Today we heard of people coming under attack – albeit a century apart.

The first victim we heard about today was tree surgeon, Joseph Lines from Poole in Dorset who was on an errand of mercy to rescue a cat belonging to a distraught lady.

It seems that the cat had over reached itself after it climbed a 50 ft oak tree and became stuck for 3 days.

Apparently neither the RSPCA nor the Fire Brigade had been willing to help coax the animal down, so up steps Mr Lines who on reaching the cat was disappointed to find that rather than being welcomed with open paws, his intervention was rewarded by a full scale attack. 

Screaming in agony from the pain resulting from the lacerations and bites with which his efforts had been rewarded, Mr Lines nevertheless brought the unappreciative moggy to the ground only to be hospitalised himself for 5 days after the wounds became infected and he contracted cellulitis.

Mr Lines, who has been working as a tree surgeon for 20 years, had initially been given a tetanus jab after visiting A&E in Bournemouth Hospital, but later had to be put on IV antibiotics.

In spite of his unfortunate experience Mr Lines said he wouldn’t do anything differently, joking: ‘With all the risks of rescuing the cat from the tree, the cat is really the last thing you think of as being a danger.”

He also revealed that the cat’s owner had started a fundraiser to help him while he was off work and hospitalised, which has raised about £600.

It was Margaret Mills who revealed details of the second attack. This was of a more human kind and involved a large number of suffragettes – many of whom came from Essex – who went on the rampage at The Mansion House in London back in 1910.

Listen again here to what Margaret had to say on this incident: –

See you once more next week,
Scott