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Did a tornado hit Skegness in 1999?

TWISTER?

A DRAMATIC incident reminiscent of scenes from America’s west coast was seen in Skegness on Monday when a “twister” hurricane was thought to have made its way across the Lincolnshire coast towards the town.
But don’t worry, it was a perfectly harmless event which was not even remotely similar to the scale of phenomena witnessed in America.
Matt Larg, Brian Hawes, and Tony Hogg were working on Skegness Industrial Estate when they saw a funnel of wind moving towards Skegness near Gibraltar Point. It was seen during the rain on Monday at about 3pm, and lasted between 10 and 20 minutes.
Matt, a welder for Peter Harding (Fabrications), said
although it was quite small he had never seen anything like it. He said: “It’s the first time I’ve seen one ‘in the flesh.’ I’ve seen loads on TV and in pictures, but to see one in real life is quite amazing.”
Tony Hogg estimated it was about two miles away. He said: “It was amazing. Absolutely fantastic. The chance of seeing one in this country is slim, it’s very rare. When you tell people what you’ve seen they say ‘Yes, okay.’ They don’t believe you.”
Tony, who runs Ambassador Limousines, even feels the twister may have been capable of doing damage, if it had been close to anything.
He said: “Looking at the tail it went right
down to the floor, so possibly, yes, it could have done some damage. Obviously we couldn’t see the tail when it went behind trees and things like that, but it may have been capable of doing damage, depending on how powerful it was.”
However, nothing had been seen by the two wardens at Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve, according to warden’s secretary Doreen Lilly. The centre compiled weather reports for the weather bureau, she said, and it would have been noted.
She also said that local fisherman Ian Wharton had told her it was just a water spout. It was a regular occurrence and nothing to get excited about, he had said.
Neil Walker, an observer at Leeds Weather Centre, said that they had had no other
reports of a twister in the area, but he said the weather conditions were conducive to a small twister.
He said: “We had thunder reported in the eastern area, and thunder is one scenario where a hurricane would be feasible. There was an awful lot of rain, 16 millimetres in Wainfleet, and rain associated with thunder is conducive to hurricanes.”
He said Great Britain was above average with between 80 and 100 twisters a year, mainly in the summer months. They often took place in the countryside, but he said if it had taken place over the water it was a water spout.
Did you see anything near the Lincolnshire coast on Monday afternoon, or did you take a photo? If so, then contact the Skegness Standard on 01754 610362.

NOW do you believe us? That was the cry from Skegness residents this week as the Standard was inundated with sightings of the twister in response to last week’s story.
As soon as Friday’s paper went on sale, accounts of sightings began to flood in. They varied with sightings near both Gibraltar Point and the sea front, and others seeing two smaller ones which dispersed quickly to leave the main one.
Skegness man Mr Roger King managed to get a photo, taken outside his house in Sunningdale Drive. He saw the twister at about 3pm, just before the rain started, and he says it lasted for about 10 or 15 minutes.
He said: “I was mowing the lawn at the time and I just said I’d better get inside because it’s about to chuck it down with rain. That’s when I first saw the twister.”
He says it kept changing size and moving up into the clouds and then down again. Mr King also saw one last year, at Church Lane, Winthorpe.
He said: “I stopped underneath it and had a look. They make a kind of helicopter sound as they spin in the sky.”
Mrs Anne Pollock was at her daughter’s home on Buckthorns Avenue, Skegness, looking out of the window when she saw two tornados. She thinks one came from around Gibraltar Point and looked as though it was sucked up into the clouds.
It was followed by a smaller tornado just before the downpour, which also looked as though it was being sucked up into the clouds and taken out to sea. “It was really fascinatng,” she said.
Mrs Cynthia Lee, of Croft Lane, ainfleet, said: “I just want to say in response to your article - yes I did seeit. I didn’t want people saying those men who saw it were just seeing things. I saw it but when I told my husband he said ‘No, you must have been mistaken.”
“It was amazing, quite spectacular. I was watching it for a good 10 or 15 minutes.”
Mr Peter Ladums took a photo from his garden in Croft Close, Wainfleet. He saw it at bout 3pm, near Gibraltar Point. He said: “My neighbour, Cyril Beardshaw, saw it and me round and told me about it. He saw three, but when we went out there was only one. As I got my camera out, it was beginning to disperse.”
Mr Beardshaw said the three twisters were moving towards Skegness. He said: “There was more or less a blanket of cloud. There was one big twister and two smaller ones.”
David Taylor, proprietor of Tattoos by Dave, saw the twister from the pier. He said: “When I saw it I was standing on the side of the pier. It first appeared over the Embassy Centre and then moved over Bottons before moving out towards the sea. It kept getting longer and shorter, and then longer and shorter again.”
His wife Lisa saw it too, from their house, and he said their son Kane rushed round to tell him and told him “we’ve just seen a twisting cloud.”
Mrs Wendy Kemble, of Chapel, said: “I was in the car park at Skegness Cricket ground when I saw a tail of cloud at the end of Richmond Drive. As the cloud moved along it took on a cylindrical shape.”
Mrs Ann Cook, a driver with North Shore Taxis, said she saw it briefly near Gibraltar Point while driving along the sea front on Monday afternoon.
Thirteen-year-old Skegness School pupil Matthew Smith said he saw it with about 14 other pupils and two teachers from the school playground. He said: “It was a bit scary at first because it looked like it was coming straight towards us.”

A “ran tan” was a ritual performed by some members of a community to express indignation to unsociable or “immoral” actions of an individual. Sometimes, the ritual got out of hand, as described in the story below. I’m not sure of the exact date of the original article but estimate it to be around 1900.

“RANTANNING” FATALITY
There was a sequel at Spilsby Sessions to the extraordinary story of a “rantanning” at Firsby, (Which was mentioned in a previous edition of a local newspaper’s “Fifty Years Ago” feature).

Three men were charged with the manslaughter of a ratepayer who died from the effects of maltreatment  received, two days before his death, at a “rantanning”.

It was alleged that the deceased turned his daughter out, and took in a married woman living in the village. The accused admitted fetching deceased out of the house.
A doctor stated that the death was due to shock and abdominal injury, but the witnesses failed to connect the accused with the fatality, and they were discharged, the magistrate stating that no jury would convict.

If you were walking along the seafront of Skegness in 1937, you will probably have seen a Norfolk Vicar sat in a Lion’s cage.
Harold Davidson, Rector of Stiffkey, put on an unusual side-show when he entered the lion’s den at Rye’s Pavilion two or three times a day, pacing around with two bemused-looking beasts.
Davidson felt himself to be the victim of rough justice. He had been de-frocked five years earlier because of his missions in the London area to rescue ‘ladies of the night’.
He was dubbed ‘Prostitute’s Padre’ by the press.
He had failed to impress the church court of his honourable intentions and was found guilty of immoral conduct.
The now ex-rector launched a crusade to prove his innocence. This included publicity stunts like fasting in a barrel on Blackpool’s Golden Mile in 1936 and playing a biblical ‘Daniel’ by pacing around in a lion’s den on Skegness sea front in 1937.
On 28th July 1937, the usually docile Freddie the Lion turned on the vicar and struck him a fatal blow.
The vicar died two days later in Skegness Cottage Hospital.
His dying words were “Telephone the London papers!”

Most readers are probably more or less familiar with the features of Mr. Harold Davidson, M.A., who, as the ex-Rector of Stiffkey, has been in the public eye for a considerable period.
Many, too, have seen him in his role of a modern Daniel in the lion’s den at Capt. F. Rye’s Pavilion on the Sea View Pullover at Skegness.
The novel “turn” has already been witnessed by many hundreds of people of all classes, and the widespread interest aroused may be gauged from fact that last weeka Blackpool Press photographer arrived at the resort to take pictures of Mr Davidson in the lion’s den.
Through the courtesy of Mr. Maurice Saidman, a member of the well-known Saidman Brothers, Press photographers, of Blackpool, we are privileged to reproduce one of the pictures which he secured.

As will be seen the ex-Rector of Stiff key is “armed” only with a walking stick, but despite the somewhat searching look of Leo at the intruder, Mr. Davidson wears a very engaging smile.
It may be mentioned that Mr Maurice Saidman himself accepted Capt Rye’s suggestion that he enter the cage in order to secure a still better picture. He managed to do this all right, but when he was about to leave the cage the lion became restless and Mr Saidman experienced one of those feelings which—well, a feeling which those who have been in a den alone with a lion might be able to describe.
Mr Saidman admitted later that while he has taken pictures from risky positions in aeroplanes and under all sorts of other conditions, that was the first time he had taken one in a lion’s cage. As the photograph turned out all right, however, he felt that he had done his Press photography good deed for the day!

SAD HAPPENING IN LION’S CAGE “FRONT PAGE” WORLD NEWS
INQUEST STORY OF TRAGEDY

Skegness came in for national prominence last week as the Rector of Stiffkey’s ill-fated decision to present an “act” in a lion’s den.

The ex-rector, Mr Harold Francis Davidson, was suddenly attacked by of the two animals and was badly mauled before he could be rescued. The injuries which he received led to his death in Skegness hospital less than two days later.
Thus, through the whirligig of Fate, Skegness secured publicity undreamt of barely a week ago.

COVERED WITH BLOOD

Pc G. Biddle of the Skegness Force, said that while on duty on North Parade when he saw a number of people running from Rye’s Pavilion. On going ther he saw Mr. Davidson lying on the floor of the cage close to the railings near the right hand door. His face and head were covered with blood. The witness Somner was inside the cage and two men were trying to keep cage lion away from the pair. The gate was padlocked.

Wltness went to call a cyclist to procure a doctor and the ambulance and when he returned, the gate was being opened.

The cage measured 14ft by 8ft and the two doors veto each 6ft high by 2ft wide.

Mr Barton said he had someone from the Zoological Gardens present in Court to give evidence if the jury thought necessary but he did not press for this witness being called.
The Coroner said the jury would have to decide whether they desired Mrs. Rye to be called in which event the inquest would have to be adjourned for her attendance.
VERDICT AND RIDER.
The jury intimated they they would retire to consider the matter and were absent for about 15 minute.

On their return the Foreman said they did not require further evidence and that they agreed that decease’s death was due to diabetic coma brought about by shock through the mauling which he had received.
They would like to add a rider to this namely that they considered that an expert should always be present at such performances in future.
Asked if the jury wished to say anything about negligence, the Foreman replied “No, we have no desire to add more”.
The Coroner then returned a verdict of Death by misadventure in accordance with the evidence.

Mr Rye in an interview said that he will definitely remember the relatives of the Rector out of the profits of the show,adding that the youngest daughter had promised him a keepsake of her father.
The lion show was closed from 3 to 4 pm on the day of the funeral.

More about the death of the de-frocked Rector of Stiffkey coming soon!

Ben Locker’s info about the Rector of Stiffkey

1941 - “How Many Legs?’
Ald J A Hipkin reported to Spilsby R.D.C. on Monday, that at Thorpe (Wainfteet) the rats had raided the store of jam made by the Women’s Institute and practically eaten it all.
Capt Richardson: How many legs had these rats got? (Laughter.)
Mrs. I. M. Ward said it was unfortunately true. The building where the jam was stored abutted a drain. When the jam inspector came round she advised the jam-makers to leave the cupboard door open.The rats got in.
The Chairman: Not an ideal place for jam near a sewage drain.
Capt. Richardson: Thank God, I did not have any of it!
Mr. W. H. Mackinder: Can any of this jam be salvaged. (Laughter.)

Source: Skegness News 1933

TARRED AND NAKED MAN AT SKEGNESS

REMARKABLE DISCLOSURE AT SPILSBY POLICE COURT

WALKED ROUND TOWN AT NIGHT
The remarkable disclosure that a man had entered a shed at Skegness, tarred himself from head to foot and walked about the streets naked all night, was made at a special police court at Spilsby last Wednesday.

Ernest Thomas Furze (33) described as a kitcnen porter, of Mevagissy, Cornwall, was charged with wandering abroad, lodging in the open air without visible means, and failing to give a good account of himself at Partney, near Spilsby, the previous night.

APPREHENDED AT PARTNEY

P.c. Evans, of Partney, stated that about 8p.m. he received a complaint from Mr. Holderness, of Model farm, Partney, that a man was wandering round his stacks and field. Proceeding there in company with Insp A. Stevens they found Furze lying under a stack covered with tar practically from head to foot, and his only clothing was a pair of old trousers.

It appeared the man had torn off all his clothing except his trousers and thrown them away with his boots.
When questioned he could give no clear statement about himself and was taken to Spilsby police station.
Insp. A. Stevens said Furze had volunteered to him the information that he had I been in trouble several times at numerous places and had been wandering about the country since October last year.

The Inspector asked for a remand for a week, during which time the authorities would endeavour to get the tar off the man and have inquiries made concerning him.

ABSOLUTELY NUDE.
It appeared from what Furze told him, added the Inspector, that Furze went to Skegness earlier that week and there entered a shed where there were some tar barrels. He then tarred himself all over and walked around Skegness during the night, absolutely nude.
Later on he went into a shelter and back again into the shed.
The magistrates were shown Furze’s legs, which were black with tar, and Insp Stevens commented that the man had said that he “would do something to himself”‘ if he was allowed to go.
Furze: Yes, I shall. It’s no good putting me back on the road. You had better send me to prison.
Insp. Stevens: He is in that state of mind that makes it necessary for something to be done for his benefit.
The magistrates granted the application for a remand, and asked that a report be made by the prison authorities upon the state of mind of the prisoner and also his physical condition.