A date with Destiny for thieves who made off with Stone
Seldom over the past 200 years of The Scotsman will our journalists have experienced a busier Boxing Day than in 1950. On Christmas morning, a group of four Scottish students, Ian Hamilton, Gavin Vernon, Kay Matheson and Alan Stuart, forced their way in to Westminster Abbey in an ambitious attempt to return the Stone of Scone to Scotland. Here’s how its initial theft was reported: Theft of Stone of Destiny Early yesterday the centuries-old Coronation Stone was removed from Westminster Abbey by, it is believed, some persons who had lain hidden in one of the chapels overnight, before making a bid to take the Stone to what they considered its ‘rightful home’, Scotland. They dragged the Coronation Chair, under which the stone lay, several yards from its position behind the High Altar, then they pulled the stone out, tearing a splinter from one of the legs.
After that, they manhandled the stone through the south screen door of the altar along its length, round the south transept, and out by the Poets’ Corner entrance, the padlock of which had been wrenched off.
Behind them lay a trail of grazed masonry, scratched floors, wood splinters and slivers of glass.
It is believed that they took the stone down the long paved path into the main roadway outside the St Stephen’s entrance to Parliaa ment Square, where a car or lorry had been waiting. As soon as the theft was discovered a description of the stone was at once sent to the police throughout Britain, and at Preston cars were being stopped and examined at special road-blocks. In other places in the North of England, C.I.D. men were busy making inquiries. The stone – roughly dressed and of red sandstone – is known to be at least 1100 years old. For 400 years it was used in the crowning ceremony of Scottish Kings, but was taken to London in1296 by King Edward I. The police believe that a man and a woman seen in the vicinity of the Abbey in a Ford Anglia car may be able to assist them in their investigations. “Best news for years”, Ms Wendy Wood’s Comment on stone theft Miss Wendy Wood, the Scottish Nationalist, told of the affair said: “That’s the best news I have heard in years. It is certainly the best start we could have for the News Year”. Christmas mail breaks all records The Postmaster General announces that postings of letters during the Christmas period broke all records this year.
Some 560 million letters have been handled – about 20 million more than last year. Brighter outlook for Clyde shipyards With the marked stimulus given by series of orders placed in the closing months of year, the Clyde shipbuilding industry is now favourably placed, and 1951 and 1952 will witness a period of activity which did not seem likely twelve months ago.
It is probable that next year’s output will exceed the 1950 production, which amounted to 85 merchant ships, aggregating 435,486 tons. 105,000 troops evacuated from Hungnam – Biggest withdrawal since Dunkirk The evacuation by sea of 105,000 personnel from Hungnam, the remnant of the U.N. beachhead in North Korea, was completed on Sunday night, it was announced at General Macarthur’s Headquarters in Tokyo yesterday. Officers described the evacuation, the largest since Dunkirk, as the most successful tactical withdrawal in military history. North Korean and Chinese Communist forces pounded into inactivity by an incessant stream of fire from naval guns and from the air, let the U.N. forces go without firing a shot. Army and Navy sappers blew up all the remaining industrial potential of Hungnam – once a great explosives manufacturing centre.
A communiqué issued by Majorgeneral Almond, Commander of the U.S. Tenth Corps, said 105,000 troops, about 100,000 refugees, 17,500 vehicles, and 350,000 tons of supply and equipment had been evacuated in eleven days.