Oliver, served in North West Europe from 30th June to 2nd August 1944 and who died of wounds.
Mr. Oliver and other members of his family recently visited Normandy and saw the place where his brother is buried in the Bayeux Military Cemetery.
Rescue H.Q. plan refused
The decision of the Lake District Planning Board on Wednesday to refuse the application by Keswick Mountain Rescue Team for permission to build a new base on land adjacent to Borrowdale Road has been a major blow to the Team.
The Chairman, Mick Guy, says that, after looking at 26 potential sites without success, they are now ‘back to square one’. And he points out that although the Planning Board have pledged to continue working with the Rescue Team to try to find a suitable site for a base, they have already investigated numerous sites and the Team have sent a complete list of sites to the Board. “There are not a lot of other options,” he stated.
But there is an urgent need for the present cramped facilities at the Central car park to be replaced with a new headquarters building. The Team have assured planners and the people of the town that this will be of an acceptable design, suitably screened.
“Extras” appeal
Jobcentres in the area have been advertising for 300 “extras” to take part in a television film about Agatha Christie’s famous detective Poirot which is to be filmed in the Keswick and Windermere areas next week.
And Jackie Dodds of the Keswick Jobcentre reports an excellent response, with dozens of people turning up for interviews, perhaps in the hopes of future stardom. Jackie said: “We had a really good response. Most of the people who came for interviews were from the Keswick area, but there were also people from Workington, Windermere and other parts of the county.”
Apparently there was a stipulation that applicants should be aged 20 and over and the response was from people of all ages from 20 to 70 and 80, from housewives to retired people!
Robocop comes to Keswick
Keswick car collector Peter Nelson’s latest acquisition for his Cars of the Stars Museum in Standish Street is the Robocop police car. It was delivered to Keswick this week and will feature in the special police cars section at the Museum.
Peter had been searching through Pinewood film studios for various items when he was offered the Robocop suit, worn by actor Peter Weller in the trilogy of cult movies. He bought the heavy metal suit and this triggered off a series of coincidences.
Two days after he had brought the suit home he received a phone call from Virgin Video who had shipped the Robocop police car from Los Angeles to be given as a competition prize to go with the launch of a new video. The young woman who won the 3 litre Ford Taurus did not want to keep it, so Peter agreed to buy it from her.
40 years ago
Bob meets the Queen
Keswick Councillor Mr. Bob Welsh, Chestnut Hill, had an unforgettable finale to his return visit to the scene of the D-Day landings in Normandy.
For, as millions of television viewers of Wednesday’s commemoration events saw, Bob was one of the “veterans” picked out by the Queen for a special chat. Mr. Welsh was one of the ex-servicemen gathered in the square of the little seaside town of Arromanches witnessing the last of the D-Day anniversary events. Viewers saw him at the front of the ranks speaking with Her Majesty and enjoying a joke with former service colleagues.
Mr. Welsh, who is chairman of St. John’s Parish Council, a member of Keswick Town Council and a former sergeant in the Special Constabulary, was one of a small contingent of Keswick “veterans” in Normandy for the 40th anniversary of a day which helped to shape the course of history.
Top T.V. stars take the “Highway” to Keswick
All roads lead to Keswick for top television personalities Sir Harry Secombe, Dame Anna Neagle and comedian Ken Dodd. For later this year a programme in I.T.V’s Sunday night “ Highway’ series, hosted by Sir Harry, will feature the town.
Preliminary filming commences next week, and Sir Harry will visit Keswick for several days in July to co-incide the making of the programme with the opening of the annual world-famous religious Convention.
Filming for the programme, which will be shown on September 9th, is being undertaken by Border T.V. Programme director Mr. Bill Cartner said this week: “I have never worked with Sir Harry previously so I am looking forward to it immensely.” He said the film crew and some of the stars of the programme would be based at the Castle Inn, Bassenthwaite, for five days during the Convention.
If the weather is suitable, Sir Harry will be filmed doing songs in scenic local locations and Dame Anna Neagle will present a reading. Ken Dodd will make his contribution during a visit to Border’s studios in Carlisle.
50 years ago
Keswick’s new Mayor
Keswick’s new Town Mayor, Mr. J. Leslie Selvey, of “Westcombe,” Manor Brow, was installed in office at the annual meeting of the Town Council last Thursday evening when he was invested with his chain of office by the retiring Mayor, Mr. J. Rhodes.
Mr. Selvey, who is a native of Derby, has been a member of the old Urban Council since 1968 when he was elected as a Conservative for the old East Ward and he has represented the Council on the West Cumberland Water Board. He has lived in Keswick since 1956 when he moved from Darlington to the Workington Iron and Steel Works as a Chief Inspector and liaison officer for British Rail, a post from which he is now retired.
Bassenthwaite Parish Walk
Some four hundred people turned out on Saturday when the parishioners of Bassenthwaite revived an ancient custom by walking the parish boundary. The event turned out to be a very successful social occasion and it was provisionally estimated that it would also have raised about £300 to be divided between the church room and the parish room.
The walk had been divided into three stages and one of the most popular was that from Dash Falls via the top of Skiddaw and back to St. Bega’s Church, young and old — and a handful who had walked in 1912 — turning out despite the mist for the climb to the summit. Mr. David Hotton, one of the organisers, and one of a dozen or so people who walked the entire route, said 93 people were officially recorded at the summit but one or two probably made the climb without being registered. A few lost their way in the mist on the way down and ended up in the parish of Underskiddaw.
Meanwhile the equally difficult stretch of the boundary in the parish had to be covered — straight through the middle of Bassenthwaite Lake — and a team of four swimmers led by 27-year-old Anthony Wilson braved the chilly water to swim down the lake, escorted by members of the Bassenthwaite Sailing Club.
They arrived on the shoreline at St. Bega’s Church for a short service conducted by the Rev. W. H. George. The lesson was read by Major John Spedding, and afterwards Mr. John Pattinson, Calthwaite Hall, Penrith, whose family lived in the parish for many years, congratulated those taking part on writing another page in the history of the parish.
It had been an equally busy occasion for the “backroom” staff — ladies of Bassenthwaite W.l. — who prepared the tea which rounded off the day and after the service, at the invitation of Major and Mrs. Spedding, the walkers repaired the lawns at Mirehouse where the ladies were kept busy serving nearly 280 people.
Mr. Maurice Thompson, who took part in the last walk in 1928, was responsible for the original idea and shared the organisation with Mr. Hotton and Mr. Stanley Atkinson (treasurer).
