British Pathé Reviews the Year 1954
The source for the information contained in this chapter is the partial archive of the newspaper La Voz de Galicia found in the local library. Some of the information garnered has proven useful elsewhere (e.g. the training of the shipyard's apprentices). Only the years 1954, 1955, 1959 and 1961 were archived between 1953-65. Although every page of the newspapers was interesting I focused mainly on the half-page section titled Ferrol Al Dia (Ferrol Update).
The following table contains newsdata for the year 1954 based on a sample of 236 newspapers. In addition to the absence of a Monday newspaper some seventy pages of the "Ferrol Al Dia" column were torn off deliberately by a previous user. This mischief impacted the months of October and November most.
The first field of every line below specifies the item. The second field is the number of cases reported. The third is the estimated number of cases for the year, obtained by multiplying the second field by 1.55 (i.e. 365 ÷ 236) and rounding off.
The census of June 5, 1954, gave 70,280 duly registered and 9,145 unregistered inhabitants of Ferrol for a total population of 79,425.
| 9. | E.S.L. Teacher position offered by Navy Command Headquarters. |
| 16. | Fox hunt in the countryside. |
| 21. | Town Hall will penalize the affixing of commercial posters to building facades. |
| 28. | 28-year-old man throws himself in front of a moving tram (above) and pulls himself out of harm's way at the last moment. |
| 30. | All itinerant photographers in possession of Leica cameras must report to the police station. |
| 31. | Compulsory diphtheria vaccination for all children between nine months and fourteen years old. Note: I got the jab (End of Note). |
| 2. | Snowfall, probably under an inch. | |
| 9. |
Woman fined for selling loaves of bread below the government-fixed price (rationing in effect). Municipal ambulance starts to operate. |
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| 10. | Angry editorial flogs the public telephone conference center. "The conferences meant for booth 5 were heard in booth 27, booth 27's in booth 28, booth 28's in booth 3 and every conference was audible in booth 6." | |
| 13. | U.S.A. Food Aid packages were distributed among the needy at the municipal welfare office. | |
| 14. | Power shutdown scheduled from 9:30 to 10:30 AM to carry out repairs in the grid. | |
| 18. | Editorial warns about "organized begging" on the main street. | |
| 19. |
Pool of eight shipyard workers scores 14/14 on the soccer lottery ticket of Sunday February 14 (stub) and earns 267,586 Pesetas. The First and Second Division matches selected for the ticket are shown below along with their outcome.
Draw 21
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| 28. |
Town Hall sends a telegram congratulating the dictator for receiving the Grand Collar of the Supreme Order of Christ. Stranger hugs a man to pick his pocket and pilfer 300 Pesetas. Another man finds a wallet on the street and turns it over to the police. |
Ramón Otero Pedrayo |
Army condominium |
| 13. |
Prof. Otero Pedrayo gave a public lecture at a guild headquarters. The talk started at 8:00 PM and carried the title, "Sentiment and Conscience of the Immortal in Galician Poetry." The organizers installed a "potent set of loudspeakers to ensure perfect audibility." The lounges were "filled to capacity with a select audience." Large delegations from Santiago de Compostela and Lugo attended. The speaker displayed "great brilliance." At the conclusion Pedrayo was "greatly applauded and complimented."
The following is a summary of his talk, Among peoples of the West with Celtic roots—or at least with a Celtic determinant—the concept of life is never positivist in the sense of temporal limitation. Owing to the force of imagination enhanced by the teachings of the Gospel they believe in immortality. Their philosophy is "saudade" (homesickness). And other abstractions. Let us not forget the idealism of Bishop Berkeley. |
| 14. |
Power shutdown scheduled from 9:30 to 11:30 AM. Trees shading a road were chopped down by unknown felons. |
| 16. | Four men fined for singing in the street after midnight. |
| 17. | Improvement work on the Batallones soccer field has started. |
| 18. |
Editorial denounces that the ducks in the pond of the municipal park are not being fed and that the water is dirty. Oil tanker "Almirante F. Moreno" leaves port on its maiden voyage. |
| 26. | Inauguration of a condominium (above right) for officers and commanders of the army at Plaza de España. The building has fifty-six flats. Each flat consists of five bedrooms, an office room, dining room, living room, kitchen and bathrooms. Present at the inauguration was Mohammed ben Mizzian ben Kassen the captain general of the eighth military region. |
| 30. | 30-year-old mechanic arrested for stealing copper and tin from the shipyard by impersonating a crew member of oil tanker "Almirante F. Moreno." |
| 31. | 12-year-old girl drowned when a plank of this railway bridge gave way. |
| 1. | 10-year-old child was run over by a truck. Died on April 3. A "very numerous" crowd accompanied the casket to the graveyard. His school teacher asked the newspaper to publicize the dire need for a traffic signal near the school. This was the second traffic accident there in a year. |
| 2. | Editorial decries the vandalism of street lamps. Adults and children are guilty of smashing light bulbs with stones. As a result between 300 and 400 lamp bulbs need replacing every month. |
| 4. | Ten-day exhibition of paintings by local artist González Collado (self-portrait above) in the casino. On April 7 the newspaper reported that a "very numerous public" keeps visiting the exhibit and that many paintings have been sold. |
| 6. |
Enthusiastic welcome for two members of the fascist División Azul returned from a Soviet concentration camp on April 2 along with two hundred and eighty-four fellow inmates. The two were greeted at the train station by the mayor, aldermen, town and county figures of Falange Española, its Women's Branch and its Youth Front, and by a "very numerous public." There was a street parade, a Mass and an official reception in Town Hall.
Note from 1941: On November 11, 1941, the head of Falange Española for Ferrol and county circulated this letter asking local businessmen to show their "patriotic spirit" by donating money toward a Christmas gratuity destined for the "heroic" División Azul fighting on the Bolshevik front. The letter pointedly remarks that the official closing date of the collection had been extended to November 12 due to the "manifest indifference shown by the town of Ferrol." The recipient owned a rendering factory and coughed up 10 Pesetas—approximately 20 USD year 2025—on the final whistle. The "Blue Division" had arrived to the outskirts of Leningrad the previous month to aid the German Army in the siege of the city. (End of Note from 1941). |
| 8. |
Editorial denounces the deplorable state of public washrooms. There is no maintenance, obscene graffiti abounds and the facilities are filthy. Naval infantry brass band gives a public concert in the gardens of Navy Command Headquarters at 6:00 PM. |
| 19. | Around 11:45 AM this morning a "very luminous object bigger than a 5 Peseta coin" (3.2 cm diameter) crossed the sky in a southeast-northwest direction leaving a contrail plus a very intense smell to gunpowder. |
| 20. | Two butchers fined for selling meat on a holiday. |
| 21. | Israeli vessel Atlit in port for repairs. |
| 24. | New trams have gone into service. |
| 25. |
Legal prices for loaves of bread are: 1 kg loaf, 5 Pesetas ♣ ½ kg loaf, 2.60 Pesetas ♣ 100 gram loaf, 0.60 Pesetas. Two basketball games in the gymnasium involving four local teams at 11:00 AM and 12:00 noon. |
| 29. | High school student finds wallet, father turns it over to the police. |
| 30. | Various Professional Activities Union (state-run) convenes a meeting in the Old Town Hall tomorrow at 12:15 PM for all draftsmen and geometricians. Note: Dad went, I guess (End of Note). |
| 2. | Charity performance in Teatro Jofre scheduled for May 7. Proceedings will go toward the purchase of textbooks for deprived students. |
| 3. | Water main shutoff scheduled from 9:00 to 11:30 AM. |
| 9. |
Fiestas de Ferrol committees will visit every house asking for funds, the name of donors and the amount given will be made public. Women's basketball in the gymnasium at 11:00 AM and 12:00 noon. |
| 14. | 2-year-old baby bitten by "a reptile." |
| 15. | Bread delivery boy ran away with the cash, 650 Pesetas. Arrested. |
| 16. | More women's basketball at the gymnasium, 11:00 AM and 12:00 noon. |
| 18. | Town Hall serves notice that over the next three days a military commission will inspect all horses, mules and asses taken to the fair near the Central Market Esplanade. |
| 19. | Piano concerto given by José Iturbi in Teatro Jofre. Starting time 8:00 PM. |
| 23. | Friendly soccer match Ferrol vs Tura Hennef at 5:00 PM. Final score: Ferrol 4, Tura-Hennef 1. "Clear superiority of the home team" although it is also noted that "the German players were tired after their long trip." |
| 25. | Items in police custody at the Lost/Found office: a wallet, a Brazilian passport, keys, a pair of children's shoes, some cash. |
| 28. | Artillery Corps Language Diploma recipients: 5 for the English language, 1 for French, 1 for French and English. |
| 30. | Editorial pours scorn on housewives' "frequent" complaint about household pests ("mice, cockroaches, ants, etc."). |
| 31. |
Launch of oil tanker "Almirante Manuel Vierna" at 2:30 PM. Numerous officials were present, among them the Minister for the Navy, the widow of Admiral Vierna, the naval base admiral, the bishop and the captain general of the eighth military region. 18-year-old girl injured by an exploding firecracker flung at her deliberately. |
| 6. | Town Hall will check the weights and balances used by shopkeepers from tomorrow until the 12th. |
| 7. | Cruiser "Canarias" returned at 8:15 AM from a voyage to Equatorial Guinea. |
| 11. | Fox donated to the municipal park. Note: Years later I saw the animal horribly mistreated. Park employees (presumably) caged the fox in a cement wall niche, the poor animal had just enough room to stand on its hind legs and attempt to leap over a metal fence indefinitely (End of Note). |
| 13. | Galician chess champion José Alonso Leira returns from a "brilliant" performance in Switzerland and Italy. Of four games he played, he won two and drew two. |
| 14. | Compulsory smallpox vaccination for all children between six months and seven years old. Note: I got the needle again (End of Note). |
| 21. | Around 6:00 PM a 28-year-old woman (Josefina Regueira Romero) stabbed a 57-year-old man to death at Plaza de España. He was an artillery corporal (Arturo López Rodríguez). See also May 12, 1955. |
| 23. | An 8-year-old boy failed to clear one of the many bonfires lit on St. John's Eve. Lightly charred. |
| 29. | Two peacocks destined for the municipal park. |
| 1. | Tribute to José Alonso Leira, chess champion of Galicia for ten consecutive years. |
| 6. | 16-year-old boy seriously injured trying to board a moving tram. |
| 7. | Local police releases the statistical briefing for the first semester: 690 traffic offences, 75 fines for letting a dog outdoors without a muzzle, 465 reports of milk adulteration by milkmaids or of unclean milk containers, 97 reports of garbage dumping on the street at night, 198 fines for singing or for raucous behaviour at night. |
| 11. | Regatta trial from La Cabana to Ferrol, a distance of 1,600 meters. |
| 16. | A man punches a female renter and throws her furniture onto the street. Arrested. |
| 20. | Fortuitous find of "a pearl of excellent quality" in a clam. The pearl measured 5 millimeters diameter. |
| 23. |
Two physical assaults: on a 36-year-old bricklayer and on a 30-year-old widow. Official summer recess in Empresa Nacional Bazán start tomorrow Saturday and run until Sunday August 8. |
| 26. | Official visit by the Portuguese Defence Minister. He came accompanied by the Spanish Minister for the Army. "Plaza de España crowded." A regular infantry company formed the guard of honour. He toured the city's military base, was toasted at Town Hall, had lunch at Navy Command Headquarters with music provided by the naval infantry brass band, toured the naval base of A Graña across the bay and went to the municipal park where the chorale Toxos E Froles gave a recital in his honour. He left "deeply touched" by the reception. |
| 27. |
Official visit by twenty-five members of Mocidade Portuguesa. Town Hall urges everyone to use water sparingly. |
| 30. | More regattas in the bay. |
| 31. |
Blessing of a drugstore and of a ballroom next door. Snipe class regatta qualification round for the upcoming international competition in Lisbon. |
| 2. | "A very numerous public" watched an afternoon aeromodelling show in the Town Hall square organized by the Youth Front. "Hierarchies and authorities" were also present. |
| 10. |
13-year-old girl was run over by a car. 61-year-old man bitten by a dog. |
| 13. | Local policeman bitten by a dog. |
| 15. | Three men were involved in a street brawl. Their ages: 42, 28 and 45. |
| 22. | Power shutdown scheduled from 9:00 to 11:00 AM to carry out repairs in the grid. |
| 24. | Summertime charity raffle stand in the downtown gardens was inaugurated and blessed this evening by the bishop of Palencia. |
| 28. |
Fiestas de Ferrol commence. One-year-old baby girl bitten by a dog. Motorcycle collided with a truck. |
| 31. |
Royal Netherlands Navy minesweeper Putten (above) put into Ferrol to disembark a sick sailor, his name was Joan Jemssen, he was suffering from appendicitis and got operated on at the Navy Hospital. Newspaper congratulates María Rosa Frade Martínez for having obtained a university scholarship, she is the daughter of a shipyard employee. 318 homes will be built by the state workers union. Prize winning numbers at the summertime charity raffle stand: #15094 wins a complete bedroom set, #5993 wins a motoscooter, #1109 wins a gold watch, #5798 wins a washing machine, #22013 wins a sewing machine and #12960 wins a radio. |
| 1. |
Skeet competition. First prize: 25,000 Pesetas. Consolation prize: 5,000 Pesetas. Bus and tram collision. No one hurt. |
| 3. |
6-year-old girl falls from a fig tree. Twenty sailboats took part in the second qualification round of snipe class regattas. |
| 4. |
Basketball game at 7:00 PM. Two bicycles stolen. Four boxing matches at the municipal stadium. |
| 5. | Second Golden Trophy Concepción Arenal disputed between soccer clubs Atlético de Madrid and Valencia in the municipal stadium at 4:30 PM. Rainy afternoon. Stadium half full. Final score (above): Valencia 5, Atlético de Madrid 4. |
| 6. | Four destroyers left port. |
| 7. |
Another local policeman bitten by a dog (see August 13). Raincoat stolen. |
| 12. | Steamboat "Archancha" arrived with a cargo of timber from Equatorial Guinea. |
| 15. | The following warships departed: two cruisers, four destroyers, a minelayer, a minesweeper and a torpedo boat. |
| 19. |
Division of the Dominican Navy arrives to Ferrol. The visiting military brass band gave a concert in the downtown gardens at 7:30 PM. The following clip of the visit copts the newsreel's intro for show. The actual newsreel, ten minutes long, was first shown on Monday October 4, 1954.
Official Spanish Newsreel NO-DO 613 A Voice-Over Translated: A naval division of the Dominican Republic composed of the destroyer Trujillo, the frigate Presidente Troncoso and the corvette Colón arrives to El Ferrol del Caudillo. The visiting marines transfer to the monument to Churruca. Rear Admiral Romero Lajara heads this division. These servicemen refresh the fond remembrance that Spain always harbors for the Dominican Republic, and they deposit a memorial wreath at the foot of the cited monument. Afterward they head amid displays of affection from the Ferrolian population to the Monument To The Fallen [a huge granite cross at Plaza de Amboage dedicated to the fallen soldiers of the fascist side of the Spanish Civil War] where they place another memorial wreath. Admiral Regalado the Captain-General of the Maritime Department and other authorities accompany the Dominican rear admiral and the rest of his officers. Santo Domingo [the capital city of the Dominican Republic] raised its voice in defense of our homeland in days when we were sentenced to an unjust isolation. The word of Generalissimo Trujillo has never discontinued the task of explaining to the world the important role that Spain plays in the defense of the West's Christian civilization. The marines march in showy parade through the streets of the city, occasioning the renewal of clear displays of favor and kinship before them. |
| 21. | The chorale Toxos E Froles gave a farewell performance for the Dominican Navy on the departure wharf at 7:00 PM. |
| 5. | 23-year-old carpenter was run over by a horse-drawn cart. |
| 12. | Motorcycle meet in Plaza de España at 1:00 PM. "Several thousand spectators." |
| 13. | Editorial denounces rampant "militant hooliganism." Many public lighting bulbs are smashed with slingshots. "There is no regard shown for anything that is a token of civic values or civilization...they muddy up a statue or the facade of a new building...they brag about being drunk singing bawdy songs." |
| 15. | Bazan team travels to Cádiz to take part in the national swimming competition. |
| 16. | Rotating blackouts scheduled from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM in all neighbourhoods. Store showcase windows may use only one light bulb with a maximum power of 100 W. |
| 26. |
Editorial insists that secondary roads must be improved. Rough seas delay the arrival of HMS Gladan and HMS Falken. |
| 4. | Rough seas delay the arrival of French frigate L'Aventure until the 13th. |
| 16. | The frigate is being visited by "many" Ferrolians. French consul M. Chaulet has invited the crew and local officials to a joint luncheon. |
| 17. |
L'Aventure departed at 8:30 AM. Three helicopters flew over Ferrol yesterday causing a bit of a stir. |
| 18. |
Public campaign underway to purchase a washing machine for the Destitute Seniors Retirement Home. Gender-rated pay scale prescribed by the Ministry of Labour for the cleaning staff of the tram company. Men: 9.90 Pesetas/hour. Women: 1.65 Pesetas/hour. |
| 20. | Funeral Mass in San Julián Church for the founder of Falange Española. Declared day of national mourning. |
| 27. | Catfight in Plaza de España between milkmaids. |
| 29. | Two Bazan workers died and one was seriously injured around 6:30 PM when two cranes collided, derailed and fell on top of a group of workers sheltering from a heavy thundershower. "The news caused deep consternation throughout the city." Ferry boats out on the bay during the storm had great difficulty staying afloat. "The sea displayed a horrific aspect and the number of lightning bolts that struck the surrounding areas was enormous." As a result of the storm two fishermen drowned in the bay, their corpses washed ashore on December 9. |
| 30. | The two workers killed yesterday were buried at 12:00 noon. "A crowd of workmates and friends" made up the cortege. |
| 1. |
Bus skidded on wet pavement and overturned, three passengers hurt. 78-year-old woman hurt trying to board the tram. 15-year-old construction worker (general helper) hurts himself in fall from scaffolding. |
| 2. | Town Hall hires Empresa Nacional Bazán to improve the water supply network. |
| 4. | Town Hall decrees mandatory veterinary inspections before the private slaughter of domestic pigs. |
| 8. |
Street procession of the Immaculate Conception at 4:00 PM. The image will be carried by pupils and former pupils of Daughters of Christ the King School. Firefighters draft a large pool of stagnant rainwater near the municipal stadium. |
| 17. |
All sellers of charcoal and firewood are required to carry a state union membership card. Butcher arrested for selling meat in poor condition. 7-year-old boy was run over by a taxi. |
| 19. | Charity soccer match at 4:00 PM pits "Lawyers and Newspapermen" versus Navy Sailors. Ticket prices as follows. Covered seating stand: 10 Pesetas. Others: 5 Pesetas. Children and military personnel: 2 Pesetas. |
| 22. |
Daily affluence of "a very numerous public" to the nativity scenes in two churches. The artistry on display is commended highly. Four 1,000-Peseta scholarships are on offer to study at the high school. Reward is offered to hunters who kill the following "pests": fox, European wildcat, marten, ferret, common genet and red kite. |
| 28. |
Archbishop of Coimbra in Northern Portugal arrived for a visit. Basketball, table tennis and chess tournaments are on during the holiday break. |
| 29. | Paving work has started in Plaza de España. |
| 30. | Ferrol's firefighters went to help put out a big blaze fifty-five kilometers away in the city of A Coruña. |
| 31. | 18-year-old teenager was assaulted with a pocket knife. |
| Ferrol's New England Theater (1906-1914) |
