Skegness Magazine

JUMBO ” GETS “BRACING”
Amusing Incident Near Skegness Railway Station.
The “bracing” Skegness atmosphere has evidently been “a bit too much” for the elephant which had for the previous few weeks has been “housed” at Thompson’s amusement park on the North Parade, and had formed an unusual attraction. For on a Monday in 1929, about dinner time, when several park attendants led him to the railway station with the intention of  “shipping him off,” he caused an extraordinary scene.
It appeared that Jumbo, at first sight took some dislike to the railway station yard, and it was with difficulty that the attendants got him through the gate and up to the railway waggon standing in a siding. Things went fairly well, however, until a huge engine nearby gave an exceptionally loud snort, and upset Jumbo completely. The fun began with him backing disgustingly away from the wagon, and pull as they may the attendants could not prevent him backing out on to the road.
In a few minutes a big crowd gathered, and not long after two members of the police force arrived on the “job.” The attendants endeavoured to get Jumbo to walk through the gateway on to the station premises from the Richmond Drive, but  elephant “wasn’t having any.” He backed away again and uttered a peculiar snarl, while the attendants pushed at his back, coaxed him, struck him with sticks and pulled his ears, but the only response to all these efforts was Jumbo going dowa on his knees. A lady attendant from the park, with it basket full of tempting morsels placed herself in front of him and first held out an apple them a nice crisp lettuce.
Jumbo rose to his feet and extended hie trunk towards the woman, but never would he move more than an inch towards her. The crowd yelled with delight at the sight, and the attendants scratched their heads in despair. Occasionally Jumbo would take his is attention off the lady’s enticing morsels and crow his back legs and yawn, but no one by “hook or by crook,” could persuade him to enter the station yard.

Finally, after repeating g the operations mentioned time and again, the attendants were forced to retrace their steps to the park with Jumbo calmly walking alongside, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Source: Skegness Standard, 25th September, 1929.