EVERY now and then you are reminded of a little nugget of Cumbrian history that pops up and makes your jaw drop. Take for example the port of Whitehaven being the target when, for the first and only time in history, American forces attacked England. PICTURE: Whitehaven then and now It happened this week back in 1778 during the American War of Independence. And it is a story told in a fascinating new digital display at The Beacon Museum in Whitehaven which reopens to the public, when lockdown restrictions ease, next month (Tuesday, May 18). The Beacon Museum’s Learning Officer, Alan Gillon, takes up the story: “The historic raid was led by Commander John Paul Jones, a Scot, who knew Whitehaven well.