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Bert Funnell’s big swim

S.S. Aorangi c. 1907I found this story dated 20th August 1913, from a New Zealand newspaper, The Northern Advocate, published on the site “Papers Past”.
It relates Australian seaman Bert Funnell’s lucky escape from drowning when he was rescued from the ocean waters 3 hours after falling overboard from the S.S. Aorangi. Bert was from Stanmore, Sydney.

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From a newspaper clipping, probably Sussex Express, sent to me a couple of years ago, sorry I can’t be more precise on the source:
“STEPHEN Ziegler from Horam is writing up his family history.
His grandmother, it turned out, had six brothers who served in the Great War and remarkably they all came back, though two died later due to wounds.
His gran married Sydney Funnell in 1923…”

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Source: Jim Funnell’s Blog
Albums: Word Out and more.

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Turret clock by Edward Funnell, BrightonMore pictures of Edward Funnell’s work with this 3 train turret clock and a carriage clock respectively for sale in the U.K. and Australia.

If you own one of our ancestors timepieces, we would be pleased to show photos of it on the site.

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HMS TriumphVictor Ernest Funnell, born in 1892 in Hove, was the fourth of James Funnell and Naomi Packham of Chalvington’s eight children.
He joined the Royal Navy at 16½ and boarded the battleship “HMS Triumph” in August 1915. Three officers and 75 ratings died in it’s sinking.
Victor Ernest Funnell was one of them.

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At a time when climate change is becoming ever more preoccupying, researching family history once again allows to put things into perspective. An article in an 1853 edition of satirical magazine “Punch” relates a fictive “Thames steamer Captain Funnell’s” arguments during a meeting called to oppose Home Secretary, Lord Palmerston’s London smoke abatement act. An early insight into continuing public ignorance supported by industrial propaganda. For researchers, this site gives a very interesting environmental timeline.

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Ronald Spencer Funnell was born in 1894 in Totnes, Devon. After World War One, he married a Newquay lass, Phyllis Maud Cock, and after a spell in Croydon, they settled in her home town with their 3 children, the fourth being born at St Columb.
Ronald, who for many years ran the Post Office at Newquay, was also an author of local touring guides and notably, surfing manuels.
The British Surfing Musuem is urgently looking to contact his descendants.

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[UPDATED] The 1830s were a period of economic, political and religious tensions in rural Sussex. Thomas Funnell got in with the bad boys who decided to help themselves. “Grassed up” by the gang leader who was having an affaire with his wife, Thomas was convicted to 10 years transportation. But the plot backfired. His accomplices were sent to Australia never to come back.

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Regulator Clock by Edward Funnell John Sherlock very kindly sent in this photo of his regulator clock made by Edward Funnell of Brighton. Click below to see an enlarged photo.
 

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45 years after Robert Lower published his first pamphlet, the vicar of Selmeston, William Douglas Parish, elaborated “A dictionary of Sussex dialect and collection of provincialisms in use in the county of Sussex”. Of course, in 1875, “twus for frenchys an foreigners”. For what use could it be to a Sussex man? Its contents are [...]

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This text was added to the later editions of “Jan Cladpole’s Jurney to ‘Merricur”. Once again, it bears witness to conditions of life in the rural Sussex society before 1850 and notably to a certain freedom of expression to be found elsewhere, in religion, for example. TIM CLADPOLE’S ADVICE Or no Grumblen. I’ll tell ye [...]

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