Videos
On this page we have four videos of interest. Firstly, June Pridmore was featured on the BBC series Heir Hunters and this edited film shows June’s part in the production.
The second video is a Pathe news film of Gladys Powsey. Gladys was part of the Powsey family who toured the coastal towns of Britain with a dangerous act of pier diving.
Our last two videos are of Larkhall in Lanarkshire showing old photographs of the area in which Edward O’Hara and family members lived and grew up, attending the primary school aand church.
June Pridmore - Heir Hunters
June Rosemary Dean Pridmore was the daughter of George Frederick Dean Pridmore, born in 1931 in Essex, and married Gordon Brown.
She was a descendant of Samuel Banks Pridmore of Bourne in Lincolnshire where the majority of our Pridmore lines originate from. June’s mother was Bertha Maud Climpson and it was a Climpson relative who’s will was featured in the program.
Gladys Powsey - Pier Diver
Gladys Amelia Powsey was born into a showman’s family in 1904. Her father Albert Ernest Powsey was known as “Professor Bert Powsey” on the coastal circuit, taking his act to many of Britain’s seaside towns, local galas and many other events. Originally from Kent, the family settled in Southport on Merseyside and a statue in his memory still resides on the promenade.
Gladys spent some time as part of Eugene’s Bathing Belles and as noted in Professor Bert’s obituary, Gladys was trained by the Professor as a diver and swimmer. She later worked swimming during the summers and during the winters as a dancer and contortionist on the stage.
She also dove from high platforms and Clive Powsey remembers her telling him of a dive she made of 70ft or 110ft from a warehouse into the Thames River. She said she split her forehead open on impact as a result of hitting a matchstick floating in the water, and a couple of days later suffered a brain haemorrhage.
At some time in her career (presumably before WW2) Gladys made an attempt to swim the English Channel, and made 20 of the 23 miles before exhaustion and contrary tides forced her to leave the water, whereupon she found herself unable to walk.
Views of Larkhall, Lanarkshire
Created by the Larkhall Heritage Group, these two films – A Walk Through Larkhall and Images of Larkhall – give a fascintaing look at what living conditions were like in the town. Not only the housing and town layout but more importantly a look at the people and services they provided, the transport and public buildings.