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133_2	Cacophony and solo career Becker started out playing alongside Marty Friedman in the Mike Varney-produced duo, Cacophony. Together, they put out an album, and toured Japan and the U.S. While they never went mainstream in the U.S., they proved popular enough in Europe to sell out almost every performance. In 1990, Friedman left to join Megadeth and Becker began to pursue a solo career, having released his first solo album titled Perpetual Burn in 1988. He has since released the albums Perspective and Collection, as well as two albums of demos, entitled The Raspberry Jams and The Blackberry Jams.
133_3	Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosis In 1989, Becker joined David Lee Roth's solo band to work on his third album A Little Ain't Enough, replacing Steve Vai, who left the band to record and tour with Whitesnake. While preparing for the album, Becker began to feel what he called a "lazy limp" in his left leg. He was soon diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; Lou Gehrig's disease) and was given three to five years to live. He finished the recording using lighter gauge guitar strings and other techniques, which made it easier for him to play with his weakening hands. Although he managed to finish the album, he did not join the supporting tour due to his inability to perform on stage; former Lizzy Borden guitarist Joe Holmes took Becker's place on tour.
133_4	His ALS gradually robbed him of his ability to play guitar, to walk, and eventually his ability to speak. He now communicates with his eyes via a system developed by his father. Due to the nature of the disease, he remains mentally sharp and, with the aid of a computer, continues composing. In the back of the Perspective CD case, Becker states "I have Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It has crippled my body and speech, but not my mind." His medical condition has remained stable since 1997. In 2003, Becker posted on his website that he was feeling better and had gained some weight, while the folder for his 2008 album Collection also mentions an upcoming book.
133_5	Perspective and Raspberry Jams In 1996, Becker released an album entitled Perspective, an instrumental album composed by him (with the exception of Bob Dylan's song "Meet Me in the Morning"). The writing of the music had been started before ALS completely crippled his abilities. By using guitar, and, later, when he was unable to use both hands, a keyboard, he continued to compose while his disease worsened. However, when Becker could no longer physically play even a keyboard, his friend and music producer Mike Bemesderfer helped him with a music-composing computer program that reads movements of his head and eyes, enabling Becker to continue to compose after he lost control of the rest of his body. Several years later, Becker released Raspberry Jams (1999) and Blackberry Jams (2003); the first contained various unreleased demo-tracks, and the latter contained demo-tracks and alternate versions of songs that were later reworked and published into other albums.
133_6	Two tribute albums to Jason Becker have been issued. Respectively entitled Warmth in the Wilderness I and Warmth in the Wilderness II, they feature guitarists such as Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Marty Friedman, Joe Becker, Rusty Cooley, and Mattias Eklundh. The album profits were sent to Becker to help him with his medical finances. Collection On November 4, 2008, Shrapnel Records released a new Jason Becker album entitled Collection. The album includes three new songs in addition to some older recordings (some never before released) and features Marty Friedman, Greg Howe, Joe Satriani, Michael Lee Firkins, Steve Vai, and Steve Hunter. Boy Meets Guitar On August 20, 2010, Becker declared that he was considering releasing an album of music he recorded when he was in his teenage years. He has since released this album, titled Boy Meets Guitar, in 2012.
133_7	Triumphant Hearts In October 2016, Becker launched a campaign to fund an album, which was initially estimated for release in July 2017. The campaign raised more than $100,000. The album, Triumphant Hearts was released on December 7, 2018.
133_8	Musical style
133_9	Considered a virtuoso guitarist and one of the top players of his time, Becker studied the works of violinist Niccolò Paganini and was a playing partner with Marty Friedman. He later arranged Paganini's 5th Caprice, performing it during an instructional guitar video. Becker's compositions often include high speed scalar and arpeggio passages—trademarks of his shred style of guitar playing. Often incorporating advanced techniques such as sweep picking, alternate picking, artificial harmonic accenting, tapping and hybrid picking; he was among the leaders of the field during the technical shred guitar and neoclassical metal trend of the mid to late 1980s and is still respected and honored by his musician peers today. The song "Serrana" appearing in the album Perspective, is an example of his sweep-picking skills. He demonstrated the arpeggio sequence during a clinic at the Atlanta Institute of Music. A video of this performance first appeared on his Hot Licks guitar instructional video.
133_10	Influence on other guitarists Becker's playing has proven to be influential on countless guitarists, including Nita Strauss, Guthrie Govan, Herman Li, Chris Broderick, and Daniel Mongrain, among others. Media Becker has appeared on many magazine covers throughout his career, including the February 1991 issue of Guitar for the Practicing Musician along with Jim Martin of Faith No More, the June 1991 issue of Young Guitar, and the July 2012 issue of Guitar Player, among others. He was also extensively interviewed for the 2017 book, Shredders!: The Oral History Of Speed Guitar (And More), by author Greg Prato.
133_11	Equipment Becker's first guitar was a Franciscan acoustic. Prior to joining Cacophony in 1987, Becker worked his way through the Franciscan, a Takamine acoustic, a Fender Musicmaster, and finally, a black "Dan Smith" era Fender Stratocaster (likely a 1982 or 1983 model) with a DiMarzio Steve Morse humbucker in the bridge (seen in the "Black Star" video, circa 1986). On his message board, Becker said "I recorded SMS [Speed Metal Symphony] with my Strat." For his next guitar, Becker said on his message board "Mike Varney got Hurricane to endorse us after we recorded Speed Metal Symphony. I liked how they were like Strats, only beefier." On Perpetual Burn, Becker said on his message board: "I used my white and black Hurricane guitar for everything. For clean tone I went direct. For dirty tone I used a 100 Watt Marshall with a Boss Super Overdrive pedal."
133_12	The Moridira Hurricane guitar he used is called a Limited Edition LTD.2 model, believed to be made in Japan. (It is not a Hurricane EX series, which appears to be lower quality.) His LTD.2 was a "strat copy", but with a HSS pickup setup, a 24-fret rosewood fingerboard, and unique Floyd Rose where you do not have to cut the strings. For pickups, Becker said on his message board: "I just used the stock pickups it came with." The pickups were Japanese-made pickups. While Becker is pictured with a blue Hurricane guitar on the cover of Perpetual Burn, he did not use this blue guitar on the album. Differences on this guitar from his first Hurricane include DiMarzio pickups, a maple fretboard, and 24 frets. (Marty Friedman recorded the whammy parts of his song "Dragon Mistress" using Becker's blue Hurricane, one of the rare times Marty has recorded whammy work.)
133_13	For the second Cacophony album, Becker switched over to Carvin gear, utilizing 2 DC Series models, one in a trans blue finish with flamed maple top, and another one in a solid burgundy finish (This is the guitar seen in the famous "Yo Yo" video from the 1989 Japan tour with Cacophony). Both have double cutaway bodies, Kahler locking tremolo systems, six in line machine heads and two Carvin humbucker pickups. He used these up until he was diagnosed with ALS in 1989.
133_14	During the sessions for A Little Ain't Enough, Becker used various Carvin, Ibanez, ESP and Valley Arts guitars, as well as a Les Paul on some tracks and a Gibson acoustic for select things. Becker has also been pictured with a few Hamer superstrats as well. From 1989–1991, Becker used various guitars, most notably a Peavey custom model with the numbered fretboard markers. Also used were an Ibanez Custom Shop guitar (probably based on an RG), a custom from Performance Guitars, a couple of various unknown Strat style guitars and a black Hurricane with three single coil pickups. Becker has allowed Paradise Guitars USA to release a Jason Becker signature guitar. It is similar in appearance to the numbered Peavey, but with a different headstock shape.
133_15	Becker used various types of amplifiers in his music. Before joining Cacophony, he used a small Peavey Studio Pro 40 with the older style Peavey vertical silver stripes on the grille cloth. During his early days Becker was also seen with a red Marshall JCM800 head and 4x12 cabinet. For the first Cacophony album, Becker used an ADAMP1 preamp. He recorded Perpetual Burn with a borrowed 1970s Marshall half stack and a BOSS Super Overdrive and Cacophony's second album was recorded with a Carvin X100B stack. For the David Lee Roth album A Little Ain't Enough, Becker used "eight different Marshall amps." He also used the SX300H head at some point during that era. After Cacophony, Becker used various amps, including a "Fender M80", an unknown Marshall amp, an ADA Preamp and possibly the aforementioned Peavey combo. Becker typically used Dean Markley and SIT strings.
133_16	Paradise Guitar In 2008 Paradise Guitars worked with Becker to design a Jason Becker signature guitar. The design is based on the Peavey with colored number fret inlays. Features include an alder body, maple neck with steel 2-way truss rod, maple 16" radius fingerboard, 24 jumbo thin frets with colored number fret marker inlays, black Floyd Rose Pro Style floating Tremolo with Floyd Rose Tremolo stop, Sperzel red satin tuners, 14-degree tilt-back headstock with black Paradise logo and matching tremolo and electronics plates. The pickups are DiMarzio pickups; a PAF Pro-Custom in the neck colored yellow and red, a DP116 HS-2 in the middle colored green, and a Tone Zone-Custom in the bridge colored pink and blue. These colored pickups complement the colored inlays and seem to give the guitar a rainbow effect. There is also a red five-way switch and purple 1–11 volume knob.
133_17	Kiesel/Carvin Tribute Guitars In 2012, Carvin worked with Becker to design the JB200C Jason Becker Tribute, a guitar that is modeled after the original DC200 guitar he used toward the latter part of his career. The guitar features an Alder body with flamed maple top, maple neck with a flamed maple fingerboard, a Floyd Rose tremolo, jumbo frets, 2 humbuckers, active electronics, and comes standard in a transparent blue finish.
133_18	In 2015, Kiesel Guitars, which took over Carvin's guitar manufacturing, worked with Becker to release a second tribute model, called the JB24 "Numbers" guitar. It is the third incarnation of his "Numbers" guitar, previously released by Peavey and Paradise guitars, and is also one of the first Carvin guitars to feature a 24-fret bolt-on neck, alongside the GH24 Greg Howe signature model released in the same year. It features a tung-oiled ash body, maple neck and fingerboard, colored number inlays, stainless steel frets, and 3 custom-colored Seymour Duncan pickups (Perpetual Burn in the bridge, Vintage Hot Stack in the middle, and Jazz in the neck).
133_19	For the official launch of Becker's signature Seymour Duncan Perpetual Burn Humbucker and the Carvin JB24 numbers guitar, Danny Young was chosen as the guitarist for both performances due to stylistic resemblance to Jason Becker and Niccolo Paganini. The Perpetual Burn performance was played on the Carvin JB200C. These performances led to the widespread notability of Danny Young's virtuosity in the guitar community and an authority in the tone and playing style of Jason Becker. Documentary film A feature-length documentary film about the life of Jason Becker entitled Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet, was released in 2012. The film includes interviews with Becker, his family and friends, and the various musicians he has worked with, including Marty Friedman, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Richie Kotzen, and Steve Hunter. The film was generally well received by fans and critics and won many awards. Clinics Atlanta Institute of Music Year: 1989 Gear: Carvin DC200, Marshall Amp, Alesis quadraverb
133_20	Japan Clinic Year: 1989 Gear: Carvin DC200 Discography Cacophony Speed Metal Symphony (1987) Go Off! (1988) Marty Friedman Dragon's Kiss (1988) Inferno (2014) Solo Perpetual Burn (1988) Perspective (1996) The Raspberry Jams (1999) The Blackberry Jams (2003) Collection (2008) Boy Meets Guitar, Vol. 1 of the Youngster Tapes (2012) Triumphant Hearts (2018) David Lee Roth A Little Ain't Enough (1991) Joe Becker Short Stories (2005) Other works Richie Kotzen (1989, producer) Daydream by the Hudson on Steve Hunter's 2013 The Manhattan Blues Project Compilations Guitar Masters, 1989, Roadrunner Records Metal Guitars – High Voltage Instrumentals,1998, Disky Communications Shrapnel's Super Shredders: Neoclassical,2009, Shrapnel This is Shredding, Vol. 1, 2009, Shrapnel This is Shredding, Vol. 2, 2009, Shrapnel Tribute
133_21	Warmth in the Wilderness: A Tribute to Jason Becker, 2001, Lion Music Warmth in Wilderness 2: Tribute Jason Becker, 2002, Lion Music Jason Becker's Not Dead Yet! (Live in Haarlem), 2012, Primal Events Instructional Hot Licks – The Legendary Guitar of Jason Becker In The Style Of Jason Becker, feat. Max Dible. DC Music School Films Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet (2012) One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das (2012) References External links Jason Becker's official website Becker's MySpace page Shrapnel Records official website Documentary film website Paralyzed guitarist continues to produce music \| Abc7news.com 1969 births Living people American heavy metal guitarists People with motor neuron disease Lead guitarists Musicians from Richmond, California Guitarists from California American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Cacophony (band) members 20th-century American male musicians Shrapnel Records artists
134_0	Amy Johnson (born 1 July 1903 – disappeared 5 January 1941) was a pioneering English pilot who was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, she set many long-distance records during the 1930s. She flew in the Second World War as a part of the Air Transport Auxiliary and disappeared during a ferry flight. The cause of her death has been a subject of discussion over many years. Early life Born in 1903 in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, Amy Johnson was the daughter of Amy Hodge, granddaughter of William Hodge, a Mayor of Hull, and John William Johnson whose family were fish merchants in the firm of Andrew Johnson, Knudtzon and Company. She was the eldest of three sisters, the next in age being Irene who was a year younger.
134_1	Johnson was educated at Boulevard Municipal Secondary School (later Kingston High School) and the University of Sheffield, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics. She then worked in London as secretary to a solicitor, William Charles Crocker. She was introduced to flying as a hobby, gaining an aviator's certificate, No. 8662, on 28 January 1929, and a pilot's "A" Licence, No. 1979, on 6 July 1929, both at the London Aeroplane Club under the tutelage of Captain Valentine Baker. In that same year, she became the first British woman to obtain a ground engineer's "C" licence. Johnson was a friend and collaborator of Fred Slingsby whose Yorkshire based company, Slingsby Aviation of Kirbymoorside, North Yorkshire became the UK's most famous glider manufacturer. Slingsby helped found Yorkshire Gliding Club at Sutton Bank and during the 1930s she was an early member and trainee. Aviation
134_2	Johnson obtained the funds for her first aircraft from her father, who was always one of her strongest supporters, and Lord Wakefield. She purchased a secondhand de Havilland DH.60 Gipsy Moth G-AAAH and named it Jason after her father's business trade mark. Johnson achieved worldwide recognition when, in 1930, she became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. Flying G-AAAH Jason, she left Croydon Airport, Surrey, on 5 May and landed at Darwin, Northern Territory on 24 May . Six days later she damaged her aircraft while landing downwind at Brisbane airport and flew to Sydney with Captain Frank Follett while her plane was repaired. Jason was later flown to Mascot, Sydney, by Captain Lester Brain. G-AAAH "Jason" is now on permanent display in the Flight Gallery of the Science Museum in London.
134_3	She received the Harmon Trophy as well as a CBE in George V's 1930 Birthday Honours in recognition of this achievement, and was also honoured with the No. 1 civil pilot's licence under Australia's 1921 Air Navigation Regulations. Johnson next obtained a de Havilland DH.80 Puss Moth G-AAZV which she named Jason II. In July 1931, she and co-pilot Jack Humphreys became the first people to fly from London to Moscow in one day, completing the journey in approximately 21 hours. From there, they continued across Siberia and on to Tokyo, setting a record time for Britain to Japan. In 1932, Johnson married Scottish pilot Jim Mollison, who had proposed to her during a flight together some eight hours after they had first met. In July 1932, Johnson set a solo record for the flight from London to Cape Town, South Africa in Puss Moth G-ACAB, named Desert Cloud, breaking her new husband's record. De Havilland Co and Castrol Oil featured this flight in advertising campaigns.
134_4	In July 1933, Johnson together with Mollison flew the G-ACCV, named "Seafarer," a de Havilland DH.84 Dragon I nonstop from Pendine Sands, South Wales, heading to Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York. The aim was to take “Seafarer” to the starting point for the Mollison's attempt at achieving a world record distance flying non-stop from New York to Baghdad. Running low on fuel and now flying in the dark of night, the pair made the decision to land short of New York. Spotting the lights of Bridgeport Municipal Airport (now Sikorsky Memorial Airport) in Stratford, Connecticut they circled it five times before crash landing some distance outside the field in a drainage ditch. Both were thrown from the aircraft but suffered only cuts and gashes. After recuperating, the pair were feted by New York society and received a ticker tape parade down Wall Street.
134_5	The Mollisons also flew, in record time, from Britain to India in 1934 in G-ACSP, named "Black Magic", a de Havilland DH.88 Comet as part of the Britain to Australia MacRobertson Air Race, but were forced to retire from the race at Allahabad because of engine trouble. In September 1934, Johnson (under her married name of Mollison) became the youngest President of the Women's Engineering Society, having been vice-president since 1934. She was active in the society until her death. On 4 May 1936, Johnson made her last record-breaking flight, starting from Gravesend Airport & regaining her Britain to South Africa record in G-ADZO, a Percival Gull Six. The same year she was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Aero Club. In 1938, Johnson overturned her glider when landing after a display at Walsall Aerodrome in England, but was not seriously hurt. The same year, she divorced Mollison. Soon afterwards, she reverted to her maiden name.
134_6	Johnson began to explore other ways to make a living through business ventures, journalism and fashion. She modelled clothes for the designer Elsa Schiaparelli and created her a travelling bag sold under her own name. In 1939 Johnson found work flying with the Portsmouth, Southsea and Isle of Wight Aviation Company, piloting short flights across the Solent and flying as a target for searchlight batteries and anti-aircraft gunners to practice on. The company’s aircraft were taken over by the Air Ministry in March 1940 and Johnson was served notice of redundancy alongside all other pilots in the company as all the aircraft were requisitioned for the war effort. She received a week's pay and a further four weeks pay of £40 as a redundancy package.
134_7	Second World War Two months later in 1940, during the Second World War, Johnson joined the newly formed Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), which transported Royal Air Force aircraft around the country. She rose to First Officer under the command of her friend and fellow pilot Pauline Gower. Her former husband also flew for the ATA throughout the war. Johnson described a typical day in her life in the ATA in a humorous article (published posthumously in 1941) for The Woman Engineer journal. Disappearance Writing a last letter to her friend Caroline Haslett, on New Years Day 1941, "I hope the gods will watch over you this year, and I wish you the best of luck (the only useful thing not yet taxed!)." On 5 January 1941, while flying an Airspeed Oxford for the ATA from Prestwick via RAF Squires Gate to RAF Kidlington near Oxford, Johnson went off course in adverse weather conditions. Reportedly out of fuel, she bailed out as her aircraft crashed into the Thames Estuary near Herne Bay.
134_8	A convoy of wartime vessels in the Thames Estuary spotted Johnson's parachute coming down and saw her alive in the water, calling for help. Conditions were poor – there was a heavy sea and a strong tide, snow was falling and it was intensely cold. Lt Cmdr Walter Fletcher, the Captain of HMS Haslemere, navigated his ship to attempt a rescue. The crew of the vessel threw ropes out to Johnson but she was unable to reach them and was lost under the ship. A number of witnesses believed there was a second body in the water. Fletcher dived in and swam out to this, rested on it for a few minutes then let go. When the lifeboat reached him he was unconscious and as a result of the intense cold he died in hospital days later. Johnson's watertight flying bag, her log book and cheque book later washed up and recovered near the crash site.
134_9	A memorial service was held for Johnson in the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields on 14 January 1941. Walter Fletcher was posthumously awarded the Albert Medal in May 1941. Disputed circumstances In 1999, it was reported that Johnson's death may have been caused by friendly fire. Tom Mitchell, from Crowborough, Sussex, claimed to have shot Johnson's aircraft down when she twice failed to give the correct identification code during the flight. Mitchell explained how the aircraft was sighted and contacted by radio. A request was made for the signal. She gave the wrong one twice. "Sixteen rounds of shells were fired and the plane dived into the Thames Estuary. We all thought it was an enemy plane until the next day when we read the papers and discovered it was Amy. The officers told us never to tell anyone what happened."
134_10	In 2016, Alec Gill, a historian, claimed that the son of a ship's crew member stated that Johnson had died because she was sucked into the blades of the ship's propellers; the crewman did not observe this to occur, but believes it is true. As a member of the ATA with no known grave – her body was never recovered – Johnson is commemorated (under the name Amy V. Johnson) by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede. Honours and tributes In June 1930, Johnson's flight to Australia was the subject of a contemporary popular song, "Amy, Wonderful Amy", composed by Horatio Nicholls and recorded by Harry Bidgood, Jack Hylton, Arthur Lally, Arthur Rosebery and Debroy Somers. She was also the guest of honour at the opening of the first Butlins holiday camp, in Skegness in 1936. From 1935 to 1937, Johnson was the President of the Women's Engineering Society.
134_11	A collection of Amy Johnson souvenirs and mementos was donated by her father to Sewerby Hall in 1958. The hall now houses a room dedicated to Amy Johnson in its museum. In 1974, Harry Ibbetson's statue of Amy Johnson was unveiled in Prospect Street, Hull where a girls' school was named after her (the school closed in 2004). In 2016 new statues of Johnson were unveiled to commemorate the 75th anniversary of her death. The first, on 17 September, was at Herne Bay, close to the site she was last seen alive, and the second, on 30 September, was unveiled by Maureen Lipman near Hawthorne Avenue, Hull, close to Johnson's childhood home.
134_12	In 2017 The Guardian listed the Amy Johnson bronze as one of the "best female statues in Britain". A blue plaque commemorates Johnson at Vernon Court, Hendon Way, in Childs Hill, London NW2. She is commemorated with a green plaque on The Avenues, Kingston upon Hull. She is commemorated with another blue plaque in Princes Risborough where she lived for a year.
134_13	Buildings named in Johnson's honour include "Amy Johnson Building" housing the department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering at the University of Sheffield. "Amy Johnson Primary School" situated on Mollison Drive on the Roundshaw Estate, Wallington, Surrey, which is built on the former runway site of Croydon Airport. "The Hawthornes @ Amy Johnson" in Hull, a major housing development by Keepmoat Homes on the site of the former Amy Johnson School. Amy Johnson Comet Restoration Centre at Derby Airfield, where the Mollison's DH.88 Comet Black Magic is being restored to flying condition. Amy Johnson House in Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon was named for her; built in the 20th-century it was demolished in the mid 2010s.
134_14	Other tributes to Johnson include a KLM McDonnell-Douglas MD-11, and after that aircraft was retired, a Norwegian Air UK Boeing 787-9, named in her honour, and "Amy's Restaurant and Bar" at the Hilton hotels at both London Gatwick and Stansted airports are named after her. "Amy Johnson Avenue" is a main road running northwards from Tiger Brennan Drive, Winnellie, to McMillans Rd, Karama, In Darwin, Australia. "Amy Johnson Way" is a road linking commercial premises in Blackpool, Lancashire, UK, adjacent to Blackpool Airport. It is also the name of a road in Clifton Moor, York. "Johnson Road" is one of the roads built on the site of the former Heston Aerodrome in west London.
134_15	In 2011 the Royal Aeronautical Society established the annual Amy Johnson Named Lecture to celebrate a century of women in flight and to honour Britain's most famous woman aviator. Carolyn McCall, Chief Executive of EasyJet, delivered the Inaugural Lecture on 6 July 2011 at the Society's headquarters in London. The Lecture is held on or close to 6 July every year to mark the date in 1929 when Amy Johnson was awarded her pilot's licence. Over a six-month period, inmates of Hull Prison built a full-size model of the Gipsy Moth aircraft used by Johnson to fly solo from Britain to Australia. In February 2017 this went on public display at Hull Paragon Interchange.
134_16	In 2017, Google commemorated Johnson's 114th birthday with a Google Doodle. In 2017 the airline Norwegian painted the tail fin of two of its aircraft with a portrait of Johnson. She is one of the company's "British tail fin heroes", joining Queen singer Freddie Mercury, children's author Roald Dahl, England's World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore and aviation entrepreneur Sir Freddie Laker. A mural reading QUEEN OF THE AIR (which was a nickname the British press gave Johnson) was painted in Cricklewood railway station to commemorate the hundred-year anniversary of women obtaining the right to vote in the United Kingdom.
134_17	St Mary's Church in Beverley, East Yorkshire announced their intention of installing a stone carving of Amy Johnson as part of a programme of celebrating women in the restoration of the stonework of the medieval church in 2021. The other eight figures will include fellow engineer and WES member Hilda Lyon, Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary Seacole, Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin, Helen Sharman and Ada Lovelace.
134_18	In popular culture Johnson's life has been the subject of a number of treatments in film and television, some more accurately biographical than others. In 1942, a film of Johnson's life, They Flew Alone, was made by director-producer Herbert Wilcox, starring Anna Neagle as Johnson, and Robert Newton as Mollison. The movie is known in the United States as Wings and the Woman. Amy! (1980) was an avant-garde documentary written and directed by feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey and semiologist Peter Wollen. A 1984 BBC television film Amy starred Harriet Walter in the title role. In the 1991 Australian television miniseries The Great Air Race, aka Half a World Away, based on the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race, Johnson was portrayed by Caroline Goodall. Johnson earned a passing mention in other works such as the 2007 British film adaption of Noel Streatfeild's 1936 novel Ballet Shoes, wherein the character Petrova is inspired by Johnson in her dreams of becoming an aviator.
134_19	In radio, the 2002 BBC Radio broadcast The Typist who Flew to Australia, a play by Helen Cross, presented the theme that Johnson's aviation career was prompted by years of boredom in an unsatisfying job as a typist and sexual adventures including a seven-year affair with a Swiss businessman who married someone else. In music, Johnson inspired a number of works, including the song "Flying Sorcery" from Scottish singer-songwriter Al Stewart's album, Year of the Cat (1976). A Lone Girl Flier and Just Plain Johnnie (Jack O'Hagan) sung by Bob Molyneux, and Johnnie, Our Aeroplane Girl sung by Jack Lumsdaine. Queen of the Air (2008) by Peter Aveyard is a musical tribute to Johnson. Indie pop band The Lucksmiths used a clip of her Australia welcome speech as an intro to their song The Golden Age of Aviation.
134_20	More fictionalised portrayals include a Doctor Who Magazine comic story in 2013 entitled "A Wing and a Prayer", in which the time-travelling Doctor encounters Johnson in 1930. He tells Clara Oswald her death is a fixed point in time. Clara realises what's important is that it appears Amy died. They save her from drowning then took her to the planet Cornucopia. The character Worrals in the series of books by Captain W. E. Johns was modelled on Amy Johnson. Gallery See also List of fatalities from aviation accidents List of female explorers and travelers List of people who disappeared mysteriously at sea Notes References Further reading
134_21	Gillies, Midge. "Amy Johnson, Queen of the Air", London, Phoenix Paperback, 2004. . Moolman, Valerie. Women Aloft (The Epic of Flight). Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1981. . Nesbitt, Roy. "What did Happen to Amy Johnson?" Aeroplane Monthly (Part 1), Vol. 16, no. 1, January 1988, (Part 2) Vol. 16, no. 2, February 1988. Sugden, Philip. Amy's Last Flight: The Fate of Amy Johnson in 1941. Beverley, East Yorkshire: Highgate Press, 2015. Turner, Mary. The Women's Century: A Celebration of Changing Roles 1900–2000. Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK: The National Archives, 2003. . External links
134_22	Biography of Amy Johnson by Science Museum, London BBC Humber article on Johnson BBC page on Amy Johnson's death The RAF Museum, Hendon, includes another Johnson display RAF History page on Amy Johnson CWGC record Amy Johnson: Pioneer Aviator, Article by LaRue Scott Science Museum article on women in engineering including Amy Johnson de Havilland Gipsy Moth G-AAAH "Jason" in display at the Science Museum in London Comet Racer G-ACSP Restoration British Library – 'The Story of My Flight' Amy Johnson describes her flight to Australia in a National Sound Archive recording. One minute silent film; close-ups of Amy Johnson speaking. Pathe News, Cape Town, 1932 Listen to songs inspired by, and recordings of, famous aviators including Charles Kingsford Smith, Amy Johnson and Bert Hinkler talking about their journeys on the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's website: "Our Heroes of the Air"
134_23	1903 births 1940s missing person cases 1941 deaths 20th-century women engineers Accidental deaths in England Air Transport Auxiliary pilots Alumni of the University of Sheffield Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in England Aviation pioneers British aviation record holders British women aviators British women aviation record holders British women engineers British women in World War II Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Croydon Airport English aviators Glider pilots Harmon Trophy winners People from Kingston upon Hull People lost at sea Presidents of the Women's Engineering Society Segrave Trophy recipients Women's Engineering Society Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1941 British civilians killed in World War II
135_0	Trim () is a town in County Meath, Ireland. It is situated on the River Boyne and has a population of 9,194. The town is noted for Trim Castle – the largest Norman castle in Ireland. One of the two cathedrals of the United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare — St Patrick's cathedral — is located north of the river. Trim won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition in 1972, 1984, and 2014 and was the "joint" winner with Ballyconnell in 1974. Traditionally Trim was the county town of Meath, but this title was passed on over time onto larger, neighbouring town Navan. History
135_1	Early history
135_2	At an early date, a monastery was founded at Trim, which lay within the petty kingdom (tuath) of the Cenél Lóegairi. It is traditionally thought to have been founded by St. Patrick and left in the care of its patron saint Lommán, also locally known as Loman, who flourished sometime between the 5th and early 6th centuries. When domestic politics endangered the position of Lommán's foundation, the church of Armagh assimilated Lommán into the dossier of St. Patrick, making him a disciple of that saint. Attackers burned the church several times in the twelfth century. The town was first captured by the English during the Norman invasion of Ireland and a castle was built. However, the town was recaptured and the castle burned by a massive Irish army under the command of Ruadhrí Ua Conchobair, King of Ireland. Later, it was refounded as an St. Mary's Abbey under Augustinian rule. The abbey church was the sanctuary for "Our Lady of Trim", a wooden statue reported to work miracles. The statue
135_3	made Trim a major pilgrimage site from at least 1397. During the Reformation the statue was burned and Henry VIII dissolved the abbey. The abbey's bell tower, the "Yellow Steeple", is the primary remnant of St. Mary's.
135_4	With the spelling "Áth Truim", the bishopric is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see. Since it is not mentioned in either of the lists of the reduced number of sees approved by the Synod of Ráth Breasail (1111) and the Synod of Kells (1152), it was one of the monastic establishments that were no longer recognized as seats of bishops after the 12th-century reorganization of the Church in Ireland. Its territory was joined to that of Meath Diocese.
135_5	Norman period Lying 61 m above sea level on the River Boyne, Trim became one of the most important Hiberno-Norman settlements in the Middle Ages. In the 15th century the Norman-Irish parliament met in Trim. Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington is reputed to have been born in Dangan Castle between Trim and Summerhill, and a large column to him was erected in the town in 1817. The town's main feature is Ireland's largest Norman castle, Trim Castle; other features include two ruined church complexes, the Boyne River for fishing, and the Butterstream Gardens, visited by Charles, Prince of Wales in the mid-nineties (no longer open to the public).
135_6	Trim Castle (or King John's Castle) is Ireland's largest Norman castle. It was built in the late 12th century following the Norman invasion of Ireland. Trim and the surrounding lands were granted to Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, a Norman baron. Richard II of England stayed there before being ousted from power. Once a candidate to be the country's capital, the town has also occupied a role as one of the outposts of the Pale, and sessions of the Irish Parliament were sometimes held here, as in 1542. It was also designated by Elizabeth I of England as the planned location for a Protestant Dublin University (known as Trinity College, Dublin). However this was revised by Sir Francis Drake, who advocated the case for locating the University in Dublin.
135_7	Later history In 1649 after the sacking of Drogheda, the garrison of Trim fled to join other Irish forces and the town was occupied by the army of Oliver Cromwell. There were many local disturbances in neighbouring villages in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, most infamously the battle on the Hill of Tara, following the dispersal of the Wexford rebellion. Trim was represented by Arthur Wellesley in the Irish Parliament from 1790 to 1797.
135_8	The 19th century saw the construction of Trim Courthouse, St. Loman's Catholic church, St. Patrick's Anglican church, the Wellington column, the current Bank of Ireland building, and Castle Street by Lord Dunsany, a major landowner. Following the Great Irish Famine of 1846–1849, the practices of agriculture in the hinterland altered, with a change in emphasis from tillage to stock raising. This resulted in a change in the business life of Trim. Trim developed as a market town for the productive agricultural hinterland. Some small-scale local industries were developed including envelope, and leather product manufacturing. Trim was also chosen as a location for the Timoney Engineering company to make Fire Tenders. However, in the main, the town continued to mainly be a service centre for its immediate area.
135_9	20th century and contemporary
135_10	During the Irish War of Independence, local companies of the Irish Republican Army took Trim RIC Barracks, a large structure located on the current site of the Castle Arch Hotel, secured the arms from the barracks and then burnt down the Barracks. A large part of the town was burned as a reprisal by the British Crown forces on 26 September 1920. The local members were drawn from Trim, Longwood, Ballivor and South Meath in general. The Lalor brothers from Castle St. were prominent members as well as the Duignans from High St and the Proctors. Records of the adventures of the Lalors rest in Navan library and recount the tales of one of the brothers hiding in the recently dug grave of Fr. Woods in the churchyard. Local memories recall the townspeople sheltering down by the Boyne for a few nights as the Black 'n' Tans and Auxiliaries burnt out prominent businesses and the town hall. Footage of the burning of J&E Smyth can be viewed on the 'Pathe' website. Many of the townspeople were
135_11	traumatised for the rest of their lives; many children in Trim were not allowed to play with guns; memories of the B'n'Ts dangling grenades outside their windows as the Town Hall burnt and peeled the paint off their doors at Castle St. remained for a long time. The newspapers reported the burning of the barracks and the subsequent looting and burning of the town and follow-up operations by the local IRA.
135_12	In later years, the Lalors who moved to the house across the road from the old Brothers school had a collection of memorabilia from those years including, letters from Collins sent from Frongoch (they kept the originals and forward duplicates to HQ), Devs slippers and a Tricolour made by Constance Markievicz (with her name embroidered) that was to fly over the GPO during the Rising. Their whereabouts now are unknown but photographs of their existence are on file in Navan library. While other parts of Meath were particularly quiet during the War of Independence, the men from South Meath took the war to the British; one ambush by one of the Lalor brothers took place at the Wellington Monument, where he single-handedly took on a truckload of British with his rifle and grenade, the monument to the British PM still stands.
135_13	A new bridge was built on the Boyne in the 1980s to divert heavy traffic from the town. This was then enhanced by the construction, in stages, of an inner relief road, which now makes it possible for heavy traffic to achieve a complete by-pass of the town. The Watergate bridge was replaced in 2005. As part of the Civil Service decentralization plan of the Irish government, Trim was chosen as the location of the headquarters for the state body known as the Office of Public Works. The movement of this state administration function to Trim resulted in Trim being the first location outside of Dublin to complete a satisfactory decentralization move. Places of interest
135_14	St Patrick's church (Roman Catholic), Church Street St. Patrick's cathedral church (Church of Ireland), Loman Street. It is reputed to be the oldest Anglican Church in Ireland (disputed by a church in Armagh which claims its 20 years older than the Trim Church). The original church lies in ruins behind the current newer church which faces onto Loman Street from behind a large boundary wall. Trim Castle, the largest Cambro-Norman castle in Ireland which was built by Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath. It was used in the production of the film Braveheart and the 1980 movie The Big Red One, starring Lee Marvin and Mark Hamill, was also partially shot in Trim and in particular at Trim Castle. The Town Hall, known locally as the Market House, is reputed to have been one of Thin Lizzy's first concert venues, and has seen U2 and several other noted bands play there over the years.
135_15	The yellow steeple (named so for the way the sun sets and rises on it in the giving it a yellow colour), the remains of a 14th-century St. Mary's Abbey on a hillside near the town centre, is the tallest building in Trim and can be seen for kilometres around the town. Trim Town Walls – Though not much remains of the original walls of Trim, the "Sheep Gate" stands near the 'yellow steeple' and the castle. The wall in this area is in ruins but it marks the original town boundary, the only intact part of the wall stands on Loman Street It is not marked by any signs but it starts around the front of St. Patrick's Anglican church and runs down to the local 'Costa Coffee' (prev. The Priory Inn.) The Black Friary – A 13th century Dominican friary located just outside the town walls. The excavation of the remains of the friary is part of the Blackfriary Community archaeology project.
135_16	The Boyne river walk is a walkway along the river Boyne starting at the castle park and running along the Boyne to Newtown abbey. The total walk to Newtown and back takes about 40mins. Newtown Abbey lies on the banks of the Boyne about 15min walk from Trim Castle. It once was the largest abbey of its kind in Ireland. It is still used as a graveyard for the town so there are no guided tours but there are many information boards with pictures of what certain areas used to look like. St. John's Priory, a medieval hospital, lies across the Boyne from Newtown abbey. This structure is again free access. At the entrance there is a defence tower which used to form part of the walls of the hospital. Trim Circuit Courthouse – Built in the 19th century, the courthouse overlooks the main street of the town. Recently extended with an award-winning design, the courthouse is located next to the main entrance of the castle.
135_17	Brú Brewery- International award-winning craft brewery based in the Trim, Co. Meath. Brewing the finest quality hand crafted beer using locally sourced ingredients. Wellington Monument – Wellington was born in Ireland and spent some of his childhood near Trim. It takes the form of a column surmounted by a statue of the Duke, and was erected in 1817.
135_18	Events Trim Vintage and Veteran Car Show An annual classic car show takes place in Trim every July, Trim Veteran and Vintage Rally has been running since 1985. It started in a small yard on Loman Street with just 1 car. The founder, Norman Pratt, along with his hand-picked committee, were determined to expand the show, approached the Roundtree family who allowed the Porch Fields to be used on the day. The committee included secretary Ms. Iris Wilson, PRO Frank Dempsey, Billy Wilson, and George Douglas. It has grown each year since then and there are now in excess of 500 cars and motorcycles on show. Visitors to the show can also try their hand at archery with Athboy Archery Club. The archery has always been a big success at the fair.
135_19	Trim Haymaking Festival Trim Haymaking Festival is held in the town every mid-June. The Porchfields, an amenity space rich in historic value, are home to a fair, market, and cultural displays. The main event is the traditional making of the first hay of the year by hand and by old-style machinery. Visitors to the show can also try their hand at archery with Athboy Archery Club. The archery has always been a big success at the fair. Trim Swift Festival Because of Jonathan Swift's residence near Trim after 1700, a satirical festival is held in his honour.
135_20	Trim Poetry Festival Trim Poetry Festival began in March 2019 and was organised by Boyne Writers' Group. During the festival Boyne Berries, a journal of poetry and short fiction, was published on the occasion of its 25th issue. The winner of Trim Poetry Competition 2019 was also announced. The Festival will return again in March 2020 and is being organised by a festival committee of Boyne Writers' Group members including Michael Farry, Orla Fay, Frances Browne, Barbara Flood, Anne Crinion, Tom Dredge and Sinéad MacDevitt.
135_21	Royal Meath Show The Royal Meath Show takes place annually in Porchfield on the first Sunday in September each year. 1929 was the first show. The main events of this agricultural show are judging cattle, sheep, goats, horses, dogs and home industries. The Artisan Area includes a cookery demonstration by a celebrity Chef, an Artisan Food Area, and an Artisan Craft Area. The Meath Environmental Network have talks on many environmental issues. The Heritage Demo Area includes wool weaving, hand shearing, knitting, milking the cow, making butter, basket weaving and many more. The Royal Bee Association have their annual show, there is also a vintage display. Media Longwave radio station Atlantic 252's broadcasting station was situated in Trim throughout the 1990s. The station's former buildings are now home to Trim Town Council and Trim Area Committee, two of the administrative bodies within the County of Meath.
135_22	The RTÉ Radio 1 longwave transmitter at Clarkstown, some 11 km southeast of Trim, now broadcasts the AM version of Radio 1 (sometimes known as RTÉ Europe) on 252 kHz (1190.4 m). Prior to this date, RTÉ's main AM transmission centre had been near Athlone. The town has been used as the location for some film productions, including the use of Trim Castle to depict York Castle in Mel Gibson's Braveheart. Trim was also the setting for the first full-length Irish martial arts movie Fatal Deviation. The 1980 movie The Big Red One, starring Lee Marvin and Mark Hamill, was also partially shot in Trim and in particular at Trim Castle. Sport The town is home to Meath Gaelic Athletic Association footballers such as Jack Quinn and Darren Fay and in recent times Brendan Murphy has emerged as the county team's star goalkeeper.
135_23	Trim GAA Club have won the Meath Senior Football Championship on one occasion, in 1962. Trim is one of the two most successful teams (the other being Kilmessan) in the Meath Senior Hurling Championship, with both clubs between them winning almost half the championships played. Trim is the hometown of the former St Johnstone player Tim Clancy who played for local club Trim Celtic as a youngster. Trim has also become a popular place for activities in recent years including river kayaking with the opening of Boyne Valley Activities in 2011. Transport Rail Trim railway station opened on 26 April 1864, as part of a branch from Kilmessan to Athboy. It closed to passengers on 27 January 1947 and to goods traffic on 10 March 1947, but the branch remained open for livestock trains until final closure on 1 September 1954.
135_24	Bus Bus Éireann operate four routes serving Trim. Route 111 from Athboy to Dublin operates hourly each way (more frequently at peak times), and connections to Granard and Cavan are available at Athboy. Route 111X from Clonmellon to Dublin operates at peak times Monday to Friday. Route 190 from Trim to Laytown via Navan and Drogheda operates every two hours each way, less often at weekends. Route 109A from Trim to Dublin operates Monday to Friday at peak times during college terms only. Royal Breffni Tours operate a route to Dundalk Institute of Technology and Streamline Coaches operate a route to Maynooth University. Trim Aerodrome Trim Flying Club, a Registered Training Facility (RTF), is based at the aerodrome and operate two aircraft. As well as Trim Flying Clubs' aircraft, the airfield is also home to other general aviation aircraft including microlights.
135_25	Notable people Ordered chronologically by date of birth Lommán of Trim, patron of Trim and disciple of Saint Patrick Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, who with his son Walter, built Trim Castle Jonathan Swift, clergyman, author, poet Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852), whose family owned much of the town, began his parliamentary career as MP for Trim in the Irish House of Commons Sir William Rowan Hamilton, physicist Lord Dunsany, writer Noel Dempsey, politician Darren Fay, Gaelic footballer Tracy Coogan, actress Tim Clancy, professional footballer Brendan Murphy, Gaelic footballer Ronan Moore, writer and politician International relations Trim is twinned with Étrépagny in France since 1989. See also List of towns and villages in Ireland Market Houses in Ireland List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland Wellington Monument, Dublin References Sources External links
135_26	Towns and villages in County Meath Catholic titular sees in Europe
136_0	HMS Versatile (D32) was an Admiralty V-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War I, the Russian Civil War, and World War II. Construction and commissioning Versatile, the first Royal Navy ship of the name, was ordered on 30 June 1916 as part of the 9th Order of the 1916–17 Naval Programme. She was laid down on 31 January 1917 by Hawthorn Leslie and Company at Tyneside, England, and launched on 31 October 1917. She was completed on 11 February 1918 and commissioned into service the same day. Her original pennant number, F29, was later changed to G10 and became D32 during the interwar period. Service history World War I All V- and W-class destroyers, Versatile among them, were assigned to the Grand Fleet or Harwich Force. Versatile saw service in the last year of World War I.
136_1	Interwar years During 1919, Versatile took part in the British campaign against Bolshevik forces in the Baltic Sea during the Russian Civil War. Sailors of the ship took part in the Royal Navy mutiny of 1919. She then served in the 1st Destroyer Flotilla in the Atlantic Fleet. On 23 March 1922, Versatile was steaming off Europa Point, Gibraltar, at 20 knots with other destroyers while British submarines practised attacks on them. The submarine surfaced unexpectedly only 30 or 120 yards (27 or 110 meters) – sources differ – ahead of her. Versatile went to full speed astern on her engines and put her helm over hard to port, but had not yet begun to answer her helm when she rammed H42 abaft the conning tower, almost slicing the submarine in half. H42 sank with the loss of all hands. An investigation found H42 at fault for surfacing where she did against instructions.
136_2	In 1931, Versatile joined her flotilla in a three-week cruise to various ports on the Baltic Sea. In October 1936, she was decommissioned, transferred to the Reserve Fleet, and placed in reserve at the Nore. With tensions between the United Kingdom and Nazi Germany rising, the Royal Navy recommissioned Versatile in 1939. World War II
136_3	1939–1940 When the United Kingdom entered World War II in September 1939, Versatile deployed with the 11th Destroyer Flotilla for convoy defence duty in the Southwestern Approaches and North Atlantic Ocean, based at Plymouth. She and the destroyer escorted Convoy OB 1 on 8 September 1939, and on 15 September 1939 she, Vimy, and the destroyer escorted Convoy OB 5; both convoys were carrying troops and equipment of the British Expeditionary Force from the United Kingdom to France. On 3 February 1940, she joined the destroyers and and the sloop as they briefly escorted Convoy OG 17F during the first hours of its voyage from the United Kingdom to Gibraltar. She performed a similar duty for Gibraltar-bound Convoy OG 18F on 11 February 1940 with the sloops and . From 12 to 15 February 1940, Versatile joined Enchantress, the sloop , the minesweeper , and the submarine as the escort for Convoy HG 18F during the final leg of its voyage from Gibraltar to Liverpool.
136_4	In May 1940 – the month in which her pennant number was changed to I32 – Versatile was detached from convoy duty after escorting Convoy OB 144 and, after refuelling at Plymouth, was assigned to operations related to the evacuation of Allied personnel from the Netherlands, Belgium, and France in the face of the successful German offensive there. On 12 May 1940 she ran aground on the Dutch coast but was towed off by the destroyer . Early on 13 May 1940, Versatile arrived off the Hook of Holland to take part in Operation Ordnance, the evacuation of Allied personnel from that port. That evening, she was underway in the North Sea as an escort for the destroyer , upon which Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was embarked for passage to Breskens, when German aircraft attacked at 20:45 hours. One bomb struck Versatiles upper deck, causing her engine room to flood, and splinters from that bomb and several near misses killed nine men, fatally injured another, wounded a third of her crew, and
136_5	damaged her steam pipe, causing her to go dead in the water. The destroyer towed her to Sheerness, England, for repairs.
136_6	After completing repairs in June 1940, Versatile was assigned to the 21st Destroyer Flotilla at Sheerness and began convoy duty in the English Channel and Southwestern Approaches. On 27 June 1940, about 150 nautical miles (278 km) west of Ushant, France, at , she rescued 13 of the 40 survivors of the Royal Navy special service vessel , a submarine decoy vessel or "Q-ship" which the German submarine had sunk on 21 June 1940 at with the loss of 56 lives. In July 1940, Versatiles duties expanded to include anti-invasion patrols as the threat of a German invasion of the United Kingdom grew. She came under air attack again on 3 July, avoiding damage, and again escaped damage on 10 July when German aircraft attacked a convoy she was escorting in the English Channel off Dungeness, although one ship of the convoy was sunk. She had frequent encounters with German aircraft through August 1940.
136_7	On 25 August 1940, Versatile and Vimy were transferred to the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands and on 31 August 1940 were ordered to raise steam to intercept a German naval force reported to have shelled Eastbourne on Englands east coast. In early September Versatile escorted Convy BAS 31 from the River Clyde to Iceland and received orders en route to alter course to avoid a reported German invasion force bound for Iceland. On 11 September 1940, she, Vimy, and the destroyer escorted the auxiliary minelayers , , , and of the 1st Minelaying Squadron as they laid mines in the Southwestern Approaches in Operation SN41, after which Versatile remained on convoy duty around Scotland for the rest of September. On 30 September, she cooperated with a Royal Air Force Avro Anson aircraft in a search for a German submarine after the merchant ship Fort George reported sighting a periscope.
136_8	From 3 to 5 October 1940, Versatile was part of the escort of Convoy WS 3A Slow during the portion of its voyage that took place in the Southwestern Approaches, joining the destroyer in screening the passenger liner Highland Brigade. During this activity, her Asdic and degaussing coil both failed, and the following day she began to experience serious oil leaks into her living spaces. After undergoing temporary repairs at Derry (also called Londonderry) in Northern Ireland, on 10 October 1940, she proceeded to the River Tyne for a refit and repairs. 1941–1942 Upon completion of her refit, Versatile returned to escort duty in the Southwestern Approaches. Almost all the convoys she escorted came under German air attack. On 27 January 1941, her steering gear failed in the English Channel while she was operating near merchant ships in rough waters and with little manoeuvring room, but she managed to avoid a collision with the ships she was escorting.
136_9	In February 1941, Versatile was transferred to Harwich for convoy defence duty in the North Sea. She was in action along with the destroyer and corvette with German motor torpedo boats – S-boats, known to the Allies as "E-boats" – in the North Sea off Lowestoft on 6 March 1941 while escorting Convoy FN 26. On 13 March 1941, she attacked a submarine contact. She reported on 14 March 1941 that the merchant ship Hereport had struck a mine and sunk, and she rescued 11 survivors and took them to Sheerness; that evening, a German S boat attacked her unsuccessfully. She reported on 16 March that the merchant ship Mexico had struck a mine and sunk, and on 26 March she shot down a German Messerschmitt Bf 110 that attacked a convoy she was escorting in the North Sea.
136_10	For the rest of 1941 and throughout 1942, Versatile escorted convoys in the North Sea, defending them against frequent German air attacks. She was "adopted" by the civil community of Tipton in Staffordshire in a Warship Week fundraising campaign in February 1942. On 12 February 1942, she was one of the few British warships able to respond to the "Channel Dash" of the German battleships and and heavy cruiser from Brest, France, to Germany via the English Channel, Strait of Dover, and North Sea.
136_11	1943–1945 Near the end of 1942, the Royal Navy selected Versatile for conversion into a long-range escort, and in January 1943 she left her North Sea duties and entered the shipyard of the Grangemouth Dockyard Company at Grangemouth, Scotland, for conversion. After its completion and passing her post-conversion sea trials, Versatile was assigned to the 7th Escort Group in September 1943 and began convoy escort duty in the Western Approaches. She continued in this role until April 1944, when she was selected for service in Force J in support of the upcoming Allied invasion of Normandy, scheduled for early June 1944. In May 1944 she took part in exercises with Force J in the English Channel to prepare for the invasion.
136_12	In early June 1944, Versatile deployed in The Solent with Force J to escort convoys to the invasion beaches, and she and a Royal Navy Coastal Forces motor launch joined Convoy J 14 – consisting of the infantry landing ship , 12 infantry landing craft, 24 tank landing craft, two antiaircraft landing craft, one rocket tank landing craft, and one United States Coast Guard vessel – as its escort on 4 June 1944. The invasion was postponed from 5 to 6 June due to bad weather, but on 5 June Convoy J 14 began its voyage to Juno Beach, arriving at its launch point on 6 June 1944 half an hour before the landings. On 7 June, Versatile embarked Rear Admiral William G. Tennant, who was in command of the Mulberry harbour operation and of the undersea pipeline effort known as Operation Pluto, to witness the sinking of blockships off Sword Beach to form a Mulberry harbour. On 8 June 1944, she arrived at Portland to begin the daily escort of the EPL 2 series of tank landing ship convoys between the
136_13	United Kingdom and the invasion beaches.
136_14	Released from operations related to the invasion in July 1944, Versatile returned to convoy defence and patrol duties, conducting them in the English Channel and Southwestern Approaches until the surrender of Germany in early May 1945. Decommissioning and disposal Versatile was decommissioned soon after Germanys surrender, no longer being carried on the Royal Navys active list by July 1945. By 1947 she was on the disposal list, and she was sold on 7 May 1947 for scrapping by M. Brechin at Granton, Scotland. She arrived at the shipbreakers yard on 10 September 1948. Notes Bibliography External links Naval History: SHIPS OF THE ROYAL NAVY, 1914–1919 – in ALPHABETICAL ORDER (Part 2 of 2) HMS VERSATILE (D 32) – V & W-class Destroyer uboat.net HMS Versatile (D 32) V and W-class destroyers of the Royal Navy Ships built on the River Tyne 1917 ships World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in 1922
137_0	Mary Newcomb (1893–1966) was an American actress who appeared on the American and British stage and in films. Early life Mary Newcomb was born on August 21, 1893, in North Adams, Massachusetts, the daughter of Josiah Turner Newcomb, and Sophie De Wolfe Newcomb. She grew up in New York City and La Grangeville in Dutchess County, New York. She attended Lauralton Hall Academy, a convent school for girls in Milford Connecticut. Newcomb was an advocate for allowing women to vote, giving speeches with Carrie Chapman Catt and Elsie Lincoln Benedict. She began lecturing on a suffrage tour when she was 17, addressing New York crowds from Albany to Battery Park. Acting career Newcomb was discovered and encouraged as an actress by the distinguished actor Robert Edeson, who heard her speaking as a suffragette in New York and recognized her inherent talent. Her "first actual role" was in His Brother's Keeper, a production of Edeson's company.
137_1	Newcomb and Edeson were married on June 25, 1918. Mary appeared in “Sick-A-Bed” at the Gaiety Theatre in New York in 1918. She was widely acclaimed for her performance in “Woman on the Jury” at the Raymond Theatre in 1923. Other performances in her early years included “Easy Street” in New York, “The Lady of the Streets” in Chicago in 1924, and Nighthawk in New York in 1925. They were divorced in 1924.
137_2	Newcomb married banker Alexander Henry Higginson on June 28, 1925. Alex was from Boston, the son of Henry Lee Higginson, a financier, and Ida Agassiz, the daughter of Louis Agassiz, a noted Harvard professor. Alex was known as an accomplished yachtsman, steeplechaser, and fox hunter. After her marriage Mary retired from the stage briefly and lived with Alex in South Lincoln, Mass. and the Back Bay of Boston. With encouragement from Alex, Mary resumed her acting career in New York in 1927. Together Alex and Mary rented an apartment at 135 East 56th St. She appeared in “A Woman Disputed” and then again in “The Distant Drum” by Vincent Lawrence at the Hudson Theatre. At that time J. Brooks Atkinson of the New York Times wrote of her, “Mary Newcomb returning from what seems to have been a retirement of some minor sort makes an unusually sympathetic and appealing character of the wife, a part which is with truth from beginning to end.” She also appeared in “Sign on the Door in by Robert R.
137_3	Mill in March of 1928. In May of 1928 the Higginson’s apartment was robbed. Thieves got away with jewelry, clothes, and furs.
137_4	In December of 1928 Mary and Alex went to London where Mary appeared at the Fortune Theater opposite Crane Wilber in “Jealousy”, a two character play adapted by Eugene Walter from a French play by Louis Verneuil. It was a great success and Mary was acclaimed by the critics. In April 1929 she appeared opposite Leslie Banks in “The Infinite Shoeblack” by Norman McGowan at the Arts Theatre Club, and in September she appeared as Lady Hamilton in ”Emma Hamilton”, a play by E. Temple Thurston at the New Theatre. The critics were less approving of her next play “Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise”, a comedy by Eleanor Chilton and Herbert Agar, at the New Theatre about spoiled wealthy New York socialites.
137_5	Around that time Alex and Mary decided to stay in England permanently. They signed a 40-year lease on Stinsford House (the Dower House of the Duchess of Ilford) in Stinsford near Dorchester, Dorset. There Alex became heavily involved in Fox Hunting and served for many years as Master of the Cattistock Hunt. Eventually he also became Master of the South Dorset Hunt. They kept a flat in Mayfair in London so that Mary could continue her career on the London Stage.
137_6	Among Mary and Alex's good friends and riding partners were Lord and Lady Digby who lived at nearby Minton Magna. Their daughter Pamela, who was then a teenager, later married Winston Churchill's son Randolph. She eventually went on to marry the American producer, Leland Hayward, and finally, Averill Harriman. In his biography of Pamela, Christopher Ogden said that Pamela's favorite visitors were Alex and Mary Higginson, who were the first Americans she ever met. He wrote that Mary was the most glamorous and fashionable woman Pamela had ever encountered. “She could sit for hours, her mouth agape, listening to Mary’s stories and her devastating mimicry.”
137_7	In 1930 Mary appeared again in “Jealously” opposite the young actor John Wyse for five nights from June 25 to June 29 at the Arts Theatre Club on Newport Street to favorable reviews. The play then moved to the Little Theatre for several weeks. In August she appeared in “John O’ Dreams”, a comedy in three acts, opposite José G. Levy, again at the Little Theatre. Mary's next appearance came in December opposite Brian Aherne in “A Marriage Has Been Disarranged” at the Royalty Theatre. In 1931 Mary starred in another comedy “Supply and Demand”, by Philip and Amiee Stuart at The Theatre Royal, Haymarket. The cast included Clive Morton, Nigel Bruce, and Marjorie Clark. Later that year Mary appeared in “Behold the Bridegroom” by George Kelly.
137_8	Mary then changed course. She starred in her first British film entitled “Frail Women” under Maurice Elvery's direction at Twickingham Studios. Upon viewing a day's filming Philip Slessor, Film Weekly's Studio Correspondent, described her as mature and dignified, a soigné and sophisticate, who could take a story of average intelligence and dramatic power and bring to bear upon it a consummate knowledge of stage craft. He said of her, “With a millionaire husband she has no need to act for a living; she acts because she must. Her personality, and the public, demand that she should.” After “Frail Women”, Julius Hagan signed Mary to a three-year film contract, saying “In my opinion, there is no one of her type to touch her in either England or Hollywood. She has either studied film technique or is a born screen actress.”
137_9	Mary went on to star opposite George Barrard in the film “Women Who Play” which was based on the successful stage production in of “Spring Cleaning”. That film was followed by “The Marriage Bond” which included Guy Newall. Many scenes from “The Marriage Bond” were filmed in and around Mary and Alex's home at Stinsford in Dorset. In 1932 Mary's career took another important turn when she appeared in her first play by William Shakespeare. She played Portia in “The Merchant of Venice” at the St. James Theatre opposite Ernest Milton who played Shylock. Reviewers described their performances as a triumph.
137_10	In June 1933 Mary appeared in a new play “When Ladies Meet” by Rachel Carothers at the Lyric Theatre. The plot revolves around a love triangle, and the cast included Mary, Marie Tempest, Owen Nares, and Ann Todd. Later that year Mary did something very unusual. Because her entrance in “When Ladies Meet” did not come until the second act, she was able to take on a one act play at another theatre. “La Voix Humaine” by Jean Cocteau was a twenty five minute telephone monologue preceding another play at the Ambassadors Theatre. In it Mary presented an abandoned lover's anguish with great emotion. It was described by one reviewer as a tour de force. In December 1933 Mary opened as the lead in an adaptation by R.G. Trevelyan of “Angel”, a play written by the Hungarian dramatist Melchior Lengyel. In it she played a highly successful married woman who asserts her right to find romantic satisfaction outside her marriage, as many men do. In April 1934 Mary appeared in “There’s Always Tomorrow” a
137_11	new play by Lionel Brown at the Shaftesbury Theatre.
137_12	In September of that year Mary began the first of five plays in the 1934-1935 Season at the Old Vic. On opening night she played Cleopatra in Shakespeare's “Antony and Cleopatra” while Wilfred Lawson played Antony. In his review W.A. Darlingtion wrote, “Her performance took her straight into the hearts of the “bardolaters” of Waterloo Road. She is now one of their idols forever.” Next in November Mary took the role of Beatrice in “Much Ado About Nothing” opposite Cecil Trouncer who played Leonato while Nancy Hornsby played Leonato's daughter Hero. In late November and into December Mary continued at the Old Vic in George Bernard Shaw's “St. Joan”. Mr. Shaw himself directed the production. And while previously Joan had been portrayed by others as resolute and severe, Shaw encouraged Mary to portray Joan as a sentimental, sweet young woman. This she did and was met with great approval by the audience. As one reviewer summed it up, “It was in that magnificent lonely speech in Rheims
137_13	Cathedral that Miss Newcomb found her triumph, though in the Inquisition she lost nothing.” In January Mary played Emilia in Shakespeare's Othello and in February she was Phaedra in Hippolytus. In March she was Barbara in Bernard Shaw's “Major Barbara” opposite Maurice Evans as Adolphus Cusins while Cecil Trouncer played Andrew Undershaft.

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