The Blandford Express

Bere Regis coaches no longer ply their journeys along the highways and byways of Dorset but they are not forgotten. Thousands of now grown up ex-Dorset school kids remember them as this company took them regularly to and from school. Down some of the county’s lanes on such journeys, low hanging branches could be a particular hazard. Nicknamed the ‘ brown bombers’, because of their distinctive brown livery, others remember Bere Regis & District coaches for their remarkably low fares. Founded in 1929 and trading for over 60 years, the company was, at one time, one of the largest independent coach businesses in the country. In the 1960s, it had over 90 vehicles. Bere Regis & District’s business model enabled it to offer some fares at up to 50% below other companies. Many of the vehicles were second hand and therefore were beginning to come towards the end of their working lives. Engineering staff would take parts from one vehicle to ensure another remained roadworthy. It was s

Francis Fane was the silent but rather mischievous Dorset MP who loved a joke and can  also  be regarded as the founder of the village of Spetisbury. Francis Fane was born in the village in 1750 and served as the Member of Parliament for Dorchester from 1790-1807. In line with his taciturn reputation, there is only one record of him speaking in Parliament where he raised just a single question. One day Frances Fane was travelling up to London sitting comfortably inside a horse drawn mail coach when sitting above, in the open, was a barber from Dorchester. The latter’s heavily laden coat pocket hung temptingly over the MP’s open coach window. Francis could not resist slitting the inviting pocket and salvaging its contents which turned out to be a large bundle of bank notes. These had been entrusted to the barber to deliver safely to London. When the Dorchester hairdresser realised his loss he was in a state of apoplexy and extreme desperation. The mischievous MP then produced the bank

In January 1927, the Western Gazette reported the death of Charles Hunt the last surviving member of Blandford’s award winning town band. He was one of four Hunt family members in the band. In 1863, they had secured the prestigious National Brass Band Championship at the Crystal Palace against some of the country’s best bands. It was evident the Blandford Band was well placed because they had won a major contest in Exeter two years earlier. While in 1862, they had been placed fourth in the National Championship.  First prize in 1863 was £30 together with a fine cup worked in aluminium gold. There was also a contra-bass and ‘ various other apparatus’ which were presented to Blandford’s bandmaster. Bandmaster was owner of the Crown Hotel, Wimborne born Robert Eyers. He was a talented musician. In days gone-by he had driven a horse drawn coach between Wimborne and Blandford. Many a time the passengers took the reins so he could cheer them on their way with his bugle. He had many contact

  Otto Koehn was a Dorchester prisoner of war nicknamed ‘ Jack in a Box’ for his extraordinary exploit. He was a distinguished-looking young man with fair hair and a slight fair moustache. Just 22 years old, he wore a pince-nez. Travelling on a Dutch vessel from the USA to Germany, Otto had been arrested when it berthed at Falmouth. At the start of World War I, he was interned in the prisoner of war camp at Poundbury just outside Dorchester. This was a large camp with as many as 4,500 German and Austrian prisoners. No sooner had Otto arrived in Poundbury, he started to scheme his escape. The opportunity arose when he heard that a group of elderly interns were being sent back to Germany, for humanitarian reasons, as a part of a prisoner exchange agreement with the British. They would travel to Tilbury by train and join the steamer, SS Batavia. After arriving in Rotterdam, they could easily return to the Fatherland. In the prisoners’ canteen Otto bought a box which had contained matches

  The Radstock, Shaftesbury & Poole Railway was a proposal to build an ‘ expeditious and cheap inland communication’ between Bath & Bristol and Poole Harbour. Its route would also have connected the Somerset coalfields to the county of Dorset – a distance of some 80 miles. The planned route would be via Frome, Warminster, Salisbury, Shaftesbury, Blandford & Dorchester. It was claimed the new line would reduce the price of coal sold in Blackmoor Vale by a half. A first meeting of the ‘ Gentlemen concerned’ was held at the Old Down Inn between Bath and Wells on the 9 th November 1825. Chaired by Hon. Captain William Waldegrave RN some sixty such respected gentlemen were present. Using steam locomotives, it was announced that goods would be carried ‘ at no less than 6mph by day or night’ and it might also be possible to carry passengers at 8mph. It was estimated the construction costs would be £250,000 to be raised by the issue of 2,500 shares of £100 each. On completion of

‘ Bunga Bunga’ is today associated with allegedly colourful sex parties attended by former Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi. Yet more than a century earlier, the phrase originated and was linked with a different type of party in Weymouth Bay. In 1910, author Virginia Woolf, and her small equally colourful party of friends pulled off one of the most famous practical jokes in British military history. At the time, the British Navy was the most powerful and largest in the world and Portland was an important base. The Royal Navy was seen as one of the foundations of the British Empire and as a reflection of the nation’s power and wealth. The formidable HMS Dreadnought was the pride of the Royal Navy and flagship of the Channel Fleet and in February 1910 was berthed in Weymouth Bay. Pretending to be a VIP foreign delegation, Virginia and her friends obtained permission to visit the prestigious battleship. Four of the party, including Virginia herself, dressed up as fake Abyssini

  Sandbanks Ferry has provided a vehicle and passenger crossing between Sandbanks and Studland since 1926. This avoids the 25 mile journey around Poole Harbour. First ferry crossing was on 15 th July 1926 and was coal fired and steam driven. In 1904, the Branksome & Swanage Light Railway Scheme had proposed the construction of a tramway between Canford Cliffs and Swanage. A tower was to be erected on either side of the water and by means of a gondola the tram cars would be swung across the water enabling them to continue on their way onto Swanage. The Branksome & Swanage Light Railway Scheme was unable to obtain the approval of the Poole Harbour Commissioners for their plan and as there was strong local opposition it was never built. Also, early in the 20 th century, there had been a rowing boat crossing which operated only during the summer. Built by an Isle of Wight shipbuilder, the first Sandbanks Ferry remained in service for more than 30 years. Despite only able to c

In the 1920s and 30s, Blandford had its own airfield known as the Blandford Aerodrome. It could be found next to Blandford Cemetery along Salisbury Road where today there is housing. Apparently, it had three grass landing strips and was on the Automobile Association’s Register of Approved Landing Grounds all of which were inspected monthly. For an annual subscription, each AA member was provided with a site plan and airfield map reference. Facilities such as hangers were listed together with any hazards such as overhead power lines. Fuel supply details and suitable overnight accommodation were also detailed. The AA also provided a box for messages to be left which would be collected by an AA motorcyclist who would pass them on, as required. In November 1931, a Bryanston schoolmaster crashed at Blandford when he lost control of his aircraft.  In Blandford Hospital with concussion and severe cuts, he laconically commented, ’luckily it did not burst into flames or I wouldn’t be tellin

  Harry Houghton and Gordon Lonsdale were two members of the Portland Spy. Houghton was a Civil Servant who stole military secrets from the then Portland Naval Base and Underwater Research Establishment. He passed these secrets for money onto Gordon Lonsdale who was a Soviet master spy. Both were arrested in January 1961 and found guilty of espionage and imprisoned. In their respective countries they have quite contrasting memorials. Lonsdale’s real name was Konon Molody and he was born in Moscow in January 1922. He spoke impeccable English with an American accent as he had spent time living in the USA. Upon his release from prison and return to the Soviet Union, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. This was the country’s highest award and was designed to recognise extraordinary courage, dedication and heroism. He had operated in Britain from around 1955 until 1961. When he died in October 1970, his body was laid in state at the KGB Officers’ Club and there is an elaborate tombs

Chalkie White and Lobby Lud were once regular summer visitors to Bournemouth and Weymouth sea fronts; but who were these curiously named characters? ‘To my delight, it’s Chalkie White’   was all you had to say to Chalkie to win a £50 prize. This was providing, of course, you were holding a copy of the Daily Mirror. This was a scheme to boost newspapers sales when circulation traditionally fell during the summer months. The Mirror would announce which days the mystery man would be in town and readers would be challenged to seek him out. To help his identification, a picture of Charlie’s eyes would be published daily. A forerunner of Chalkie was Lobby Lud created in 1927 by the Westminster Gazette. Like Chalkie, Lobby would also visit Bournemouth and Weymouth. Prizes equivalent to over £300, in today’s money, were on offer which led to a sort of Lobby Lud mania. Holiday plans would be changed at the last moment in an attempt to catch him. There was even a Lobby Lud train which would take

Elderly farm labourer, John White was due to appear, back in November 1859, before Blandford Magistrates charged with poaching. He was up before Magistrates JJ Farquarson (above) from Langton Long, W P Okendon from Turnworth and Lord Portman from Bryanston. As Dorset landowners and local gentry he knew they would show little sympathy towards a poacher. Indeed there were many Dorset folk who had been transported as convicts to Australia for this crime. Witness Robert Fookes came forward in the Courtroom and identified John as the man he had seen trespassing in the pursuit of game on Baron Hambro’s land. He had seen him with four dogs stop and pick up something which he had put in his pocket. As he could not afford a lawyer, John had to conduct his own defence. He endeavoured to show that neither he, as a silly old man, nor his ‘ poor bitch’ nor his three ‘ pups of two months old’ could ever be guilty of such an offence. The Magistrates were so amused by the old man’s eccentricitie

            Not a lot of people know that:   Blandford was famous for its mouth organ band popular for its performances across Dorset. A soldier facing a court martial at Blandford Camp in December 1953 refused to wear his army clothes in a cell. So military policemen forcibly dressed him to appear before his commanding officer. Upon returning to his cell he stripped off again. In 1952, a man suffering from a loss of memory was given a newspaper to read in Blandford Hospital. Suddenly, he shouted, ‘ that’s me’  and pointed to a report on the disappearance of  48 year-old, Harold Jarvis. Police checked and found he was right! Most Reverend Dr Nevill, Bishop of Dunedin and Primate of New Zealand was married in Blandford in September 1906. His lordship was in his 70 th  year and his new and second wife, Rosalind Margaret Fynes-Clinton was aged only 30 years. Blandfordia is a suburb on the southern side of the Australian capital, Canberra.  A schoolboy was admitted into Blandford Hospita

  Blandford station was once a significant employer. By 1901 it had a workforce of around 50 which included porters, clerks, permanent-way men, signalmen and a large general labouring gang. Within a decade the number had roughly doubled. Among the eight porters was foreman porter John Hockey. His great grandson, Vernon Rattenbury reckons nine of John’s ten children were born at Blandford Station. The 1891 census lists John and his family living in Station Yard, Edward Street. Most of the station’s staff lived to the north of the station. Shunting duties within the station yar d were carried out with the help of two railway horses. The Somerset & Dorset Line was nicknamed the ‘ Swift & Delightful’ but more often the ‘ Slow & Dirty !’ Had the proposed Wilts, Dorset & East Devon Railway been built connecting Salisbury with Exeter, via Blandford & Dorchester, then ‘ Blandford Railway Junction’ would have been even busier. Today, it is difficult to realise what an