50th anniversary of Max Miller’s death, 7th May 1963

On Bank Holiday Monday 6 May at 2pm, members of the Max Miller Appreciation Society gathered on Brighton seafront for the official opening of the MAX MILLER WALK in the company of Brighton & Hove’s Mayor & Mayoress and Michael Aspel OBE.

Max Miller Appreciation Society with the Mayor of Brighton and Michael Aspel

Michael Aspel unveiling Max Miller Walk

We were joined by members of the British Music Hall Society. 2013 is a special year for MMAS as it marks 50 years since Max died at his Burlington Street, Brighton home on 7th May 1963.

MMAS will be delighted to hear from anymore with stories or memories of Max in and around his home town of Brighton.

Our website is www.maxmiller.org

Jack Strutt

Look out, it’s Jaws off the West Pier!

Brighton Argus, 10 May 1976

Sharks a mere 200 yards off  Brighton this weekend frightened swimmers and went dangerously close to two boats off the West Pier.

On Saturday afternoon, when the sharks were first spotted, police toured the beach with loud hailers warning swimmers not to go out too far. Among the first to spot the sharks was Susan Trangmar, of Ditchling Crescent, Brighton. She and her boyfriend, Roderick Coyne, were rowing about 200 yards from the West Pier when a passing speedboat hailed them.

“We looked around and saw the fins, Susan said. “There were two of them, really quite close to the boat.

“The most frightening moment was when one of them dived and we panicked for about three minutes, thinking it might come up underneath the boat, like something out of Jaws.”

Find this and other fascinating stories in our collection of local newspapers at the Brighton History Centre.

Adventure by Mr Oscar Wilde, 3rd February 1894

Brighton Herald, 3rd February 1894

An unpleasant adventure happened on the Brighton Front on Monday afternoon to Mr Oscar Wilde, who was staying at the Royal Albion Hotel. He was riding in a Victoria opposite Adelaide-crescent, Hove, when the horse took fright and bolted towards Brighton. The driver was powerless to stop the runaway and it was not until it reached the bottom of Regency-square, and the vehicle had come into collision with the Esplanade railings, that the horse was brought to a standstill. Fortunately, both Mr Wilde and the driver escaped without injury, the only damage done being that one of the shafts of the Victoria was broken, and the horse was cut under the fore-leg. So far as Mr Wilde was concerned it was “an accident of no importance.”