29th December 2009
St Helier brought to a standstill by 600 mourners
When Jersey artist Ralph Elliott died aged just 47, his funeral procession brought St Helier to a standstill. As reported by the Jersey Evening Post in its obituary of 9 February 2010, “up to 600 mourners attended Ralph’s funeral at St Helier Methodist Centre.”
Elliott was born and raised in Jersey but studied art in London for several years before returning to the island in the 1990s. He staged several exhibitions during his lifetime, establishing his reputation. Following his death, a posthumous exhibition was staged at the Jersey Arts Centre’s Berni Gallery, which included some of his best works from previous shows.
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Other events that occured in December
263 Squadron bomber is shot down at St Brelade
- A bomber attached to 263 Squadron based in Dorset was shot down over St Brelade, Jersey, in December 1942.
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Operation Hardtack targets the Channel Islands
- Needing to find out what was happening in the .Channel Islands during the Occupation, the British government launched Operation Hardtack.
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Jersey Airways is founded
- Jersey Airways flew its first commercial flight between Jersey and Portsmouth on 18 December 1933, just nine days after it was founded.
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Seneca sinks off the Jersey coast
- A cargo ship called Seneca was wrecked as she approached Jersey in December 1836, leading to the loss of one crew member's life.
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