From Our Files: Piles treatment...remembering Martha...driving out lorry ban
50 YEARS AGO
THE sight of Mr Walter Simmons pushing his battered old pram loaded with books is now a familiar sight in Lymington.
He busily spends his retirement collecting and selling books at two shillings a piece and has raised thousands of pounds for the community centre where he is the honourary librarian.
A plaque has now been inscribed ‘The Walter Simmons Gallery’ in his honour.
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SINCE the large landslip that has occurred to the east of bastion at groyne 10 at Barton the borough engineer has reported that measurements had been taken of the horizontal and vertical movements of the cliff in the area.
These had shown a steady movement forward and a drop in level. In a preliminary report Lymington council’s consulting engineers stated that at this one point the whole coast protection structure was founded on unstable material and that steps should be taken to ascertain at what depth a stable foundation could be reached.
The engineers recommended sinking extra-long piles in front of the works.
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MR JACK WHITE of the Wheel Inn in Pennington who is the son of a policeman and is himself a former police officer before taking over the pub has discovered that he is living almost next door to the son of a man who was murdered in 1920.
Furthermore it was Mr White’s father who was involved in the case and a photograph of him taking a suspect to Andover police station for questioning appeared in the national newspapers at the time.
An article about the crime was recently published in a magazine and the photo of his father was shown to a regular at the pub by Mr White.
He was very shocked to learn the murdered man’s son Eric Spicer lived near the inn in Little Gordleton Farm.
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MAJOR and Mrs Sim of Mount Pleasant Farm can probably claim a record for the number of animals they have domesticated.
They include a fox, 12 cats, 7 dogs, 5 ponies, 10 pigs, one donkey, three sheep, a goose, a cow, two parrots, two Buff turkeys and 45 goats.
Only the goats are put to commercial use for their milk.
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A WELL-KNOWN Lymington woman of stubborn independence Miss Martha Clifford, was found dead in her home.
She was born in France, her mother dying in childhood. Miss Clifford moved to Bournemouth where she became engaged to but tragedy overtook when her fiancé was killed on his way to church on their wedding day as she waited in it.
After that Miss Clifton devoted her life to animals. During WW1 she served with vets on the frontline in France treating injured horses.
When she returned to England she became obsessed with animal welfare boarding and tending innumerable dogs and cats in her home.
She lived in poverty but refused offers of help adamant that she not receive charity in any form, but her animals should.
She died as she would have wanted, in her home with her memories of her beloved animals.
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DETECTIVE constable Clive Trippiers spoke up for a Beaulieu man who appeared at Southampton Crown Court on a burglary charge.
The policeman said the man had “arrived at a crossroads in his life and if given a chance I think he will take it.”
Judge Raymond Stock told the defendant that when he first read the papers he felt an immediate jail sentence was inevitable but told him: “I am influenced by DC Trippier because you are full of remorse. You are a lucky man.”
He was given a two year suspended sentence.
25 YEARS AGO
A SENIOR Tory on Christchurch council who is standing down at the next election because he says he is now too old at 67 has criticised his own party for selecting two candidates in their seventies to fight his ward.
They have hit back saying age does not matter. Councillor Eric Wood has represented the Nea Ward in Highcliffe since 1991.
Highcliffe tories unanimously decided to adopt branch chairman Harold Cooper and Berry O’Rourke both of whom are septuagenarians.
“I’ve been on the council since 1919 and I think it is time I stood down so we can get some much needed new blood on the council,” Cllr Wood told the A&T.
“It’s time we some people gave way to let a younger element in, we don’t need more old people, it's absolutely ridiculous.”
Mr Cooper refused to give his age when the A&T asked him, describing himself as “mature.”
He said: “I am not going into details about why Eric stood down but I don’t personally think it was age.
“I don’t think that either myself, or Betty are too old as we want to represent a ward which has a lot of old people in it and we both have a lot of experience of being on councils over many years.”
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A SCHOOLBOY from Sway was presented with a special certificate from police after his quick thinking helped catch a burglar.
Andrew Clark, 13, spotted a man jumping over the fence of a local house clutching a bag and after telling his mother Jo they reported it to police.
Insp John Heath said: “He was able to give a great description of the man which enabled us to make an immediate arrest.”
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CHRISTCHURCH is to make a formal request to Hampshire County Council to rescind the controversial lorry ban because of the extra HCV traffic it is causing to Burton, Highcliffe and other parts of the borough.
Recent traffic surveys have shown that an extra 50 lorries a day are thundering along the B3347 from the A31 at Ringwood through Winkton and Burton.
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PUBLIC concern over gravel extraction works at Pennington Marshes which has now reached the border with the ancient highway between Pennington and Keyhaven which is feared may be causing lasting damage to the landscape led to the County Council summoning a joint meeting in Lymington with Manor Farm Liaison Panel and the Lymington Coastal Advisory Panel.
When it was suggested the license granted to New Milton Sand & Ballast Co. be revoked planning officer Peter Bell said the company would ask for £14 million compensation.
