Folkestone Herald
13-2-1960
Annual Licensing Sessions
The Magistrates
granted a music licence to Mr. C.H. Welling, of the Two Bells, Canterbury Road,
after he had said he had had a piano and a juke box recently installed. Mr. Welling said there was a need for it in the area, and
it was his duty to please the customers.
Folkestone Herald
25-8-1962
Local News
The licensee of a Folkestone public house told Folkestone
Magistrates on Tuesday that he found his public bar on August Bank Holiday
Monday in a state of chaos after he had heard the sound of breaking glass.
“There was blood and beer all over the place”, said Charles Henry Welling, of
the Two Bells, 58, Canterbury Road.
Before the Court, charged with wounding with intent to
cause grievous bodily harm, was 23-year-old John Donoghue, of 65, Somerset
Road, Folkestone, who was alleged to have rammed a broken tumbler into the face
of 25-year-old Derek Farbrace, of 26, Linden Crescent, Folkestone, after an
argument. Donoghue was sent for trial at Kent Assizes at Maidstone on December
15th, and was allowed bail of £20 in his own recognisance. He
pleaded Not Guilty and reserved his defence.
Mr. R. McVarish, prosecuting, said the argument between
the two young men had started because those in Donoghue`s party wanted to play
the piano and those in Farbrace`s party preferred to play the juke-box.
Farbrace told the Court that he went alone to the Two
Bells on August 6th at about 1.30 p.m. There was a juke-box in the
public bar, which he decided to play. He joined some friends, and put a
shilling in the juke-box, pressing the button at approximately the same time as
someone started to play the piano. While he was talking to another man Donoghue
came over and an argument started. “I said if he had any grievance against me
the best way was to come outside, but Donoghue said he had no intention of
fighting”, witness said. “A few more words were said, and the next thing I
remember was him hitting me with a glass”.
Dr. Doreen Aucott, Casualty Officer at the Royal Victoria
Hospital, Folkestone, said Farbrace was treated at 2.15 p.m. that day. “He had
a cut between the corner of his left eye and his nose. He had to have one
stitch inserted for the cut at the side of his left eye, and a plaster put
across”, Dr. Aucott stated.
Noah Gatehouse, 91, Wood Avenue, Folkestone, said he was
in the public bar when he heard a remark by one of four men round the piano.
The juke-box had made the most noise and was drowning the piano`s sound. The
accused had gone over to Farbrace, who was by the juke-box, and he thought he
heard Farbrace say “Come outside”. “I saw defendant pick up a glass from a
table and break it on the corner of the table”, witness said. “Then he jabbed
Farbrac`s face with it. I jumped up just as Donoghue was going in a second
time, but I cannot say whether he had the glass on that occasion. Then I
approached the two men and put my arm round Donoghue`s throat, pulling him away
from Farbrace”.
After describing the condition in which he had found his
public bar on coming in from the saloon, Mr. Welling said the injured man was
supporting himself against the fireplace. “I spoke to the efendant in the
entrance lobby to the public bar, and asked him who was causing all the
trouble, but I did not understand his reply”, witness said. He continued that
he spoke to Donoghue again about 25 yards away from the public house. “I asked
him what the meaning of all this trouble was, and what was the idea of making a
scene in my house. I asked him why he did not fight with his fists outside”,
witness said. Defendant retorted “I didn`t want to fight. He`s a bigger fellow
than me”. Describing Donoghue as “definitely keyed-up at the time”, Mr. Welling
said he had been abusive and arrogant.
Walter William Amor, of 11, Canterbury Road, Folkestone,
said Donoghue too the glass from the table where he (witness) was sitting. He
alleged Donoghue lunged it into Farbrace`s face. “The glass split open, and the
next thing I saw was blood”, witness stated. He continued that Donoghue took up
another glass from the mantelpiece, and threw it at Farbrace, hitting him.
Donoghue then lifted up a chair above his head, but he (witness) held it back.
D.C. Denis Titley said that after Donoghue had made a statement
to him on August 11th, he was charged and cautioned. Donoghue
replied “What about Farbrace? Will he be summoned?”
Folkestone Gazette
12-12-1962
Local News
A dispute concerning the playing of a piano and a
juke-box, followed by the use of broken glasses, in the Two Bells public house
at Folkestone last August Bank Holiday Monday, had a sequel at the Sussex
Assizes at Lewes on Thursday and Friday
In the dock was John Donoghue (24), a welder`s mate, of
Somerset Road, Cheriton. He pleaded Not Guilty to wounding Derek Phillip Farbrace, of Linden Crescent, Folkestone, with
intent to do him grievous bodily harm, or to maim, disfigure or disable him. After
a two-day trial the jury found Donoghue Not Guilty on this charge, but Guilty
of the lesser offence of unlawful wounding.
“I entirely agree with the verdict,” said Mr. Justice Nield. “The use of
glass in such circumstances is very grave, but I shall not pass a prison
The judge imposed a fine of £50,
allowing Donoghue six months in which to pay, or in default, six months’
imprisonment.
Opening for the
prosecution, Mr. Michael Gale said the incident which had led to the case,
occurred in the Two Bells public house at Folkestone on about 2 p.m. last
August Bank Holiday Monday. The public house was crowded, and with the idea
of attracting customers, the licensee had provided both a juke-box and a piano
in the public bar. On the afternoon in
question, Mr. Farbrace placed 1/- in the juke-box and then a young man, who had
been standing with some others, started to play the piano. It was suggested
that the juke-box was drowning the sound of the piano. A young man named Tommy Gibson offered Mr. Farbrace
sixpence, saying that the boys had clubbed together to enable him to play the
juke-box, and Mr. Farbrace told him he did not think that was very funny.
The accused then crossed the bar, and started an
argument with Mr. Farbrace. Suddenly the accused was struck in the face with a
glass, and this occurred twice.
Folkestone Herald 4-10-1969
Local News
A Folkestone Corporation workman got a shock when he put his head in a hole which
mysteriously appeared in Canterbury Road on Thursday.
For above the noise of the traffic he could hear an
ominous ticking sound. Hastily police were told that there might be a bomb hidden in the hole. An inspection was made and barriers
were erected. An Army bomb-disposal squad was called. But meanwhile the corporation worker
who first heard the ticking had become a puzzled man. He could still hear the noise . . . but
he was standing a few feet away from the hole.
He looked up - and saw the inn sign of the Two Bells public house swinging
gently in the wind, and making a metallic ticking noise as it did so . . .
almost like a time bomb. A routine inspection was made by the bomb disposal squad, but all they
found down the hole was earth. A corporation official said the hole was
probably caused through some kind of sewer subsidence.
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