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
First Jersey Royals are exported to London
- Jersey new potatoes only found fame on the mainland after the first shipment went on sale in Covent Garden on 16 April 1859.
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The National Trust for Jersey is formed
- The National Trust for Jersey held its first formal meeting on 3 August 1936 with Samuel Falle, the Dean of Jersey, in the chair.
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Royal Amphitheatre opens in Gloucester Street
- The Royal Amphitheatre was built as a replacement for the Theatre Royal, which had burned down two years earlier.
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The States starts dismantling Jersey Railway
- After a fire, and facing stiff competition from road transport, Jersey Railway was sold to the States, which began demolishing the track.
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