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Denise Weston Austin
Denise Weston Austin (1925–1997), colloquially known as the Elephant Angel, was a Northern Irish zookeeper known for keeping Sheila, an elephant calf from the Belfast Zoo, in her backyard during World War II. She was also known for being the first female zookeeper to work at the Belfast Zoo. Biography Denise Weston Austin was born in 1925 in Northern Ireland to Irene Beatrice Mary Austin and Jack Austin, the latter of which was an officer in the Indian Cavalry Corps, Indian cavalry. During the Belfast Blitz in April 1941, the Ministry of Public Security told the Royal Ulster Constabulary to shoot and kill thirty-three large animals due to concerns that the German bombings may break their cages and release them into the city. In order to prevent Sheila, a young African elephant, from being killed in this manner, Austin walked the elephant to her house on Whitewell Road every day after work. The other employees at the zoo were unaware of Austin’s activities until Sheila ran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belfast Zoo
Belfast Zoological Gardens (also known as ''Belfast Zoo'') is a zoo in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is in a relatively secluded location on the northeastern slope of Cavehill, overlooking Belfast's Antrim Road. Opened in 1934, it is the second-oldest zoo in Ireland, after Dublin Zoo, which opened in 1831. Belfast Zoo is one of the top fee-paying visitor attractions in Northern Ireland, receiving more than 300,000 visitors a year. Located in north Belfast, the zoo's site is home to more than 1,200 animals and 140 species. The majority of the animals in Belfast Zoo are in danger in their natural habitat. The zoo carries out important conservation work and takes part in over 90 European and international breeding programmes which help to ensure the survival of many species under threat. The zoo is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephant Calf
Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus''). They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea; extinct relatives include mammoths and mastodons. Distinctive features of elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, pillar-like legs, and tough but sensitive grey skin. The trunk is prehensile, bringing food and water to the mouth and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs. Elephants are scatter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising all resources in pursuit of total war. Tanks in World War II, Tanks and Air warfare of World War II, aircraft played major roles, enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, first and only nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II is the List of wars by death toll, deadliest conflict in history, causing World War II casualties, the death of 70 to 85 million people, more than half of whom were civilians. Millions died in genocides, including the Holocaust, and by massacres, starvation, and disease. After the Allied victory, Allied-occupied Germany, Germany, Allied-occupied Austria, Austria, Occupation of Japan, Japan, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Cavalry Corps
The Indian Cavalry Corps was a formation of the Indian Army during World War I. It was formed in France in December 1914. It remained in France until March 1916, when it was broken up. The corps consisted of the 1st Indian Cavalry Division and the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division, and together with the Indian Corps it formed Indian Expeditionary Force A. The high number of officer casualties had an effect: British officers who understood the language, customs, and psychology of their men could not be quickly replaced; as well, the alien environment of the Western Front had an adverse effect on the soldiers.Haythornthwaite P.J. (1992). ''The World War One Sourcebook'', Arms and Armour Press. Hew Fanshawe, from the 19th Hussars, commanded the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division in 1914. He was head of V Corps from 1915 to 1916. See also * Indian Cavalry Corps order of battle First World War * British cavalry during the First World War Notes Sources * *http://www.greatwar.co.uk/ypre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belfast Blitz
The Belfast Blitz consisted of four German air raids on strategic targets in the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, in April and May 1941 during World War II, causing high casualties. The first was on the night of 78 April 1941, a small attack which probably took place only to test Belfast's defences. The next took place on Easter Tuesday, 15 April 1941, when 200 ''Luftwaffe'' bombers attacked military and manufacturing targets in the city of Belfast. Some 900 people died as a result of the bombing and 1,500 were injured. High explosive bombs predominated in this raid. Apart from those on London, this was the greatest loss of life in any night raid during the Blitz. The third raid on Belfast took place over the evening and morning of 45 May 1941; 150 were killed. Incendiary bombs predominated in this raid. The fourth and final Belfast raid took place on the following night, 56 May. In total over 1,300 houses were demolished, some 5,000 badly damaged, nearly 30,000 slightly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC'', pp. 5, 17, 27, 93, 134, 271; Pen & Sword Books; following the partition of Ireland. At its peak the force had around 8,500 officers, with a further 4,500 who were members of the RUC Reserve. The RUC policed Northern Ireland from the aftermath of the Irish War of Independence until after the turn of the 21st century and played a major role in the Troubles between the 1960s and the 1990s. Due to the threat from the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), who saw the RUC as enforcing British rule, the force was heavily armed and militarised. Officers routinely carried submachine guns and assault rifles, travelled in armoured vehicles, and were based in heavily fortified police stations.Weitzer, Ronald. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Whitewell Road
The Whitewell Road is an interface area in north Belfast and Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, and historically the site of occasional clashes between nationalists and loyalists. The Whitewell Road and the surrounding area is a residential community in the Greencastle parish. The Whitewell area is considered a working class area. For much of its length the Whitewell Road runs parallel to the M2 and also provides a direct link between the A2 ( Shore Road) and the A6 ( Antrim Road). The beginning of the White City residential estate on the upper Whitewell Road marks the boundary between the Nationalist and Loyalist communities there. A peace line runs the length of Serpentine Gardens. The road generally had a high level of community integration until 1997 when the Drumcree conflict polarised the two communities in the area and led to increased tension, violence and segregation. In 2012, as part of an effort to tackle sectarian divisions, the Catholic-run Greencastle CEP and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Morpurgo
Sir Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo ('' né'' Bridge; 5 October 1943) is an English book author, poet, playwright, and librettist who is known best for children's novels such as '' War Horse'' (1982). His work is noted for its "magical storytelling", for recurring themes such as the triumph of an outsider or survival, for characters' relationships with nature, and for vivid settings such as the Cornish coast or the trenches of the First World War. Morpurgo was the third Children's Laureate, from 2003 to 2005, and is President of BookTrust, a children's reading charity. Early life Morpurgo was born in 1943 in St Albans, Hertfordshire, as Michael Andrew Bridge, the second child of actor Tony Van Bridge and actress Kippe Cammaerts (daughter of the writer and poet Émile Cammaerts). Both RADA graduates, his parents had met when they were acting in the same repertory company in 1938. His father came from a working-class family, while his mother's family included actors, an opera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
An Elephant In The Garden
''An Elephant in the Garden'' is a British children's novel written by Michael Morpurgo, and illustrated by Michael Foreman. It was originally published in the United Kingdom by HarperCollins, and released in May 2010. The book is based on actual events that took place in Belfast during World War II, and is inspired by the story of Denise Weston Austin. The novel was also adapted into a stage play with the same name, that had its debut in 2014 in the United Kingdom. Plot The novel begins with nine-year-old Karl going to visit his mother, who works at a nursing home. He meets a patient named Lizzie who proceeds to tell him a story that took place when she was younger, in 1945, during World War II. Lizzie tells Karl how she was living in Dresden, Germany with her younger brother Karli, and her mother during the war. Her mother Mutti, works at the local zoo, and one day she learns from the head zookeeper that some of the animals will have to be shot if and when the bombers arrive ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zoo (2017 Film)
''Zoo'' is a 2017 historical war family drama film directed and written by Colin McIvor. The film, based on a true story, stars Dame Penelope Wilton, Art Parkinson, Toby Jones, Ian O'Reilly, Ian McElhinney, Amy Huberman, and Damian O'Hare. As the Belfast Blitz ravages the city, a lonely widow, and an awkward teenager with friends take an elephant named Buster from the city zoo, and hide it in the widow's terraced house back yard. Plot Cast * Art Parkinson as Tom Hall * Penelope Wilton as Denise Austin * Toby Jones as Security Guard Charlie * Ian McElhinney as Mr Shawcross * Amy Huberman as Emily Hall * Ian O'Reilly as Pete * Emily Flain as Jane Berry * James Stockdale as Mickey * Stephen Hagan as Jake McClune * Glen Nee as Vernon * Damian O'Hare as George Hall * Shane McCaffrey as Officer Burland Production Principal photography on the film began in September 2016 in Belfast. The film is loosely based on the story of Denise Weston Austin, Belfast Zoo's 'Elephant A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1925 Births
Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italian Chamber of Deputies (Italy), Chamber of Deputies which will be regarded by historians as the beginning of his dictatorship. * January 5 – Nellie Tayloe Ross becomes the first female governor (Wyoming) in the United States. Twelve days later, Ma Ferguson becomes first female governor of Texas. * January 25 – Hjalmar Branting resigns as Prime Minister of Sweden because of ill health, and is replaced by the minister of trade, Rickard Sandler. * January 27–February 1 – The 1925 serum run to Nome (the "Great Race of Mercy") relays diphtheria antitoxin by dog sled across the U.S. Territory of Alaska to combat an epidemic. February * February 25 – Art Gillham records (for Columbia Re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1997 Deaths
This is a list of lists of deaths of notable people, organized by year. New deaths articles are added to their respective month (e.g., Deaths in ) and then linked below. 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 Earlier years ''Deaths in years earlier than this can usually be found in the main articles of the years.'' See also * Lists of deaths by day * Deaths by year (category) {{DEFAULTSORT:deaths by year ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
