Victoria Cross: W. G. Barker

WILLIAM GEORGE BARKER, DSO* MC**

Captain (Acting Major), Royal Air Force; 201 Squadron

Born: 3 November 1894, Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada
Died: 1 March 1930, near Ottawa, Canada

Citation: On the morning of the 27th October, 1918, this officer observed an enemy two-seater over the Fôret de Mormal. He attacked this machine, and after a short burst it broke up in the air. At the same time a Fokker biplane attacked him, and he was wounded in the right thigh, but managed, despite this, to shoot down the enemy aeroplane in flames.
He then found himself in the middle of a large formation of Fokkers who attacked him from all directions; and was again severely wounded in the left thigh, but succeeded in driving down two of the enemy in a spin.
He lost consciousness after that, and his machine fell out of control. On recovery he found himself being again attacked heavily by a large formation, and singling out one machine, he deliberately charged and drove it down in flames.
During this fight his left elbow was shattered and he again fainted, and on regaining consciousness he found himself still being attacked, but, notwithstanding that he was now severely wounded in both legs and his left arm shattered, he dived on the nearest machine and shot it down in flames.
Being greatly exhausted, he dived out of the fight to regain our lines, but was met by another formation, which attacked and endeavoured to cut him off, but after a hard fight he succeeded in breaking up this formation and reached our lines, where he crashed on landing.
This combat, in which Major Barker destroyed four enemy machines (three of them in flames), brought his total successes to fifty enemy machines destroyed, and is a notable example of the exceptional bravery and disregard of danger which this very gallant officer has always displayed throughout his distinguished career.
Major Barker was awarded the Military Cross on 10th January, 1917; first Bar on 18th July, 1917; the Distinguished Service Order on 18th February, 1918; second Bar to Military Cross on 16th September, 1918; and Bar to Distinguished Service Order on 2nd November, 1918.

(London Gazette Issue 31042 dated 30 Nov 1918, published 29 Nov 1918.)

Medal of Honor: A. J. Smith

ALBERT JOSEPH SMITH

Private, US Marine Corps

Born: 31 July 1898, Calumet, Mich.

Citation: At about 7:30 a.m. on the morning of 11 February 1921, Pvt. Smith, while on duty as a sentry, rescued Plen M. Phelps, late machinist's mate second class, U.S. Navy, from a burning seaplane which had fallen near his post, gate No. 1, Marine Barracks, Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla. Despite the explosion of the gravity gasoline tank, with total disregard of personal safety, he pushed himself to a position where he could reach Phelps, who was pinned beneath the burning wreckage, and rescued him from the burning plane, in the performance of which he sustained painful burns about the head, neck and both hands.

Book list - 2007

I decided to do a complete list anyway, with a repeat of the recap info at the end.

An asterisk indicates a reread. Numbers refer to the order in which the books were read.

"Adult" Fiction (86 books)
1. Mirror Dance - SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold
2. Falling Free - SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold
4. Memory - SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold
5. Komarr - SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold
6. Marching through Georgia - AH, by S M Stirling *
7. Sorcery and Cecelia - fantasy, by Patricia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
8. A Civil Campaign - SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold
9. Diplomatic Immunity - SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold
11. A Princess of Mars - SF, by Edgar Rice Burroughs *
14. Bachelors Anonymous - humour, by P G Wodehouse
19. The Gods of Mars - SF, by Edgar Rice Burroughs *
20. Fool Moon - modern fantasy, by Jim Butcher
28. Final Blackout - SF, by L Ron Hubbard *
29. The Warlord of Mars - SF, by Edgar Rice Burroughs *
31. The Dancing Dodo - thriller, by John Gardner *
33. The Winds of Change - SF (short stories), by Isaac Asimov *
34. The Tinkling Symbol - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
35. Re-Birth (aka The Chrysalids) - SF, by John Wyndham *
36. Sandbar Sinister - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
37. The Last Trump - thriller, by John Gardner *
38. Flandry of Terra - SF, by Poul Anderson
39. Agent of the Terran Empire - SF, by Poul Anderson *
40. Beyond the Farthest Star - SF, by Edgar Rice Burroughs *
41. Voorloper - SF, by Andre Norton
42. Young Rissa - SF, by F M Busby
43. Unexpected Death - mystery, by Dell Shannon *
44. Old Bones - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *
45. Anthropol - SF, by Louis Trimble *
47. Sos the Rope - SF, by Piers Anthony *
49. The Land of Hidden Men - adventure, by Edgar Rice Burroughs *
50. Lallia - SF, by E C Tubb
51. Snake Eater - mystery, by William G Tapply
52. Past Tense - mystery, by William G Tapply
53. Nervous Water - mystery, by William G Tapply
54. Grave Peril - modern fantasy, by Jim Butcher
55. Var the Stick - SF, by Piers Anthony
56. Summer Knight - modern fantasy, by Jim Butcher
57. Neq the Sword - SF, by Piers Anthony
58. Dead Winter - mystery, by William G Tapply
59. First Light - mystery, by Philip R Craig and William G Tapply
60. The Intimidators - spy fiction, by Donald Hamilton *
62. Across the Wall - fantasy (short stories), by Garth Nix
63. A Fine Line - mystery, by William G Tapply
64. A Beautiful Place to Die - mystery, by Philip R Craig
65. Client Privilege - mystery, by William G Tapply
66. The Spotted Cats - mystery, by William G Tapply
67. The Seventh Enemy - mystery, by William G Tapply
78. Tales from the "White Hart" - SF (short stories), by Arthur C Clarke *
80. For Love and Glory - SF, by Poul Anderson
89. The Retaliators - spy novel, by Donald Hamilton *
90. The Other Nineteenth Century - AH, fantasy and other short stories, by Avram Davidson
102. The Eye of the Tiger - adventure, by Wilbur Smith
103. Hell's Gate - fantasy/AH, by David Weber and Linda Evans
114. So Disdained - espionage novel, by Nevil Shute
116. Solo - thriller, by Jack Higgins *
117. The Dreaming Suburb - family saga, by R F Delderfield *
122. The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare - mystery, by Lilian Jackson Braun
123. The Weapon from Beyond - SF, by Edmond Hamilton
124. The Closed Worlds - SF, by Edmond Hamilton
126. World of the Starwolves - SF, by Edmond Hamilton *
127. The Burning Mountain - AH, by Alfred Coppel
128. Trail of the Seahawks - SF, by Ardath Mayhar and Ron Fortier
129. The Alpine Decoy - mystery, by Mary Daheim
131. Night Watch - fantasy, by Robin Wayne Bailey
132. Robert Adams' Book of Alternate Worlds - AH/fantasy (short stories), edited by Robert Adams, Martin H Greenberg and Pamela Crippen Adams
134. The Demon Breed - SF, by James H Schmitz
136. Scenes of Crime - mystery, by Lesley Egan *
137. A Dream Apart - mystery, by Lesley Egan *
138. The Hunters and the Hunted - mystery, by Lesley Egan *
139. A Cat in a Glass House - mystery, by Lydia Adamson
140. A Choice of Crimes - mystery, by Lesley Egan *
141. Chain of Violence - mystery, by Lesley Egan *
143. King of the Mountain - mystery, by M K Wren
144. Yesterday's Gone - WWII novel, by N J Crisp
145. Liberty Falling - mystery, by Nevada Barr *
146. The Sunrise Lands - AH, by S M Stirling
148. The Cat Who Went up the Creek - mystery, by Lilian Jackson Braun
155. Tight Lines - mystery, by William G Tapply *
167. Murder in the Executive Mansion - mystery, by Elliott Roosevelt
168. The Caves of Steel - SF/mystery, by Isaac Asimov *
178. Doomsday Book - SF, by Connie Willis
179. Village School - fiction, by Miss Read (Dora Jessie Saint) *
180. Village Diary - fiction, by Miss Read
181. They Shall Have Stars - SF, by James Blish
182. Storm in the Village - fiction, by Miss Read
183. The Naked Sun - SF/mystery, by Isaac Asimov *

Children's/YA Fiction (66)
10. Then There Were Five - children's, by Elizabeth Enright *
12. Spiderweb for Two - children's, by Elizabeth Enright *
18. In High Places - SF, by Harry Turtledove
68. The Stars Are Ours - SF, by Andre Norton *
69. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - children's historical novel, by Elizabeth George Speare (Newbery Medal, 1959)
70. Thimble Summer - children's, by Elizabeth Enright (Newbery Medal, 1939)
71. Number the Stars - children's WWII novel, by Lois Lowry (Newbery Medal, 1990)
72. Dear Mr Henshaw - children's, by Beverly Cleary (Newbery Medal, 1984)
73. The Dark Frigate - children's historical novel, by Charles Boardman Hawes (Newbery Medal, 1924)
74. The Time Traders - SF, by Andre Norton *
75. Galactic Derelict - SF, by Andre Norton *
76. Secret of the Andes - children's, by Ann Nolan Clark (Newbery Medal, 1953)
77. The Trumpeter of Krakow - children's historical novel, by Eric P Kelly (Newbery Medal, 1929)
79. Sarah, Plain and Tall - children's historical novel, by Patricia MacLachlan (Newbery Medal, 1986)
82. Adam of the Road - children's historical novel, by Elizabeth Janet Gray (Newbery Medal, 1943)
83. Star Born - SF, by Andre Norton *
85. Ginger Pye - children's, by Eleanor Estes (Newbery Medal, 1952)
87. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - children's, by Mildred D Taylor (Newbery Medal, 1977)
88. Out of the Dust - children's, by Karen Hesse (Newbery Medal, 1998)
91. The View from Saturday - children's, by E L Konigsburg (Newbery Medal, 1997)
92. Johnny Tremain - children's historical novel, by Esther Forbes (Newbery Medal, 1944)
93. All-of-a-Kind Family - children's, by Sydney Taylor
94. Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze - children's, by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis (Newbery Medal, 1933)
95. Caddie Woodlawn - children's, by Carol Ryrie Brink (Newbery Medal, 1936)
96. The Book of Story Beginnings - fantasy, by Kristin Kladstrup
97. Al Capone Does My Shirts - YA, by Gennifer Choldenko
98. The Bronze Bow - children's historical novel, by Elizabeth George Spears (Newbery Medal, 1962)
99. More All-of-a-Kind Family - children's, by Sydney Taylor
100. Holes - children's, by Louis Sachar (Newbery Medal, 1999)
101. Half and Half - children's, by Lensey Namioka
105. The Vampire Hound - children's, by Jim Kraft
106. The Tale of Despereaux - children's fantasy, by Kate DiCamillo (Newbery Medal, 2004)
107. All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown - children's, by Sydney Taylor
108. Shiloh - children's, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Newbery Medal, 1992)
110. Dobry - children's, by Monica Shannon (Newbery Medal, 1935)
111. Uglies - YA SF, by Scott Westerfield
113. ...and Now Miguel - children's, by Joseph Krumgold (Newbery Medal, 1954)
115. All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown - children's, by Sydney Taylor
118. Steel Magic - children's fantasy, by Andre Norton *
119. Alanna: The First Adventure - fantasy, by Tamora Pierce
120. In the Hand of the Goddess - fantasy, by Tamora Pierce
121. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man - fantasy, by Tamora Pierce
125. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - fantasy, by J K Rowling
151. Un Lun Dun - modern fantasy, by China Miéville
152. Moominpappa at Sea - children's fantasy, by Tove Jansson
153. Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature - YA, by Robin Brande
154. Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature - YA, by Robin Brande *
156. A Long Way from Chicago - YA, by Richard Peck
157. A Year Down Yonder - YA, by Richard Peck (Newbery Medal, 2001)
158. The Golden Compass (aka Northern Lights) - fantasy, by Philip Pullman (Carnegie Medal, 1995) *
160. Crossroads of Time - SF, by Andre Norton *
161. The Subtle Knife - fantasy, by Philip Pullman *
162. The Wheel on the School - children's, by Meindert DeJong (Newbery Medal, 1955)
163. The Amber Spyglass - fantasy, by Philip Pullman
164. Miracles on Maple Hill - children's, by Virginia Sorensen (Newbery Medal, 1957)
165. The Midwife's Apprentice - children's historical novel, by Karen Cushman (Newbery Medal, 1996)
166. The Matchlock Gun - children's historical novel, by Walter D Edmonds (Newbery Medal, 1942)
169. The Westing Game - children's mystery, by Ellen Raskin (Newbery Medal, 1979)
170. Kira-Kira - YA, by Cynthia Kadohata (Newbery Medal, 2005)
172. The Whipping Boy - children's, by Sid Fleischman (Newbery Medal, 1987)
173. The Cat Who Went to Heaven - children's, by Elizabeth Coatsworth (Newbery Medal, 1931)
174. Roller Skates - children's, by Ruth Sawyer (Newbery Medal, 1937)
175. Ella of All of a Kind Family - children's, by Sydney Taylor
177. Bridge to Terabithia - children's, by Katherine Paterson (Newbery Medal, 1978)
184. Island of the Blue Dolphins - children's historical novel, by Scott O'Dell (Newbery Medal, 1961)
186. Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - children's, by Robert C O'Brien (Newbery Medal, 1972)

Non-Fiction (35)
3. The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople - mediaeval history, by Jonathan Phillips
13. The Serpent and the Moon - French history, by HRH Princess Michael of Kent
15. Adding a Dimension - science essays, by Isaac Asimov *
16. From Earth to Heaven - science essays, by Isaac Asimov *
17. The Tragedy of the Moon - science essays, by Isaac Asimov *
21. Panzer Commander - memoirs, by Hans von Luck
22. Cathedral, Forge and Waterwheel - European history, by Frances and Joseph Gies *
23. The Road to Infinity - science essays, by Isaac Asimov
24. The Subatomic Monster - science essays, by Isaac Asimov
25. Mapping Human History - palaeoanthropology, by Steve Olson
26. The Journey of Man - palaeoanthropology, by Spencer Wells *
27. At the Water's Edge - palaeontology, by Carl Zimmer
30. Far As Human Eye Could See - science essays, by Isaac Asimov *
32. Guerilla - WW I, by Edwin P Hoyt
46. Some Survived - WW II, by Manny Lawton
48. Blitzkrieg - WW II, by Len Deighton
61. The Women Who Lived for Danger: The Agents of the Special Operations Executive - WW II, by Marcus Binney
81. Lone Wolf: The Life and Death of U-Boat Ace Werner Henke - WW II, by Timothy P Mulligan
84. Amelia Earhart's Daughters - aviation history, by Leslie Haynsworth and David Toomey
86. Between Two Fires: American Indians in the Civil War - US history, by Laurence M Hauptman
104. KG 200: The True Story - WW II, by P W Stahl
109. Flying for the Fatherland: The Century's Greatest Pilot - biography, by Judy Lomax
112. American Road - US history, by Pete Davies
130. Noblesse Oblige - sociology, edited by Nancy Mitford
133. Rebel: The Life and Times of John Singleton Mosby - biography, by Kevin H Siepel
135. The End of the Bronze Age - ancient history, by Robert Drews
142. Silent Wings - WW II, by Gerald M Devlin
147. Arthur Ransome and Captain Flint's Trunk - literary journey, by Christina Hardyment
149. Tragedy at Honda - naval history, by Charles A Lockwood and Hans Christian Adamson *
150. To the Last Salute: Memories of an Austrian U-Boat Commander - memoirs, by Georg von Trapp
159. Mimi and Toutou's Big Adventure: The Bizarre Battle of Lake Tanganyika - WW I, by Giles Foden
171. The Early American Wilderness As the Explorers Saw It - US history, by Bill Lawrence
176. Elizabeth's London: Everyday Life in Elizabethan London - English history, by Liza Picard
185. The Class of 1846 - US history, by John C Waugh
187. Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends - memoirs, by William "Wild Bill" Guarnere and Edward "Babe" Heffron

Altogether, I read 187 books in 2007. (That includes counting Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature twice, since I read it twice.) Busiest month: February, with 35 books in 28 days (1.25 books per day). Slowest month: September, with eight books in 30 days (3.75 days per book).

The biggest categories were SF (40), Newbery Medal winners (35, bringing my total thus far up to 42 of the 86), mysteries (30) and history (19). And 49 or 50* of the books (including, of course, the second time through EM&OFoN) were rereads.

There was a discussion on one of my Yahoo! groups about the favourite books people had read during the year. The list I submitted consisted of these nine (listed in the order in which I read them):

A Civil Campaign - SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Memory - SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Hell's Gate - fantasy/SF, by David Weber and Linda Evans
So Disdained - espionage novel, by Nevil Shute
Doomsday Book - SF (time travel), by Connie Willis
Un Lun Dun - modern fantasy, by China Mieville
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - fantasy, by J K Rowling
Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature - YA, by Robin Brande
Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends - memoirs, by Guarnere and Heffron

My goal for this year is to read 208 books.


* There are 50 marked, but I'm not 100% certain that the Honda book I read this year is in fact the same one that I read in high school.

"The Man from Snowy River"

This month I have a poem by Australian poet A B "Banjo" Paterson. I prepared this post (along with next month's poem) back in November, when I posted "In the Days When the World Was Wide," by another Australian poet, Henry Lawson. Then last month I received a package from my friend in Oz, with a CD of Paterson's poems, read by Leonard Teale. Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but there may be more Paterson coming....

This one, of course, served as the basis for the 1982 movie (which I remember chiefly for its beautiful theme music by Bruce Rowland*), starring Tom Burlinson as the title character and Kirk Douglas as Harrison.

The Man from Snowy River
A B "Banjo" Paterson

There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around
That the colt from old Regret had got away,
And had joined the wild bush horses - he was worth a thousand pound,
So all the cracks had gathered to the fray.
All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far
Had mustered at the homestead overnight,
For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are,
And the stockhorse snuffs the battle with delight.

There was Harrison, who made his pile when Pardon won the cup,
The old man with his hair as white as snow;
But few could ride beside him when his blood was fairly up -
He would go wherever horse and man could go.
And Clancy of the Overflow came down to lend a hand,
No better horseman ever held the reins;
For never horse could throw him while the saddle girths would stand,
He learnt to ride while droving on the plains.

And one was there, a stripling on a small and weedy beast,
He was something like a racehorse undersized,
With a touch of Timor pony - three parts thoroughbred at least -
And such as are by mountain horsemen prized.
He was hard and tough and wiry - just the sort that won't say die -
There was courage in his quick impatient tread;
And he bore the badge of gameness in his bright and fiery eye,
And the proud and lofty carriage of his head.

But still so slight and weedy, one would doubt his power to stay,
And the old man said, "That horse will never do
For a long a tiring gallop - lad, you'd better stop away,
Those hills are far too rough for such as you."
So he waited sad and wistful - only Clancy stood his friend -
"I think we ought to let him come," he said;
"I warrant he'll be with us when he's wanted at the end,
For both his horse and he are mountain bred.

"He hails from Snowy River, up by Kosciusko's side,
Where the hills are twice as steep and twice as rough,
Where a horse's hoofs strike firelight from the flint stones every stride,
The man that holds his own is good enough.
And the Snowy River riders on the mountains make their home,
Where the river runs those giant hills between;
I have seen full many horsemen since I first commenced to roam,
But nowhere yet such horsemen have I seen."

So he went - they found the horses by the big mimosa clump -
They raced away towards the mountain's brow,
And the old man gave his orders, "Boys, go at them from the jump,
No use to try for fancy riding now.
And, Clancy, you must wheel them, try and wheel them to the right.
Ride boldly, lad, and never fear the spills,
For never yet was rider that could keep the mob in sight,
If once they gain the shelter of those hills."

So Clancy rode to wheel them - he was racing on the wing
Where the best and boldest riders take their place,
And he raced his stockhorse past them, and he made the ranges ring
With the stockwhip, as he met them face to face.
Then they halted for a moment, while he swung the dreaded lash,
But they saw their well-loved mountain full in view,
And they charged beneath the stockwhip with a sharp and sudden dash,
And off into the mountain scrub they flew.

Then fast the horsemen followed, where the gorges deep and black
Resounded to the thunder of their tread,
And the stockwhips woke the echoes, and they fiercely answered back
From cliffs and crags that beetled overhead.
And upward, ever upward, the wild horses held their way,
Where mountain ash and kurrajong grew wide;
And the old man muttered fiercely, "We may bid the mob good day,
No man can hold them down the other side."

When they reached the mountain's summit, even Clancy took a pull,
It well might make the boldest hold their breath,
The wild hop scrub grew thickly, and the hidden ground was full
Of wombat holes, and any slip was death.
But the man from Snowy River let the pony have his head,
And he swung his stockwhip round and gave a cheer,
And he raced him down the mountain like a torrent down its bed,
While the others stood and watched in very fear.

He sent the flint stones flying, but the pony kept his feet,
He cleared the fallen timber in his stride,
And the man from Snowy River never shifted in his seat -
It was grand to see that mountain horseman ride.
Through the stringybarks and saplings, on the rough and broken ground,
Down the hillside at a racing pace he went;
And he never drew the bridle till he landed safe and sound,
At the bottom of that terrible descent.

He was right among the horses as they climbed the further hill,
And the watchers on the mountain standing mute,
Saw him ply the stockwhip fiercely, he was right among them still,
As he raced across the clearing in pursuit.
Then they lost him for a moment, where two mountain gullies met
In the ranges, but a final glimpse reveals
On a dim and distant hillside the wild horses racing yet,
With the man from Snowy River at their heels.

And he ran them single-handed till their sides were white with foam.
He followed like a bloodhound on their track,
Till they halted cowed and beaten, then he turned their heads for home,
And alone and unassisted brought them back.
But his hardy mountain pony he could scarcely raise a trot,
He was blood from hip to shoulder from the spur;
But his pluck was still undaunted, and his courage fiery hot,
For never yet was mountain horse a cur.

And down by Kosciusko, where the pine-clad ridges raise
Their torn and rugged battlements on high,
Where the air is clear as crystal, and the white stars fairly blaze
At midnight in the cold and frosty sky,
And where around The Overflow the reed beds sweep and sway
To the breezes, and the rolling plains are wide,
The man from Snowy River is a household word today,
And the stockmen tell the story of his ride.

(The Bulletin, 26 April 1890.)

You can read more about Banjo Paterson in the Aug '04 issue of National Geographic.


* During the end titles, the theme music segues into "Waltzing Matilda," perhaps Australia's best-known song - which was also written by Paterson.



Click on the "Poetry Friday" button at left for this week's round-up, which is hosted by Mary Lee and Franki at A Year of Reading. (Susan, of Susan Writes, has done a round-up of previous round-ups here.)

RIP: George MacDonald Fraser

George MacDonald Fraser OBE
2 Apr 1925 - 2 Jan 2008

ZUI this article from the International Herald-Tribune:

George MacDonald Fraser, author of the "Flashman" series of historical adventure yarns, died Wednesday, his publisher said. He was 82.

Fraser died following a battle with cancer, said Nicholas Latimer, director of publicity for Knopf, which will release Fraser's latest work "The Reavers" in the United States in April. Latimer was unable to provide details of where Fraser died. He lived on the Isle of Man, off the coast of northwest England.

*******

Born in Carlisle, northern England in 1925, Fraser served as an infantryman with the British Army in India and Burma during World War II, and in the Middle East after the war. He worked as a journalist in Britain and Canada for more than 20 years before turning to fiction.

Fraser was the author of screenplays including "The Three Musketeers" (1973), an adaptation of his novel "Royal Flash" (1975) and the James Bond movie "Octopussy" (1983).

Fraser also wrote several works of nonfiction, including a wartime memoir, "Quartered Safe Out Here," "Steel Bonnets: The Story of the Anglo-Scottish Border" and "The Hollywood History of the World."

And this from The Telegraph:

George MacDonald Fraser was born at Carlisle on April 2 1925. His father was a doctor, his mother a nurse. George was educated at Carlisle Grammar School and Glasgow Academy, where his performance as Laertes was distinguished by his unscripted defeat of Hamlet in the pair’s duel.

In 1943 he joined the Border Regiment and served as an infantryman in North Africa and with the "Forgotten" Fourteenth Army in Burma. He was eventually commissioned in the Gordon Highlanders. Some of his finest writing is contained in his graphic recollections of his Burma service, Quartered Safe Out Here (1992), in which the affectionate portrait of his Cumbrian comrades demonstrated his keen eye for character and acute ear for dialogue.

John Keegan, in The Sunday Telegraph, justly called it "one of the great personal memoirs of World War II".

And this, from The Independent:

The Flashman series is based on the bully character of Thomas Hughes' Victorian classic Tom Brown's Schooldays grown up and serving as an officer in the Army, fighting, drinking and womanising his way around the British Empire.

Each of the novels purports to come from packets of faux-autobiographical notes – the Flashman Papers – discovered in the 1960s. When the first instalment of these entirely fictional memoirs, created by MacDonald Fraser, first appeared in the US in 1969, around a third of its 40 reviewers believed they were a genuine historical find. One reviewer said that the works were "the most important discovery since the Boswell Papers".

Although many found Flashman's 19th-century racism and sexism distasteful, the books sold in huge numbers and MacDonald Fraser was praised for his attention to historical detail. He published the final book in the series in 1994.

I've never read any of the Flashman books (there are twelve), but I love the stories about Private McAuslan, "the dirtiest soldier in the Army": The General Danced at Dawn, McAuslan in the Rough and The Sheikh and the Dustbin.

George Cross: N. I. Khan

NOOR-UN-NISA INAYAT KHAN

Assistant Section Officer, Women's Auxiliary Air Force; seconded Women's Transport Service (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry) and Special Operations Executive

Born: 1 January 1914, Moscow, Russia
Died: 13 September 1944, Dachau, Germany

Citation: Assistant Section Officer Nora [sic] Inayat-Khan was the first woman operator to be infiltrated into enemy occupied France, and was landed by Lysander aircraft on 16th June, 1943. During the weeks immediately following her arrival, the Gestapo made mass arrests in the Paris Resistance groups to which she had been detailed. She refused however to abandon what had become the principal and most dangerous post in France, although given the opportunity to return to England, because she did not wish to leave her French comrades without communications and she hoped also to rebuild her group. She remained at her post therefore and did the excellent work which earned her a posthumous Mention in Despatches.
The Gestapo had a full description of her, but knew only her code name "Madeleine". They deployed considerable forces in their effort to catch her and so break the last remaining link with London. After 3½ months she was betrayed to the Gestapo and taken to their H.Q. in the Avenue Foch. The Gestapo had found her codes and messages and were now in a position to work back to London. They asked her to co-operate, but she refused and gave them no information of any kind. She was imprisoned in one of the cells on the 5th floor of the Gestapo H.Q. and remained there for several weeks during which time she made two unsuccessful attempts at escape. She was asked to sign a declaration that she would make no further attempts but she refused and the Chief of the Gestapo obtained permission from Berlin to send her to Germany for "safe custody". She was the first agent to be sent to Germany.
Assistant Section Officer Inayat-Khan was sent to Karlsruhe in November, 1943, and then to Pforsheim where her cell was separate from the main prison. She was considered to be a particularly dangerous and unco-operative prisoner. The Director of the prison has also been interrogated and has confirmed that Assistant Section Officer Inayat-Khan, when interrogated by the Karlsruhe Gestapo, refused to give any information whatsoever, either as to her work or her colleagues.
She was taken with three others to Dachau Camp on the 12th September, 1944. On arrival, she was taken to the crematorium and shot.
Assistant Section Officer Inayat-Khan displayed the most conspicuous courage, both moral and physical over a period of more than twelve months.

(London Gazette Issue 38578 dated 5 Apr 1949, published 5 Apr 1949.)


Note: The other three SOE agents who were transferred with her from Karlsruhe to Dachau were Yolande Beekman, Eliane Plewman and Madeleine Damerment.

This day in history: 1 Jan

1515: Francois I became King of France on the death of his cousin (and father-in-law), Louis XII.

1651: Charles II, theoretically King of the United Kingdom since his father's death on 30 January 1649, was crowned King of Scots at Scone. He would not be crowned King of England and Ireland until 23 April 1661.

1801: The Act of Union, which had been passed on 2 July 1800, became effective, joining the Kingdom of Ireland to the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

That same day, the asteroid 1 Ceres was discovered by the Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi.

1818: Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, was published for the first time.

1863: The Emancipation Proclamation became effective, declaring the freedom of all slaves in those areas of the Confederate States of America that had not already returned to Union control.

1892: The Federal immigration station on Ellis Island opened. 15-year-old Annie Moore, from Ireland, was the first customer.

1898: The City of Greater New York was created when New York City (then consisting of Manhattan and the Bronx) annexed land from surrounding counties.

1901: The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia combined as the federal Commonwealth of Australia.

1925: American astronomer Edwin Hubble announced the discovery of galazies outside the Milky Way.

1942: The Declaration by the United Nations was signed by twenty-six nations.

1948: British Rail came into existence when the Big Four - the Great Western Railway (GWR), the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and the Southern Railway (SR) - were nationalised under the Transport Act of 1947.

1958: The European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) were established, in accordance with the Treaties of Rome of 1957.

1999: The euro was introduced for non-cash transactions within the European Union.

2000: Y2K arrived, but nothing especially horrible happened.

2001: The 21st century - and the 3rd millenium - began.

2002: Euro coins and banknotes became legal tender in twelve member states (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain) of the European Union.

2007: The euro replaced the tolar as the official currency of Slovenia.

In addition to Louis XII (1462-1515), Prince James Stuart, the Old Pretender (1688–1766), Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782), Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857-1894), Hank Williams (1923–1953), Maurice Chevalier (1888–1972), Grace Murray Hopper (1906–1992), Cesar Romero (1907–1994), Arleigh Burke (1901–1996), Townes Van Zandt (1944–1997), Ray Walston (1914–2001) and Joe Foss (1915–2003) died on this date.

And happy birthday to Lorenzo "the Magnificent" de' Medici (1449–1492), Anthony Wayne (1745-1796), Betsy Griscom Ross (1752-1836), Wilhelm Canaris (1887–1945), John Cantius Garand (1888–1974), Noor Inayat Khan GC MBE (1914-1944), Matthew Beard Jr (1925–1981), "Country" Joe McDonald (1942-TBD) and Jennifer Edwards (1959-TBD).

INT WTF

Can someone explain to me why so many of my visitors in the last week or two have arrived here as the result of Google (or other) searches for the phrase "jemmerling collection"?

Update 1940 2 Jan: My thanks to the kind person who paused to point me at question 15/6 of the King William's College 2007 General Knowledge Paper. This, it seems, is the 103d edition of a test on which (according to The Guardian) an excellent score is 20%, and on which the average score is two. The test has 18 sets of ten questions, and all ten questions in each set have a common theme, which may or may not be given. (In this case, the ten questions in set 15 all pertain to the Swallows & Amazons books by Arthur Ransome; I can answer nine of them, and I think I know which book to check for the other answer. And I know, or think I know, the answers to 13 of the other 170 questions.)

I'd never heard of King William's College, much less its apparently famous tests, so my thanks go also to all the people who have come here looking for help, and have thus drawn my attention to this. Looks like I'm going to have a little fun for the next week ot few....

The Cybils: 2007 finalists (part I)

As promised, the finalists in the first four categories have been announced. As you can see, the nominating panels had a little trouble narrowing the choice to just five finalists - two lists include seven books, one contains eight, and the fourth was actually split into two lists of five books each.

Finalists in the other four categories (Non-Fiction Picture Books, Young Adult Fiction, Graphic Novels and Middle-Grade/YA Non-Fiction) will be named on 6 January.

The four links below take you to the announcements at the Cybils site, which have brief descriptions of the books, along with further links to each books pages at Amazon and Booksense (and in some cases, to reviews of the books).

Fiction Picture Books:
Pssst! - by Adam Rex
Go to Bed, Monster! - written by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County - written by Janice N Harrington, illustrated by Shelley Jackson
Leaves - by David Ezra Stein
Four Feet, Two Sandals - written by Karen Lynn William and Khadra Mohammad, illustrated by Doug Chayka
Knuffle Bunny Too - by Mo Willems
The Incredible Book-Eating Boy - by Oliver Jeffers

Middle Grade Fiction:
A Crooked Kind of Perfect - by Linda Urban
Cracker: The Best Dog In Vietnam - by Cynthia Kadohata
Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree - by Lauren Tarshis
Leap of Faith - by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Leepike Ridge - by Nathan D. Wilson
Louisiana's Song - by Kerry Madden
Miss Spitfire - by Sarah Miller
Wild Girls - by Pat Murphy

Fantasy and Science Fiction (Elementary/Middle-Grade):
The Chaos King - by Laura Ruby
Into the Wild - by Sarah Beth Durst
The Land of the Silver Apples - by Nancy Farmer
Skulduggery Pleasant - by Derek Landy
The True Meaning of Smekday - by Adam Rex

Fantasy and Science Fiction (Teen/YA):
Book of a Thousand Days - by Shannon Hale
Incarceron - by Catherine Fisher
Northlander - by Meg Burden
Repossessed - by A M Jenkins
Skin Hunger - by Kathleen Duey

Poetry:
Animal Poems - written by Valerie Worth, illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village - written by Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrated by Robert Byrd and Trina Schart Hyman
Here's a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry - edited by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Polly Dunbar
Poems in Black and White - written and illustrated by Kate Miller
This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness - written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
Twist: Yoga Poems - written by Janet S Wong, illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath - written by Stephanie Hemphill

Well. Neither Un Lun Dun nor Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows made the cut. There's still hope for Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature, though....

Carnegie Medal books

After I finish reading all of the Newbery Medal books, I'm going to start on the books which have been awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal - the British equivalent of the Newbery Medal, now awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).

Whereas the Newbery books are listed by the year the medal was awarded (the year after publication), the Carnegie books are listed by year of publication. The medal was first awarded in 1937, for the best children's book of 1936, but there have been three years when no book was considered suitable, so there are only 68 winners thus far. In addition to the gold medal, the winner receives £500 worth of books to donate to a library of his/her/their choice.

Here's the list. (Dates marked in red indicate the six books I've already read.)

1936: Pigeon Post, by Arthur Ransome
1937: The Family from One End Street, by Eve Garnett
1938: The Circus is Coming, by Noel Streatfield
1939: Radium Woman, by Eleanor Doorly
1940: Visitors from London, by Kitty Barne
1941: We Couldn't Leave Dinah, by Mary Treadgold
1942: The Little Grey Men, by 'BB' (D J Watkins-Pitchford)
1943: Prize withheld as no book considered suitable
1944: The Wind on the Moon, by Eric Linklater
1945: Prize withheld as no book considered suitable
1946: The Little White Horse, by Elizabeth Goudge
1947: Collected Stories for Children, Walter De La Mare
1948: Sea Change, by Richard Armstrong
1949: The Story of Your Home, by Agnes Allen
1950: The Lark on the Wing, by Elfrida Vipont Foulds
1951: The Woolpack, by Cynthia Harnett
1952: The Borrowers, by Mary Norton
1953: A Valley Grows Up, by Edward Osmond
1954: Knight Crusader, by Ronald Welch (Felton Ronald Oliver)
1955: The Little Bookroom, by Eleanor Farjeon
1956: The Last Battle, by C S Lewis
1957: A Grass Rope, by William Mayne
1958: Tom's Midnight Garden, by Philipa Pearce
1959: The Lantern Bearers, by Rosemary Sutcliff
1960: The Making of Man, by Dr I W Cornwall
1961: A Stranger at Green Knowe, by Lucy M Boston
1962: The Twelve and the Genii, by Pauline Clarke
1963: Time of Trial, by Hester Burton
1964: Nordy Bank, by Sheena Porter
1965: The Grange at High Force, by Philip Turner
1966: Prize withheld as no book considered suitable
1967: The Owl Service, by Alan Garner
1968: The Moon in the Cloud, by Rosemary Harris
1969: The Edge of the Cloud, by Kathleen Peyton
1970: The God Beneath the Sea, by Leon Garfield and Edward Blishen
1971: Josh, by Ivan Southall
1972: Watership Down, by Richard Adams
1973: The Ghost of Thomas Kempe, by Penelope Lively
1974: The Stronghold, by Mollie Hunter
1975: The Machine Gunners, by Robert Westall
1976: Thunder and Lightnings, by Jan Mark
1977: The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler, by Gene Kemp
1978: The Exeter Blitz, by David Rees
1979: Tulku, by Peter Dickinson
1980: City of Gold, by Peter Dickinson
1981: The Scarecrows, by Robert Westall
1982: The Haunting, by Margaret Mahy
1983: Handles, by Jan Mark
1984: The Changeover, by Margaret Mahy
1985: Storm, by Kevin Crossley-Holland
1986: Granny was a Buffer Girl, by Berlie Doherty
1987: The Ghost Drum, by Susan Price
1988: A Pack of Lies, by Geraldine McCaughrean
1989: Goggle-eyes, by Anne Fine
1990: Wolf, by Gillian Cross
1991: Dear Nobody, by Berlie Doherty
1992: Flour Babies, by Anne Fine
1993: Stone Cold, by Robert Swindells
1994: Whispers in the Graveyard, by Theresa Breslin
1995: Northern Lights, by Philip Pullman*
1996: Junk, by Melvin Burgess
1997: River Boy, by Tim Bowler
1998: Skellig, by David Almond
1999: Postcards From No Man's Land, by Aidan Chambers
2000: The Other Side of Truth, by Beverley Naidoo
2001: The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett
2002: Ruby Holler, by Sharon Creech
2003: A Gathering Light, by Jennifer Donnelly
2004: Millions, by Frank Cottrell Boyce
2005: Tamar, by Mal Peet
2006: Just in Case, by Meg Rosoff


* His Dark Materials, Book 1. Published in the US as The Golden Compass.

Newbery Medal books

Last March, I took a look at a list of the 86 winners (soon to be 87!) of the John Newbery Medal, which is presented annually to the author of "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." I was somewhat shocked to discover that I had only read seven of the books. So I've been reading my way through the list, and here's the current status. (Dates in red are the ones I had read before I started my current programme; dates in purple are the ones I've read since I started.)

1922: The Story of Mankind, by Hendrik Willem van Loon
1923: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, by Hugh Lofting
1924: The Dark Frigate, by Charles Hawes
1925: Tales from Silver Lands, by Charles Finger
1926: Shen of the Sea, by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
1927: Smoky, the Cowhorse, by Will James
1928: Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon, by Dhan Gopal Mukerji
1929: The Trumpeter of Krakow, by Eric P. Kelly
1930: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel Field
1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven, by Elizabeth Coatsworth
1932: Waterless Mountain, by Laura Adams Armer
1933: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze, by Elizabeth Lewis
1934: Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women, by Cornelia Meigs
1935: Dobry, by Monica Shannon
1936: Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink
1937: Roller Skates, by Ruth Sawyer
1938: The White Stag, by Kate Seredy
1939: Thimble Summer, by Elizabeth Enright
1940: Daniel Boone, by James Daugherty
1941: Call It Courage, by Armstrong Sperry
1942: The Matchlock Gun, by Walter Edmonds
1943: Adam of the Road, by Elizabeth Janet Gray
1944: Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes
1945: Rabbit Hill, by Robert Lawson
1946: Strawberry Girl, by Lois Lenski
1947: Miss Hickory, by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
1948: The Twenty-One Balloons, by William Pène du Bois
1949: King of the Wind, by Marguerite Henry
1950: The Door in the Wall, by Marguerite de Angeli
1951: Amos Fortune, Free Man, by Elizabeth Yates
1952: Ginger Pye, by Eleanor Estes
1953: Secret of the Andes, by Ann Nolan Clark
1954: ...And Now Miguel, by Joseph Krumgold
1955: The Wheel on the School, by Meindert DeJong
1956: Carry On, Mr Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham
1957: Miracles on Maple Hill, by Virginia Sorensen
1958: Rifles for Watie, by Harold Keith
1959: The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare
1960: Onion John, by Joseph Krumgold
1961: Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell
1962: The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare
1963: A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle
1964: It's Like This, Cat, by Emily Neville
1965: Shadow of a Bull, by Maia Wojciechowska
1966: I, Juan de Pareja, by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino
1967: Up a Road Slowly, by Irene Hunt
1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler, by E L Konigsburg
1969: The High King, by Lloyd Alexander
1970: Sounder, by William H Armstrong
1971: Summer of the Swans, by Betsy Byars
1972: Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C O'Brien
1973: Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
1974: The Slave Dancer, by Paula Fox
1975: M C Higgins, the Great, by Virginia Hamilton
1976: The Grey King, by Susan Cooper
1977: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D Taylor
1978: Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
1979: The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin
1980: A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832, by Joan W Blos
1981: Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson
1982: A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers, by Nancy Willard
1983: Dicey's Song, by Cynthia Voigt
1984: Dear Mr Henshaw, by Beverly Cleary
1985: The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley
1986: Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan
1987: The Whipping Boy, by Sid Fleischman
1988: Lincoln: A Photobiography, by Russell Freedman
1989: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, by Paul Fleischman
1990: Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry
1991: Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli
1992: Shiloh, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
1993: Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant
1994: The Giver, by Lois Lowry
1995: Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech
1996: The Midwife's Apprentice, by Karen Cushman
1997: The View from Saturday, by E L Konigsburg
1998: Out of the Dust, by Karen Hesse
1999: Holes, by Louis Sachar
2000: Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis
2001: A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck
2002: A Single Shard, by Linda Sue Park
2003: Crispin: The Cross of Lead, by Avi
2004: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread, by Kate DiCamillo
2005: Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata
2006: Criss Cross, by Lynne Rae Perkins
2007: The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron, illustrated by Matt Phelan
2008: To be announced....

So the count is now 42 down, 44 to go.

Of the ones I read this quarter, I'd have to say I enjoyed Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Westing Game and Miracles on Maple Hill the most. I suppose The Cat Who Went to Heaven (subject matter) and The Matchlock Gun (too short) would be the ones I liked least.

Book list - Dec 07

Village School - fiction, by Miss Read (Dora Jessie Saint)
Village Diary - fiction, by Miss Read
They Shall Have Stars - SF, by James Blish
Storm in the Village - fiction, by Miss Read
The Naked Sun - SF/mystery, by Isaac Asimov
Island of the Blue Dolphins - children's historical novel, by Scott O'Dell (Newbery Medal, 1961)
The Class of 1846 - US history, by John C Waugh
Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - children's, by Robert C O'Brien (Newbery Medal, 1972)
Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends - memoirs, by William "Wild Bill" Guarnere and Edward "Babe" Heffron

Nine books this month, with Village School and The Naked Sun the only rereads.*

The two Newbery Medal winners bring my total thus far up to 42 of 86.

Altogether, I read 187 books in 2007. (That includes counting Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature twice, since I read it twice.) The biggest categories were children's/YA fiction (49 books, including 35 Newbery Medal winners), SF (40), mysteries (30) and history (19). And 49 or 50** of the books (including, of course, the second time through EM&OFoN) were rereads.

There was a discussion on one of my Yahoo! groups about the favourite books people had read during the year. The list I submitted consisted of these nine (listed in the order in which I read them):

A Civil Campaign - SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Memory - SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Hell's Gate - fantasy/SF, by David Weber and Linda Evans
So Disdained - espionage novel, by Nevil Shute
Doomsday Book - SF (time travel), by Connie Willis
Un Lun Dun - modern fantasy, by China Mieville
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - fantasy, by J K Rowling
Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature - YA, by Robin Brande
Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends - memoirs, by Guarnere and Heffron

* One line from Village Diary did sound familiar, but nothing else in the book did. I've read a couple other books in the series, though, so she may have repeated it in another book.

** There was one I wasn't sure of.

Victoria Cross: F. Hobson

FREDERICK HOBSON

Serjeant, 20th Battalion, 1st Central Ontario Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force

Born: 23 September 1873, London

Citation: During a strong enemy counter-attack [on 18 August 1917, northwest of Lens, France], a Lewis gun in a forward post in a communication trench leading to the enemy lines, was buried by a shell, and the crew, with the exception of one man, killed.
Sjt. Hobson, though not a gunner, grasping the great importance of the post, rushed from his trench, dug out the gun, and got it into action against the enemy who were now advancing down the trench and across the open.
A jam caused the gun to stop firing. Though wounded, he left the gunner to correct the stoppage, rushed forward at the advancing enemy and, with bayonet and clubbed rifle, single handed, held them back until he himself was killed by a rifle shot. By this time however, the Lewis gun was again in action and reinforcements shortly afterwards arriving, the enemy were beaten off.
The valour and devotion to duty displayed by this non-commissioned Officer gave the gunner the time required to again get the gun into action, and saved a most serious situation.

(London Gazette Issue 30338 dated 17 Oct 1917, published 16 Oct 1917.)

Medal of Honor: F. F. and F. J. Fletcher

FRANK FRIDAY FLETCHER

Rear Admiral, US Navy; commanding 1st Division, Atlantic Fleet

Born: 23 November 1855, Oskaloosa, Iowa

Citation: For distinguished conduct in battle, engagements of Vera Cruz, 21 and 22 April 1914. Under fire, Rear Adm. Fletcher was eminent and conspicuous in the performance of his duties; was senior officer present at Vera Cruz, and the landing and the operations of the landing force were carried out under his orders and directions. In connection with these operations, he was at times on shore and under fire.





FRANK JACK FLETCHER

Lieutenant, US Navy; commanding transport SS Esperanza

Born: 29 April 1885, Marshalltown, Iowa

Citation: For distinguished conduct in battle, engagements of Vera Cruz, 21 and 22 April 1914. Under fire, Lt. Fletcher was eminent and conspicuous in performance of his duties. He was in charge of the Esperanza and succeeded in getting on board over 350 refugees, many of them after the conflict had commenced. Although the ship was under fire, being struck more than 30 times, he succeeded in getting all the refugees placed in safety. Lt. Fletcher was later placed in charge of the train conveying refugees under a flag of truce. This was hazardous duty, as it was believed that the track was mined, and a small error in dealing with the Mexican guard of soldiers might readily have caused a conflict, such a conflict at one time being narrowly averted. It was greatly due to his efforts in establishing friendly relations with the Mexican soldiers that so many refugees succeeded in reaching Vera Cruz from the interior.


Note: F F Fletcher was F J Fletcher's uncle. USS Fletcher (DD-445) was named for Admiral Frank F Fletcher. USS Fletcher (DD-992) was named for Admiral Frank J Fletcher.

RIP: Leila Backman Shull

Leila Backman Shull
16 October 1894 – 22 December 2007

ZUI this article from The State (SC):

Leila Bertha Backman Shull, the oldest South Carolina resident and one of the oldest people in the world, has died. She was 113.

Shull died Saturday at her home, Todd Caughman, manager of Caughman-Harmon Funeral Homes, said Wednesday.

*******

Shull was married to Lee Shull for 45 years and never remarried in the 47 years after he died. She had four children, 15 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren and 40 great-great-grandchildren.

*******

Shull was the fourth oldest person in the United States and the seventh oldest in the world, said Dr. L. Stephen Coles, co-founder of the California-based Gerontology Research Group.

The last supercentenarian* whose death I commented on here was 113-year-old Bertha Fry of Indiana, who died on 14 November. Since her death, four others have also died, according to the Gerontology Research Group (GRG): Kuni Numata of Japan (1 Feb 1896-16 Nov 2007), Leona Tuttle of New Jersey (13 Apr 1896-23 Nov 2007), Hisa Tokumoto of Japan (25 Feb 1896-27 Nov 2007) and Julia Tharnish of Nebraska (6 Jun 1897-13 Dec 2007). Five women and one man have been added to the GRG's list of validated supercentenarians, so as of 28 Dec 07 the list contains 76 people - 67 women and 9 men - ranging from Edna Parker of Indiana (born 20 Apr 1893) to Carolina Peretti-Scaramelli of Italy (born 21 Oct 1897).


* Someone who has lived to reach his or her 110th birthday.

Honours

The London Gazette have published the New Years Honours List.

According to the announcement from the Cabinet Office, the list includes 972 people, including 599 MBEs and 235 OBEs. There are 378 women - 6 Dames, 32 CBEs and 4 CBs - on the list.

Most of the names don't mean anything to me - they're Brits, I'm a Yank - but there are a few I recognise, such as Sir Ian Murray McKellen CBE, who was made a CH "for services to Drama and to Equality," and Ms Kylie Ann Minogue, who received an OBE "for services to Music." Harry Potter fans may be amused to learn of the CBE awarded to Air Cdre John David Tonks, RAF. (I was certainly surprised to find out that Tonks really is a surname!)

The award I was happy to see, however, was:

O.B.E.
To be Ordinary Officers of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order [of the British Empire]:
Eric Gordon Hill, Author and Illustrator of Spot. For services to children's literacy.

Mr Hill has been writing the Spot books since 1980. We had a couple of them when our 12yo was a toddler, and she enjoyed them. It's good to see awards such as this being given for this reason.

RIP: Flt Lt Michael M Shand DFC, RNZAF

Flt Lt Michael Moray Shand DFC
20 Feb 1915 - 27 Dec 2007

ZUI this article from The Telegraph:

Flight Lieutenant Mick Shand, who died on Thursday aged 92, was a fighter pilot interned at Stalag Luft III at Sagan and survived "the Great Escape" [in March, 1944] - the last to emerge from the tunnel before it was discovered, he was recaptured after four days on the run.

*******

Finding himself alone, Shand began to walk and was on the run for almost four days, travelling at night and resting by day. The weather conditions were harsh, and he was finally caught by two railway workers as he was waiting to jump on a freight train.

He was taken to Gorlitz Prison, where he found himself amongst a group of fellow escapers.

Over the next two days the Gestapo took most of the recaptured RAF prisoners away. Shand was one of a group of four who were collected by the Luftwaffe and returned to Sagan, where he was horrified to learn that most of his colleagues had been shot by the Gestapo.

The final total of those murdered was 50. Some time later the PoWs learned that three men - two Norwegians and a Dutchman - had successfully made it back to Britain.

*******

On November 28 [1942] Shand led a formation of six Spitfires on a low-level sweep off the Dutch coast seeking targets of opportunity. They successfully attacked a tanker-barge on a canal and, as they returned, Shand and his wingman went down to shoot up a train.

Two Focke Wulf 190s attacked them. Shand was shot down and quickly captured. Within a few weeks he arrived at Stalag Luft III, 100 miles south-east of Berlin. It was Goering's "show camp", administered and guarded by the Luftwaffe.

After the Great Escape, Shand remained at Stalag Luft III until the camp was evacuated in January 1945, the PoWs being forced to march westwards in the harshest winter for many years.

This day in history: 26 Dec

1776: Hessian forces commanded by Colonel Johann Rall were defeated by George Washington's troops at Trenton, New Jersey.

1861: Confederate envoys James M Mason and John Slidell, who had been taken prisoner 8 November in the Trent Affair, were freed by the US government, thus heading off a possible war between the United States and Britain.

1862: The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, near Vicksburg, began; it would end in a Confederate victory on 29 December.

That same day, the former CSS Red Rover was commissioned as the US Navy's first hospital ship, USS Red Rover (Acting Master William R Wells). Her crew of 47 included three Sisters of the Order of the Holy Cross, the first female nurses to serve on a US Navy hospital ship.

And the largest mass hanging in US history took place in Mankato, Minnesota, when 38 Santee Sioux were hanged for participating in the Dakota Conflict.

1898: Marie and Pierre Curie announced the isolation of radium.

1899: At Game Tree, near Mafeking, the Protectorate Regiment was engaged in a fight with the Boers. After the order to retire was given, Sergeant Horace R Martineau was wounded thrice whilst attempting to carry a wounded corporal away from the Boer trenches. Trooper Horace E Ramsden's brother had been shot through both legs and was lying only ten yards in front of the Boer positions; Ramsden picked him up and carried him back some 800 yards, despite being under heavy fire all the time and having to stop regularly to rest. Both wounded men were eventually carried to safety. Martineau and Ramsden were awarded the Victoria Cross.

1915: SMS Kingani was captured by HM ships Mimi and Toutou.

1943: German battleship Scharnhorst attempted to attack Convoy JW55B (Loch Ewe to Murmansk) off North Cape, Norway. Escorting cruisers HMS Belfast, Norfolk and Sheffield successfully drove Scharnhorst away from the convoy, and battleship HMS Duke of York arrived with cruiser HMS Jamaica and four destroyers* to finish the German ship off. Only 36 men survived from the Scharnhorst's crew of over 1800. This was the last engagement in which a Royal Navy capital ship fought an enemy capital ship.

Scharnhorst

HMS Duke of York






1944: Combat Command R (Col Wendell Blanchard), 4th Armored Division, broke through German forces to reach the 101st Airborne Division troops who had been surrounded at Bastogne.

1961: US Air Force pilots were given permission to undertake combat missions (Operation Farm Gate) against the Viet Cong as long as at least one Vietnamese national was carried on board the strike aircraft for training purposes.

1973: Soyuz 13 (V V Lebedev and P I Klimuk), launched from Baikonur on 18 December, landed in Kazakhstan.

1974: Salyut 4 was launched from Baikonur; it would remain in orbit until 2 Feb 1977.

1991: The Supreme Soviet formally announced the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890), Frederic Remington (1861-1909), Melvil Dewey (1851–1931), Harry S Truman (1884–1972), Jack Benny (1894–1974), Howard Hawks (1896–1977), Jason Robards (1922–2000), Erich Topp (1914-2005) and Gerald Ford (1913-2006) died on this date.

And happy birthday to Charles Babbage FRS (1791–1871), George Dewey (1837–1917), Richard Widmark (1914-TBD), Steve Allen (1921–2000), Phil Spector (1940-TBD) and James T Conway (1947-TBD).


* HM ships Saumarez, Scorpion and Savage, and KNM Stord.

Xmas with 40 Commando

ZUI this article from the MoD Defence News:

Chefs from 40 Commando Royal Marines have been doing their bit to bring Christmas cheer to troops serving in Afghanistan by serving a festive dinner to colleagues on the front line.

Some of the commando chefs have been cooking for Royal Marines at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province while their colleagues located at some of the Forward Operating Bases have been doing likewise for the men of 40 Commando operating on the front line over Christmas.

Being commando-trained, the chefs can expect to help with sentry duties and go out on patrols as well as carrying out their culinary tasks. Marines at Camp Bastion will visit the galley – the tradition of naval terminology being maintained even in the middle of the desert.

*******

Christmas lunch is traditionally served by the officers and Senior NCOs of the Commando unit and this year will be no different. One of those officers, Captain Mark Elliott, Adjutant of 40 Commando, said:

"It’s a long-standing tradition within the Royal Marines that officers serve the Marines their Christmas dinner by way of thanking them for their hard work throughout the year. Luckily for them, we don’t actually cook it!"

A full menu was expected to be served to the Marines today, including prawn cocktail, soup, roast beef, ham and of course the traditional turkey with all the trimmings.

Twelve Days....

Straight No Chaser

This got posted - by different people - to two of my Yahoo! groups last week.

Xmas eve

The Royal Guardsmen

Philadelphia II

As I said in part one of this, my camera-to-computer cable has apparently gone to God. I've been holding off on finishing this post, hoping that it would show up, but no luck yet. Hard to believe it's been three months already....

On the second day, we got off the train at SEPTA's Market East Station, a few blocks west of Independence National Historical Park. We arrived at the old State House (Independence Hall) at 1100, just in time for the tour we'd booked in advance. The tour started with a talk about the building's place in history as the place where the Second Continental Congress met and the Declaration of Independence was signed (1776), and where the Constitutional Convention met in 1787.

From there we went on to the main building. First we visited the courtroom, where the Pennsylvania Supreme Court met; then came the Assembly Room, where Congress met.

1776 is one of my younger daughter's favourite movies, and it's my favourite musical. Most of it is set at Independence Hall, so of course we had to compare the real thing with the movie version: Not only the meeting chamber itself, but also the stairs where the Committee of Five sang But, Mr Adams, and the outside of the building, where (in the film) the members of Congress run out to see a fire and the conservatives board their carriages.

Then came lunch.

A few months ago WillyShake, of Unconsidered Trifles, mentioned having visited a Philadelphia restaurant called Fogo de Chão. After reading his post, I of course had to view the restaurant's website* - and as soon as we decided that we were indeed going to Philly, I added it to the list of Things to Do.

The restaurant, a Brazilian churrascaria, offers a salad bar, with such things as artichokes, cheese, and an excellent apple salad. In addition, each table is given plates of cheese bread, mash, fried polenta and fried bananas (wonderful!). All of these are somewhat superfluous, though, because this place is Carnivores' Heaven.

Each diner is given a cardboard disk, green on one side, red on the other. Want meat? Flip it over to green-side-up. The servers are constantly passing through the dining room with skewers of meat, fresh from the grill; when they see the green disk, they'll stop to see if you're interested in what they have. Had enough? Or just need some time to clear off your plate a bit? Flip the disk to red-side-up, and they'll stop coming. Want more? Go back to green.... (Did I mention that it's all-you-can-eat?)

My younger daughter, as I'd expected, loved the linguica (sausage); she also said the beef ancho was very good. Her sister is a very picky eater, but she liked the chicken breast (served in chunks wrapped in bacon). The lamb chops were good, though a little too heavily salted for my taste; I agreed that the beef ancho was very good, as were the fraldinha (bottom sirloin) and the filet mignon (also wrapped in bacon). The picanha, however, was my real favourite - after a couple samples of that, I was about ready to mug that waiter and take his entire skewer.

Wines are available, but we all settled for sodas; my wife and I really enjoyed the Guaraná Antarctica. They have desserts, too, but even the girls weren't interested. Maybe next time....

After lunch we returned to the NHP. We decided to start with one of the horse-drawn carriages, which offer tours of the area, and took a 40-minute ride. Don't remember the driver's name, but her horse was named Truman, and he took us through the historical district while she pointed out various old houses and churches. We ended up back at the NHP, of course, and went in to have a look at the Liberty Bell. From there we went across the street to Congress Hall (immediately west of Independence Hall), where the US Congress met during its stay in Philadelphia from 1790 to 1800. Downstairs is the large chamber where the House of Representatives met; upstairs are the Senate's meeting room (truly an upper house and a lower house!) and several committee rooms.

We'd hoped to get to see the US Mint, too, but by this time it was already closed, so we caught a train back to our car. We were still full from our lunch at Fogo de Chão, so instead of having supper we just stopped off for ice cream, then headed home.

Going back? Absolutely! In addition to the Mint, there's a lot more to see at the NHP. And my older daughter still asks from time to time when we can go back to Fogo de Chão.

And hey - maybe now that I'm posting this, the cable will reappear....


* Amongst the reviews available on their site is one of the Philadelphia location.

Victoria Cross: W. R. Parker

WALTER RICHARD PARKER

Lance Corporal, Royal Marine Light Infantry; Royal Naval Division

Born: 20 September 1881, Grantham, Lincolnshire

Citation: In recognition of his most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty in the course of the Dardanelles operations.
On the night of 30th April/lst May, 1915, a message asking for ammunition, water, and medical stores was received from an isolated fire trench at Gaba Tepe.
A party of Non-commissioned Officers and men were detailed to carry water and ammunition, and, in response to a call for a volunteer from among the stretcher bearers, Parker at once came forward; he had during the previous three days displayed conspicuous bravery and energy under fire whilst in charge of the Battalion stretcher bearers.
Several men had already been killed in a previous attempt to bring assistance to the men holding the fire trench. To reach this trench it was necessary to traverse an area at least four hundred yards wide, which was completely exposed and swept by rifle fire. It was already daylight when the party emerged from shelter and at once one of the men was wounded; Parker organised a stretcher party and then going on alone succeeded in reaching the fire trench, all the water and ammunition carriers being either killed or wounded.
After his arrival he rendered assistance to the wounded in the trench, displaying extreme courage and remaining cool and collected in very trying circumstances. The trench had finally to be evacuated [on May 2], and Parker helped to remove and attend the wounded, although he himself was seriously wounded during this operation.

(London Gazette Issue 30147 dated 22 Jun 1917, published 22 Jun 1917.)