Ryde Social Heritage Group research the social history of the citizens of Ryde, Isle of Wight. Documenting their lives, businesses and burial transcriptions.
RYDE SOCIAL HERITAGE GROUP
Based at Ryde Cemetery Heritage & Learning Centre. Preserving, documenting and promoting the social history of Ryde on the Isle of Wight.
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December 1971

Isle of Wight County Press:

Dec 4th 1971:  APPLICATION – The Traffic Commissioners heard at a sitting on Friday, an application by Mr. L. R. WATSON to operate a new group of excursion and tours starting from Ryde Esplanade, with a 1930 vintage 25-seater charabanc.  Mr. WATSON told the Commissioners he had always been interested in vintage vehicles.  The application was refused, but the chairman said that if Mr. WATSON could on some future occasion produce more evidence for his case, the commissioners would be prepared to consider it,

Dec 4th 1971:  RYDE CHURCH – A group known as the Friends of St. Thomas’s have been repairing and cleaning St. Thomas’s Church, Ryde, in an effort to save it from threatened demolition.

Dec 4th 1971:  FIREMEN’S CALL – Local fire crews received their 100th call of the year on Friday week, when they went to Stratford House, St. Thomas’s Street.  A room had filled with smoke, but the firemen discovered that it had leaked into an old chimney flue from a boiler flue in another room.

Dec 4th 1971:  CHILDREN’S SAFETY – Ryde and East Wight Trades Council decided at their monthly meeting to ask Ryde Town Council to consider making a footpath from Winston Avenue, Binstead, to the village school.  This, they considered would give the children a safer journey to school and save them using the main Ryde to Newport Road.

Dec 11th 1971:  ABORTIVE AIR-SEA OPERATION – A search which involved the Solent police launch, Ashburton, a rescue helicopter and the local lifeguards’ inshore rescue boat, Seaspray, as well as delaying a ferry, is now believed to have been due to the sighting of a porpoise, when passengers on the 10.40 a.m. British Rail ferry from Portsmouth on Monday, caught a glimpse of what they took to be a body in the water about a mile off the Pier.

Dec 18th 1971:  PRESENTATION – The first woman at Ryde Head Post Office to be trained in teleprinting, Miss Ruth SNOW, of Adelaide Place, Ryde, has retired after 42 years’ service.  To mark her retirement and long service, Miss SNOW, who was postal and telegraph officer at Ryde for 25 years, was given a farewell supper at the Osborne Oasis last week and presented with the Imperial Service Medal.

Dec 18th 1971:  ARCHERY – The club of Wight Bowmen staged a “clout shoot” at their Appley range on Sunday.  The shoot is named after the medieval cloth flag, or clout, which yeomen archers aimed at when practicing their drop shots.

Dec 18th 1971: RYDE HARRIERS – Graham DUGDALE, home from Oxford University made a new course record (25.37) at the monthly five miles road handicap on Tuesday week.  Conditions were far from ideal.  Keith PLUMBLEY, with 15 points, holds joint first place in the points position with G. WEST.

Dec 18th 1971:  ALMSHOUSES – A special meeting of the Housing Committee was held prior to the council meeting to consider the question of a tender and other matters relating to the Wilders Charity almshouses in Newport Street.  Eight of the houses are due to be demolished and the council intend to construct eight flats on the site.  Four almshouses are to be constructed for the Wilder Trust.  The difficulty has been in the temporary re-housing of nine elderly ladies’ resident in the almshouses.

Dec 25th 1971:  TEACHERS – Presentations were made at St. John’s Primary School, Ryde, on Tuesday to two teachers leaving at the end of the term.  Miss Janet REES is taking up an appointment as education lecturer at Loughborough College, Leicestershire, and Mr. W. N. WATKIN (headmaster) spoke of her tremendous work during her two-and-half years’ at the school. She had been one of the pioneers in the teaching of the initial teaching alphabet.  Also, one was given to Mrs. J. RACKLIFF, who is leaving the Island to take up an appointment in Hampshire.

Dec 25th 1971:  FINE PERFORMANCE – A very good programme by the Dunford Orchestra (leader, Flora MULLER; conductor, Charles SHAW) at Ryde Town Hall on Saturday was distinguished by a sparkling performance.  The orchestra here scaled down in numbers to keep the ensemble in balance, rose to the occasion and ably helped the soloists to give a performance that was incisive, lively and rich in style.