Page 28 • The HERALD • 3rd April 2025 v BRINGING THE GOOD NEWS TO YOU SINCE 1994 v FLAT ROOFING SPECIALISTS All Roof Repairs Tel: 023 8184 5632 Mobile: 07880 508415 Email: steve@braithwaiteroo ng.co.uk THE FLAT ROOF SPECIALIST M. C. HALL LTD 4 Carpentry 4 Fencing 4 Decoration 4 Extensions 4 Kitchens 4 Loft Conversions 4 Bathrooms 4 New Build First Rate Building & Carpentry Work Start to Finish Service • References Available • Fully Insured • 1 year guarantee Free Quotations and Friendly Advice Given Contact: mchall126@btinternet.com or call 023 8089 8456 or 07976 937941 Website: www.mchallltd.co.uk Wet clean or Dry clean • Carpets • Rugs • Upholstery • Cushions • Mattresses • Caravans & Motor Homes Contact Chris for a free estimate and advice. We have full liability insurance 023 8104 0185 07770 792361 clean-u-up@hotmail.com We provide one of the best professional Carpet & Fabric cleaning Systems PVCu FASCIAS & GUTTERING CLEANING SERVICE Gutters checked for leaks and repaired Also new installations Driveway, Patio and Decking Cleaning and Restoration Service Very reliable and fully insured Good Rates and Professional Service Special Rates for OAP’s Call us now for a free quote Holbury 07884 112416 or 07368 661548 ALL ASPECTS OF ELECTRICAL WORK UNDERTAKEN • Full Rewires • New Circuits • Consumer Unit Replacements • Electric Vehicle Charging Points • Landlord Certification • Smart Homes • Central Heating Controls 023 8089 0932 or 07534 343631 www.alnelectrical.co.uk info@alnelectrical.co.uk Send your local news to The Editor, The Herald, 2 High Street, Hythe SO45 6AH THE DROWNING OF RIDGWAY HEWITT by Robin Somes, Fawley and Blackfield Memories At Wootton Bridge, on the Isle of Wight, lived Alfred Hewitt. He had earned a considerable fortune as a sugar planter in Queensland, Australia, before returning to England with his wife Ernestine, their three daughters, and four sons. On Monday 31st August 1891, the eldest son, Charles, and younger brother Ridgway, set out from Wootton to sail in Charles’s yacht, La Cegale. Charles was 19, and Ridgway 13; despite their youth, both boys were strong swimmers and experienced sailors – though perhaps their youthful enthusiasm outweighed their experience. ey planned to accompany another yacht, Rover, from Cowes to the Beaulieu River. Alfred expressed concerns about the unsettled weather, but agreed reluctantly, provided they promised to turn back if the sea proved too rough when they reached Cowes. Watching them leave, he saw them tacking into Cowes harbour, and so assumed they would be safe enough. e next he heard was a telegram at 5pm, to say that one of his boys had been washed ashore at Bourne Hill Cottage (the present-day Cadland House). He immediately set out, via a steam tug to Calshot, then to Hythe, nally reaching Bourne Hill at 11pm, to nd Ridgway drowned. Soon a er the boys had le Cowes, they found the sea much rougher than anticipated, and Rover had gone too far ahead to see them. Less than halfway across, a heavy wave swamped the boat, throwing both boys into the water. ey managed to grab wreckage from the boat, and bravely swam across the Solent to Stanswood Bay; perhaps 1½ miles. ere, just as they reached shallow water, their luck nally ran out altogether. Another wave broke over them, and washed Ridgway away. e exhausted Charles struggled to the shore, where he was helped up by George White, of Stone Cottage, but there was no sign of Ridgway. Charles was taken to Bourne Hill Cottage to recover. It was not until around 7pm that Ridgway’s body was found, near Eaglehurst, by Ruth Cheyney of Stanswood Farm, who had to wade into the sea to drag it out. Joseph Hutchinson, a surgeon from Fawley, was summoned, but there was nothing to be done. An inquest in Fawley two days later returned a verdict of “Accidental death”. As the Hampshire Advertiser reported, “After the inquest the body of the poor little fellow who was drowned was removed to the Isle of Wight, via Hythe and Southampton, for interment. The greatest sympathy is felt for Mr. Hewitt and his family in their sad bereavement.” is was not the only tragedy to strike the family; Charles succumbed to typhoid in South Africa in 1897, and Alfred himself died, only 47, later the same year. Ernestine died in 1908. Of all, though, the saddest loss was young Ridgway; a tragic reminder from the past that the sheltered waters of the Solent aren’t always as calm and safe as they appear. Digging Deeper on Sale in The Herald Office Published in December, ‘Digging deeper: more Waterside stories’ is the follow-up to Robin Somes’ 2023 book, ‘Digging up the past: A collection of Waterside stories’, featuring articles rst published in e Herald. This volume comprises 30 tales, published in 2023 and 2024, of historical events, family connections, and personal recollections of life around Fawley and the Waterside villages. e book is on sale for £6 (cash only) from e Herald o ce or via Robin’s online shop: shop.robinsomes.co.uk
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTIyNzI=