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In The 1930s ....


AdnamsGirl

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My two 1930s photo abums arrived yesterday .... it's like christmas for me when something like that arrives in the post! :party:

Whilst going through them was rather surprised to see the image below (from 1931) ... I thought it was a UFO at first, and then it suddenly clicked! Not the greatest quality photo I'm afraid but very interesting. What a sight it must have been to see one of these hovering over the Broads.post-500-136713659146_thumb.jpg

I knew that we had the airship station in Norfolk at Pulham ... I guess it must have come from there. More details of the air station here: http://pennoyers.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=126&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=0

The photos are going to take me a while to sort out, but I will stick a few on this thread when I get the chance.

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I have been having a poke round on the internet this afternoon, and I don't think this is a British airship. As far as I can gather, the UK suspended airship flights after the R101 crashed in France in 1930. The shape, compared to the UK airships is wrong too ..... I think it is a Zeppelin and quite possibly the German passenger airship the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin.

Link to the Wikepedia entry for the LZ 127: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZ_127_Graf_Zeppelin

It apparently made regular trans-Atlantic flights and in July 1931 went to the Arctic. Link to the Wikipedia image of the LZ 127 below.

ZeppelinLZ127a.jpg

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I'd forgotten that I had some aerial photos of the Broads which date from the early 1930s which demonstrate just how much the area has changed over the years when you compare them to Google maps! They are obviously at a different angle to the Google views, but you can work out what is what!

The first one is of Great Yarmouth and shows the old Breydon Rail Viaduct pictured earlier and the Vauxhall railway station and sidings where Asda now stands. It also shows the old suspension bridge which is where the new Acle road bridge now crosses the Bure.post-500-13671365921_thumb.jpg

And here is the modern Google Maps view!

Open in Google Maps

I know that there are a few members who moor at Brundall so thought that this one might be of interest ..... the 30s aerial view shows that Brundall riverside has changed drmatically! post-500-136713659238_thumb.jpg

And the Google Maps view ...

Open in Google Maps

I have a few more of these if they are of interest?

Carol

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I don't think its the Graf Zeppelin, because it has a symmetrical pair of engine cars at the stern, and she only had a single, central one.

These Googled images of some airships from that era (some reversed, to show the same Starboard quarter viewpoint), show that only one had a pair of stern engines, the LZ129 Hindenburg.

The only problem though, is the year. The LZ127 did fly all over the world from 1929 onwards, but the Hindenburg only had two seasons, 1936 and 1937, when she crashed. So if the 1931 date is right, it can't be her.

Strange though, because you can almost make out the swastika panels on the rudders, and they are the German shape, with the horizontal top. :)

edit - I'm now having second thoughts. The blurry starboard rear engine could just be a dust speck, and you might be dead right !

post-669-136713659254_thumb.jpg

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I think you must be right then Carol. The year fits perfectly for the Graf Zeppelin, and it was the most widely travelled air ship, (no accidents, and it was only scrapped after the Hindenburg disaster in 1937, when Germany's ambitions turned to something else.)

There is also the pronounced step in the hull line under her chin, where her totally external accommodation was in the extra large gondola.

Strange to think of her chugging over the peaceful Broads in 1931, back to her native land with the terrible things that were happening there.

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Thanks Strowager.... After I found out that it couldn't have been a British airship in 1931, I only really checked the Wikipedia list of airships within the date range of my photos and the Graf Zeppelin was the one which seemed to fit the bill and profile! Quite amazing for someone to have taken a photo of her on their Broads holiday.... these old photos do turn up some odd things at times!!

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Those wheel hoes were quite common and you could have bought one right up to the '50's. I don't think they were American and as was said had a variety of attachments. Cannot remember the make but might have been Atco or Ransomes. The only attachments that really work were the hoes - two flat blades like Dutch hoes and the cultivator consisting of some 4/5 tines . That must have been a posed photo as you could not do a field - a row was difficult!!! My Dad used to harness me to the front to add motive power but it was still nigh on impossible! For years we had a plough attachment which you could only have used immediately after you had dug it by hand!!!

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I think it would have been highly unlikely that it was staged ... as I said, these are stills taken from cine footage of a family holiday. I can't see a middle class family from Leeds being interested in staging a hoe demonstration to liven up their holiday film! :lol:

I suspect that they were just passing the field at one of the points that they stopped at over the week .... the chaps did seem to be pushing them a good way down the field. Of course, I have no way of knowing whether it could have been staged by another photographer, but I suspect that they were actually hoeing that field ..... we bred 'em tough in Norfolk in those days! :naughty::naughty:

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I've just had search of the British Pathe website for footge of the Graf Zeppelin ...... I have found newsreel from 1931 when it visited London ... perhaps the photograph I have was taken on that trip?

It's a fascinating bit of film which really shows you just how big she was!! Great footage of her landing and taking off again and the vast crowds the visit drew.

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=6498

There is various other footage of the Graf on there too if you do a search, including film of her under construction.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm still busy trying to sort through and clean up my 1930s photos but will post a few later if I get the chance.

In the meantime ... going back to hiring, or taking along a wind-up gramaphone on the Broads in the 1930s. This is an example of some of the popular music of the day which is just so evocative of the era.

We actually bought a wind-up gramaphone (1940s model) when we took our second trip on the Broads in 1985 ... packed up a selection of 78's to take along with us ... and then couldn't use it because it was so bl**dy loud!! :o The Broads must have been a noisy place in the 1930s! The gramaphones didn't have volume controls and the only way to try and quieten it down was to stuff some fabric into it to try and muffle the sound a bit .... I'm sure that I read somewhere that this was where the expression "put a sock in it" originated from.

Carol

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Sam Lanin did some great stuff with his various dance orchestras ... one of the first 78's I had was his version of Sweet Sue which is a stomping tune!

In the mid 80s we could only get one size of needle for it ... bought from Norwich Record Exchange I think! So if your dad recieved complaints about the couple on Pastel Blue Gem (or was it Petite Blue Gem) who were blaring out "Hoots Mon" as they cruised along the Ant in August 1985 ... it wasn't us! :oops::naughty:

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Back to some photos!

As I mentioned before, the rivers were quite busy during the summer months during the 1930s as the popularity of boating holidays on the Broads increased. Whilst many boatyards were building and hiring out the new fangled motor cruisers, the sailing boats available for hire still outnumbered them. From a basic half-decker with a camping awning right up to some very large and luxurious yachts which were hired with an attendant.

The first photo album I have is from 1931 features a holiday taken by a party of ladies onboard the yacht "Iverna" which was built by Ernest Collins of Wroxham .... and what a stunner she was! She came with a skipper and cost around £10 - £13 per week to hire.

post-500-136713665807_thumb.jpg

1933 brochure entry for Iverna:

post-500-136713665832_thumb.jpg

Some of the holiday party ..... I love the parasols! Horning Swan can be seen in the background.

post-500-136713666228_thumb.jpg

Moored up for the evening in a quiet spot .....

post-500-136713666235_thumb.jpg

River scene .. unknown location, but probably on the Bure.

post-500-136713666243_thumb.jpg

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would that be the version by Lord Rockingham or Gordon Franks and his Orchestra?

It was Lord Rockingham! Confiscate my records !!!!! :o:o:cry:cry

Simon ... having seen the way that the skipper was throwing Iverna around Wroxham Broad, I don't think I'd be smiling either by that point! (where's the seasick smiley) :naughty:

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Hi Carol

thanks for posting all this fascinating stuff, I started reading it last night, then went onto your website and sat up until some ungodly hour!

Our boat was built in 1932 and is pretty original inside, it's amazing to think she survived the 2nd world war, many years as a hire boat, & now us.

I wish she could talk!

just off to find my sleeping apparrel for the weekend afloat, can't see Steve in his knockabout suit tho' ......

Jax :lol:

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Hi Jax

Many thanks ... glad that you found it of interest. Sorry to have kept you up late! :naughty::lol:

I've seen your boat about .... she is beautiful and I'm very jealous! :mrgreen:

I remember seeing the brokers interior pictures when she was up for sale a couple of years or so ago and she did look very original .... sadly Camelot didn't draw my lottery numbers at the time!!

Carol

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've got quite a few old postcards dating from the 1930s, so I thought I'd post a few on this thread as they often show some quite interesting views of Broadland.

This is Oulton Broad Yacht Station ... posted in 1936.

post-500-136713672048_thumb.jpg

And this is Bridge Road with the Wherry Hotel in the background - there was an awful lot less traffic in those days! The row of shops on the right included Leo Robinsons Stores.

post-500-136713672073_thumb.jpg

Staying on the Southern Rivers, this is Thorpe St. Andrew - pictured in the early 1930s. The vessel on the right was called "Test" and was available to hire from G.Hazell & Sons of Thorpe. It looks to me like a wherry yacht which has had it's mast removed ... it has a very distinctive bow but I haven't been able to assertain whether it was once a wherry yacht! It was 50 feet in length with a 12ft beam, slept 9 people and the hire terms included "an engineer who does not attend to cooking" !! A weeks hire in 1935 would have set you back between £13 15 shillings and £20 10 shillings.

post-500-136713672342_thumb.jpg

Heading to the northern rivers, this is Hickling Pleasureboat Staithe.

post-500-136713672348_thumb.jpg

And Ludham Bridge - posted in 1935.

post-500-136713672352_thumb.jpg

I'll post some more later!

Carol

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