1911 God save the King!

Boy Scouts march down Queen Street in Market Rasen during the 1911 Coronation parade.

THIS week we bring the Coronation of George V in 1911 to life, thanks to these rare photos of the celebratory procession through the streets of Rasen.
The town was gripped by the patriotic spirit which swept the country and your Mail of the time described Rasen as looking 'quite gay in its embellishments.'
The programme for the day was:
l10am - Distribution of medals to children under 16 in Market Place.
l11am - Services at the Parish Church, Wesleyan Chapel and Holyrood Church.
l12.15pm - National Anthem sung, accompanied by the Town Band, in Market Place.
l1.30pm - General assembly in Market Place followed by procession involving the Urban District Council, Army and Naval men, Boy Scouts, Town Band, Fire Brigade, Friendly Societies, Schools, decorated cycles and fancy dress competitors and tradesmen's turn-outs.
l4pm - Public Tea for adults in the Town Hall and Liberal Club and tea for children under 16 at the Sunday Schools.
l6pm - Sports in De Aston School football field.
l8.45pm - Dancing.
l10.15pm - Illuminated Cycle Parade, starting from the Mart.
l10.30pm - Singing Contest in Market Place.
Readers may be interested to know Miss D Payne secured first prize for the best illuminated cycle!
A large photo of everyone in the parade was taken by Mr Starbuck - and the original now hangs in the Mail office for everyone to see.

This handy guide to the new Royal family was printed in your Mail at the time.

Crowds gather in the Market Place for the celebrations.

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April 15 1912, - The Titanic tragedy

on April 15 1912, the world was shaken by the Titanic disaster. In this special feature we reproduce the original news report from the Rasen Mail – which the public of the time must have read with stunned disbelief.


THE MAIDEN voyage of the great White Star liner Titanic, the world's biggest passenger ship, has come to a tragic end.
On Monday the magnificent vessel sank about 350 miles from Cape Race, after collision with an iceberg.
The Titanic was on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. At the moment of disaster the vessel had made roughly two-thirds of her journey, and had just a thousand miles still to cover.
On board the vessel were about 2,200 souls, comprising approximately 316 first class, 279 second class, and 698 steerage passengers. The crew numbered between 800 and 900.
Early on Tuesday morning came the news the Titanic had sunk within four hours of the collision.
The latest messages to hand only account for the saving of 868 of the passengers and crew, "nearly all women and children."
Pathetic scenes were witnessed on Tuesday at the West-End offices of the White Star Line in Cockspur Street. The flags of all the big shipping houses gathered here were flying at half-mast.
Many fashionably dressed women called at the White Star offices, and the eyes of some betrayed they had been weeping.
All came with the hope the names of their dear ones were included in the lists of saved, and when theylearned the contrary their emotions were touching to witness. One young lady burst into tears, and had to be led outside.
Patiently the officials searched the lists again and again, but too often their reply was: "His name is not down here."
One girl was told there might be better news if she came back in an hour or an hour and a half.
"How can I wait all that time," she asked. "It's an eternity."
Nevertheless she returned two hours later, and when the name she sought was not on the lists again her composure gave way, and she left sobbing.
But there was better news for some. A woman asked a reporter if there was any later information, and she received a reply in the negative.
He inquired if she had any relative on board the Titanic, and the reply was: "Yes, my three children were going out to join their dad, and I was following next week."
On being informed the name was "Davis" the journalist scanned the list, and among the survivors found the names of Miss Agnes Davis, Miss Mary Davis and Master John Davis.
The lady almost collapsed with joy, and exclaimed, "Thank God! Thank God!"

The following message was received on Tuesday night by the White Star company:

The Queen and I are horrified at the appalling disaster which has happened to the Titanic, and at the terrible loss of life.
We deeply sympathise with the bereaved relations, and feel for them in their great sorrow with all our hearts.
George R and I

In the House of Commons on Tuesday the Premier said: "I am afraid we must brace ourselves to confront one of those terrible events in the order of Providence which baffle foresight, which appal the imagination, which make us realise the inadequacy of words to do justice to what we feel."
Members of the House sat bareheaded while the Premier made this moving statement, and marked its close with a muffled cheer of sympathy.

"TITANIC CLIPPING": The dramatic headlines from the Rasen Mail of April 1912 spelled out the tragedy to shocked readers.

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July 1913 - The day the airman landed

* Historic landing: Montague F. Glew with his 50 hp Gnome-Blackburn monoplane. Photo courtesy of the Museum of Lincolnshire Life.

Almost 90 years ago this week Market Rasen got a very special visitor - Lincolnshire's first ever airman. Montague Francis Glew wowed spectators with flying exhibitions in his 50 hp Gnome-Blackburn monoplane, which took off from a field on Linwood Road. In this special feature we reproduce the original story from the Rasen Mail of July 1913 - when the historic visit took a very dramatic turn.


CONSIDERABLE interest has been aroused in this neighbourhood by the visit to Market Rasen of Lincolnshire's first and only airman, Mr Montague F. Glew, second son of the late Mr Walter Glew of Wittering and formerly of South Kelsey, and a nephew of Mr John G. Glew, JP, of Market Rasen.


His longest flight was of half an hour

Mr Montague Glew is quite a young aviator, being only 20 years of age, although he looks much older. He is a most unassuming young man, and what is most essential for a successful airman, is quite cool and collected.
His machine is a 50ph Gnome-Blackburn, of the military type. Mr Glew was announced to give flying exhibitions on Thursday and Friday and the machine was on view each day. It is a single seater machine, so that those who were anticipating a flight were somewhat disappointed. The highest flight Mr Glew himself has taken was 2,000 feet and his longest flight was of half-an-hour's duration. The machine has a 30ft span, and is 28ft long, and looks very graceful and bird-like when in the air.
The flying took place in Mr J. Blakey's field on the Linwood road, which appeared to be an ideal spot for the purpose. The attendance on Thursday afternoon was most disappointing. There was a comparatively good attendance in the evening, but the greater number of spectators were to be found on the Linwood road and in one or two adjacent fields. Of course there were many in these positions who could not afford to pay even the small coin demanded for admission, but there were a large number who could, and they were scarcely playing the game in not contributing their quota towards the heavy expense entailed in bringing a flying exhibition to their very doors. It was, to say the least, not at all encouraging to the intrepid aviator, who practically takes his life in his hands every time he makes a flight.

He rose gracefully over their heads

On Wednesday night Mr Glew made a trial flight and on Thursday afternoon he made two excellent flights and he evoked considerable enthusiasm by the skill with which he handled the machine. The Thursday night he made flights at six and shortly after half-past seven. The spectators enjoyed especially the way in which he dipped, and on one occasion he flew low down in the centre of the ground towards the spectators, and upon approaching them he rose gracefully over their heads. On each occasion Mr Glew alighted he came to the ground within a few yards of the same spot each time.
On the Friday the conditions were ideal and there was a fair attendance at the flying ground in the afternoon, whilst in the evening the attendance was most gratifying, and at the time an unfortunate mishap put a stop to the flying people were pouring into the ground from all over the district, Linwood road being packed with people.
The indicator was not working so satisfactorily on the Thursday night as it should do. To remedy the defect, caused by a twisted wire, Mr Glew and his brother and mechanic were busily engaged on Friday, and by four o-clock everything was in readiness and the aviator took his seat at the wheel. When at a height of about 200ft, Mr Glew switched off his engine and volplaned into the flying field, effecting a beautiful landing, for which he was heartily cheered. The second flight lasted about eleven minutes and Mr Glew showed how perfectly steady a monoplane can fly, putting one in mind more of a swallow gliding through the air than anything else.

Broken pipe causes mishap

His third, and what proved to be his final flight that evening, commenced about half-past seven, and on this occasion he attained to an altitude of well on to 1,500ft. He travelled first over the town in the direction of Middle Rasen, and then returned and went off away to North Willingham, and then to Tealby. Bearing left-handed he approached the landing field from the Legsby end, travelling at the rate of about 60 miles an hour.
Everyone thought he was going to land, and this had apparently been his purpose, but thinking he had got too close to the end of the field to do so with safety he started to make another circuit. Flying low over the adjacent field, to avoid the farm buildings he turned left-handed, giving a fine display of banking. At this moment the engine stopped, due it was afterwards found to a broken petrol supply pipe.
The field is all ridges and furrows, and the left wheel caught at an angle one of the ridges, cutting a large sod clean out. This broke a strut, which gave way entirely on the second landing, about fifteen yards further on, causing damage to the landing chassis, and pitching the machine forward on to its nose, breaking the propellor, and damaging the framework aft, and doing considerable injury to the engine. Fortunately, Mr Glew sustained not the slightest injury.
The accident was witnessed by a large crowd. As the machine was travelling at a stiff pace when it came in contact with the ground, much consternation prevailed in the flying field, all being certain that the aviator had sustained serious personal injury. His many friends in the enclosure, and, indeed, the whole of the spectators, who had been so greatly enjoying his aerial exhibition, were much relieved when they saw Mr Glew throw up his safety helmet.

The band struck up a bright tune

The Market Rasen Town Band, who were in attendance, at once struck up a bright tune, and this tended to relieve the great tension which had been felt. A rush was at once made for the scene of the mishap, and the machine was roped off to give the aviator and his mechanic and assistants plenty of room to attend to it and ascertain the amount of damage.
This is Mr Glew's first mishap with the machine, and our only hope is that in any future accident he may escape as lightly as he has done on this occasion. Splinters of the propellor were obtained as souvenirs by friends, and the plucky airman was kept quite busy putting his signature on these pieces of wood. The Town Band, with most praiseworthy promptness, decided to give a concert in the Market Place and make a collection for the unfortunate aviator, and the sum thus raised will go towards the heavy expense entailed in putting the machine right again.

The plucky airman signed propellor splinters

The work of repairing is being pushed forward with all speed, as Mr Glew is booked to give an exhibition of flying at Horncastle on the 23rd and 24th of July, when we wish him every success.
* Readers may like to know that Mr Glew also crashed at his display in Horncastle, but escaped unscathed! After crashing the plane yet again in 1914 he put it in storage where it remained for many years. Mr Glew was not able to fly in the Great War because he was short sighted. He died in 1969. His plane is still in one piece, on display to the public at the Shuttleworth Old Warden Aerodrome at Biggleswade. Built in 1912 it is the oldest British built aeroplane in the world - and still flies!

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