The Blandford Express

North America, it seems has many place names with links to the English county of Dorset.  Wimborne is a Southern Alberta hamlet in Canada. Each year on 1st July, it celebrates ‘Wimborne Day’ with fireworks,  live music and  lawnmower races. The latter being organised by the Lawnmower Fanatics of Alberta. Not to be outdone, Wimborne in Dorset, England has its own Mower Club. Wareham is a town in Massachusetts, USA and was the home of Benjamin Briggs, the  captain of the Mary Celeste - a vessel discovered abandoned and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean in 1872. The town has the country’s oldest nail manufacturing factory. There is also a Wareham in Ontario, Canada.  Bridport, Vermont in the USA is a small town of around 1,200 people and was founded back in 1761. Its moto is ‘there’s only one Bridport, USA.’ It also hosts a ‘Bridport Day’ on 14th June. Apparently during the American Revolution, the British burnt down every house in Bridport except one. Weymouth, Massa...

  Dorset clergyman, John White (1575-1648) did as much as any person to set up the colony of  Massachusetts leading eventually to the establishment of the United States of America. He was Rector of Holy Trinity and St Peter’s Churches in Dorchester, England from 1606-1648. For organising and encouraging emigration to the New World, John White has been described as the Founder of Massachusetts. Yet he never visited the new colony. He was a puritan at a time when there was much religious persecution in England. His first colonial project, the Dorchester Company failed but his second involving the forming of the New England Company was more successful. In March 1830, the Mary  and John  set sail from Plymouth for the New World with 140 passengers on board. Upon landing after a ten week crossing the settlement of Dorchester, Massachusetts was founded. Many were from Dorset, Devon and Somerset. Weeks later other ships followed and the Great Migration began. John White was...

During the early hours of Sunday 16 February 1958, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) raided Blandford Camp. Brandishing revolvers, masked raiders shot a soldier and overpowered seven others. During the attack, the men were heard to shout, ‘this is with the compliments of the IRA.’ Despite this, the raiders appeared concerned about the young soldier shot in the stomach. They intended to raid the armoury for arms but were unsuccessful. The IRA assault on Blandford Camp was probably an inside job. Frank Skuse was a young Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (REME) corporal. His home was in County Cork. A man answering Skuse’s description had hired accommodation in a country house at Charlton Marshall. When the police forced entry they found ammunition, weapons and three suits of battledress with REME shoulder flashes. Two weeks after the attack, a tommy-gun, small arms and ammunition were discovered in a converted bus parked in a Bournemouth caravan park. Frank Skuse had hired the bu...

Langton House was at one time an exceedingly fine country house which could be found a couple of miles to the south of Blandford at Langton Long. Surrounded by trees, it was the home of the Farquharson family and was located on a bend in the River Stour. It had been built for James John Farquharson (1784-1871) who was renowned for his obsession with fox hunting and for his extravagances. As an example, to celebrate his coming of age, he held a great celebration which lasted four days and seated 300 guests. He became a Master of Hounds at Blandford and also the Sherriff of Dorset. Langton House had been built for Farquharson in the 1820s and in the 1840s had a staff of 30 servants. Much later, Langton House became, during World War II, the headquarters 0f the 1 st United States Infantry Division. Known as the ‘ Big Red One’ , they had already fought in Sicily and North Africa. Much of the detailed work for the US Forces assault on Normandy was carried out here. It is believed both Eise...

Blandford, Massachusetts is in the USA and was first settled by Scots and named ‘ New Glasgow.’ However, the locals had misspelled the name as ’Glascow!’ William Shirley was the newly appointed Governor of Massachusetts and had just arrived from England. He decided to change the settlement’s name to Blandford after the vessel that had brought him across the Atlantic. However, the new town was to pay a price for this. The people of Glasgow, Scotland had promised settlers the gift of a bell if they named the new settlement after their city. With the town now called Blandford, the bell was never sent. The White Church in Blandford Massachusetts was built in 1822 and in September 2022 the New England town celebrates the Church’s bicentenary. This historic building is owned by the Blandford Historical Society and is maintained by volunteers. Originally, the pulpit was near the entrance so that late arrivals could be seen by the congregation. However, in later modifications it was moved. B...

In the latter years of the Second World War, Blandford Camp was occupied by the U.S. Army. While Langton House, now demolished, became the base of the 1 st United States Infantry Division. In preparation for the 1944 Normandy Landings, part of Blandford Camp was transformed into a major U.S. Army Hospital complex. It was to be known as the ‘ 22 nd General Hospital’ . The site was converted from a British Army training camp to a hospital containing wards, operating theatres and medical stores. While the hospital was being constructed, Blandford Camp was also used as a parking zone for tanks and vehicles awaiting the Normandy invasion. This area was well camouflaged and protected by anti-aircraft guns. American Army medical staff arrived in Liverpool in April 1944 and travelled on to Blandford by train. There were five hospital units set up which each had 1,248 beds. They started receiving patients about two weeks after ‘ D Day’ (6 th June 1944). Many casualties were flown into t...

In the history of the British Navy, it appears there were three HMS Blandfords. The first HMS Blandford, launched at Woolwich in 1711, was lost at sea with all hands. The second, launched in 1720 was a trend setter but also had a dark secret. She was involved in the slave trade. While the third HMS Blandford (1741), featured in frequent skirmishes with the French but more recently had a replica built which featured in a television series. HMS Blandford (1711) served the Royal Navy in the Baltic, North Sea and in the Mediterranean. Sadly, she was lost with all hands including her captain, Erasmus Phillips during a fierce storm in the Bay of Biscay in March 1719. HMS Blandford (1720) was one of the first of a class of 22 vessels to be built to a common standard. This resulted in cost savings in both the building and maintenance of the vessels. It also provided greater certainty as to how they performed at sea. Her first captain was William Martin who eventually became an admiral. A...

In September 1926, there was a major railway accident just outside Blandford. Two passenger carriages telescoped together and others overturned. Occurring late on a Monday night 36 were killed, including the locomotive driver, and 42 were injured. Yet this tragic accident did not take place in Dorset but in Blandford, New South Wales. It was one of the worst railway accidents in Australian history. Blandford, New South Wales is a small village some 190 miles north-west of Sydney. While today, trains still pass through, the village station has been closed for many years. Blandford, Massachusetts is in the USA and was first settled by Scots and named ‘ New Glasgow.’ However, the locals had misspelled the name as ’Glascow!’ William Shirley was the newly appointed Governor of Massachusetts and had just arrived from England. He decided to change the settlement’s name to Blandford after the vessel that had brought him across the Atlantic. However, the new town was to pay a price for this. ...