Conversations

Old box office kiosk at Fox Theater
See

See

See

See

See

See the floor between the old kiosk and the doors.
modern Streetview

See

Ah, the Lancastria. Yes, the cruising holiday was quite the 'thing' especially during the inter-war period when many companies such as Cunard marketed a vast variety of cruises with many different classes and prices; it was, I suspect, primarily, a 'middle' and 'upper' class thing. The company advertised heavily, both for its trans-Atlantic business in the days before air travel, and its holiday 'cruising' business; as well as adverts, glossy foldout plan brochures, such as this were often issued.

The Lancastria was originally named the Tyrrhenia, built by Beardmore's on the Clyde and launched in 1920 for a sister line to Cunard, the Anchor Line. Refitted and renamed in 1924 the vessel went to the Mediterranean cruise circuit in the 1930s. Upon the outbreak of war in 1939 the Lancastria was requisitioned and sadly, on 17 June 1940, the vessel was sunk by enemy action whilst helping to evacuate British nationals and troops from St. Nazaire whilst heavily overloaded. Although there were around 2,400 survivors the number of those lost varies from 3,500 to 7,000; it is widely recognised as the biggest ship loss of any British vessel. The news at the time was effectively blocked by the use of a D-Notice.

Cunard had a long history, formed in 1840 and based out of Liverpool and latterly Southampton. From 1934 onwards they were connected with the White Star line. The name survives but as a subsidiary of a larger multi-national cruise liner concern.

[https://flic.kr/p/7uqKUq]

[https://flic.kr/p/9PsR9J]

Interesting story of the 1940 sinking at St Nazaire with photos -
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/768384.stm


Edit - More up-to-date version -
www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-33092351

And wiki - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Lancastria

12 Gns for a 10-day cruise in 1920, equivalent to £500 today, seems good value
However, pricing in Guineas implies a ‘luxury transaction’

mikeyashworth Like it or not, you are now our official Cunard expert. :)
Any idea on a slightly tighter date for this brochure? After 1924 renaming anyway.

I love that someone, maybe Tom Johnson himself, jotted down calculations of crew numbers.

I'll make a bid for 1934. In the Coventry Evening Telegraph -of Wednesday 21 February 1934 is an advert for Cunard's cruise to Portugal & Spain on the Lancastria, leaving Liverpool on March 29th, and visiting Lisbon and Vigo, price 10 guineas (which match the details on page 2 of the leaflet).

From what I've seen in the press of sailings, in the 1920s the Lancastria was used mostly on transatlantic routes.

John Spooner We will take that bid of 1934, thank you.

And here's the itinererery

CASSIDY PHOTOGRAPHY I concur.

NLI, I don't think this is suitable for public distribution . . . The way the world is today. Too many wannabe martyrs . . . I mean nitwits without any other purpose in life.

Taken from the link below:

"James O’Donovan was the primary ‘chemist/inventor’ of explosives for the IRA, and the person most responsible for developing and establishing Irish-centered explosive manufacturing. He was a post-graduate chemistry student at UCD and worked directly for Collins.

He began producing fulminate of mercury explosives in 1918 – a notoriously unstable compound. In 1919 Collins directed O’Donovan to develop an explosive that was more powerful, but that ‘men with no technical skill could produce it in a farmhouse kitchen… They have to be fairly foolproof because we can’t have people all over the country having their heads blown off!’

Irish War Flour was O’Donovan’s first original explosive, named after its appearance: it was a nitrated resin using the ingredients of resin, flour, acid and potassium chlorate. Irish War Flour was quite unstable and didn’t have the explosive power he wanted so he kept experimenting.

He called his second explosive compound Irish Cheddar, again named because of its looks. This was his nickname for a form of cheddite, an explosive used quite extensively in the early 20th century. Its ingredients were paraffin, potassium chlorate, nitrobenzene and castor oil."

www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/ieds-irish-war-indepen...

Nicknames of the explosives ...

“Warflour”: Warflour was a nitrated resin, using the ingredients of resin, flour, acid and potassium chlorate.
“Irish Cheddar”: This was the nickname for a form of cheddite, an explosive used quite extensively in the early 20th century, its ingredients being potassium chlorate, nitrobenzene and castor oil. Some sources suggest that “Cheddar” included home made DNT.

Also "Paxo" a while later. See - www.standingwellback.com/warflour-paxo-and-irish-cheddar/ , which also has ...

The IRA also developed its own detonators at the time, and I won’t describe them here other than to say that interestingly they were non-metallic and quite an effective design.
In terms of IEDs, and further to my earlier post, the IRA of the time made several thousand grenades, mostly under the Dublin Bicycle shop at 198 Parnell St and latterly at other facilities. It appears that the design of these were copied from the German “Egg” grenade of WW1. These were essentially quite a simple design,small and preferred because they were easier to conceal than a larger grenade. They used the standard sort of fuze with a spring-loaded fly-off lever. Occasionally larger improvised grenades were used – this is a diagram of one of them, made by an IRA engineer involved in their manufacture.

CASSIDY PHOTOGRAPHY I really do take your point, Mr Cassidy, but I would suggest that people with harmful intentions and access to the internet can very quickly and easily find far more effective instructions, including step-by-step videos, than this sketch. It is a part of revolutionary Irish history, just like the gun carrier on a bicycle that we featured a while back, so we considered it worth including. Mary.

The bicycle shop Lawless and Heron was raided in December 1920 -
www.museum.ie/en-IE/Collections-Research/Collection/Raids...

Read All About It ! via Trove - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/187552498?searchTerm=D...

beachcomber australia Trove is always amazing! Especially when their OCR renders Heron as Herod throughout. Herod and Lawless is an even better name.

National Library of Ireland on The Commons Yes, some telegraph operator between Dublin and Australia mistook a _ . for a _ . .
Easy to do !

From the Nenagh Guardian on Saturday, 16 April 1932...

CLARE FARMER'S MISHAP
Home Made Explosive Causes Shocking Injuries

As a result of testing a home-made explosive, notwithstanding the warning of his brother, Patrick Geoghegan, a young Clare farmer, sustained shocking injuries, necessitating the amputation of his right hand.

Patrick Geoghegan ... needed some explosive to remove a rock which was obstructing the flow of water in his garden. Six weeks ago a Garda permit was issued to him to obtain the necessary explosive, which is stored by the authorities at Limerick. Unfortunately, he did not make the journey to Limerick, because he found other materials which he thought would suit his purpose. When shifting stones from a big heap about 200 yards from his home he discovered in a tin box a quantity of 'home-made' explosive known as "Irish War Flour," or "Irish Cheddar," as it was called during the Anglo-Irish trouble when it was used for the mining of roads, etc. It is of a brown colour, and an explosive of a very powerful nature.

He informed one of his brothers of the discovery, and said he would test some of the stuff to ascertain "would it blow the rock out of the garden". The brother advised him to have nothing to do with the "War Flour," as he could "never know what might happen." The warning went unheeded. Geoghegan bored in the rock, filled the holes with the explosive, which he ignited in some manner not yet fully explained. Almost immediately there was a terrific explosion, which blew the top off the rock and inflicted shocking injuries on the man. ... Inquiries made with regard to the explosive found concealed in the gap of stones reveal that it was hidden there years ago by a member of the pre-Truce I.R.A., who had completely forgotten its existence.

Jeepers. At one time, you could just buy Cheddite.

CHEDDITE DOES NOT FREEZE.
No dangerous process of thawing or warming. Stronger, safer, and cheaper than Dynamite or Gelignite.
Manufactured by Curtiss & Harvey, Ltd. Sole agents for Ulster---
CAMBRIDGE & Co., Arms and Ammunition Merchants, Carrickfergus. Telephone 29.

(Belfast Newsletter, 1 January 1907)

Étienne Gustave Frédéric, 3rd Baron van Zuylen van Nyevelt van de Haar (1860–1934). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89tienne_van_Zuylen_van_Nyevelt

From the Wikipedia page cited above,
"Étienne Gustave Frédéric, 3rd Baron van Zuylen van Nyevelt van de Haar (16 October 1860 – 8 May 1934), was a Dutch-Belgian banker, businessman, philanthropist, equestrian and car enthusiast. He was a founding member of the Automobile Club de France, serving as the organisation's first president, and was the first president of the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR, later known as the FIA)."

Thanks Michiel2005 and swanq. I see we made a few errors in transcribing his name, we'll get that fixed.

Thank you -- I've added this to his Wikipedia page

22 August 1922 was a Two-esday ...

There is a lady in the middle whose hat looks like hair, and a young gentleman seated in front and right of her, whose hair looks like a hat.

Edit: The gent is Tom Barry ?!

Hmmm - wiki says 21/08/1921 - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_Barry,_August_1921_(cropped)_(cropped).png

Here we go ...

"AN Irish television series claims to have solved an ongoing dispute over the seating arrangement for what it calls the ‘greatest wedding photo of all time’.
The famous photo – of the wedding of Irish freedom fighter Tom Barry and his wife Leslie Price in 1921 – has long held a fascination for Irish historians.
The image, taken at Vaughan’s Hotel on Parnell Square in Dublin on August 22nd 1921 – came about exactly one year before General Michael Collins was shot. Collins is seen in the back row, holding his head to one side, and many believe it was because he did not want to be readily identified at the time. ... "

via - www.southernstar.ie/history/tv-show-clears-up-dispute-ove...

Tom Barry: 'We May Have Great Men, But We’ll Never Have Better'

29 Parnell Sq. West.
maps.app.goo.gl/tvfKCvKX8FX6zxNc7

beachcomber australia Bualadh bos! But no resting on your laurels. What day was 22 August 1921?

National Library of Ireland on The Commons
22 August 1921 was a Monday ...

" ... The [Vaughan Hotel] was an important meeting place for many of the leaders of the IRA and a safe-house for Michael Collins.[3][4] A system was developed whereby a flowerpot in the back window signalled danger ... "

Can anyone see the flowerpot ?!

from - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaughan%27s_Hotel

Via Faecebook -

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
1. Seated on Ground: Dick Cotter (brother-in-law of Sinead de Valera), Eamonn Price (Bob), Eva Price, Phyllis, Bean Uí Cheallaigh, Gearóid Ó Súilleabháin.
2. First row (seated): Máirín McGavock (Mrs. Sean Beaumont), Harry Boland, Mrs. Jennie Wyse Power, Archdeacon O’Callaghan, P.P., Mrs. Price, Liam Deasy, Leslie, President de Valera, Tom Barry, Dr. Nancy Wyse Power, Mr. Price, Miss Mary MacSwiney, Countess Markievicz.
3. First row (standing): Seán Lehane, Kathleen Kerrigan, Jack Price, Pete Kearney, Jim Hurley, Ted Sullivan, Mick Collins, Seán MacCarthy, Mick Crowley, Dick Mulcahy, Mrs. O’Donovan, Eoin O’Duffy, Mrs. Tom Cullen, Kathleen Phelan, behind her only forehead appearing, Liam Tobin, Emmett Dalton, Marie O’Reilly (the big hat), Tom Cullen, Aoife Taaffe, Rory O’Connor, Susan Colum, behind her Seán MacSwiney, Fr. Tom Duggan, Fiona Plunkett (sister of Joseph Plunkett), Treasa Ní Modhráin, Dan Corkery (Macroom), Una Ní Modhráin, Tadh Sullivan (behind her), Seán Buckley (Bandon), Eileen Colum, Agnes Sharpe.
4. Second Row (standing): Proprietor Hotel, Seán Hales, Liam Devlin, Vincent Gogan, Emmett …’.
Many of the wedding guests would shortly find themselves on opposite sides in the Civil War. In fact, a year later to the day, Michael Collins would die at Béal na Bláth (22 August 1922). Harry Boland, Seán Hales, and Rory O’Connor were also victims of the conflict.

See - www.facebook.com/CapuchinArchivesIreland/posts/republican...

beachcomber australia

Oughterdrum Church
www.impartialreporter.com/news/23534182.surprising-link-f...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._B._Yeats
"William Butler Yeats (/jeɪts/ YAYTS; 13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and, along with John Millington Synge and Lady Gregory, founded the Abbey Theatre, serving as its chief during its early years. He was awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature and later served two terms as a Senator of the Irish Free State."

See

and many more LoC photos

Thanks swanq, we'll update the catalog record.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_B._McKinley
"William Brown McKinley (September 5, 1856 – December 7, 1926) was an American banker and Republican politician who represented the state of Illinois in the United States House of Representatives for seven terms (1905–1913, 1915–1921) and in the United States Senate for one term from 1921 to 1926.

He also served as national campaign manager for President William Howard Taft's re-election bid in 1912, securing Taft's nomination by the Republican National Convention."

Thanks swanq, we'll update the catalog record.

very good

Jon (LOC P&P) Neat!!

Wow! You are one of the best!
Please come visit Join the Best
And don’t forget to add your photo!
www.flickr.com/groups/join_the_best/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artur_de_Campos_Henriques
"Artur Alberto de Campos Henriques, GCTE GCC (Porto, 28 April 1853 – Lisbon, 7 November 1922) was a Portuguese politician who once served as Prime Minister of Portugal."

Retouched with Grok Ai
flic.kr/p/2skYJK8

flic.kr/p/2skYJK8

Looks like
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Curzon,_Baroness_Curzon_of_Ked...

She died in July 1906. She had 3 daughters. The youngest, Alexandra, was born in March 1904. I imagine we see Cynthia (born August 1898) standing and Irene (born Jan 1896) sitting.

This photo is used in
- pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusto_de_Castilho
I don't find an equivalent page in Wikipedia in English

See

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_Parker_(surgeon)
"Willard Parker (September 2, 1800 – April 25, 1884) was a surgeon of the United States, for many years a professor at the New York College of Physicians and Surgeons and other schools."

See

And what of the emboss at left? I found it odd but am sure a trick of light that it appears out of focus. ✨