27th May 1932

27th May 1932

On This Day… 27th May 1932 Jeffrey Bernard Born   Journalist. Born 11 Hampstead Square. His chaotic life, spent mainly in the bar of the Coach and Horses, Greek Street, led to the play ‘Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell’ by Keith Waterhouse, the title being...
26th May 1940

26th May 1940

On This Day… 26th May 1940 Dunkirk Evacuation Started   In May 1940, British, French and Belgian troops were cut off on the French coast by German forces and faced death or capture. A hastily assembled fleet of 850 ‘little ships’, code-named...
25th May 1903

25th May 1903

On This Day… 25th May 1903 Ralph Reader Born   Squadron Leader Ralph Reader CBE, officer commanding the Royal Air Force Gang Shows 1939 – 1946. Recognised for exceptional services to world Scouting, 1975. Originator of the Scouting Gang Show. Born...
24th May 1906

24th May 1906

On This Day… 24th May 1906 Ritz Hotel Started   Opened by Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz. The first hotel in the country where every room had an ensuite bathroom.   Cockney Cabbies One Big City, Three London Cabbies and the Rest Is History #london #history #tours...
23rd May 1533

23rd May 1533

On This Day… 23rd May 1533 English Split from Rome   To the annoyance of the Pope, the English Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer declared Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon to be void and his marriage to Anne Boleyn, to be legal. The result...
22nd May 1907

22nd May 1907

On This Day… 22nd May 1907 Laurence Olivier Born   Born Dorking, Surrey. With his wife Vivien Leigh, he managed the St James’s Theatre from 1950 to its closure in 1957. Founding Director of the National Theatre, 1963 – 1973. Baron Olivier of...