View allAll Photos Tagged labourers
Name: Thomas Craigie
Arrested for: not given
Arrested at: North Shields Police Station
Arrested on: 2 November 1905
Tyne and Wear Archives ref: DX1388-1-79-Thomas Craigie
For an image of his accomplice Edwin Frankland see www.flickr.com/photos/twm_news/24815527135/in/album-72157....
The Shields Daily News for 9 November 1905 reports:
“LENIENTLY DEALT WITH.
Edwin F. Frankland (17), steamboatman, 41 Elsdon Street and Thomas Craigie (18), labourer, Bull Ring Stairs, were charged with being found on enclosed premises for an unlawful purpose on the 1st inst.
Miss Sarah Hall, a general dealer, residing and carrying on business in the Bull Ring, deposed to locking up her premises at 11.15 pm on the 31st ult. and being awakened by her sister at six o’clock the following morning and finding that the house had been entered.
Jane Hall, a sister of the prosecutrix, said that she awakened and saw Frankland standing in the door with a candle in his hand. She asked him what he wanted and he made no reply.
Sergeant Hall said that he apprehended Frankland at his house in Elsdon Street. In reply to the charge he said “Craigie forced open the shutters, drew the bolt, went inside and I followed. I struck a match and someone shouted out.” He apprehended Craigie in his mother’s house and he made no reply to the charge. The magistrates took a lenient view of the case, although the defendants pleaded guilty and dismissed the charge against them.”
These images are a selection from an album of photographs of prisoners brought before the North Shields Police Court between 1902 and 1916 in the collection of Tyne & Wear Archives (TWA ref DX1388/1).
This set contains mugshots of boys and girls under the age of 21. This reflects the fact that until 1970 that was the legal age of majority in the UK.
(Copyright) We're happy for you to share this digital image within the spirit of The Commons. Please cite 'Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums' when reusing. Certain restrictions on high quality reproductions and commercial use of the original physical version apply though; if you're unsure please email archives@twmuseums.org.uk.
These images belong to the Parsons’ ‘Women Labourers’ photograph album, taken at Parsons’ Works on Shields Road during the First World War.
(TWAM ref: 2402)
The factory was founded by engineer Charles Parsons, best known for his invention of the steam turbine. In 1914, with the outbreak of war, Parsons’ daughter Rachel, one of the first three women to study engineering at Cambridge, replaced her brother on the board of directors, and took on a role in the training department of the Ministry of Munitions, supporting the increasing amount of women taking on jobs in industry to support the war effort.
More information about Rachel Parsons and Parsons’ Works can be found in Great North Greats a guest post by David Wright.
(copyright) We’re happy for you to share these digital images within the spirit of The Commons. Please cite 'Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums' when reusing. Certain restrictions on high quality reproductions and commercial use of the original physical version apply though; if you're unsure please email archives@twmuseums.org.uk
Quite a bit different from the temporary "Labourer's Hut" we saw from Friday's shot, this Mason image is labelled simply "Labourers' Cottages". Do we think there's enough to go-on to determine where the shot was taken?
Contributor: Thomas H. Mason & Sons photographers
Collection: Mason Photographic Collection
Date: c.1890-1910
NLI Ref: M57/31
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
Everday these labourers work so hard that inspite of the heavy rain they continued pulling that cart. Despite being poor they dont depend on anyone and inspire us to keep on moving in life. One more routine job captured in the streets of mumbai during the monsoons.
All photographs are © copyright by Rakhi Rawat. Please do not copy, use and modify any of my photographs without my explicit written permission. All rights reserved.
Swiss-German-British postcard by News Productions, Baulmes / Filmwelt Berlin, Bakede / News Productions, Stroud, no. 56554. Photo: Collection Cinémathèque Suisse, Lausanne. Photo: MGM.
American film star Joan Crawford (1904-1977) had a career that would span many decades, studios, and controversies. In her silent films, she made an impact as a vivacious Jazz Age flapper and later she matured into a star of psychological melodramas.
Joan Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur in 1904, in San Antonio, Texas. Her parents were Anna Belle (Johnson) and Thomas E. LeSueur, a laundry labourer. By the time she was born, her parents had separated. The young Lucille was bullied and shunned at Scaritt Elementary School in Kansas City by the other students due to her poor home life. She worked with her mother in a laundry and felt that her classmates could smell the chemicals and cleaners on her. She said that her love of taking showers and being obsessed with cleanliness had begun early in life as an attempt to wash off the smell of the laundry. Her stepfather Henry Cassin allegedly began sexually abusing her when she was eleven years old, and the abuse continued until she was sent to St. Agnes Academy, a Catholic girls' school. By the time she was a teenager, she'd had three stepfathers. Lucille LeSueur worked a variety of menial jobs. She was a good dancer, though, and she entered several contests, one of which landed her a spot in a chorus line. Before long, she was dancing in the choruses of travelling revues in big Midwestern and East Coast cities. She was spotted dancing in Detroit by famous New York producer Jacob J. Shubert. Shubert put her in the chorus line for his show 'Innocent Eyes'(1924) at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway. Then followed another Schubert production, 'The Passing Show of 1924'. After hours, she danced for pay in the town it-spot, Club Richman, which was run by the 'Passing Show' stage manager Nils Granlund and popular local personality Harry Richman. In December 1924, Granlund called Lucille to tell her that Al Altman, a NYC-based talent scout from MGM had caught her in 'The Passing Show of 1924' and wanted her to do a screen test. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) offered Crawford a contract at $75 a week. On New Year's Day 1925 she boarded the train for Culver City. Credited as Lucille LeSueur, her first film part was as a showgirl in Lady of the Night (Monta Bell, 1925), starring MGM's most popular female star, Norma Shearer. Crawford was determined to succeed, and shortly after she also appeared in The Circle (Frank Borzage, 1925) and Pretty Ladies (Monta Bell, 1925), starring comedian ZaSu Pitts. She also appeared in a small role in Erich von Stroheim's classic The Merry Widow (1925) with Mae Murray and John Gilbert. MGM publicity head Pete Smith recognised her ability to become a major star but felt her name sounded fake. He told studio head, Louis B. Mayer, that her last name, LeSueur, reminded him of a sewer. Smith organised a contest called 'Name the Star' in Movie Weekly to allow readers to select her new stage name. The initial choice was 'Joan Arden', but after another actress was found to have a prior claim to that name, the alternate surname 'Crawford' became the choice. She first made an impression on audiences in Edmund Goulding's showgirl tale Sally, Irene, and Mary (1925). The film, which co-starred Constance Bennett and Sally O'Neil, was a hit. Joan's popularity grew so quickly afterwards that two films in which she was still billed as Lucille Le Sueur: Old Clothes (Edward F. Cline, 1925) with Jackie Coogan, and The Only Thing (Jack Conway, 1925) were recalled, and her name on the billings was changed to Joan Crawford. In 1926, Crawford was named one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars, and she starred opposite Charles Ray in Paris (Edmund Goulding, 1926). Within a few years, she became the romantic female lead to many of MGM's top male stars, including Ramón Novarro, John Gilbert, and action star Tim McCoy. She appeared alongside her close friend, William Haines in the comedy Spring Fever (Edward Sedgwick, 1927). It was the second film starring Haines and Crawford (the first had been Sally, Irene and Mary (1925)), and their first onscreen romantic teaming. Then, Crawford appeared in the silent horror film The Unknown (Tod Browning, 1927), starring Lon Chaney, Sr., who played Alonzo the Armless, a circus freak who uses his feet to toss knives. Crawford played his skimpily-clad young carnival assistant whom he hopes to marry. She stated that she learned more about acting from watching Chaney work than from anyone else in her career. Her role of Diana Medford in Our Dancing Daughters (Harry Beaumont, 1928) elevated her to star status. Joan co-starred with Anita Page and Dorothy Sebastian, and her spunky wild-but-moral flapper character struck a chord with the public and zeitgeist. Wikipedia: "The role established her as a symbol of modern 1920s-style femininity which rivaled Clara Bow, the original It girl, then Hollywood's foremost flapper. A stream of hits followed Our Dancing Daughters, including two more flapper-themed movies, in which Crawford embodied for her legion of fans (many of whom were women) an idealized vision of the free-spirited, all-American girl." The fan mail began pouring in and from that point on Joan was a bonafide star. Crawford had cleared the first big hurdle; now came the second, in the form of talkies. But Crawford wasn't felled by sound. Her first talkie, the romantic drama Untamed (Jack Conway, 1929) with Robert Montgomery, was a success. Michael Eliott at IMDb: "It's rather amazing to see how well she transformed into a sound star and you have to think that she was among the best to do so."
In the early 1930s, tired of playing fun-loving flappers, Joan Crawford wanted to change her image. Thin lips would not do for her; she wanted big lips. Ignoring her natural lip contours, Max Factor ran a smear of colour across her upper and lower lips. It was just what she wanted. To Max, the Crawford look, which became her trademark, was always 'the smear'. As the 1930s progressed, Joan Crawford became one of the biggest stars at MGM. She developed a glamorous screen image, appearing often as a sumptuously gowned, fur-draped, successful career woman. She was in top form in films such as Grand Hotel (Edmund Goulding, 1932), Sadie McKee (Clarence Brown, 1934), No More Ladies (Edward H. Griffith, 1935), and Love on the Run (W.S. Van Dyke, 1936) with Clark Gable. Crawford often played hard-working young women who found romance and success. Movie patrons were enthralled, and studio executives were satisfied. Her fame rivalled, and later outlasted, that of MGM colleagues Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo. Among her early successes as a dramatic actress were The Women (George Cukor, 1939), Susan and God (1940), Strange Cargo (1940), and A Woman’s Face (1941). By the early 1940s, MGM was no longer giving Joan Crawford plum roles. Newcomers had arrived in Hollywood, and the public wanted to see them. Crawford left MGM for rival Warner Bros. In 1945 she landed the role of a lifetime in Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945). It is the story of an emotional and ambitious woman who rises from waitress to owner of a restaurant chain. The role gave her an opportunity to show her range as an actress, and her performance as a woman driven to give her daughter (Ann Blyth) everything garnered Crawford her first, and only, Oscar for Best Actress. The following year she appeared with John Garfield in the well-received Humoresque (Jean Negulesco, 1946). In 1947, she appeared as Louise Graham in Possessed (Curtis Bernhardt, 1947) with Van Heflin. Again she was nominated for the Best Actress award from the Academy, but she lost to Loretta Young in The Farmer's Daughter (H.C. Potter, 1947). Crawford continued to choose her roles carefully, and in 1952 she was nominated for a third time, for her depiction of Myra Hudson in Sudden Fear (David Miller, 1952) opposite Jack Palance and Gloria Grahame. This time the coveted Oscar went to Shirley Booth, for Come Back, Little Sheba (Daniel Mann, 1952). In 1955, Crawford became involved with the Pepsi-Cola Company through her marriage to company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alfred Steele. Crawford married four times. Her first three marriages to the actors Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (1929–1933), Franchot Tone (1935–1939), and Phillip Terry (1942–1946) all had ended in divorce. After his death in 1959 she became a director of the company and in that role hired her friend Dorothy Arzner to film several Pepsi commercials. Crawford's film career slowed and she appeared in minor roles until 1962. Then she and Bette Davis co-starred in Whatever happened to Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich, 1962). Their longstanding rivalry may have helped fuel their phenomenally vitriolic and well-received performances. Crawford's final appearance on the silver screen was in the bad monster movie Trog (Freddie Francis, 1970). It is said Bette Davis commented that if she had found herself starring in Trog, she'd commit suicide. Anyway, Joan Crawford retired from the screen, and following a public appearance in 1974 withdrew from public life. Turning to vodka more and more, she became increasingly reclusive. In 1977, Joan Crawford died of a heart attack in New York City. She was 72 years old. She had disinherited her adopted daughter Christina and son Christopher; the former wrote the controversial memoir 'Mommie Dearest' (1978). In 1981, Faye Dunaway starred in the film adaptation Mommie Dearest (Frank Perry, 1981) which did well at the box office. Joan Crawford is interred in a mausoleum in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.
Sources: Stephanie Jones (The Best of Everything), Michael Elliott (IMDb), Encyclopaedia Britannica, Wikipedia, and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
A character study captured through the open doors of a BCNA goods van being loaded with with bagged wheat at Malerkotla in Punjab State in April 2018. That colouful head scarf caught my eye as did the bag tally chalked on the door during a previous load, somewhere. [Image best viewed at full screen]
All images on this site are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed written permission of the photographer. All rights reserved – Copyright Don Gatehouse
State Brickworks, Homebush 1911-1912, Rex Hazlewood ON 151/24-30 collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/9gkGK4k9/pw3R4BKbzjAgA
Navvy-noun-a labourer employed in the excavation and construction of a road, railway or canal. The word is a 19th century shortening of the word navigator.
Saw this rather unusual looking and interestingly named boat just above Bingley five rise locks.
Daily wage labourers take their meals early in the morning and leave for their daily routine. After reaching their destination, they hang their food bowls on shady trees to prevent them from spoiling in the heat. After that, after working at noon, they ate their lunch and went back to work.
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'He Died For Freedom And Honour
Arthur Page was my great-grandfather. He was killed at Delville Wood on the 20th July 1916, the twentieth day of the Battle of the Somme.
Arthur was a general labourer in Ely, Cambridgeshire, and grew up in the Waterside district. He was the father of my grandmother Phyllis Alice Page, my father's mother. Arthur was a Serjeant in the 2nd Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment, and his medal record shows that he arrived in France on the 26th January 1915.
The 2nd Battalion spent their first winter and spring bogged down in the trenches of the Vierstraat area of Flanders, before being returned to Billet at Westoutre on 11th April. They spent the latter part of the spring building the network of trenches in the Ypres salient,and then on June 16th they were part of the force which attacked and consolidated its hold in V Wood and Sanctuary Wood to the east of Ypres. It seems that the Battalion came under what were the first prolonged and sustained gas attacks by the Germans on British troops.
During July they returned to billet in Ypres again, but spent the rest of the summer consolidating the hold on the splendidly named Spoil Bank and Bellyache Wood, again to the west of Ypres. In general, the 2nd Suffolks seem to have spent an uneventful 1915 in Flanders, with few casualties, except for one major incident when, on September 8th, the battalion sustained more than a hundred deaths trying to capture a crater in Sanctuary Wood.
At the start of 1916, they were moved south towards St Eloi. Shortly after arriving in the area, Arthur's brother Herbert, also with the 2nd Suffolks, was killed.
In June 1916, the 2nd Suffolks were removed completely from the fighting and returned to depot at St Omer for training in open warfare. They did not know it, but the Generals were preparing for the Big Push, designed to distract the Germans from their assault on Verdun. It would be known as the Battle of the Somme.
On July 1st, the first day of the battle, the 2nd Suffolks set out from St Omer for the Somme. They arrived at the front on July 8th, and were placed in reserve, and then on July 14th they were moved into the southern end of Caterpillar Wood, to the east of Albert. Not far off, on July 18th, the Germans attacked and, at great cost to them, overran Delville Wood and part of the town of Longueval. Two companies of the 2nd Suffolks were sent to support the counter-attack, and among them was Serjeant Arthur Page.
Shortly before first light on what would be a warm, sunny day, at 3.35am on July 20th, the Third Division of the British Army attacked Delville Wood. Chris McCarthy, in The Somme Day-by-Day, records that Early in the morning the Division made an attack on Delville Wood and village using 2nd Suffolks and 10th Royal Welsh Fusiliers. At 3.35 am the Suffolks advanced from the west, but the two leading companies were almost entirely wiped out. The Fusiliers went astray, and came under fire from a British machine-gun barrage, losing most of their officers, only to press home a fruitless attack. The casualties in the 2nd Battalion were heavy, and among those killed in the attack was Arthur Page. He was 37 years old. It seems to have been a spectacularly foolhardy action: the two companies lost no less than ten officers in the attack, one of them, a Major Congreve, later being awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.
Arthur's body was recovered, identified, and buried at Delville Wood cemetery in Longueval.
A woman laborer working hard to make money for her family. I salute the women folk today! Happy Womens Day!
Crop Harvesting - from field to landowner's premises
Poor tribal peasants from poverty-stricken districts are forced to leave their village home and family for months to work as agricultural labourers for landowners in other affluent districts of Bengal
নবান্নের গান
Images of Bengal, India
CAITHNESS CONSTABULARY – SGT DAVID MILLER (1861-1885)
Sgt Miller and his Thurso area Constables.
David Miller was born on 14th September 1839 (or was he? See much later!!) at Black Park, Halkirk and grew up in the Halkirk area. After working as a Labourer locally he applied aged 22 to join the County Police of Caithness.
On 4th December 1861 Chief Constable Alexander Mitchell appointed young David as a Constable in the Caithness-shire Constabulary and the following day he was medically examined by Dr Eric S Sinclair, JP, LFPSG, Medical Officer, Wick who certified he found him well qualified for the police service in terms of his health and bodily strength. He was sworn in as a Constable on the 8th December by Alexander Bruce, JP.
Of his FOUR referees, two were ministers of religion, being the Halkirk incumbents of the Church of Scotland and Free Church respectively. Another was his current employer, Donald Tait, Contractor, Halkirk who had known young David for 11 years.
Constable David Miller was initially stationed at Wick, where he would have received an element of on-the-job training, and then on 26th May 1864 he was transferred across the Wick River to Pulteney Harbour. This would have been an interesting transfer as technically Pulteneytown and its harbour (today that part of Wick south of the river) lay outwith Caithness and it had its own police force independent of the County.
This was because the municipality of Pulteneytown had been set up by the British Fisheries Society, a quasi-governmental organisation and by virtue of an 1844 Act of Parliament in respect of it, the “town” operated literally as a law unto itself. That Act gave the Commissioners powers to establish its own police (and special constables for the harbour area), which it did but there was no chief officer, other than the Resident Naval Officer. Experience of the potential for serious fall-out between locals and incoming fisherfolk (Battle of the Orange, 1859) meant the County Police maintained a presence in the “town” - despite the two or three local bobbies over whom the County Chief Constable had no control.
After 3 years in Pulteney (during which time he married Jessie, a farmer’s daughter), and only 6 years police service, PC Miller was in November 1867 promoted to the rank of Sergeant – no mean feat as the County only had two of that rank, one of whom would act as Deputy to the Chief Constable – and Sergeant Miller was transferred through to Thurso to take charge of the Western Area of the force. His duties also involved attending to the Procurator Fiscal, then also based in Thurso.
Sergeant Miller would remain in Thurso – effectively the Chief officer of that half of the County force – for the next 18 years.
Meantime, another young man had joined the County force in May 1865 - Constable Thomas Sinclair (a 20 year old native of Wick) was initially posted to Mey which would have been within the Thurso Division of the County. Being a single man, he was moved about a bit and he transferred to Thurso in February 1866 - where he would be under the charge of Sgt Miller. Then PC Sinclair moved yet again – this time to Lybster on the southern part of the east coast of the County – in February 1868. Three months later PC Sinclair was relocated back into the Thurso Division, at Reay - Caithness’s furthest west posting, right on the boundary with the County of Sutherland (whose force had a police station 5 miles along the road at Melvich across the River Halladale). Exactly one year later Thomas Sinclair was posted yet again, this time to “Harbour” (Pulteneytown). After four years there Sinclair was promoted to Sergeant (at Wick) – thus putting him on a par with David Miller (and actually ahead because, by being based in Wick, Sergeant Sinclair would deputise for the Chief Constable). So when the rank of Inspector (and Deputy Chief Constable) was created in the force on 27th august 1878 it came as no great surprise that the man to fill that post was none other than Thomas Sinclair. One wonders how Sergeant Miller, who had seniority of service, would have felt – slighted perhaps, or alternatively maybe he was glad to be overlooked and left in relative peace on the west side of the County.
Chief Constable Mitchell who had served in that role for 25 years died on 15th June 1884 aged only 56 years. It is likely that the Chief was unwell for some time and Inspector Sinclair was running the force, as in May 1884 (no date given!) Constable James Swanson was pulled into Wick from Lybster and promoted to Sergeant. Some twelve days after Mr Mitchell’s death, Inspector Thomas Sinclair was appointed Chief Constable, and immediately thereafter Sgt Swanson became Inspector Swanson.
Now new brooms invariably sweep clean, and on 28th May 1885 Sergeant David Miller was transferred to Lybster. After so long in Thurso, this would have come as quite a shock to the system ,whether or not Chief Constable had sold him on the idea of moving. The area was one quite unknown to him. Lybster is 40-odd miles across the county from Thurso, and some 13 miles south of Wick. Although the fishing station would have meant plenty of police work, it would have been alien territory to Sgt Miller. Transfers in Highland forces almost always tended to be carried out in the spring so the officer had an opportunity to well acquaint himself with his new area before the nights started drawing in.
The Personnel Records of this era look as though they were completed (retrospectively) by the Chief Constable himself – but PC John Macaulay, who seems to have been at Lybster in 1885 was promoted Sergeant on the same day as Sgt Miller was transferred to Lybster, and Sgt Macaulay ended up in Thurso (but seemingly not till 1886, although it may just be that Mr Sinclair’s memory was a bit hazy as to transfer dates). Sgt Macaulay remained in Thurso for 3 years before being moved again – back to Lybster. Having joined the force in 1870, he had previously served in Thurso under Sgt Miller from 1871 to 1872, before serving for a whole ten years at “Harbour” (Pulteneytown)
So after 24 years, Sergeant Miller was at the crossroads of his career. With 24 years service, and rapidly approaching the age of 50, he had to take stock. Back then there were no pensions for police officers, and no hope of financial assistance for him to move back to his "home” area of Halkirk/Thurso when he was no longer fit enough to do the job. He clearly therefore concluded that his police career was at an end and that it would be prudent for him and his family to return to Thurso. Indeed it is possible - and he would definitely NOT be the last to do so! - to have gone on ahead without the family and lived in lodgings for the time being.
His obituary reported of his time as Sergeant at Thurso: “he carried out his duties to the entire satisfaction of the Police Commissioners and was on many occasions congratulated on the absence of crime due to his tact and geniality.”
After resigning (his obituary says “retired” but his police record says “resigned” with no mention of any gratuity, which would have to have been done out of the goodness of the police committee's heart anyway) on 21st October 1885 – the nights would have been drawing in by then – David Miller and family moved to Scrabster, harbour of Thurso, where he took over the hotel there ”where he carried on a successful business for a long number of years.”
“In 1896 he retired from the business and came to reside in Thurso when he was appointed sole traffic agent for the North of Scotland for the Caledonian London and North Western Railway till the year l9O7. After the amalgamation of the traffic departments he was appointed to other agencies for Orkney and Shetland and the Northern Counties and always gave entire satisfaction to the companies.”
David Miller passed away on Sunday 22nd December 1929, which would have made him aged 90 years, although his biographer – having begun his eulogy by saying that he was born in 1841 – made him out to be 88. His police records definitely state he was born on 18th September 1839 but it may be he (like many others back in the day) “erred” about his age on his application to join the police. There were no Birth Certificates back then! Perhaps he thought by saying he was “only” 20, Chief Constable Mitchell might have considered him a bit young for the job? Although there was no minimum age stipulated for a recruit, the age of 21 was generally regarded as adulthood. His initial postings being to the Wick area meant little or no chance of his age being challenged by his peers in his “probation” on the job! In any case, with the kind of robust policing which would have been required around the Harbour of Wick at that time, if you were big enough, you were old enough!
His biography provided a great deal of other background information not generally recorded in respect of police officers back then.
“Mr Miller was a great draughts player and was a founder member of the Caithness Draughts Club. When the Worlds Draught Champion ‘Herd Laddie’ visited Thurso Mr Miller drew him in a game and was congratulated by the champion. Up to the time of his death he enjoyed a game with his numerous friends.
“Mr Miller all his life took a deep interest in the town and though not a member of any public body was often approached by the principal citizens of the town and county to do so.
“Mr Miller who celebrated his golden wedding 14 years ago is survived by Mrs Miller and two daughters to whom and other relatives , the deepest sympathies is extended.
“Mr Miller who enjoyed the best of health all his life until a short time ago, was a regular attender of the Parish Church and took a deep interest in church matters.
“His remains were interred in Thurso Cemetery on Wednesday and the funeral was very largely attended. Revs G.H. MacLennan, W.D. Mackenzie and G.L. Maclachlan officiated at the house and Rev Mr MacLennan at the grave.”
Chief Constable Sinclair retired on pension in 1912 (police pensions having been introduced in 1890) after 47 years service and aged almost 67. He passed away in February 1930, only seven weeks after David Miller did.
David Miller served at an important period in the history of policing. The Caithness force, along with all the other Scottish forces, were re-formed as proper professional preventative law enforcement organisations in 1858, and the forces would just be “settling” in when he joined 3 years later. The embryonic police service had quite a throughput of staff in those days, as the requirements imposed – discipline, commitment, sobriety and fitness of mind and body, patience, tact and endurance (huge beats patrolled on foot in all weathers) – were not achieved by many. To reach the rank of Sergeant at such an early stage implied that his ability was considerable and that his predecessor fell by the wayside or succumbed to health issues.
Judging by the photographs, which together with the obituary and career details were kindly supplied by David Miller’s great great granddaughter, Sergeant Miller was regarded as a father figure by the officers under him, and obviously was held in high regard and respect by his Thurso public. Chief Constable Mitchell clearly regarded him highly, having promoted him early and entrusting him with the Thurso division – and presumably saw no reason to change things during his time at the helm of the force. In some of the photographs, officers have put a hand on his shoulder – this is a pose encouraged by professional photographers in bygone times as a way of signifying family relationship between the parties. Well, none of David Miller’s offspring were police officers so there is NO actual family connection, but the photographer clearly intended for there to be a “police family” symbolism in the photos.
I am deeply indebted to Annette Matthew (David Miller's g-g-grandaughter) for providing me with so much material – which I have been able to weave into the various information sources of my own.
It is also a delight to have a name – and such a wealth of background information – to put to a face. So often, old photos of police officers which emerge have no names or dates recorded against them, and for that omission we are all the poorer.
POSTSCRIPT: SMALL WORLD DEPT – The whole-force group shot, which I date to 1877, is the first photo I ever received for my police history researches – way back in 1979 a lady in California, USA (sadly now passed on, as is her husband) contacted me seeking information about her great grandfather, PC George Reid who is the bald-headed officer sitting (staring into space) in front of the other Sgt! (That lady and her husband became good friends with the Conner family, coming to visit us while I was stationed at Kirkwall and again when I was based in Helmsdale, all during the 1980s. God Bless you, Tarri and Bob Whitby)
Name: Mark Schidlossky
Arrested for: not given
Arrested at: North Shields Police Station
Arrested on: 3 October 1914
Tyne and Wear Archives ref: DX1388-1-256-Mark Schidlossky
For an image of his accomplice, Thomas Dodds see www.flickr.com/photos/twm_news/21412005023/in/dateposted/.
The Shields Daily News for 5 October 1914 reports:
“GOING THROUGH SEAMAN’S POCKETS. ONE MONTH FOR THIEVES AT NO. SHIELDS.
Today at North Shields, Mark Schidlossky, seaman, Russia and Thomas Dodds, labourer, South Shields, were charged with stealing 5s from the person of James McLeod on the New Quay.
McLeod said he was proceeding to his ship, which was lying at Smith’s Dock, when he was accosted by two men, whom he now recognised. They pushed him up against the wall and took everything from his pockets. John Michael Graham, Lawson Street, said he saw the two men holding the prosecutor and going through his pockets.
PC Pallister said the Russian said in answer to the charge “I got no money” and the other man made no reply. The first prisoner had 2s 10d and the other 1s 2d in their possession. The Bench committed the defendants to prison for one month each”.
These images are taken from an album of photographs of prisoners brought before the North Shields Police Court between 1902 and 1916 (TWAM ref. DX1388/1). This set is our selection of the best mugshots taken during the First World War. They have been chosen because of the sharpness and general quality of the images. The album doesn’t record the details of each prisoner’s crimes, just their names and dates of arrest.
In order to discover the stories behind the mugshots, staff from Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums visited North Shields Local Studies Library where they carefully searched through microfilm copies of the ‘Shields Daily News’ looking for newspaper reports of the court cases. The newspaper reports have been transcribed and added below each mugshot.
Combining these two separate records gives us a fascinating insight into life on the Home Front during the First World War. These images document the lives of people of different ages and backgrounds, both civilians and soldiers. Our purpose here is not to judge them but simply to reflect the realities of their time.
(Copyright) We're happy for you to share this digital image within the spirit of The Commons. Please cite 'Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums' when reusing. Certain restrictions on high quality reproductions and commercial use of the original physical version apply though; if you're unsure please email archives@twmuseums.org.uk.
Nappers Bridge and the Lake Bonney Hotel.
William Napper a farm labourer from Guernsey arrived in SA on the Oriental in 1855 when he was 28 years old. With his friend William Parnell they tried working as timber cutters for the passing riverboat trade along the Murray. Their wives and families joined them. In 1859 William Parnell built the Lake Bonney Hotel to capitalise on the travellers passing overland with their livestock. In 1863 Napper purchased 80 acres of land and the hotel buildings from. William’s first wife Ann died in 1869 and his second wife died in 1877 just after they had moved to become the licensees of the Overland Corner Hotel. It is not clear but the Lake Bonney Hotel probably closed when Napper left it. The hotel had eleven rooms, some with magnificently built chimneys and a store hut nearer Lake Bonney. Napper’s private residence which still stands was located in front of the old store and cellars. William Napper returned to the deserted Lake Bonney Hotel in the 1880s to operate it as an accommodation place. He died here in 1907 and was buried nearby in the Overland Corner Hotel cemetery just north of the old hotel.
This building is the hotel.
Taken at dusk after the sun had set.
These images belong to the Parsons’ ‘Women Labourers’ photograph album, taken at Parsons’ Works on Shields Road during the First World War.
(TWAM ref: 2402)
The factory was founded by engineer Charles Parsons, best known for his invention of the steam turbine. In 1914, with the outbreak of war, Parsons’ daughter Rachel, one of the first three women to study engineering at Cambridge, replaced her brother on the board of directors, and took on a role in the training department of the Ministry of Munitions, supporting the increasing amount of women taking on jobs in industry to support the war effort.
More information about Rachel Parsons and Parsons’ Works can be found in Great North Greats a guest post by David Wright.
(copyright) We’re happy for you to share these digital images within the spirit of The Commons. Please cite 'Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums' when reusing. Certain restrictions on high quality reproductions and commercial use of the original physical version apply though; if you're unsure please email archives@twmuseums.org.uk
This scene is an indoor workshop or garage. In the background, there is a large, tan-colored machine, possibly an old engine or compressor, with a ladder leaning against it. A metal filing cabinet is also visible. The floor is concrete, and there is a pile of materials, including wood and other objects, on the left side of the image. The room has a high ceiling with exposed metal beams and windows that let in natural light. A wooden chair is partially visible in the bottom-left corner. The man in the image is smiling broadly and looking directly at the camera. He has a shaved head and a faint goatee or beard stubble. His chest and stomach are bare, and he has a significant amount of hair on his torso, arms, and legs. He has a slender build with visible muscle definition, particularly in his torso.
He is wearing a pair of black shorts with a white stripe. On his feet, he is wearing tan-colored work boots with dark laces, and he has on black socks with a red top.
Migrants on the Ludhiana-Delhi Highway (NH-44) near Ludhiana, Punjab, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
The migrants were told that they would be allowed to go back to their homes in special trains under the safety of social distancing. But a sudden and complete impoverishment, and fear and panic - driven by rumours, allegedly - meant that many believed that they would not get their turn on a train, or chose not to wait. On the highway, many desperately hoped to find some kind of transportation that would save them the agony of walking hundreds of miles to their homes.
Flint Castle (Welsh: Castell y Fflint) in Flint, Flintshire, was the first of a series of castles built during King Edward I's campaign to conquer Wales.
The site was chosen for its strategic position in North East Wales. The castle was only one day's march from Chester, supplies could be brought along the River Dee and there was a ford nearby across to England that could be used at low tide.
Building work began in 1277 initially under Richard L'engenour, who would later become Mayor of Chester in 1304. The castle and its earthworks were built by 18,000 labourers and masons using local Millstone Grit ashlar and sandstone. Savoyard master mason James of Saint George was assigned "ad ordiandum opera castorum ibidem" (to undertake the works of the same castle works (referring to all Welsh castle building projects) in April 1278. November 1280 saw him beginning directly overseeing construction at Flint for Edward I as the initially very slow construction pace was accelerated. He remained at the castle for 17 months. James of Saint George then moved onto Rhuddlan to oversee its completion.
When work ceased in 1277, Flint Castle had an inner ward and an outer bailey. They were separated by a tidal moat and were connected with gatehouse and drawbridge. A plantation town was also laid out beyond the outer bailey. The inner ward had three large towers and a detached keep. This isolated tower protected the inner gatehouse and outer bailey. In total expenditure, Edward I spent £6068.7.5d. creating the fortress and the town (£5.7 million in 2008).
Flint, on the western shore of the River Dee estuary, could be supplied by river or sea. Its harbour was protected by a defensive wall. The castle lies opposite to the English shore and Shotwick Castle in England. Before the course was changed in the 18th century, passage across the estuary at this point could be made directly by boat at high tide or by fording at low tide.
The castle is based on Savoyard models where one of the corner towers is enlarged and isolated. This independent structure served as both corner tower and keep or donjon, like at Dourdan, France. Flint's keep has been compared to the donjon at Aigues-Mortes, France. Edward I may have been familiar with Aigues-Mortes having passed through the fortress on the way to join the Eighth Crusade in 1270. An alternative possibility is the influence of Jean Mésot on James of Saint George, Mésot having worked in Southern France before influencing Saint George in Savoy. The castle at Flint has also been described as a "classic Carrė Savoyard" as it is very similar to Yverdon Castle. Its ground dimensions are a third bigger but it shares the classic shape and style, along with the use of a corner tower as keep (donjon). Most historians attribute this to input from Edward's premier architect and castle builder James of Saint George Although construction began in 1277 and James of Saint George didn't begin work at Flint until 1280, he was in England from 1278 and was described as "ad ordinandum opera castorum ibidem", that is, charged with the design of the works at Flint.
The keep is an impressive structure. Its stone walls are 7 metres (23 ft) thick at the base and 5 metres (16 ft) above. Access was gained by crossing a drawbridge into a central entrance chamber on the first floor. Originally there would have been at least one additional storey. These floors had small rooms built into the thick walls. A timber gallery was built on top of the keep for the visit of Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1301. On the ground floor is a vaulted passage that runs all the way around the inside of the keep.
Flint's design was not repeated in any other castle built by Edward I in North Wales. The layout at Flint remains unique within the British Isles.
Flint was the first castle of what would later become known as Edward I's "Iron Ring". A chain of fortresses designed to encircle North Wales and oppress the Welsh. Its construction began almost immediately after Edward I began the First Welsh War in 1277.
Five years later Welsh forces under the command of Dafydd ap Gruffydd, brother of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, besieged the castle in an attempted uprising against the English Crown. In 1294 Flint was attacked again during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn; this time the constable of the castle was forced to set fire to the fortress to prevent its capture by the Welsh. The castle was later repaired and partly rebuilt.
With the conclusion to the Welsh Wars, English settlers and merchants were given property titles in the new town that was laid out in front of the castle. The plantation borough was protected by a defensive ditch with a wooden palisade on earth banking. Its outline remains visible in streets patterns.
In 1399 Richard II of England was held by Henry Bolingbroke at Flint before being returned to London.
During the English Civil War, Flint Castle was held by the Royalists. It was finally captured by the Parliamentarians in 1647 after a three-month siege. To prevent its reuse in the conflict, the castle was then slighted in accordance with Cromwell's destruction order. The ruins are what remain today.
By the 19th century part of the site's outer bailey was used as Flintshire's County Jail. A quarry operated nearby.
Flint (Welsh: Y Fflint) is a town and community in Flintshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Dee. It is the former county town of Flintshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the community of Flint was 12,804, increasing to 12,953 at the 2011 census. The urban area including Holywell and Bagillt had a population of 26,442.
Flint is located in north-east Wales, adjoining the estuary of the River Dee, to the north of the town of Mold. Across the estuary, the Wirral can be seen from Flint and views to the south of the town include Halkyn Mountain. As the crow flies, Flint is located less than 12 miles from the English urban area of Liverpool, and even closer to its metro area. However, the two estuaries in between make the distance travelling on land almost twice as long.
The name refers to the stony platform on which the castle was built, and was first recorded in 1277 in the French form le Chaylou (cf modern French caillou, "gravel").
Edward I began to build Flint Castle in 1277, during his campaign to conquer Wales. Both castle and town were attacked by the forces of Madog ap Llywelyn during the revolt of 1294–95; the defenders of the town burnt it in order to deny its use to the Welsh.
Richard II was handed over to his enemy Henry Bolingbroke in the castle in 1399. As a consequence, it is the setting for Act III, Scene III of the Shakespeare play Richard II. The castle was the first of Edward I's 'iron ring' of royal castles to be built in Wales, and the design served as the basis for larger castles such as Harlech Castle and Rhuddlan Castle. Owain Glyndŵr unsuccessfully assaulted it at the commencement of his revolt in 1400.
The town did not have a wall, but a protective earthen and wooden palisaded ditch. The outline of this remained visible in the pattern of streets until the mid-1960s, and the medieval boundary can still be traced now. This can be seen in John Speed's map of Flintshire.
Flint Town Hall, the home of Flint Town Council, was erected in 1840.
In 1969 Flint hosted the National Eisteddfod, and so the town has a circle of Gorsedd stones in the field adjacent to Gwynedd County Primary School. In July 2006 the stones were centre stage in the National Eisteddfod Proclamation Ceremony which formally announced Mold as the 2007 host town of the event. The Urdd National Eisteddfod was held in Flint in 2016.
Flint Town Council consists of 15 councillors who are elected from four wards; 2 from Oakenholt, 3 from Castle and 5 each from Coleshill and Trelawny wards. For elections to Flintshire County Council, three councillors are elected from Flint: Coleshill and Trelawny, and one each from Flint: Castle and Flint: Oakenholt. Flint is part of the Alyn and Deeside constituency and North Wales region for the Senedd, and of the Alyn and Deeside constituency for parliament.
In 2001 only 18% of the local population identified as Welsh, although this census controversially had no "Welsh" tick box.
In the census of 2011, 57.1% stated they had Welsh, or Welsh and other combined, identity. Many people in Flint have some knowledge of the Welsh language, although competence varies. Implementation of the European Union's freedom of movement provisions has led to a noticeable increase in the numbers of Polish-language speakers in Flint. Several retail businesses display information in Polish as well as in English and Welsh and the town has a number of Polskie sklepy (Polish shops) specialising in Polish products.
The Flint accent is frequently misidentified with that of Liverpool, although it has arisen in fact as a unique blending of the speech patterns of the area's Welsh speakers, earlier Irish settlers, and the residents of nearby Cheshire, Wirral, and the wider Merseyside region.
There are several songs associated with Flint. The most widely sung is "The Yard". Another popular song is "Fifty German bombers over Flint", which tells the story of a wartime bombing raid over nearby Liverpool that accidentally targeted the town of Flint instead. Verses describe the arrival of the bombers over Flint, and how they were shot down by the "Bagillt Navy". Eventually, the ill-fated German aircrew were fished out by the "Greenfield Fishers". The song is often sung in a drunken, friendly manner to the accompaniment of much hand clapping and revelry.
Flint railway station lies on the North Wales Coast Line and is served by Transport for Wales services from Manchester Piccadilly to Llandudno. A north-south service between Cardiff and Holyhead also calls, as do some Avanti West Coast services between London Euston and Holyhead. Bus services are operated by Arriva Buses Wales.
The town has three high schools: St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School, Flint High School and Ysgol Maes Hyfryd. Primary schools in Flint include the Gwynedd School, Cornist Park School, Ysgol Croes Atti (Welsh medium), St Mary's Catholic Primary School and Ysgol Pen Coch.
Flint once had its own low-powered television relay transmitter, designed to provide improved coverage of Welsh channels in an area that would otherwise receive only English television signals. Since 2009, signals have been transmitted digitally from Storeton transmitting station on the Wirral.
Perhaps one of the town's most striking images, in addition to the castle, is the group of three tower blocks of flats near the town centre. The first two blocks were built in the 1960s and named Bolingbroke Heights and Richard Heights, with a third, Castle Heights, added shortly afterwards.
Flint's football team is Flint Town United. They play in the Cymru North, the second division of Welsh football following relegation from the top tier. Nicknamed "the Silkmen", they play their home games at Cae-y-Castell.
Brian Fell's sculpture footplate can be seen at Flint railway station. Initially it was thought to be an imitation of the famous Monty Python foot drawn by Terry Gilliam.
The town has a library which was extensively refurbished in 2020, and a leisure centre named the Jade Jones Pavilion to honour the town's Olympian. As of February 2023 Flint Retail Park was undergoing expansion, The town centre has been the subject of a regeneration scheme which began in 2012.
A lifeboat station was established in Flint in 1966, operated by the RNLI.
Notable people
Paul Draper (born 1970), songwriter and musician, went to school in Flint.
Ian Puleston-Davies (born 1958), actor and writer, plays Owen Armstrong in Coronation Street.
Julie Roberts (born 1963) painter who works in acrylics, oils and watercolours.
Sport
Enoch Bagshaw (1884–1930), an American football player and coach.
Ron Hewitt (1928–2001), footballer with over 500 club caps and 5 for Wales.
Allan Jones (1940–1993), footballer with 249 caps with Brentford F.C.
Brian Godfrey (1940–2010), footballer with over 590 club caps and 3 for Wales.
Andy Holden (born 1963), footballer with over 170 club caps, nephew of Ron Hewitt
Jade Jones (born 1993), 2012 and 2016 Olympic taekwondo gold medalist, attended Flint High School.
Ian Rush (born 1961), footballer with 602 club caps and 73 for Wales, went to school in Flint; some family live in the area.
Dylan Levitt (born 2000) footballer who came through Manchester United F.C. Academy, but now plays for Scottish Premiership football club Hibernian F.C.
Flintshire (Welsh: Sir y Fflint) is a county in the north-east of Wales. It has a maritime border with Merseyside along the Dee Estuary to the north, and land borders with Cheshire to the east, Wrexham County Borough to the south, and Denbighshire to the west. Connah's Quay is the largest town, while Flintshire County Council is based in Mold.
The county covers 169 square miles (440 km2), with a population of 155,000 in 2021. After Connah's Quay (16,771) the largest settlements are Flint (13,736), Buckley (16,127) and Mold (10,123). The east of the county is industrialised and contains the Deeside conurbation, which extends into Cheshire and has a population of 53,568. The adjacent coast is also home to industry, but further west has been developed for tourism, particularly at Talacre. Inland, the west of the county is sparsely populated and characterised by gentle hills, including part of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB.
The county is named after the historic county of the same name, which was established by the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284 and has notably different borders. The county is considered part of the Welsh Marches and formed part of the historic Earldom of Chester and Flint.
Flintshire takes its name from the historic county of Flintshire, which also formed an administrative county between 1889 until 1974 when it was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972. The re-establishment of a principal area in 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 does not share the same boundaries and covers a smaller area.
At the time of the Roman invasion, the area of present-day Flintshire was inhabited by the Deceangli, one of the Celtic tribes in ancient Britain, with the Cornovii to the east and the Ordovices to the west. Lead and silver mine workings are evident in the area, with several sows of lead found bearing the name 'DECEANGI' inscribed in Roman epigraphy. The Deceangli appear to have surrendered to Roman rule with little resistance. Following Roman Britain, and the emergence of various petty kingdoms, the region had been divided into the Hundred of Englefield (Welsh: Cantref Tegeingl), derived from the Latin Deceangli.
It became part of the Kingdom of Mercia by the 8th century AD, with much of the western boundary reinforced under Offa of Mercia after 752, but there is evidence that Offa's Dyke is probably a much earlier construction. By the time of the Norman conquest in 1066 it was under the control of Edwin of Tegeingl, from whose Lordship the Flintshire coat of arms is derived.
Edwin's mother is believed to have been Ethelfleda or Aldgyth, daughter of Eadwine of Mercia. At the time of the establishment of the Earldom of Chester, which succeeded the Earl of Mercia, the region formed two of the then twelve Hundreds of Cheshire of which it remained a part for several hundred years.
Flintshire today approximately resembles the boundaries of the Hundred of Atiscross as it existed at the time of the Domesday Book. Atiscross, along with the Hundred of Exestan, was transferred from the Earldom of Chester to the expanding Kingdom of Gwynedd from the west in the 13th century following numerous military campaigns. This region, as well as an exclave formed from part of the Hundred of Dudestan (known as Maelor Saesneg), later formed the main areas of Flintshire, established by the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284 under Edward I. It was administered with the Palatinate of Chester and Flint by the Justiciar of Chester. The county was consolidated in 1536 by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 under the Tudor King Henry VIII, when it was incorporated into the Kingdom of England; it included the detached exclave of Welsh Maelor.
Flintshire as a separate local authority remained in existence until 1974 when it was merged with those of Denbighshire and Edeyrnion Rural District to form the administrative county of Clwyd. Clwyd was abolished 22 years later and Flintshire reorganised in its present form in 1996. However, some parts of the historic country are not included within the present administrative boundaries: significantly English Maelor was incorporated into Wrexham County Borough, and St Asaph, Prestatyn and Rhyl into Denbighshire.
The current administrative area of Flintshire (a unitary authority and Principal area) came into existence in 1996, when the former administrative counties in Wales were split into smaller areas. The principal area was formed by the merger of the Alyn and Deeside and Delyn districts. In terms of pre-1974 divisions, the area comprises:
the former borough of Flint
the urban districts of Buckley, Connah's Quay, Holywell, Mold
the rural district of Holywell Rural District
all of Hawarden Rural District except the parish of Marford and Hosley
The district of Rhuddlan, which was also formed entirely from the administrative county of Flintshire was included in the new Denbighshire instead. Other parts of the pre-1974 administrative Flintshire to be excluded from the principal area are the Maelor Rural District and the parish of Marford and Hoseley, which became part of the Wrexham Maelor district in 1974 and are now part of Wrexham County Borough.
Flintshire is a maritime county bounded to the north by the Dee estuary, to the east by Cheshire, to the west by Denbighshire and to the south by Wrexham County Borough. The coast along the Dee estuary is heavily developed by industry and the north coast much developed for tourism. The Clwydian Range occupies much of the west of the county. The highest point is Moel Famau (1,820 feet/554 metres). Notable towns include Buckley, Connah's Quay, Flint, Hawarden, Holywell, Mold, Queensferry, and Shotton. The main rivers are the Dee (the estuary of which forms much of the coast), and the River Alyn.
Located on the North Wales Coast Line (Holyhead to Chester) with services run by Avanti West Coast and Transport for Wales specifically calling at Flintshire stations such as Flint and Shotton with an interchange at Shotton with the Borderlands Line, which links it and other Flintshire stations with the Liverpool area and Wrexham.
Parts of Flintshire have major manufacturing industries. Amongst these are an advanced Toyota plant that manufactures engines, Eren Paper,[6] and Airbus UK, making the wings for the A320, A330 and A350 aircraft at Broughton.
There are daily flights of the Airbus BelugaXL transport aircraft of Airbus wings from Broughton.
Flintshire is also known for its internet companies, the largest and most well known being Moneysupermarket.com based in Ewloe.
Flintshire included much of the North Wales Coalfield, with the last colliery at Point of Ayr closing in 1996.
Flintshire is home to Shotwick Solar Park, currently the largest photovoltaic solar array in the UK. It was built in 2016 and covers 250 acres of the south western edge of the Wirral Peninsula near the village of Shotwick. It has a maximum generating capacity of 72.2 MW and is connected directly to the largest paper-mill in the UK, UPM Shotton Paper.
Flintshire was home to a thriving steel industry with many of the local communities and homes being built around this sector. Steelmaking came to an end in 1980 with the loss of 6500 on one day. The Shotton Steelworks site, now owned by Tata Steel, continues to produce coated steel products, mainly for the construction industry.
On 19 November 2004, Flintshire was granted Fairtrade County status.
Flintshire County Council is the Local Education Authority of Flintshire. It runs 72 primary schools, 2 special schools and 11 secondary schools. Six of the primary schools and one comprehensive are Welsh medium schools.
Four of the secondary schools have come together with Coleg Cambria to form the Deeside Consortium.
In December 2022, the Climate Change Committee met and Buckley Bistre West councillor Carolyn Preece recommended weekly vegan school meals in the local schools to combat climate change.
Flintshire's local newspapers include two daily titles, North Wales Daily Post and The Leader.
There are two radio stations broadcast in the area – Communicorp station Heart North and Mid Wales and Global Radio station Capital North West and Wales broadcast from the studios based in Wrexham. Whilst BBC Cymru Wales runs a studio and newsroom for their radio, television and online services located at Glyndŵr University but does not base their broadcasting there.
An online news website covering the Flintshire area, Deeside.com, operates from Deeside.
Flintshire has been traditionally a Labour Party stronghold, but in the 2019 general election, the Welsh Conservatives won the Delyn constituency.
The Alyn and Deeside constituency is a historically and still is a Welsh Labour Party constituency, which is represented by Mark Tami.
Notable people
Gareth Allen (born 1988 in Mynydd Isa, near Buckley), former professional snooker player.
Saint Asaph, 6th century Christian saint, the first Bishop of St Asaph
Claire Fox (born 1960), writer, journalist, lecturer and politician; grew up in Buckley
William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898), 12 years as Prime Minister; retired to Hawarden Castle.
Jade Jones (born 1993 Bodelwyddan), taekwondo athlete; 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medallist
Michael Owen (born 1979), footballer with 362 club caps and 89 for England went to school in Hawarden
Ian Rush (born 1961 in St Asaph), footballer with 602 club caps and 73 for Wales
Gary Speed (1969 in Mancot – 2011), footballer and manager with 677 club caps and 85 for Wales
Frances Williams (c. 1760–1801), first Welsh woman to settle in Australia
Flintshire has one formal twinning arrangement with:
Germany Menden, Germany
I visited Hamburg's Speicherstadt twice during my trip to Hamburg. The first visit was under a dark overcast sky. The damp weather adds quite a bit of melancholic and sinister feelings to the area! Unfortunately I didn’t record the exact location of this place.
Thanks to my friend Michael, this is most likely the inner courtyard of a historic building called Sandthorquai-hof, at Pickhuben 2.
xxxxxx
One of Hamburg's famous attractions is its historic warehouse district known as "Speicherstadt" (literally: warehouse city). It is the largest warehouse district in the world where the red-brick warehouses were built on on oak-log pile foundations next to the Hamburg harbour and canals between 1883 and 1927. The district was created as a free-trade zone to transfer goods without paying customs. After the 1960s, vast technological changes in shipping and logistics diminished the area's importance in trade. From the 1980s onward, the old warehouses were converted into offices for media companies, advertising agencies, art studios, museums and galleries, restaurants and cafés, and a few retail shops. Speicherstadt is entirely surrounded by water, crisscrossed by canals and connected by numerous bridges. It is a confusing but interesting area to explore. (With some information from Wikipedia.)
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Format: Photograph
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From the collection of the State Library of New South Wales www.sl.nsw.gov.au
1st May -the day of labourers....!!
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Name: Callum Hunt
Age: 14
Hair: Black
Eye Colour: Blueish Grey
Attributes/abilities: Martial arts expert, Flexibility, Peak endurance and physical stature
Callum Hunt was a child who grew up without any parents in a foster house looked after by the corrupt men that ran the place. They were child labourers that made the children within the house work for their meals and if they were unable to meet the standards of the days work and seldom did any of them they were punished and given no meal or food at all. Callum instead of sleeping trained himself to stay in peak physical condition while he was in the house so one day he could escape. Callum tried several times to escape but each ended in failure. He was punished severely for this by being whipped and locked in a small room were the rats lived. These punishments were inflected by the man who ran his wing of the operation; Callum had not known his real name but referred to him as Brute. He was about to give up hope on escape when in his eyes a dark angel saved him when he had turned seven. The Batman had stormed the labourers’ house and took down the head. In the assuming chaos Callum escaped but promised he would return to stop the rest of the organisation and Brute who had seemed to escape the Batman’s wrath.
Callum decided to seek refuge elsewhere from Gotham and hone his skills in the category of martial arts to give balance to his reckless fighting style. He boarded a ship to Japan with the help of some smugglers and went to go find a teacher that could help him in his quest. This is where he met Shen who found him hungry and covered in filth, roaming the streets without hope after being rejected time and time again by each person he looked up to train him. Shen took the child in and trained him in the arts of all the weapons, weapons that could be an extension of his self. As well as all types of fighting styles that would bring honour to the boy. When he had turned thirteen Shen told him that he had learnt all that he could teach and said it was time for his final test. The final test turned out to be a battle between him and his master. Callum lost the battle in the end and thought he had failed. Shen said that he had succeeded in the test despite the outcome, explaining that he may of lost the battle but he had shown all the true value of the ninja and showed he was worthy of the title Shen was about to bestow upon him. Shen sat him down and told him the tale of the ninja of ancient times and revealing that he was among the last of who remained through his line of blood and he had no sons or daughters to carry on his legacy. He then told Callum that he was trusted to continue the line despite his birth and race. Shen then bought him a ticket back to Gotham and said that he would bring the values he had taught him back to Gotham. But he had warned, that Callum was still inexperienced in the people in the corrupt city and still had much to learn despite what had transpired while he was in Japan and would need another teacher to help him become the person he new he could be.
When he returned to Gotham he found out as much as he could about the watcher of the city trough the internet in the public library and discovered that Batman had previously worked with people his own age and that he was without a partner at present time. He then fashioned himself a suit similar to that of the previous robins and went to find the Dark Knight to show him his skill. He followed a police report to an attempt a Gotham second national bank where a couple of thugs were attempting to rob it. The self proclaimed Robin attempted to stop the robbery before the Bat arrived and went to attack the men he found with his new fighting skills to take them down. He was on the winning side until one guy got up behind him gun loaded and ready to kill him amused by the child’s fight, but still told him that he was going to kill him anyway. This is where Batman showed up and took down the man in the ski mask before he could unload the weapon into the teenager. After Batman had stopped the villain he turned to see Callum. He asked who he was and Callum explained and said he needed to be his Robin to help bring balance to the city. Batman refused and left.
Callum tried several times after to help the vigilante and become his partner, each time was met with a refusal. This continued until Batman showed up at the small flat Callum had been able to afford with the money Shen had left him. Though he would soon have to leave because he was running out of cash. Batman allowed him to follow him on a patrol through the city to see if Callum was well equipped and good enough to match up to the previous Robins before him. Callum matched up to his expectations and when Dawn began to approach Batman looked at the teenager and told him to get in the car. Callum went in with extreme joy and asked if this meant he was going to be Robin. Batman didn’t reply and kept driving. It looked as if the crime fighter was about to drive straight into the cliff wall that lay before him and looked at the man with worried eyes. Batman then pressed a button on the wheel of the Batmobile and the cliff opened up enveloping them into darkness and depositing them into a cave full of high-tech gadgets and machinery. Batman then told him he was going to need a new suit and would need to get cleaned up, pulling of his mask and walking up to the huge computer at the top of the cave. Callum was shocked to see Bruce Wayne behind the cowl and asked again if this meant he was Robin. An old man came up behind him and asked if he really needed an answer after this and went to Batman’s side. “Are you sure this is a good idea to bring a street urchin into the batcave, what if he has a rather large mouth on him?” the butler asked. “Jason lived on the streets, he kept the secret well” Bruce replied. “And remember what happened to him?” the man said in a British accent to Bruce. Bruce remained quiet for a few moments before replying. “Jason was different, more reckless and angry, Callum showed more clarity and control while fighting” he responded. “How do you know my name and am I going to be Robin or not?” Callum blurted out, and then shrinking back wishing he had kept silent. Again the man waited before speaking, as if he was having doubts on bringing him into the batcave. “I know your name because I’ve been watching you for a few weeks now and have seen how you act, you should stop talking to yourself, it’s a bad habit. And yes you’re going to be Robin despite Alfred’s protests.” Bruce said keeping his eyes glued to the computer screen. “Very well sir, please Master Callum let me show you to your room. I suggest you get yourself cleaned up, fresh clothes will be laid out on your bed, some old ones of Master Timothy’s should fit. Breakfast is in one hour, though I’m afraid Master Bruce may not show up due to his other duties, now come along” Alfred said somehow without taking a breath rushing the boy out of the cave and up a stairway. From then on a new Robin emerged ready to take on those who worshipped crime and with a personal vendetta against the child labourers and the man he had dubbed Brute.
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Callum has a very serious personality and usually uses dark humour and taunts when fighting crime. When he tries to smile, if he does at all, it comes across pained and seems fake and the look in his eyes shows that he has been hurt in a strange way. He tries to stray away from his darker side and let go of his traumatic past to become a better person, but he knows he won't be able to do so alone, that is part of the reason Bruce decided to take him in.
My costume for Robin is a mix of all three previous Robins with my own touches here and there.
Callum is a master of many forms of Japanese style martial arts, bojitsu, jujitsu, judo, karate, nijitsu as well as a mastery in nun chucks and is given a cape which weight is adjusted to use to hide in the shadows and move freely through the rooftops of Gotham as well as allowing him to glide through the use of an electric current that charges the density of the fabric to allow him to do so, many gadgets and equipment e.g. smoke pellets, birdarangs, infra-red vision built into the domino mask, a con-link located in his ear directed to Bruce's cowl and police reports, grappling hook and launcher, computer hacking gauntlets that can connect to machinery and the internet via a wireless signal, a code cracker and a line connected through the gauntlet that launches a tazer line
My Robin varies from the other three with a different origin as he is grown up as a slave and went to train himself for revenge, where Dicks parents were murdered in front of him, Jason grew up on the streets with his 'father' and Tim had his farther around who changed his ways to be a better father to him and discovered Batman and Robins identities. While Dick was the more agile and carefree Robin, Jason was an arrogant self absorbed one and Tim was more intelligent, Callum is the more tactical and reasoning.
I hope you like it anyway. Dawing is made with the help of Phil-Cho from Devianart C & C welcome.
French postcard by Cinémagazine-Edition, no. 633. Photo: MGM. Joan Crawford in Our Modern Maidens (Jack Conway, 1929).
American film star Joan Crawford (1904-1977) had a career that would span many decades, studios, and controversies. In her silent films, she made an impact as a vivacious Jazz Age flapper and later she matured into a star of psychological melodramas.
Joan Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur in 1904, in San Antonio, Texas. Her parents were Anna Belle (Johnson) and Thomas E. LeSueur, a laundry labourer. By the time she was born, her parents had separated. The young Lucille was bullied and shunned at Scaritt Elementary School in Kansas City by the other students due to her poor home life. She worked with her mother in a laundry and felt that her classmates could smell the chemicals and cleaners on her. She said that her love of taking showers and being obsessed with cleanliness had begun early in life as an attempt to wash off the smell of the laundry. Her stepfather Henry Cassin allegedly began sexually abusing her when she was eleven years old, and the abuse continued until she was sent to St. Agnes Academy, a Catholic girls' school. By the time she was a teenager, she'd had three stepfathers. Lucille LeSueur worked a variety of menial jobs. She was a good dancer, though, and she entered several contests, one of which landed her a spot in a chorus line. Before long, she was dancing in the choruses of travelling revues in big Midwestern and East Coast cities. She was spotted dancing in Detroit by famous New York producer Jacob J. Shubert. Shubert put her in the chorus line for his show 'Innocent Eyes'(1924) at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway. Then followed another Schubert production, 'The Passing Show of 1924'. After hours, she danced for pay in the town it-spot, Club Richman, which was run by the 'Passing Show' stage manager Nils Granlund and popular local personality Harry Richman. In December 1924, Granlund called Lucille to tell her that Al Altman, a NYC-based talent scout from MGM had caught her in 'The Passing Show of 1924' and wanted her to do a screen test. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) offered Crawford a contract at $75 a week. On New Year's Day 1925 she boarded the train for Culver City. Credited as Lucille LeSueur, her first film part was as a showgirl in Lady of the Night (Monta Bell, 1925), starring MGM's most popular female star, Norma Shearer. Crawford was determined to succeed, and shortly after she also appeared in The Circle (Frank Borzage, 1925) and Pretty Ladies (Monta Bell, 1925), starring comedian ZaSu Pitts. She also appeared in a small role in Erich von Stroheim's classic The Merry Widow (1925) with Mae Murray and John Gilbert. MGM publicity head Pete Smith recognised her ability to become a major star but felt her name sounded fake. He told studio head, Louis B. Mayer, that her last name, LeSueur, reminded him of a sewer. Smith organised a contest called 'Name the Star' in Movie Weekly to allow readers to select her new stage name. The initial choice was 'Joan Arden', but after another actress was found to have a prior claim to that name, the alternate surname 'Crawford' became the choice. She first made an impression on audiences in Edmund Goulding's showgirl tale Sally, Irene, and Mary (1925). The film, which co-starred Constance Bennett and Sally O'Neil, was a hit. Joan's popularity grew so quickly afterwards that two films in which she was still billed as Lucille Le Sueur: Old Clothes (Edward F. Cline, 1925) with Jackie Coogan, and The Only Thing (Jack Conway, 1925) were recalled, and her name on the billings was changed to Joan Crawford. In 1926, Crawford was named one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars, and she starred opposite Charles Ray in Paris (Edmund Goulding, 1926). Within a few years, she became the romantic female lead to many of MGM's top male stars, including Ramón Novarro, John Gilbert, and action star Tim McCoy. She appeared alongside her close friend, William Haines in the comedy Spring Fever (Edward Sedgwick, 1927). It was the second film starring Haines and Crawford (the first had been Sally, Irene, and Mary (1925), and their first onscreen romantic teaming. Then, Crawford appeared in the silent horror film The Unknown (Tod Browning, 1927), starring Lon Chaney, Sr., who played Alonzo the Armless, a circus freak who uses his feet to toss knives. Crawford played his skimpily-clad young carnival assistant whom he hopes to marry. She stated that she learned more about acting from watching Chaney work than from anyone else in her career. Her role as Diana Medford in Our Dancing Daughters (Harry Beaumont, 1928) elevated her to star status. Joan co-starred with Anita Page and Dorothy Sebastian, and her spunky wild-but-moral flapper character struck a chord with the public and zeitgeist. Wikipedia: "The role established her as a symbol of modern 1920s-style femininity which rivaled Clara Bow, the original It girl, then Hollywood's foremost flapper. A stream of hits followed Our Dancing Daughters, including two more flapper-themed movies, in which Crawford embodied for her legion of fans (many of whom were women) an idealized vision of the free-spirited, all-American girl." The fan mail began pouring in and from that point on Joan was a bonafide star. Crawford had cleared the first big hurdle; now came the second, in the form of talkies. But Crawford wasn't felled by sound. Her first talkie, the romantic drama Untamed (Jack Conway, 1929) with Robert Montgomery, was a success. Michael Eliott at IMDb: "It's rather amazing to see how well she transformed into a sound star and you have to think that she was among the best to do so."
In the early 1930s, tired of playing fun-loving flappers, Joan Crawford wanted to change her image. Thin lips would not do for her; she wanted big lips. Ignoring her natural lip contours, Max Factor ran a smear of colour across her upper and lower lips. It was just what she wanted. To Max, the Crawford look, which became her trademark, was always 'the smear'. As the 1930s progressed, Joan Crawford became one of the biggest stars at MGM. She developed a glamorous screen image, appearing often as a sumptuously gowned, fur-draped, successful career woman. She was in top form in films such as Grand Hotel (Edmund Goulding, 1932), Sadie McKee (Clarence Brown, 1934), No More Ladies (Edward H. Griffith, 1935), and Love on the Run (W.S. Van Dyke, 1936) with Clark Gable. Crawford often played hard-working young women who found romance and success. Movie patrons were enthralled, and studio executives were satisfied. Her fame rivalled, and later outlasted, that of MGM colleagues Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo. Among her early successes as a dramatic actress were The Women (George Cukor, 1939), Susan and God (1940), Strange Cargo (1940), and A Woman’s Face (1941). By the early 1940s, MGM was no longer giving Joan Crawford plum roles. Newcomers had arrived in Hollywood, and the public wanted to see them. Crawford left MGM for rival Warner Bros. In 1945 she landed the role of a lifetime in Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945). It is the story of an emotional and ambitious woman who rises from waitress to owner of a restaurant chain. The role gave her an opportunity to show her range as an actress, and her performance as a woman driven to give her daughter (Ann Blyth) everything garnered Crawford her first, and only, Oscar for Best Actress. The following year she appeared with John Garfield in the well-received Humoresque (Jean Negulesco, 1946). In 1947, she appeared as Louise Graham in Possessed (Curtis Bernhardt, 1947) with Van Heflin. Again she was nominated for the Best Actress award from the Academy, but she lost to Loretta Young in The Farmer's Daughter (H.C. Potter, 1947). Crawford continued to choose her roles carefully, and in 1952 she was nominated for a third time, for her depiction of Myra Hudson in Sudden Fear (David Miller, 1952) opposite Jack Palance and Gloria Grahame. This time the coveted Oscar went to Shirley Booth, for Come Back, Little Sheba (Daniel Mann, 1952). In 1955, Crawford became involved with the Pepsi-Cola Company through her marriage to company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alfred Steele. Crawford married four times. Her first three marriages to the actors Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (1929–1933), Franchot Tone (1935–1939), and Phillip Terry (1942–1946) all had ended in divorce. After his death in 1959 she became a director of the company and in that role hired her friend Dorothy Arzner to film several Pepsi commercials. Crawford's film career slowed and she appeared in minor roles until 1962. Then she and Bette Davis co-starred in Whatever happened to Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich, 1962). Their longstanding rivalry may have helped fuel their phenomenally vitriolic and well-received performances. Crawford's final appearance on the silver screen was in the bad monster movie Trog (Freddie Francis, 1970). It is said Bette Davis commented that if she had found herself starring in Trog, she'd commit suicide. Anyway, Joan Crawford retired from the screen, and following a public appearance in 1974 withdrew from public life. Turning to vodka more and more, she became increasingly reclusive. In 1977, Joan Crawford died of a heart attack in New York City. She was 72 years old. She had disinherited her adopted daughter Christina and son Christopher; the former wrote the controversial memoir 'Mommie Dearest' (1978). In 1981, Faye Dunaway starred in the film adaptation Mommie Dearest (Frank Perry, 1981) which did well at the box office. Joan Crawford is interred in a mausoleum in Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.
Sources: Stephanie Jones (The Best of Everything), Michael Elliott (IMDb), Encyclopaedia Britannica, Wikipedia, and IMDb.
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These unskilled labourer's comprises the base upon whom the infrastructure of a city is built . Without them i don't think the dream of an emerging nation can be achieved in any direction .
Like many countreis of the world May 1st in India is celebrated as International Workers' Day/ Labour Day . Hence, May 1 is a national public holiday in more than 80 countries including India .
© Manish Chaliha