27th April 1949
Race car crash kills driver and spectators
A leading light in the world of motor racing was killed when he skidded and crashed his Bugatti into a house at Marquand’s Corner. Kenneth Wilfred Bear had been practicing for the 176-mile Jersey International Road Race at the time. The car collided with six people at the side of the road. A doctor died on the spot and a policeman died the following morning. The other four injured were kept in hospital. Bear’s funeral took place in Jersey.
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Other events that occured in April
Jersey Eastern Railway Company is registered
- The Jersey Eastern Railway Company was registered on 6 April 1873 and immediately began construction of the line between St Helier and St Catherine’s.
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Corbière lighthouse is lit for the first time
- Corbiere’s 19m-tall lighthouse sits on a tidal island, which lifts the light a further 17m above the high tide mark. It was first lit in 1874.
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Pilot helps yacht in distress
- When a pilot spotted a yacht in distress while flying his aircraft from Jersey to Heston Airport, he dropped down low to see if he could help.
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Historian George Balleine is born
- George Balleine was honorary librarian of the Société Jersiaise, which gave him the opportunity to produce written works on Jersey’s history.
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