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
Poet and jurat Augustus Asplet Le Gros dies
- Augustus Le Gros was a poet who wrote in Norman French. At the age of 33 he was elected a constable of St Peter, Jersey.
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Parishioners break into belfry demanding to hear bells
- When a vicar refused to have the bells rung at Christmas, his Jersey congregation broke into the belfry to make their demands.
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Christmas Eve plane crash at Jersey Airport
- A plane crashed at Jersey Airport on Christmas Eve when one of its wing tips touched the runway as it came down to land.
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Militiaman dies after he’s thrown from his horse
- When a Jersey militiaman's horse was startled by a slamming door, it threw him off, and the militiaman died of his injuries.
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