#the whitehaven four
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the gang's all here!!!
#this is really cute to me idk why#the way theyre all bunched up together#besties#one of my friends said 'draw this as your ocs'#not equipped for rambling#poirot#hercule poirot#agatha christie's poirot#agatha christie#david suchet#captain hastings#arthur hastings#inspector japp#james japp#miss lemon#whitehaven four#the whitehaven four#i love when theyre all together like this#this shows so cosy
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Demon Knight: Odel
[I plan on making a part 2, I just needed to write something, to begin with!]
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Part 1 | Part 2
Ad Laetitiam et Pacem
“It is set in ink. I will not hear anymore else of it,” your father, the King declared. “You will marry Lord Meriweather’s son by the arrival of spring.”
Perhaps in the hopes of pleasing your father, you would have heeded to words, to remain dutiful as princess of the realm and make your family proud.
That same night when you heard of your fate, you prepared to dress comfortably in a washerwoman’s ensemble, before slipping out the high window.
To hell with the arrangement, I would rather live a life of celibacy. This fate will not ruin my life.
The third daughter out of six and the eighth out of eleven living children, you had many brothers and sisters older that would be set for better matches from well-known lords and ladies. Yet, you were not put to become queen or to be married off to a wealthy lord, you were assigned to marry a minor lordling, his youngest son feeble and health ailing.
Of all the four sons of Lord Meriweather’s brood, you had to be matched with one with no proper destiny. Hugh was sickly and frail, not a knight or the heir to his father’s land, he was predestined to nothingness, and upon your first meeting with him, you snidely advised he was better suited to abstinence than to displeasing his future wife.
To your dissatisfaction, it had to be you that would be disappointed.
The moonlight acted as your only guide as you run blindly through the streets of the capital. Dead of life with only a few patrolling, you were able to squeeze into dark shadows, ducking and weaving before you found yourself on the outskirts of the capital. Its high, towering walls were manned, but you covered your face with your hood, ducking your head as you run out, away from the life you knew.
The adrenaline pumped swiftly in your chest, and a sense of freedom was overwhelming as the smile broadened on your face, racing your body as fast as you could through the woods.
Months of planning had come underway, and the only place you knew would be deserted; was Whitehaven Hold.
Your other option could’ve been to stay with your older sister, Alinor. Eight years your senior, she was married at eight-and-ten to a well-known and comely lord, giving him babes a year into their marriage.
Father will know I will go to her. You knew it would be a rooky mistake. He knew how much you loved your sister, how you missed her dearly after she was sent away to live the rest of her days in someone else’s castle.
Your older brother, Cassius was four-and-twenty, acting as a scholar in the south, but they did not accept women to the life of academics. No, it would’ve been harder to dress as a man to be accepted into his school.
It was a day or two away, and you spent your nights by a fire, rummaging for food and keeping what stale biscuits you hid in your dress pockets. You lay, wide awake, with no knowledge of where exactly you could go next.
The morning came easily when you arrived at the sight, a smouldering heat and smoke billowing from the mess in front of you.
Whitehaven Hold was a twisted, horrid sight. The battlements for a two-hundred-year war, its walls were burnt and destroyed, the stone had crumpled as it burnt and melted like candles, thousands burning inside. It acts as a haunted sight for travellers, with no Lord or Lady sane enough to reside there.
You entered through the battered doors, cold and damp easily enveloped you as you shuddered, looking around. It had been quickly looted of items by travellers, with not a sight of heirlooms or gold in sight. What remained was tattered and worn furniture, rooms dark and clammy and all the very same.
I’m not staying here before I lose my mind. You thought in disgust, but the thought of residing brought you to chuckle. The Lady of Whitehaven Hold- imagine the look on father’s face. It would not be good to stay a day or two before the cold enters your system and bring the chill quickly. It ached in your chest, not knowing where you could go next. South, always south. Away from it all.
The rooms were simple and easy to roam, a large, broken dining hall, fit for a Lord, wife and many heirs, its kitchen located on the far side. The table was battered and disarrayed, little to nothing scattered that remained of contents of food and dirt. You continued, walking past the cold entrance, up towards what remained of the grand staircase.
Spotting at the very top, are three displays of suits of armour, posing in similar positions. Their hands were positioned to have a greatsword in their hands, but only one remained in the grasp, the one in the middle.
You observed its armour, shinier and similar to molten black obsidian, it gleamed as if recently polished. You flicked your finger across the armour, its armour hummed low as you dragged across its armour to inspect for dirt.
“Hmph, just as I thought. A collectable.” You scoffed, wiping the grime from your finger as you stared up into its helm. The helmet was a beautiful display, gleaming in brilliance, except when you looked into the eyeless sockets of its eyes, something was not supposed to be there.
Eyes staring back. Alit with burning, enraged flames.
“There is little of me that I would class as a collectable,” a low, rumbling voice boomed, startling you rigid. You stepped back, towards the staircase, watching in horror. The talon-like fingers twitched momentarily, before another jolted with life, the whole hand was soon moving with existence.
The suit of armour slowly and lazily tested its movements, its long leg swung forward, groaning and choking as the armour moved. His fiery stare was towards you, raging with anger. “You are not meant to be here. You are trespassing.”
“No one lives here.”
“The Lord of Whitehaven Hold resides here, and I must protect my Lord from all.”
To your surprise, his fingers jerked to grip the hilt of his deadly sword tighter, a flash of silver startled you as he unsheathed the mighty weapon, before you were staggering, sprinting back down the stairs, hearing the squeaks of worn armour following hotly behind.
Leaving through the front door was an easier move, but with adrenaline pumping quickly in your chest. You stumbled and fell, your body kicking to keep moving, to hide, to do anything to get away from the deadly sword.
Something swung just behind you, a scream bubbling over you as his sword got caught into the wall, clinging with a hiss as it hit the wall and avoid taking a chunk out of you. You continued to run, in hopes you could find anywhere to hide, but no matter, the knight was hot on your tail.
You swept around the table, the knight rounding the other side, eyes flaming with the sword ready to swing before something caught his eye, something behind you. His sword lowered as he took in the damaged painting behind you, and you too turned to see what it was he was looking over.
The painting was of no doubt, the old Lord of Whitehaven Hold, yet he had been the first and last during the two-hundred-year war, murdered by conspirators who took over his castle after their coup.
There was a sadness that filled the knight’s eyes, lowering his sword, his entire demeanour changed to become defeated. “He’s gone?” His voice was gravelly and soft.
“He was murdered two-hundred years ago,” you spoke carefully, still gazing periodically towards the silver of his large sword. “There has not been another lord of this Hold since.”
The knight did not answer for a moment, looking at the painting with a solemn gaze that was so vivid without seeing the rest of his face. “Oh,” was the only word he spoke, before he sheathed his sword, marching back and away from the hall, back up towards the stairs.
“Hey, where are you going?” You stared in disbelief, uneasily tailing behind him a few feet. You watched how he climbed the stairs stiffly, moving back towards his display.
“I am no longer needed,” he spoke quietly. “I am free from my pact.”
“Pact from what?”
“The pact grants anyone who rules this hold the protection and my sword.” He moved towards to set himself in his display once more, propping the sword out to rest between his hands once more. You were by the bottom of the stairs, cautiously standing there. “I am no longer needed.”
Your cheeks heated the same way a child would grow in a tantrum. “Well, what if I became the next resident?”
His eyes peered over you, wide and in incredulously. “You’re a mere washerwoman.”
You remembered your clothing, the ones you snuck out in, and you knew you had no way of making him believe you. “Would you believe me if I said I was a Princess—and runaway one?”
He scoffed light-heartedly. “You’re rather funny, aren’t you?”
“I am!” You insisted. “My father is the current King, Cassius XV. My oldest brother is Crown Prince Isolde. My mother, Queen Adora, was forty when she passed, giving birth to my youngest sister, Margarita.” You told him your name, the one you despised using.
He did not answer once again, yet he seemed amused. “Anyone could know that of the current rulers.”
“I can read that,” you pointed towards the small display name, written in the old language of Ald, passed down to royalty and nobles to keep alive. “Would a washerwoman know about the culture and language of Ald? Would a washerwoman even know how to read?”
“Maybe so,” he assessed warily. “What is a princess like yourself doing out here?”
“My father wished to have me married off.”
He inquired amusedly. “You ran away from your betrothal? I don’t think I’ve heard of such a thing before.”
“You don’t know many princesses.” You muttered.
“Perhaps,” he mused. “It is known many Princesses of the past have been fond of comely knights and princes from far lands. It would be their dream to be married off.”
“Hugh Meriweather looks more weasel than man.”
The knight looked perplexed, but he did chuckle at your words. “Weasel, you say? I’m unsure there is some tale of a Princess and a weasel.”
Fairy tales are nightmares in reality. Just stories to keep girls happy. You thought. “It isn’t some fairy tale. I have no say in who I can love.” You huffed, crossing your arms. “That is why I’m here. Running away from the fate destined for me; misery, squeezing out babes and dying from childbed fever. You wouldn’t have to worry about being wedded off, you’re just a piece of talking armour.”
The silence that followed your passing words made you realise that you may have overstepped. You peered over at him, and though his face was shielded, you could tell your words had insulted him.
“You’re talking to a piece of talking armour.” He jeered and your cheeks had rouged once more in embarrassment. “What then, little Princess? You believe your father would not find you here?”
“He can sure try to.” You huffed. “I will not leave here.”
If he had eyebrows, you could be sure he had a face of exasperation. “You think you’ll have protection here?”
You shrugged nonchalantly. “You’re here.”
“I’m free from my pact, however.” He recalled.
“What about forming a pact with me? It can’t be that bad.” You said excitedly, too naively to think anything of it. You’ve had knights in service of protecting you your entire life: how different could this be?
“Princess,” his voice was laced with unease. “If you go ahead with this, you will need to sacrifice something of your life.”
Your silence was a tell-tell sign that you were uncertain. Sacrifice something, like what? You thought about the things you had to you: you had no titles to own, no claim to the throne, so you couldn’t give that up (you doubted you would’ve if you did own one). It seemed like an easy deal, yet nothing came to mind for you to give in return, until—
“I shall give you my hand in marriage.”
The knight recoiled almost as if he had been burnt in his ink-black armour, his demeanour changed to seem hesitant, almost incredulous to your offer. “What about Hugh the weasel? You don’t think I’m a married man already?” He asked.
“You wouldn’t be here if you were already married now, would you? You would be with your lady wife.”
He seemed pleased by your words, stepping forth towards you, around the table, before he was standing in front of you. His full height towered easily over you, and you imagined what he looked like without the helmet on him.
“I, swear by my name and honour, to protect and keep you in my stay, for as long as you may live. I am yours, Princess," he says. "I will shield your back and give you my life in the moment of need.”
You easily presented your hand to him to take into his, there was warmth oddly in his armoured fingers, and his obsidian suit of armour hummed and almost felt as if it was burning up on the inside before the knight brought your hand to his lips to place a kiss to your knuckles.
“Arise, sir-“
“Odel. Sir Odel.”
#demon#demon oc#demon boyfriend#demon knight#princess reader#female reader#monster writing#itstheendofthegoddamnworld writes#demon monster#monster x reader#monster x human#monster lover
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10 minute read
Full text under cut. Trigger warning for domestic abuse, institutional misogyny, child abuse, and murder.
Laura Corkill was prepared for the birth of her son. The baby's room was newly decorated - she had even chosen the name. Leiland-James Michael Corkill was born by emergency Caesarean four days before Christmas at West Cumberland Hospital.
Mother and baby bonded straight away - Laura describes it as "perfect".
"I remember his big bright eyes. I was happy, full of joy. I was looking forward to bringing my baby home."
But 48 hours after he was born, Leiland-James was taken away. The midwife who had helped deliver him came to tell Laura there was a social worker at his cot about to remove him.
Laura says she went and confronted the woman but was told paperwork had been sent to her solicitor. "I still haven't seen any paperwork," says Laura.
Laura's world "shattered" when her son was carried away.
It was 2019, and over the following year, she would try to get him back. But just days after his first birthday, the woman - who social workers had placed him with - murdered him.
Laura Corkill has never spoken out before. She wasn't involved in the subsequent murder trial. She wasn't involved in Cumbria County Council's review into his death. She says she feels silenced. This is her story, told for the first time.
This is also the story of what happens when social services get it wrong and when mothers who have experienced domestic abuse end up losing their children.
When Laura fell pregnant with Leiland-James, it was a moment of hope - a time to put her troubled past behind her. She was in a good place - supported by Aishea Drysder, from Women Out West, an organisation helping women who have suffered domestic and sexual violence.
Laura already knew what it was like to have a child removed by social services. Years earlier, she suffered domestic violence, but weeks after asking for help to remove her abusive partner from the home, her children were taken instead. Her life unravelled.
But being pregnant with Leiland-James was different, she says.
"I wanted to do anything and everything possible, to make sure social services didn't get their hands on this one. I was on cloud nine. I heard nothing from social services until 22 weeks."
The first social worker, she says, appeared to be happy with the preparations made for the baby at home. "She checked everything over and went around the house. She had no problems. She could see from what she read in my previous paperwork that I've come a very long way."
But Laura was still cautious and says she asked directly if she would be able to keep her baby. She says the woman reassured her there wasn't any reason the baby would be taken into care.
"I got the cot. I decorated [the room] in blue and white."
Laura believes everything changed when a second social worker replaced the first. The woman wanted to know more about Laura's past, particularly her time with an abusive partner when her first two children were taken away from her. Laura says she was open and honest.
"My mind was in two places. I feared they were going to whip everything away, but I was determined to carry on. I thought 'they are not getting him'."
Before the birth, Laura passed several parenting assessment courses.
"I jumped through every hoop to bring Leiland-James home."
Cumbria County Council has a different version of events and says in the last month of her pregnancy the plan was to remove Laura's son at birth. They say they told her this three times. Laura disputes this, and she says she is still waiting to see the paperwork, and that she only received confirmation when the social worker was taking her son from the hospital.
Laura's home is on the edge of Whitehaven, in a corner of an estate looking down on the town's harbour. It has a stunning view.
It's a place of extraordinary beauty but also deep deprivation. It's hard to believe now, but in the 18th Century it was a town made rich by coal, and the second-busiest port after London. Those days are long gone.
Laura's front room is now a shrine to her children and in particular Leiland-James.
When I meet her she is with Aishea from Women Out West and her colleague Rebecca Todd. Between them, they have more than 50 years' experience helping women who have suffered domestic and sexual violence.
They had no idea Leiland-James was going to be taken. "The first we knew was when Laura phoned us from the ward. We were devastated," says Aishea. Whatever the plan was, it wasn't communicated to them, they say.
Aishea says they had their own plan which would have seen Laura supported at home with the baby. After he was taken away, there were several attempts to negotiate with Cumbria County Council to bring him home.
A council spokesperson told the BBC that where there are concerns that a child's needs cannot be met, they have a duty to act and they work hard to support and inform birth parents.
Initially, Leiland-James was placed with a temporary foster carer. Laura says he was happy.
But she never stopped asking for him back.
The BBC has seen evidence that the Women Out West team supporting Laura offered social workers proposals to bring Leiland-James home. Both Aishea and Rebecca say they were not listened to.
The council told us Laura was assessed as not being able to meet Leiland-James's needs and during his life her circumstances did not change. This is strongly denied by Laura and Women Out West.
Removing Leiland-James proved to be the start of a series of events that proved fatal. Laura, Aishea and Rebecca believe decisions were made based on Laura's past, a belief the violence she faced previously could happen again, putting her and the baby at risk.
Leiland-James was taken from his mother in hospital and placed in care. He went on to be killed by the woman who wanted to adopt him.
Laura suffered several miscarriages after experiencing severe violence at the hands of a previous partner. After one of them, as she lay in a hospital bed recovering from a blood transfusion, her two children were removed from the family home.
She says at the time she reached out to Cumbria County Council for help but had not received what she needed.
"What they didn't realise was that I may have been the victim, but I was also the protector of my older children."
She says she "went off the rails" and suffered a mental health breakdown. She collapsed and ended up in hospital again. The next few years were hell, she says.
"I didn't want to be around any more."
Laura says she wasn't in a relationship while pregnant with Leiland-James and was in a positive frame of mind.
For the first few months of Leiland-James's life, Laura was able to see him at a council-run contact centre. She shows me photographs and it's striking how happy they both look. Laura would see her son four times a week, for an hour-and-a-half a day.
"I was still expecting him to come home," she says. "The contact meant the world to me. I even asked for them to extend it to about two hours. They wouldn't do it. I didn't trust them [the social workers], but I was willing to co-operate to get Leiland back."
But Covid cut off contact. In March 2020, as the country went into its first lockdown, she says she took two buses - an hour's journey - and turned up at the centre only to find it was closed.
For the next three months, she asked for video contact. But when she did get it, it wasn't the same. "I just wanted to hold him," she says.
But worse was to come. In July, the family court granted an adoption order for Leiland-James. Laura says she hadn't been told that Cumbria County Council had already identified her son for adoption and had found a family to place him with months earlier.
Cumbria County Council says they told Laura in April that Leiland-James should be adopted.
Laura disputes this - and says the time she had with Leiland-James in the contact centre should have indicated she was able to look after her son. She thinks too much weight was placed on her abusive past and the assumption the baby would be at risk of future emotional harm.
"How can [social workers] come up with that when they had seen what I was like in contact with the baby?" Laura asks.
Laura also believes her lack of face-to-face contact with her son because of Covid, and the closure of the centre, was used against her.
On 22 August 2020, Leiland-James was formally placed with a foster mother, Laura Castle, with a view to adoption.
Laura says she was meant to meet Laura Castle, as she still had parental rights, before the formal adoption. But the meeting time was constantly changed. She says she was given excuse after excuse by social workers. "Leiland was poorly when he wasn't, or they had to work. Something always cropped up."
Cumbria County Council says it did plan for a meeting before the adoption order was granted but everyone involved needed to be emotionally ready and the pandemic also caused difficulties.
Laura became suspicious. "I thought there's something seriously wrong. I automatically thought 'He's getting abused.'"
She shows me the last picture of her and her son at the contact centre. "It's precious," she says, her voice breaking. It's all she has left. She would never hold Leiland-James again.
In January 2021, the baby was taken to hospital by ambulance. Laura Castle told emergency services he had fallen from a sofa, injuring his head, and that he was unresponsive.
A social worker phoned Laura Corkill, but wouldn't tell her which hospital he was in.
"I was up and down all night. I just wanted to try to figure out if I could go to every hospital I could to find him. It was evil not to tell me."
The following day, she was told Leiland-James had been moved to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.
Cumbria County Council says only limited details were shared with Laura because his prospective adoptive parents were with him and the extent of the injuries were not known at the time. But the next day, when it became clear he wasn't expected to live, they rang Laura within an hour.
A taxi sent by the council was meant to take her to Liverpool, but Laura says it didn't arrive. Her support workers at Women Out West provided transport.
Laura was alone at the hospital when she arrived. She says by the time she got to his room, Leiland-James had died. By then, Laura says her son's body was evidence, a crime scene, and hospital staff would not let her touch him.
Laura says she instinctively knew his death had not been an accident.
"I said whoever had him had killed him. The surgeon told me 'we had suspicions of this and it went into investigation as soon as Leiland-James went into the hospital'."
Pathologists would later say in court that Leiland-James's injuries had been a classic indicator of "abusive head trauma" - a replacement term for "shaken baby syndrome" - and were of the severity seen in high-speed car crashes.
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this report, details of organisations offering information and support for domestic abuse and adoption are available via BBC Action Line.
Before Leiland-James was placed in her care, Laura Castle had agreed to Cumbria County Council's zero-tolerance approach to corporal punishment.
But during her trial for the murder in May this year, it emerged she had constantly beaten and abused the baby. In court, she was described as self-centred, abusive and violent.
She filmed the baby in distress. In text messages she bragged to her husband how she had "leathered him" and described him as "the devil's spawn".
In one text, she wrote: "I honestly really don't like him lately, he's an absolute moaning winge bag and I totally regret doin this [sic].
"Although I need to stop smacking him cos if I start, I'll not stop at one point and it's not getting us anywhere and then I feel bad."
These texts and the abuse were hidden from social workers, they had no idea this violence was taking place - but they were becoming concerned about what Laura Castle was saying to them about the boy.
The court heard a social worker had reported that Leiland-James had appeared unsettled, while another reported that Laura Castle had branded him "lazy" and "big" and said she didn't love him.
In December 2020, what is known as a Child Looked After Review had taken place. Social workers had agreed not to support an application for Laura Castle to formally adopt Leiland-James. But when Laura Castle was told this, she said to one social worker that "Leiland-James wasn't going anywhere".
In May this year, Laura Castle was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 18 years. Her husband, Scott Castle, was cleared of causing or allowing Leiland-James's death at the couple's home. He told the court that on the morning of the fatal attack he was in bed asleep after working a night shift.
Laura Corkill describes the woman who killed her son as an "evil sadistic monster". But she is also angry with Cumbria County Council and says it also must bear some responsibility for his death.
"Why did they place him there? Why did it take them so long to pick up on it? They should have cancelled the adoption order."
She also argues the council needs to offer more support to abuse victims.
The BBC has learned there are currently 26 mothers in west Cumbria, victims of domestic and sexual abuse, who are now at risk of losing their children because social workers have concerns about the impact on their children.
All of them are being supported by Women Out West. Laura Bell is what is known as the centre's McKenzie Friend - not a legal professional but someone who may support a domestic violence victim in the family court, or when dealing with children's services.
All the 26 women she supports are required to go through child safeguarding procedures, despite being victims themselves. This is because there's an incorrect belief, she says, that these women can't keep their children safe.
"It's a national scandal. A lot of the time, these women victims of domestic or sexual abuse make the right choice, they leave the relationship, they try to get help but end up victimised again, either by the perpetrator or by agencies meant to support them.
"Nine times out of 10, they have to make their children available for contact with the person who has abused them."
Women Out West was founded by Rachel Holliday three years ago. She says six mothers who faced domestic and sexual abuse by partners have revealed to her that their children were removed by Cumbria County Council and placed with their abusers.
Some of the evidence she collected with the mothers' permission, she says, was handed over to the council more than two years ago.
"One woman had her children taken away and moved to the father, and those children are still making allegations to this day that he is putting his hands on [them].
"We have a culture of blaming women, not believing women."
As a result, Rachel says, women and children are being put in danger. She says her concerns have not been taken seriously by Cumbria County Council.
"It didn't matter who we took [them] to. It was shocking nothing happened. We showed a lot of people, community leaders, but nothing changed."
The council told us when it was given the names of these women, it reviewed the allegations and some had been through its formal complaints procedures. It added that decisions to remove children from their parents - and where they should be placed - are made by the courts.
Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership is expected to publish a review into Leiland-James's death today. It will examine why he was placed with the Castle family and what social workers did when concerns were raised.
Laura Corkill has not been asked to be part of it.
"I lost count of how many times I asked for my baby back. It's as though I've been wiped off the face of the earth. When he came home, it was in a wooden box," she says.
John Readman. from Cumbria County Council, said in Leiland-James's case the family court agreed he should be placed in foster care after he was born and that Laura Corkill has been supported by her own social worker. He said Leiland-James's death "should not have happened and our condolences go to all who knew him".
A year-and-a-half after Leiland James's murder, Laura Corkill says no-one from the council has visited to her to say sorry or phoned to apologise. If he had been allowed to go home with her, she says, he would still be alive today.
In the cemetery near Laura Corkill's home, there is a small headstone. The words "gone but never forgotten" are etched alongside Leiland-James's name and those of his living siblings - the children taken from their mother years ago.
Here, Laura says, she can be at peace with her child. But it might have been very different. Laura says social workers wanted the body to be cremated and she had to fight to give him a burial.
"They even tried to write the eulogy," she says. The BBC has seen a draft copy of it sent by a social worker, which includes the words: "Leiland I am sorry I was not able to be the parent you needed."
Laura refused to read it out and wrote her own. "They tried to control me 100% but it didn't work. They tried to make me forget I was a mother, but no-one can take that away from me."
Cumbria County Council admits it helped Laura to prepare the eulogy, but says she was left to make final decisions.
Rebecca Todd, from Women Out West, says what happened after Leiland's death was unthinkable. "It all needs to be investigated. Everyone involved with this case needs to be accountable.
"It's important for Laura. She has been silenced and dismissed. To control a lady that can't even control her own child's funeral, where his body is, is just wrong. It's horrific."
She says there needs to be a public inquiry outside Cumbria into the decision to remove him from mother.
Laura often sits alone at the grave contemplating what could have been - Leiland-James would be at nursery now. She says it's also the place where no-one can control her time with her son.
"I've spent more time with Leiland in death than in life. He's home now. I loved him - all I wanted was to be a proper mother."
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Furness Passenger Engines 3/5: The 2-4-0s
The Furness Series: FR Overview 1844-1896 * FR Overview II 1896-1923 * Lady Evelyn and Lady Morya * The Bury 0-4-0s (Copper-Nobs) * The 2-2-2 Well Tanks (Singles) * This is a very amateur attempt—just me writing up my messy research notes and sharing them with my peers—meant as a primer for creative types and not to be cited in other write-ups—corrections welcome.
The Furness main line grew hugely over the course of the 1860s—of note was expansion upwards to Whitehaven (with running powers to Workington) and the double-tracking of the entire line from Barrow south to Carnforth. Traffic increased and train weights increased accordingly.
Under these conditions, the 2-2-2Ts were unable to keep time. Relief came in the form of a pair of Sharp & Stewart 2-4-0s in 1870: 16 x 20 in cylinders, 120 psi, 5 ft 6 in drivers. This pair took over numbers 1 and 2 from the original pair of Copper-Nobs, and so in F.R. parlance the newcomers were designated the 1 class—until 1913, when these same two engines were placed on the spares list and the class designation passed to Pettigrew's last and most powerful series of goods engines.
source * another source * another
Another pair, 47 and 48, appeared the following year (they pinched numbers from our old friends 'Oberon' and 'Titania', who had been sold the year before). The four engines were found satisfactory and 13 more were ordered, beginning to arrive in 1872. These 17 engines would run main line passenger trains for over two decades, with two more added to their number in 1882.
This final '82 pair shared a diagram with the rest of their class, but they were distinct from the others in appearance (less pretty imho). In fact there were are small technical differences throughout this class generally, relating particularly to frames, splashers, cabs, position of the toolbox, and the layout of the braking gear. Some had flush fireboxes and boilers; others didn't. (As usual, if you want more detail, I am the last person to ask. But I supplied pictures!) These differences are down to Sharp's alteration to the design as well as casual variations in maintenance... Mason being trained up before 'standardisation' was really a thing. This diversity was all even before some received their famous rebuild—of which more below.
Not a great deal of information is readily available on their work during this time. W. Gradon estimates that the 2-4-0s in the late '70s would average 40 mph on nonstop services. The 'Furness 150' makes note of some smart timings in the 1881 schedules, particularly the up Midland boat train of 45 minutes from Barrow to Carnforth, "with stops including." SteamIndex (whose source appears to be Rush?) states, almost with a tone of defensiveness: "... [T}hough small by modern standards they could achieve any amount of hard work. A number of exactly similar engines ran the passenger services of the Cambrian Railways, over a much more difficult terrain than the Furness, well into the present [20th] century."
I am sure they were sound machines on the whole, but I will note that the four engines in the 1873 batch appear to have been less than satisfactory: they were scrapped and/or put on the spares list relatively early, in 1907. In contrast their four older classmates were not so treated; furthermore, some of the other unconverted 2-4-0s lasted nearly until Grouping. These four "black sheep" were numbers 5, 6, 11, and 12. (12 not being a wildly lucky number for Furness engines, it seems.)
Although there is not a great deal of info about the 2-4-0s themselves, their main line tenure saw a good many changes in the railway's passenger service. Starting around the mid-60s, the F.R. had finally caved to reality and began accepting that they would actually have to meet demand for passenger service—not out of the goodness of their hearts, of course, but they wanted to promote industry in the area and (exaggerated sigh) such a boom meant tolerating a whole lot of those "labourers" and their families, who needed to be carted around, if only so that they could report to work. (Another exaggerated sigh.) Thus over the course of the next 15 years they would double the number of their first- and second-class coaches, while increasing their third-class capacity by SIX HUNDRED PERCENT.
Probably in an attempt to maintain class distinctions during these trying times, the first-class, second-class, and composite carriages received a new cream and crimson lake livery, pretty much resembling latter-day L.N.W.R. coaches. Except, of course, these were all four-wheeled. And unpanelled. But third-class carriages retained their old red paint (same paint as the locomotives) or unpainted varnish.
Unsurprisingly, when the F.R. in the '60s began to run services in tandem with the Midland, the M.R. pointedly insisted on supplying their own coaches.
The F.R.'s service did see significant improvements and changes during the 2-4-0s' lives but before detailing it I vote we all enjoy this fabulous rant from 1874 as a graphic picture of how bad passenger service was when first they arrived:
"A glance at the timetables shows that it is almost impossible to reach some of the most beautiful places on Morecambe Bay in anything like reasonable time, and the accommodation at Carnforth, when the delay takes place, is most miserable. On the Furness side of the line there are two seats for about 200 passengers, one waiting room, and one refreshment room, which is frequently so crammed that many people cannot get to the counter. Added to this inconvenience, travellers who have to wait here are oppressed with a sense of the general dirtiness of the station. The trains also run at inconvenient times, and the waiting for them at Carnforth involves great loss of valuable time. There is no train that takes passengers from Lancaster to Silverdale under forty-five minutes, a distance of ten miles! The slowest train being an hour and thirty-five minutes. These are the advertised times, but the trains are not infrequently late, consequently a good walker might almost accomplish the journey on foot in the time. [55]
Carnforth. Carnforth! If that's the state of one of their biggest stations, one may ask, dare we imagine the state of the many smaller ones? Well, long story short: It was bad. I can't find it now, but there's an adorable letter extant written by passengers to the company to complain of the lack of accommodation at one such, where during storms waiting passengers were regularly welcomed into the stationmaster's personal one-room house (office, bedroom, and kitchen inclusive) as the only shelter available. The writers try to make it very clear that the point of their letter is to criticize the directors for the appalling state of their railway and not to have any blame fall upon the "very kind" stationmaster for any regulations he may have broken in his desire to render assistance. (I hope that message was received.)
And so, heading into the new decade, the directors reluctantly opened their wallets to pour some money into... station upgrades. Well, one station upgrade. Barrow Central station was built in 1882. The "old station" had not been on the main line, which made sense due to how out-of-the-way it was but was also bonkers because Barrow was the heart of the system. The "new station" allowed for more services that stopped at Barrow (which also soon adopted a steam tram service that could meet passengers who needed to go further into the city). The new station also allowed for through workings, which must have certainly lead to radical revisions and tightening of the timetables. Meanwhile the "old station" at the Strand was kept in use as a goods station.
Pretty great stuff! And now they were ready to turn their attention to erecting some shelter at other stations...? Haha, of course not. Instead the F.R. began upgrading carriages. Yes, because that was the passengers' first concern.
Claye's, a carriage-maker, had sent up shop in Barrow but the F.R. had studiously ignored their presence for some while. Finally, perhaps envious of the beautiful vehicles Claye's was observed shipping out to other railways, in 1880 the F.R. board broke down and ordered composites, nearly identical to the ones that Claye's had recently sent to North British Railway. While also four-wheeled (the last four-wheeled carriages the F.R. would ever acquire), they were also a luxurious 37 feet long (all that footspace! omg!), painted in a handsome new brown livery with gold and red accents, and their appearance at the stations caused a sensation throughout the district. (Hey, it may not be as good as trains that ran on time and stations that didn't make you want to start humming the blues. But it was certainly something.) Thereafter the F.R. continued to apply to Claye's for their coaching needs, as soon as the following year deciding to splurge on tri-composites and third-class stock—39 and 40 ft long, respectively (insane!), six-wheeled, with the "Scottish" style of panelled body. The year following that, they finished upgrading their best trains with the purchase of new luggage vans.
This stately brown livery was also applied to the rest of their carriages for the next two decades. (This livery may not sound very appealing—and certainly Aslett and Pettigrew found it too sombre for their later tourism blitz—but it was likely pleasing enough, especially to rich tastes of the Better Sort of People: pairing nicely with the red engines, and distinguishing their trains from the two-tone coaches of the L.N.W.R. and the M.R. That last point was probably of great importance. When Aslett and Pettigrew sought something flashier and of more democratic appeal, they still made it a point to stand out from their two greatest rivals—errr, business partners.)
Another note on the changes in passenger trains under the 2-4-0s: In 1884, the F.R. after some trials selected Smith's Automatic Vacuum brake and fitted it to all its recently-purchased carriages. At this point the F.R. still ran coaches from the founding days of the line in '46, but it was soon found that the oldest carriages could not sustain the forces of the new vacuum brakes and so these began to be gradually scrapped and replaced with new composites. (The passage of the Regulation of Railways Act in response to the Armagh rail disaster accelerated the F.R.'s timeline for applying automatic brake to all of its stock. The F.R. appears to have been a little further along than some contemporary railways, but the government's intervention proved essential in getting nearly all the railways to fully implement this essential safety feature—which the Board of Trade had been recommending, nay begging, them to adopt since 1840!) A final innovation in the railway's passenger carriages came in '88, with the purchase of four slip carriages for main line use.
So, the oft-overlooked 2-4-0s had a lively and changeful main line career... albeit it was punctuated at times by severe economic "busts" in the district. This always resulted in the slashing of railway timetables and probably idleness among engines as well as locals until such time as trade recovered.
It was probably due to such a decline in traffic that in 1891 Locomotive Superintendent Mason oversaw (in-house! not sending them back to Sharp's—but actually doing the work himself! *slightly sarcastic clap*) the rebuild of seven 2-4-0s into tank engines to serve the hilly branch lines. These chosen seven received bunkers, radial axles, and 1000-gallon sidetanks, and thus equipped were sent out to relieve the by-now very worn-out 2-2-2Ts. (This move is normally attributed to the purchase of the Seagulls in 1890s, but I daresay that was not the primary factor, given that the new 4-4-0s were scarcely much bigger or stronger than the engines they replaced, and four of them could not have equaled the work of seven 'Pre-Gulls' sent out to branch. Conclusion: the main line was not seeing the same amount of work it had been formerly. So, despite my lack of expertise, I gotta point emphatically to the 1890 trade depression as the probable cause for the creative "re-use" of these main line engines.)
source 1 * source 2 - the Rush notations, incidentally, are E1 (2-4-0s) and J1 ( new 2-4-2Ts)
It's pretty adorable how the seven rebuilt 2-4-2Ts are such an event in F.R. history. Everyone loves these guys. This fondness seems to go all the way back to 1891; I reckon the Barrow workshops must have been extremely proud of themselves (remember, they didn't build engines of their own—so this was as close as they ever came). This is, of course, also where Christopher Awdry got the basis of his character Albert the (Second) Flashback Engine, who is seen only in his rebuilt guise. His book Thomas and Victoria also subtly clears up a common misconception about the 2-4-2Ts' work in making Albert a sort of Victorian Thomas: As in, he runs his line almost single-handedly and although tourists like to visit it is not a summer-only affair. Upon hearing that Victoria's tale is set in winter, Edward observes "I don't suppose you had many passengers off the steamer then" only for Victoria to laugh "You'd be surprised!" and observe (not in so many words) that hellllloooo, we had locals you know. who lived there. it wasn't just a tourist spot! Which is correct. (Will the accuracy make me stop complaining about Albert's character any time soon? Nah, pro'lly not.) During the tourist season the "Alberts" who took care of Lakeside and Coniston year-round would in fact have to be helped by other engines; this probably included their sisters who were still in tender form. (Three decades later, during Grouping, at least one Larger Seagull was caught on camera with a make-shift tender cab jerry-rigged to allow for backwards running on these same branch lines. During Grouping! So it's likely something the local railwaymen had been doing for a while before the L.M.S.)
Here are a few other things that are overlooked or misunderstood about this class in its latter years:
The rebuilt sidetanks did not only run the Lakeside branch, but also local passenger services in places like Morecambe, Kendal, and even the notorious Joint Lines.
Four of the remaining engines were also rebuilt (though not into tank engines) throughout the 1890s. These four included the first pair from 1870 as well as the last pair from 1882. Unsurprisingly, the last pair, relatively young and now fitted with new steel boilers, survived well past 1920.
There is hardly any information about what the 1 class members who remained in their tender engine form did for the rest of their career. They are so overshadowed by their new tank engine sisters! But 12 of them remained. Presumably, of course, they simply ran the slower and less important main line services till the end, but I do wonder very much if any of them ever saw branch line work or whether they "branched" out in other ways by doing odd jobs. Even in tourism boom, a dozen 2-4-0s in addition to the sixteen 4-4-0s seem rather a lot. Mind, the F.R. did scrap two of the '73 engines and put the other two on the duplicates list in 1907, so that certainly trimmed the herd.
Their rebuild is often described as giving the 7 new tank engines "a new lease on life." This might be true in the sense of quality of life?—again, hard to tell given the lack of indication about the un-rebuilt engines' latter-day duties—but I'm not so sure it made a significant contribution to their longevity. At Grouping in 1923, three engines of this class survived—two tank and at least one tender (maybe two tender—there is some confusion about when exactly 45A was last seen in service).
Building on the previous point, Pettigrew had every intention of scrapping most or all of the 2-4-2Ts with six new engines of his own design. The rebuilt tanks only got a reprieve due to war, as when Pettigrew's engines began to arrive in 1915 the local population was in boom and the new engines were immediately put to work on the newly heavy and frequent workmen's services in and out of Barrow. As soon as the war was over, these engines were moved to the branch lines for which they had been built and the old 2-4-2Ts began to be scrapped. The two that survived till Grouping do not appear to have been reassigned and were kept on as spare engines; the L.M.S. promptly scrapped them without applying their new numbers. In other words, without WWI, Pettigrew would have certainly disposed of most 2-4-2Ts before the 2-4-0s, and even with WWI the difference in their average lifespans is not all that noteworthy.
So there you have it! These 19 locomotives at one point comprised the third-most numerous class on the F.R.—but what a hodgepodge they became! The nonstandard state of maintenance over the years, their much-younger final classmates with their fancy cabs in '82, the various rebuilds in the '90s (only some of which resulted in 2-4-2Ts)... this was a class of individualists who all struck out in myriad ways over the years.
Thanks to the change in CMEs, this class of engines did not get as much rebuilding and therefore as long a working life as earlier classes did, nor did they rule the roost during the glamorous days after Aslett's arrival, nor did they survive well into Grouping in order that their doings would be better documented. Therefore they often get just plain screwed in accounts and memories of the F.R., and I hope this write-up pushes back on that and gives them more attention.
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Robert Morgan and David Holyoak, from Cumbria, have been sentenced to jail after being found guilty of neglect that led to the death of Dorothy Morgan, 71, who weighed only four-and-a-half stone when she was admitted to the hospital. The court heard that Robert and David failed to seek medical attention for Dorothy in time, leaving her emaciated, dehydrated, and covered in bedsores. The neglectful conditions in the family home in Whitehaven led to Dorothy developing gangrene and ultimately passing away nine days after being hospitalized.
Both Robert and David were sentenced by Carlisle Crown Court, with Robert receiving a three-year jail term and David receiving two years and eight months. The prosecution stated that the defendants failed to provide Dorothy with food, water, and basic care, despite being aware of the high risk to her life. The defense argued that Robert did not have the emotional awareness to notice the severity of Dorothy's deteriorating health, while David was dominated by Dorothy's decisions. The judge acknowledged that Dorothy may have resisted seeking medical help, but emphasized that the defendants could have taken steps to provide her with a more hygienic environment and prevent the severe bedsores.
Robert's defense attorney described the case as both sad and unusual, highlighting the impact of losing a wife and mother. David's attorney emphasized his love for his mother and his failure to care for her properly. The judge condemned the defendants for their gross negligence, which resulted in Dorothy being near death when she was admitted to the hospital, unable to communicate. The direct cause of her death was determined to be emaciation and neglect of the infected bedsores. Despite regrets expressed by the defendants, the judge held them responsible for Dorothy's death, emphasizing their lack of awareness of the severity of her condition.
The court proceedings included details of a phone call in which Robert described Dorothy as looking like someone from a death camp when she was hospitalized. The judge stressed that the neglect became criminal as early as three weeks before Dorothy's admission to the hospital, when the defendants should have sought medical help from a GP or social services. The defense cited the challenging circumstances faced by Robert, who worked long hours and struggled with eating and sleeping, as factors contributing to the neglect. However, the jury concluded that the defendants failed to realize the imminent danger Dorothy was in, highlighting their responsibility for the tragic outcome.
In conclusion, the sentencing of Robert Morgan and David Holyoak for the neglect that led to Dorothy Morgan's death highlighted the tragic consequences of their actions. The court found them guilty of failing to provide basic care and medical attention to Dorothy, leading to her severe emaciation and bedsores. Despite expressions of regret and lack of emotional awareness, the judge held them accountable for the criminal neglect that resulted in Dorothy being near death when hospitalized. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of recognizing and addressing signs of neglect and ensuring the well-being of vulnerable individuals.
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Heartwarming Discovery: UK Woman Finds Book with 40-Year-Old Message to Father
In a heartwarming twist of fate, a UK woman, Ros Ford, from Alfriston, East Sussex, stumbled upon a precious relic from her past when she purchased a copy of Aldous Huxley's "Texts and Pretexts" for her husband's birthday. Little did she know that this book would turn out to be the exact same copy she had inscribed and gifted to her father nearly four decades ago. Let's dive into this remarkable story that reminds us of the beautiful and unexpected ways life can come full circle.
The Unexpected Reunion
Ros Ford's enchanting journey began when she decided to purchase a copy of "Texts and Pretexts" as a birthday gift for her husband, Adam. Little did she know that this seemingly ordinary book would carry a remarkable surprise. She ordered the book from ABE Books, and it was sent from a quaint bookshop owned by Michael Moon in Whitehaven, Cumbria. This is where the magic happened.
A Message from the Past
When Ros received the book and started flipping through its pages, she stumbled upon a handwritten message that instantly transported her back in time. It was her very own handwriting, dedicated to her dear old dad. The message was a heartfelt inscription she had penned almost four decades ago. The shock and delight of this discovery left Ros astounded.
A Serendipitous Facebook Post
The enchanting tale took a step further when Michael Moon's bookshop decided to share this serendipitous moment on Facebook. They expressed their amazement at the extraordinary coincidence, explaining how they had received an online order for a book from a customer living hundreds of miles away. To their astonishment, it turned out to be not just the same edition but the very copy Ros had given to her father, complete with her handwritten gift inscription. The post celebrated the wonderful journey that old books can embark on, finding new and often perfect homes since the bookshop's inception in 1970.
Ros Ford's Reflections
When asked about the book and its significance, Ros Ford shared her sentiments with the BBC. She mentioned that she originally purchased the book in 1984 for her father as he was heading into retirement. She thought it would be a beautiful way for him to reflect on life during his retirement years. However, it was a completely unrelated event that prompted her to think about the book again. On her husband's 83rd birthday, she decided to revisit the idea of gifting "Texts and Pretexts." To her surprise, the book that arrived came from Michael Moon's bookshop, making the story come full circle.
A Privilege to Pay Twice
In an amusing twist of fate, Ros Ford humorously remarked that she now had the privilege of paying for the same book twice. This quirky turn of events only added to the charm of the story, highlighting the unpredictable and delightful ways life can surprise us.
Conclusion
The story of Ros Ford's book discovery is a heartwarming reminder of the beauty of serendipity and the unexpected ways in which our past can resurface in the present. It also underscores the enduring power of literature to connect us with cherished memories and loved ones. In a world where everything seems to move at lightning speed, such stories remind us to slow down and appreciate the small, magical moments that life has to offer.
How did Ros Ford rediscover the book she had gifted to her father 40 years ago?Ros Ford rediscovered the book when she purchased a copy of "Texts and Pretexts" for her husband's birthday from ABE Books. The book arrived from a bookshop owned by Michael Moon in Whitehaven, Cumbria, and it turned out to be the exact same copy she had inscribed for her father decades ago.What was the reaction of Michael Moon's bookshop to this discovery?Michael Moon's bookshop was equally amazed by this serendipitous discovery. They shared the story on Facebook, celebrating the extraordinary coincidence and the way old books find new homes over the years.Why did Ros Ford originally purchase the book in 1984?Ros Ford purchased the book in 1984 as a gift for her father, who was about to retire. She believed it would be a wonderful way for him to reflect on life during his retirement years.Why did Ros Ford decide to revisit the idea of gifting the book on her husband's birthday?Ros Ford decided to revisit the idea of gifting the book on her husband's 83rd birthday after something she read in The Guardian prompted her to think about it again.
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4 of the Most Beautiful Beach Locations in the World
For many people, there’s nothing quite like going to the beach. Whether it’s for a weekend getaway or a month-long vacation, visiting a beach can be an incredibly relaxing and enjoyable experience. With that said, some beaches are more stunning than others. Here are four of the most beautiful beach locations around the world.
Whitehaven Beach, Australia
Whitehaven Beach is one of Australia's most beautiful beaches, located on Whitsunday Island in Queensland. This beach is known for its white sand and crystal clear waters—so much so that it has been featured in numerous TV shows and movies! Along with its pristine natural beauty, Whitehaven Beach also offers plenty of activities such as paddleboarding, snorkeling, jet skiing, and even camping.
Tulum Beach, Mexico
If you're looking for a beach with plenty of atmosphere, then Tulum is the place to go. Located just south of Cancun on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, this beach features turquoise waters lapping against white-sand shores. Not only can you explore nearby Mayan ruins while here but you can also take part in various water sports such as kayaking and scuba diving!
Cape Town Beaches, South Africa
The beaches near Cape Town offer something for everyone—from secluded coves to wide expanses of sand and sea. One highlight is Clifton Beach which boasts four different sections ranging from family-friendly to party-filled! If you're looking for something even more remote then head over to Boulders Beach where you can spot jackass penguins waddling along the shoreline!
Navagio Bay (Shipwreck Beach), Zakynthos Greece
Navagio Bay is located on the Greek island of Zakynthos and is best known for its shipwrecked vessel that sits atop its sands—which gives it its other name “Shipwreck Beach”. The bay features stunning limestone cliffs that rise up from cobalt blue waters below—making it one of Europe's most beautiful destinations! Snorkeling opportunities abound here due to its sheltered environment; so if you're looking for an underwater adventure then this is your spot!
Whether you’re looking for relaxation or adventure there’s something out there for everyone when it comes to beach vacations. From Australia’s Whitehaven Beach to Greece’s Navagio Bay these four locations provide stunning vistas and memorable experiences that will last a lifetime! So why not start planning your next beach getaway today? Who knows where your journey may take you?
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Cumbria v Jamaica Rugby league World Cup warm-up Game in Derwent Park, Workington
New Post has been published on https://thedailyrugby.com/cumbria-v-jamaica-rugby-league-world-cup-warm-up-game-in-derwent-park-workington/
The Daily Rugby
https://thedailyrugby.com/cumbria-v-jamaica-rugby-league-world-cup-warm-up-game-in-derwent-park-workington/
Cumbria v Jamaica Rugby league World Cup warm-up Game in Derwent Park, Workington
Jamaica will play a Cumbrian select in preparation for their inaugural Rugby League World Cup 2022 . A special Masters game is to be played at Derwent Park ahead of the Cumbria v Jamaica clash next Friday.
Jamaica are to play Cumbria in a World Cup warm-up fixture next month as they prepare to make their tournament debut.
The Cumbria vs Jamaica game will take place at Workington’s Derwent Park on Friday, October 7, kicking off at 7:45pm. The three professional Cumbrian clubs – Barrow Raiders, Whitehaven and Workington Town – have held initial talks aimed at reviving the Cumbrian Rugby League brand, with a view to joining the international fixture cycle and bringing top class Rugby League to the area.
🇯🇲 "Players can make a name for themselves on the world stage"
Jason Robinson is relishing Jamaica's RLWC debut!
At our Host Impact Day in Newcastle, the rugby league legend spoke of his excitement with fewer than 100 days till kick-off.#RLWC2021 | @Reggae_Warriors pic.twitter.com/pHNGHKHw3c
— Rugby League World Cup 2021 (@RLWC2021) July 8, 2022
Arlecdon Rams will be taking on a team selected from other Masters teams throughout Cumbria in a curtain-raiser ahead of the World Cup warm-up.
Players from Maryport, Carlisle and Barrow will make up the County Select side.
The game has been organised in a bid to raise the awareness and profile of the Masters game in the area and the Rams have also sponsored the Cumbria playing kit.
John Gaston, a member of the Rams squad, said: “This is a great opportunity to get our badge out there and for the Rugby League community to see what our game is all about.
“Masters is a game on the rise throughout the country and we’d just like to get as many people involved in this area as possible.
“At the moment we have five active clubs in Cumbria but we’d like to see many more.”
The Masters game could see a number of ex-pros lacing up their boots and gracing the pitch again.
One in particular is William Burns, one of a very small select group to have played for all four professional Cumbrian clubs.
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Who is Ezekiel Dejuan Kelly ( Memphis police arrest suspect in shooting rampage that killed 4 ) Wiki, Bio, Age, Crime, Arrest, Incident Details, Investigations and More Facts
Ezekiel Dejuan Kelly Biography Ezekiel Dejuan Kelly Wiki
A young man who spent hours shooting near Memphis, Tennessee, killing at least four people, was arrested Wednesday night, police said.
Ezekiel Dejuan Kelly, 19, was arrested without incident around 9 p.m. in the Whitehaven neighborhood of Memphis. Local time after a high-speed chase, according to Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis.
The deadly rampage began early Wednesday at 12:56 a.m. and lasted until around 8:30 p.m. A total of at least four people were killed and three others injured in seven shootings across the city, Davis said.
After the shooting
The suspect hijacked a car at gunpoint in Southaven, Mississippi, south of Memphis, and rammed the victim's Dodge Challenger, Davis said, adding that the victim of the theft car was unharmed. The suspect left a stolen SUV belonging to a woman he allegedly shot that night, according to the police chief.
"Homicide and other investigative units are now actively working on these crime scenes, and numerous criminal charges are pending," Davis told reporters at a news conference early Thursday.
“There are at least eight ,” he added. "We are still in the middle of the investigation. There may be other places. There could be other damage in other places.
Court documents obtained by Memphis affiliate ABC WATN show a first-degree murder warrant was issued for Kelly's arrest on Wednesday before the shooting.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland speaks during a press conference early Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, after 19-year-old Ezekiel Dejuan Kelly is alleged by MPD to be responsible for several shootings in Memphis. The shootings ended with seven shot, four of the seven dead. @memphisnews pic.twitter.com/8tE1RlWzbT
— Christine Tannous (@ctannous98) September 8, 2022
The police chief said Kelly recorded at least some of his actions on Facebook Live, including opening fire at a Jackson Avenue store just before 6 p.m. A spokesperson for Facebook's parent company Meta told ABC News that the content was identified and removed before the incident was first publicly announced by the Memphis Police Department. Meta was also "in direct contact with the Memphis Police Department shortly after the initial public service announcement," the spokesperson said.
Police launched a citywide search for the suspect and advised the public to seek shelter at the scene, according to Davis.
"We extend our heartfelt condolences to all of the victims affected by this series of acts of violence today," the police chief said. “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our fellow citizens who made many suggestions during this ordeal.
As the shooter terrorized the city, the Memphis Area Transit Authority temporarily suspended streetcar and bus service out of "a great deal of caution and concern for the safety of their drivers."
Police have not said anything about a possible motive, nor revealed the identities of the victims. It's also unclear how the suspect got his hands on the weapons.
The killing was the latest in a series of violent acts that have swept through Memphis in recent days and weeks, including the murder of a woman who was kidnapped while jogging before sunrise last Friday.
"It's been a terrible week for the city of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department," Davis told reporters.
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner added, "I want to reassure the public that we will all work together to try to stop this senseless violence here in Memphis and in Shelby County."
In February 2020, Kelly, then 17, was charged as an adult with attempted first degree murder, aggravated assault, use of a firearm to commit a dangerous crime and reckless danger with deadly weapon. He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to three years in prison in April 2021. According to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, he was released from prison eleven months later in March.
“First of all, I would like to offer my deepest solidarity and condolences to the victims and their families who are suffering from this senseless killing,” Strickland told reporters. "I am angry with her. And I am angry with our fellow citizens who, for their own safety, had to shelter in place until this suspect was caught. This is no way for us to live and that is not acceptable.
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Four killed in hours-long Memphis shooting rampage before suspect arrested, police say
Four killed in hours-long Memphis shooting rampage before suspect arrested, police say
Three others were wounded in seven shootings over about 19 hours, police said, adding that the suspect recorded his actions on Facebook.
Ezekiel Kelly, 19, who was charged as an adult with attempted first-degree murder in 2020, was taken into custody at around 9 p.m. in the Memphis neighborhood of Whitehaven, police spokeswoman Karen Rudolph said. Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said…
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Health And Wellness Retreats: A Great Way To Enjoy Health Benefits.
Apart from the great barrier reef, the Whitsundays include seventy-four tropical islands with pearly beaches and well-known resorts. The Whitsundays islands stretch within the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia. Most islands surround dense rainforests, white-sand beaches, and hiking trails. The most popular things in the Whitsundays islands are fishing, snorkelling, sailing, scuba diving, and beach basking.
If you are looking for luxury island resorts, you can pick anyone to stay in the Whitsundays. As there are various options, including luxury eco-lodges, boutique resorts, and beachside campsites, you select any of your favourite ones. You can even choose luxury eco-lodges, back-to-nature bungalows, and exquisite boutique resorts to stay and benefit from the space. Additionally, the major attractions of Whitsundays are experiencing adventures through the seaplane, luxury yachts, and much more. You can book accommodations at the Waterfront Whitsunday retreat and experience the height of enjoyment.
You can visit the Great Barrier Reef in the dry season between May and October. This time of year is perfect as the humidity is low & visibility is better. We have described more about the attractions Whitsundays, which are;
1. Great Barrier Reef:
The Great Barrier Reef, known as a World Heritage Site and is the only living structure visible from space, shimmers beneath the crystal-clear Coral Sea. It serves as a calming coral embrace for the Whitsunday Islands, protecting the waters from strong ocean surges and fostering the best conditions for sailing, cruising, snorkelling, and scuba diving.
The reef supports an incredible diversity of marine life, making it one of the richest ecosystems in the world. The reef is home to sea snakes, dugongs, giant clams, turtles, whales, dolphins, sharks, and rays, in addition to more than 1,625 fish species and 1,400 varieties of coral.
2. Whitehaven Beach:
Whitehaven, one of Australia’s most stunning beaches, is a magnificent seven-kilometre stretch of white silica sand and turquoise water. The largest island in the group and a popular destination for day visits and picnics, Whitsunday Island is home to this immaculate beach.
On walking pathways, you can explore the beach and the island. Hill Inlet, a charming nook at the beach’s northern end, is a highlight where ebbing tides swirl the crystal-clear water and blind white sand into marbled chaos of colour. It appears to be an abstract watercolour painting from above. Retreat Whitsunday
3. Sailing Trips & Cruises:
A sailing or fast boat is the most incredible way to fully experience the magnificence of this island paradise. As a result, you can visit more than one island in a single day. Numerous excursions include pit breaks where you may go snorkelling on the coral, hike in Whitsunday National Park, and use resort amenities.
You can ride a fast catamaran to the shore on the Whitehaven Beach and Hamilton Island Cruise. The nine-hour tour visits the beach’s highlights before continuing to Hamilton Island, where you can climb the trails, peruse the shops, and interact up close with Australian creatures at WILD LIFE Hamilton Island.
Hamilton Island:
You are looking forward to indulging in various activities and top attractions; Hamilton Island is the only Whitsunday island with a commercial airport. You can find a broader range of luxury accommodations from the luxury Qualia Resort on Hamilton’s northern tip to palm-shaded bungalows, family-friendly apartments, yacht club villas, and much more.
These are some of the things to do in Whitsundays, so pack your bags and escape yourself from the tensions & worries of life.
Since there are various activities to indulge in, water sports are one of the main attractions. Tourists can find several options to pick from while there is a thing to do some thrilling & exciting. Therefore, the trips to the Great barrier Reef and white heaven beaches are the central highlands of this island. Finding a waterfront Whitsunday retreat is excellent to live & experience the islands’ beauty.
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#old#books#old books#old bookshop#michaelmoonsbookshop#bibliophile#vintage#antiquarian bookshop#Whitehaven#George Orwell#1984#nineteen eighty four
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The Victualling Board
The supply of food and beverages to the Navy was the responsibility of the Victualling Board, which had originally been established in 1550. The Board consisted of seven members, who had their office in the Tower and who each oversaw a specific area. The chairman oversaw the chash books whilst the others controlled the Brewhouse Department, the Cutting House Department, the Cooperage Department, the Hoytaking (shipping) Department and the Stores Department.
The Royal William Victualling Yard, Plymouth, by William Williams (1808–1895)
As the Navy grew in size and demand for supplies increased exponentially, the Board began to set up dedicated victualling yards with own offices at the main Royal Dockyards and also at Dover. Smaller yards were established later at Chatham, Sheerness, Deal, Hull, Newcastle, Leith, Whitehaven, Falmouth and Cobh near Cork in Ireland. A major base was set up at Gibraltar and other facilities at Halifax, Bermuda, Malta, the Cape of Good Hope, Jamaica and Antigua. The yards had their own dedicated deepwater wharves where ships could come alongside to be completely victualled for sea from the warehouses and slaughterhouses on site. The goods loaded would be mainly the preserved foodstuffs, including ship’s biscuits, salt beef and pork, pease, oatmeal, butter, cheese and small beer which were largely supplied in wooden casks which were themselves manufactured by the Board, which was by far the largest purchaser of foodstuffs and beverages in Britain.
The Victualling Office, Plymouth c. 1835, by Nicholas Condy (1793 - 1857) (x)
In 1793 Deptford Wharf could accommodate four ships alongside its wharf at one time and could deal with 260 oxen per day in the slaugtherhouse and 650 pigs in the hog-hanging house. It had 12 ovens to bake the biscuits and spirit vats holding 254,581 litres. By 1810 the one victualling yard alone covered 20 acres. The slaugtherhouses only operated in the cooler months of the year (October- April). In an effort to ensure the quality of food supplied, the Victualling Board set up manufacturing processes at each yard and they became major food manufacturers as well.
Victualling Yard gates at Deptford, 1841 (x)
The quality of the food produced might be indicated by the fact that less than 1% of the food supplied was condemned for going off, despite long term stowage. Use was made of all by products possible, using hides to make leather, tallow to make soap and candles and the shins and bones to make portable soup. Deptford specialised in the production of other foodstuffs on a smaller scale , such as mustard, pepper, oatmeal and chocolate. There were also sperate storehouses for rum, coffee, sugar, tea, rice, raisins, wine and tobacco, all of which were purchased in London and stored in Deptford prior to being distributed for use in the other depots as required. Fresh water supplies had also to be secured to fill the ships barrels.
With the huge quantities of food required to be prepared, seasonal restrictions and the difficulties of getting it to numerous far- flung destinations despite the vagaries of wind power, it is not merely the sheer scale of the operation that astounds, but the fact that it actually worked pretty efficently throughout the period. In 1817 the Victualling Board took over responsibilty for medical services when the Transport Board was abolished, but was itself abolished in 1832, its duties transferring to the Admiralty.
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The Quick Lil Seagull Post: Part I (Overview of the Furness Railway 1/2 — The Ram$den Years)
@shinygoku suggested some while ago that I write up a post on the “various Seagulls” as sort of helpful background for fic writers.
I said I didn’t know enough.
… But in the end I wrote it anyway.
And then some. When I tried to write "a quick lil reference post" on the Seagulls, I wound up expanding it to cover all the Furness passenger engines. Then I figured people would also need some background on the railway itself. (Plus, I’m going to wind up adding some stand-alone posts on some of the non-passenger classes! Just my favorites. I definitely in no way will wind up with a series that covers every engine that ever ran on Furness metals... Right?)
However, I really need to disclaim, very loudly, that this is just me, “the person on tumblr who has read up on the most K2 breadcrumb trails, sharing their notes with the class.” Not “me, the expert,” coz I’m not. I still have most of my learning ahead of me (I hope!), and there *will* be errors in this summary of what I’ve got so far. My target audience is not train geeks but more TTTE fans looking for creative inspiration/guiderails.
So with that said, let’s start with some fun notes on the Furness:
The F.R. was a rather small railway whose territory hugged the coast and skirted the lakes of southern Cumbria and northern Lancashire counties.
Its 60-plus-mile-main line ran from Carnforth up to Whitehaven. But the heart and soul of the railway was Barrow. Yes, that Barrow. The port directly across the channel from the Island of Sodor Walney Island.
The Company began to transport “red hematite” iron ore mined from throughout the district of Furness to Barrow... which in 1846 was just a small hamlet on the seaside that had no idea of the amount of industrialisation that was about to hit it.
Red hematite ore was only in moderate demand—until the Bessemer process revolutionized steelworking, and also made the tricky-to-work red hematite more useful than ever before. Demand for the stuff skyrocketed overnight!
Apocryphal (but some contemporaries clearly believed it to be true): The Indian Red livery of the F.R. engines was a nod to the “red hematite” ore on which the railway had been founded.
From its origins as an isolated wagonway run by four little 0-4-0 tender engines in 1846, it grew over the next near-80 years to a modern, diversified railway 130-engines strong, with junctions and through trains with the L.N.W.R. and the Midland Railway. If its territory was small, and if it shared the M.R.'s "small engine policy" (mostly), it was nevertheless a thoroughly modern railway known for its “smart management” when it was absorbed into the L.M.S.R. at grouping.
This history can really be divided into two eras. The first approximately 50 years (right up to the 1900s) were the “mineral era.” This was decidedly before it was a first-class railway. During this era, the point was to ship red hematite and make bank! Period! When No. 3 (the now-preserved National Railway Museum engine known as “Old Copper-Nob”) hauled a directors’ special in 1848, it was for a bunch of rich industrialists to rejoice in a year of amazing dividends... and to congratulate each other for how few non-excursion passenger trains they had thus far managed to get away with running.
I’m sure the locals were thrilled.
Anyway, the F.R. in the 1800s—in this first era—was dominated by a man named Sir James Ramsden.
I’ve read a few of the more railhistory-minded TTTE fans claiming he is a very Sir Topham Hatt I figure. Decide for yourself:
James Ramsden had been an engineer with Bury, the famous locomotive builders, when he got the position as first Locomotive Superintendent of the new F.R.
In six years he had advanced to company secretary. He then spent just shy of 30 years as managing director.
Critics observed that the other directors were just figureheads who deferred to Ramsden on everything, making the railway a one-man show.
While managing the F.R., he also served six successive terms as Mayor of Barrow.
Somewhere during those terms, he was Sir'd.
While handling his Mayor and Knight and Railway Robber Baron roles, he was also managing director of Barrow Hematite Steel Company.
And a few other companies.
Not to mention managing director of the Barrow Shipbuilding Company. Which he founded.
So yeah. I don’t see the resemblance. Sir Topham was a slacker compared to this guy. Busy, busy, busy!
Speaking of a lack of resemblance(?)… he looked like this:
(Sidenote: Circa 1900, Barrow Shipbuilding Company underwent a change in ownership and became Vickers. Yes, Vickers as in one-half of the later Metropolitan-Vickers, who built such great ships. And such dubious diesel-electric type two railway engines. Yes, laugh at those ringlets and sideburns if you will, but we have him to thank for BoCo. Goddammit.)
What’s the point here? Well, Ramsden dominated the first era of the Furness, and withstood all critics and challengers… of which there were more than a few.
Mostly, he was criticized for investing millions of pounds over the course of his tenure into Barrow Docks. Y'know. New and ever-expanding docks in what was by then basically Ramsdentown. This was actually a sound investment for the F.R.—but malcontents observed that this was coming at the expense of, well. the entire rest of the network.
“We have priceless natural beauty spots that mass industrialization and unchecked mining are going to destroyyy!” “The only town in the whole district that gets decent service is *spits* Barrow!” You know, yadda, yadda. Buncha whiners.
Okay, but, seriously really are a remarkable amount of documented complaints about the F.R.’s anemic passenger service in this time. The timetables were, to put it kindly, unambitious. Nor were they often kept! One irate correspondent noted to a local newspaper that, when his train was late (as it so often was), he might be able to get to his destination faster by walking.
Let me offer a rare historical portrait that gives the discerning reader a glimpse into how much Ramsden probably cared:
However! The red hematite market could not favor the English forever! As the 1800s went on, the damned Germans and Spanish started to flood the market with cheaper stuff. (Whomp, whomp.) And every time there was a downturn in the hematite trade, mines and steelworks in the Furness district would shut down, while the railway’s finances would suffer.
In the 1890s, the F.R. began a transition to its second, “modern” era, where it set out to reinvent itself as a full-service railway. This meant, like, transporting people to places they wanted to go, in a timely fashion. Or something.
More seriously, it meant marketing the Lake District as a tourist spot—which worked so well that it remains one to this day—as well as upgrading its stock—which worked so well that we got big-ass Seagulls and gorgeous blue-and-cream corridor bogie coaches out of the deal!
Even Ramsden was slowly glancing in this direction... but it probably helped speed the change along when ill health finally did what no man had ever accomplished, and in 1895 forced him to freakin retire his control-freak ass already.
… but before we move on to the second era I first have to tell you some more Hatt-ian tidbits about this old bastard. I hafta.
He had one son. Ramsden Jr. became Superintendent of the Line in 1896, the year directly after his father retired—lest we think that, like, non-Ramsden people can run this place unsupervised. (Later he became a Furness and an L.M.S. director too. Granted, as far as I am aware, none of his progeny went into railway management.)
Ramsden the Elder seems to have started the Furness tradition of selling off their locos to smaller railways and industry. This is why we still have two of our three preserved Furness locos today—Nos. 20 and 25 escaped the L.M.S. enscrappening because they were safely employed at the steelworks! That’s nice and all, but at the time critics would sceptically enquire as to why he was selling locos still in good condition *cough* to companies he was also the managing director of (Barrow Hemelite Co., mostly). Ramsden would say that it was better for the F.R. to sell them while they could still command a good price, thank you so very much—and I’ll leave you to decide whether that convinces you or not.
Anyway, quite a number of Furness engines from this first era continued after their railway withdrawal date, and since they were often working for companies that were basically also the Ramsden personal brand I imagine there was a very “still family” feeling. No more than the distance between Mavis and Toby.
The F.R. got Alfred Aslett, who had a wonderful track record turning around the Cambrian Railway, as Ramsden’s… er, not-replacement.
For Ramsden, you see, was sooo larger-than-life in the annals of the Furness district that the railway made up a new job title for Aslett… rather than commit the sacrilege of ever naming another “managing director.”
*dartboard meme* I’ve had enough of this dude.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Next Time: Overview of the Furness Railway 2/2 — All Set with Aslett! (Wait, What Do You Mean We Are Going to War and Then You're Going to Amalgamate Our Railway with the Bloody Midlanders?!)
#real true railway stuff#furness railway#sir james ramsden#the fat controller#alfred aslett#ttte edward#... hmm not sure what else to tag this#is this worth the general ttte tag or will that just annoy people?#the furness series
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Robert Morgan and David Holyoak, from Cumbria, have been sentenced to jail after being found guilty of neglect that led to the death of Dorothy Morgan, 71, who weighed only four-and-a-half stone when she was admitted to the hospital. The court heard that Robert and David failed to seek medical attention for Dorothy in time, leaving her emaciated, dehydrated, and covered in bedsores. The neglectful conditions in the family home in Whitehaven led to Dorothy developing gangrene and ultimately passing away nine days after being hospitalized.
Both Robert and David were sentenced by Carlisle Crown Court, with Robert receiving a three-year jail term and David receiving two years and eight months. The prosecution stated that the defendants failed to provide Dorothy with food, water, and basic care, despite being aware of the high risk to her life. The defense argued that Robert did not have the emotional awareness to notice the severity of Dorothy's deteriorating health, while David was dominated by Dorothy's decisions. The judge acknowledged that Dorothy may have resisted seeking medical help, but emphasized that the defendants could have taken steps to provide her with a more hygienic environment and prevent the severe bedsores.
Robert's defense attorney described the case as both sad and unusual, highlighting the impact of losing a wife and mother. David's attorney emphasized his love for his mother and his failure to care for her properly. The judge condemned the defendants for their gross negligence, which resulted in Dorothy being near death when she was admitted to the hospital, unable to communicate. The direct cause of her death was determined to be emaciation and neglect of the infected bedsores. Despite regrets expressed by the defendants, the judge held them responsible for Dorothy's death, emphasizing their lack of awareness of the severity of her condition.
The court proceedings included details of a phone call in which Robert described Dorothy as looking like someone from a death camp when she was hospitalized. The judge stressed that the neglect became criminal as early as three weeks before Dorothy's admission to the hospital, when the defendants should have sought medical help from a GP or social services. The defense cited the challenging circumstances faced by Robert, who worked long hours and struggled with eating and sleeping, as factors contributing to the neglect. However, the jury concluded that the defendants failed to realize the imminent danger Dorothy was in, highlighting their responsibility for the tragic outcome.
In conclusion, the sentencing of Robert Morgan and David Holyoak for the neglect that led to Dorothy Morgan's death highlighted the tragic consequences of their actions. The court found them guilty of failing to provide basic care and medical attention to Dorothy, leading to her severe emaciation and bedsores. Despite expressions of regret and lack of emotional awareness, the judge held them accountable for the criminal neglect that resulted in Dorothy being near death when hospitalized. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of recognizing and addressing signs of neglect and ensuring the well-being of vulnerable individuals.
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Nicholas Salzano - Best Beaches in the World
Nicholas Salzano is a well-known travel blogger. Nicholas Salzano writes regularly on travel tips and his travel experiences. Get Nicholas Salzano's latest content.
What makes a great beach is up to the travelers. Some people like wide sandy beaches with lots of activities and crowds to watch, while others like deserted shores and calm waters.
US News has determined this and other factors such as unique landscapes, beach quality, and general accessibility to determine the best beaches in the world. (Note: Some of the destinations below may be affected by the corona virus outbreak. Please consult CDC and the U.S. State Department before traveling.)
Nicholas Salzano - Fiji
Fiji has turquoise waters, sparkling beaches and luxurious resorts, similar to many other tropical resorts. Similarly, an island composed of 333 islands is suitable for all kinds of love birds. In addition, explorers such as surfers and divers appreciate the quality of the waves and the coral reefs of the archipelago. But Fiji has different supernatural characteristics from other island destinations. Fiji is more than 1,300 miles from the North Island of New Zealand in the South Pacific, providing you with a pleasant feeling of isolation.
When you drink Fijian sour beer and watch the sun set on the horizon, you will be as far away from reality as possible. Fijian style will also make you feel a million miles away too: have you tried the dazzling cava? Or have seen people braving fire and walking on hot stones without burning their feet? If not, it is time to do it.
Nicholas Salzano - Bora Bora
Bora Bora (about 6 miles long and just over 2 miles wide) is full of beauty. A dormant volcano rises at its center and expands into the dense jungle before overflowing into the Aquamarine Lagoon. In fact, the author James Michener who wrote "The Story of the South Pacific" called Bora Bora "the most beautiful island in the world." In the 18th century, British explorer James Cook even hailed it as the "Pearl of the Pacific." As the definition of a tropical resort, the wonderful Bora Bora has luxury resorts, clear skies, warm waters and friendly people.
In short, go to Bora Bora to enjoy the natural beauty, to relax completely, if you have the money, go.
Salzano - Maldives
You've seen photos of the Maldives before: the perfect private villa suspended in the stunning blue waters, alabaster white sand beaches and a spectacular sunset jumping into the horizon. The beauty of the Maldives is worth seeing and can only be understood by visiting the scene.
The island nation of Maldives is extremely popular with honeymooners seeking hermitage and adventurers looking to explore the depths of the ocean through snorkeling and diving. Tourists who want to relax can relax in the spa on the island, and all tourists should spend a day exploring Male’, the capital of the Maldives. The hotels in the area are breathtaking, from underwater hotels to private overwater bungalows to stunningly beautiful resorts.
However, getting to and staying in this tropical paradise requires patience (there are no direct flights from the US) and enough cash. The Maldives is located between the Arabian Sea and the Cardiff Sea, about 500 miles southwest of Sri Lanka, as isolated from the world as possible; this is just another of its many charms.
Nicholas - Tahiti
Miles of coastline, dozens of resorts, mouth-watering French cuisine-Tahiti has all the conditions for a honeymoon destination. But beach bums often cross the sands of Tahiti and head to the Ivory Coast of Bora Bora. Despite its idyllic reputation and convenient transportation, Tahiti is not so much a romantic holiday destination as a place off the beaten track. However, this does not mean that Tahiti should be ignored.
The wooded forest is next to the beach, and the French crepes are served with Tahitian poisson cru (raw fish). If there is one place that can embody the beautiful duality of French Polynesia, it is Tahiti. Here, the quirky and often chaotic atmosphere of Papeete, the island’s capital, complements the unspoiled natural beauty.
In fact, Tahiti, the largest of the 118 islands in French Polynesia, is often referred to as two separate islands, although they are connected by a small land bridge.
Tahiti Nui is the largest northern area where Papeete is located. Tahiti Iti (the smaller half) is not easily accessible, although many tourists hike here to experience the isolation. Keep in mind that spending a week anywhere in Tahiti will cost you a hefty price. But travelers agree that the warm waters, dense jungles, and luxurious resorts are worth it.
Nicholas Salzano - Maui
Maui isn't as big as the Big Island, it's not as small as Lanai, as vibrant as Oahu, and not as quiet as Kauai. For many visitors vacationing in Hawaii, Maui is the perfect place, from its majestic wildlife to fascinating history and culture; it offers all the flavors that Aloha has to offer. Visit here to swing with a professional hula dancer,play golf on the coastal streets, zip around, snorkel with five different types of turtles, or just go on some of the most famous beaches in Hawaii rest.
Maui, one of the archipelago's most popular tourist attractions, lies between the Big Island and the small Molokai (you can explore it by signing up for one of the best tours on Maui). Maui is divided into five different regions. Many visitors settle on the sandy beaches of South Maui (where the famous Wailea Beach is located) or the coast of West Maui, the sandy beach of Kaanapali Beach and the music home of the old Lahaina Augrand. But the rest of the island cannot be overlooked.
Travel along the Road to Hana, experience the scenic east coast of Maui, explore Haleakala, the largest dormant volcano in the inland world, and explore the ancient tribal battlefields of Iao Valley State Park in central Maui. If you want a panoramic view of all of this, book one of the best helicopter tours in Maui.
Nicholas Salzano - Whitsunday Islands
The Whitsunday Islands are located off the northeast coast of Australia and it feels like a whole different world. The archipelago is adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef and has an extremely unique but fragile ecosystem. Some of the best beaches in this collection of 74 islands include Betty Beach, Whitehaven Beach, and Chalkis Beach, but there are plenty of amazing attractions to choose from as well. When you're not sunbathing on pearl-white beaches or snorkeling in turquoise waters, you can relax in luxurious or eco-friendly bungalows on Hamilton Island or Long Island.
Nicholas Salzano - Mauritius
Located in the east of Madagascar, this picturesque African island has a number of beaches that deserve priority. According to visitor reviews, the west coast of the island has some of the best, such as Flic En Flac and Le Morne, There are beautiful white sand beaches and the perfect viewpoint to watch the sunset. Beachgoers near amenities prefer the northern coastal beaches like Granbe, while those looking for a more remote beach experience prefer to visit the eastern and southern coastal beaches like Tu Island and Blue Bay.
Nicholas Salzano - St. Lucia
Lush and unspoiled Saint Lucia has a growing fan base. Some of its vacationers are music lovers, chilling out at the St. Lucia Art and Jazz Festival in the spring, or adrenaline junkies, climbing The Pitons or zip-lining in the Chasin area rainforest to test their limits. Others are honeymooners relaxing on the island's chalky beach or hiding out in a secluded resort.
But what if any of these categories are not suitable for you? Do not worry: Saint Lucia refuses to be classified like any "kind" of Caribbean vacation. In addition, you don’t have to spend a lot of money (its reputation as a luxury hideaway is reasonable to some extent). To discover some of the indescribable charms of the island, you must visit it yourself. Wake up in the morning and admire the orange sunrise over Soufrière, and then "jump" (or dance) along the Gros Islet in the evening to end the afternoon.
Nicholas Salzano - Railay Beach
Railay Beach (also known as Rai Leh) is located in Krabi, Thailand, next to the Andaman Sea. The area is made up of four main beaches, with soft sands, clear waters, stunning but climbable (for experienced climbers) cliffs and dense tropical rain forests. For a truly breathtaking beach experience, head to Phra Nang Beach, where you can explore caves, islands and coral reefs. Another Railay Beach coastline that you must visit is the beautiful West Coast of Railay, just steps from a plethora of shops, restaurants, bars, and resorts.
Also check this video of Nicholas Salzano on topic: I traveled Syria Before War, and It was Heaven
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