Sunday 9 September 2012

Communists' May Day Riots

Daily Mirror dated Thursday May 2nd 1929
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In the decade following World War I almost all of Europe was in financial difficulties and for those people hardest hit, the working class and even more so the unemployed, communism looked like a way out. The Russian people had thrown off the yoke of Tsarist oppression so why shouldn’t the French, the Germans or the Italians? The threat of a Communist Revolution was very real to the European governments and so any display of Communist sympathies was severely dealt with. 

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Guardsman George Sivwright turned up 2 weeks later at his mother’s house in Scotland. He had deserted from guard duty at Buckingham palace because he had been bullied by fellow guardsmen and had walked the 500 odd miles to Aberdeen. He got 112 days in the Glasshouse and a dishonourable discharge for desertion. (try saying that after a few drinks)

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In April 1928 Edward Duff died after a few day’s illness. 10 months later in February 1929 his sister-in-law Vera Sidney died, also after a few days’ illness. In March 1929 Vera’s mother died under the same circumstances.  The police became suspicious and all three bodies were exhumed and found to contain high levels of arsenic. The theory was that a family member had murdered them, but to cut a short story even shorter no one was ever arrested let alone brought to trial.

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Looks like the Mirror’s answer to the Sketch’s more famous ‘Pop’ cartoon (see post)

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In 1927 the London Power Company decided to build a large coal-fuelled power station on the south bank of the Thames at Battersea.

The proposal caused protests from people who felt that the building would be too large and an eyesore, as well as worries about the pollution damaging local buildings, parks and even, as it says in the article, paintings in the nearby Tate Gallery. The company hired architect and industrial designer Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, famous for designing the red telephone box and Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. He would go on to design Bankside, which now houses the Tate Modern art gallery. Battersea Power Station has become an iconic part of the London skyline and was featured along with a giant inflatable pig on the cover of Pink Floyd's ‘Animals’ album.

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If only someone would invent headphones or the Walkman or the iPod!

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Back in 1929 the ‘Talkies’ were the coming thing in cinema, but, just like the VHS vs Betamax problems of early videos, there were 2 major rival systems for putting sound onto films – the American Western-Electric system and the European Tobis-Klangfilm system. In 1930, the Tobis-Klangfilm Company made an agreement with Western Electric Company to retain exclusive rights of distribution of cinema equipment in most European countries. They were taken over by Siemens in 1941.

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Talking of Talkies, this was Mary Pickford's first after 244 'silents', but at 37 she was too old for the role she played in 'Coquette' and in fact made only 4 more films before retiring.

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The 2,000 Guineas Stakes, run at Newmarket since 1809, won in 1929 by Mr Jinks. The 2012 winner got £350,000 so isn’t it about time it got a name change? 

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“By Gad, Sir! So that’s what the memsahib gets up to while I’m polishing me swagger stick. Pass the Kiwi!”






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