Skip to main content

Brownsea's Danish Amazon

After Danish born Bertha Hartung Olsen had appeared before Swanage Magistrates, she became known as the ‘Brownsea Island Amazon’. It was alleged that the 26 year old, ‘good looking blonde’ had thrown a girl into the sea ‘like a sack of wool’ and had also lifted up the girl’s father by his trousers. The physical training expert had been recruited as a security guard by the Island’s owner, Mary Florence Bonham Christie.

Mrs Bonham Christie had bought Brownsea Island in 1927 for £125,000 and immediately banned both fishing and hunting. She was a keen supporter of the RSPCA and wanted the Island to become a bird and animal sanctuary. To achieve this, she had evicted nearly 200 Island residents. As a result, she was given locally the nickname, the ‘Demon of Brownsea'.

John Walter Batt, a Bournemouth tailor, had been digging for worms as bait on Brownsea Island foreshore for 30 years. He had just received a solicitor’s letter warning him that he had committed a trespass. It was a letter he had decided to ignore. As he began digging on the mud flats with his 18 year old daughter Audrey, a motor launch arrived with Bertha Olsen and Mrs Bonham’s grandson, John on board. Miss Batt jumped into her father’s boat trying to prevent Bertha Olsen from pulling up the rope attached. In the meantime, John Christie towed the other boat into deeper water enabling Miss Olsen to jump into the Batt’s boat. The 18 year old Bournemouth girl was allegedly told that if she did it again she would be undressed, put in a boat and set adrift in Poole Harbour. John Batt told the magistrates that when she saw how his daughter had been lifted up he thought the lifter was a man. Miss Batt admitted she had picked up Audrey Batt’s father by his trousers. Bertha Hartung Olsen was fined 40 shillings (£2) and John Christie 20 shillings (£1) by the magistrates.

Such was the press publicity given to the Dane's court case that Miss Olsen received several marriage proposals sent to Brownsea Island. She was intrigued by a letter from a Scot offering to wed her at Gretna Green. Another man said he had made a reservation at a West End Register Office and if she turned up it would help her case to stay in England. Miss Olsen declined to accept both proposals. However in January 1934, she was compelled to leave the country and return to Denmark. The Home Office refused to grant an extension to her work permit. The original permit had been given to teach Swedish exercises and the Government Department  concluded that it would have been practically impossible for her to do this on Brownsea Island. Back in her home country in January 1935, physical training expert Bertha Hartung Olsen married in Copenhagen.

(Illustration: Brownsea Island's Danish Amazon - Bertha Hartung Olsen.)

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Panda Pops

Panda  Blue Rasperry Ade, Strawberry Jelly & Ice Cream and Casper Ghostly Limeade were all unique soft drink flavours produced by the Panda Pops brand owned by Badger Beers. Panda Pops were often sold in small bottles of fizzy drink that were as sweet and sticky as it was as possible for them to be. Other popular Panda Pop flavours were Cherry Ade and Bright Green Cola. Even more singular blends could be concocted by mixing two or more flavours in a Panda Pops mixing bowl. Panda Cola achieved a sort of cult status and there is even a song, ‘ Warm Panda Cola’ . While among Panda aficionados there was even the spoof blend of Princess Diana Memorial flavour! The Blandford drink competed remarkably well against American giants Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola. Panda Pops date back to the 1960s when the Blandford brewer dropped the name of Sunparlor for its soft drink brands. Sunparlor had also been the name of a winning race horse owned by a member of the Woodhouse family. Cream soda was...
3 comments
Read more

History Slice with an Aussie Flavour.

  From Dorset Gallows to Van Diemen’s Land is the unlikely but true story of political corruption, hangings and transportation in the small market town of Blandford in Southern England.  It is available as a paperback from  Amazon in the United Kingdom, Australia and the USA. The book uncovers the extraordinary tale of two ordinary men, George Long a shoemaker and Richard Bleathman a butcher. Driven by belief and dissatisfaction they are swept along by events. Sentenced to be hanged in Dorchester Gaol for their protests against political corruption they are instead, following clemency appeals,  transported to Van Diemen’s Land -  on the other side of the world. ‘A fascinatingly  good read.  This book entirely complements the story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs - also transported to Australia.’ (Richard Holledge, newspaper editor, freelance journalist - London. As read in the Independent, New York Times & Financial Times. Author of   Voices of the M...
Post a Comment
Read more

Blandford’s Magpie Mick

Do you remember Mick Robertson - presenter with Jenny Hanley on ITV children’s programme Magpie  in the 1970s? For many years, Mick lived just outside Blandford in the village of Ibberton in the shadows of Bulbarrow Hill. Living nearby was Jack Hargreaves another television presenter and writer who had a keen interest in the North Dorset countryside.  Initially, Mick trained as a teacher before working in television as a researcher. After presenting Magpie, Mick produced many award winning programmes for children. In 2007, he was given the Special Children’s BAFTA Award for his television work . Although now retired Mick retains an interest in television as a family member is the Executive Producer on the popular television series the  Repair Shop. He is a lifetime follower of both County Cricket and Portsmouth Football Club. Together with  ex-Magpie presenting mate Tommy Boyd,  he is a regular contributor to internet radio station  Pompey Sound.  Mick...
Post a Comment
Read more