150 YEARS AGO

INSPECTION OF THE POLICE: On Friday the police of the borough of Whitehaven and Allerdale division were inspected by Colonel Woodford, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, and J Dunne, chief constable of the counties of Cumberland and Westmorland.

The force paraded at the police station at 12.45pm and all appeared in their new uniform.

The whole of the men’s kits were laid out in the ground, and were closely examined. The books, forms and cells were minutely inspected, with all of which the colonel was highly satisfied. The total strength of the force was 43.

FATAL ACCIDENT AT OVEREND QUARRY: A man named Mark Walker was killed in Overend quarry, and another, Francis Morrison, had his leg broken. Three men were engaged lifting a large stone on to a waggon and the deceased was looking on, when a fall of earth from an adjoining fence took place, killing Walker and smashing Morrison’s leg.

June 27, 1865

125 YEARS AGO

FISHING BOATS WRECKED – ONE MAN DROWNED: On Tuesday night a heavy storm of wind swept over the Cumberland coast, and occasioned some loss of life at sea. The whole of the boats engaged in herring fishing at Whitehaven went out as usual between nine and 10pm on Tuesday night. About 10.30pm a tremendous squall caught them, and the sea rose to a great height.

Many of the boats had not cast their nets, and they at once made for the harbour. Those that had cast them experienced great difficulty in hauling them in again, and a great quantity of nets were lost.

The boat belonging to John Crofts and a young man named Cassidy capsized. Both men clung to the boat as long as they could, but Cassidy was washed off, and nothing more was seen of him by his companion. About 3am Crofts, still holding on to the boat, was observed from the shore at Harrington by some fishermen, and was rescued in an exhausted condition. The body of Cassidy was discovered about 6am, washed ashore near Harrington.

BEGGING: Ann Cox, 40, a tramp, was charged with begging at Whitehaven on June 18. PC Forster said he saw the prisoner begging from door to door in Duke Street, on Wednesday night. The prisoner said she and her husband belonged to Wigan, in Lancashire. Her husband was disabled, and if the bench would allow her to go she would leave the town. She was allowed to go.

June 26, 1890

100 YEARS AGO

WOUNDED IN THE DARDANELLES: Privat G Albert Thompson, son of Mr G H Thompson, Corkickle, who is in the Royal Naval Division, Hood Battalion, has been wounded while in action in the Dardanelles.

He is in the Malta Hospital with wounds received after six weeks’ hard fighting. He hopes, however, to be stirring about very shortly.

THE ISLE OF MAN INTERNMENT CAMP: The Home Secretary, Sir John Simon, proposes largely to increase the number of aliens interned in the island, and to provide a corresponding increase in military guards. He does not, for the present, propose to adopt the suggestion that aliens should be sent to live in the island otherwise than in internment.

June 24, 1915

75 YEARS ago

AIR RAID SHELTERS: Air raid shelters for school children of Whitehaven are to be provided at a cost of £7,220.

BOOTLE AND DISTRICT NURSING ASSOCIATION: The annual general meeting of subscribers was held in Capt. Shaw’s School on Friday when all the officers and committee were re-elected. Miss E Gricthe hon. secretary reported a favourable bank balance in spite of the fact the usual sales and whilst drives have not been held on account of the war.

June 27, 1940

50 YEARS ago

FACTORY TO OPEN AT CLEATOR MOOR: Plans for building new advance factories at Cleator Moor and Maryport were announced on Tuesday by the Industrial Estate Management Corporation’s regional office at Workington. A contract has been placed with Border Engineering, Whitehaven for levelling of approximately 20 acres of the Cleator Moor Ironworks site.

WHITEHAVEN STRIKERS AT ODDS WITH UNION: Despite renewed instructions from their union – the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers – the 21 joiners on strike from the Thames Board Mills factory site at Siddick continued their withdrawal of labour yesterday. Nine of the strikers, who received redundancy notices from their employers, George Wimpey Ltd, are members of the Whitehaven branch of the A.S.W which this week pledged its support for the strikers.

July 1, 1965

25 YEARS ago

MINDLESS WRECKERS SMASH UP SCHOOL: Children were sent home from a Whitehaven Infants School after vandals caused extensive damage. The wreckers broke in through one of the main windows and went on a rampage. Staff were astonished at the petty nature of what happened. Headmistress Mamy Adair said: “They even crushed biscuits into the staff room carpet and jumped up and down on packets of crisps.”

TOWN PLAN OPTIMISM LOSES OUT TO MOANS: A panel with exciting ideas to turn Whitehaven into a vital and prosperous town of the future found itself playing agony aunt to all the town’s ills. An opportunity for constructive input to the ‘Whitehaven Town Centre and Harbour Initiative’ was passed up in favour of a list of carps and complaints.

June 28, 1990