On This Day;

….a little late with this one but an interesting one;

130 years ago today 2nd May 1895 diving sensation Tommy Burns did one of his most daring dives, jumping from the roof of a moving train on the Liverpool Overhead Railway into Collingwood Dock.

Burns, who lived in Farnworth Street in Kensington, had previously dived from Runcorn, London, Tay and Forth Bridges. He did not have the backing of the railway and boarded the train with some friends at Water Street, taking a first-class carriage. It was a case of quickly stripping off, clambering onto the roof and doing his dive in a matter of seconds. He timed it just right, just missing a barge that was coming into the dock.

Two years later Burns died after a dive from Rhyl pier. The dive went well enough, but he drowned on the 800ft swim back to the shore. He was 29 years old and buried in West Derby Cemetery.

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On This Day In May 11th 1812: John Bellingham, A Liverpool Merchant Assassinated The British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval at the entrance to the House of Commons, apparently mistaken by his killer, bankrupt trader John Bellingham, for the Trade secretary. He is the only Prime Minister in Britain to have been murdered in-office.

Bellingham had blamed the government for not rescuing his business when a risky gamble in Russian goods collapsed.

He had waited in the lobby of the Palace of Westminster with two loaded pistols, pressed the muzzles against Perceval and fired, one of the weapons malfunctioned - even so, enough damage was done and the PM quickly died.

The killer was arrested, trialled, convicted and hanged at Newgate, all within seven days of the murder.

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Eggs said:
…but the semi-final victory was joyous.
Click to expand...
On that day I was at Eynesbury Rovers ground in St Neots, where my 12 year-old daughter was due to perform in a majorettes troupe at half time during a game against Walford Boys - EastEnders' charity team - including the likes of Nick Berry and Tom Watt (Wicksy and Lofty). There were a lot of Palace fans in the team (they played in red and blue stripes themselves) and the start of the match was delayed as they wouldn't get off the coach until after Palace had spanked the RS.

Back then I always used to follow EastEnders. I remember there was an actor who had only recently joined the cast, leaning on an advertising hoarding as he watched the game. He's still in the cast now: Steve McFadden, aka Phil Mitchell. At half time I went to the gents toilet but it was engaged. After a couple of minutes the door opened and out stepped Nick Berry, resplendent in red and blue stripes. "I'd give it a minute if I was you, mate," he says. "I'd give it a minute yourself," says I, "There's a bunch of young girls twirling batons about to march off the pitch!"

Can't remember who one the game but it was a memorable occasion. By the end of that year there would be another new character. Billie, later renamed Jasmine, was the baby of Disa, who gave birth on Christmas Day. One of the two babies (eventually the only one) who appeared as Billie/Jasmine was my sister's newborn baby girl.

Funny how these things turn out.
 
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