The Vault - Programmes from the Manx Radio Archives Radio Manx Ltd

In this episode of The Archive Room, we take a closer look at the tourist industry on the Isle of Man in the years between the two Wars. In 1919 the Falcon Cliff Hotel was deemed a white elephant - it couldn't make money - but that was before Mr and Mrs Kane bought it in 1919 - and in the early 1920's turned its fortunes around. Tonight we find out how they did it.
Cunningham's Camp was a highly successful way to give young men a healthy and happy holiday - set up by the acknowledged father of holiday camps - Joseph Cunningham - some 40 years before Billy Butlin even began his similar venture. There was never any trouble, although thousands of young men came to the camp each season - the rules were strict - but just how well did the ban on alcohol work? We find out in this programme - and discover how the outbreak of war in 1939 changed these attractions for ever.
We finish with a visit to Derby Castle - former MHK and Minister for Industry Bernie May remembers that in the late 1950's and early 1960's it really did offer superb facilities and entertainment - a mecca for holidaymakers and locals alike - and just a short distance to White City!
This is the last in the present series of The Archive Room - Catch up on earlier episodes you might have missed - they're all here as podcasts, to listen when it suits you.

We're on the move in The Archive Room this week ..... The Curator of the Marown Motor Museum tells David Callister about some of more unusual vehicles on display there; Alfred Duggan talks taxis - reminiscing about the early days of his business when he drove stars and sporting heroes around the Island - and Geoff Cannell and Charles Webster tell David Callister how they pioneered broadcasting of TT race commentaries - back in 1965!

In The Archive Room this week ..... Politician and former Speaker of the House of Keys, Victor Kneale CBE and his wife Thelma chat with David Callister (recorded in around the year 2003) about the need to keep the Manx language alive, and share some of the Manx words they use in everyday conversation.
Leslie Garrett (born in 1932) reflects on the years his Father was Steward on The Calf of Man. Although he was just over 3 years old when they went there, and he was around 7 when they left, he has cherished memories and a collection of great stories from that time - including dealing with a horse with severe wind, dealing with food shortages, and his Dad delivering two of his siblings! There's even a very beautiful lullaby too!

In The Archive Room this week -
a young Dot Tilbury showcases her natural talent as a topical and hilariously funny entertainer - sharing all the behind-the-scenes adventures when Manx Radio first began live broadcasting of the TT Races:
We make a first visit to the Baldwin Valley in the company of Manx Radio's Charles Webster talking with Tom Cowell about the area Tom knows so well.
Using Tom's book, Baldwin - My Valley, as a basis for their conversation, Tom and Charles this week discuss why and how the Baldwin Reservoir was built in the year 1900.
There'll be more from Tom and Charles in future programmes - particularly about everyday life and the characters he knew in the Baldwin Valley.
There's more from teacher and church organist Laurie Davies - this time looking at the lighter side of school life with a selection of stories from the classroom, including the unexpected difficulty of teaching physics to girls!
And finally we meet Mrs Annie McArd - a teacher at Marown school between the two World Wars. As was the rule in those days, Mrs McArd had to leave, upon her marriage, in 1934 - but her years at Marown were marked by her dedication to giving the children an education that equipped them for life - including good table manners and being able to noiselessly drink a cup of tea!

As part of Manx Radio's special series of programmes to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, in The Archive Room this week we explore the life of Sir William Hillary, a Yorkshireman who came to live in the Isle of Man, and having seen at first hand the significant and regular loss of life through shipwrecks, was determined to establish a service dedicated to saving lives at sea.
In a conversation recorded 40 years ago, keen sailor Ian Cottier talks with author and Editor of the Isle of Man Times, Robert Kelly, who researched the life of Sir William Hillary for his book entitled "For Those In Peril"
There's also a 'first play' of an extract from a brand new sea shanty written and performed by local singers 'Mine's A Shanty' which tells the story of the RNLI from its birth to the present day

In The Archive Room this week, I'm selecting some gems from the shelf marked TRAVEL - David Callister talks with Wilson Gibb who, for the last 20 years of his working life, was Manager of the Douglas Horse Tram Service - but that wasn't how he started - the full and fascinating story is here!
Celia Joughin and Edith Cutsforth joined the staff of Peel Engineering straight after leaving school - here they share the secrets of working with fibreglass - and other unusual jobs they did, as well as making bodies for the famous P50 car.
And finally, Archie Gilmour - a plumber by trade - describes the one glorious summer season he spent working on another of the Island's lost attractions - the Douglas Head Marine Drive Railway