Were you on a multi-day visit to Shakespeare’s birthplace?
This coming Saturday (June 22) there is a 60th anniversary reunion of girls from Copnor Secondary Modern Girls School in Portsmouth. Janet White (née Bendell) has asked me to let any survivors from a visit to Stratford-upon-Avon to try to get along to the Wesley Rooms, adjacent to Copnor Methodist Church in Copnor Road, between 2pm and 5pm.
In the last week of May, 1959, 26 girls and two teachers from the school left Portsmouth by coach for a few days in the Stratford-upon-Avon area of Warwickshire.
As well as visiting the usual locations connected with William Shakespeare they also visited Warwick Castle, the Royal Worcester porcelain factory and the Cadbury factory at Bournville. Yes, it was 60 years ago, but it would be good to get as many old girls together as possible.
I was recently at the home of Bridget Nash (née Nolan) and in front of her fireplace she has a sword in which I was very interested.
It appears to be more than 100 years old and bears a citation to an officer who seems to have been most popular. As you can just about make out, it was presented to WO C Davidge as a mark of esteem by the ship’s company of HMS Orlando on his promotion to warrant officer.
HMS Orlando’s sailors formed part of the force attempting to relieve the British Legation in Peking during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. A memorial to the event and replica bell captured from the Taku Forts is in Victoria Park, Portsmouth.
Orlando had a short life. She
was launched in August 1886 and broken up in July 1905.
If anyone is a relation of WO Davidge, or knows anything about him, please get in touch.
A further inscription on the shoulder of the sword gives the name RC James, of Queen Street, Portsmouth.
I do not believe that James was the maker of the sword and I wonder if anyone has more knowledge of who James & Co were? Please e-mail me at bobhind2014@icloud. com.
Do you remember when a day out on a coach trip with the school was the highlight of the school year? I know I can.
Going to London in 1961 was like going to the moon for me, incredibly exciting.
In the picture on the facing page we see children from St Jude’s School in 1950. At that time it was located in Marmion Road, Southsea. Just about all of them are wearing the school’s uniform.
Most of those seen would be in their late eighties by now, but if you do recognise yourself or a relative who took part in the trip, again, please let me know? 1820: A baton was first used to conduct an orchestra in England, by Ludwig Spohr. 1896: Bessie Wallis Warfield (Mrs Simpson) was born in Baltimore. She later became the Duchess of Windsor, after Edward VIII abdicated the throne because of his love for her. 1905: The world's first all-motion picture theatre opened in Pittsburgh. 1910: Deutschland, the first Zeppelin airliner, was launched, and crashed on June 28. 1953: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg went to the electric chair in New York, having been found guilty of spying for the Soviet Union. 1967: The Monterey Pop Festival attracted thousands of hippies to watch stars including Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin and The Who. BIRTHDAYS: Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel peace laureate and freedom campaigner, 74; Salman Rushdie, author, 72; Kathleen Turner, actress, 65; Rory Underwood, former rugby union player, 56; Boris Johnson, British foreign secretary, 55.