Quote:
Originally Posted by Rumil
Lovely davem!
What I'm not clear about is : was the excerpt all taken from the Sheffield press report of '31 or was the text written by the modern author of the book?
If the second, it's still a wonderful tribute
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Yep - missed the relevant quote 'marks' -
The fireworks were spectacular.
Quote:
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'The setting occupied several hundred yards along which dim diminutive figures hurried with torches,'
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the Sheffield Daily Telegraph reported.
Quote:
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At the opposite end of the line, mythical jugglers began throwing up balls of fire to left & right in pastel shades of green, pink & pale blue, & then followed a fireworks boxing match that created unbounded amusement, rousing the hearty cheers of the crowds. Wonderfully realistic were the firework dovecotes, to & from which fiery pigeons winged their way across the park. The finest art of the pyrotechnician was surely embodied in a remarkably life-like picture in fireworks of the personality of the day, Lord Milton. ....The most wonderful spectacle of all was the concluding number, an air and sea battle in which the attacking airship was brought down in flames....
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So, yes, it was from the local press report - given that it happened at the height of the Great Depression such lavish spending would have probably been widely reported in the Nationals too - in fact the event was toned down as the seventh Earl originally wanted his son's 21st birthday celebrations to extend over a week. The Fitzwilliams were absolutely MEGA wealthy from their mining interests & mixed in the most elevated circles - which is partly how the Eighth Earl came to be having an affair with the future President Kennedy's sister Katherine (& thus how they came to die together in that plane crash - bit of a scandal at the time).