95-468: The Goose Steps Out is a British film released in 1942, starring Will Hay , who also co-directed with Basil Dearden . It is a comedy of mistaken identity, with Hay acting as a German spy and also an Englishman who is his double. It was the film debut of Peter Ustinov . Set during the Second World War, the film recounts the adventures of William Potts (Will Hay) after it is discovered that he
190-521: A Norse personal name, Hlothver , and toft , an Old Norse word for homestead. It has been spelt historically as Lothnwistoft , Lothuwistoft , Lestoffe , Laistoe , Loystoft and Laystoft . The 1086 Domesday Book gives Lothuwistoft village some 16 households in three families, with ten smallholders and three slaves. The manor formed part of the king's holding in the Hundred of Lothingland , worth about four geld in tax income. Roger Bigod
285-414: A satirical approach towards how authority figures are portrayed. This is notable with Hay himself, who often played an incompetent authority figure who struggled not to be found out, but whose idiocy was discovered by those around him. In 2009 a biography of Hay by Graham Rinaldi was published with a foreword by Ken Dodd . Hay never published an autobiography during his lifetime; however, when ill in
380-527: A storm surge caused severe flooding of Lowestoft and its suburbs. Lowestoft is among the UK's driest areas: annual rainfall averages under 600 mm distributed fairly evenly through the year. Mean daily summer temperatures peak at 21 °C in August, when the town averages over 200 hours of sunshine, while in winter minima average 2 °C. Marked snowfall is rare. Sea fog and cool onshore breezes can affect
475-775: A 1933 interview with the Daily Mail he stated "If we were all astronomers, there'd be no more war." He was a friend of William Herbert Steavenson , who would go on to become the President of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1957. Just before Hay died, a few items of his equipment were donated to the British Astronomical Association. He also has an asteroid named in his honour - Asteroid 3125 Hay. In 1907 Hay married Gladys Perkins (1889–1982), whom he had known since he
570-904: A bigger reaction from audiences than he did. He had been seeking to break up their partnership in previous years, and it was only due to his film Hey! Hey! USA being somewhat unsuccessful that the writers and producers successfully talked him into bringing Moffatt and Marriott back. Hay left Gainsborough and began working with Ealing Studios in 1940, in an attempt to break up his partnership with Moffatt and Marriott. Claude Hulbert and Charles Hawtrey were Hay's sidekicks in his first film for Ealing, The Ghost of St. Michael's (1941). Both would return to act with Hay in subsequent films - Hawtrey in The Goose Steps Out (1942) and Hulbert in Hay's final film, My Learned Friend (1943). John Mills , who had appeared in Hay's first film, Those Were
665-496: A change in the town's fortunes, including its fishing industry. To help stimulate this, Peto was given the task of building a line for the Lowestoft Railway and Harbour Company, connecting with Reedham and the city of Norwich. This had a profound impact on the town's industrial development – its fishing fleets could sell to markets further inland, and other industries such as engineering gained from increased trade with
760-768: A clergyman involved in horse betting in Dandy Dick , a fraudster who lies about his career as a distinguished sea captain in Windbag the Sailor , and a prison warden, Dr Benjamin Twist , in Convict 99 , who obtains his job under false pretences. He is often compared to W. C. Fields , who typically portrayed characters similar to those of Hay, being misanthropic, self-centered scoundrels who nevertheless remain sympathetic. Hay had become interested in film making while touring in
855-558: A loss of 60 jobs, having once employed 800. The timber company Jeld-Wen closed its factory in the town in 2010. From the mid-1960s to the late 1990s, the oil and gas industry provided significant employment in the area. For many years the Shell Southern Operations base on the north shore of Lowestoft Harbour was town's largest employer. A decision to close the Shell base was finally made in 2003. Oil and gas
950-426: A loss of £40,000 and raised concerns over its sustainability, whereupon further financial difficulties coupled with bad weather and low visitor numbers made the 2012 airshow the last before it was discontinued. Near the town centre is Lowestoft Maritime Museum , open from late April to late October, which has exhibits of maritime artefacts, an extensive collection of ship models and medals, marine art, fishing and
1045-731: A new generation of fans. As of October 2023, the organisation has over 8000 members. The Will Hay Appreciation Society unveiled a memorial bench to Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt in October 2018, in Cliddesden , Hampshire , the filming location for 'Buggleskelly' in Oh, Mr. Porter! . The bench was unveiled by Pete Waterman . The humour of Hay's films has been described as subversive and similar to that of fellow English comedian Frank Randle . His films are often characterised as exhibiting traits of anti-authoritarianism and having
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#17327982184071140-477: A number of his films. Moffatt played Albert, the overweight, insolent schoolboy reminiscent of Billy Bunter, while Marriott was the toothless old Harbottle. The trio appeared in six films together between 1936 and 1940, Windbag the Sailor , Oh, Mr. Porter! , Convict 99 , Old Bones of the River , Ask a Policeman and Where's That Fire? . Hay's 1937 film alongside Moffatt and Marriott, Oh, Mr. Porter!
1235-492: A schoolmistress, but he transferred the character to a headmaster. The acts in which Hay performed the schoolmaster sketch became known as "The Fourth Form at St. Michael's". Hay toured with the act and appeared in the United States, Canada, Australia and South Africa (where he added Afrikaans to his languages). His wife, Gladys, often played a schoolboy or the character Harbottle in his sketches. The Harbottle character
1330-479: A short information film, Go to Blazes alongside Thora Hird and Muriel George . The film was set during the Blitz and his role was a dim-witted father who tried unsuccessfully to defuse a bomb which had landed near his house, the bomb is only defused through the help of his daughter, portrayed by Hird. Also in 1942, he made an appearance in the propaganda film , The Big Blockade among other prolific actors of
1425-676: A specialist in self-catering UK holidays, is also a large employment provider. The town centre is the main shopping area in Waveney district. The retail chain Marks & Spencer has a store. Chadds independent department store was founded in 1907, and after nearly 100 years trading in the High Street, was taken over in 2004 by the Great Yarmouth -based Palmers group. Specialist shopping areas, branded as The Historic High Street and
1520-552: A toothless old man. Hay's 1937 film, with Moffatt and Marriott, Oh, Mr. Porter! was credited by The Times as being "a comic masterpiece of the British cinema", while the writer Jimmy Perry cited the film as an influence on key character development for Dad's Army . Hay often portrayed incompetent authority figures who attempt to conceal their incompetence but whose true traits are gradually exposed. As well as being incompetent, his characters are often immoral; for example,
1615-498: A town mayor annually. The town is part of the Lowestoft parliamentary constituency . Before 1 April 2019, Lowestoft, as part of Waveney District Council, was divided into ten electoral wards, with Carlton Colville treated as a separate electoral area. Harbour, Kirkley, Normanston , Pakefield , St Margarets and Whitton wards elected three councillors each, and Carlton, Gunton and Corton, Oulton and Oulton Broad wards two. Of
1710-453: A very active part, it seemed to me, in the actual performance directing. That was something which Will Hay had a certain amount to do with.' The Goose Steps Out is also noted as the film debut of a young Peter Ustinov . Sunday Times August 30, 1942 by Dilys Powell "The Goose Steps Out gives us Will Hay as a British Agent lecturing to the German espionage class on British pronunciation and
1805-856: Is a Grade I listed building . In the town centre is Our Lady Star of the Sea Church , a Grade II listed building in the Arts and Crafts style and the most easterly Catholic church in the British Isles. Lowestoft's town-centre library contains a local-history section and a branch of the Suffolk Record Office. Lowestoft Hospital closed in 2016. Services are now provided by the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston. The main burial grounds for
1900-625: Is also located there. The Mincarlo , the last surviving sidewinder trawler of the Lowestoft fishing fleet , can be visited at Lowestoft Harbour. The East Anglia Transport Museum holds a collection of buses, trams and trolleybuses in Carlton Colville . Lowestoft retains several narrow lanes with steps running steeply seawards, known locally as "scores". They were used by fishermen and smugglers and now feature in an annual charity race. The borough church, dedicated to St Margaret ,
1995-470: Is an exact double of a German spy who the British have just captured. Potts is flown into Nazi Germany to impersonate the spy and instructed to seek out and bring back details of a new German secret weapon. On arrival, however, Potts is placed in charge of a group of apparently rabidly- fascist young students who are being trained to work as spies in Britain . Potts attempts to undermine this by convincing
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#17327982184072090-417: Is because we are relieved. Because we are released from a sense of fear. Wherever we may happen to be – in the cinema, theatre, or music-hall – we tend to identify with the actors we are watching. So that when a custard pie is thrown we fear for a moment that it has been thrown at us. And then, immediately we realise that it hasn't hit us, we experience a feeling of relief, and we laugh". From 1934 to 1943, he
2185-506: Is often cited as the supreme British-produced film-comedy, and in 1938 he was the third highest-grossing star in the UK. Many comedians have acknowledged him as a major influence. Hay was also a keen amateur astronomer. Hay was born at 23 Durham Street in Stockton-on-Tees , County Durham . He was one of two sons and three daughters of William Robert Hay (1859–1920) and his wife, Elizabeth (1859–1910) (née Ebden). When Will Hay Jr.
2280-431: Is often considered to be one of the greatest British comedy films of all-time. The British Film Institute included the film in its 360 Classic Feature Films list; Variety magazine described the movie as "amusing, if over-long", noting that there was "no love interest to mar the comedy"; and the cult website TV Cream listed it at number 41 in its list of cinema's Top 100 Films. The director Marcel Varnel considered
2375-443: Is still a major industry. The town has made efforts to develop as a centre for renewable energy in the east of England. The non-profit Orbis Energy centre has been set up to draw business in the green-energy sector and features solar thermal heating . In April 2009, Associated British Ports announced that the harbour is to become the operations centre for the 500 MW Greater Gabbard wind farm , which when completed will be
2470-567: Is still located in Lowestoft. Other major traditional employers included Eastern Coach Works and engineering and shipbuilding companies clustered around the harbour . These included the Brooke Marine and Richards shipbuilding companies, which together employed over a thousand men but went out of business in the 1990s, and the Norwich-based engineering company Boulton and Paul . Some shipbuilding and repair still goes on at
2565-455: Is what he contributed when working with Will Hay. Hay was important as a star, and he could more or less dictate what he wanted to direct, but really he did not direct. Basil directed and supplied all the expertise that Hay probably lacked.' Barry Morse who played Kurt had a slightly different take on the directorial responsibilities. 'Basil Dearden was largely concerned with purely technical things, angles, lenses, lighting details. He didn't have
2660-523: The Marina , the Players (Lowestoft) and The Seagull . The 800-seat Marina, operated as a charitable trust, was restored and refurbished in 2012 and its cinema upgraded to digital in 2013. A small four-screen cinema, the independently owned East Coast Cinema, underwent modest refurbishment in late 2011 to upgrade facilities and allow 3D films to be shown. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has played regularly at
2755-477: The most easterly UK settlement , it is 38 miles (61 km) north-east of Ipswich and 22 miles (35 km) south-east of Norwich , and the main town in its district. Its development grew with the fishing industry and as a seaside resort with wide sandy beaches. As fishing declined, oil and gas exploitation in the North Sea in the 1960s took over. In 2021 the built-up area had a population of 71,327 and
2850-665: The royal family and many military notables. This was at a private function at the Life Guards barracks in Windsor . It was not publicised in the newspapers due to security concerns. Hay's character during his radio series was called Dr Muffin, a name chosen so that the students could mock him with the name "Old Crumpet". In June 1932 he joined the British Astronomical Association , in November of
2945-534: The 1925 Royal Command Performance before King George V and Queen Mary . Hay published a magazine piece entitled Philosophy of Laughter , in which he discussed the psychology of comedy. In the essay he rhetorically asks, "Why does every one of us laugh at seeing somebody else slapped in the face with a large piece of cold custard pie? Is it because we're all naturally cruel? Or is it because there's something inherently funny in custard pies? Or in faces? Or in throwing things? No, no, and no! The real reason why we laugh
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3040-508: The 1940s, he had begun writing one, entitled I Enjoyed Every Minute . Excerpts from this unpublished autobiography were included in the 2009 book. Roy Hudd defined Hay as the "supreme master" of sketch comedy . Lowestoft Lowestoft ( / ˈ l oʊ ( ɪ ) s t ɒ f t , ˈ l oʊ s t ə f / LOH -(ih)-stoft, LOH -stəf ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk , England. As
3135-416: The 1960s and although 100 boats remained by the 1980s, there are now only a few small boats operating out of Lowestoft, with no large trawlers. By 2011 just three traders remained at the town's fish market, which is under threat of closure due to redevelopment of the port . The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), a large fisheries research centre that is a part of Defra ,
3230-427: The 2001 census there were 27,777 households, giving an average household size of 2.40. In total 8,430 (30 per cent) were classified as one-person households, while 26 per cent included children aged 15 or under. The proportion of households without a private car was 29 per cent, whilst 22 per cent had two or more. In housing tenure, 72 per cent of homes were owner-occupied. Originally based on fishing and engineering,
3325-532: The 2009 Will Hay biography and a Will Hay audio featurette by Simon Heffer, part of the BBC Radio 3 series, The Essay: British Film Comedians. Will Hay William Thomson Hay FRAS (6 December 1888 – 18 April 1949) was an English comedian who wrote and acted in a schoolmaster sketch that later transferred to the screen, where he also played other authority figures with comic failings. His film Oh, Mr. Porter! (1937), made by Gainsborough Pictures ,
3420-484: The 48 council seats in the district, 26 represented wards within Lowestoft and three were in Carlton Colville. In 2010 the council changed to a system of all seats being elected every four years. On 1 April 2019, governance arrangements for Lowestoft changed with the merger of Waveney and Suffolk Coastal District Councils to form a new district council of East Suffolk . Elections were held on 2 May 2019 for
3515-531: The Conservatives and six to Labour. On Suffolk County Council, Lowestoft and its district are represented by eight councillors, split equally between four divisions: Gunton, Lowestoft South, Oulton and Pakefield. For county council elections, held every four years, Pakefield division includes Carlton Colville. After the 2017 election, seven of Lowestoft's county councillors represented the Conservatives and one Labour. In 2018, one Conservative councillor left
3610-600: The Days returned to act as his sidekick in The Black Sheep of Whitehall . The Goose Steps Out (1942) for Ealing was an effective piece of anti- Nazi slapstick . In the film, Hay acts as a British spy posing as a Nazi agent and teaches Nazi students about British customs. When lecturing them on this topic, he tells the students that the V sign (often used in Britain as an insult) is a mark of respect, and instructs
3705-535: The East Point Pavilion the tourist information service. The beach south of the Claremont Pier is a Blue Flag beach . Lifeguard facilities are provided during the summer and water sports take place along the coast. Tourism is a significant aspect of the town's economy. The town features two major attractions, the first being Pleasurewood Hills Theme Park, situated on the northern edge of
3800-542: The Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth areas, closed in 2011. Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zone was announced in 2011 and launched in April 2012. The zone, developed by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, has six redevelopment sites across Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth . The bid for the zone in 2011 envisaged creating 13,500 jobs by 2036. It involved the Norfolk and Suffolk Energy Alliance and focused on developing
3895-899: The Marina Theatre since 2005. Lowestoft Museum, which holds a collection of Lowestoft Porcelain and artifacts describing the town's history, is in Nicholas Everett Park in Oulton Broad . There are some small museums in Sparrow's Nest Park in the north of the town, including the Lowestoft War Memorial Museum , the Maritime Museum and the Royal Naval Patrol Service Museum. The Heritage Workshop Centre
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3990-647: The Narkover vein of humour in the work of Daily Express columnist, Beachcomber . Hay's film was widely seen as subversive towards authority, and it was granted an 'A' (adult) certificate by the British Board of Film Classification . Boys Will Be Boys is widely regarded as Hay's break-out film. Writing for The Spectator , Graham Greene described the film as "very amusing", and Hay's portrayal of Dr. Smart as "competent", though Green thought Claude Dampier 's portrayal of Second Master Finch (Hay's adversary)
4085-636: The Triangle Market Place, have been developed on the northern edge of the centre. Several retail parks have appeared, the largest being North Quay Retail Park in Peto Way. Lowestoft is a traditional seaside resort , first developed as a bathing site in the 1760s. The coast has been called the " Sunrise Coast ". The town's main beaches are south of the harbour, where two piers , the Claremont and South piers, provide tourist facilities, and
4180-408: The United States in the 1920s, although, at the time he doubted he had a future in this field. Having returned to Britain, Hay started work at Elstree Studios in 1934 where he made three films, Those Were the Days , Radio Parade of 1935 and Dandy Dick . Hay's work at Gainsborough was his most successful, and source of his reputation as a great comic actor. During this period he became one of
4275-539: The class swot D'arcy Minor, and Billy Nicholls playing the dumb Beckett. The series lasted for four months and was cancelled, it is said, due to Hay's dispute with the BBC over the quality of the scripts. Just before Christmas, the show went live at the Victoria Palace for six weeks. The sketch was performed one more time at a gathering of variety entertainers at midnight on 4 May 1945 (4 days before VE Day ) before
4370-403: The class to make a synchronised V sign to a portrait of Adolf Hitler . This scene is often considered one of the most iconic from a British comedy film . During Hay's tenure with Ealing he was credited as a director in three of his films, The Black Sheep of Whitehall , The Goose Steps Out and My Learned Friend . In all three, he co-directed with Basil Dearden . In 1942, he starred in
4465-620: The coast, it was a victory for the English. Lowestoft Porcelain Factory , from 1757 to 1802, was in production for longer than any English soft-paste porcelain manufacturer other than Royal Worcester and Royal Crown Derby , producing domestic pots, teapots and jugs. It stood on the site of an existing pottery or brick kiln and was later used as a brewery and malt kiln. Most of its remaining buildings were demolished in 1955. Sir Samuel Morton Peto 's arrival in 19th-century Lowestoft brought
4560-587: The continent. Peto's railway enabled Lowestoft to become a flourishing seaside holiday resort ; much of Peto's seaside resort in south Lowestoft still exists, including the Grade II listed Kirkley Cliff and Wellington Esplanade terraces. During World War I , Lowestoft was bombarded by the German Navy on 24 April 1916 in conjunction with the Easter Rising . The port was a major naval base during
4655-463: The district also contained the parish of Kirkley . On 1 April 1974 the district and parish were abolished and became part of Waveney in the non-metropolitan county of Suffolk. It retained a ceremonial mayor elected annually by its district councillors and acting as charter trustees until 2017. Suffolk County Council is the county authority. A civil parish of Lowestoft was created on 1 April 2017, governed by Lowestoft Town Council, which elects
4750-421: The economy of Lowestoft has declined over the years. Although the tourism sector has grown, the major employers in the town are the wholesale and retail sector, with 18 per cent of employment. Service industries, including health, social care and education are significant employers, while manufacturing employs about 10 per cent of the workforce. Employment can vary seasonally due to the importance of tourism to
4845-442: The economy. In early 2011, around 10 per cent of the working population of the town claimed Jobseekers Allowance . Until the mid-1960s, fishing was seen as Lowestoft's main industry, although from the 1930s the percentage so employed directly and in trades associated with fishing was actually only about 10 per cent. Fleets of drifters and trawlers caught fish such as herring , cod and plaice . Catches have diminished since
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#17327982184074940-477: The energy sector initially using tax incentives, simplified planning regulations and the provision of improved broadband internet services. The sites in Lowestoft are Mobbs Way, Riverside Road and South Lowestoft Industrial Estate. Associated British Ports, the operator of the Port of Lowestoft, published their Lowestoft Masterplan, which aims to regenerate the harbour and take advantage of renewable energy, including
5035-624: The film as among his best work, and it was described in 2006, by The Times in its obituary for writer Val Guest , as "a comic masterpiece of the British cinema". Jimmy Perry , in his autobiography, wrote that the triumvirate of Captain Mainwaring , Corporal Jones and Private Pike in Dad's Army was inspired by watching Oh, Mr Porter . Both Moffatt and Marriott were absent from Hay's 1938 film, Hey! Hey! USA with American comedy actor Edgar Kennedy being cast as Hay's sidekick instead;
5130-582: The film was a somewhat unsuccessful attempt to crack the American market. In his Gainsborough films, Hay wore a wig, which made it appear as if he was balding. Hay decided to break up the partnership with Moffatt and Marriott after their 1940 film Where's That Fire? due to his concern that their act was becoming repetitive. He was known to dislike working with the pair, describing their partnership as "a three legged stool". He had also expressed concern that Moore Marriott , who portrayed Harbottle, received
5225-750: The fishing industry, activities with the Royal Navy in WWII, and shipwrights' and coopers' tools. Lowestoft is among the more socially deprived areas in Suffolk, with Kirkley the county's most deprived ward, ranking 173rd most deprived in England out of 32,486. The area attracted European Union redevelopment funding. The Waveney Sunrise Scheme invested £14.7 million, funding transport improvements and tourist facilities such as fountains on Royal Plain, as stimulants. Regeneration company 1st East, which focused on
5320-746: The following year, when he had plans to become a film producer but, in 1947, his friend Marcel Varnel , who had directed many of Hay's films, died in a car accident, and Hay postponed his plans. He made his last public appearance on Good Friday (15 April) 1949. Hay died at the age of 60 on 18 April 1949 after suffering a stroke at his flat in Chelsea, London . His body was buried in Streatham Park Cemetery in London. Those who were present at Hay's final appearance described him as showing no sign of illness, and said he had discussed his plans for
5415-463: The future. Comedians who have cited Hay as an influence include Ken Dodd , Eric Morecambe , Tommy Cooper , Harry Worth , Harry Enfield , Jimmy Perry and David Croft . Ronnie Barker also cited Hay as an influence, and in 1976 hosted a documentary on BBC Radio that discussed Hay's life and career. 'The Will Hay Appreciation Society' was founded in 2009 by British artist Tom Marshall and aims to preserve Hay's legacy and bring his work to
5510-607: The harbour is an area of old sand dunes known as the Denes, along with more beaches and Ness Point , the easternmost point of the UK. Lowestoft has been subject to periodic flooding, notably in January 1953 , when a North Sea swell driven by low pressure and an extreme high tide swept away many earlier sea defences and deluged most of the southern town. Heavy rain caused flash flooding in the town in September 2006. In December 2013,
5605-418: The harbour. Major local employers include Birds Eye frozen foods, with 700 workers. This has been located in the town for over 60 years. The food-processing company Wessex Foods closed its Lowestoft plant in 2010 after a fire destroyed the factory and it failed to find alternative premises. Several other employers have shed labour in recent years. The Sanyo plant in the town closed down in 2009 with
5700-481: The life of the pub. This is good Will Hay and so is the attempted theft from the gas bomb laboratory: the slapstick in the plane I found more monotonous and less convivial. DVD/Blu-ray: In 2017 to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the film, a digitally restored version was released by Studio Canal . The Special features include the Will Hay short film, Go to Blazes (1942), an Interview with Graham Rinaldi, author of
5795-595: The most easterly point is a large compass rose, the Euroscope , set in the ground to give the direction and distance to various cities in Europe . Belle Vue Park (Sparrows Nest) is the site of the Royal Naval Patrol Service memorial. The central depot for the service was in Lowestoft when it was mobilised in August 1939, on a site known as Sparrow's Nest, adjacent to the memorial. The memorial has
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#17327982184075890-483: The most prolific film stars in Britain. On three occasions, British film exhibitors voted him among the top ten box office stars in an annual poll run by the Motion Picture Herald. He was ranked 8th in 1936, 4th in 1937 and 3rd in 1938. His first film for the studio was Boys Will Be Boys , whose screenplay was written by Hay himself. The movie's satire on the public school system was loosely based on
5985-511: The names of the 2,385 members of the service who died in World War II. Prior to this, it was the site of the "North Battery", which stood on the cliff and was constructed in around 1782. It was a four sided bastion set back from the cliff edge, housing four 18-pounder canon, with a guardhouse and magazine to the rear. All traces are now gone, minus two cannons with are now mounted around the memorial. Lowestoft Lighthouse , built in 1874 to
6080-474: The new Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility (LEEF) on the former SLP land at the outer harbour amongst other projects. The harbour is a focus of redevelopment proposals for Lowestoft through the Lake Lothing and Outer Harbour Area Action Plan , submitted in February 2011. The plan focuses on the redevelopment of brownfield sites in and around the harbour area to create jobs, particularly in the renewable energy and retailing sectors. The town has three theatres:
6175-407: The north and high points of 20–30 m (66–98 ft) above sea level. The rock beneath is crag-sand with overlying sand and glacial till deposits with gravel, with the crag exposed at coastal cliffs such as Pakefield 's. Areas around Lake Lothing feature alluvium silt; some marshland remains west of Oulton Broad. The sandy beaches south of the harbour have Blue Flag status. To the north of
6270-423: The north of the town centre, stands 16 metres high at 37 metres above sea level, with a range of 23 nautical miles (43 km). It was automated in 1975. It is the United Kingdom's most easterly lighthouse . The first two lighthouses in Lowestoft were built in 1609 on the foreshore and candlelit, to warn of the dangerous sandbanks around the coast. These were the first constructed by Trinity House . The Low Light
6365-482: The parish had a population of 47,879. Some of the earliest signs of settlement in Britain have been found here. Flint tools discovered in the Pakefield cliffs of south Lowestoft in 2005 allow human habitation of the area to be traced back 700,000 years. Habitation occurred in the Neolithic , Bronze and Iron ages and in the Roman and Saxon times. Several finds have been made at a Saxon cemetery at Bloodmoor Hill in south Lowestoft. The place name derives from
6460-418: The party and became an Independent. Lowestoft, the easternmost town in the United Kingdom , lies on the North Sea coast. The town is divided by Lake Lothing , which forms the inner part of Lowestoft Harbour and gives access via Oulton Broad and Oulton Dyke to the River Waveney and the Broads . The northern half is on the island of Lothingland . Lowestoft is mainly low-lying, with hilly areas in
6555-507: The same year he became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society . He is noted for having discovered a Great White Spot on the planet Saturn in 1933. Hay kept his career in astronomy separate from his comedy career and published Through My Telescope under the name of W.T. Hay , using the same title when giving lectures on astronomy. Hay was an advocate for education on astronomy and considered those who had an interest in astronomy "the only men who see life in its true proportion". In
6650-428: The secret he seeks. Potts and his new friends eventually commandeer a plane and fly back to Britain, crashing in a tree outside the War Office in London . Will Hay shared directorial credit with Basil Dearden following on from their previous collaboration, The Black Sheep of Whitehall . Art Director, Michael Relph described Dearden and Hay's input as directors 'Basil was very expert at directing comedy, and that
6745-423: The six new Lowestoft wards. The seats, fourteen in all, are allocated to Carlton and Whitton (2), Gunton and St. Margarets (2), Harbour and Normanston (3), Kirkley and Pakefield (3), Lothingland (1), and Oulton Broad (3). There are also changes to wards adjacent to Lowestoft. After the inaugural 2019 East Suffolk District Council election of 2 May, eight of the fourteen Lowestoft seats over the six new wards went to
6840-552: The time, including Leslie Banks , John Mills and Michael Redgrave . His final film, My Learned Friend in 1943 has been described as a masterpiece of black comedy and has been cited as paving the way for the future Ealing comedy films Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) and The Ladykillers (1955). Due to ailing health, My Learned Friend was Hay's final film. Hay was scheduled to star in another film for Ealing in 1943, Bob's Your Uncle , but his diagnosis of cancer prevented him from proceeding. Hay's tenure with Ealing
6935-519: The town are Lowestoft Cemetery and Kirkley Cemetery . The town is twinned with the town of Plaisir in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France to the west of Paris. Ness Point , the most easterly location in the United Kingdom , is located in the town close to a 126-metre wind turbine , known locally as Gulliver. At the time it was completed it was the country's tallest. At
7030-536: The town hosted a major air show during the summer, dubbed the Lowestoft Airshow. A major attraction, the two-day event took place in August, and featuring a wide range of aircraft including the Red Arrows , a Lancaster bomber , Spitfires and an Avro Vulcan . From 2004, it was run by Lowestoft Seafront Air Festival Ltd, a non-profit company, but suffered financial difficulties. In 2010, the event made
7125-678: The town, while the second is the Africa Alive! wildlife park, situated in the south at Kessingland . The town maintains a holiday park at Pakefield , operated by Pontins , and a small caravan site near its northern beach. The natural attractions of the Broads and the River Waveney on the west edge of the town, also attract visitors and been the site for boat trips and water sports events, with companies such as Hoseasons operating hire boats from Oulton Broad . Between 1996 and 2012,
7220-423: The town. Lowestoft is Suffolk's second largest town, after Ipswich , with an estimated population of 58,560 in 2010. The wider urban area brought the estimated population of the built-up area to 73,755 in 2018 from 68,850 at the 2001 census. The town's wider urban area includes the suburbs and villages of Carlton Colville , Gunton , Pakefield , Oulton , Oulton Broad and Kirkley . Other outlying villages in
7315-428: The urban area include Blundeston , Corton , Gisleham , Kessingland and Somerleyton . About 10 per cent of the area population at the 2001 census was aged 75 or over and 20 per cent under 16. In general the population of several wards is slightly skewed towards the elderly. The population is mainly classed as "white", with minority ethnicities making up 1.4 per cent, compared with 8.7 per cent nationally. At
7410-531: The war, including for armed trawlers such as Ethel & Millie and Nelson used to combat German U-boat actions in the North Sea such as that of 15 August 1917 . In World War II the town was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe for its engineering industry and role as a naval base. It is sometimes placed among the UK's most heavily bombed towns per head of population. The Royal Naval Patrol Service
7505-489: The world's largest offshore windfarm . The turbines will be located 15 miles (24 km) off the Suffolk coast and the Outer Harbour will be used to house the necessary operational support facilities. Other developments in the renewable energy sector include a prototype tidal energy generator being produced by local company 4NRG and wave power systems developed by Trident Energy. Hoseasons (now part of Awaze ),
7600-590: The youngsters that the proper British way of saluting a great leader is to apply the V-sign , which they therefore do repeatedly and enthusiastically in the direction of a portrait of the Führer . At a function where he hopes to gather information about the weapon (a gasfire bomb), Potts succeeds only in getting blind drunk and admitting that he is a British agent. Luckily, some members of his class of Nazi youths turn out to be sympathetic Austrians and they help him obtain
7695-426: Was 15. They legally separated on 18 November 1935. However, they never divorced and Gladys cited the reason for this was that she was a Roman Catholic. They had two daughters and a son: Gladys Elspeth Hay (1909–1979), William Edward Hay (1913–1995) and Joan Athol Hay (1917–1975). Following his separation from Gladys in 1935, he was in a long-term relationship with Randi Kopstadt, a native of Norway. Off-screen, Hay
7790-553: Was a box office success and his films were critically acclaimed, but have been described as not at the level of his Gainsborough films with Moffatt and Marriott. The half-hour weekly Will Hay Programme began in August 1944, and was broadcast live from the BBC Paris Theatre in Lower Regent Street. With him in his schoolmaster role, were his pupils, Charles Hawtrey playing the cheeky Smart, John Clark as
7885-490: Was a passionate aviator, and gave flying lessons to Amy Johnson . In 1946 while on holiday, Hay suffered a stroke which left the right side of his body crippled and also affected his speech. He was told by his doctors that he would in all likelihood only make a partial recovery. Following his stroke, he spent time in South Africa on the advice of his doctors, because of the climate. His health had improved slightly by
7980-454: Was a prolific film star in Britain and was ranked the third highest grossing star at the British box office in 1938, behind George Formby and Gracie Fields . He is widely regarded as one of the most prolific and influential British comedians of all time. Hay worked with Gainsborough Pictures from 1935 to 1940, during which time he developed a partnership with Graham Moffatt , playing an insolent overweight schoolboy, and Moore Marriott as
8075-452: Was always wrapped in a blanket at certain hours and had his tea, and we all stopped talking while he was having his tea, and then we went on shooting. I don't remember him saying anything memorable, nothing I could remember at all. He was very funny when you saw him on the screen, but in life all those people are very, very strange." He was known to be a hypochondriac , and would often complain of illness to his colleagues when working. Hay
8170-406: Was described as being something of an eccentric, and a very serious and private man, and some thought he may have had a dark side due to his demeanour. Peter Ustinov , who made his film debut in The Goose Steps Out as a straight man to Hay, said in a 1990 interview when asked about working with him "Well, Will Hay wasn't very funny but I found that very few comics are"; he also said "And Will Hay
8265-467: Was discontinued in 1706 after sea encroachment, but re-established in 1730 in a form that could be easily moved in response to further changes to the Stamford Channel and shoreline. It was discontinued in August 1923. The High Light tower was rebuilt as the present lighthouse in 1874 with the intention of displaying an electric light, but when opened paraffin oil was used instead; not until 1936
8360-560: Was it electrified. The lighthouse, with two cottages originally for lighthouse keepers, is a Grade II listed building . Lowestoft Lifeboat Station, at the mouth of the outer harbour at the South Pier, is one of Britain's oldest, founded in 1801 and open to visitors throughout the year. The lifeboat is Patsy Knight , a Shannon class lifeboat which replaced the Tyne class boat Spirit of Lowestoft in 2014. A former Lowestoft lifeboat
8455-648: Was less than a year old the family moved to Lowestoft in Suffolk . By his late teens, Hay had become fluent in Italian, French and German and secured employment as an interpreter. Hay decided to become an actor when he was 21 after watching W. C. Fields perform a juggling act in Manchester . In the early years of the twentieth century Hay experienced some moderate success as a stand-up comedian and an after-dinner speaker. Hay's first professional job came when he
8550-547: Was mobilised in August 1939, mainly by trawlermen and fishermen of the Royal Naval Reserve . Its depot, HMS Europa , was also known locally as the Sparrow's Nest . Lowestoft is the major settlement in the East Suffolk district. In 1885 Lowestoft became a municipal borough which became part of the administrative county of East Suffolk in 1889, the district contained the parish of Lowestoft, from 1890 to 1907
8645-475: Was offered a contract to perform at a theatre in Belper . In 1914 Hay began working with the impresario Fred Karno who had previously helped Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin achieve success. He worked with Karno for four years. He first performed his schoolmaster character in 1910 which he based upon a colleague of his sister, who was a teaching mistress. The characterisation was initially performed in drag as
8740-418: Was one of the most appreciated in Hay's act, a dim-witted, nearly deaf old man who is still in school because he's so backward. The character later featured in Hay's films portrayed by Moore Marriott . In a 1976 interview, Val Guest , who served as a screenwriter for many of Hay's films, recalled transposing Harbottle from school into other everyday situations. He famously performed the schoolmaster routine at
8835-517: Was the film's "finest performance". Many years later, the Radio Times Guide to Films gave Boys Will Be Boys three stars out of five, observing that the film contains "the blend of bluster and dishonesty that makes his films irresistible". During his time with Gainsborough Hay worked with Marcel Varnel , Val Guest , Charles Hawtrey , and Marriott Edgar , as well as Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt , who were Hay's straight men in
8930-616: Was the tenant in chief. The lost village of Akethorpe may have lain close by. In the Middle Ages , Lowestoft became an important fishing town that came to challenge its neighbour, Great Yarmouth . The trade, particularly for herring , continued as the town's main identity into the 20th century. The naval Battle of Lowestoft in June 1665 was the first in the Second Anglo-Dutch War . Held 40 miles (64 km) off
9025-468: Was used during the Dunkirk evacuation of British forces from France in 1940. The South Broads Lifeboat Station , an inland RNLI station, operated at Oulton Broad in 2001–2011. Lowestoft Town Hall stands in the High Street. Various forms of local government have met or been based on this site since its establishment as a Town House and Chapel in 1570. In 1698 a new Town House was built, incorporating
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