Items of Interest

AP: UK survivor of WWI trenches given French honor---

LONDON – The last British survivor of World War I's grinding trench warfare was made an officer of the French Legion of Honor on Monday.

French Ambassador Maurice Gourdault-Montagne awarded 110-year-old Harry Patch the medal at a ceremony in Patch's nursing home in Wells, 120 miles (190 kilometers) west of London, Britain's Ministry of Defense said in a statement. Patch, who served as a machine-gunner in the 1917 Battle of Passchendaele, told Gourdault-Montagne he was proud of the honor.

"Ambassador, I greatly appreciate the way your people respect the memory of those who fell, irrespective of the uniform they wore," he said in a raspy, deliberate voice. "I will wear this medal with great pride and when I eventually rejoin my mates it will be displayed in my regimental museum as a permanent reminder of the kindness of the people of France."

Patch is one of only two surviving British veterans of World War I, according to the Ministry of Defense. The second, 112-year-old Henry Allingham, served as an airman.

AP: Did a Bard contemporary brush up on Shakespeare?---

LONDON – The Bard, or not the Bard? That is the question posed by Monday's unveiling of a centuries-old portrait of a dark-eyed, handsome man in Elizabethan finery.

Experts say it is the only portrait of William Shakespeare painted during his lifetime — in effect, the sole source of our knowledge of what the great man looked like.

But they can't be certain. In the shifting sands of Shakespeare scholarship, where even the authorship of the plays is sometimes disputed, nothing is written in stone.

And also of interest in that article:

In separate discoveries that are solving other Shakespeare-related mysteries, Museum of London archaeologists said they had uncovered the foundations of the long-buried theater where Shakespeare wrote and performed as an actor.

Museum officials said the rudimentary playhouse, simply called The Theatre, was built in 1576 by actor and theater promoter James Burbage. The site, where Shakespeare performed from 1594 to 1597, now houses an abandoned warehouse.

Experts believe "Romeo and Juliet" was performed there.

The playhouse remains were found on the site of an unused warehouse in Hackney on the eastern outskirts of London. Scholars say the theater there was dismantled and moved to the site of the more famous Globe Theater after a dispute between Burbage and the landlord in 1597.

Searchers even found pottery shards decorated with the image of a man who resembled Shakespeare, but experts said this was only a passing coincidence, not an indication that the show business merchandising craze had already begun.

And an addition from 10 March 2009:

AP: Collector: Lincoln photo uncovered in Grant album---

WASHINGTON – A collector believes a photograph from a private album of Civil War Gen. Ulysses S. Grant shows President Abraham Lincoln in front of the White House and could be the last image taken of him before he was assassinated in 1865.

If it is indeed Lincoln, it would be the only known photo of the 16th president in front of the executive mansion and a rare find, as only about 130 photos of him are known to exist. A copy of the image was provided to The Associated Press.

Grant's 38-year-old great-great-grandson, Ulysses S. Grant VI, had seen the picture before, but didn't examine it closely until late January. A tall figure in the distance caught his eye, although the man's facial features are obscured.

He called Keya Morgan, a New York-based photography collector and Lincoln aficionado, who helped identify it as Lincoln.

And more:

AP: Museum reveals engraving hidden in Lincoln watch

Trafalgar Day!

Today, 21 October 2008, is the 203rd anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, where the British Fleet, under Admiral Lord Nelson, defeated the combined French-Spanish Fleet off Cape Trafalgar. It was a very important victory in the war against Napoleon. Admiral Nelson perished in the fight, aboard his flag ship HMS Victory.

I have a great passion for British history and British naval history, so I like to celebrate this day (It also happens to be my half-birthday, a coincidence which makes me very happy!).

England expects that every man will do his duty.

• Nelson's signal to his fleet,
  at Cape Trafalgar,
  21 October 1805

You will find more on Trafalgar, Nelson, and the British Navy here.

May the Great God, whom I worship, grant to my Country, and for the benefit of Europe in general, a great and glorious Victory; and may no misconduct in any one tarnish it; and may humanity after Victory be the predominant feature in the British Fleet. For myself, individually, I commit my life to Him who made me, and may his blessing light upon my endeavours for serving my Country faithfully. To Him I resign myself and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend. Amen. Amen. Amen.

• Nelson's Prayer, written in his diary before the Battle of Trafalgar commenced

And in related news, from the BBC, Hero's medal marks Trafalgar Day---

A rare medal awarded to a Royal Marine who lay wounded alongside Lord Nelson at Trafalgar has gone on display marking Trafalgar Day.

The Naval General Service Medal was awarded to Lt Lewis Buckle Reeve, who was on board the Admiral Nelson's HMS Victory in the battle in October 1805.

Lt Reeve, treated by Nelson's surgeon, survived to fight again, retiring in 1817. He died in 1861, aged 75.

Do read the rest!

To celebrate I'm having Roast Beef with Potatoes, Carrots, and Yorkshire Puddings I'm making myself. I'll round it out with a lovely cup or two of "English Evening" Tea and a viewing of one of my favorite Horatio Hornblower films.

Sad News for Admiral Nelson

I adore British Naval history, so this rather upsets me.

Hot Air: Good news: The Royal Navy is crap

Very sad. Admiral Lord Nelson would be extremely disappointed. He didn't give up his life for this wishy-washy little fleet of sailor boys.

Hey, Queen Pelosi!

King George III wasn't really all that bad, but this cartoon certainly makes an excellent point. WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS. It is actually in the Constitution, unlike the "right" to abortion.

By Michael Ramirez

Amazing Grace on DVD!

I was quite sad that I only got to see the fabulous, moving movie Amazing Grace once in the theater, but I am happy to note that it comes out on dvd today!

Some of the DVD Features are:

• Commentary with director Michael Apted and star Ioan Gruffudd (hooray!)

• The Story of Amazing Grace (the song)

• A Music Video

• Discussion Tools and Study Guides

Official Website here.
Official DVD Website here.

Please also visit TheAmazingChange.com.

In case you didn't hear about the movie, I have lots of information and links from previous posts about it here.

Items of Interest

These stories caught my eye, so I thought I would share the links.

• Reuters: Tut fever brings a golden glow to London

• LiveScience: Ingredients for Salad Dressing Found in 2,400-year-old Shipwreck

• AP: Leonardo painting has coded 'soundtrack'

• Reuters: New Yorkers rally to help online romeo

• Reuters: It's official: you don't have to live in France

• AP: NYC eatery offers $25,000 dessert

"The Face of the Golden Boy"

I have long been fascinated by the famous King Tut, so I couldn't help but be excited when I saw this story (and the accompanying photographs.

AP: Egypt puts King Tut on public display---

LUXOR, Egypt - King Tut's buck-toothed face was unveiled Sunday for the first time in public — more than 3,000 years after the youngest and most famous pharaoh to rule ancient Egypt was shrouded in linen and buried in his golden underground tomb.

Archeologists carefully lifted thae fragile mummy out of a quartz sarcophagus decorated with stone-carved protective goddesses, momentarily pulling aside a beige covering to reveal a leathery black body.

The linen was then replaced over Tut's narrow body so only his face and tiny feet were exposed, and the 19-year-old king, whose life and death has captivated people for nearly a century, was moved to a simple glass climate-controlled case to keep it from turning to dust.

"I can say for the first time that the mummy is safe and the mummy is well preserved, and at the same time, all the tourists who will enter this tomb will be able to see the face of Tutankhamun for the first time," Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass said from inside the hot and sticky tomb.

"The face of the golden boy is amazing. It has magic and it has mystery," he added.

I wish I could go to see the tomb and the mummy.

Photos here.

To Nelson

To the immortal memory of Nelson
and all those who fell with him.

• This is the famous toast to Horatio, Admiral Lord Nelson.

Trafalgar Remembered

Today, 21 October 2007, is the 202nd anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, where the British Fleet, under Admiral Lord Nelson, defeated the combined French-Spanish Fleet off Cape Trafalgar. It was a very important victory in the war against Napoleon. Admiral Nelson perished in the fight, aboard his flag ship HMS Victory.

I have a great passion for British history and British naval history, so I like to celebrate this day (It also happens to be my half-birthday, a coincidence which makes me very happy!).

England expects that every man will do his duty.

• Nelson's signal to his fleet,
  at Cape Trafalgar,
  21 October 1805

You will find more on Trafalgar, Nelson, and the British Navy here.

May the Great God, whom I worship, grant to my Country, and for the benefit of Europe in general, a great and glorious Victory; and may no misconduct in any one tarnish it; and may humanity after Victory be the predominant feature in the British Fleet. For myself, individually, I commit my life to Him who made me, and may his blessing light upon my endeavours for serving my Country faithfully. To Him I resign myself and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend. Amen. Amen. Amen.

• Nelson's Prayer, written in his diary before the Battle of Trafalgar commenced

710-Year-Old Magna Carta Copy for Sale

I would love to own this. Or, actually, even just see it.

Reuters: Rare Magna Carta to be sold at Sotheby's in NYC---

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A rare 710-year-old copy of the Magna Carta valued at up to $30 million is due to be sold by The Perot Foundation at Sotheby's in New York in December, the auction house said on Tuesday.

The Magna Carta established rights of the English people and curbed the power of the king. The U.S. Constitution includes ideas and phrases taken almost directly from the charter, which rebellious barons forced their oppressive King John to sign in 1215.

Sotheby's said the Magna Carta was ratified and reissued with each monarch who succeeded John. It was enacted as law in 1297 by the British parliament when it was reissued by King Edward I. The copy to be sold is from 1297.

According to the article, there are less than 20 copies of the Magna Carta and this copy is one of only 2 outside Britain.

Learn more about the Magna Carta:
British Library
National Archives
Avalon Project

The Battle of Waterloo

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, 18 June 1815, Waterloo, Belgium, where the English Duke of Wellington, principally, defeated, for the last time, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Huzzah for General Wellington!


You can read all about the bloody Battle of Waterloo, including combatants, generals, British regiments present, and troop movements, here.


Today, Waterloo reenactment draws thousands.

And more:
The Allied Order of Battle
The French Order
The Casualties (British only)
Uniforms, Arms, Equipment, Training

Waterloo-The Battle
Eyewitness to History: Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo

Napoleon's Sword Sells for $6.4 Million

AP: Napoleon's sword sold for $6.4 million---

FONTAINEBLEAU, France - A gold-encrusted sword Napoleon wore into battle in Italy 200 years ago was sold Sunday for more than $6.4 million, an auction house said.

The last of Napoleon's swords in private hands, it has an estimated value of far less — about $1.6 million, according to the Osenat auction house managing the sale.

Applause rang out in a packed auction hall across the street from one of Napoleon's imperial castles in Fontainebleau, a town southeast of Paris, when the sword was sold.

Osenat did not identify the buyer, but said the sword will remain in Napoleon's family, which had put it up for sale. The auction house did not immediately elaborate on the details.

My previous post on this topic here.

And in other news, Napoleon runs for parliament seat. Seriously. Right now.

Napoleon's Battle Sword For Sale

My favorite period of history to study is the English Regency. Of course, during the same time period Napoleon Bonaparte was taking over the Continent, so most people know the period as the Napoleonic Era.

Any article, book, story about this time period captures my attention quite easily. I was interested to see this article today:

AP: Napoleon's battle sword up for auction---

FONTAINEBLEAU, France - After more than 200 years in the family, the gold-encrusted sword Napoleon carried into battle in Italy will be auctioned off Sunday, across the street from one of his imperial castles.

The intricately decorated blade is 32 inches long and curves gently — an inspiration Napoleon drew from his Egyptian campaign, auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat said.

"He noticed that the Arab swords, which were curved, were very effective in cutting off French heads" and ordered an imitation made upon his return, Osenat explained.

What fascinating information!

Napoleon's Battle Sword
More about the sword:

The sword was worn by Napoleon — who was not yet emperor at the time — into the battle of Marengo in June 1800, where he launched a surprise attack to push the Austrian army from Italy and seal France's victory, Chataignier said.

After the battle, Napoleon gave the sword to his brother as a wedding present, and it was passed down through the generations, never leaving the family, according to the auction house.

Today the sword is owned by eight direct descendants of Napoleon, including Prince Victor Napoleon, Chataignier said. The auction house will hold the auction in view of Fontainebleau castle south of Paris, constructed by Napoleon as a quiet retreat.

Strong enough for battle, the sword is uncommonly ornate, with geometric designs in gold covering the hilt and most of the blade.

You can follow the timeline of the Egypt Campaign here. The French landed at Alexandria, Egypt on 1 July 1798 and took the city on 2 July 1798. A French soldier discovered the famous Rosetta Stone only 17 days later, on 19 July 1798.

Of course, Napoleon eventually lost (again) to Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, at Waterloo, Belgium, on 18 June 1815.

I would love to own this sword (or at least see it!).