HISTORY

CLASSIC MOVIES: CITY LIGHTS

Written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin, City Lights was released in 1931 as a silent movie four years after the introduction of sound films. The story centres on Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp and his relationship with a Blind Flower Girl, played by Virginia Cherrill on her debut.

Virginia Cherrill is outstanding in this movie and her touching scenes with the Tramp are the highlight of the film.

Through a series of misadventures, the Tramp seeks to gather enough money to pay for an operation that will restore the Blind Flower Girl’s sight. She mistakes him for a millionaire, but with her sight restored, she realises that her benefactor is a humble tramp.

No spoilers, but in 1949 film critic James Agee said that the film’s final scene was “the greatest single piece of acting ever committed to celluloid.”

Rightly regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time, City Lights is Charlie Chaplin’s masterpiece, the epitome of the silent movie. Even if you are not a Chaplin or silent movie fan, if you are a romantic you will love this film.

Hannah Howe, author of Tula and Sunshine, novels set during the Golden Age of Hollywood. https://hannah-howe.com

80th Anniversary Of The Dambusters

Forces Representative and a number of other RAF personnel Rob Taylor, one of the museum volunteers guided our guests around the exhibitions and spoke about how many of the aircrew on the raid were trained at nearby RAF Stormy Down.

David Swidenbank

A Porthcawl Life

Born in Kingston-onThames in 1884 Henry James Batters moved to Porthcawl in 1908.

Marrying Evelyn Rowe in 1911 they set up home at 4 Railway Terrace (Hillsboro Place) where they had 14 children.

Then like many of his generation he enlisted into the military, serving in Ireland in 1916 with the Glamorgan Yeomanry before being transferred to the Royal Horse Artillery. Unfortunately, Harry was involved in an accident when a field gun ran over his leg, which left him with a limp for the rest of his life. Yet, his obituary refers to Harry as a fine all-round sportsman who played rugby for Porthcawl.

Between the wars, Harry, who was a power-station electrician, had been employed at Aberbaiden and Newlands Collieries. During WW2 he obtained a similar post at the Royal Ordinance Factory, Bridgend where he served throughout the war. He was one of the original members of the Porthcawl Branch of the British Legion and had been a member of the Royal Ancient Order of the Buffalo for 40 years.

However, when he first came to Porthcawl he was best known as a comedian, having topped the bill at the Hippodrome Electric Picture Palace, which became the Coliseum Cinema (1911) before becoming the Spar. Harry sadly died in 1948, aged 63.

Ceri Joseph

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