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Geothermal activity near Davao, Mindanao, Philippines. I have rarely ever been that hot, the tropical sun from above, the volcanic heat from below. The water was too hot to step into.
Thorpe Abbotts Village Hall serves as a vital community hub in the village, particularly since the closure of the local pub and post office. It was built by villagers after World War II and has been maintained and funded by the community ever since. The hall is a key gathering place for social events, activities for all ages, and is considered the last remaining social meeting place in the village.
– 1943 – 1945 ''BLOODY 100TH'' BOMB GROUP –
In most military services, there are usually those units that stand out as unlucky, unfortunate, or destined for unfortunate consequences. Either by mission, assignment, or the fates, such hapless organizations often achieve a kind of legendary yet revered status among its sister units. The US Army’s 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne, USS Indianapolis, after delivering the atomic bomb to Tinian, or the 1st Marine Division at Guadalcanal, are examples of military units experiencing exceptional hardship but being treated with sympathetic yet reverent tones. For the US Army Air Forces during World War II, this kind of reputation was earned by members of the Eighth Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group (BG).
As a part of the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) over Europe, the “Bloody 100th” appeared to suffer disproportionately at the hands of the German Luftwaffe, with its members both respected and pitied by fellow bomber crews. Its reputation was well known throughout VIII Bomber Command as a jinxed unit, with the chances of surviving a tour of 25 missions appearing as a dim possibility. Highlighting this expectation in late 1943, a new airman was assigned to the 100th BG. Upon receipt of his posting, he told a companion while sobbing, “I’m not going to make it…they just put me in the 100th Group. I haven’t got a chance.”
Established on January 28th, 1942, and activated on June 1st, the Group’s personnel began to assemble at Walla Walla Army Air Base in Washington; the unit was subsequently stationed at several different locations. Despite its activation earlier in the year, the unit did not receive its first B-17 “Flying Fortress” bombers until November. At the same time the new planes arrived, the unit organized itself into four squadrons, with Colonel Darr H. Alkire as its first commander. Alkire was a stern commander who painted a grim picture of what lay ahead. Addressing the crews, he said, “Don’t get the notion that your job is going to be glorious or glamorous… you’ve got dirty work to do, you might as well face the facts. You’re going to be baby-killers and women-killers.”
With a full complement of 37 aircraft, the men of the 100th began to familiarize themselves with their new mounts as they jumped from base to base with a training schedule that was disjointed and poorly coordinated. Instead of developing their individual and collective skills, aircrews took advantage of the lack of oversight and sought more puerile pursuits over professional. Taking their liberties, many of the crews were overconfident in their skills and airmanship. Such hubris led one 100th BG navigator to quip, “We were all conceited and quite impossible. We were undertrained and not as good as we thought we were.”
By early 1943, the unit prepared for movement overseas. As part of their pre-deployment inspection, the Group conducted a long-range training exercise. Finally consolidated at Kearney Field, Nebraska on April 20th, 1943, 21 crews of the 100th were supposed to fly some 1,300 miles from their home base to Hamilton Field near Novato, California. However, given their ill-disciplined nature and patchwork training, the exercise was a fiasco, and the unit scattered across the western United States. While some bombers made it to California, three ended up in Las Vegas—to include an embarrassed Col. Alkire. One bomber went in the opposite direction and landed instead at Smyrna, Tennessee! Given that the pilot’s wife just happened to be in Smyrna, the crew’s wrong-way journey was probably not a gross navigation error. As a result of the failed exercise, Alkire was fired under the charge of incompetence and replaced with Colonel Howard M. Turner. Despite this change of command, such antics and a relaxed attitude would still be part of the unit’s culture.
Given its poor showing, the unit received remedial training at Wendover Field, Utah. Here it conducted intense navigation, bombing, gunnery, and formation exercises, and was eventually placed on the list of operational units. At the end of May, they traversed the North Atlantic and arrived in the United Kingdom on June 9th. Flying over the green fields of England, the 36 bombers and aircrews of the 100th eventually made their way to the unit’s home base, Station 139, located at RAF Thorpe Abbotts in East Anglia. Located 20 miles south of Norwich and 90 miles northeast of London, RAF Thorpe Abbotts was one of the hundred-odd airfields used by the Eighth Air Force in the United Kingdom during the war.
The aerodrome included three intersecting runways and 50 hardstands, with an accompanying bomb dump, communal sites, technical areas, a control tower, and an officer’s club dubbed the “Silver Wings.” With a bar, poker tables, and a library, the club served as the social hub of the base. The building’s ceiling was soon marked by “smoking,” the practice of using candle or cigarette smoke to spell out the name of targets the Group attacked. This was a common ritual for bomber groups celebrating their actions and survival. Included in the bar was a traffic light; red signified no flying was scheduled, yellow meant a possible mission, and green indicated that a sortie was in the offing.
The Group flew its first mission on June 22nd, but it was merely a diversion flight over the North Sea. However, three days later the 100th conducted its first combat mission against targets in Bremen and the surrounding area. Flying in a formation comprised of 275 bombers, the 100th sent 17 B-17 crews, who sighted their first German fighters while also receiving their initial barrage of ground-based Luftwaffe Fliegerabwehrkanone (flak). In total, 18 bombers were lost, with the 100th losing three. The baptism by fire had a sobering effect as the Group’s downed bombers each took ten men with them. Killed or captured, the loss of 30 airmen underscored the deadly and unforgiving nature of the air war.
A few days later, Col. Turner was transferred to the 1st Air Division and was subsequently replaced by Colonel Neil “Chick” Harding, a West Point graduate and the school’s football coach before the war. A veteran of the interwar public relations flights to South America proving the efficacy of airpower, Harding was a seasoned aviator who emulated much of the attitude of the 100th. Short, round, and affable, he was a popular figure. With a penchant for alcohol, he was no disciplinarian, and often saw fistfights and emotional outbursts as a way to release the strain of combat. Understanding the human element of war, he was fond of saying his men were made of “flesh and brain” and exhibited an appreciation for his crew’s mental and emotional well-being. Given this disposition and concern, he was widely respected by the command and saw it through some of its darkest days.
Harding was just one of many colourful characters assigned to the 100th. Two of the squadron commanders, Majors John “Bucky” Egan of the 418th Bomb Squadron (BS) and Gale “Buck” Cleven of the 350th, exuded the dash and audacity often associated with aviators. Their skills as pilots were matched by their personalities. Both were described as “debonair”; with white scarves and a Hollywood swagger, they were frequently the center of attention at the Silver Wing. Larger than life, other pilots idolized them as both served as the “heart and soul” of the Group. When then-Brigadier General Curtis LeMay, Commander of the 3rd Air Division, came for an inspection of the 350th, Cleven was absent. When LeMay inquired as to the squadron commander’s whereabouts, the senior enlisted airmen reported that Cleven had “taken to the woods.” His “partner in crime” Egan was a charmer who was often found in nearby pubs drinking the local ale and singing songs with the patrons. Both their character and antics, combined with Harding’s style of command, set the tone for the 100th during the early days of combat.
After Harding assumed command, the Group took part in a 12-hour mission to bomb German U-Boat pens in Trondheim, Norway. The 1,900-mile flight traversed mostly over the waters of the North Sea. Given this aquatic-dominated route, the lead navigator, 1st Lt Harry Crosby, was unable to make pilotage checks of off ground references. The young navigator felt the full weight of his responsibilities leading the 63-plane formation. Fortunately, Crosby’s calculations were accurate, and the bombers hit the target. On the way home, Crosby deviated from the planned route due to weather and then realized he did not make the required radio/position reports. Upon landing, he was summoned to the Group operations hut, expecting to be in line for a court martial. However, his radio silence and change in the return route prevented German interceptors from getting a fix on the bomber formation, and in an ironic twist of fate, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions that day.
A romantic at heart, Crosby was famous for another mission weeks later. On August 11th, Crosby was at Thorpe Abbotts listening to classical music. His selection that day was Beethoven’s Third and Fifth Symphonies, and he had just learned that Beethoven was born and educated in Bonn, Germany. The next day, Crosby was the lead navigator for a mission over the Ruhr Valley, but the primary target was obscured by clouds. Unable to drop their bombs, the formation proceeded to the next target available, the city of Bonn. At 25,000 feet, as the formation lined up at the initial point for the bomb run, Crosby realized it was where Beethoven had attended school. With this epiphany, he called over the plane’s intercom, “… we can’t bomb Bonn!” As a result, 63 B-17's flew over the target with bomb bay doors open and none of them dropping their payloads. He then provided a new heading and set course for the marshalling yards in Cologne. When LeMay was informed of Crosby’s action, Col. Harding asked the General if he wanted to talk to the tender-hearted navigator. LeMay replied, “No, for Christ’s sake, keep him out of my sight!”
A few days later the Group participated in one of its bloodiest missions that helped cement part of its infamous reputation. On August 17th, 1943, the 4th Bomb Wing conducted the first shuttle mission flying from East Anglia, bombing the German aircraft factory at Regensburg, and then continuing to North Africa. Flying in the low and trailing squadron in the larger bomber formation, the 100th flew in what was often referred to as “Purple Heart corner.” German fighters often attacked the bombers at this location first and then worked their way up. While the Division successfully hit the target, the Regensburg force lost 24 bombers. The 100th alone lost nine of the 22 planes it launched that day—a 40 percent loss rate. During this raid, the 100th suffered the most of any other Group.
In addition to these losses, supposedly Captain Robert Knox of the 418th BS, flying in a B-17 christened ''Picklepuss'', lost two engines and straggled out of the formation. Singled out by Luftwaffe fighters, Knox reportedly lowered his landing gear in a recognized gesture of aerial surrender. While escorted by the Luftwaffe to a German aerodrome, the bomber’s second engine recovered and Knox allegedly raised his gear and dashed for home, while the gunners engaged the escorting fighters. Despite this attempt to escape, the bomber crashed with the crew either killed or captured. Given this purported violation of aerial diplomacy, the legend grew that the 100th was now specifically targeted by the Luftwaffe for this egregious act. While a highly dubious (and inaccurate) claim, this story circulated around bomber bases and helped establish the Group’s hard luck reputation.
However, the August 17th shuttle mission was not without its humor. Landing in Africa, the unit found spartan accommodation but eventually pieced itself back together for the return home. Before departure, 1st Lt Owen “Cowboy” Roane, flying in a B-17 named ''Laden Maden'', acquired a donkey and decided to make the animal a mascot. He smuggled the donkey aboard and wrapped it in blankets to keep it warm while at altitude. Upon approach to the airfield at RAF Thorpe Abbotts, Roane radioed, “I’m coming in with a frozen ass!” Upon landing, the bomber was met by ambulances thinking the crew had frostbite injuries. Opening the plane’s hatch, the only frozen passenger was a tiny African ass named “Mohammed” (Mo for short)! This was a serious breach of British customs and agricultural law, and host nation officials did not find it a laughing matter. Despite the legal wrangling, the matter was finally settled when the donkey eventually succumbed to the vagaries of English weather.
Perhaps no other mission cemented the reputation of the 100th more than the Munster raid of October 10th. Targeting worker’s housing in the Ruhr Valley, the Group launched 13 planes, with one flown by a reflective and scholarly 1st Lt Robert Rosenthal. At 25, “Rosie” was older than most of the pilots and trained as a lawyer before enlisting. More importantly, he was Jewish and, clearly understanding the Nazi threat, he saw his service as a moral obligation. While en route to the target, the Group experienced the most violent Luftwaffe attacks yet seen as bombers took hits from both flak and fighters. As the formation made its way to the initial point, planes of the 100th were downed one by one. Only Rosie made it to the target. With his own plane hit, he continued the bomb run. He dropped his payload while also losing two engines, the intercom, and oxygen systems. As the only plane of the 13 launched returning to RAF Thorpe Abbotts, “Rosie” soon earned a legendary status. His reputation would continue to grow as he completed two tours of duty, was shot down twice, evaded capture, and earned the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, two Distinguished Flying Crosses (plus the British equivalent), and two Purple Hearts. Despite Rosie’s bravery and airmanship that day, with the Group’s losses over Munster, the 100th was now firmly labeled a jinxed unit.
While the 100th was given the reputation as a hard-luck unit, such a distinction was more myth than reality. Over the course of the war, the Group did not suffer statistically more than any other and in some missions came away unscathed. Given the losses of the Eighth Air Force over the conduct of the CBO, most bomber groups sustained losses at a relatively even rate. However, the Regensburg and Munster raids created a perception that was hard to shake. In addition to those missions, the colorful personalities that filled the ranks of the unit added to its unique reputation. Men like Chick Harding, the two “Bucks,” “Cowboy” Roane, Harry Crosby, and “Rosie” Rosenthal all added to the unit’s distinct history and reputation. The collection of missions, actions, and personalities created a synergy making the 100th Bomb Group one of the most storied units of World War II.
Information sourced from – www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/bloody-100th-bomb-...
Our Activity Staff works hard to keep everyone busy and entertained. They do a great job keeping the creative juices flowing for both staff and residents.
evelyn got beautiful natural quality,her eyes were beautiful,very kind smile ,and she was a popular model of Taiwan website shooting activity, we took her pictures at HWASHAN art garden of Taipei last Sunday afternoon
It is easy to forget, but I am here in France for work.
And on day two I had to visit a construction site, then drive for two hours to Reims to be in place for Wednesday's activities.
To add to the fun, there was thick fog and mist, though in truth, wasn't quite as bad as I'd feared.
Up at six and time to lay and ponder before getting up and having a shower and getting dressed.
Breakfast was half seven, though it seems earlier than that today, as half the buffet had already been eaten. I had fruit, fresh bread, soft creamy butter and apricot jam along with two large coffees.
I paid the bill, loaded the car and programmed the maps app on the phone, and so out into the mist I lurched, back onto the motorway then turning east to near where I went last year, on an altogether sunnier day than today.
The motorway carried on east, going through rolling countryside, with banks of fog to keep me on my toes, then turning off into the freshly ploughed countryside, and through small towns filled with faded and crumbling mansions.
I reached the village the wing farm is named after. And due to fog, I see no turbines. It takes some thick fog to hide wind turbines some 95m tall.
I try to triangulate between three map apps, and think I needed to drive through the crumbling village, its wattle and daub walls falling apart.
I drove three miles, then the first of the turbines materialised from the fog. And then a second, but no offices.
I parked outside one of the turbines, sent a message saying I was beside E09, and they sent someone to guide me over the fields along a deeply rutted track.
The conjoined shipping containers made the offices, I was greeted warmly, and lead up to the project office in the upper container, and plied with fresh coffee.
I do three hours auditing, and am done. A good result, could be better, but could have been a lot worse.
I decline lunch as I have a three hour drive through the mist and fog, and wanted to get there before darkness fell, so was eager to set off.
I drove to the country lane, then heading west, back towards Amiens, and with each turn, the road got a little larger, until I came back to the motorway.
I cruised at 60 mph, taking it easy. I had all afternoon, so just concentrated on not getting into an accident.
I stopped at a service station, had a baguette filled with salami and pickles, a coffee and an apricot crumbly cake thing.
I ate both.
Lovely.
Then back on the road for the last hours drive into the outskirts of Reims, turning off as I left the motorway, and stuck between an Aldi and McDonalds on one side, and poor condos the other, was the hotel. Surrounded by a chain link fence, and access was with a code.
I walked into the compound, checked in, was given the code so I could get the car in, unload that and dump it in my ground floor room, then set about ordering a coffee.
Many French cities are introducing low emission zones, Reims has, and there was warnings of fines if you entered the city without the certificate on display. I got a taxi just in case, and just gone half two, the cab pulled up taking me through the ever denser housing, dropping me off at the east end of the cathedral, buttresses towering above the car.
I walk round and find the entrance is via an apparently small wicket door in the north door of the west façade, in truth it was huge.
Inside, it was free to enter, and just a single security guard who seemed more concerned in keeping his stash of pamphlets neat and tidy.,
It is another huge building, built to represent the glory of God her on earth, to shock and awe. It does that very well.
Actually, it has very few memorials, and two global disagreements caused lots of damage, so that very little glass could have survived.
In 90 minutes i did two circuits of the church, one for the nifty and the other for the mobile. Oddly, lights in the east end of the church was switched off, so detail was soon lost in shadows.
Another surprise was a chapel with three panels of Marc Chagal glass depicting Biblical scenes.
I retired to a nearby bar/pub, and found they had Leffe on draft. 33 or 50CL? Fifty obviously.
So I nursed a small goldfish bowl of golden strong beer, until light faded outside, so I went back out to take more shots, on the streets this time.
Fabian called, he would meet me at the cathedral, so I waited, people watched and took more shots from outside.
Fabian arrived, we went back inside the cathedral, as he'd never been inside. I then took him to see the great north door and its carvings surrounding it.
Then back to the bar for another beer and dinner of big burgers and a mountain of fries. We talked, ate, as the bar filled up, Fabian had the best seat in the place, looking out to the illuminated west façade of the cathedral.
After eating, we walked back to his hotel, as he offered to drive me back to mine, a short 9 minute blast through the suburbs to the compound.
Now I'm inside, and already Norwich are two down.
Sigh.
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Notre-Dame de Reims (/ˌnɒtrə ˈdɑːm, ˌnoʊtrə ˈdeɪm, ˌnoʊtrə ˈdɑːm/;[2][3][4] French: [nɔtʁə dam də ʁɛ̃s] ⓘ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"),[a] known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name, the archiepiscopal see of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and was the traditional location for the coronation of the kings of France. Reims Cathedral is considered to be one of the most important pieces of Gothic architecture.[5] The cathedral, a major tourist destination, receives about one million visitors annually.[6] It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.[7]
The cathedral church is thought to have been founded by the bishop Nicasius in the early 5th century. Clovis was baptized a Christian here by Saint Remigius, the bishop of Reims, about a century later. He was the first Frankish king to receive this sacrament. Construction of the present Reims Cathedral began in the 13th century and concluded in the 14th century. A prominent example of High Gothic architecture, it was built to replace an earlier church destroyed by fire in 1210. Although little damaged during the French Revolution, the present cathedral saw extensive restoration in the 19th century. It was severely damaged during World War I and the church was again restored in the 20th century.
Since the 1905 law on the separation of church and state, the cathedral has been owned by the French state, while the Catholic church has an agreement for its exclusive use. The French state pays for its restoration and upkeep.
On 6 May 1210,[28][29] the partly Carolingian and partly Early Gothic cathedral was destroyed by fire, allegedly due to "carelessness."[16] One year to the day afterwards, archbishop Aubrey laid the first stone of the new cathedral's chevet.[20][28] The work on the new cathedral moved with exceptional speed, because Reims was one of the first buildings to use stones and other materials of standardised sizes, so each stone did not have to be cut to measure.[18] In July 1221, the chapel at the east end of the cathedral entered use.[29] In 1230, work began on the west front, indicating that the nave was nearly complete.[30]
In 1233, a long-running dispute between the cathedral chapter and the townsfolk (regarding issues of taxation and legal jurisdiction) boiled over into open revolt.[31] Several clerics were killed or injured during the resulting violence and the entire cathedral chapter fled the city, leaving it under an interdict (effectively banning all public worship and sacraments).[32] Work on the new cathedral was suspended for three years, only resuming in 1236 after the clergy returned to the city and the interdict was lifted following mediation by the king and the pope. Construction then continued more slowly.
In 1241, the members of the Chapter were able to meet in the choir, showing that the vaults of the apse and the five last traverses of the nave on the east, where the stalls were located, were finished,[33] but the nave was not roofed until 1299 (when the French king lifted the tax on lead used for that purpose). Work on the western façade did even not begin until 1252, and the portals were not completed until after 1260. Thereafter work moved from the west to the east, with the completion of the nave; the level of the rose windows was completed between 1275 and 1280. The roof of the nave and upper galleries were finished in 1299.[34] A comparison of the roses of the western façade to the roses of the transepts demonstrates the temporal stylistic progress: the rose windows of the transepts are decorated by bar tracery, but all glass is inside the round frames -- that is, a mix between Classic Gothic and High Gothic. In the rose windows of the western façade, however, the glass exceeds the round frames to fill the whole pointed-arched areas available (i.e. Rayonnant, an advanced form of High Gothic).
Unusually, the names of the cathedral's successive architects, succeededing each other until the completion of the cathedral's structural work in 1275, are known. A labyrinth built into floor of the nave at the time of construction or shortly after (similar to examples at Chartres and Amiens) included the names of these four master masons (Jean d'Orbais, Jean-le-Loup, Gaucher of Reims and Bernard de Soissons) and the number of years they worked there, though art historians still disagree over who was responsible for which parts of the building.[35] The labyrinth itself was destroyed in 1779, but its details and inscriptions are known from 18th-century drawings. The clear association here between a labyrinth and master masons adds weight to the argument that such patterns were an allusion to the emerging status of the architect (through their association with the mythical architect Daedalus, who built the Cretan labyrinth of Minos). The cathedral also contains further evidence of the rising status of the architect in the tomb of Hugues Libergier (d. 1268, architect of the now-destroyed Reims church of St-Nicaise). Not only is he given the honour of an engraved slab; he is shown holding a miniature model of his church (an honour formerly reserved for noble donors) and wearing the academic garb befitting an intellectual.
Even after the structural work had been completed in 1275, a lot of work remained to be done. The Gallery of Kings on the west front, and the octagonal upper towers were not finished until the 1460s. Documentary records show the acquisition of land to the west of the site in 1218, suggesting the new cathedral was substantially larger than its predecessors, the lengthening of the nave presumably being an adaptation to afford room for the crowds that attended the coronations.[36]
The towers, 81 m (266 ft) tall, were originally designed to rise 120 m (390 ft). The south tower holds just two great bells; one of them, named "Charlotte" by Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine in 1570, weighs more than 10,000 kg (10 t).
Following the death of the infant King John I, his uncle Philip was hurriedly crowned at Reims, 9 January 1317.[37]
During the Hundred Years' War's Reims campaign the city was under siege by the English from 1359 to 1360, but the siege failed.[38] In 1380, Reims Cathedral was the location of Charles VI's coronation and eight years later Charles called a council at Reims in 1388 to take personal rule from the control of his uncles.
After Henry V of England defeated Charles VI's army at the Battle of Agincourt on 25 October 1415, most of northern France including Reims fell to the English.[40] They held Reims and the cathedral until 1429, when it was captured by Joan of Arc, allowing the dauphin Charles to be crowned king on 17 July 1429.[41] For her feat -- a turning point in the Hundred Years' War -- Joan is memorialized at Reims Cathedral with two statues: an equestrian statue outside the church and another within the church.
On 24 July 1481, a fire caused by the negligence of workers covering the high wood-and-lead flèche (spire) that was being constructed over the transept[34] destroyed the part of the spire's framework, the cathedral's central bell tower, and the galleries at the base of the cathedral roof, while dripping molten roofing lead caused further damage. However, recovery was quick with kings Charles VIII and Louis XII making donations to the cathedral's reconstruction. In particular, they granted the cathedral an octroi of the Gabelle salt tax. In gratitude, the new roof was adorned by fleur-de-lis and the royal coat of arms "affixed to the top of the façade". However, this work was suspended before the arrows were completed in 1516.[42] The upper galleries of the nave were completed in 1505. These were so expensive that the remaining planned projects, including a 170 meter tall bell tower over the transept, spires on the west front and the planned upper towers flanking the transept, were never built.[34]
Following the death of Francis I, Henry II was crowned King of France on 25 July 1547 in Reims Cathedral.
The 18th century saw the first major reconstruction inside the cathedral. Between 1741 and 1749, the lower windows and the medieval furniture, the principal altar, the choir stalls, and the choir screen were all replaced with furnishings more in keeping with the theological requirements and taste of the era. The sculpture of the portals was also restored.[44]
In 1793, during the French Revolution, the cathedral was closed and briefly turned into a storehouse for grain, and then for a time into a Temple of Reason. Most of the remaining furniture and funeral monuments were destroyed, the reliquaries in the treasury melted down for the gold, and the bells melted down to make cannon. Mobs hammered much of the sculpture of the grand portal and the more evident symbols of royalty, such as the fleur-de-lis emblems, and the royal Hand of Justice were burned.[45] However, most of the medieval sculpture survived relatively intact.
With the restoration of the French monarchy after the downfall of Napoleon, the practice of royal coronations at Reims resumed, but only briefly. The last king of France to be crowned there was Charles X in 1825. His reign was deeply unpopular, and he was overthrown in the Revolution of 1830 and replaced by a constitutional monarch, Louis Philippe I, who was sworn in at the Parliament in Paris rather than crowned in Reims.[46]
A series of restoration projects were carried out in the later 19th century, focusing first on the gables and statues on the west front (1826–30), and then the upper galleries, windows and towers (1845–60), under Jean-Jacques Arveuf. In 1860 He was replaced by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who modified the gallery of the choir and the apse closer to their original medieval appearance.[47] He was succeeded by two more architects, Eugene Millet and Victor Ruprich-Robert, who took considerable liberties in remaking the galleries of the nave in a more imaginative 13th-century Gothic style. In 1888. they were followed by Denis Darcy and Paul Gout, who followed more closely the historic architecture, particularly in the restoration of the west rose window.
On the outbreak of the First World War, the cathedral was commissioned as a hospital, and troops and arms were removed from its immediate vicinity.[48][49][50] On 4 September 1914, the XII Saxon corps arrived at the city and later that day the Imperial German Army began shelling the city.[b] The guns, located 7 km (4.3 mi) away in Les Mesneux, ceased firing when the XII Saxon Corps sent two officers and a city employee to ask them to stop shelling the city.[53]
On 12 September, the occupying German Army decided to place their wounded in the cathedral over the protests of the Abbe Maurice Landrieux,[54] and spread 15,000 bales of straw on the floor of the cathedral for this purpose. The next day French soldiers under General Franchet d'Esperey re-entered the city, but German wounded were left in the cathedral.[55]
Six days later, a shell exploded in the bishop's palace, killing three and injuring 15.[56] On 18 September a prolonged bombardment began and on the 19th shells struck the "forest" of wooden timbers under the lead-covered roof, setting it on fire, and completely destroying the roof. The bells melted, windows were blown out, and the sculpture and parts of the walls were damaged. The lead in the roofing melted and poured through the mouths of the stone gargoyles, damaging, in turn, the adjoining bishop's palace. Images of the cathedral in ruins were shown during the war by the indignant French, accusing the Germans of the deliberate destruction of buildings rich in national and cultural heritage,[57] while German propaganda blamed the deaths of prisoners on the French, who at gunpoint prevented them fleeing the fire.[58] Single shells continued to strike the ruined building for several years, despite repeated pleas by Pope Benedict XV.[59]
At the end of the war, it was proposed to keep the cathedral in its damaged state as a monument to victims of the war, but this idea was finally rejected. A major restoration project began in 1919, led by Henri Deneux, chief architect of the service of French historic monuments. The restoration received major funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, and sometimes made use of modern techniques and materials, including prefabricated reinforced concrete, to strengthen the structure. In the 1920s, the foundations of the earlier church from the Carolingian period were discovered under the cathedral and excavated. The work was completed and the cathedral was reopened in 1938.
Restoration work on the church has continued since 1938, repairing the damage caused by the war and by pollution. In 1955 Georges Saupique made a copy of the Coronation of the Virgin, which can be seen above the cathedral entrance and with Louis Leygue copied many of the other sculptures on the cathedral façade. He also executed a statue of St Thomas for the north tower.
Beginning in 1967, many of the statues from the exterior, such as the smiling angel, were moved to the interior of the Tau Palace for protection, and replaced by copies.[7]
The Franco-German reconciliation was symbolically formalized in July 1962 by French president Charles de Gaulle and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, where, in 1914, the Imperial German Army deliberately shelled the cathedral in order to shake French morale.[60]
The cathedral, former Abbey of Saint-Remi, and the Palace of Tau were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1991.[61]
On his 74th Pastoral Visit, Pope John Paul II visited Reims on 26 September 1996 for the 1500th anniversary of the baptism of Clovis.[62] While there, the Pope prayed at the same chapel where Jean-Baptiste de La Salle celebrated his first Mass in 1678.[63]
On 8 October 2016, a plaque bearing the names of the 31 kings crowned in Reims was placed in the cathedral in the presence of the archbishop Thierry Jordan and Prince Louis-Alphonse, Duke of Anjou, one of many pretenders to the French throne.
Title : Library Activities
Creator (Photographer) : Unknown
Publisher : Graphic Services
Place of Publication : College Station, Texas
Year (Coverage) : 1951
Document Type : Image
Format : Photographic negative
Dimensions : 4 x 5 inches
Digitization Date : July2010
Description : Unknown
Note : Brazos County, Texas
Collection : Texas A&M University Archives
Resource Identifier : Graphic Services Photos, Box 22, File 22-431
Institution : Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Repository : Cushing Memorial Library and Archives
Contact Information : Email: cushing-library@tamu.edu Phone: 979-845-1951
Copyright : It is the users responsibility to secure permission from the copyright holders for publication of any materials. Permission must be obtained in writing prior to publication. Please contact the Cushing Memorial Library for further information
This charm brings to mind old world Bohemeia and lots of sumptuous castle ball activity. From the top, an ornate exquisitely carved piece of natural quartz measuring 24 mm in diameter, and 10 mm thick is crowned by Bali silver, faceted black crystal and pyrite colored bicone crystal. The flying saucer shaped smoky quartz below is, quite honestly one of the most sumptuously carved stones in this huge carat weight that I have seen measuring 20 mm x 10 mm. A crystal faceted clear drop capped with vintage rhinestone rondelle, silver, and black crystal finishes off this drop dead gorgeous piece.
Total length on the charm is 10” including the 7” tiger tail loop designed to thread the charm up and over the mirror. Once secure, the charm will dangle about 3” down off the mirror, the perfect length so as to clear dashboards when swinging, and be safe around sharp turns!