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Maid Marian and Robin Hood

Maid Marian and Robin Hood #8

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Episode 6: A Guest for the Gallows

Introductory minstrel song: “Old Will Stuteley cannot pay, and into prison he is cast; the Sheriff is the very one, who turns him loose at last!”

Regular Cast

Sir Robin of Locksley – Richard Greene

*Maid Marian – Bernadette O’Farrell

The Sheriff of Nottingham – Alan Wheatley

Little John – Archie Duncan

Friar Tuck – Alexander Gauge 

*Joan of the Blue Bull Inn – Simone Lovell

*Didn’t feature in this episode 

Original air date: 25 December 1955

Screenplay: Eric Heath (pseudonym of Ring Lardner Jr.)

Director: Ralph Smart

Plot: The poor people can’t pay their taxes. The Sheriff’s solution – let’s hang one of them.

Health and Safety was clearly not a thing in Sherwood Forest to judge from the number of arrows flying around, bearing messages. To be fair to the television series, many of the Robin Hood films used this communication system as well.

Maid Marian doesn’t feature in this episode and Robin has an enjoyable time kissing “Lass”, played by Jan Miller. Although she appeared previously, Maid Marian is yet to make her mark on the series.

To save Will Stutely, Robin goes incognito as a market trader. The Sheriff of Nottingham meets him and fails to recognise him, a scene that requires the audience to suspend a fair amount of disbelief.

Standout scene: the exchange of Will Stutely for the Sheriff of Nottingham, followed by the Sheriff’s inevitable betrayal, and Friar Tuck’s cunning intervention.

Sword fights – 1. Bow fights/bow skills – 1.

Running total: Sword fights – 6. Bow fights/bow skills – 6.

Robert Desmond, pictured, played Will Stutely. He appeared opposite Richard Attenborough three times in his career, most notably as Griffith the Tailor in The Great Escape. Later, he established roles in soaps such as Compact and Crossroads, plus the obligatory appearance in The Avengers. 

Robert Desmond’s final film role, in 1967, is one for trivia fans. He appeared as Auctioneer in Calamity the Cow, which featured a young Phil Collins of Genesis fame.

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Will Scarlet – Fact or Fiction?

🖼️ Will Scarlet by Louis Rhead, 1912

In a later ballad, Robin Hood and the Newly Revived, Will appears as a finely dressed young man shooting deer in Sherwood Forest. He offers his name as Young Gamwell and is renamed Will Scarlet by Robin Hood when he accepts an invitation to join the outlaw band.

Traditionally, Will is depicted as being younger than the other outlaws. A skilled swordsman, he loves fine clothes, particularly garments made from red silk. 

There is nothing in the historical record to suggest that Will Scarlet was based on a real person. His character has evolved as balladeers and writers have developed the Robin Hood legends over time.

Using red as the signature colour for Will Scarlet, my character will have Welsh origins, and go by the name Gwilym Goch. Also, because as we all know Welshmen can sing, my character will be Robin Hood’s musician, taking on aspects of Alan-a-Dale character from the legends.

Numerous actors have portrayed Will Scarlet in films and on television. This list is far from exhaustive – it merely offers my personal highlights.

Anthony Forwood in The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, 1952

Ronald Howard and Paul Eddington in the television series The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1955-59

Douglas Mitchell in A Challenge for Robin Hood, 1967

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Coming soon, my Adventures of Maid Marian series

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For Authors

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1963

Social History 1963 #44

Sunday 18 August 1963

Police are hoping that people throughout Britain will go on a massive treasure hunt today. They feel sure that the train gang have hidden some of their loot in woods and fields. If someone finds £100,000 they will receive £10,000 reward. Meanwhile, after a tip-off, teams of Flying Squad officers are searching the Chiswick-Isleworth area for the gang’s headquarters.

Australia wants 45,000 Britons, tradesmen as well as professional people, in the next twelve months. Prospects for migrants look good – the Australian government have announced tax concessions and big housing plans.

Strait-laced laws restricting entertainment on a Sunday look like remaining in place for some years to come. A committee looking into the matter is making extremely slow progress. The seven men and one woman on the committee hope to report next spring.

Three months ago the Hollies were earning £2 a night in the Manchester area. Tonight, they are cruising down the River Thames from Margate on a jazz junket. Their fee – £200, their usual wages these days. Also listen out for the Hollies’ new disc, Searchin’, which should go spinning into the charts.

Football: Charity Shield. Everton gave Manchester United a footballing lesson and emerged 4 – 0 winners. Everton opened the scoring on 37 minutes and their defence remained untroubled throughout the match. Attendance – 50,000.

Television highlights: Lorna Doone – part ten. Play – Living Image. Summer Spectacular with Robert Morley.

Radio highlights: In Pursuit of Neptune. Top Twenty.

Weather: sunshine and showers.

Monday 19 August 1963

Scotland Yard detectives hunting for the £2,600,000 train gang believe they have found the headquarters where the great ambush was planned. The house is in West London, but the address is being kept secret. The detectives found twelve chairs, cigarette butts, tins, bottles, glasses and teacups.

Police are encouraging people to go out and find the £2,400,000 that is still missing. Police want to receive reports of any big spending, especially in fivers, and any strangers seen in the countryside. Some of the gang are likely to be mingling with seaside holidaymakers.

There is still two weeks to go in the Daily Mirror Treasure Hunt. Treasure chests and medallions by the hundred have been buried in the sands by Mirror Pirates at leading holiday resorts. Keep an eye open too for the Mirror Girl. There’s a £50 prize for the holidaymaker who can guess her age, height and weight.

Footballers from Lincoln City, Oldham Athletic, Scunthorpe Town and Sheffield Wednesday have been named in association with an investigation into match fixing. However, currently there is no plan to further investigate these allegations.

Snow fell on the Pyrenees yesterday, a fortnight earlier than usual.

Personal advertisements: Ronnie, come home quickly – telephone George. Rube, phone Farnboro 1390, Wednesday, 8pm.

Television highlights: Outlook Europe – Germany. Genius in Barcelona – Picasso and Gaudi. A Journey Through Wales.

Radio highlights: In a Sentimental Mood. Desert Island Discs – Graham Hill.

Weather: sunny intervals. Outlook – changeable. 20c, 68f.

Tuesday 20 August 1963

Mr Bernard Rixon, owner of “Banknote Farm”, the train robbers’ hideout, plans to open the building to the public – at 5s a look. He said, “I want to get whatever I can out of it. I’ve had a very unfortunate time trying to sell it.” Meanwhile, detectives believe the stolen loot from the train robbery is still in Britain.

The BBC will extend its current closedown from 11.15pm until midnight. BBC studio productions are restricted by the Postmaster General to 50 broadcast hours a week. The daytime programmes for women will be scrapped to allow the evening viewing to be extended. A new science fiction serial, to run for a year, will be screened at peak-viewing time.

A gang got away with £13,000 after spending eighteen hours to cut through a six-inch steel strongroom door. The raid took place in Sheerness, Kent. Evidence suggests that the gang camped on the premises and ate meals while they worked.

Five people were injured in a car accident at Mirfield, Yorkshire. Satan, a crocodile, and Peter, a monkey, were also involved in the accident. Peter went to hospital, but was not detained. Satan continued his journey to the mountain zoo at Colwyn Bay.

At 2s 3d each, wooden parquet panels are now available. They interlock and do not require nails or glue. A flooring specialist who makes the panels said, “More than one woman has succeeded in laying the floor herself.”

Television highlights: Chips With Everything – scenes from the Arnold Wesker play. Compact – serial. No Hiding Place.

Radio highlights: The Canterbury Tales. The Beggar Student.

Weather: sunny periods, showers. Outlook – similar. 17c, 63f.

Wednesday 21 August 1963

Detectives hunting the £2,600,000 train robbers are now looking for an attractive woman, aged between 30 and 40, who played a big part in the planning of the raid. She is a natural brunette, but often wears a blonde wig. The woman is known to detectives, and Scotland Yard hope to locate her in the next 48 hours.

Here’s what the robbers left behind at Banknote Farm: 100 tins of food – baked beans, corned beef, tomato soup, pork luncheon meat – condensed milk, tea, sugar, coffee, sleeping bags, a first aid kit, eating utensils, and 17 packets of Ozo toilet paper. The police also found a tea strainer, which makes them believe that a woman was involved.

Following a tip-off, police have pounced on a caravan at Dorking. Scientific and fingerprint experts have searched the caravan thoroughly. Detective-Superintendent Malcolm Fewtrell, head of Bucks CID said, “We have found something in the caravan that convinces us that it is connected with the mail train robbery.”

Brunette Sally Alford, one of three girl tv announcers banned from reading the news because they distracted viewers, was back last night – reading the news. A male announcer is ill and has been sent to bed, and other announcers are on holiday, so Sally has been recalled. Sally said, “I will do my best not to distract the viewers. I’ll wear a quiet beige suit and simple hairstyle.”

Five long-serving prisoners at Nottingham jail joined a session of cricket coaching. During the coaching, they scurried through a hole in the wire fence, ran into a nearby housing estate and, it’s believed, escaped in a blue Austin Cambridge car.

Television highlights: Sportsview – preview of the Fifth Test Match, England v West Indies, and the forthcoming football season. Fascinating Facts. Here and Now – a man, his dog and his village.

Radio highlights: The Changing Face of Soccer. Topical Tunes.

Weather: sunny spells, showers. Outlook – Cool, rain at times. 19c, 66f.

Thursday 22 August 1963

Another £30,000 of the stolen train loot turned up yesterday. The money – in fivers – was found hidden in the panelling of an empty caravan in Box Hill, Surrey. The caravan site’s owner reported that a woman was with the man who bought the caravan. She had a six-month-old baby girl and a poodle. The woman was attractive with short dark hair. She wore a brown jumper and tight blue slacks. Meanwhile, more than 1,000 clues have been found at “Banknote Farm”, the robbers’ roost.

Four of London’s most hardened criminals are top-of-the-list suspects in the Great Train Robbery hunt. The four men have been missing from their usual West End haunts for two weeks. Two are brothers, a third is a safe-breaker and the fourth just came out of prison. 

Meat condemned months ago by food inspectors has found its way into butchers’ shops in Surrey, Kent, East Anglia, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. More than 6,000 cartons of condemned meat were made into sausages and pies. A spokesman said that butchers involved in this practice had not committed an offence.

Mrs Erika Finger of St John’s Wood, London is suing the owner of a restaurant in Nice. During a mock bull fight, she was attacked by a cow. Mrs Finger said, “They prodded the cow with sticks. It got mad and charged through the restaurant. Everyone started to run, but I was trapped. The cow tossed me, but there wasn’t enough room, so it kicked me. My husband dragged me away and the cow escaped.” The cow was recaptured three days later.

Exhibitions: Thrale’s Japanese Ex-Prisoner of War story presented by War on Want at St Paul’s Churchyard.

Sam Cooke’s updated version of Frankie and Johnny mentions a famous British car, which means it’s likely to receive a BBC ban.

Television highlights: Rag, Tag and Bobtail. Boxing from Liverpool. Don’t Say a Word – mime game with Sheila Hancock and Clive Dunn.

Radio highlights: Swinging UK. World of Song.

Weather: cloudy with rain and drizzle. Outlook – little change. 18c, 64f.

Friday 23 August 1963

Just before midnight last night dozens of teams of detectives in London and the Home Counties were given special stand-by orders. They were told: move in on all train robbery suspects. Police are also looking for a young woman named Sheree who has a six-month-old baby and a poodle called Gigi. The woman was recently seen in Dunfermline, Fife.

A cricket match at Alexandra Park, Wood Green was stopped yesterday when twelve sticks of gelignite were found in a nearby river. The players sheltered behind the pavilion while army experts exploded the gelignite. Then the players resumed their game.

Manufacturers are producing double beds with separate mattresses, zipped together. One of the mattresses will have a built-in board. The design has developed to aid double-bed devotees, one of whom has a slipped disc.

Bad debts have soared since high street betting shops opened. A study found that £1,000,000,000 is gambled on horse racing each year and that the total Britons spend annually on betting is equal to 65% of the country’s defence budget.

The Automobile Association dealt with 1,422 breakdowns on the M1 during July.

In the Fifth Test Match at the Oval, the West Indies dismissed England for 275 with Charlie Griffith taking 6 for 71. Did Griffith bowl too many bumpers? Umpire Syd Buller thought so because he had a word with captain Frank Worrell. Tony Lock was dismissed when he dropped his bat on to his wicket while trying to avoid a bouncer. Now, England’s bowlers must show some offensive spirt. 

Television highlights: Bowls – Amateur National Championship from Mortlake. Ivor the Engine. Ready, Steady, Go! with the Rolling Stones and Hayley Mills.

Radio highlights: Arthur Haynes Show. The Organisation of Crime – an investigation.

Weather: mainly dry with sunny periods. Outlook – cloudy with rain. 21c, 70f.

Saturday 24 August 1963

Scotland Yard detectives are on the lookout for a racing driver – Roy John James, aka The Weasel. Detectives believe that Weasel James can help them with their inquiries into the Great Train Robbery. Meanwhile, Yard men raided 61 houses, warehouses and factories in London. They are also looking for a blonde woman, her baby and her poodle, Gigi.

Great Train Robbery slang: poppy = money, ricket = mistake, blagger = a thief, nark = an informer, stoppo driver = getaway driver, blag = to rob.

The Edinburgh Festival is in danger because of a lack of cash support. In the seventeen years that the Festival has been going it has never showed a penny profit. Last year’s loss was £115,000. Yet, Edinburgh is packed with tourists. Hotels and restaurants are full. An estimated £3,000,000 is made in trade, but only £18,000 of that money is donated to the Festival fund.

The Conservatives, worried about their prospects at the next General Election, may call in the help of a fantastic brain machine. The machine will predict the public’s reaction to any situation – provided it is fed the right information. Other parties have been offered the machine, but they haven’t showed any interest.

Agony Aunt: “When I kiss my boyfriend, should I keep my eyes open, or shut them?” Jane Adams’ reply, “Depends on whether you like what you see.”

Fifth Test, the Oval. The West Indies have thrown this match away. In reply to England’s 275 they were 165 for 3. But they closed on 231 for 8. England are now favourites to level the series. Conrad Hunte top-scored with 80, while the wickets included two run outs.

Television highlights: Grandstand. Francis Durbridge Presents. Dick Emery Show.

Radio highlights: Saturday Club. Play – The King of Soho.

Weather: showers. Outlook – continuing changeable. 19c, 66f.

Available for order and pre-order, my Swinging Sixties Mystery Series

https://books2read.com/u/bMqNPG

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Maid Marian and Robin Hood

Maid Marian and Robin Hood #7

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Episode 5: Maid Marian

Introductory minstrel song: “Robin Hood bold and free, of every man is unafraid; ’til one day he meets his match, with Marian the maid!”

Regular Cast

Sir Robin of Locksley – Richard Greene

Maid Marian – Bernadette O’Farrell

The Sheriff of Nottingham – Alan Wheatley

Little John – Archie Duncan

Friar Tuck – Alexander Gauge 

Joan of the Blue Bull Inn – Simone Lovell

John Drake, who appeared as Harold the Smith in episode four, features here as  Ned, an outlaw.

Original air date: 23 October 1955

Screenplay: Anne Rodney (pseudonym of Howard Koch and Anne Koch)

Director: Ralph Smart

Plot: Disguised as a (very shapely) page, Lady Marian Fitzwalter infiltrates the outlaw camp to capture Robin Hood, whom she suspects of stealing her jewels. However, Robin turns the tables and Marian ends up cooking for the outlaws and doing the washing up.

Maybe the subtitle for this episode should have been “Fifty Shades of Lincoln Green”. Read on for an explanation.

Standout scene: bear in mind, this series was broadcast in the 1950s, at teatime.

Robin to Marian: “The years have given you a taste for strange pleasures.”

Marian to Robin. “Quickly, Robin, tie me up and bind me.”

Which he did.

Sword fights – 1. Bow fights/bow skills – 2.

Running total: Sword fights – 5. Bow fights/bow skills – 5.

Bernadette O’Farrell

Born in Ireland, Bernadette O’Farrell broke into film and television in her twenties, after meeting director Carol Reed. Maid Marian became her career-defining role. She left the series in 1957 to avoid type-casting. Ironically, she basically retired from acting shortly after, to live on a Buckinghamshire farm with her husband, film writer, director and producer Frank Launder.

Little John – Fact or Fiction?

Little John aka John Little is one of the regular characters in the Robin Hood legends. A giant, sometimes portrayed as seven feet tall, and a master of the quarterstaff, Little John could be relied upon to provide muscle whenever Robin Hood needed it.

🖼️ Robin Hood and Little John by Louis Rhead

In folklore, Little John met Robin Hood on a tree bridge that spanned a river. They fought for the right to cross, and developed a mutual respect. This is a standard scene in most Robin Hood films.

Little John appears in Robin Hood ballads throughout the fourteenth century. In these ballads he is portrayed as intelligent and cunning, or uneducated and slow-witted. In Thomas Love Peacock’s Maid Marian, published 1822, Little John serves as Robin Hood’s treasurer, distributing the money taken from the rich to give to the poor.

Numerous actors have portrayed Little John in films and on television. This list is far from exhaustive – it merely offers my personal highlights.

James Robinson Justice in The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, 1952

Archie Duncan in the television series The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1955-59

Nigel Green in Sword of Sherwood Forest, 1960

Leon Greene in A Challenge for Robin Hood, 1967

In the medieval compilation, A Gest of Robyn Hode, Little John takes the alias Reynold Greenleaf, and it’s been suggested that Reynold Greenleaf was a real person. However, Reynold Greenleaf appears in his own right in other ballads. All of which offers thin evidence to support the idea that Little John was based on a real person. 

With no solid trail to follow, I think it’s safe to say that Little John is purely fictional.

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What to make of this film, a modern German take on the Robin Hood legend seen from Maid Marian’s point of view?

I enjoyed the forest scenes and the medieval buildings (many of these were in ruins, but that was built into the script). Also, good to see a story from Marian’s point of view. The legends were well adapted and made sense in the film’s narrative.

I’m was not so sure about the plot-line and some of the action scenes. The film reminded me of my sons’ video games – lots of running through a landscape, a violent encounter, then a moment of reflection. Repeat, ad infinitum. 

Marian was the main protagonist in the violent scenes, some of which I thought were unrealistic. Robin received two injuries where he was basically sliced in half – his role in the film was as an invalid.

If you enjoy modern action-adventures, you will enjoy this film. If you prefer something more traditional, you can give this a miss.

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1963

Social History 1963 #43

Sunday 11 August 1963

Is justice being served in Britain, or is there something nasty in the woodshed? Is the legal system protecting the privileged? In the Stephen Ward case, why were three key witnesses – Lord Astor, Douglas Fairbanks and John Profumo not called? There is a sense of jiggery-pokery to protect the privileged. A fairer system is needed now.

Plans to help the housewife with the cost of her weekly shopping have caused major disagreement in the Cabinet. Some want to abolish price-fixing, a system that allows big firms to take legal action against shopkeepers if they lower their prices. However, senior Tory ministers and experts are in favour of the current system, and against shopping price cuts.

A lorry found abandoned in Nottinghamshire might offer a clue to the Great Train Robbery. Local detectives believe there is a connection. However, Buckingham CID, who are investigating the robbery, said, “There’s nothing in it for us.”

Scientists at a laboratory in Leatherhead, Surrey are searching for the Perfect Sausage. Seventy scientists are employed to look into all types of food. Another example is the Problem of the Pips. Housewives like to see pips in raspberry jam because it reassures them that the jam was made from real fruit. However, the pips disintegrate in the boiling process. Also, the scientists are trying to discover if peeled potatoes can be prevented from turning brown when left out of water.

Church bells at Gotham, Notts will remain silent today because two swarms of bees have nested in the 70 foot high church steeple.

Television highlights: Robin Hood – The Charm Pedler. Sooty. Fireball XL5.

Radio highlights: Meanwhile Back at the Parthenon. Who Do Men Say That I Am?

Weather: cloudy at first, but sunny later.

Monday 12 August 1963

The £252,500 treasure train haul may be hidden within twenty miles of the ambush spot. The robber-gang might be hiding there too. Those are the theories being followed by Scotland Yard. Hundreds of phone calls have been made received by the police following the offer of a £260,000 reward. Meanwhile, detectives are checking all the buildings around Sears Crossing. There is a suspicion that the gang might be hiding in a barn or cottage.

Passengers and spectators who order meals and snacks at airports will not be called “luv” by the staff anymore. The friendly word has been blacklisted by the big catering firm Forte’s. From now on, staff must address their customers as “sir” or “madam”.

St Ives, Cornwall, the seaside town that wants to freeze-out beatniks faces a new-style counter-attack – friendliness, lots of friendliness. A beatnik spokesman said, “We’ve established a headquarters in the woods above the town. We will create no disturbance. We will do the same as other people do. The real root of this anti-beatnik business is that we don’t scatter our money around like confetti. If we did, we’d be as welcome as the flowers in May.”

Music: prediction spot – Freddie and the Dreamers will soon be top tenwards with I’m Telling You Now. Pet Clark has a new disc – Let Me Tell You. And mums will lend a an ear to Ken Dodd going serious with Still.

Tower crane erectors and lorry drivers – only first class men talking pride in themselves and their work need apply for these top-rated jobs with exceptional conditions: Record Tower Cranes, NW10.

Television highlights: Blue Peter. Tonight – series return with Cliff Michelmore. Points of View with Robert Robinson.

Radio highlights: Melody on the Move. Letter From America.

Weather: sunny spells, showers. Outlook – similar. 20c, 68f.

Tuesday 13 August 1963

The Flying Squad are receiving more than 30 phone calls an hour as they seek the mail train robbers. Also, it’s been revealed that over half of the missing £2,554,000 was in notes that can be traced. 

Eire’s CID passed on vital information to Scotland Yard about the mail train gang. The Irish police believe that three Dublin crooks were involved in the robbery. A pair of police handcuffs, presumably lost, were used in the raid.

Ma Gasking has received five offers to buy her Ringlestone Inn. Ma is now receiving fan mail of over 100 letters a day. Will she sell? “I’m not saying,” she said. If she does sell, Ma insists that the 17th century pub must retain its character with oil lamps and not electricity, and water drawn from a pump.

In a match between Lancashire League club Darwen and a Commonwealth XI, West Indies fast bowler Roy Gilchrist, playing as a guest for Darwen, bowled a “bumper”, which hit Australian professional Lou Laza on the glove. Laza then hit Gilchrist with his bat. Gilchrist replied by hitting Laza with a stump. Later, the two men shook hands and had a drink.

Lord Gladwyn says that the English are the most class-conscious and snobbish nation in the world. Not the Scots, Welsh or Irish – they do not fall into this category – but for the English snobbishness is their besetting sin. He believes that class barriers should be broken down and the government should become involved in a united Western Europe.

Thieves who broke into a factory in Camden Town found no money. Instead, they stole £1-worth of the firm’s products – peanuts.

Television highlights: Comedy Playhouse – Impasse with Bernard Cribbins and Leslie Phillips. Smugglers’ Cove. How to Enjoy Jazz Without Really Trying.

Radio highlights: Sing Us the Old Songs. Family Favourites.

Weather: bright intervals. Outlook – cool, some rain. 18c, 64f.

Wednesday 14 August 1963

‘The Squealer’ gave Scotland Yard ten names. An informer, a snout in criminal slang, told the police that the railway robbers had used a remote Buckinghamshire farmhouse as their hideout, Leatherslade Farm. The police swooped on the farmhouse and discovered that the robbers had fled in a hurry.

The locals are now speaking out about their suspicions. Postman Bill Claridge said, “I was surprised to see no movement in the farmhouse. I thought the ‘new owners’ had not moved in.” John Alfred Marvis, a cattle herdsman said, “I noticed a strange man in a car coming and going in the village and driving to and from the farm.”

Police are now taking Leatherslade Farm ‘to pieces’, searching for clues. Scotland Yard have practically transferred the Yard to the farm site. For the first time, the whole of the forensic laboratory staff – the Yard’s scientists – have moved to the scene of the hunt, together with fingerprint men and photographers.

Secret plans are being drawn up by the council in Chudleigh, Devon to thwart teenagers who are using phone boxes to comb their hair, paint their faces, and meet their boyfriends. There have been reports of “shocking behaviour”. A police spokesman said, “If we are called in, we shall act immediately.”

A sculpture of a nude man apparently trying to do the Twist was unveiled in Eastbourne. A year ago, town councillors invited sculptors to submit designs, and this was the only one submitted. The sculpture was created by bearded Bernard Davis of Hayward’s Heath, Sussex. His figure is called Idiene. 

Television highlights: International Athletics – England v Italy. Stars and Garters with George Melly. Zero One – air security series.

Radio highlights: Yes, It’s Great Yarmouth. Play – Big Bertha.

Weather: sunny intervals and scattered showers. Outlook – little change. 20c, 68f.

Thursday 15 August 1963

In their search for the mail train robbers, the police have found a clue – a loaf of bread. They are looking to track the man from “Banknote Farm” who bought the bread at a local store. Meanwhile, the police are continuing to search the farm for more clues.

A boy in Oakley, near “Banknote Farm”, collects car numbers. He has shown his notebook, which contains 47 numbers recently recorded, to the police. Ace detectives, Tom Butler and Peter Vibart – the “Terrible Twins” are also on the case. They are among the most successful detectives Scotland Yard has ever known.

A survey classifies 1,700,000 old people as lonely. Of these, 400,000 are “very lonely”. The loneliest people of all are those no longer visited by their children – the lack of visits makes them feel unwanted.

Accidents, poisonings and violence send more people to hospital than any other cause. The next largest cause is tuberculosis. Men stay in hospital, on average, nineteen days, women eighteen days. Of 1,400,000 major operations, twenty-six percent were for stomach troubles.

Seven of the discs in this week’s top ten are British – two are American, the other Japanese. Nineteen of the top thirty are British. The main reason – the current crazy for beat music. Of the top fifty, twenty-five are beat songs. Britain is getting into the beat groove, and I think that groove is going to stay with us for some time.

Television highlights: It’s My Opinion – people from Port Talbot air their views. Pinky and Perky. True Adventure – the search for the brown walrus.

Radio highlights: Star Parade – Hank and Hannah. All Together – community singing.

Weather: showers, cool. Outlook – drier, warmer. 20c, 68f.

Friday 16 August 1963

A Bournemouth woman is in hiding after tipping-off the police about the train robbers. She is frightened that other members of the gang might try to reach her. Police hurriedly drove her away to a secret location.

In their search for the mail train robbers, the police have put a blackout on their next moves. However, it is clear they are poised for big developments. Five people have been arrested, including two women. The police also found £100,000 in two £50,000 bundles.

Henry John Burnett, 21, was hanged at Aberdeen Prison yesterday for the shotgun killing of a merchant seaman. It was the first execution in the city for more than a century.

A breadline menu for the unemployed: Breakfast – stewed fruit; egg, bread and tea – 3s 2d. Dinner – cold meat left over from Sunday, or hotpot, or shepherd’s pie, potatoes and vegetables; blancmange – 2s 3d. Tea – macaroni cheese, bread and tea – 2s 6d. Supper – bread, jam and tea – 1s 3d.

Three footballers – Keith Williams and Esmond Million of Bristol Rovers, and Brian Phillips of Mansfield, have been banned for life after accepting bribes to fix the result of the Bradford v Bristol Rovers game, played on 20 April. “Other matters” regarding corruption in football are being investigated.

Agony Aunt: Question – should a wife be suspicious if her husband arrives home reeking of perfume? Jane Adams’ reply – not if he works in a perfume factory.

Television highlights: The Marriage Lines – new comedy series with Richard Briers and Prunella Scales. Ready, Steady, Go! – pop show. Tales of the Riverbank.

Radio highlights: Golden Treasury of Music and Song. Non Stop Pop.

Weather: rain. Outlook – sunny periods. 17c, 63f.

Saturday 17 August 1963

Navy ships are keeping a look-out for a motor-yacht, which might be carrying a part of the Great Train Robbery loot. Meanwhile, £100,900 of the haul has been found abandoned in a Surrey wood. The official total for the amount stolen – £2,631,784. Of that amount, police have recovered £243,107. 

The police are working on the theory that members of the train robbery gang have bought cheap cars and are storing these cars, along with the loot, in lock-up garages. Detectives believe that the big share-out among the gang took place on Sunday, before they fled their hideout at Leatherslade Farm.

The Chief Constable of Exeter said that all weekend-drivers should take a refresher course because they are not as safe as motorists who drive all the year round.

Meat prices have rocketed again with pork the only meat selling at a steady price. Potatoes and salad items are plentiful while herrings offer the best deal on fish. Crab meat is now available in cartons – ideal for picnics.

Miss Hannah Ede of Helham Green is 105 today.

Harlequins RFC will break with tradition and play their first evening mid-week match at Twickenham. Their opponents will be Italian club Roma.

Television highlights: Summer Grandstand featuring the second half of the Charity Shield match, Everton v Manchester United. Juke Box Jury with Carol Ann Ford. Eric Sykes. 

Radio highlights: A Century of Soccer. Geoffrey Chaucer – talk.

Weather: showers and sunny spells. Outlook – similar. 16c, 61f.

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Categories
1963

Social History 1963 #42

Sunday 4 August 1963

For Stephen Ward the end came quietly. The gay, glittering world of weekend parties at stately homes, of laughter from moonlit swimming pools, was now shrunk to a bare hospital room. Ward never opened his eyes to see the prison officer standing beside him, he never knew that the Old Bailey jury had found him guilty of living on immoral earnings. 

In his final letter, Stephen Ward said, “More than I can stand – the horror day after day in the streets. I think Christine and Mandy have discredited themselves. There is a good deal I could say, but I want to conduct my case with some measure of dignity and honour.”

Mandy Rice-Davies said, “The past few weeks have been hell. I did my best for Stephen at the trial. It’s the bloody police and bloody government. They all need sacking.”

Forty cabbies are up in arms about their town’s only woman taxi driver. She is 32 year old Mrs Helen Clissold who does private hire work in Weymouth, Dorset. She wants a *full* hackney carriage plate allowing her to ply for hire on the highway and at taxi ranks. The male cabbies said she could not deal with troublesome customers – drunken sailors, for instance. Helen said, “I’ve done a lot of wrestling and weight training, and I’ll have them on the flat of their backs in no time.”

The mystery of the glowing pebbles on Bradwell Beach, near a nuclear power station, has been solved – they are not radioactive. They turned out to be plankton, a minute form of marine life.

Discland: recording bosses have a penchant for changing stars’ names. One man who really needs a name change is Earl Sinks. In fact, having listened to his disc Looking for Love, I’d say a voice change wouldn’t be amiss either.

Here’s a group from London I’m tipping for the top – the Rolling Stones, whose Come On could be a capital hit.

Television highlights: Robin Hood – The Oath. Millie – starring Millicent Martin, Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth. Songs of Praise from Bangor, Wales.

Radio highlights: Pick of the Pops. The Jazz Scene.

Weather: warm and sunny, chance of heavy showers.

Monday 5 August 1963

Dr Ernest Claxton, 63, assistant secretary of the British Medical Association, said that Britain is facing a “Moral Dunkirk.” He added, “Only a return to absolute moral standards can save us. We must show the world that Stephen Ward and others do not represent us. Chastity is a weapon we can grasp and use. It is not only a defence against moral corruption, it can be a source of strength.”

A new moral code is to be issued for comics published in Europe. All the characters will have to be decently dressed. Heroes will not be allowed to rely on superhuman qualities alone, but will have to display “noble virtues”. Above all – justice will have to triumph over evil in the end, no matter what happens in between.

June Imray, the 26 year old television announcer with the Scottish lilt, was in hospital last night. Previously, she’d been in hospital with paratyphoid. June is one of the few BBC announcers who have been told to keep their native accent.

Personal advertisement: second woman/man’s life. Anxious. Please write 46. Love.

Boxing: Lennie “The Lion” Williams and Frankie “Tiger” Taylor will meet in a return featherweight contest at Wembley on 10 September. In their previous contest, Tiger Taylor knocked The Lion Williams out in the sixth round.

Sport swamps both networks today with a line-up of cricket, motor racing, horse racing, athletics, swimming, sailing, tennis and polo. The BBC will broadcast four and a half hours of sport, ITV four hours.

Television highlights: Panorama – Britain’s disappearing coastline. Julian Bream – film profile. Animal Care – lizards.

Radio highlights: Desert Island Discs – Ian Fleming. A Cricket Anthology. 

Weather: drizzle, thunder. Outlook – rain then bright spells. 20c, 68f.

Tuesday 6 August 1963

June Imray, the 26 year old television announcer with the Scottish lilt, was admitted to hospital because she took too many sleeping pills. “I wasn’t trying to do anything silly,” she said. “All I wanted was a good night’s sleep.” Her mother said, “June has found a lot of fame since she moved south, but she does not like living in London.” Mrs Imray added that she hoped June would return to a teaching job nearer home.

Bandits who hid in the Albert Hall after Saturday night’s Promenade concert escaped with £600 early yesterday after blowing three safes. They also took a number of tickets, but threw them away.

Due to poor weather, there was less traffic on the roads this Bank Holiday weekend. The good news is road deaths totalled 56 fewer than for the corresponding period last year.

Loudspeaker message at the Gloucestershire County Cricket ground in Bristol, “Will you please go to your car. Your dog has switched on the ignition.”

Tennis: Britain defeated Sweden 3 – 2 in the Davis Cup European Zone final, becoming the champions of Europe for the first time in thirty years. In the decisive match Mike Sangster defeated Ulf Schmidt in five sets, 7 – 5, 6 – 2, 9 – 11, 3 – 6, 6 – 3.

Wanted: Colt revolvers, duelling pistols, blunderbusses, muskets and other old weapons – £100 paid if in good condition.

Television highlights: Sons of the Navvy Man – people who build public works projects. New Vision – the creative arts: man or machine? Cricket – Lancashire v Yorkshire.

Radio highlights: Workers’ Playtime. Pop Go the Beatles.

Weather: sunshine and showers. Outlook – cloudy, light rain. 23c, 73f.

Wednesday 7 August 1963

Ma Gasking, 70, has barred customers from her pub in Hollingbourne, Kent. She said, “Young couples are wasting their time coming here. They won’t get in unless I know them, and if they do get in they will drink what I say. I don’t want smart-Alec’s turning up in big cars and on motor cycles. If they do, I shall shut up all together.”

A council has designed 332 new houses so that the television set can take the place of the hearth. In Hull, the fireplaces are being moved discretely to one side. Another 2,000 homes with the same design are planned.

America launched a new attack on Europe in the “chicken war”. In thirty days, America will impose tariffs on wine, brandy, cars and electric shavers. In Brussels, a spokesman said the American move was an ultimatum, and it did not create a good atmosphere for the forthcoming “Kennedy Talks”.

More new cars on the never-never. Hire purchase debts in Britain jumped by £11,000,000 in June to £906,000,000. However, credit on used cars was lower.

A storm is brewing in Britain’s teacups. Reports from Ceylon, where one third of Britain’s tea is grown, suggest that the Minister of Finance has threatened to nationalise British owned tea plantations. Mr John Brooke, of Brooke Bond, said last night, “Some of the finest tea in the world comes from Ceylon. We already have to pay 87% tax on profits there.”

Television highlights: Stars and Garters with Kathy Kirby. Gardening Made Easy. Zoo Time.

Radio highlights: Let There Be Musicals. Play – The Lady on the Grey.

Weather: cloudy and cool. Outlook – sunshine and showers. 20c, 68f.

Thursday 8 August 1963

Since the East-West German borders were sealed in August 1961 at least 65 refugees are known to have been killed trying to escape to the West. Nearly 16,500 have escaped across the borders and the Berlin Wall.

Ma Gasking kept her bolted doors policy last night – only allowing her friends into her pub. Ma was known as The Duchess during World War Two when she kept open house for RAF pilots. Why the change? Ma explained, “I don’t want young people in my pub. They will steal my possessions.”

The War Office is to investigate the private lives of women soldiers at an army camp in Surrey where there are no men. The inquiry will focus on “unnatural friendships” between the women.

Thousands of people in Hong Kong are being inoculated against cholera, which has broken out again in the teeming colony.

A thief yesterday cracked open a safe at the Majestic Cinema, Woodford, Essex and stole £1,000. The film this week is…The Cracksman.

Personal advertisement: Dental unit with electric drill, suitable for chiropodist.

This week’s number one: Sweets For My Sweet – Searchers. New entries – Come On – Rolling Stones, Bad to Me – Billy J Kramer.

Television highlights: Aida – open air performance from Verona. Road Works Report. Space Patrol – Robot Revolution.

Radio highlights: Thanks for the Melody. Harpsichord.

Weather: drizzle. Outlook – mainly dry, perhaps some showers. 19c, 66f.

Stop Press: More than £2,500,000 has been stolen in a train ambush in Buckinghamshire. Detectives have not ruled out the possibility of a Master Mind being behind the ambush. Old-time crooks are being checked on.

Friday 9 August 1963

Scotland Yard was tipped off months ago that a big train raid was being planned. And now it’s happened. Twenty men were in the gang that ambushed a train in Buckinghamshire. Detectives are watching race courses and other gambling spots for evidence of big spending. A £10,000 reward has been offered for information.

At 3.15 am £2,500,000 was stolen from a mail train travelling to London. Driver Jack Mills said, “I tried to put up a fight, but I was coshed with an iron bar wrapped in cloth.” His co-driver, David Whitby, said, “They threatened to kill me. It was a terrifying experience.”

The train robbers left behind two clues – a glove used to cover the official green Go signal light, and a battery used to light up the fake red Stop signal light. This is the ninth major train robbery in the South of England in the past three years. The previous money grab record was £238,000, stolen from a Post Office van in Oxford Street, London, on 21 May 1952.

Racing driver Jack Brabham might drive Bluebird and attempt to beat the land speed record. This situation has materialised after a row between Bluebird’s driver Donald Campbell and his leading sponsor Sir Alfred Owen. However, Campbell said, “I own Bluebird and I will decide who should drive it.”

Television highlights: The Eisteddfod. Roving Report – the women of Italy. Ready, Steady, Go! – new pop show.

Radio highlights: Music While You Work. Round Europe in Song.

Weather: dry. Outlook – uncertain. 23c, 73f.

Saturday 10 August 1963

A £260,000 reward is waiting for the person who “turns in” the gang who got away with £2,500,000 in Thursday’s mail train raid. And it will be tax free. The reward is as big as the biggest football polls prize ever won – £260,000.

The BBC’s plan to give Britain around the clock radio has been put off indefinitely. The decision was made because an agreement could not be reached over the copyright and broadcasting of recorded music. In the past twelve months 2,500,000 radio sets have been sold. Meanwhile, the BBC is considering broadcasting news bulletins on the Third wavelength throughout the day.

An unmarried mother entered her baby in a baby show and won first prize. The mother, Kathleen Morgan of Slough, said, “Why shouldn’t I enter my baby? She’s lovely. Now I’m prouder of her than ever.” Miss Doris Blunden, organiser of the show said, “It is the babies that are entered, not the parents.”

The council at St Ives, Cornwall has declared war on beatniks. A spokesman said, “Dozens of them sprawl on the sand and lounge on the harbour wall. They spend as little as possible on food, nothing on soap and razor blades, and drink as much beer as possible.”

Television highlights: Juke Box Jury with Graham Hill and Barbara Windsor. The Third Man – drama series. The Morecambe and Wise Show.

Radio highlights: Desert Island Discs – Geraint Evans. Holiday Music Hall.

Weather: mostly cloudy. Outlook – rather cloudy. 20c, 68f.

Available for order and pre-order, my Swinging Sixties Mystery Series

https://books2read.com/u/bMqNPG

For Authors

#1 for value with 565,000 readers, The Fussy Librarian has helped my books to reach #1 on over thirty occasions.

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