Corrine Le Marquand at The Windmill

A Topical Look Across the Bar
Corrine Le Marquand at The Windmill

(Jersey Topic 1967)

"ME? I like playing hell!". A blunt answer from the equally blunt owner of Jersey's 500¬year-old Windmill Inn, red-haired, mini-skirted Mrs. Corrine Le Marquand: "And a game of roulette when I get the chance," she added.

Gambling is a form of relaxation for her, she went all the way to Tangier to play her last game: "That was a holiday, but it made me realise the potential of opening a casino here."

And if the Bailiff was to give his kind per-mission, she would be just as successful at gambling as she is in catering for the thirsts of 1,000 tourists every day.

But the story of Corrine Le Marquand's success began indirectly 500 years ago, in 1472. This was the year some long-forgotten miller became a capitalist, and built a windmill that even the brave Don Quixote would hesitate in tackling.

Towering 75 feet in the air, and with foundations five foot six inches thick, the mill was built entirely of genuine Jersey granite. Inside, the original woodwork and beams can still be seen, although the first wheel was replaced 200 years ago.

Later, this massive wheel was to be dismantled, sawn in half and converted into two bars.

However, for years before this, the windmill had stood silent and empty. Then the Nazis arrived. They found a new use for the mill, as a watchtower—and then left in rather a hurry.

The mill had fallen into disuse again. In despair the owner was about to put an advert in The Times, when he had an offer. An unnamed price was agreed, and a piece of Jersey history changed hands.

A transformation then took place. All three storeys were converted into bars; the cellar bar; wheel bar, and blue bar. A car-park and beer garden were added; floodlighting installed, and a playroom added for children.

Profits climbed higher and higher: "I never talk about money," she says, "I just like making it. It's my favourite occupation."

Flippant but firm, she has earned the respect and friendship of tourists and locals alike. Her only regret is that her husband is not alive to share her success. He died in 1961. A tragedy that would have seen a lesser woman shirk her responsibilities, and sell the Windmill Inn.

But she didn't. She was determined to make a go of it, and working a 15-hour-day, seven days a week, she more than succeeded.

Now, with Huck and Slush, a Norwegian Elk-Hound and Finnish Spitz respectively, she is beginning to relax: "I enjoy a spot of decorating even if I am lousy at it. I also paint, but I'm no Van Gogh. I also like gardening, but my hands were designed for pulling pints and not weeds."

A Message to the Stars

Listening to an Archive on 4, "Carl Sagan: A Personal Voyage". Professor Brian Cox looks back at the work of his all-time science hero, the American astronomer Carl Sagan. As well as a well respected science career, Sagan is best known for his work in bringing the joy and wonder of science to as wide an audience as possible. And who can forget that theme music for Cosmos!

Sagan was also responsible for the "message to the stars" records. Flying aboard Voyagers 1 and 2 are identical "golden" records, carrying the story of Earth far into deep space. The 12 inch gold-plated copper discs contain greetings in 60 languages, samples of music from different cultures and eras, and natural and man-made sounds from Earth. They also contain electronic information that an advanced technological civilization could convert into diagrams and photographs.

 

You can hear the show at:
Archive on 4: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jkv2j

So today a more optimistic poem.

A Message to the Stars

The record sent off into deepest space
Within Voyager’s journey to distant star
A tale told of our earth, our own place
In the cosmos, a blue dot seen afar

A present from a small distant world
A token of sounds, science, images
Our thoughts and feelings unfurled
Into the vast cosmos, our seven ages

Music sounds across the ocean of night
Songs of distant earth, emotion’s voices
A glimpse of humanity, of a candle’s light
And pray that we make the right choices

A message to the stars, the cosmic deep
Rejoice! And Carl Sagan’s vision keep

Lt.-Col. Philip Le Gallais

Lt.-Col. Philip Le Gallais

A Topical series, by Andrew Gilliam, of the distinguished military men and women of the Channel Islands

(Jersey Topic 1967)

IT WAS A WARM DAY in St. Helier on July 19, 1871. A young boy stared at a group of brilliantly dressed officers and men of the Island Militia and in his mind were sown seeds of ambitious military ambitions.

Years pass. The sun slowly sets over the South African town of Pretoria. British troops are dusty and tired but elated. The year is 1900. The men, under the command of Lord Roberts, had taken the undefended town and this had given them a much needed taste of victory and a sense of satisfaction.

In the administrative buildings General Lord Roberts sits at a long table reading reports. He knows that the struggle is far from over. The Boers are the masters of commando warfare and they rarely risk fight¬ing a formal battle. They used their knowledge of the terrain to maintain a supremacy which is causing anxiety and embarrassment not only to Lord Roberts but also to the whole British nation. But the idea of British troops adopting tactics to suit the terrain is still foreign to the High Command.

Some miles from Pretoria a lone figure on horseback, wearing bush clothing and high riding boots, is observing the distant camp fires. Suddenly he hears a crackling amongst the trees some distance behind him. His hands move swiftly to his rifle. After a minute or two he recognises the silhouette of a known messenger. The man advances and salutes. The whispered message is in Afrik-aans .... papers pass between them. The horseman now knows that a force, under the British Commander, Ian Hamilton, is coming to Pretoria.

Lord Roberts was also studying a report which gave him this news. He recognises one name, the name of a man whose sole purpose would be to seek out one Boer general.

The general—the horseman who had earlier been spying on the camp—was Christian de Wet, and his appointed hunter was the Jerseyman, Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Le Gallais.

The wheels of fate had been set in motion and the two men were now set on an inevit-able and fatal course of collision.

De Wet had been harassed for several months by various groups under the command of General Lord Mathueu. But, in the hun¬dreds of square miles of undulating veld, de Wet had managed not only to avoid capture but also to maintain liason with the various groups under his command, and with the ever-moving Boer leaders. He hounded the British over a vast area: an unexpected swoop on a body of Imperial Yeomanry at Lindley, inflicting heavy casualties, cutting lines of communication, destroying railway lines and even ambushing and forcing the surrender of a militia battalion of Derbyshires near the Rhenoster.

Days pass, and soon various detachments of British troops are on their way out into the veld to begin the search for de Wet. Lieutenant-Colonel Le Gallais has decided to search the Valsch River area as intelligence reports have indicated that de Wet might be approaching the area with a view to raids into the Cape Colony area.

With great care, avoiding obvious trails and tracks, Le Gallais heads towards the Valsch River. At night they pass by small camps of Boers and make detours to avoid skirmishes. There are no other British troops in the area, and for once, the element of surprise is with the British. Le Gallais wishes to use this powerful weapon in a most devastating way—if only he can find de Wet.

Next day General de Wet and a detachment of commandos head off toward the Cape Colony. November 5, 1900. The sun has set and de Wet is giving orders for the setting-up of camp not far from Bothaville and within sight of the Valsch river.

There has been a slight skirmish with some British troops earlier in the day. De Wet was sure that they were merely a scouting party

he had had negative reports from his scouts as to the possibility of a large British detach¬ment in the area:The scouting party were seven miles to his rear and in the morning his troops were to split up.

But Le Gallais had patiently waited all day with his unit on hiding, across the river in front of de Wet.

All day the Jerseyman had thought on the situation. To confront de Wet in open battle would be futile as de Wet would merely fan out his troops. The terrain did not even lend itself to an ambush that would work. De Wet's superior weapons and fresh horses gave him too many advantages. Le Gallais could not risk sending a messenger around to the scouting party which did not know of his presence. Capture of the messenger would remove any element of surprise.

So he decided on an early morning attack with his men in fixed positions on either side of the valley. He planned to take enough men across the river and station them on either side of de Wet's camp and to leave a front line of troops in his present position. He hoped to give the impression that the encamp-ment was surrounded and force de Wet to surrender. Le Gallais also hoped that the scouting party at the rear of the enemy would quickly appreciate the situation once the firing broke out and would advance.

Throughout the night the Jerseyman moved his men slowly down the slope, across the river, and up to the positions he had chosen. A hot sticky night with the threat of a storm in the air. With extreme delicacy Le Gallais' men moved amid the constant noise of bush animals and insects. Sweat pours down and soaks the men's tunics .... even the river is lukewarm and unrefreshing. Soon all is ready, Le Gallais is within sight of his finest hour.

There is a deadly hush over the valley. It is a few moments before sunrise and a slight steamy mist rises from the river. And then ... shots ring out. Bullets pour into the Boer camp from 300 paces.

Immediately the Boers are awake and seek-ing shelter as best they can. De Wet has hurriedly dressed and is out trying to organise his men. He fears the worst. He feels caught in a situation in which he himself has caught others. There is chaos everywhere .... men seeking shelter from the deadly rain, others trying to mount horses or trying to reach the heavy Krupp guns. Men fall about him. Bullets tearthrough the undergrowth, ricochet off tree trunks and hit his men with terrifying rapidity.

For five hours the battle rages .... the Boers fighting for their very survival and receiving no quarter from the attacking force. The three-quarter encirclement is slowly closing in on the Boers. Le Gallais is there slowly bringing de Wet closer to capture or a fighting death.

The air is full of smoke and dust, shouts and cries. Then, General de Wet gets a message. There are no British at his rear. There are no troops waiting to advance in on him. The way is clear for retreat. But word spreads fast and within minutes Boers are leaping onto horses and there develops even greater chaos. De Wet tries desperately and unsuccessfully to halt his fleeing men.

Le Gallais, seeing the enemy pulling back, instantly realises that his bluff has been called. The scouting party had long since withdrawn. His horses are across the valley. He now sees that de Wet is slipping away and he must make one last desperate attempt. He advances down the short slope and, in their hundreds, his men follow.

  

De Wet sees this and he himself retreats at a gallop. Le Gallais' men are unable to follow and, in that final charge the Jerseyman is fatally wounded.

Of Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Le Gallais Christian de Wet was later to write "Without doubt one of the bravest English officers I ever met."

Munich Revisited

A very pessimistic poem, contemplating recent world events, and looking back at the past. J.D. Vance in a speech in Munich has just said that "Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters" in advocating that the strident far right parties in Europe reflect the voice of the people, and this is all that matters. It seems that nowadays, all kinds of hate speech, gross malice and intolerance are justified by freedom of speech.

He seems not to have read John Stuart Mill: “The will of the people, moreover, practically means the will of the most numerous or the most active part of the people; the majority, or those who succeed in making themselves accepted as the majority, consequently, may desire to oppress a part of their number; and precautions are as much needed against this as against any other abuse of power.”

Munich Revisited

Peace in our time, but the price of peace?
Maybe that the fighting will come to cease,
Only because the rise again of dark forces,
As if once more the stars in their courses,
Warned of evil times, of no friendly word:
But only that the politics of hate are heard;
Immigrants looked at with loathing, fear:
Violence erupts to destroy all we hold dear;
The strident tones of past dictator’s ghost,
Raising strange salutes, with a new toast
To a time of chaos. The centre cannot hold,
When the demagogue sounds forth bold,
To tear up the rules of law, and fight,
And like the red weed infested blight,
Spread across the world. Things to come,
Beginning with the beating of the drum,
And then war? Who can tell, who can say?
An avalanche tearing forth without delay,
Destroying all in its wake. Speak out?
Voices drowned with fear and doubt;
And no one to speak truth to power,
But to give obeisance, and just cower;
As into times of chaos we now fall,
Will not one person stand up tall?
The world carved up like a cake
And truth and justice do forsake.

1965 - 60 years ago - February Part 2

1965 - 60 years ago - February Part 2

15.—At a packed meeting at the Town Hall overwhelming opposition was expressed to the proposed yachting marina at Gorey. It was announced today that Her Majesty the Queen, on the recommendation of the Home Secret has approved the appointment of Mr. Herbert Vyvian Benest, Sergent .de Justice of the Royal Court,. to the office of Viscount of that Court.--A cave, hitherto unknown, was discovered by a party of rock climbers at La Belle Hougue, Trinity, yesterday morning, it is 20 ft. above high water mark and goes back into the cliff for 60 ft. ending in a small chamber.

17. In the election for Constable of St. Mary, rendered vacant by the death of Mr. A. G. Dallain, Centenier R. H. Le Cornu was elected by 222 votes to 162 over his opponent, Vingtenier F. J. de Ia Haye.—Annual general meeting of the Battle of Flowers Association, a. loss of £800 being announced for 1964.

19.—The motion “That drink is a curse " carried by small majority at fortnightly discussion by the Jersey Debating Club.

22.—The West German Ambassador to London, Dr. Hasso von Etzdorf, made courtesy calls on His Excellency the Lieut.-Governor and on the Bailiff before leaving the Island at lunch-time.—Thieves who broke into the offices of the Jersey Steel Co. Ltd., at Goose Green arch, Beaumont, over the weekend stole 18 in cash and insurance cards belonging to employees.--The States Fire Service dealt with more than 1.000 calls of all types last year, but fire damage (estimated to have cost £73,000 was 14,000 less than the previous year.

24.—This morning the Full Court ruled that because Mr. J. J. Le Marquand, the former Senator, did not pay the fees until four years after he had successfully petitioned for admission as a member of the Inns of Court, he was not at present qualified to be called to the Jersey Bar.—Rotarians in Jersey today celebrated the 60th anniversary of the founding of the first Rotary Club with anniversary luncheon at the Hotel de France. At an electoral meeting at the Town Hall, Constable's Officer S. Gallichan was returned unopposed to complete the term or office of the late Centenier W. A. Parker

25.—Annual meeting of La Societe Jersiaise, plans being announced for taking over property adjoining the Museum— St. John's parish assembly votes £1,000 for repairs to the Rectory.—At the annual general meeting of the Jersey Hotel and Guest House Association, Mr. B. Binningtor was elected president.

26.—Guest speaker at the meeting of the local branch of the Royal Commonwealth Society was a well-known Island “originaire" Mr C. M Le Quesne, C.M.G., head of the West and Central African Department of the Foreign Office.

27.-----Large crowd at the Opera House see Leonis A.B.C. defeat a British Army team by nine bouts to three.

The Rule of Organic Law

This poem takes its title and some of its theme from Charles Williams "Many Dimension" when Lord Arglay is working on. Organic law is law that constitutes the 'organs' or instruments of governance themselves. This may be stricter or looser, depending on the state of law, and I have chosen to interpret it as the key underpinnings of justice itself, and how the natural environment has its own laws, which we ignore at our peril. We cannot order the earth to "obey", however many executive orders a President may give, and the dangers of climate change are ever present, however much we may wish them away.

The Rule of Organic Law

Deny nature, and pollute the earth,
And an executive order will give birth,
To the coming winds of change,
That sweep across the mountain range,
And right across the fertile plain,
Bringing devastation, loss and pain;
The earth rebels, as if an infection
Needs to be taught by its subjection
To the winds that blow, terrible, strong:
A sign of all that mankind does wrong;
And in their wake the floods and fire,
A melancholy note played on the lyre:
The funeral lament, towards last rites,
For those who dare ascend such heights
Of folly. Pride and avarice bring a curse,
And the angry earth will not disperse;
The dark shadows that will now fall:
Precious resources, a stolen haul,
That cannot be replenished again:
So foolish is the desire of men;
And so once more a wind is rising,
For there is no more disguising,
By clever words, by orders made,
How all will someday be afraid;
Tempests blow down frail house,
Fires burn no rains can douse;
And ice will come, deep snow,
Freezing certainties with woe;
And heat will come, and burn,
Unless we listen and return,
To the rule of organic law:
And close that deadly door.

1965 - 60 years ago - February Part 1

1965 - 60 years ago - February Part 1

1.—At the inquest held on the body of Centenier W, A. Parker, of St Helier, a verdict was returned that he died from injuries received when he was struck on the head by a metal traffic sign after it had been hit by a furniture van as he was walking along the pavement in Lempriere. Street. It was announced by the Motor Taxation Department today that 23,806 tax discs were issued last month ; this is almost 1,500 above the total issued in January last year. A shock for Jersey's business life came today with the announcement that the Jersey Tobacco Company will close at the end of March, the reason being that the factory is too large for its production and can no longer cover its overheads.

2.—At a nomination meeting .held in St. Saviour's Parish Hall, Mr. G. Gallichan, of La Tourelle, was returned unopposed as Centenier, replacing Mr. V. E. Collins (resigned).

3.—At the Royal Court today Mrs. M. O. Ozard_described as a "professional abortionist". was jailed for 18 months ; Alan Edgar Talibard and his wife Linda, who pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy to unlawfully use an instrument to procure a miscarriage, were bound over for three years and ordered to pay costs of £25,—After nearly 40 years as one of the Island's best known laundries, the Lilywhite Laundry Ltd., of Maison Labey, St. Aubin, is to close down for economic reasons.—The most famous of all hockey journalists, Mr. R. L. Hollands, guest of honour at annual dinner of Jersey Hockey Club.

[Before the introduction of the 1997 law, termination of pregnancy in Jersey constituted the crime of murder or manslaughter unless performed “in good faith for the purpose only of preserving the life of the mother” or “when the continuance of the pregnancy would make the woman a physical or mental wreck” The UK law came in 1967.]

5.—Jersey Blind Society's annual ball held at West Park Pavilion.—Jersey Debating Club motion "That all progress depends on the rebel” carried by 28 votes to 18 at usual fortnightly meeting.

9.—Copper piping valued at £580 and weighing more than a ton was stolen between midday Sunday and midday yesterday from a shed on a building site at Les Quennevais, St. Brelade.

10,—Thieves who broke into the warehouse of Burnhams Transport Ltd., Victoria Road, Georgetown, during the night got away with a haul of 150 dozen bottles of lager and a quantity of tinned foodstuffs.—Public meeting at St. Saviour discusses the possible development of Fort Regent and the island site at the Weighbridge by the Burley group of companies, many opinions being expressed.

12.—Annual dinner of local branch of the British Legion, the national chairman, Lord Carew, being guest of honour.

13.-0ver the period of the past three weeks tinned foodstuffs, fish and fruit, valued at more than £300, have been stolen from the store of A. P. Falle and Sons, the merchants of Commercial Street. At the Opera House the celebrated Amadeus String Quartet received a rousing ovation from .an. enthusiastic audience.

Time in Chains: my poetry collection from 2021-2022

 

Time in Chains: my poetry collection from 2021-2022

Copies in Jersey available for £5. (No P&P)

https://www.lulu.com/shop/tony-bellows/time-in-chains/paperback/product-g6kvkr.html

An Irish Imbolc

Imbolc or Imbolg (Irish pronunciation: [ə ˈmˠɔlˠəɡ]), also called Saint Brigid's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Bríde; Scottish Gaelic: Là Fhèill Brìghde; Manx: Laa'l Breeshey), is a Gaelic traditional festival. It marks the beginning of spring, and for Christians, it is the feast day of Saint Brigid, Ireland's patroness saint. Its traditional date is 1 February, about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.

An Irish Imbolc

I weave crosses for Saint Brigid's Day
Hand over the windows and the door
Protection of the goddess they say
And healing for the sick and sore

The Mound on the Hill of Tara today
Where the rising sun at the entrance
Is a shining beam down passage way
Onto the chamber wall, to entrance

The fire at Kildare still shines bright
Abbey ruins come alive once more
Shadows of the past come into sight
Blessings of the goddess we adore

Now the lambs frolic and prance
And we join in the Imbolc dance