Sadly Mr Charles Parrott died in 1931 aged 85. --- On Mon, 1/2/10, J GRIFFITHS <[email protected]> wrote: From: J GRIFFITHS <[email protected]> Subject: [MON] News Items APRIL 1st to JUNE 30th 1926. Number Two-Hundred sixty To: [email protected], [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Date: Monday, 1 February, 2010, 20:00 Western Mail Monday May 31st 1926. A miraculous escape from death at the age of sixteen, and now an octogenarian! Mr. Charles PARROTT, of 87, Duckpool-road, Newport, declares that he was not born to be drowned and intends to complete his century. As a lad Mr. PARROTT, who, despite a singularly varied and strenuous life, carries his years lightly, was a member of the crew of a ship which encountered a terrible storm in mid-Atlantic. Huge waves were continually enveloping the vessel, and one of these struck him and carried him clean overboard. By a strange freak of the tempest, he was immediately washed on to the deck again, and, grasping a stanchion, was able to cheat death. On another occaision he fell into the dock between two vessels at Birkenhead, and when rescued was unconscious, but eventually revived. At the mature age of eight Mr. PARROTT became a page-boy at Beaufort, and it was not until afterwards, when he went to live in Newport that he attended school-the old St. Paul's School, where, incidentally, Mr. J.H. THOMAS, M.P., the late Councillor Edward DAVIES, J.P., the present Mayor of Newport, and the town-clerk of Southwark attended. On leaving school he was successfully an errand boy, seaman, and railwayman, working his way up to the position of stationmaster. Later he became a rate-collector under the Newport Corporation, a post he held for 33 years, and from which he retired about six years ago. (Did he make his century).