Memory Corner July 18th 2019

Friday July 18th, 1794

Admiral Lord Howe

LAST WEEK the master of a vessel at Sunderland thought proper to discharge a sailor, for no other reason but because he discovered the tar to be a woman; and notwithstanding she had served a regular apprenticeship to sea, and did her duty as well as any man on board, he refused to pay her wages, till compelled by the Law to perform his engagement.  A love attachment, it is said, was the cause of this metamorphosis.

LORD HOWE, and every other admiral of our victorious fleet, has resigned their share of prize money, for the benefit of their respective crews.

 

Friday July 16th, 1819

RIOT IN LIVERPOOL – Monday being the anniversary of the passage of the Boyne by King William, the Orange societies assembled with music, pageants, etc.  On the return from church, some Irishmen assailed the procession with bricks… several were knocked down and trampled upon.  Eight Irishmen are committed to Bridewell [Prison] till the lives of the men wounded are declared out of danger. One man is also committed for stabbing another in the thigh.  Bridewell was surrounded, but no further tumult occurred.

COMMITTED TO OUR COUNTY GAOL – Ann Bowdler of St Chad’s parish, for stealing a Bible and hymn book, the property of Ann Mansell.

 

Friday July 16th, 1869

THE QUANTITY of beer annually produced in Europe is estimated at 1,000,000,000 gallons.

IN THE METROPOLIS 2,500 ladies have signed a “pledge” not to shop after two o’clock on Saturdays.

AN AMERICAN paper tells us that “grasshoppers are at their old tricks in Utah, roosting on the railroad tracks and stopping trains.”

A RAILWAY GUARD AT HEREFORD, returning home from his work at an early hour on Wednesday morning, found a bag containing something bulky.  He opened the bag, expecting to find some valuable treasure, when, to his consternation he saw – a boa constrictor! The bag had been dropped from Manders’ Menagerie, which had shortly before passed that way.

 

Friday July 18th, 1919

FARM WORKERS’ STRIKE NEAR SHREWSBURY – a dispute in connection with the wages for the hay and corn harvests was the cause of a large number of farm workers “downing tools” and coming out on strike in the Yorton district last week.  The number of farms affected when the men first came out on Thursday 10thwas 28, and something like 150 workmen were involved, and on Saturday these numbers were increased.  The men ceased work in consequence of the violation, as they contend, of an agreement entered into with accredited representatives of both sides in respect of the hay and corn harvest wages.

 

Friday July 20th, 1979

Midland Red buses

A MASSIVE REDUCTION in Midland Red bus services in Shropshire with the loss of many jobs could be on the cards unless the company gets a bigger subsidy from the County Council. Proposed cuts would involve axing 34 buses, 54 drivers and 15 other staff, and a number of routes, including some in Shrewsbury, would be taken out of the present network and a new fares system introduced.

A CUT-PRICE PLAN to re-open Dorrington Railway Station has been put forward by a local rail enthusiast.  Mr Mark Wright, of Netley Hall, Dorrington, says that the cost of the project could be brought down to £7,000 compared to the £31,000 quoted by British Rail.

 

Thursday July 21st, 1994

AN ENTIRE SHREWSBURY WORKFORCE of 800 is to be awarded with special lasting mementoes of their success.  Perkins Engines (Shrewsbury) Ltd is to present every employee with an engraved, limited edition, crystal glass to mark the company’s achievement in gaining the prestigious Investor in People award, and to commemorate the 10thanniversary of the company in town.  Sir Bryan Nicholson, president of the Confederation of British Industry, is to present the award at the Lancaster Road factory on July 29th. “Gaining Investors in People accreditation has only been achieved thanks to the tremendous team effort involving everyone at Perkins Engines,” said Managing Director Mr Brian Willmott.  The engraving of the glass will be undertaken by Celebration Glass Ltd of Montford Bridge.

 

Thursday July 23rd, 2009

THOUSANDS of households in Shrewsbury and North Shropshire will have their analogue television reception switched off in just 100 days. First to go will be BBC2, which will vanish from screens on November 4th.  All the remaining analogue channels will be switched off by December 2nd.  It means viewers will have to buy new television sets or adapt existing ones to ensure they receive a signal.  Central region transmissions via the Wrekin mast will switch over in 2011.