1941: Following a Ministry of Home Security circular on the carrying of gas masks, a Mrs Mellows organised four lectures aimed principally at housewives of active servicemen, on how to handle a gas situation. The second talk was held on this day. Each lecture covered: latest information about gas attacks; first aid for gas casualties; how to protect yourself and dealing with incendiary bombs and fires. All lectures were very well attended. (Gray, David, Peterborough at War 1939-1945, David Gray, 2011)
Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.
1651: In 1651 Oliver St John, associate of Oliver Cromwell, Chief Justice of Common Pleas during the Protectorate and the builder of Thorpe Hall between 1653 and 1656, went to seek help from the Dutch for the war against Charles I. His mission failed and led eventually to the First Anglo-Dutch war. On his return, he wrote about his Dutch failure, then turned to more local affairs and wrote that 'the Minster of Peterborough, being an ancient and goodly fabric, was proposed to be sold and demolished but I begged it to be granted to the citizens of Peterborough'. As a result, an Act of Parliament was passed on this day granting the cathedral to the people of Peterborough on the basis that 'the great Church called Minster was to be used, not only for the public worship and service of God, but also for a Work-house to employ the poorer sort of people in manufacture'. After the Restoration of the Monarchy he came back to Thorpe Hall, staying until 1662, then left for Basel in Switzerland, never to return. He left us with the legacy of a cathedral not too badly scarred and Thorpe Hall, close to the heart of many from Peterborough and beyond. ( Liquorice, Mary, Posh Folk: Notable Personalities (and a Donkey) Associated with Peterborough, Cambridgeshire Libraries, 1991)
Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.