Photowalkers.in {TeamHWS}
View allAll Photos Tagged April 15th to May 10th
FAGA - Majer Hairstyle / VIP Group Gift
03 Colors Pack Huds / 396 Colors Fullpack
Materials / Fullbright / Glow Tint Hud
02 - Head Sizes
Style Pack Includes
02 Customizable Styles / 03 Optional Bangs / Color Chace For Accessories
DAZZLING - Eva Platform Boots
Legacy / Maitreya / Belleza / Kupra / Reborn
Available Single
10 Colors
Fatpack
30 Colors + Patterns
Control Hud
Base / Platform / Lace / Pearl / Metals
Exclusive to KUSTOM9 Event round (April 15th to May 10th)
BONDI - Flea Sunglasses Unisex
Unrigged with Resize Script
Lens opacity control
Specular Frame
On/Off Materials
04 Lens Specular Materials
Options with on/off controls
Parts available Frame / Metal / Lens
CACTUS TATTOO - TETO / BOM System
Intensities : Fade / Fresh / Regular
Ziggy Glasses
Activate glow on/off
Trinket, nose pad on/off
Unrigged with resize script
Lens with opacity control
Parts availableFrame, Metal, Led and Lens
Exclusive to THE WAREHOUSE SALE
Event round (April 23 to May 18)
Cupid Platforms
Legacy / Maitreya / Reborn / Kupra
Available single
10 Solid Colors
Available In Fatpack
20 Solid Colors + 10 Pattern Colors
Customize - Base 1, 2, 3 / Platform / Metals
Exclusive to KUSTOM9
Event round (April 15th to May 10th)
Jack Russell Terrier
COMPANION
Worn Animesh Pet
Attaches to Avatar Center
Animal companions and move alongside you wherever you go.
No land required
WANDERER
Rezzed Animesh Pet
This pet requires land to function. it will freely wander around in a flat plane 1-21m wandering radius
distance from where you turn it on.
HELD
Worn Animesh Pet
Attaches to & Forearm
Held puppers override your AO arm and animate as you hold them.
LOWEN Beauty - Feanne (LeL EvoX) skins is available at KUSTOM9 April 15th - 10th May
*shape used comes with the skin
Simple Bloom *EvoX AVALON* LivAutumn Neutral DELUXE brows available at the main store and the marketplace
.euphoric ~Extraordinary Eyes Collection available at the main store
LUEUR BEAUTY - Kimi Skin / Lelutka EvoX
Skin and Shape
Available
13 Skin Tones
Option - With or without eyebrow
ASTRALIA - Cass Dress
Legacy / Maitreya / Kupra / Reborn
Available Single*
08 Colors Daisy Patterns
08 Colors Clouds Patterns
15 Plain Colors
*Single packs include 3 blouse colors!
Fatpack
Customize Hud
Dress / Shirt / Lace
Dress
08 Colors Daisy Patterns
08 Colors Clouds Patterns
15 Plain Colors
Shirt
15 Colors
Lace
18 Colors
Exclusive to KUSTOM9 Event round (April 15th to May 10th)
✟ ─────────────── ☽⬤☾ ──────────────── ✟
ＳＰＯＮＳＯＲＳ
⫷ ASTEROIDBOX ⫸
【ʟᴇᴏɴᴀ ᴛᴀɴᴋᴛᴏᴘ】 available at @ Kustom9 event APRIL 15th - MAY 10th, 2022.
✧ Compatible with:
- Maitreya Lara.
- Maitreya Petite.
- Maitreya Flat.
- Legacy F .
- Legacy Perky.
- eBody Reborn .
✦ Finishing the event you can get it in ➵ ASTEROIDBOX Mainstore
【ᴇᴠʟɪɴ ᴘᴀɴᴛꜱ】 available at @ Mainstore
✧ Compatible with:
- Maitreya Lara.
- Belleza freya.
- Legacy F .
- eBody Reborn .
⫷ OMY ⫸
【ᴅᴀɴɴᴀ ᴘᴏꜱᴇ】 available at @ LEVEL event MAY 1st, 2022.
✧ 4 different animations with breathing.
✦ Finishing the event you can get it in ➵ OMY Mainstore
⫷ ENDLESS PAIN TATTOO ⫸
【ᴍᴀʟᴇᴅɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴀᴛᴛᴏᴏ】 available at @ Fantasy Fair APRIL 21th - MAY 8TH, 2022.
✧ Fresh and faded.
✧ Neck only.
✧ Sleeves only.
✧ EvoX only.
✧ BOM/Omega/Legacy.
✧ Unisex tattoo.
✦ Finishing the event you can get it in ➵ ENDLESS PAIN TATTOO Mainstore
⫷ SIX FEET UNDER ⫸
【ʜᴀᴅᴇꜱ ʙɪɴᴅɪ】 available at @ The Ritual event APRIL 22nd, 2022.
✧ Texture HUD (8 metals/2faces).
✧ Materials.
✧ Resize.
✦ Finishing the event you can get it in ➵ SIX FEET UNDER Mainstore
⫷ FAGA ⫸
【ᴅᴏʀɪ ʜᴀɪʀꜱᴛʏʟᴇɪ】 available at @ Mainstore
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Tove Skin
Lelutka EvoX / Akeruka ADVX / Catwa EvoX
2K BOM
Skin and Shape
Available in Fatpack
12 Skin Tones
◾7 Eyebrow options (browless included)
◾Makeup Kit
◾Neck blend built in
◾Hairbase option on skin
◾HD Ears
Exclusive to KUSTOM9
Event round (April 15th to May 10th)
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Sundae Hair
2 Head Sizes
Hud Control
Basic Pack
180 Colors
Roots: On/Off
Full Pack
180 Colors
Styles: Everything/Primary/Secondary
Roots: On/Off
Customize
4 Customizable Styles For Your Hair
Hairbase / Script / Materials / Styles AO
Modifiable (tintable)
Exclusive to ACCESS
Event round (April 2th to May 8th)
FOLLOW ME ➤ PRIMFEED
Tania Skin
Lelutka EvoX / Akeruka ADVX / Catwa EvoX
◾ 2K BOM
Skin and Shape
Available in Fatpack
16 Skin Tones
New ORRA
BodySkin skin tones
◾ Browless included / Extra Eyebrows
◾ Makeup Kit
◾ Neck blend built in
◾ Hairbase option on skin
◾ HD Ears
Exclusive to COLLABOR88
Event round (April 8th to May 6th)
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Mills Hair
• 2 Styles: Long/Short
• 3 Head Sizes
• 25 Clip Colors
• Clips/Off Function
• HUD Driven
• Styler & Accessories HUDs Included
Full Pack
175 Colors
Exclusive to KUSTOM9
Event round (April 15th to May 10th)
FOLLOW ME ➤ PRIMFEED
My Sponsors
pOOnsh - Agnes Heart Dress. - ABSTRAKT Event - 15th April - 5th May
Zibska - Tanzi Eyemakeup 14 (in 14 colours) - Fantasy Faire (Tenpyo sim) - April 21st - May 8th
Zibska - Desda Adornment (20 colours for petal sections 1/2/3 & bead orbits via HUD)
Zibska - Miko Lips 12 (in 15 colours)
.:tHc:. Heart Hand Orb Floater - Holyweird Designs by .:: The Holyweird Cult ::.
Others
Foxy - Maddy Hair (Natural Ombre) - Kustom 9 - April 15th - May 10th
Nuve - Charlie skin (Lelutka Evo X) - rosy
Make A Mark - Japanese Sakura Riverside -available at Sakura Matsuri - April 8th - May 1st
Meadow Skybox
Specifications:
53 Landimpact
10x25x11
Exclusive to KUSTOM9
Event round (April 15th to May 10th)
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Bethany Set
Top / Short / Shoes
Legacy / Maitreya + Petite X / Reborn + Waifu
Mix & Match In Fatpack
Top
45 Solid Colors + 25 Bonus Pattern Colors
Customize: Buttons
Short Fabric
45 Solid Colors
Customize - Metals
Short Denim
25 Jean Colors + 15 Jean Pattern Colors
Customize - Metals
Shoes
45 Solid Colors
Customize - 6 Parts / Metals
Exclusive to COSMOPOLITAN
Event round (April 28th to May 11th)
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Pomeranian Long Hair Animesh
Rezzable & Wearable / Holdable
Wander/Follow/Idle
Fur - 3 Colors + White In Fatpack
◾ Animations: Play/Static/Toggle
◾ 10 Static Animations
◾ Advance Material On/Off
Settings: Phantom / Name / Sound
FOLLOW ME ➤ PRIMFEED
❀ Clothing ❀
☆*B.D.R.* Valeria
Compatible with Maitreya + Petite, Legacy +Perky, Reborn.
•• BIGGIRL | April 15th to May 10th.
❥ LM : maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/AMERICAN%20BAZAAR/201/180/28
•• ...:::Beautiful Dirty Rich:::...
❥ LM : maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Beautiful%20Dirty%20Rich/1...
❥ Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/beautifuldirtyrichlg/52581384627/in...
❥ Insta : www.instagram.com/bdr_beautifuldirtyrich/
❥ Fb : www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064690791862
❥ MP : marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/51563
❥ Blog :
bdrbeautifuldirtyrich.blogspot.com/
♡♡♡
✨ Layla Outfit By MeHoney ✨
☆ Top & Pants ☆
➳ Can be found at Collabor88 (April 8th - May 6th)
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/8%208/24/207/1086
➳ Mainstore
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Floating%20Paradise/161/68/22
✨ Euphoria Hairstyle By Faga ✨
➳ Can be found at Kustom9 (April 15th - May 10th)
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/kustom9/149/14/1003
➳ Mainstore
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Galileo/52/99/32
♡ Tulip Bouquet By Littlep
♡ Jenni's Necklace By Kibitz
♡ Paradise Tattoo By Vudu
♡ Persia Ears By Swallow
♡ Elina Necklace By RealEvil
Our NEW Kate Sandals are out now at the current round of Kustom9!
The NEW Kate Sandals will make your inner fashionista sing! These gorgeous heels have a leather train that is attached to the ankle band. There are 14 fabulous leather colors from which to choose. Can be used on eBody, Belleza, Legacy, and Maitreya!
Enter the CONTEST on our Facebook Page for a chance to win. You can also ENTER HERE on Flickr by leaving your SL name along with your comment on this post, two ways to enter, and two chances to win!
Kustom9 runs from April 15th to May 10th
❧ TAXI to Kustom9: bit.ly/2UOuYPP
*** Credits ***
✁ AMORA Skins BoM & shape [EVO x Avalon] - 7 Deadly s[K]ins Exclusive for Designer Showcase Event ( 5th - 25th )
✁ Nadia Sporty Set (Hud colors) - Beautiful Dirty Rich Exclusive for BIGGIRL Event ( April 15th - May 10th )
✁ Casanova Eyes - Landgraff Exclusive for Ebento Event (11th - 28th)
✁ Meshbody (f) Special Edition (1.4) - [LEGACY]
✁ LeLUTKA Avalon Head 3.1 - Lelutka
✁ Mandy Coffin Nails - Lexa Exclusive for Ebento Event (11th - 28th)
✁ Para Siempre Clari Tattoo BOM & OMEGA - Lush Exclusive for Twe12ve Event (12th - 30th)
✁ LeL EVO X Kenna - *PKC*
✁ chained heart necklace - xx / xo Exclusive for Ebento Event (11th - 28th)
✁ Funny Pool Pose - Sex'i Poses
✁ Realness Hair (Ombres) - Stealthic
Post and Links available at - fuxicandomodasl.wixsite.com/diy-blog
Out now at KUSTOM9! Ethereal Bloom Dress, Madeline Sandals and Edda Sandals! Head to the event and try on the DEMOs, we think you will like what you see!
Kustom9 runs from April 15th to May 10th
❧ TAXI to Kustom9: bit.ly/2UOuYPP
More Details in Redhead Fashion
☺Credit☺
HAIR → *Vanity Hair*Jungle Beats-Greedy Pack
[Tres Chic] Open April 17th to May 10th
LIPGLOSS→.:: StunnerOriginals ::. LipGloss Wily - Hud Genus
[Dubai Event]Open April 20th to May 10th
OUTFIT→ [[ Masoom ]] Wren
[Kustom9]Open April 15th
POSE → Synnergy //Crossfire Gift Bento Pose
The Perfect Summer Flat to show off your new pedicture! These flat sandals will be your favorite summer go-to..... from the beach to parties, to shopping! The sandal consists of fun lace-up straps that tie at the ankle with a thick leather toe strap. Multiple color option placements! It Fits Legacy, Maitreya, ebody and Isis.
Enter the CONTEST on our Facebook Page for a chance to win. You can also enter here on Flickr by leaving your SL name along with your comment, two ways to win!
Kustom9 runs from April 15th to May 10th
❧ TAXI to Kustom9: bit.ly/2UOuYPP
~ Paragon Dance Animations ~
Madison Jazz Funk V2 Pack
Available at Kustom 9
Runs April 15th through May 10th
Jazz Funk is a hot commercial style of dance - a hybrid style of hip hop and jazz dance with foundational movements from jazz. As an elite protege to legendary choreographer Brian Friedman, a pioneer of Jazz Funk, Madison brings her excellent technique and unique moves to give the dance her own style.
Music used One More Night by Maroon Five
~ Spoiled ~
Tinderella Set
Available at Equal 10
Runs April 10th through May 5th
For bodies: Freya & Push-Up, Legacy & Perky, Maitreya & Petite, Kupra & Kups A&B
💕 LAQ💕
💕 Era2
Elle Head (UHD edition)
💕 LAQ 💕
💕Freckles - Era2 UHD
💕 LAQ 💕
💕 Moles - Era2 UHD
Taxi: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LAQ/118/108/77
💕 Pure Poison 💕
💕 Queen Nails and Rings
Animated diamond textures that shimmer with life
Crown-inspired rings that speak of sovereignty
Dramatic jewel-toned claws for a bold, commanding look
PBR + Non-PBR Options included
Compatible with:
Legacy • Maitreya • eBody Reborn
Kustom9 runs from April 15th to May 10th
TAXI to Kustom9: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/kustom9/149/14/1004
Kustom9 CAM SIM: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kustom9%20Cam/149/231/1003
©All photographs on this site are copyright: ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2021 & GETTY IMAGES ®
No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams). No image may be used as source material for paintings, drawings, sculptures, or any other art form without permission and/or compensation to ©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)
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I would like to say a huge and heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to GETTY IMAGES, and the 45.027+ Million visitors to my FLICKR site.
***** Selected for sale in the GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION on Friday 10th February 2023
CREATIVE RF gty.im/1464674124 MOMENT ROYALTY FREE COLLECTION**
This photograph became my 5,832nd frame to be selected for sale in the Getty Images collection and I am very grateful to them for this wonderful opportunity.
©DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams)
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Photograph taken at an altitude of Twenty one metres, at 08:49am on Saturday April 15th 2017, off Viale dei Daini within Villa Borghese Gardens, a landscaped garden in the naturalistic English manner of Rome, Italy.
Containing the Villa Borghese, a museum and biopark with a zoo, these are the third largest gardens in Rome at almost two hundred acres, and built by Flaminio Ponzio in 1605 for Cardinal Scipione Borghese as a party villa.
Nikon D7200 Hand held with Nikkor VR vibratiuon reduction enabled. Focal length 14mm Shutter speed 1/25s Aperture f/14.0 iso100 RAW (14Bit)Size L (6000x4000), Hand held with Nikkor VR Vibration Reduction enabled. Auto focus AF-C with 3D-tracking enabled. Manual exposure. Matrix metering. Auto white balance.Auto Active D-lighting.
Nikkor AF-S 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED. Phot-R 77mm UV filter.Nikon MB-D15 Battery grip pack. Nikon EN-EL battery (2). Hoodman H-EYEN22S soft rubber eyecup. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 32GB Class 10 SDHC. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. . Nikon GP-1 GPS module.
LATITUDE: N 41d 54m 53.76s
LONGITUDE: E 12d 29m 34.45s
ALTITUDE: 21.00m
RAW (TIFF) FILE SIZE: 69.00MB NEF FILE: 29.5MB
PROCESSED (JPeg) SIZE: 34.94MB
PROCESSING POWER:
Nikon D7200 Firmware versions A 1.10 C 1.02 (9/3/17) L 2.015 (Lens distortion control version 2)
HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB SATA storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.2.4 24/11/2016). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.
Percival Pembroke WV-740 (G-BNPH)
Military history
WV-740 that was rolled off the Hunting production line at Luton on March 2nd 1955. Built to Air Ministry contract 6/AIR/6847/CB5(a) of June 5th 1951, she was given construction number K66/027, also quoted as P66/41 which would tie in with the issue of the RAF batch of serial numbers (WV-699 to WV-740). She flew for the first time on March 12th 1955 and was delivered to Number 9 Maintenance Unit at RAF Cosford on March 14th 1955, and allocated to the Middle East Air Force on April 15th. Arriveing at RAF Khormaksar, Aden on April 20th she joined the Aden Protectorate Support Flight. On December 20th 1956, WV740 was damaged in a Category 3R accident, repaired, and joined Number 84 Squadron at Khormaksar on January 22nd 1957. It was not long before trouble occurred again, and she was badly damaged in a further Category 3R accident on May 30th 1957. She moved into the repair shops of the Aden Repair Squadron on June 1st, and rejoined the Station Flight at RAF Khormaksar on December 3rd, before being transferred to Number 78 Squadron in Aden on June 13th 1958, before flying off to RAF Eastleigh in Nairobi, where she joined the Station Flight on December 15th 1958. Just under a year later, on November 27th 1959, she made the long ferry flight home to UK where she entered a period of storage at Number 5 Maintenance Unit based at RAF Kemble, where she remained until September 28th 1961. She then joined the Metropolitan Communication Squadron at RAF Northolt. Through the next five years she spent her life with various communications flight in UK, being with Bomber Command Communications Squadron at Booker on May 1st 1962, Number 5 Maintenance Unit at Kemble on June 6th, the Maintenance Command Communications and Ferry Squadron August 9th 1962. With the latter organisation, she met with a further Category 3R accident on February 20th 1963 and was repaired on site by personnel of Number 60 Maintenance Unit for a week before being returned to the Maintenance Command Communications Squadron. The highlight of this period of her life occurred on June 26th 1963 when she flew Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to Gatwick. She was transferred to the Western Command Communications Squadron at
RAF Andover on April 1st 1964 and was loaned to the Ministry of Aviation on February 15th 1965 before being returned to N°5 Maintenance Unit at RAF Kemble on March 24th 1965, then to Andover on May 28th 1965.
On February 13th 1967 she flew eastwards again, and back to her old haunts in Aden when she joined Number 21 Squadron at RAF Khormaksar on February 13th 1967. Her record is not clear, but she must have left Aden later that year with the withdrawal of the British presence, and probably moved with N°21 Squadron to RAF Muharraq at Bahrain. Whatever the case, she was one of the fourteen aircraft chosen to be resparred, and she was returned to the British Aircraft Corporation at Luton on March 8th 1971. Making her first flight after this major work on June 16th 1971, she flew to Wisley in Surrey and was then returned through N°5 Maintenance Unit at Kemble to N°21 Squadron at RAF Andover on June 24th 1971 serving with this unit for five years.
Returning to Number 5 Maintenance Unit for heavy maintenance on March 25th 1976, WV740 was then sent to join the Station Flight (Dragon Airlines) at RAF St Athan on July 30th. On March 29th 1978, she made the short flight to Germany where she joined Number 60 Squadron at RAF Wildenrath, the airfield where she would spend the rest of her service life, and acquire the German instructions written on her fuselage!
At Wildenrath, she joined five other Pembroke's with this unit, and flew extensively throughout Europe. Carrying many VIP’s as well as completing more mundane tasks, this aircraft was, for a time, the personal aircraft of Air Chief Marshal Sir Dennis Spottiswood. Her record shows that from 10th until 30th March 1981 she was attached to Number 5 Maintenance Unit at RAF Brize Norton for a repaint and interior refurbishment, before returning to RAF Wildenrath where she remained until March 23rd 1987 when she was flown to RAF Shawbury for storage and disposal.
Civilian history
On June 24th 1987, together with her sister ship XK-884, WV740 was purchased by Air Commodore John Allison and moved to RAF Benson for storage. Air Commodore Allison together with Mr Mike Searle placed WV740 on the civil register as G-BNPH. Both aircraft were retained for several years until WV-740 was sold to Mr Richard J.F.Parker in mid-June 1991. Mr Parker, a property developer and aviation enthusiast returned WV-740 to her former splendour, refurbished her interior, and flew her for many years at air displays and for pleasure. The closure of both Leavesden and Hatfield in Hertfordshire in 1994 forced Mr Parker to consider the future of his fleet of vintage aircraft, and with great regret, he offered WV-740 for sale. March 15th 1994 saw WV740 sold to Captain Martin Willing, a Cathay Pacific pilot now retired who lives in Jersey, and she was flown to that lovely location. WV740 continued to fly, and was based mainly at Duxford, where she was operated by Radial Revelation, a company set up to foster the preservation and operation of radial engined aircraft. In 2003 ownership of the aircraft passed to Andrew and Geraldine Dixon at Bournemouth who operated the Pembroke as a personnel transport and air show duties.
During 2011 WV740 was put up for sale and and acquired by Mr Mark Stott in 2012 along with Sea Prince T1 WP321. Now based at MoD St Athan, WV740 is maintained by Horizon Aircraft Services and is available for display, flight training and corporate events.
Crew: Two pilots
Capacity: 8 passengers
Length: 46 ft (14.02 m)
Wingspan: 64 ft 6 in (19.66 m)
Height: 16 ft (4.9 m)
Empty weight: 9,961 lb (4,400 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 13,489 lb (6,124 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Alvis Leonides 127 9-cylinder supercharged radial piston engines, 540 hp (410 kw) each
Maximum speed: 186 mph (300 km/h)
Range: 1,012 nm (1,850 km)
Service ceiling: 7,680 m (22,000 ft)
2016 Dark Tourism World Tour
I have the dates I will be travelling next year, so you can keep up to date with the creation of my newest book commission. I'd love to meet up with photographers on my travels to dark tourist locations, so let me know if your up for an adventure, or even if you fancy travelling to some of these countries with me.
‘Dark Tourism - The Beauty of Death’
1st January – 1st February - UK (One Month)
9th - 10th January Sicily (2 Days)
1st February – 14th February Morocco (Two Weeks)
15th February – 1st February - UK (Two Weeks)
1st March – 1st July Asia (4 Months 2 Weeks)
India 1 Month 1st March - 1st April
Tibet 2 Weeks 1st April - 15th April
Thailand 2 Weeks 15th April - 1st May
Cambodia 3 Weeks 1st May - 22nd May
Vietnam 1 Week 22nd May - 1st June
Philippines 2 Weeks 1st June - 15th June
Indonesia 2 Weeks 15th June - 1st July
Japan 2 Weeks 1st July - 15th July
1st July – 1st August - UK (One Month)
1st August – 2nd September Europe (One Month)
France 2 Days 1st August - 3rd August
Switzerland 4 Days 3rd August - 8th August
Italy 5 Days 8th August - 13th August
Austria 3 Days 13th August - 16th August
Hungary 1 Day 16th August - 17th August
Romania 3 Days 17th August - 20th August
Poland 3 Days 20th August - 24th August
Czech Republic 3 Days 24th August - 27th August
Germany 5 Days - 27th August - 31st August
2nd September – 9th September Greece (One Week)
10th – 15th Sept - UK (One Week)
17th September – 26th October Northern USA (One Month, One Week)
New York, New Jersey,West Virginia, Ohio, Iowa 17th - 25th Sept
Tennessee 26th Sept - 3rd Sept
Detroit 3rd October - 11th October
New York, New Jersey,West Virginia Pennsylvania 11th- 26th Oct
27th October – 2nd November – Mexico (One Week)
3rd November – 10th November – Cuba (Two Weeks)
11th – 25th November– LA & Las Vegas (Two Weeks)
26th November – 2nd December - UK (One Week)
3rd December – 17th December- Maldives (Two Weeks)
What Super Hero do you wanna be?
Mekaci // Selene Set - Reborn|Waifu size's | 24 Colour's 10 Metal's Mix and Match
Mekaci // Hellbound Boots & Stockings - Reborn Only - 30 Colour's 10 Metal's
@XORNI Main Store
VCO ~ VEYA Hair @Kustom9 Event Opening Date: April 15th 2026
Event Closing Date: May 10th 2026 - Main Store @VCO
EStudio - Nemesis Glove Reborn | 14 Colour's 17 Nail Colour's - Main Store @E.A.Studio
K&S - // Level UP. Backdrop - Main Store @Katya Salty
Why be content with 4 seasons when Japan has 72.
For the last 15 months i have been following a British version using
Light Rains Sometimes Fall: A
British Year in Japan’s 72 Seasons
by Lev Parikian
Below is the Japanese version.
BEGINNING OF SPRING
East wind melts the ice (Feb 4th - 8th)
Bush warblers start singing in the mountains (Feb 9th - 13th)
Fish emerge from the ice (Feb 14th - 18th)
RAINWATER
Rain moistens the soil (Feb 19th - 23rd)
Mist starts to linger (Feb 24th - 28th)
Grass sprouts, trees bud (March 1st - 5th)
INSECTS AWAKEN
Hibernating insects surface (March 6th - 10th)
First peach blossoms (March 11th - 15th)
Caterpillars become butterflies (March 16th - 20th)
SPRING EQUINOX
Sparrows start to nest (March 21st - 25th)
First cherry blossoms (March 26th - 30th)
Distant thunder (March 31st - April 4th)
PURE & CLEAR
Swallows return (April 5th - 9th)
Wild geese wild north (April 10th - 14th)
First rainbows (April 15th- 19th)
GRAIN RAINS
First reeds sprout (April 20th - 24th)
Last frost, rice seedlings grow (April 25th - 29th)
Peonies bloom (April 30th - May 4th)
BEGINNING OF SUMMER
Frogs start singing (May 5th - 9th)
Worms surface (May 10th - 14th)
Bamboo shoots sprout (May 15th - 20th)
LESSER RIPENING
Silkworms start feasting on mulberry leaves (May 21st -25th)
Safflowers bloom (May 26th - 30th)
Whats ripens and is harvested (May 31st - June 5th)
GRAIN BEARDS & SEEDS
Praying mantises hatch (June 6th - 10th)
Rotten grass becomes fireflies (June 11th - 15th)
Plums turn yellow (June 16th - 20th)
SUMMER SOLSTICE
Self-heal withers (June 21st - 26th)
Irises bloom (June 27th - July 1st)
Crow-dipper sprouts (July 2nd - 6th)
LESSER HEAT
Warm winds blow (July 7th - 11th)
First lotus blossoms (July 12th - 16th)
Hawks learn to fly (July 17th - 22nd)
GREATER HEAT
Paulownia trees produce seeds (July 23rd - 28th)
Earth is damp, air is humid (July 29th - August 2nd)
Great rains sometimes fall (August 3rd - 7th)
BEGINNING OF AUTUMN
Cool winds blow (August 8th - 12th)
Evening cicadas sing (August 13th - 17th)
Thick fog descends (August 18th - 22nd)
MANAGEABLE HEAT
Cotton flowers bloom (August 23rd - 27th)
Heat starts to die down (August 28th - September 1st)
Rice ripens (September 2nd - 7th)
WHITE DEW
Dew glistens white on grass (September 8th - 12th)
Wagtails sing (September 13th - 17th)
Swallows leave (September 18th - 22nd)
AUTUMN EQUINOX
Thunder ceases (September 23rd - 27th)
Insects hole up underground (September 28th - October 2nd)
Farmers drain fields (October 3rd - 7th)
COLD DEW
Wild geese return (October 8th - 12th)
Chrysanthemums bloom (October 13th - 17th)
Crickets chirp around the door (October 18th - 22nd)
FROST FALLS
First frost (October 23rd - 27th)
Light rains sometimes fall (October 28th - November 1st)
Maple leaves and ivy turn yellow (November 2nd - 6th)
BEGINNING OF WINTER
Camelias bloom (November 7th - 11th)
Land starts to freeze (November 12th - 16th)
Daffodils bloom (November 17th - 21st)
LESSER SNOW
Rainbows hide (November 22nd - 26th)
North wind blows the leaves from the trees (November 27th - December 1st)
Tachibana citrus tree leaves start to turn yellow (December 2nd - 6th)
GREATER SNOW
Cold sets in, winter begins (December 7th - 11th)
Bears start hibernating in their dens (December 12th - 16th)
Salmons gather and swim upstream (December 17th - 21st)
WINTER SOLSTICE
Self-heal sprouts (December 22nd - 26th)
Deer shed antlers (December 27th - 31st)
Wheat sprouts under snow (January 1st - 4th)
LESSER COLD
Parsley flourishes (January 5th - 9th)
Springs thaw (January 10th - 14th)
Pheasants start to call (January 15th - 19th)
GREATER COLD
Butterburs bud (January 20th - 24th)
Ice thickens on streams (January 25th - 29th)
Hens start to lay eggs (January 30th - February 3rd)
KhenzieDoll.....
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Size's Reborn/Squish/PHP | Legacy | Lara X
6 Skirt Colours | 9 Bra & Pantie Colour's Solid & Lace
35 Top Colours Plain | Pattern's
9 Sock Colour's V1 & V2 10 Striped
11 Shoe Colours - ALL Pieces Mix & Match @Kustom9 Event Opening Date: April 15th 2026
Event Closing Date: May 10th 2026 - Main Store @CryBunBun @Hell Goat
VCO ~ LIZZ Hair - Main Store @VCO
FOXCITY. Photo Booth - Studio Apt (With light) & FOXCITY x S&P Minis - Bound Pose - Main Store @Satomi | FOXCITY
WV-740 rolled off the Hunting production line at Luton on March 2nd 1955. Built to Air Ministry contract 6/AIR/6847/CB5(a) of June 5th 1951, she was given construction number K66/027, also quoted as P66/41 which would tie in with the issue of the RAF batch of serial numbers (WV-699 to WV-740). She flew for the first time on March 12th 1955 and was delivered to Number 9 Maintenance Unit at RAF Cosford on March 14th 1955, and allocated to the Middle East Air Force on April 15th. Arriveing at RAF Khormaksar, Aden on April 20th she joined the Aden Protectorate Support Flight. On December 20th 1956, WV740 was damaged in a Category 3R accident, repaired, and joined Number 84 Squadron at Khormaksar on January 22nd 1957. It was not long before trouble occurred again, and she was badly damaged in a further Category 3R accident on May 30th 1957. She moved into the repair shops of the Aden Repair Squadron on June 1st, and rejoined the Station Flight at RAF Khormaksar on December 3rd, before being transferred to Number 78 Squadron in Aden on June 13th 1958, before flying off to RAF Eastleigh in Nairobi, where she joined the Station Flight on December 15th 1958. Just under a year later, on November 27th 1959, she made the long ferry flight home to UK where she entered a period of storage at Number 5 Maintenance Unit based at RAF Kemble, where she remained until September 28th 1961. She then joined the Metropolitan Communication Squadron at RAF Northolt. Through the next five years she spent her life with various communications flight in UK, being with Bomber Command Communications Squadron at Booker on May 1st 1962, Number 5 Maintenance Unit at Kemble on June 6th, the Maintenance Command Communications and Ferry Squadron August 9th 1962. With the latter organisation, she met with a further Category 3R accident on February 20th 1963 and was repaired on site by personnel of Number 60 Maintenance Unit for a week before being returned to the Maintenance Command Communications Squadron. The highlight of this period of her life occurred on June 26th 1963 when she flew Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to Gatwick. She was transferred to the Western Command Communications Squadron at
RAF Andover on April 1st 1964 and was loaned to the Ministry of Aviation on February 15th 1965 before being returned to N°5 Maintenance Unit at RAF Kemble on March 24th 1965, then to Andover on May 28th 1965.
On February 13th 1967 she flew eastwards again, and back to her old haunts in Aden when she joined Number 21 Squadron at RAF Khormaksar on February 13th 1967. Her record is not clear, but she must have left Aden later that year with the withdrawal of the British presence, and probably moved with N°21 Squadron to RAF Muharraq at Bahrain. Whatever the case, she was one of the fourteen aircraft chosen to be resparred, and she was returned to the British Aircraft Corporation at Luton on March 8th 1971. Making her first flight after this major work on June 16th 1971, she flew to Wisley in Surrey and was then returned through N°5 Maintenance Unit at Kemble to N°21 Squadron at RAF Andover on June 24th 1971 serving with this unit for five years.
Returning to Number 5 Maintenance Unit for heavy maintenance on March 25th 1976, WV740 was then sent to join the Station Flight (Dragon Airlines) at RAF St Athan on July 30th. On March 29th 1978, she made the short flight to Germany where she joined Number 60 Squadron at RAF Wildenrath, the airfield where she would spend the rest of her service life, and acquire the German instructions written on her fuselage!
At Wildenrath, she joined five other Pembroke's with this unit, and flew extensively throughout Europe. Carrying many VIP’s as well as completing more mundane tasks, this aircraft was, for a time, the personal aircraft of Air Chief Marshal Sir Dennis Spottiswood. Her record shows that from 10th until 30th March 1981 she was attached to Number 5 Maintenance Unit at RAF Brize Norton for a repaint and interior refurbishment, before returning to RAF Wildenrath where she remained until March 23rd 1987 when she was flown to RAF Shawbury for storage and disposal.
On June 24th 1987, together with her sister ship XK-884, WV740 was purchased by Air Commodore John Allison and moved to RAF Benson for storage. Air Commodore Allison together with Mr Mike Searle placed WV740 on the civil register as G-BNPH. Both aircraft were retained for several years until WV-740 was sold to Mr Richard J.F.Parker in mid-June 1991. Mr Parker, a property developer and aviation enthusiast returned WV-740 to her former splendour, refurbished her interior, and flew her for many years at air displays and for pleasure. The closure of both Leavesden and Hatfield in Hertfordshire in 1994 forced Mr Parker to consider the future of his fleet of vintage aircraft, and with great regret, he offered WV-740 for sale. March 15th 1994 saw WV740 sold to Captain Martin Willing, a Cathay Pacific pilot now retired who lives in Jersey, and she was flown to that lovely location. WV740 continued to fly, and was based mainly at Duxford, where she was operated by Radial Revelation, a company set up to foster the preservation and operation of radial engined aircraft. In 2003 ownership of the aircraft passed to Andrew and Geraldine Dixon at Bournemouth who operated the Pembroke as a personnel transport and air show duties.
During 2011 WV740 was put up for sale and and acquired by Mr Mark Stott in 2012 along with Sea Prince T1 WP321. Now based at MoD St Athan, WV740 is maintained by Horizon Aircraft Services and is available for display, flight training and corporate events.
This building is a classic mid-century modern structure with a huge cantilevered roof and a well-designed parking garage under the structure. The sign used to be illuminated and could be seen for miles, as there were no other high rises around it at that time of its construction.
The following are building facts taken from emporis.com:
The Hollywood Bread Building consists of five floors of office space perched above a 6-level parking deck.
Built by Home Federal Savings & Loan Association, which built the adjacent Home Towers Condo and wanted to add a parking garage. Original plans called for an 18-story mixed-use tower with offices, apartments, and parking.
The makers of Hollywood Bread, National Bakers Service, leased the airspace above the garage for the office building. The bakery offices operated out of the 9th and 10th levels as well as the penthouse.
Eleanor Hansberry, the founder and president of Hollywood Bread, was photographed in her penthouse office for a 1969 issue of Vogue magazine.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
www.emporis.com/buildings/138084/hollywood-bread-building...
hollywoodgazette.com/2018/09/26/the-fascinating-tale-of-h...
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
Early 1943: Serial number 9531 was manufactured in Long Beach and delivered to the Army Air Force as USAAF 42-23669
May 20th, 1943. 9531 was transferred to the Royal Air Force, ferried to England, and assigned to RAF no 24 Squadron at RAF Hendon near London. The Squadron Badge is shown on the left. The motto is translated by the Brits as “In all things prepared,” but Yanks would go for the breezier “Ready for Anything.” The RAF serialled it as FD879. The mission of 24 Squadron was VIP transport for the Royal Family and leaders of state, and it was conveniently based at Hendon in North London, now the site of the RAF Museum. Its squadron codes were NQ and U. It follows that there is every possibility that FD879 flew members of the Royal Family as well as Winston Churchill, since that was the single role assigned the four Dakotas assigned to 24 Squadron. Previous owners of the “Flabob Express” claim they have seen the original RAF log books showing flights with Sir Winston Churchill and Princess Margaret as passengers.
July 1st 1943: FD879 was ferried to India where it served with Air Command South East Asia Communication Squadron. Here it serves as the personal aircraft of General Auchinleck who earlier had fought Rommell in North Africa. General Auchinleck (later Field Marshall Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck) named FD879 ‘Orion”
Jan.14, 1947: Upon Auchinleck’s retirement, FD879 was reassigned to India Communication Squadron, RAF.
Aug 14, 1947: Removed from RAF service and assigned to number 6 Squadron, Pakistani Air Force.
April 2nd 1952: Purchased by Lee Mansdorf, shipped by sea to the US. Registered in the US as N2701A.
Later sold to D.W. Connor who registered it as N42F.
1954: Modified as an executive transport by Remert Warner of St. Louis Missouri.
Nov 7th, 1955: Imported to Canada, registered as C-FIKD. Purchased by T. Flahieff.
Sept. 30th 1958: Executive transport for Ontario Paper Company.
April 15th 1965: Sold to Dominion Tar & Chemical Co. Ltd., Montreal.1
August 10th 1967; Sold to Laurentide Aviation Ltd, Montreal.2
Feb. 19th 1971: Sold to Eden Air of Canada.
December 1971
to June 1976: Winnepeg, Canada where it becomes derelict on the ramp.
1984: Purchased and returned to flight by Ilford-Riverton Airways of Canada, a regional carrier in Northwest Canada. Later sold to Air Manitoba another regional carrier out of Winnepeg.
1993: Imported to the US as N103NA and now flying from Flabob Aiport as the “Flabob Express
Lucy Jackson (Oct.11, 1867-after 1923)
Known as: Princesse Lucie, La Belle Jackson, Bella Jackson
African-American Singer & Dancer
Lucy Thomas, born c. October 1867 (or 1869) in Charleston, South Carolina had no known relatives besides an uncle Richard Brown from Virginia. At some point in the 1880's, young Lucy Thomas relocated to Savannah, Georgia where she met and married Gilbert Jackson on April 19th, 1886 in a ceremony conducted by the Rev. Harry B. Hamilton. Strangely, the couple doesn't appear in the 1890 US Census, in fact neither of them appear in any records except during their wedding.
In the spring of 1895, talent scout and stage manager Billy McClain, with the financial backing of Nate Salsbury (formerly of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show), thought of the idea of exploiting America's slave heritage by romanticizing it into a sort of human zoo. Over 300-400 African-Americans from Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas were hired and transported up to New York (a young Lucy Jackson amongst them) for this massive production. On May 11th, South Brooklyn's Ambrose Park was completely renovated for the show's production, erecting nearly 100 log cabins to accommodate the cast of 400 negroes. A cotton gin was also constructed, bales of cotton, cotton bushes, poultry and livestock were scattered throughout the park.
Opening May 25th, 1895, "Black America" was promoted as outdoor theme-park extravaganza showcasing the American Negro, "from the jungles of Africa to the civilization of America." For six weeks, the production showcased a Baltimore brass band, jubilee singers, acrobats, foot races, buck and wing dances as well as performances from the star of the entire production, Miss Flowers. On July 15th, the show moved up to Boston, performing in a huge tent along Huntington Avenue and performing in parades on major Boston streets for eight successful weeks. Returning to New York on September 16th, the show performed for the remainder of the month at the Winter Garden Theater. The show later moved on to Philadelphia's Grand Opera Theater (Oct.4-Nov.30) and Washington DC's Convention Hall (Oct.22) before finally falling apart. Unfortunately, the show wasn't financially successful and left the directors in debt. The proposed plan to take the show to London was promptly cancelled and Nate Salsbury moved on to produce his latest venture, "Darkest America".
On April 15th, 1896, the remnants of "Black America" (now composed of 25 members) boarded the Erie 8 train from Marion, Ohio heading east to New York, where a ship awaited to take them to Europe. At some point, Bavarian theater director Ludwig Anwander from Schliersee had taken over the show. In September 1895, during his first trip to America, he witnessed the production and offered to take the production to Europe. Arriving in Berlin by May 25th, the show performed throughout the month at a German Exposition. The following month, the show appeared at Leipzig's Theater Hotel Stadt Nurnberg (Jun.1, 1896) possibly for another month's engagement. On July 1st, the show was back in Berlin at the Theater Neu-Berlin before disappearing. It seems they left for Chemnitz, as Lucy files for a passport at the American Consulate on July 8th, presenting her 1886 marriage certificate to the consul as proof of her American origins. Another detail on this passport was inability to sign her name, signing two X's as her signature. Afterwards, the show returned to Berlin, where it played a week at the Belle-Alliance Gardens. In August, for a week, the troupe performed in the port city of Stettin at the Elysium Theater (this time with only 12 members). Around this point, Herr Anwander sold the show to a Russian Impresario before he returned home to Southern Germany.
Crossing into the Russian frontier during the late summer of 1896, the show's new manager arranged two lengthy engagements in St. Petersburg and Moscow, where the show became a popular novelty act before eventually dissolving. Lucy remained in Russia for the next three years.
On January 10th, 1899, after possibly touring around the Russian Empire, Lucy arrived at the American Consulate to apply for a new passport in preparations for a solo European tour. Ten months later, she appeared at Prague's Olympia Theater (Nov.1-15) for two weeks, where she was billed as the Schwarze Schonheit (Black Beauty) from South Africa's Transvaal. Nearby, the young Arabella Fields was appearing at the Etablissement Sykora. The following year, she returned to Prague, appearing as Princess Lucie Jackson at the K.u.K. Hofbrauhaus (May 16-19).
In April 1901, Lucy was in Berlin engaged at the famous Passage-Theater performing German lieder to enthusiastic audiences.
In December 1903, she was performing at Hamburg's Sagbiel Etablissement (Dec.5-23). On December 18th, during this engagement, she visited the American Consulate for a new passport before crossing the border the following month back home into Russia. Strangely, she listed Montreal as her birthplace.
After a possible St. Petersburg engagement, Lucy (now billed as La Belle Jackson) performed the Cake-Walk at Helsinki's Societethuset, also known as the illustrious Seurahuone Hotel (Feb.21-Mar.18, 1904). This was followed by a lengthy Scandinavian tour. In April, she had a month's engagement in Stockholm's Svea Salen Theater (Apr.9-22). In August, she could be seen at Copenhagen's Vennelyst Variete (Aug.24-Sep.9). Established in 1892, the Vennelyst was a large alloment garden in central Copenhagen, dotted with numerous small allotments and cottages, where the Danish working-class could unwind. On August 28th, after a performance, a Danish man, Mr. Woller attempted to grab and kiss Lucy in the streets, which resulted in her beating the man severely according to local newspapers. The duo were seized and taken to the nearest police station before being promptly released. On September 14th, Lucy moved over to the Apollo Teatret (Sep.14-25) beside the Tivoli Gardens on the Vesterbrogade, where she was billed as the Sorte Nattergal (Black Nightingale) for two weeks.
Late-1905, while Russia suffered from the Russo-Japanese War and the 1905 Revolution, Lucy travelled to Austria, appearing at Vienna's Joh. Weigl's Variete (Jul.1, 1905) and Lemberg's Colosseum Hermanow (Nov.8-15) before disappearing altogether.
On December 16th, 1906, Lucy resurfaced in Switzerland, performing as a member of the "Smith and Bella Jackson" duo at Basel's Cardinal Theater. Her new partner, William Henry Smith (Apr.21, 1879) from Philadelphia. Arrived in Europe in 1903 with the "12 Georgia Piccaninnies", Mr. Smith eventually abandoned the troupe sometime in 1906 to join Lucy.
Early 1907, the couple traveled east to Budapest, where they were engaged for a month and a half at the Nemzetkozi Orfeum (Feb.16-Mar.19). On February 16th, they also secured a new passport from the American Legation. On May 18th, they moved over to the Szinhaz Variete. On July 21st, the couple arrived in the Hungarian city of Szeged (near the Romanian border), appearing at the Tarka Szinpadon.
Early 1908, the duo traveled southeast to Romania, applying for a passport at Bucharest's American Embassy on April 22nd. Interestingly, Lucy had began learning how to sign her name (possibly due to the aid of Smith), as noted by her poorly written signature on the passport application. That summer, Smith and Jackson returned to Russia, appearing in the "Grand Concert Divertissement Cosmopolite" at St. Petersburg's Bouffe Gardens (Jul.4-Aug.11).
In March 1910, the duo were at Hamburg's Flora Theater, where interestingly enough, Bella Jackson was praised for her performance of Tyrolean folk songs. Two months later, they were thrilling audiences in Budapest's Karolyi Gardens (May 26-Jun.1). Throughout the year, they were bombarded with numerous engagements across the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In August, they were at Teplitz's Cursaale Theater (Aug.5), the following month at Budapest's Feher Cabaret (Sep.29-Oct.1). In October, they traveled north to Lemberg's Casino de Paris (Oct.8-15) before heading east to Czernowitz (along the Russian-Romanian border) to perform at the Variete Bellevue (Oct.16-30) for two weeks. In December, they were in Vienna, where they applied on December 29th for a new passport to travel into Romania.
Throughout 1911-1912, the duo toured across Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. During the course of this tour, they became acquainted with the Cousins (an American duo composed of Afro-American singer, Sam Cousins and his Austrian-American wife Bertha). In May 1912, Smith and Jackson were back in Europe, performing at Vienna's Café Trianon (May 1-13). Four months later, they were at Budapest's Kabaret Pannoniaban (Sep.29-Oct.6) and later Kabaret Magyar Kiralyban (Oct.22-31).
Early 1913, the couple found themselves in northern Austria (Bohemia), appearing in Reichenburg's Meiningers Variete (Mar.1-6) and later Prague's Kabarett Wespe (Jul.20). That winter, while engaged in Hamburg, the pair applied for a passport on December 23rd for their plans to return east to Romania and Russia.
During the spring of 1914, the couple were back in Prague, residing at 47 Wenzelsplatz. While there, the couple joined African-American artist Mose Harris, forming the "Philadelphia Trio". The trio spent two weeks at the Alhambra Palais de Danse (Apr.16-30). In June, the trio crossed into the Russian Empire, performing for two weeks at the Majorenhof Sea Pavillon in Riga (Jun.1-15). On June 28, 1914, during their Baltic tour, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo, setting in motion the events leading to the outbreak of World War I. On August 4, after Germany invaded Belgium, while simultaneously attacking France, Great Britain declared war on Germany. The Philadelphia Trio arrived in Petrograd on September 17th.
By October 1915, they had relocated to Moscow, settling in the Hotel Boston as noted by their passport application on November 24th. For three months, the Philadelphia trio were among the leading attractions at the Maxim Cabaret (owned by famous African-American businessman Frederick B. Thomas). By the fall of 1916, the Philadelphia Trio had seperated and Smith & Jackson relocated to Petrograd, appearing at the Sirene Cinema (Sep.15-16).
Early 1917, they were performing at the Kino-Palace (Jan.17-22) and later the Kino-Olympia (Apr.18-21). The duo briefly returned to Moscow on April 19th to obtain new passports before returning to the Russian capital.
On March 8, 1917, over seven thousand female textile workers from St. Petersburg's Vyborg district, marched through the streets crying for bread. The shortages had left the lower class starving, cold and desperate. From March 9-15, Cossacks patrolled the streets and machine guns were positioned everywhere. Protesters filled the streets only to be met by gunfire. All the blood spilling in the streets caused many soldiers to mutiny and join the mobs. Prisoners across the city were released into the streets, gendarmes were murdered, courthouses, arsenals, shops, private homes and the Ministry of the Interior were looted and ransacked. Mobs killed any respectable looking men, causing many gendarmes to strip their uniforms and flee the city. On March 16, Tsar Nikolai II abdicated and many aristocrats fled to the countryside. The old order evaporated and anarchy spread.
In August, they were back in Moscow, making sure to renew their passports again on August 21st with fellow entertainer, Peter C. Johnson. Smith and Jackson were last seen in Russia on October 6th, registering with the consulate and preparing to board the Trans-Siberian train east towards Harbin.
Early 1918, after a brief engagement in Harbin, the duo continued south through Peking towards Shanghai, arriving in the Republic of China's largest city by July. After a four month engagement in Shanghai, on October 15th, the pair applied for new American passports before packing up for the Philippines. The duo were engaged for six successful months in Manila, due to the popularity of American Ragtime in Southeast Asia at the time.
On April 25th, 1919, Smith and Jackson boarded the SS Suwa Maru heading towards an engagement in Hong Kong. The following month, they were found in Malaya, at Singapore's Palladium Theatre (May 26-31) and later the Gaiety Theatre (Jun.3-9). That winter, they were engaged in British India, performing in the bustling city of Calcutta. On December 9th, while applying at the American Consulate-General, Smith and Jackson both listed that they were now married. In 1920, the couple appeared across Burma, the Dutch East Indies, Sumatra, Siam and French Indochina before returning home to China.
On January 29, 1923, William H. Smith died at Shanghai's General Hospital and later buried at the Bubbling Wells Cemetery. Lucy, who was residing at the Continental Hotel, cancelled their upcoming appearance at Singapore's Stadium and disappeared completely.
The edition of the Norwich Mercury dated Saturday May 25, 1918 has this picture:-
The associated caption reads:- Pte. Herbert Blowers. Methwold, killed in action in France on the 17th April.
No obvious match on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, (CWGC), website or in Soldiers Died in the Great War, (SDGW).
SDGW does however have a Private Herbert James Blower who was Killed in Action on the 17th April 1918 whilst serving in France & Flanders with the 1/5 Battalion, Prince of Wales’s (North Staffordshire Regiment). He was born North Pickenham, Norfolk, resident Methwold, Norfolk and enlisted Norwich. Herbert was formerly 203688, Norfolk Regiment.
That soldier on CWGC is:-
Private BLOWER, HERBERT JAMES
Service Number:……………….. 42290
Died:…………………………… 17/04/1918
Unit:…………………………….1st/5th Bn.
…………………………………..North Staffordshire Regiment
Commemorated at PLOEGSTEERT MEMORIAL
Location: Hainaut, Belgium
Source: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/874692/blower,-herber...
The Medal Index Card for Private 42290 Herbert J Blower, North Staffordshire Regiment, is held at the National Archive under reference WO 372/2/188871
He had previously been Private 203688 Norfolk Regiment.
Source: discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D1375004
He qualified for the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. There is no additional information on the card.
Some of his Service Records appear to have survived the incendiary attack during the Blitz on the Warehouse where all the Other Ranks Army Service Records were stored. Although the edges of the pages are barely burned there seems to be a great deal of smut and fading, making the contents difficult to read.
The 29 year old Herbert James Blower, a married Small Holder living at Methwold, enlisted at Norwich on the 15th January 1916. Herbert had no previous military experience.
Having attested he wasn’t actually called up until the 2nd March 1917. He spent the intervening period in the Army Reserve – at home working but liable for recall.
At his initial medical he was recorded as 5 feet 3 and a half inches tall. He weighed 137lbs and had good vision. He had some kind of minor heath issue, (possibly something to do with Appendicitis) and so in March 1916 was found fit for Service rather than General Service.
His next of kin was his wife Eva Letitia. The couple had married at Methwold on the 6th August 1910. It looks like Evas’ surname was Manning and she was a spinster.
The couple have two children, Hilda Margaret, born Methwold 12th November 1910, and Olive Mary, born 16th December 1916.
He was originally attached to the 4th Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment and given Service Number 203688.
He sailed from Folkestone on the 28th March 1918 and landed at Boulogne the same day. He marched into “L” I.B.D. later the same day with the intention that he join the 9th Norfolks. But before that could happen he was transferred to the 1st/5th Battalion North Staffs on the 31st March 1918 and renumbered 42290.
Post war as part of the process of issuing medals and paying War Gratuities for those who had died, the Amy sent out form W.5080 to the last know next of kin asking for details of surviving relatives. The layout of the form following the order of precedence of inheritance law as it stood at the time. Eva completed the form and had it witnessed by Isaac Ashworth, the Primitive Methodist Minister at Methwold on the 21st May 1920.
Widow of the Soldier: Eva Letitia Blower, High Street, Methwold.
Children of the Soldier: Hilda Margaret Blower, born November 12 1910
……………………….Olive Mary Blower, born December 16 1916
(both same address as Eva)
Father of the Soldier: None.
Mother of the Soldier: Mrs J. Grove, North Pickenham, Swaffham
Brother of the Soldier (Full Blood): None
Brother of the Soldier (Half Blood):
…………………..Reginald Grove, aged 27, North Pickenham, Swaffham
…………………..William Grove, aged 24, North Pickenham, Swaffham
Sister of the Soldier (Full Blood)
…………………..Mrs G Bly, Suffield W Aylsham
Sister of the Soldier (Half Blood): None
No match on Picture Norfolk, the County Image Archive.
No obvious Missing Persons enquiry received by the International Red Cross.
No obvious Soldiers Will or Civil Probate for this man.
He is remembered on the Methwold War Memorial in the Cemetery as Herbert J. Blowers. There is a second memorial inside the church which I’ve not been able to view yet to confirm how he is recorded there.
He is also remembered on the North Pickenham, Norfolk, Roll of Honour.
www.breckland-rollofhonour.org.uk/n_pick.html
1887 – Birth and baptism………………..
The birth of a Herbert James Blower was registered with the Civil Authorities in the Swaffham District of Norfolk in the January to March quarter, (Q1), of 1887.
The baptism of a Herbert James Blower, born January 7th 1887, took place on the Swaffham Circuit of the Primitive Baptist Church on February 10th 1887. His mother was Caroline Blower, a widow. Mother and son lived at Sporle.
Source: www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NJTB-YH8
1891 Census of England and Wales
The 4 year old “Hubert” J. Blower, born Sporle with Palgrave, was recorded living in a dwelling on the ‘Road’, Sporle with Palgrave, Norfolk. This was the household of his widowed grand-father, William Palmer, (aged 61, an Agricultural Labourer, born North Pickenham, Norfolk). Living with him are his married daughter Caroline Garne, (aged 34, born North Pickenham) and her husband John Garne, (aged 40, an Agricultural Labourer, born Swaffham, (? – tbc)). William also has a grand-daughter living with him – the 12 year old Ellen Blower, born Sporle with Palgrave.
Going back to the 1881 Census the 24 year old Caroline Palmer was already a widow. She then had two children – the 4 year old Eliza A, born Weasenham All Saints, Norfolk, and the 2 year old Ellen M., born Sporle, Norfolk.
1901 Census of England and Wales
It looks like either the census taker in 1891 was “having a mare” or he was being fed duff information.
On this census Herbert, his mother and stepfather were recorded with the surname Grove. They were living in a cottage at North Pickenham, Norfolk. Head of the household was John Grove, a 51 year old married Agricultural Labourer, born Swaffham. Living with him is his 44 year old wife, Caroline Grove, born North Pickenham.
Their children are shown as Herbert J. Grove, (14, Shepherds Page, born Pettygarde, Sporle), Reginald J Grove, (8, born North Pickenham), and Frederick W, Grove, (4, North Pickenham). Living with them is Carolines’ father, the 72 year old widower William Palmer. William, born North Pickenham, worked as a Bullock Tender.
6th August 1910 – Mariage…………………
Herbert James Blower married Eva Letitia Manning at Methwold on the 6th August 1910.
(Source – his Army Service Record).
The marriage of a Herbert J Blower to an Eva L Manning was recorded in the Thetford District of Norfolk in th July to September quarter, (Q3), of 1910.
1911 Census of England and Wales
The 24 year old Herbert James Blower, a Farmer, was recorded as the married head of the household at Hythe Road, Methwold. He lives there with his wife of 1 year, Eva Letitia, born Gooderstone, Norfolk. The couple have had 1 child so far, the 5 month old Hilda Margaret, born Methwold.
His mother and step-father were still recorded living at North Pickenham. Head of the household was the 82 year old widower William Palmer, now an Old Age Pensioner. John Grove, (66) and Caroline Grove, (53). The couple have been married 20 years and have had 3 children of which two were then still alive.
Until September 1911 the quarterly index published by the General Registrars Office did not show information about the mothers’ maiden name. A check of the General Registrars Office Index of Birth for England and Wales 1911 – 1983 shows only one instance of a child registered with the surname Blower mothers maiden name Manning. This was an Olivia M, registered in the Thetford District of Norfolk in Q1 of 1917.
On the day………………………..
In January 1918 the 1st/5th Battalion moved into the 59th (2nd Midland) Division and merged with the 2nd/5th Battalion. It was placed in the 176th Brigade.
After a long period of rest and training, the Division took over the front line at Bullecourt on 11 February 1918, with HQ being established at Behagnies. Much work was done of strengthening the line for defence against expected enemy attack.
The Battle of St Quentin (21-23 March) (only 177th Bde and the artillery were in action on 22-23 March)
After suffering heavy casualties from German shellfire on 21 March, the enemy infantry succeeded in breaking through the Division’s position where it met that of 6th Division in the valley of the River Hirondelle. Parties held on and continued to resist but were gradually destroyed and “mopped up”. Fewer than 100 men of the 176th and 178th Brigades which had been holding the front line before the attack were assembled at roll call. Two battalion commanding officers were killed in action. At 7pm, the Division was officially relieved but 177th Brigade and various parties of ancillary units remained to take part in the continued defence.
The Battle of Bapaume (24-25 March)
The next ten days were chaotic, as parties and individuals reassembled and the location of HQ meandered west, going via Bucquoy, Bouzincourt, Contay and Fienvillers to Villers-Chatel. On 1 April, the remnants of the Division moved by train to the Poperinge area in Flanders, leaving its artillery behind. New drafts of men arrived and on 5 April the Division took over the front line at Passchendaele, without having had any real opportunity to assimilate these drafts let alone train them.
The Battle of Bailleul (14-15 April)
On 13 April, the Division was ordered to reinforce the Lys area that was under terrific enemy attack. 177th Brigade was split off to reinforce 19th (Western) Division north of Neuve Eglise (Nieuwkerke), while the rest moved to Westouter. A 6000 yard long line (that is, very thinly held) was taken over near Loker and here in the middle of 14 April, the units came under violent attack.The enemy broke through on the left and the British line crumbled. Bailleul fell and 176th and 178th Brigades fell back in disarray on Mont Noir (Zwarteberg). Losses had been heavy.
www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions...
15th & 16th April 1918
(From a piece on another unit).
The 6th Battalion West Riding Regiment were relieved in the early morning, at 4am, by two companies of the 5th North Staffs. On relief, the battalion proceeded to the vicinity of a farm near St. Hans Cappel (map reference S1d, sheet 28) where breakfasts were served and the men cleaned their rifles and Lewis guns and rested.
At 6am orders were received that, in case of emergency, the battalion would hold a reserve line (not yet dug) just in front of the road in map reference S1d. From 1am, the battalion was placed in the 9th Corps reserve. At about 5pm it became very evident that it was necessary to dig the aforementioned reserve line with all speed as the enemy was reported to be attacking from Bailleul to Crucifix Corner (map reference S16b). Tools were got up and the line was dug and manned. The situation remained quiet. At about 7.45 am, our troops that had relieved us the previous night (and others) were seen withdrawing from south of Bailleul. Much confusion was caused by the bad state of their morale and to the fact that they crowded into our trenches and did not appear to have the slightest organisation. At about 11pm, orders were received to send all the 176th Brigade men back to Locre and, as soon as the line was cleared, work proceeded again. Patrols were pushed out with a view to gaining early news of the enemy’s presence.
Source: wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/alliedarmy-vie...
The First Battle of Kemmel Ridge (17-18 April)
On 26 April, Division was relieved. HQ moved to Vogelje Convent north of Poperinge and the troops were engaged in digging new defence lines.
www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions...
From “59th Division 1915-19” by Lt-Col E. U. Bradbridge
The book seems to consist of a number of articles by different authors, including this from a piece on the 176th Infantry Brigade by Colonel Sir T.G. Cope.
Page 23-24 “by April 11th we were again in the line, this time at Passchendaele, and were able to look over the ridge we had gazed at for so long the previous autumn. The next day, however, we were ordered to hand the line back to 122nd Brigade and return to Brandhoek, the Battalions getting in by 5 a.m. on the 13th. At 10 a.m. we started to march to Westoutre, coming under the orders of 49th Division. The Brigade arrived at 5.30 p.m., and at 8.30 p.m. got orders to march at once to Locre. I asked if we could arrange to arrive at 4.30 a.m. so that the men could have a few hours rest; this was agreed to. We arrived at Locre before dawn, and after various contradictory orders we were told to relieve the 147th, 101st and 74th Brigades, who were holding just south of Bailleul. The relief was complete by 7 a.m. on April 15th, 5th North being on right, 6th South in centre and 6th North on left on Mont de Lille. At 2 p.m. the Hun commenced heavy bombardment and at 4 p.m. his Infantry advanced, broke through beyond our left flank and turning due West marched across the Aerodrome and entered Bailleul. Meanwhile the 6th North, under Colonel Porter, had carried out a brilliant counter attack, recaptured the whole of the Mont de Lille, and established posts on the Bailleul-Armentieres Road. When darkness closed in, the curious position was that while the enemy were in Bailleul, the Battalions were on the far side. The famous Alpine Corps of the German Army had carried out their attack, and as soon as it was dark they pushed out patrols. The patrols put up Verey lights, fired their machine guns, and then rushed up in V-shaped formations, which had a disconcerting effect on the mixed units which were endeavouring to dig a fresh line, and by these means over a mile of ground was gained by the enemy. Eventually the Division telephoned through to say that a fresh line had been occupied by the 14th Brigade just South of St. Jans-Cappel, and that the 176th were to return to Locre. This was easier said than done, as by this time enemy patrols were well beyond Brigade Headquarters, and it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe. Fortunately, I had two machine guns with me at my farm, and by a simple stratagem of firing two belts in the air the wind was put up the Bosche, and it kept him quiet while we got away. The 147th asked for a Battalion, so I left the 5th North and the T.M. Battery, who next day did a specially good work firing on a farm at which the enemy were concentrating preparatory to a fresh attack. April 19th found the Brigade at Jock Camp, International Corner.”
www.amazon.co.uk/59th-Division-1915-1918-U-Bradbridge/dp/...
Mildly photoshopped to minimise impact of damage present on the original image.
Percival Pembroke WV-740 (G-BNPH)
Military history
WV-740 that was rolled off the Hunting production line at Luton on March 2nd 1955. Built to Air Ministry contract 6/AIR/6847/CB5(a) of June 5th 1951, she was given construction number K66/027, also quoted as P66/41 which would tie in with the issue of the RAF batch of serial numbers (WV-699 to WV-740). She flew for the first time on March 12th 1955 and was delivered to Number 9 Maintenance Unit at RAF Cosford on March 14th 1955, and allocated to the Middle East Air Force on April 15th. Arriveing at RAF Khormaksar, Aden on April 20th she joined the Aden Protectorate Support Flight. On December 20th 1956, WV740 was damaged in a Category 3R accident, repaired, and joined Number 84 Squadron at Khormaksar on January 22nd 1957. It was not long before trouble occurred again, and she was badly damaged in a further Category 3R accident on May 30th 1957. She moved into the repair shops of the Aden Repair Squadron on June 1st, and rejoined the Station Flight at RAF Khormaksar on December 3rd, before being transferred to Number 78 Squadron in Aden on June 13th 1958, before flying off to RAF Eastleigh in Nairobi, where she joined the Station Flight on December 15th 1958. Just under a year later, on November 27th 1959, she made the long ferry flight home to UK where she entered a period of storage at Number 5 Maintenance Unit based at RAF Kemble, where she remained until September 28th 1961. She then joined the Metropolitan Communication Squadron at RAF Northolt. Through the next five years she spent her life with various communications flight in UK, being with Bomber Command Communications Squadron at Booker on May 1st 1962, Number 5 Maintenance Unit at Kemble on June 6th, the Maintenance Command Communications and Ferry Squadron August 9th 1962. With the latter organisation, she met with a further Category 3R accident on February 20th 1963 and was repaired on site by personnel of Number 60 Maintenance Unit for a week before being returned to the Maintenance Command Communications Squadron. The highlight of this period of her life occurred on June 26th 1963 when she flew Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to Gatwick. She was transferred to the Western Command Communications Squadron at
RAF Andover on April 1st 1964 and was loaned to the Ministry of Aviation on February 15th 1965 before being returned to N°5 Maintenance Unit at RAF Kemble on March 24th 1965, then to Andover on May 28th 1965.
On February 13th 1967 she flew eastwards again, and back to her old haunts in Aden when she joined Number 21 Squadron at RAF Khormaksar on February 13th 1967. Her record is not clear, but she must have left Aden later that year with the withdrawal of the British presence, and probably moved with N°21 Squadron to RAF Muharraq at Bahrain. Whatever the case, she was one of the fourteen aircraft chosen to be resparred, and she was returned to the British Aircraft Corporation at Luton on March 8th 1971. Making her first flight after this major work on June 16th 1971, she flew to Wisley in Surrey and was then returned through N°5 Maintenance Unit at Kemble to N°21 Squadron at RAF Andover on June 24th 1971 serving with this unit for five years.
Returning to Number 5 Maintenance Unit for heavy maintenance on March 25th 1976, WV740 was then sent to join the Station Flight (Dragon Airlines) at RAF St Athan on July 30th. On March 29th 1978, she made the short flight to Germany where she joined Number 60 Squadron at RAF Wildenrath, the airfield where she would spend the rest of her service life, and acquire the German instructions written on her fuselage!
At Wildenrath, she joined five other Pembroke's with this unit, and flew extensively throughout Europe. Carrying many VIP’s as well as completing more mundane tasks, this aircraft was, for a time, the personal aircraft of Air Chief Marshal Sir Dennis Spottiswood. Her record shows that from 10th until 30th March 1981 she was attached to Number 5 Maintenance Unit at RAF Brize Norton for a repaint and interior refurbishment, before returning to RAF Wildenrath where she remained until March 23rd 1987 when she was flown to RAF Shawbury for storage and disposal.
Civilian history
On June 24th 1987, together with her sister ship XK-884, WV740 was purchased by Air Commodore John Allison and moved to RAF Benson for storage. Air Commodore Allison together with Mr Mike Searle placed WV740 on the civil register as G-BNPH. Both aircraft were retained for several years until WV-740 was sold to Mr Richard J.F.Parker in mid-June 1991. Mr Parker, a property developer and aviation enthusiast returned WV-740 to her former splendour, refurbished her interior, and flew her for many years at air displays and for pleasure. The closure of both Leavesden and Hatfield in Hertfordshire in 1994 forced Mr Parker to consider the future of his fleet of vintage aircraft, and with great regret, he offered WV-740 for sale. March 15th 1994 saw WV740 sold to Captain Martin Willing, a Cathay Pacific pilot now retired who lives in Jersey, and she was flown to that lovely location. WV740 continued to fly, and was based mainly at Duxford, where she was operated by Radial Revelation, a company set up to foster the preservation and operation of radial engined aircraft. In 2003 ownership of the aircraft passed to Andrew and Geraldine Dixon at Bournemouth who operated the Pembroke as a personnel transport and air show duties.
During 2011 WV740 was put up for sale and and acquired by Mr Mark Stott in 2012 along with Sea Prince T1 WP321. Now based at MoD St Athan, WV740 is maintained by Horizon Aircraft Services and is available for display, flight training and corporate events.
Crew: Two pilots
Capacity: 8 passengers
Length: 46 ft (14.02 m)
Wingspan: 64 ft 6 in (19.66 m)
Height: 16 ft (4.9 m)
Empty weight: 9,961 lb (4,400 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 13,489 lb (6,124 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Alvis Leonides 127 9-cylinder supercharged radial piston engines, 540 hp (410 kw) each
Maximum speed: 186 mph (300 km/h)
Range: 1,012 nm (1,850 km)
Service ceiling: 7,680 m (22,000 ft)
Sora (GenusMORPH)*
Skin and Shape
Available in Fatpack
12 Skin Tones
Package Includes:
7 Eyebrow options (browless included)
Makeup Kit
Neck blend built in
Hairbase option on skin
*Shape designed for Morph (BOM Regular)
Exclusive to KUSTOM9
Event round (April 15th to May 10th)
Luna Body Skin
Available for Bodies
Legacy / Maitreya / Reborn / Belleza GenX / Erika / Prima / Khara
15 Skin Tones
Available Styles
Curvy/ Fit / Slim
Each Style Pack has Add Ons:
Breasts: Classic / DDcup / Natural / PushUp / Saggy
2 Beauty Marks / Big Areola / Freckles / 2 - Neck Blend / 2 Nipples /
2 -Pubic / 2 - Pussy / Small Kenees / Smooth Ellbow / Spine / Thigh Crease / 2 - Veins
Available in store
Early 1943: Serial number 9531 was manufactured in Long Beach and delivered to the Army Air Force as USAAF 42-23669
May 20th, 1943. 9531 was transferred to the Royal Air Force, ferried to England, and assigned to RAF no 24 Squadron at RAF Hendon near London. The Squadron Badge is shown on the left. The motto is translated by the Brits as “In all things prepared,” but Yanks would go for the breezier “Ready for Anything.” The RAF serialled it as FD879. The mission of 24 Squadron was VIP transport for the Royal Family and leaders of state, and it was conveniently based at Hendon in North London, now the site of the RAF Museum. Its squadron codes were NQ and U. It follows that there is every possibility that FD879 flew members of the Royal Family as well as Winston Churchill, since that was the single role assigned the four Dakotas assigned to 24 Squadron. Previous owners of the “Flabob Express” claim they have seen the original RAF log books showing flights with Sir Winston Churchill and Princess Margaret as passengers.
July 1st 1943: FD879 was ferried to India where it served with Air Command South East Asia Communication Squadron. Here it serves as the personal aircraft of General Auchinleck who earlier had fought Rommell in North Africa. General Auchinleck (later Field Marshall Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck) named FD879 ‘Orion”
Jan.14, 1947: Upon Auchinleck’s retirement, FD879 was reassigned to India Communication Squadron, RAF.
Aug 14, 1947: Removed from RAF service and assigned to number 6 Squadron, Pakistani Air Force.
April 2nd 1952: Purchased by Lee Mansdorf, shipped by sea to the US. Registered in the US as N2701A.
Later sold to D.W. Connor who registered it as N42F.
1954: Modified as an executive transport by Remert Warner of St. Louis Missouri.
Nov 7th, 1955: Imported to Canada, registered as C-FIKD. Purchased by T. Flahieff.
Sept. 30th 1958: Executive transport for Ontario Paper Company.
April 15th 1965: Sold to Dominion Tar & Chemical Co. Ltd., Montreal.1
August 10th 1967; Sold to Laurentide Aviation Ltd, Montreal.2
Feb. 19th 1971: Sold to Eden Air of Canada.
December 1971
to June 1976: Winnepeg, Canada where it becomes derelict on the ramp.
1984: Purchased and returned to flight by Ilford-Riverton Airways of Canada, a regional carrier in Northwest Canada. Later sold to Air Manitoba another regional carrier out of Winnepeg.
1993: Imported to the US as N103NA and now flying from Flabob Aiport as the “Flabob Express
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durham_Light_Infantry
The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and the 106th Regiment of Foot (Bombay Light Infantry) along with the Militia and Volunteers of County Durham.
The regiment served notably in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II, the Korean War and the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. During times of peace it had duty in India, China, West Germany and Cyprus.
In 1968, the regiment was amalgamated with the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry, the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and the King's Shropshire Light Infantry to form The Light Infantry, which again amalgamated in 2007 with the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment and the Royal Green Jackets to form a new large regiment, The Rifles, which continues the lineage of the regiment.
Formation
See also: List of battalions of the Durham Light Infantry
As part of the Cardwell and Childers Reforms of the British Army's regiments, in 1881 the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and the 106th Regiment of Foot (Bombay Light Infantry) became the 1st and 2nd battalions of the Durham Light Infantry. Both already had their depots at Sunderland Barracks in Sunderland, as was the Brigade Depot (No. 3). The militia battalions – the 1st Durham Fusiliers and 2nd North Durham Militia – became the 3rd and 4th battalions of the new regiment, with their depots in Barnard Castle and Durham City. The five Volunteer Force battalions of Durham Rifle Volunteers – the 1st to 4th Administrative battalions of the Durham Rifle Volunteers and the 3rd Durham Rifle Volunteer Corps – became the 1st to 5th Volunteer battalions.
A new regimental badge was to be worn, a Tudor rose, this was never worn on any article of clothing, but did appear on the colours until 1934. Instead the light infantry bugle horn was modified with a crown and the regiment's abbreviation.
The system was designed to permit one regular battalion of a regiment to be stationed at home, providing trained recruits for the other on overseas service.
History
1881–99
On formation of the regiment the 1st Battalion was in India at Meerut and the 2nd Battalion was in Ireland at Dublin. The elements of the new regiment still maintained a separate and independent existence, as they had since being grouped together in 1873, however the introduction of shorter service (six years, then another six in the reserves) and the increase in cross posting of officers in the linked regular and Militia battalions, increased the assimilation into a single regiment.
In August 1882 the 2nd Battalion was sent to the garrison the Mediterranean, being split between Gibraltar and Malta, it was reunited in March 1883 at Gibraltar.
In 1884, the Depot moved from Sunderland to Fenham Barracks in Newcastle upon Tyne which it shared with the Northumberland Fusiliers as there was no suitable site near Durham City "which could not be relied upon as not being undermined". The move was not popular as it took the Depot out of the County, it was not to return until 1939, when it was transferred to Brancepeth Castle.
In 1885 the 2nd Battalion was transferred to Egypt to take part in the Mahdist War and was employed with the force under General Stephenson to repel attacks on the railway between Wadi Halfa and Akasha, fighting at the Battle of Ginnis. After the battle, while securing one of the Arab's nuggers (supply boats), an Arab child of about two years was found by the battalion's mounted infantry. Brought back and baptised as James Francis Durham (Jimmy Durham) he would enlist with the regiment and become a corporal of buglers before dying in August 1910. In January 1887, the 2nd Battalion sailed from Suez to India, while in March, the 1st Battalion returned from there to Britain.
While in India, the 2nd Battalion came to dominate the Indian polo scene, winning 17 tournaments against "rich men's regiments" and cavalry regiments. In 1897 and 1898, it assisted in combating outbreaks of the plague in Poona and Bombay.
Second Boer War
The 1st battalion was dispatched from Britain to South Africa to take part in the Second Anglo-Boer War, arriving in November 1899, after local forces had been besieged in Mafeking, and the British forces stationed there had been surrounded in the town of Ladysmith The battalion was involved in General Redvers Buller's unsuccessful attempts to approach Ladysmith across the Teluga river, in reserve for the Battle of Colenso, launching diversionary attacks to the east of Spion Kop, and in early February attacked Vaal Krantz with the battalion taking two hills of the ridge, before the position was abandoned. The battalion was in a supporting role for the Relief of Ladysmith and took little part in the offensive that ended with the annexation of the Transvaal in September 1900.
The war now became one of guerilla raids by the Boers against the British forces and their lines of communication. The battalion was deployed guarding a section of railway line in the Transvaal, while sending two platoon sized units to the mounted infantry. During this time the battalion was joined or reinforced by other units from the regiment. One company from the 2nd battalion came from India in January 1900 and formed part of the Burmah Mounted Infantry, seeing action at Sanna's Post.
The 3rd and 4th battalions were embodied and also served in South Africa. The 3rd arriving in February 1900, where it guarded lines of communications in the Cape Colony and the Orange Free State, escorted convoys and garrisoned Dewetsdorp for 6 months. The 4th arrived in February 1902 and was split into detachments serving in many places, and a mounted infantry company, which escorted convoys. Almost 800 officers and men of the 4th battalion returned to the United Kingdom on the SS Roslin Castle in September 1902, following the end of the war, and returned to Newcastle for disembodiment.
The volunteer battalions supplied contingents to form three special service companies, reinforcing the 1st battalion, which served individually from March 1900 to April 1902.
Pre First World War
The 1st battalion and the company from the 2nd left South Africa for India on the SS Assaye at the end of October 1902, and on 15 November both battalions met at Calicut, before the 2nd battalion, which had been guarding Boer prisoners, left for Britain. The 1st battalion was stationed at Wellington in Madras Presidency.
In 1908, as part of the Territorial Forces Act, the 3rd and 4th battalions exchanged numbers and were recast as the 3rd (Reserve) and 4th (Extra Reserve) battalions in a draft finding role. The 1st to 5th Volunteer battalions were renumbered as the 5th to 9th battalions Durham Light Infantry of the Territorial Force. The 5th formed part of the York and Durham Brigade and the 6th–9th battalions formed the Durham Light Infantry Brigade of the Northumbrian Division (eventually the 150th (York and Durham) Brigade and 151st (Durham Light Infantry) Brigade respectively of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division when the territorial formations were given numbers in May 1915). The 5th Battalion was based at Paradise Row in Stockton-on-Tees, while the 6th Battalion was based at Union Street in Bishop Auckland, the 7th Battalion was based at Livingstone Road in Sunderland, the 8th Battalion was based at Gilesgate in Durham and the 9th Battalion was based Burt Terrance in Gateshead (all since demolished). In 1911, the 1st battalion took part in the Delhi Durbar, receiving new colours from the King.
First World War
During the First World War, the D.L.I. expanded to 42 battalions, comprising two Regular, two Militia, 17 Territorial (1st, 2nd and 3rd line, some never completed) and 21 service and other types (some short lived), with 22 seeing active service overseas – on the Western Front (at Ypres, Loos, Arras, Messines, Cambrai, the Somme and Passchendaele), in Italy, Egypt, Salonika and India. Some battalions were part of the Army of occupation in Germany after the War. In addition, ten battalions of County Volunteers were raised under the terms of the 1859 Volunteer act.
Deaths of NCOs and other ranks in the DLI in World War One
The regiment earned 59 battle honours and won six Victoria Crosses, but at the cost of 12,006 dead NCOs and other ranks. When officers are included this rises to approximately 12,530 – the 10th highest of any of the infantry regiments of the British Army.
When War was declared, the 1st battalion was in India part of the Nowshera Brigade, 1st (Peshawar) Division, and was one of only eight of 52 British Army regular infantry battalions to remain in India. When volunteers for drafts to fight in France were called for, 880 out of 900 responded. The 2nd battalion was in Whittington Barracks, assigned to the 18th Brigade of the 6th Division. The Territorial battalions had been withdrawn early from their summer training camp to their home mobilisation stations.
1914
The 6th Division reached France on 10–11 September as part of the British Expeditionary Force. By this time the German Army's advance had been halted on the Marne and pushed back to beyond the Aisne. The 6th Division was dispersed among the units of the BEF holding the line on the ridge of the Chemin des Dames, with 2nd battalion the penultimate battalion on the right of the line. On 20 September the Germans attacked the junction of the British and French forces but were held; in this introduction to the war the 2nd battalion lost in one day almost as many men as the 1st battalion lost in the whole of the Boer War. The Allies and the Germans now began a series of moves to try and outflank each other resulting in a northwards movement called the Race to the Sea. Rejoining the rest of the division in early October during this northward movement the 2nd battalion fought at the Battle of Armentières, dispersed in companies to reinforce other units to the south-east of Armentiers. By the end of October when it was withdrawn from the front, the 2nd battalion had lost over 80% of its original complement killed or wounded.
On 16 December, the 18th battalion (a Pals battalion) became the first New Army battalion to come under enemy fire when two companies on coastal defence duty at Hartlepool suffered five dead and 11 wounded when the town came under fire from the battlecruisers SMS Derfflinger, SMS Von der Tann and SMS Blucher.
1915
After the failure of British attacks at Neuve Chapelle and the French in Champagne, the Germans attacked at the Second Battle of Ypres on 22 April. By this time the territorial battalions of the regiment had just landed in France with the 50th (Northumbrian) Division on 17–18 April. Without any 'nursery' period the brigades of the Division were deployed as needed in the northern part of the salient around St Julian and the Gravenstafl Ridge. Repeated German attacks throughout late April and May forced a withdrawal toward Ypres. Between 25 and 27 April, the 8th battalion was reduced to the effective strength of one company after being enfiladed at Boetleer's Farm with the 8th Canadian battalion and is credited with saving the flank of the 85th Brigade. In late May, the 5th, 7th, 8th and 9th battalions were part of the forces that slowed the German assault on the Bellewaarde Ridge the last battle of Second Ypres. Due to its losses, in June, the 8th battalion was merged with the 6th battalion to form the 6th/8th Composite battalion, which separated back into its components in August after reinforcement.
The first of the service battalions of the New Army, the 10th battalion of the 43rd Brigade, 14th (Light) Division and the 11th battalion which were pioneers of the 20th (Light) Division, arrived in France in May and July respectively. The 7th battalion was converted to the (50th) Division pioneer battalion on 16 May 1915.
In July, the 41st Division was in the line in the Ypres salient at the chateau of Hooge, where the Germans held the house and the allies the stable block, just north of the Menin road. On 30 July, the Germans used Flamethrowers, which threw back the 41st Brigade and pushed the front line south back to Zouave and Sanctuary Woods. The 6th Division was tasked to retake the old line of late July. The now reinforced 2nd battalion had to face a 500-yard advance paralleling the German line before reaching its objective. In the early hours of 9 August, together with the 1st K.S.L.I. on its left, the battalion overran the German trenches at bayonet point and re-established the British line on the north of the Menin road at a cost of nearly 200 dead and 270 wounded. Praise was received from the brigade, Division, corps and Army commanders and Sir John French commander of the BEF said of the assault it was "...one of the best conducted of the smaller operations of the campaign".
Four more service battalions arrived in France, the 12th and 13th of the 68th Brigade of the 23rd Division in late August and the 14th and 15th of the 64th Brigade of the 21st Division in early September.
The 21st and 24th Divisions were chosen as part of the reserve for the Battle of Loos despite being newly arrived in France and having had comparatively little training. After a long night march, dawn found the battalions between Loos and Hulluch with a German redoubt on Hill 70 to their right. Over the course of the day, both essentially untrained battalions attacked a total of five times unsupported by artillery but were beaten back. The 14th battalion lost 294 killed and wounded, the 15th 642. In late November, the 14th battalion joined the 2nd in the 18th Brigade of 6th Division.
On 4 November, the regiment won its first VC of the war when Pte Thomas Kenny of the 13th battalion rescued a wounded officer.
1916
The arrival of service battalions of the regiment continued: the 19th battalion (Bantams) in the 106th Brigade of the 35th Division on 29 February, the 20th battalion (Wearsiders) in the 123rd Brigade of the 41st Division and the 22nd battalion which landed on 16 June attached to the 19th (Western) Division, but quickly transferred to the 8th Division as Division pioneers. The 18th battalion (Pals) had arrived in March from Egypt where it had garrisoned the Suez Canal at Qantara as part of 93rd Brigade of the 31st Division.
The Somme
The Somme offensive was originally planned, earlier in the year, as a joint British-French offensive but due to the increasing pressure on the French at Verdun was fought in part to relieve that pressure without much of the expected French support. General Haig felt that he lacked sufficient artillery and that many of the New Army Divisions were not yet fully trained but was pressured into starting the offensive at the start of July.
The regiment had two battalions in action on the first day of the Somme, 1 July, the 18th (31st Division) opposite Serre and the 15th (21st Division) north of Fricourt. The 15th battalion, aided by its Division artillery's used of a rolling barrage, captured the German front line trenches and pressed on, until by the afternoon the battalion advanced an additional 600 yards to the edge of Shelter Wood, beating off a counterattack until relieved that night. Casualties amounted to 440 officers and other ranks.
The planned advance of D company of the 18th battalion that morning was overlooked by German forces in the ruins of Serre and together with the other assaulting troops of the first wave suffered grievous losses and gained no ground. The retaliatory German shelling virtually destroyed the front line and communication trenches and the remaining companies of the 18th and other battalions were ordered to prepare a defence in case of counterattack. They remained in these shattered trenches, attempting to repair them and rescuing the wounded from no-mans land, under at times intense bombardment, until relieved during the night of 4 July. When reassembled the battalion had 14 officers and 357 men, having lost 58% of its strength killed and wounded.
British tactics now changed; instead of attacks aiming for deep penetrations, smaller objectives were set, the first at Bezantin Ridge on 14 July. The 12th and 13th battalions fought between Poziers and Martinpuich up to the end of July, the 19th although only in a supporting role, had still lost more than 250 officers and men near Guillemont at the end of July, the 10th fought in Delville Wood in August, and the 11th, a pioneer battalion, was fighting in the trenches near Ginchy in early September.
The next objective was on a 10-mile front between the villages of Flers and Courcelette in mid September. The 2nd and 14th battalions were part of the attack that took the Quadrilateral strong point near Ginchy. The territorials and the 10th, 15th and 20th battalions were also involved in this phase, with the 5th battalion having only 92 officers and men fit by 19 September. Le Transloy ridge was the next target in the increasingly wet autumn, this involved the 2nd battalion, the 6th, 8th (temporarily joined with the 1/5th Borderers) and 9th territorials and the 12th and 13th service battalions. These last two captured the village of Le Sars in what the Official History called "...the striking success of the day." The territorials were again involved in the last assault of the Somme offensive, on the Butte de Warlencourt, the 1/6th, 1/8th and 1/9th losing between them nearly 940 officers and men killed, wounded or missing for no gain.
In early November the 2/5th and the 2/9th battalions consisting of category B fitness men separately embarked for Salonika and the front against Bulgaria.
1917
Arras
The attack along the line at Arras, starting on 9 April was intended as a diversion for the French attack at Nivelle. In the first phase of the attack, the 10th battalion had advanced ~4000 yards through the Hindenburg trench system until relieved on the night of 10 April. The 15th battalion also fought on the first day taking the front line trench (at ~1,000 yards) but being held up afterwards. The territorial battalions were in action in mid and late April south of the village of Guemappe.
In the coalfields of Lens the 2nd and 14th battalions fought the Germans over a feature called 'Hill 70' between April and July, adding it as a battle honour to the regiment.
Messines
The set piece battle of Messines was intended to take high ground to the south of Ypres prior to the northern offensive. After an intense bombardment, the explosion of underground mines and following a creeping barrage the 12th and 13th battalions near Hill 60 advanced ~1,000 yards and the 20th battalion starting from St Eloi advanced nearly 4000 yards with fewer losses than previous operations.
Third Ypres
The next battle around the Ypres salient was to clear the Germans from the remaining high ground to the East of the city. The 20th battalion was involved in the first day's attacks on 31 July, advancing alongside the Ypres-Comines canal for the loss of 8 officers and 431 other ranks. The next advance was held up until near the end of August by heavy rains and was directed along the Menin Road, here the 10th battalion attempted to take and hold Inverness Copse losing over half its original strength by 25 August. General Plumer's methodical advance began on 20 September on the Menin Road ridge. The 20th battalion's advance on 21 September was checked after 200 yards, the 13th battalion reached their objective with both battalions losing around 300 men. The third of General Plumer's steps, the Battle of Broodseinde on 4 October involved the 15th battalion on the extreme right of 21st Division, despite being reduced to two composite companies by German heavy bombardment, they advanced south of Polygon Wood achieving the objective of the village of Reutel. When the battalion was relieved on 6 October it was commanded by a Lieutenant and had lost 430 officers and men.
For the remainder of the Third Ypres the regiment's battalions were in reserve positions, the Territorials during Second Battle of Passchendaele, or holding the line, and the 19th battalion (which had ceased to be a 'Bantam' unit in January) at Weidendreft in early November and the 10th battalion at Passchendaele in December. The Pioneer battalions, 11th and 22nd, also served with their respective Divisions (20th and 8th) during the Battle.
Italy
When the Central Powers forced a retreat on the Italian Front at the Battle of Caporetto, 5 British and 2 French Divisions were sent to Italy. The British Divisions contained the 12th and 13th battalions (23rd Division) and the 20th battalion (41st Division) leaving the Ypres Salient between the end of October and mid November and arriving in at the Italian front between the end of November and early December.[
Cambrai
The Battle of Cambrai was the first successful use of maturing combined arms tactics by the British. On 20 November, the 2nd and 14th battalions of the 6th Division were to pass through the assaulting forces and take the Hindenburg Line support trench; both battalions reached their objective with a total loss of 30 killed or wounded. On the next day, 3 companies from 14th battalion assisted tanks and squadron of cavalry in taking the village of Cantaing (north-west of Marcoing). The advance came to a halt as the Germans brought their reserves into the battle. The 11th battalion had been consolidating the ground behind the 4 mile advance of 20th Division but on 29 November its scattered companies were involved in fighting the German counter-attack on the ridges north of Gouzeacourt. The 14th battalion (together with the 1st battalion Shropshire Light Infantry) was ordered across the Canal du Nord on the night of 2 December to trenches facing Masniere, one of which was only 2–3 feet deep. After beating off one attack they were forced to withdraw back over the canal and over the next few days withdrew to the "Flesquires Line" and, for the British the disappointing end of the Battle.
1918–19
With the Russians out of the war, Germany was able to transfer forces and at last outnumber the Allies on the Western Front before the arrival of the Americans in force. Large numbers of stormtroopers were to be used, together with new artillery tactics. The Allies knew what was in store and began to prepare a defence in depth with varying degrees of effectiveness. As a result of manpower shortages (some politically induced), in February the British Army was reorganised from a four battalion to a three battalion infantry brigade structure, with many infantry battalions being disbanded to strengthen remaining battalions. In this way the 10th and 14th battalions were disbanded, reinforcing the other battalions of the regiment while the 9th was converted to a pioneer battalion and joined the 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division. The 20th battalion returned from Italy to the Western Front with its Division in early March.
German spring offensive
On the first day of the German "Operation Michael" the 2nd battalion was in the front line north of the Bapume-Cambrai road. After losing the two forward companies, the infantry withdrew in the evening mist with the remains of the 1st battalion West Yorkshire Regiment. At dusk on the 22nd, out of an original strength of 30 officers and 639 other ranks, the battalion had two officers and 58 men unwounded with six officers and 286 other ranks wounded. The 11th pioneer battalion was building a supply railway in the 20th Division's rear, in the Saint-Quentin area around Ham. It was scattered during the week long battle, and only a few men regrouped in Amiens at its conclusion. All the regiment's battalions on the Western Front suffered heavy losses as a result of the weight of numbers and new tactics of the Germans. The 18th, 19th and 20th battalions also fought on the Somme. The 9th battalion fought before Bucquoy at the end of March where Pte Young won the V.C. for rescuing 9 men under fire. When relieved on 1 April, the battalion had lost 492 officers and men, and the 15th battalion reduced to one company.
The territorials of the 50th Division, the 5th, 6th and 8th battalions and 7th (Pioneer) battalion were particularly unfortunate, forced into the long retreat on the Somme, they were reinforced by drafts from the graduated battalions and sent to the Ypres salient in April where, after the initial assault they were only saved by the German looting:
I think the only thing that saved us that night was the amount of liquor the Boche found in Estairs and Neuf-Berquin, as I have never heard such a noise in my life as they made singing.
— 5th Battalion officer,
Reduced to a total of a battalion in strength, The 151st Brigade was then sent to the Aisne to recuperate where a third German attack found them on 26 May, 21 days after arriving. The scattered parties were forced back to south of the Marne where eventually the Durham battalions of the 151st Brigade could only muster 103 men of all ranks. Also on the Lys, the 18th battalion fought in retreat south and west around Bailleul and, when taken out of the line on 14 April was formed into a composite battalion with the 15th West Yorkshire Regiment which totalled around 450 men.
The 22nd (Pioneer) battalion fought as infantry on the Aisne on 27 May; after losing 513 officers and men in continual withdrawal, it was absorbed into the 8th Division Composite Battalion. In June, the remains of the 5th, 6th and 8th battalions were reduced to cadre strength and were sent to the Dieppe area while the 7th (Pioneer) Battalion joined 8th Division and absorbed 22nd (Pioneer) Battalion.
The 62nd Division arrived on the eastern flank of the new salient 2 days after the start of the German attack on 17 July. The 9th battalion was used as infantry for the counter-offensive along the Ardre river, and on 20 July fought through thick woods and captured the village of Cuitron on 22 July at a cost of 294 officers and men killed wounded and missing.
Hundred Days Offensive
The German offensive had petered out without the decisive breakthrough that was desired and the German high command knew that the allies would respond, knowing of the German losses, and bolstered by the arrival of the Americans and the reinforcement of the British and French making up for some of the losses from the spring offensive. The first blow fell on 8 August at Amiens in which the regiment had no part. This signalled the beginning of a general advance of the five British Armies through Picardy on 21 August and Flanders on 28 September, four of which contained battalions from the regiment.
The remaining battalions of the regiment participated in this advance being joined in France by the 2/6th battalion in May as part of the 177th brigade of the 59th Division, the 29th battalion reinforcing the 41st Brigade of the 14th Division and the 13th battalion returning from Italy in September to join the 74th brigade in the 25th Division.
On the Somme with the Third Army the 15th battalion made a night advance of over 3,000 yards on 23/24 August and fought again on the Hindengurg Line in mid September. In the Fourth Army the 2nd battalion attacked the Hindenburg Line near St Quentin over terrain that was "...a bare, glacis-like slope devoid of cover..." and lost over 300 men for only 200 yards gained. The 13th battalion attacked the reserve line of the Hindenburg system on 6 October near Villers-Outreaux, with the 15th battalion attacking the same day a few miles to the North. In Flanders, the clearing of the German's spring salient and subsequent advance over the battlefields of the last four years at Ypres was shared by the 18th, 19th, 20th, 2/6th and 29th battalions. The 29th battalion's only battle was the crossing of the Lys near Comines on 15 October. The 2/6th fought on the Premesques ridge and went on with the Division to cross the Scheldt. The 2nd, 13th and 15th battalions took part in the final advance across the Selle and Sambre rivers, the 15th having to drive out the Germans at Limont-Fontaine at bayonet point losing 127 men on 7 November.
Italy
The British Divisions were deployed between Lake Garda and the Piave River, however in February, the 41st Division with the 20th battalion was returned to the Western Front. In June the Austrians launched the Battle of the Piave River with the 12th and 13th battalions facing the northern pincer which made no progress against the British, the two battalions losing six dead and 61 wounded during the day. The 13th battalion returned to the Western Front in September. At the end of October, the 12th battalion took part in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto assaulting across the Piave River before being relieved on 30 October.
Macedonia
Initially both 2/5th and 2/9th battalions were employed on guard duties in and around Salonika where the 2/9th battalion remained until the end of the War. In March 1917 the 2/5th battalion was brigaded into the independent 228th Brigade and sent into the line west of Lake Butkovo. There it stayed until the Bulgarian armistice on 1 October 1918 when it began to advance with the brigade under Greek command. When the Turkish armistice was signed on 31 October the battalion was sent with the 2/5th battalion Seaforth Highlanders to occupy the ports of Varna and Burgas. While overseas the battalion lost two men from wounds but 21 from disease.
Russia
The 2/7th battalion joined the Allied Intervention in Russia in Archangel, Northern Russia as a garrison battalion, arriving on 7 October 1918. It did not see action and was withdrawn in January 1920.
Army of Occupation
In November and December, the 2nd and 9th battalions were among the British forces that marched to the Rhine as part of the Army of Occupation. In early 1919 the 51st and 52nd (Graduated) battalions together with the 20th battalion formed the 3rd Northern Brigade of the Northern Division with the 53rd battalion, reduced to cadre, supplying reinforcements; all were based in Cologne.
India
The 1st battalion remained in India throughout the First World War, suffering a continual drain of drafts for the Western Front. In August 1914 it was part of the Nowshera Brigade of the Peshawar Division, and served on the North West Frontier in 1915, and 1916–17 in campaigns against the Mohmands. The battalion was in Rawalpindi in 1919 at the outbreak of the Third Anglo-Afghan War in which it played a mostly supporting role. Demobilising its time expired men, a cadre of the battalion returned to Britain in February 1920.
Inter-war
By 1920, the service battalions had been disbanded with their King's colours laid up in Durham Cathedral except for the 20th battalion's at the parish church of Bishopwearmouth.
The 1st battalion was reformed with drafts from the 3rd (the last act of the Militia) and left for Germany, still understrength, in March 1921 for duty in Upper Silesia, returning to Britain in July 1922. The battalion spent 3 years in Egypt again returning to Britain in April 1930. Joining the 6th Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division it took part in experiments in infantry mechanisation. It was then sent to Shanghai arriving in November 1937, reinforced by personnel from the 2nd battalion at Port Sudan. In October 1938 the battalion moved to Tientsin and was there when Britain declared war against Germany.
The 2nd battalion returned to Britain from Germany in April 1919 as a cadre; the battalion reformed and was sent to Batoum in South Russia in October 1919 to police territorial terms of the Armistice. In July 1920 it was sent to the Izmit in Turkey to police the terms of the Turkish armistice until November. From here they went to India and in February 1927 were deployed to Shanghai to protect the International Settlement. Returning to India in August, it fought against the Mahsuds, relieving the post of Datta Khel in May 1930. The battalion arrived back in Britain in November 1937 after a few months in Egypt, replacing the 1st battalion in the 6th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
In February 1920 the Territorial Force was re-raised and later in the year renamed the Territorial Army. In the 1930s as part of the growing realisation of the threat of air power, numbers of territorial battalions were converted to an air defence role, either as Anti-Aircraft gunners or search light regiments, in this way the D.L.I. lost the 5th and 7th battalions. These units were no longer a part of the Regiment.
Second World War
During the Second World War the D.L.I. raised 15 battalions, two Regular, six 1st and 2nd line Territorial (one renamed and transferred to another regiment), and the remainder war formed (mostly so called 'Dunkirk' battalions), with 10 seeing active service overseas in France, Burma, North Africa, Italy, and France and Germany. The low number of battalions raised compared to the First World War was due to the increasing specialisation of a more mechanised army and its associated support requirements. Additionally, twenty six battalions of the Home Guard wore the D.L.I. cap badge.
After the war Field Marshal Montgomery was to write,
Of all the infantry regiments in the British Army, the DLI was one most closely associated with myself during the war. The DLI Brigade [151st Brigade] fought under my command from Alameim to Germany ...It is a magnificent regiment. Steady as a rock in battle and absolutely reliable on all occasions. The fighting men of Durham are splendid soldiers; they excel in the hard-fought battle and they always stick it out to the end; they have gained their objectives and held their positions even when all their officers have been killed and condition were almost unendurable.
The remaining first line territorial battalions once again formed the 151st Infantry Brigade of the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division, initially a two brigade motorised Division. The territorials again raised second line battalions now numbering them sequentially, 10th, 11th and 12th battalions, these were now part of 70th Infantry Brigade of the 23rd (Northumbrian) Division the 2nd line copy of the 50th Division. The 12th battalion was named as a Tyneside Scottish unit and on 31 January 1940 the battalion left the regiment to become 1st battalion, Tyneside Scottish of the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment).
When the War broke out the 1st battalion was in China at Tientsin, the 2nd battalion at Woking in the 2nd Infantry Division and the territorial battalions had already begun to form their 2nd line.
France 1940
The 2nd battalion arrived in France with the 2nd Infantry Division as part of the BEF in late September 1939 and was quickly deployed on the border with Belgium. The 151st brigade arrived in late January 1940 with 50th Division, with training still to be completed for some men, and moved up to the border at the end of March. The second line battalions (and the Tyneside Scottish) arrived in the part trained 23rd Division in early April, with no artillery or mortars and a reduced rear echelon with orders to complete their training and construct airfields. In the 70th brigade, 1400 men had not fired a Bren gun and 400 had not completed the war course with the rifle.
When the Germans attacked on 10 May the 2nd battalion had moved into Belgium to the River Dyle by late on the 11th, 151st brigade was to be held in reserve. On the Dyle, the 2nd battalion held the Germans for two days until ordered to withdraw on 16 May, with Lt Annand winning the Army's first V.C. of the War. The 151st brigade was ordered to move forward to the River Dendre on 16 May, only to begin to fall back on the 18th.
In an attempt to delay the German armoured thrust, the rear echelon, including 70th brigade, was ordered into its path. After a series of marches and counter marches that began on 13 May the brigade, on 20 May, was spread along the roads south of Arras travelling west. Here they were ambushed by German armour, without heavy weapons their defence became a series of isolated and confused company actions. At St Pol the next day the brigade headquarters, the survivors of the three battalions and some engineers amounted to 14 officers and 219 other ranks, joined by other stragglers in the next few days they total ~800 men. On the claim that the action south of Arras delayed the German advance by five hours, the official history states:
It is a modest estimate of what these two Territorial Divisions did to damage and delay the enemy's forces. But it may perhaps be accepted, with this important rider – at this time every single hour's delay was of incalculable service to the rest of the British forces in France.
The remains were formed into "Marleyforce" and as such it reached Dunkirk to be evacuated on 31 May.
On 20 May, 151st brigade, after a series of marches west and south, was chosen as part of the Arras counter-attack. The 6th and 8th battalions were to support the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiments respectively, with the 9th battalion in reserve. After initial successes to the west of Arras the Germans counter-attacked, and the British forces were withdrawn to Vimy Ridge. The brigade was then ordered north on 25 May to plug the gap of the impending Belgian surrender. To do this it had to extract itself from fighting on the Le Bassee Canal, the 8th battalion having to recapture the village of Carvin north of the canal, and only on the 27th could the brigade move north following the rest of 50th Division to Ypres.
The 2nd Division had been sent to man 21 miles of the western side of the Dunkirk corridor with the 2nd battalion positioned near St. Venant. From 24 to 27 May the Division held off attacks by four Panzer Divisions (3rd, 4th, 7th and S.S. Totenkopf), ending with over 70% of the Division becoming casualties and the massacre of 97 men of the 2nd battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment at La Paradis. When the 2nd battalion reformed in Britain after evacuation from Dunkirk on the night of 29 May it consisted of the remains of D company and the battalion's B echelon, stragglers and convalescents, some 180 men.
Arriving at Ypres 151st brigade was almost immediately forced back, and the retreat to the Dunkirk perimeter began. By 30 May the brigade was entrenched between the Bergues and Ringsloot canals and reinforced by some remnants from 70th Brigade, after repulsing German attacks on the 31st, the brigade embarked for Britain from the Dunkirk mole late on 1 June.
Iceland
British forces had invaded Iceland in May 1940, and in October, the 10th Battalion arrived followed by the rest of 70th Brigade a month later replacing 148th Brigade in 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division. While there the division used the empty terrain of the island to train using live ammunition, the 70th brigade left in December 1941.
North Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean 1940–43
The 1st battalion left China and arrived in North Africa in January 1940 The battalion played a supporting role in Lieutenant-General O'Connor's offensive in December except for a composite company which advanced as far as Sidi Barani. It joined the 22nd Guards Brigade in January 1941 and trained for amphibious operations at Qassassin, only to be returned to the desert in March when Erwin Rommel counter-attacked. Counter attacking at Halfaya Pass the battalion used primitive motorised tactics and communications (flag signals), the attack failed and the battalion lost more than half its strength including the whole of D company. In June the reinforced battalion was deployed as part of the take-over of Vichy controlled Syria, but in October 1941 it moved back to North Africa as part of the rotation of forces in the besieged Tobruk garrison. Here they patrolled and raided the German and Italian lines, and in early December extended the perimeter near El-Adem as part of the lifting of the siege.
Meanwhile, 50th Division with 151st Brigade had been sent to the Middle-east arriving early July 1941 and at the end of the month deployed to Cyprus to improve the islands defences. From there the 50th Division was sent to Palestine in November and then on to Irbil in Iraq to be part of the forces to meet an anticipated German advance from southern Russia.
In January 1942 the 1st Battalion was moved to garrison Malta, returning to North Africa in June 1943 after losing only a few men to air attack.
In February 1942 the 50th Division was recalled to the Western Desert and the British Eighth Army and found itself on the Gazala line. For some months the Durham battalions patrolled no mans land disrupting and stealing German and Italian supply lines in front of them, 'commerce raiding' and then attacking the supply columns for Rommel's armoured thrust which began the Gazala on 27 May. The Division's 150th brigade was forced to surrender on 1 June and Axis forces were now west, south and east of the remaining brigades. Forming columns most of the 6th and 8th battalions broke out west through Italian then German lines on the night of 14/15 June, then travelled south past the German armoured thrust and east to the Egyptian border. The 9th battalion and a party from the 6th were forced to take the coastal route after the Italians and Germans had been alerted to the western breakout and fought through German positions west of Tobruk, they were reunited with the rest of the division on 16 June. After the fall of Tobruk the division was now placed on an escarpment south of the town of Mersa Matruh and on 27 June held attacks by the German 90th Light Division during which Pte A H Wakenshaw won a posthumous V.C. but after which the 9th battalion positions were isolated and overrun with only the headquarters company escaping. The division was ordered to withdraw on 28 June again in column formation but this time over ground broken by wadis. In one of these the 8th battalion lost its D company to a German ambush and the rendezvous point, Fuka, was in German hands leading to the capture of some un-diverted columns. When reassembled the 50th Division was withdrawn behind the Alamein line to rest and reorganise after suffering over 8000 casualties since the start of the Gazala battle.
While behind the lines the 6th, 8th and 9th battalions each contributed a company to a composite battalion for an attack on the southern part of Ruin Ridge on 27/28 July, while the Australians attacked the northern part. Although the position was taken, almost the entire composite battalion was killed or captured by the German counterattack.
The 50th Division returned to the front line on 4 September, and during the first days of the Second Battle of El Alamein stayed in reserve in the southern part of the line. On 28 October, the 151st Brigade was moved north and with the 152nd Brigade came under command of the 2nd New Zealand Division for Operation Supercharge. Early on 2 November the three battalions advanced through the smoke and dust of the bombardment which reduced visibility to 50 yards[184] and facing scattered German resistance reached their objective by the dawn. Here they witnessed the destruction of 9th Armoured Brigade and were subject to German shelling before being relieved on the evening of 3 November, having lost nearly 400 men.
The 50th Division returned to the front line when the Eighth Army reached the Mareth Line in February 1943. On the night of 20/21 March, the 8th and 9th battalions attacked, crossing the wadi and fighting the dug in Italians of the Young Fascist Division, with the 6th battalion the tanks of 50th R.T.R. following The tanks were unable to cross the wadi that night, however the next night after the 6th battalion and the 5th battalion East Yorkshire Regiment reinforced the penetration, some 40 tanks were able to cross. On 22 March the Germans counterattacked with the 15th Panzer Division and the infantry battalions were forced to withdraw, crossing back over the wadi at first light on 23 March. The 6th battalion, which started the battle with a strength of only ~300 of all ranks, was reduced to 65 unwounded men by the end of the battle, the 8th and 9th were in a similar condition. Shortly after the division was withdrawn from the front and sent to Alexandria.
On 3 January 1943 the 16th Battalion landed at Algiers with the 139th Brigade of the 46th Infantry Division, part of the British First Army. It moved into Tunisia it fought at the first battle of Sedjenane, where they were forced to withdraw by 4 March after losing nearly half their number. First Army's offensive was resumed in April and on 22 April, the 16th Battalion attacked the hill of Sidi Barka held by men of the Hermann Goering Division, after gaining a false crest instead of the summit, the battalion held on through mortar bombardment until the Germans pulled out the next night.
With the defeat of the Germans in North Africa the 6th 8th and 9th battalions were withdrawn to Alexandria, reinforced and trained in amphibious techniques for the invasion of Sicily. The 16th Battalion, after taking part in the victory parade in Tunis, was sent to Algiers for training.
In March 1943 a second incarnation of the 18th Battalion was raised at Genefia in Egypt from convalescents of the other D.L.I. battalions as the infantry component of 36th Beach Brick.
Arriving back in Africa in June 1943 the 1st battalion was moved to Syria where it was attached to the 10th Indian Infantry Division. The battalion was chosen to be sent to invade the island of Kos, the first company arriving on 16 September but not until the end of the month was the whole battalion on the island, during which time German bombing was increasing. After 10 days of fighting paratroopers and other German forces the remaining men of the battalion were taken off the island by the SBS on 13 October. The battalion was gradually rebuilt from the 129 officers and men who assembled at Genefia at the end of October, and retrained and reinforced until at full strength by the end of March 1944. In April the battalion was deployed to Alexandria to contain a mutiny by the Greek Brigade, but by the end of the month had set sail for Italy.
Burma 1941–45
The 2nd battalion was sent to India in April 1942 with the 2nd Division, arriving in June. For some months it was trained in Jungle fighting and in amphibious assault methods. Later in that year the 6th brigade was made an independent formation. The brigade fought in the Arakan early 1943 at Donbiak on the Mayu peninsular with the brigade making little progress against strong Japanese positions. It was forced to withdraw when the Japanese cut off the peninsular at Indin bridge, the brigade fought its way out, arriving back in India in May. After more amphibious training in the rest of 1943 and early 1944 the 2nd Division was sent relieve Kohima in April 1944. Here the 2nd battalion fought on Garrison Hill and F.S.D. Ridge in late April and early May while overlooked by the guns of the Japanese on Kuki Piquet. Withdrawn to Diampaur in early May the battalion could only muster three companies of two platoons each. By June the battalion was taking its turn as the lead of the advance, with supporting armour, along the Imphal road, when its 'A' company made contact with the lead elements of the 5th Indian Infantry Division on 22 June and the siege of Imphal was lifted:
Then the tanks spotted more movements away forward where the elephant grass gave way to trees and began to brass it up properly. Soon they stopped. A plaintive message relayed through many sets had reached them: we were brassing up the advanced elements of 5th Indian Division of the beleaguered IVth Corps! Imphal was relieved. We sat alone in the sunshine and smoked and ate. Soon the staff cars came purring both ways. The road was open again. It was a lovely day.
— Sean Kelly O.C. A Company 2nd D.L.I.,
The Division was rested until December when it continued its advance into central Burma encountering light but continual resistance. The 6th brigade was in reserve when Mandaly was taken, after which the battalion was returned to India and reacquainted with its previous amphibious training for the attack on Rangoon, in the event they entered the undefended city on 13 May. The battalion was withdrawn back to India in September 1945 to prepare for occupation duties in Japan.
Sicily, Italy and Greece 1943–45
The 151st brigade was chosen as an assault brigade for the Allied invasion of Sicily on 10 July 1943 with the 6th and 9th battalions leading. Due to poor weather both landed late and in the wrong place but against light resistance. After advancing inland and breaking up attacks from the 54th (Napoli) Division on 12 July, the Durham battalions were ordered to Primosole bridge after its capture by British Paratroopers of the 1st Parachute Brigade arriving on 15 July after a forced march of 25 miles and the paratroopers had been forced from the bridge. After 2 days of ferocious battle against men of the 1st Fallschirmjager Division the bridge was retaken at a cost of 500 casualties to the brigade. After entering Catania on 5 August after the Germans withdrew the advance northward was contested in a landscape of terraced hillsides and stone walls. With the end of resistance in Sicily the brigade rested and was informed it was to return to Britain in October.
The 16th battalion landed in Italy at Salerno as part of British X Corps, attached to US Fifth Army, on 9 September in the second wave, and defended the perimeter of the beach-head until 15 September. The 18th battalion was also part of the landings at Salerno (with two companies) in its role as a beach group. The 16th battalion fought toward, and entered Naples on 6 October, then on 12 October made a silent crossing of the River Volturno reaching its first objective before the Germans noticed. It held the bridgehead it established for 8 days until relieved. The battalion took part in the forcing of the Winter Line, at the end of October at the Bernhardt line, (after which it was reinforced by drafts from the regiment's 70th battalion) and in January 1944 forcing the main Gustav line. In February, the 46th Division was withdrawn for rest and retraining to Egypt and Palestine, where the battalion aided the civil authorities during a riot in Tel-Aviv. Returning to Italy in July, it fought hard on the Gothic Line advancing along the road to Gemmano in early September and crossed the Cosina Canal in November. In December the battalion was sent to Greece as part of the efforts to keep the peace and then to forestall a communist take over. Initially deployed to Athens, a platoon accidentally occupied the Acropolis after turning left instead of right. It became involved in fighting ELAS at Phaleron and in January 1945, Patras. The battalion returned to Italy in April 1945, but did not see action.
Meanwhile, the 1st battalion had returned to Italy in May 1944 where it joined the 10th Indian Infantry Brigade in the 10th Indian Infantry Division and by 19 May was back in the line north of Ortona. Transferred to the Tiber valley in June, it fought toward the Gustav Line until September, then was transferred once more to the Adriatic coast fighting though the Gothic Line when it was relieved in February 1945. Returning to the Adriatic coast in April it crossed the Sillaro on 15 April, the battalion heard news of the Armistice while in billets in Ferrara.
France and Germany 1944–45
The 50th Division with its 151st brigade was withdrawn to Britain in October 1943 to be trained for the Normandy landings, General Montgomery had wanted veteran divisions to be part of the invasion. The news that it was to be an assault division was not universally well received by the other ranks. The brigade landed in the second wave on Gold Beach King sector on which the 18th battalion was also present in its capacity as the infantry of a reserve beach group. Advancing inland they faced the grenadiers of the Panzer Lehr Division in the bocage around St Pierre, Verrieres and Tilley-sur-Seulles throughout mid June.
The 10th and 11th battalions were landed with the 49th Infantry Division on 10 June and were committed to the attempt to outflank Caen. The 70th brigade with support of the tanks of the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry captured Rauray (11th battalion) and the high ground beyond (10th battalion) on 27–28 June. The German counter-attack by troops of II SS Panzer Corps was held by the 11th and Tyneside Scottish battalions after such hard fighting that Lord Haw Haw called the division the Polar Bear Butchers (referencing their formation sign). After some days rest and reinforcement the five D.L.I. battalions in Normandy were briefly together when the 70th brigade relieved the 151st brigade around Tilley-Sur-Seulles on 7 July. Later in the month the brigade was transferred to the east of Caen and covered the right flank of Operation Spring. Advancing to Mezidon on the River Dives after the German defeat at Falaise, the brigade fought its last action on 18 August, after which the brigade (as a second line formation) received news it was to be disbanded to reinforce other units of the Second Army.
The 151st brigade advanced in line with the other advances made by the allies in July and by early August was attacking hills south of St.Pierre la Vielle on what was to become the northern edge of the Falaise pocket. After the break out from Normandy the division crossed the Seine on 29 August and reached the Belgian border on 6 September. After a brief rest in Brussels the brigade was tasked to cross the Albert canal in the wake of the 69th brigade, and take the village of Gheel. After holding a series of counter-attacks the 15th Division entered the village on 12 September without a shot being fired, as the Germans had retreated. In October the division was moved to the 'Island', the low-lying ground between the Wall and the Lower Rhine north of Eindhoven. After a short operation to expand the bridgehead the brigade garrisoned the area in the early winter. In December, due to its heavy losses, the 50th Division was broken up to reinforce other formations, the 6th and 8th battalions were reduced to a training cadres of time expired men and returned to Britain.
The 9th battalion was reinforced and transferred to 7th Armoured Division, 131st Infantry Brigade, as a motorised battalion fighting at the Roer Triangle in January 1945 and the town of Ibbenbüren in March. The battalion ended the war near Hamburg.
The 18th battalion had been serving as lines of communications troops of 21st Army Group, however one company fought the Germans during an attack from besieged Calais in February 1945, the battalion was disbanded at Calais in August 1945.
Home Front 1939–45
Some battalions raised by the regiment were destined not to leave Britain. A Home Defence battalion, the 13th, was formed from the Durham Group (No. 41) National Defence Company in December 1939. It divided in September 1940, producing the 2/13th (Home Defence) battalion which was renamed as the 18th battalion in March 1941. The 1/13th battalion then re-joined the 18th battalion to form the 30th battalion in November 1941 applying the numbering used nationally for 'B' category fitness battalions. In 1942 it was briefly organised as a field force unit (a standard army battalion with 'A' category fitness men), until it was disbanded in November 1942.
After the Army's evacuation from Dunkirk, 60 so called 'Dunkirk' infantry battalions were raised in the country that summer, three of which were D.L.I., the 14th, 16th and 17th battalions. All three were brigaded in the 206th Independent Infantry Brigade initially in Scotland, and then on the South coast of England. The 14th and 17th were used as a source of trained reinforcements to the front line. In June 1943 the 14th battalion was sent to Durham as a rehabilitation unit for convalescing troops and ex-PoWs where it stayed until the end of the war. The 17th, which from September 1942 formed part of 164 Infantry Brigade, 55 Infantry Division,[251] was disbanded in September 1943.
The 15th battalion was raised from the 50th (or 15th [245]) Holding battalion in October 1940 and took up the role of coastal defence. In November 1941 it was converted to an armoured unit as 155th Regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC), retaining the D.L.I. cap badge on the black beret of the RAC.
The 70th (Young Soldiers) battalion was formed in December 1940 at School Aycliffe near Darlington, for men too young for conscription (20 years at the time). Instead of disbanding when the conscription age was lowered to 18 years in 1942 it was chosen to be a demonstration battalion for the G.H.Q. Battle School at Barnard Castle. The battalion was disbanded in August 1943, over 400 of its men being sent overseas.
On their return from the front line in December 1944 the territorial battalion cadres of the 6th and 8th battalions were sent to Yorkshire and were given the task of training service corps soldiers as infantry until the battalions were placed into suspended animation in January 1946.
Post War
Post war, the 1st battalion was active in the Greek Civil War between January 1946 and June 1948, returning to Britain on 23 July 1948. The 2nd battalion was sent to Singapore from November 1945 to January 1947 when it returned to Burma. By March it was conducting operations against dacoits around Maymyo. Demobilisation had reduced the battalion to 30 men when it returned to Singapore in November and it returned to Britain on 18 February 1948 as a cadre.
The 6th, 8th and 9th territorial battalions were reformed as part of the Territorial Army in March 1947, with the 9th battalion being renamed in July 1948 as the 17th battalion, Parachute Regiment.
On 25 September 1948 the remaining cadre of the 2nd battalion was absorbed into the 1st battalion. The battalion served as part of the Allied occupation forces in Germany, stationed in Dortmund in 1949 and Berlin in 1951. The 2nd battalion was reformed in 1952 and was sent to Germany, substituting for the 1st battalion which had been sent to Korea, the battalions re-amalgamated in 1955.
Korea
While in Germany the battalion learned that it was due for a tour of service in Korea, after leave and training in Britain it arrived in September 1952, and was made part of 28th Commonwealth Brigade of the 1st Commonwealth Division part of the United Nations forces in Korea. During its year there up to 50% of its strength was composed of National Servicemen and resulted in a high turnover of men. After initial training in theatre the battalion was first stationed at Neachon (Point 159) in late September, to be greeted by the Chinese by name on arrival (on this and subsequent movement into the front line, as were other battalions). Here it began the never-ending process of attempting to make its trenches clean and habitable, and began patrolling to dominate no-mans-land. In November two trench raids were mounted to try and capture Chinese soldiers, but these were unsuccessful in spite of reaching the Chinese lines due to defensive fire and the extensive use of dugouts by the Chinese in their trench system.
At the end of December in the cold of a Korean winter, the battalion took over and began repairing the trenches at Point 210, and continued patrolling, they were relieved by the Americans at the end of January.
In early April 1953, after being joined by a draft of 94 Korean soldiers who wore British uniform and the D.L.I. cap badge, the battalion relieved the Americans on Point 355, also known as "little Gibraltar" for its steep sides. The battalion continued to patrol vigorously, encountering Chinese patrols on occasion. On the night of 2 July, to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, a patrol from A Company staked out the Royal cypher "EIIR" in red and yellow fluorescent aircraft recognition panels about ten metres below the Chinese forward trenches.
So the first thing we saw at daybreak were these panels that stood out brilliantly. About half way through the morning every 25-pounder gun in the Commonwealth Division began firing red, white and blue smoke on the Chinese lines in front of us. While this was going on, the men in the forward positions jumped on the trench parapets and gave three cheers for Her Majesty. There was some concern that the Chinese might take advantage of the cover provided by the smoke and attack us, but they behaved themselves and probably thought that we were all mad.
— Capt Burini, D.L.I.,
At 22:00 hours 27 July, after continued patrolling and ambushes defending the position in the closing stages of the conflict, the battalion buglers sounded "ceasefire". The battalion had lost 24 dead (including 2 attached Koreans) and three missing and 124 wounded. The battalion left Korea in September.
After the war, Patrick O'Donovan of The Observer, wrote of the soldiers of the D.L.I. he met in the trenches:
...small, cheerful, slightly disrespectful men who were at their best when things were most beastly and who would go home to vote as far left as they could. There was a singular lack of military nonsense about them and yet they were so professional that they made their neighbours, the United States Marines, look [like] amateurs.
— Patrick O'Donovan The Observer,
Post Korea
From Korea the 1st battalion was stationed in Egypt, where buglers from the battalion took part in the unveiling of the El-Alamein Memorial on 24 October 1954. The battalion returned to Britain in June 1955.
In 1955 the 3rd and 4th battalions were finally disbanded; they had been in suspended animation since 1919.
During the Suez Crisis the battalion was flown to Aden on 4 November 1956 for possible deployment to Kuwait. Most of the battalion returned in February 1957, except for one company which assisted in repelling a Yemeni incursion in the Wadi Harib area.
On 17 May 1958 a bicentenary parade was held at Brancepeth Castle in the presence of Princess Alexandria of Kent to commemorate the raising of the regiment. Present were the 1st battalion and one company each from the 6th and 8th battalions as well as their massed bands and bugles, and detachments from the 437th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment R.A. (D.L.I.) T.A. and 463th (7 D.L.I.) Light Anti-Aircraft/Searchlight Regiment R.A. T.A. and the 17th battalion The Parachute Regiment (9 D.L.I.) T.A.. The associated Artillery and Parachute Regiments also provided troops who lined the
Lucy Jackson (Oct.11, 1867-after 1923)
Known as: Princesse Lucie, La Belle Jackson, Bella Jackson
African-American Singer & Dancer
Lucy Thomas, born c. October 1867 (or 1869) in Charleston, South Carolina had no known relatives besides an uncle Richard Brown from Virginia. At some point in the 1880's, young Lucy Thomas relocated to Savannah, Georgia where she met and married Gilbert Jackson on April 19th, 1886 in a ceremony conducted by the Rev. Harry B. Hamilton. Strangely, the couple doesn't appear in the 1890 US Census, in fact neither of them appear in any records except during their wedding.
In the spring of 1895, talent scout and stage manager Billy McClain, with the financial backing of Nate Salsbury (formerly of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show), thought of the idea of exploiting America's slave heritage by romanticizing it into a sort of human zoo. Over 300-400 African-Americans from Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas were hired and transported up to New York (a young Lucy Jackson amongst them) for this massive production. On May 11th, South Brooklyn's Ambrose Park was completely renovated for the show's production, erecting nearly 100 log cabins to accommodate the cast of 400 negroes. A cotton gin was also constructed, bales of cotton, cotton bushes, poultry and livestock were scattered throughout the park.
Opening May 25th, 1895, "Black America" was promoted as outdoor theme-park extravaganza showcasing the American Negro, "from the jungles of Africa to the civilization of America." For six weeks, the production showcased a Baltimore brass band, jubilee singers, acrobats, foot races, buck and wing dances as well as performances from the star of the entire production, Miss Flowers. On July 15th, the show moved up to Boston, performing in a huge tent along Huntington Avenue and performing in parades on major Boston streets for eight successful weeks. Returning to New York on September 16th, the show performed for the remainder of the month at the Winter Garden Theater. The show later moved on to Philadelphia's Grand Opera Theater (Oct.4-Nov.30) and Washington DC's Convention Hall (Oct.22) before finally falling apart. Unfortunately, the show wasn't financially successful and left the directors in debt. The proposed plan to take the show to London was promptly cancelled and Nate Salsbury moved on to produce his latest venture, "Darkest America".
On April 15th, 1896, the remnants of "Black America" (now composed of 25 members) boarded the Erie 8 train from Marion, Ohio heading east to New York, where a ship awaited to take them to Europe. At some point, Bavarian theater director Ludwig Anwander from Schliersee had taken over the show. In September 1895, during his first trip to America, he witnessed the production and offered to take the production to Europe. Arriving in Berlin by May 25th, the show performed throughout the month at a German Exposition. The following month, the show appeared at Leipzig's Theater Hotel Stadt Nurnberg (Jun.1, 1896) possibly for another month's engagement. On July 1st, the show was back in Berlin at the Theater Neu-Berlin before disappearing. It seems they left for Chemnitz, as Lucy files for a passport at the American Consulate on July 8th, presenting her 1886 marriage certificate to the consul as proof of her American origins. Another detail on this passport was inability to sign her name, signing two X's as her signature. Afterwards, the show returned to Berlin, where it played a week at the Belle-Alliance Gardens. In August, for a week, the troupe performed in the port city of Stettin at the Elysium Theater (this time with only 12 members). Around this point, Herr Anwander sold the show to a Russian Impresario before he returned home to Southern Germany.
Crossing into the Russian frontier during the late summer of 1896, the show's new manager arranged two lengthy engagements in St. Petersburg and Moscow, where the show became a popular novelty act before eventually dissolving. Lucy remained in Russia for the next three years.
On January 10th, 1899, after possibly touring around the Russian Empire, Lucy arrived at the American Consulate to apply for a new passport in preparations for a solo European tour. Ten months later, she appeared at Prague's Olympia Theater (Nov.1-15) for two weeks, where she was billed as the Schwarze Schonheit (Black Beauty) from South Africa's Transvaal. Nearby, the young Arabella Fields was appearing at the Etablissement Sykora. The following year, she returned to Prague, appearing as Princess Lucie Jackson at the K.u.K. Hofbrauhaus (May 16-19).
In April 1901, Lucy was in Berlin engaged at the famous Passage-Theater performing German lieder to enthusiastic audiences.
In December 1903, she was performing at Hamburg's Sagbiel Etablissement (Dec.5-23). On December 18th, during this engagement, she visited the American Consulate for a new passport before crossing the border the following month back home into Russia. Strangely, she listed Montreal as her birthplace.
After a possible St. Petersburg engagement, Lucy (now billed as La Belle Jackson) performed the Cake-Walk at Helsinki's Societethuset, also known as the illustrious Seurahuone Hotel (Feb.21-Mar.18, 1904). This was followed by a lengthy Scandinavian tour. In April, she had a month's engagement in Stockholm's Svea Salen Theater (Apr.9-22). In August, she could be seen at Copenhagen's Vennelyst Variete (Aug.24-Sep.9). Established in 1892, the Vennelyst was a large alloment garden in central Copenhagen, dotted with numerous small allotments and cottages, where the Danish working-class could unwind. On August 28th, after a performance, a Danish man, Mr. Woller attempted to grab and kiss Lucy in the streets, which resulted in her beating the man severely according to local newspapers. The duo were seized and taken to the nearest police station before being promptly released. On September 14th, Lucy moved over to the Apollo Teatret (Sep.14-25) beside the Tivoli Gardens on the Vesterbrogade, where she was billed as the Sorte Nattergal (Black Nightingale) for two weeks.
Late-1905, while Russia suffered from the Russo-Japanese War and the 1905 Revolution, Lucy travelled to Austria, appearing at Vienna's Joh. Weigl's Variete (Jul.1, 1905) and Lemberg's Colosseum Hermanow (Nov.8-15) before disappearing altogether.
On December 16th, 1906, Lucy resurfaced in Switzerland, performing as a member of the "Smith and Bella Jackson" duo at Basel's Cardinal Theater. Her new partner, William Henry Smith (Apr.21, 1879) from Philadelphia. Arrived in Europe in 1903 with the "12 Georgia Piccaninnies", Mr. Smith eventually abandoned the troupe sometime in 1906 to join Lucy.
Early 1907, the couple traveled east to Budapest, where they were engaged for a month and a half at the Nemzetkozi Orfeum (Feb.16-Mar.19). On February 16th, they also secured a new passport from the American Legation. On May 18th, they moved over to the Szinhaz Variete. On July 21st, the couple arrived in the Hungarian city of Szeged (near the Romanian border), appearing at the Tarka Szinpadon.
Early 1908, the duo traveled southeast to Romania, applying for a passport at Bucharest's American Embassy on April 22nd. Interestingly, Lucy had began learning how to sign her name (possibly due to the aid of Smith), as noted by her poorly written signature on the passport application. That summer, Smith and Jackson returned to Russia, appearing in the "Grand Concert Divertissement Cosmopolite" at St. Petersburg's Bouffe Gardens (Jul.4-Aug.11).
In March 1910, the duo were at Hamburg's Flora Theater, where interestingly enough, Bella Jackson was praised for her performance of Tyrolean folk songs. Two months later, they were thrilling audiences in Budapest's Karolyi Gardens (May 26-Jun.1). Throughout the year, they were bombarded with numerous engagements across the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In August, they were at Teplitz's Cursaale Theater (Aug.5), the following month at Budapest's Feher Cabaret (Sep.29-Oct.1). In October, they traveled north to Lemberg's Casino de Paris (Oct.8-15) before heading east to Czernowitz (along the Russian-Romanian border) to perform at the Variete Bellevue (Oct.16-30) for two weeks. In December, they were in Vienna, where they applied on December 29th for a new passport to travel into Romania.
Throughout 1911-1912, the duo toured across Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. During the course of this tour, they became acquainted with the Cousins (an American duo composed of Afro-American singer, Sam Cousins and his Austrian-American wife Bertha). In May 1912, Smith and Jackson were back in Europe, performing at Vienna's Café Trianon (May 1-13). Four months later, they were at Budapest's Kabaret Pannoniaban (Sep.29-Oct.6) and later Kabaret Magyar Kiralyban (Oct.22-31).
Early 1913, the couple found themselves in northern Austria (Bohemia), appearing in Reichenburg's Meiningers Variete (Mar.1-6) and later Prague's Kabarett Wespe (Jul.20). That winter, while engaged in Hamburg, the pair applied for a passport on December 23rd for their plans to return east to Romania and Russia.
During the spring of 1914, the couple were back in Prague, residing at 47 Wenzelsplatz. While there, the couple joined African-American artist Mose Harris, forming the "Philadelphia Trio". The trio spent two weeks at the Alhambra Palais de Danse (Apr.16-30). In June, the trio crossed into the Russian Empire, performing for two weeks at the Majorenhof Sea Pavillon in Riga (Jun.1-15). On June 28, 1914, during their Baltic tour, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo, setting in motion the events leading to the outbreak of World War I. On August 4, after Germany invaded Belgium, while simultaneously attacking France, Great Britain declared war on Germany. The Philadelphia Trio arrived in Petrograd on September 17th.
By October 1915, they had relocated to Moscow, settling in the Hotel Boston as noted by their passport application on November 24th. For three months, the Philadelphia trio were among the leading attractions at the Maxim Cabaret (owned by famous African-American businessman Frederick B. Thomas). By the fall of 1916, the Philadelphia Trio had seperated and Smith & Jackson relocated to Petrograd, appearing at the Sirene Cinema (Sep.15-16).
Early 1917, they were performing at the Kino-Palace (Jan.17-22) and later the Kino-Olympia (Apr.18-21). The duo briefly returned to Moscow on April 19th to obtain new passports before returning to the Russian capital.
On March 8, 1917, over seven thousand female textile workers from St. Petersburg's Vyborg district, marched through the streets crying for bread. The shortages had left the lower class starving, cold and desperate. From March 9-15, Cossacks patrolled the streets and machine guns were positioned everywhere. Protesters filled the streets only to be met by gunfire. All the blood spilling in the streets caused many soldiers to mutiny and join the mobs. Prisoners across the city were released into the streets, gendarmes were murdered, courthouses, arsenals, shops, private homes and the Ministry of the Interior were looted and ransacked. Mobs killed any respectable looking men, causing many gendarmes to strip their uniforms and flee the city. On March 16, Tsar Nikolai II abdicated and many aristocrats fled to the countryside. The old order evaporated and anarchy spread.
In August, they were back in Moscow, making sure to renew their passports again on August 21st with fellow entertainer, Peter C. Johnson. Smith and Jackson were last seen in Russia on October 6th, registering with the consulate and preparing to board the Trans-Siberian train east towards Harbin.
Early 1918, after a brief engagement in Harbin, the duo continued south through Peking towards Shanghai, arriving in the Republic of China's largest city by July. After a four month engagement in Shanghai, on October 15th, the pair applied for new American passports before packing up for the Philippines. The duo were engaged for six successful months in Manila, due to the popularity of American Ragtime in Southeast Asia at the time.
On April 25th, 1919, Smith and Jackson boarded the SS Suwa Maru heading towards an engagement in Hong Kong. The following month, they were found in Malaya, at Singapore's Palladium Theatre (May 26-31) and later the Gaiety Theatre (Jun.3-9). That winter, they were engaged in British India, performing in the bustling city of Calcutta. On December 9th, while applying at the American Consulate-General, Smith and Jackson both listed that they were now married. In 1920, the couple appeared across Burma, the Dutch East Indies, Sumatra, Siam and French Indochina before returning home to China.
On January 29, 1923, William H. Smith died at Shanghai's General Hospital and later buried at the Bubbling Wells Cemetery. Lucy, who was residing at the Continental Hotel, cancelled their upcoming appearance at Singapore's Stadium and disappeared completely.
Early 1943: Serial number 9531 was manufactured in Long Beach and delivered to the Army Air Force as USAAF 42-23669
May 20th, 1943. 9531 was transferred to the Royal Air Force, ferried to England, and assigned to RAF no 24 Squadron at RAF Hendon near London. The Squadron Badge is shown on the left. The motto is translated by the Brits as “In all things prepared,” but Yanks would go for the breezier “Ready for Anything.” The RAF serialled it as FD879. The mission of 24 Squadron was VIP transport for the Royal Family and leaders of state, and it was conveniently based at Hendon in North London, now the site of the RAF Museum. Its squadron codes were NQ and U. It follows that there is every possibility that FD879 flew members of the Royal Family as well as Winston Churchill, since that was the single role assigned the four Dakotas assigned to 24 Squadron. Previous owners of the “Flabob Express” claim they have seen the original RAF log books showing flights with Sir Winston Churchill and Princess Margaret as passengers.
July 1st 1943: FD879 was ferried to India where it served with Air Command South East Asia Communication Squadron. Here it serves as the personal aircraft of General Auchinleck who earlier had fought Rommell in North Africa. General Auchinleck (later Field Marshall Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck) named FD879 ‘Orion”
Jan.14, 1947: Upon Auchinleck’s retirement, FD879 was reassigned to India Communication Squadron, RAF.
Aug 14, 1947: Removed from RAF service and assigned to number 6 Squadron, Pakistani Air Force.
April 2nd 1952: Purchased by Lee Mansdorf, shipped by sea to the US. Registered in the US as N2701A.
Later sold to D.W. Connor who registered it as N42F.
1954: Modified as an executive transport by Remert Warner of St. Louis Missouri.
Nov 7th, 1955: Imported to Canada, registered as C-FIKD. Purchased by T. Flahieff.
Sept. 30th 1958: Executive transport for Ontario Paper Company.
April 15th 1965: Sold to Dominion Tar & Chemical Co. Ltd., Montreal.1
August 10th 1967; Sold to Laurentide Aviation Ltd, Montreal.2
Feb. 19th 1971: Sold to Eden Air of Canada.
December 1971
to June 1976: Winnepeg, Canada where it becomes derelict on the ramp.
1984: Purchased and returned to flight by Ilford-Riverton Airways of Canada, a regional carrier in Northwest Canada. Later sold to Air Manitoba another regional carrier out of Winnepeg.
1993: Imported to the US as N103NA and now flying from Flabob Aiport as the “Flabob Express
Company H was third and last company of the 2nd Regiment raised in Vermont,it was organised and mustered by December 31st,1861,at Brattleboro,with Gilbet Hart as Captain and Lieutenats Henry Herbert and Albert Buxton.They Quatered at the camp of instruction near the city,as part of the 2nd Regiment until March 19th,1862 they then began duty in the field as part of Brigadier General Irvin McDowell'Army Corps,Brigade Commander was Brigadier General Christopher C.Augur and Brigadier General Rufus King commanded their Division.
Remaining near Washington until April 4th,1862,they then adance towards the Rappahannock River,camped at Bristoe Station April 6th,1862 to April 15th,1862,and at Catletts until April 17th,1862,from there a forced march to Falmouth where they camped until May 25th,1862.When on the way to Richmond after crossing the Rappahannock River,they turned back on May 29th,1862 to Catletts to take the train and went via Manassas Junction to Front Royal,to try to intercept Major General Thomas J."Stonewall" Jackson's retreat up the Shenandoah.After being held up at Rector town Station when their trains collied (causing loss and injury to the company),marched on and reoccupied their camp at Falmouth,on June 15th,1862.
After a brief spell of duty at and around Spottsylvania Court House from August 5th,1862, th August 9th,1862 they marched to Cedar Mountain on August 10th,1862,passed Ellis's Ford,on the evening of August 11th,1862,they reached the area of the late battle,where they camped until August 19th,1862,when they moved back with the Army of Virginia behind the Rappahannock River.
From August 21st,1862,to September 3rd,1862,they were involved in several battles,marches and counter marches,connected with Major General John Pope's campain,after his retreat from Cedar Mountain.Company H had one man killed in their three days dkirmish near Rappahannock Station,and another during their skirmish at Sulpur Spring on August 26th,1862.During the attack on General King on August 28th,1862,their brigade (now Brigadier General John P. Hatch's)played and important part in the proceedings,and met with no losses,even through the company was under fire,mostly by Artillery.On August 28th ,1862,the same brigade was commanded by Colonel Timothy Sullivan,Brigadier General John P. Hatch having succeeded Brigadier General Rufus King.A battle began at night fall between this and Brigadier General John B. Hood's Division,it lasted until 9:00 p.m. Company H positioned on the Warrenton Pike assisted in holding the enemy until night ended the battle,with two wounded and one captured.They were engaged again the following day,but without and company losses.
In the re-organanisation of the Army of the Potomac their brigade,now under the command of Colonel Walter Phelps,with its division,became a part of the 1st Army Corps under Major General Joseph Hooker.They marched through Maryland to the South Mountain range,they engaged the enemy at Turner's Gap on Septeber 13th,1862,where they took the summit and after routing the enemy and capturing the mountain howitzers,they rested,at day break they advanced to Antietam.
On September 16th,1862,they led the advance of General Hookers Division on General Robert E. Lee's left,they had a slight skirmish that evening,but were in the thickest of the fight in the cornfields at sunrise the next morning.The company sustained four wounded and one killed,the regiment also took heavy losses including Colonel Henry A.V. Post being wounded and its adjutant killed.On September 30th,1862 they recrossed the Potomac River,Colonel Post recovered and returned,but to resign,Captain Homer R.Stoughton of Company E was promoted to Major and took command of the regiment.Captain Gilbert Hart and Lieutenant Henry Herbert also resigned,Lieutenant Albert Buxton and Quater Master Sergeant William P. Shreve were promoted to Captain and First Lieutenant of Company H,and First Sergeant William Newell to Second Lieutenant.
The march towards Fredericksburg on December 9th,1862,was met adverse weather conditions,(snow and ice),but they finally crossed the river at the lower bridge on December 12th,1862.The three days following,they were positioned on the terrace above the river and were subjected to intervals of fire,from the enemy's guns that were positioned along the wooded ridge.They went out on December 13th,1862,as skirmishers and took a redoubt which included capturing several enemy and horses,the tree days skirmishing took past the range of the big guns,where they encountered the enemy rifles.Yet in the whole three days they only received two slightly wounded.
By command of Major General Ambrose E.Burnside,January 14th,1863,1303 the two regiments of shapshooters where formed into a distinct arm of service,comanded by Colonel Hiram Berdan.February 2nd,1863,found them at winter quaters near Stoneman's Switch,until the opening of the Chancellorsville campain.They took a full and active part in the maneuvers and battle of Chancellorsville.They crossed the river below Chancellorsville on May 1st,1863,by means of pontoons,their conduct on this field was quite notewortly,including their part in the capture of the 23rd Georgia Infantry Regiment,they skirmish on Lewis Creek that same day,and bare escape from capture on that disastrous evening,but what is more interesting was proximity to the area of Confederate Lieutenant General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's wounding.Their skirmihing on May 3rd,1863,was hot and bloody,some of the casualties through were sadly from ras,friendly fire,Division commander Brigadier General William Birney made an especial compliment to the two regiments after this battle.June 24th,1863,Major Stoughton was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
July 1st,1863 Company H reached Gettysburg,July 2nd,1863,found them holding back the charging columns of the enemy on the extreme left of the army,while Little Round Top was in danger.On July 3rd,1863,they double quicked to the scene of Picket's Charge,fired a volley into the ranks of Bigadier General Cadmus M.Wilcox's men and went out in skirmish line push the retreating enemy.July 4th,1863 found them skirmishing again,where they received losses of four wounded and two captured.
Company H supported the 1st Regiment of Sharpshooters at Wapping Heights,and formed rear guard of the Army during most of Major General George G.Meade's retreat,from Rapidan to Manassas an as such engaged in several skirmishes.Supported the First Sharpshooters at Kelly's Ford.
November 7th,1863,at Brandy Station,they engaged and quickly swept away the enemy cavalry,without casualties,through the regiment had one mortally wounded.November 27th,1863 at Locust grove,during the Mine Run Campaign they had four men wounded,when a shell burst in a tree felling it onto the company.The company engaged as skirmishers on Sunday and Monday at Mine Run,their loss at the Run was two wounded and among the regiments wounded was their Captain Chaplain Lorenzo Barber.
December 21,1863,the company and its regiment re-enlist as an organisation.On January 7th,1864,these now veterans received furloughs for home,to return to camp near Culpeper on February 23rd,1864,their company once again numbered one hunderd,just as it did when it first left Vermont.
Because of the re-organisation of the Army March 28th,1864,the 3rd Army Corps was absorbed by the @nd Army Corps commanded by Major General Winfield Scott Hancock,the 2nd Regiment of Sharpshooters became part of the 3rd Division,1st Brigade,Commanded Brigadier General William Birney and Brigadier General John H. HobartWard.The long campaign began with the Wilderness battle and ended with Appomattox Court House.
On May 4th,1864,Company H crossed the Rapidan,on May 5th,1864,they where fired on by flankers on the Brock Road,just soutg of the intersection with Orange Plank Road,resting that night they advanced in sold ranks to Orange Plank Road at the start of the battle that morning,the opening og the battle was bloody with varying success,until,at the burning of the breast-work,the enemy was driven off,Company H losses where eight killed,sixteen wounded and two missing,among the killed and mortally wounded was Captain Albert Buxton.They skirmished to the same field on May 7th,1864,May 8th,1864,they left the bloody field without waiting to hear the outcome,they marched to Todd's Tavern (in the push to Spottsylvania) and skirmished.The next join in Major General Gouverneur K.Warren's assaulting column.Finally on May 12th,1864,at the capture of the Angle,Company H gathered in several times its own number in prisoners,in this battle and the skirmish the next day,the company lost four wounded.
Company H led the charge at North Anna,which captured the Telegraph Road Bridge,the losses ehere one killed and two wounded.Company H and the 2nd Regiment captured several prisoners and the enemy's entreached skirmish line on their next charge at Totopotomoy Creek.
From June 2nd,1864,to June 13th,1864,the company lost one killed and three wounded,during the disastrous charge at Cold Harbor.They then crossed the James River and tried to take Petersburg by direct assault,they where skirmishing incressantly, losses from June 6th,1864,to June 18th,1864,three men killed,no less than five wounded and one capture.They moved against the Weldon Railroad on June 21st,1864 leading Brigadier General Francis C. Barlows Division,captured several prisoners including a Colonel and a Lieutenant,company losses included Lieutenant William Newell wounded,one man killed and Colonel Homer R.Stoughton captured.Sergeant Walter W. Smith took command of the company.Among the losses where two captured from Company H.
Back acroos the James River and Appomattox River,they skirmished and captured a Battery in vicinity of Deep Bottom.They skirmished during the episode of the General Burnside Mine,fighting where ever their rifles would prove most effective.September 10th,1864 with Brigadier General Philippe Regis De Trobriand now their brigade commander,they shared in the capture of the rifle pits on the Jerusalem Road,in front of Fort Hall and Fort Sedgewick.They were then in service in the riflr pits,which though dangerous,olny resulted in tow wounded,this service was varied by marches and battles.On October 1st,1864,on the ground where fort fisher was later bult,and October 27th,1864 beyond Burgess Hill in move against the southside railroad.Captain Willian H. Churchhill and Captain U.Edgar A.Beach who had recently been commissioned,never mustered in such because of wounds and capture at the battle (Captain Churchill's wound being fatal) five other where wounded here.During the night retreat from this field they were rear guard.
Early December 1864,they cross the Nottoway with the 5th Army Corps and assist in wrecking the Weldon Railroad.Durning the winter the company was augmented by seventeen recruits from Company F 1st U.S. Sharpshooters,whose organisation had ended.
Company H deliver their last skirmish as 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters on the Morning of Februay 5th,1865,at the Vaughn Road crossing of the Hatchers Run,capturing the works in the face of of enemy's fire with loss of one wounded.After the Regiments disbandment,Company H became part of the 4th Vermont Volunteers on February 25th,1865,(keepinh the letter H).They were well received by the 4th Vermont and joined them in skirmishes and the capture of entrenched picket lines in front of Fort Fisher.
After General Robert E. Lee's surrender they marched to Danville and returned through Richmond and Fredericksburg to Washington,a few weeks leter they mustered out in the new city of Burlinton.No disaster ever befell a flank of our Army with these men deployed in its front.
Private John McKenzie
Regimental Number: 443035
Born June 14th, 1887 in Loch Arron, Rosshire, Scotland. Served five years with Royal Garrison Artillery. Came to Canada circa 1906 and moved to British Colombia circa 1913. Lived in Nelson and worked as a miner and a carpenter in William Siding, Taghum, and Nelson. Enlisted with the 54th Battalion at Vernon Camp on May 20th, 1915. Married Margaret Jane Powell in Nelson on June 10th, 1915. Embarked for overseas service in France with the 3rd Pioneer Battalion on April 15th, 1916. Transferred to the 123rd Battalion on May 8th, 1917, while in the field. Awarded a Good Conduct Badge in May, 1917. Served as a sapper with the Canadian Engineers for some time, in the 8th Battalion. Returned to Canada in January, 1919. Posted to the Casualty Company on February 26th, 1919, in Calgary. Discharged from his majesty’s service on May 1st, 1919. Moved to Vancouver circa 1944 and retired in 1948. Died on December 7th, 1956; 69 years old.
01. May 31st, 2008 - August Burns Red, Circus Circus, Century, Ventriloquist @ Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA (August Burns Red “Back Burner” music video shoot)
02. August 30th, 2008 - August Burns Red, The Devil Wears Prada, Norma Jean, Flyleaf, Skillet, As I Lay Dying @ Revelation Generation 2008, Frenchtown, NJ
03. October 11th, 2008 - August Burns Red, Sky Eats Airplane, Greeley Estates, This Or The Apocalypse @ Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA (August Burns Red Fall Headliner 2008)
04. December 28th, 2008 - August Burns Red, Circus Circus, Texas In July, An Early Ending, Rest Among Ruins, Lucy, We Were Skeletons @ Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA (CI Records Annual Christmas Show #2)
05. April 18th, 2009 - August Burns Red, Motionless In White, With Life In Mind, Myself My Enemy, Vanessa Falls @ The Harmony Grange, Wilmington, DE
06. August 7th, 2009 - August Burns Red, blessthefall, All Shall Perish, iwrestledabearonce @ Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA (First Constellations Tour)
07. October 10th, 2009 - August Burns Red, The Acacia Strain, Impending Doom, MyChildren MyBride @ Crocodile Rock Cafe, Allentown, PA (Second Constellations Tour)
08. December 1st, 2009 - Underoath, August Burns Red, Emery @ Crocodile Rock Cafe, Allentown, PA [Not pictured because they took my entire ticket at the door]
09. April 7th, 2010 - A Day To Remember, August Burns Red, Silverstein, Enter Shikari @ The Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA (Toursick Tour)
10. November 18th, 2010 - Bring Me The Horizon, August Burns Red, Emarosa, Polar Bear Club, This is Hell @ The Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA (Fall AP Tour)
11. December 29th, 2010 - August Burns Red, Balance & Composure, Where The Skye Meets The Ocean, Sudden Ascent @ The Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA (CI Records Annual Christmas Show #2)
12. December 28th, 2011 - August Burns Red, Ice Nine Kills, Amateur Theory, In Search of Words @ The Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA (CI Records Annual Christmas Show #2)
13. March 3rd, 2012 - August Burns Red, Silverstein, Texas In July, I The Breather @ Theatre of the Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA (August Burns Red Winter Headliner 2012)
14. December 27th, 2012 - August Burns Red, Auburn, Carousel Kings, A World Once Silent @ The Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA (CI Records Annual Christmas Show #2) [Not pictured because JB put me on their guest list.]
15. April 15th, 2013 - August Burns Red, Bells @ The Note, West Chester, PA
Name: Mr Ernest Edward Samuel Freeman
Born in London London England
Age: 43 years
Marital Status: Married.
Last Residence: at 5 Hanley Road Southampton Hampshire England - Map
Occupation: Deck Steward
Last Ship: Olympic
Victualling crew
First Embarked: Belfast on Monday 1st April 1912
Died in the sinking.
Body recovered by: Mackay-Bennett (No. 239)
Buried: Fairview Lawn Cemetery Halifax Nova Scotia Canada on Friday 10th May 1912.
Mr Ernest Edward Samuel Freeman, 43, was born in London. When he signed-on to the Titanic, on 4 April 1912, he gave his address as 5 Hanley Road, (Freemantle, Southampton). His last ship had been the Olympic. He was listed as Chief Deck Steward on the Titanic but he was actually a secretary to White Star chairman J Bruce Ismay. He received monthly wages of £3 15s. Freeman lost his life in the disaster, his body was recovered by the Mackay-Bennett (#239).
A grave in Walton Park Cemetery, Rice Lane, Walton, Liverpool also remembers Freeman. The inscription reads: "Also Ernest Edward Freeman lost in the Titanic disaster April 15th 1912 aged 50 years". Freeman was listed in the Mansion House Titanic Relief Fund Booklet, March 1913 as Number 406. His dependant were listed as Maria Jane Freeman, Gladys Dorothy, Colombatti and Helena Josephine. Bruce Ismay, Chairman of the White Star Line, also made arrangements for a personal pension to be paid to Ernest Freemans relatives.
More images:
History of the Flabob Express.
The “Flabob Express” carries a Douglas Aircraft data plate that identifies it as (C/N) 33569. This plate is a fake; in fact, the “Express “is really serial number 9531.
How did it wind up with a phony data plate? In 1952, an American broker, Lee Mansdorf, bought seven C-47s from the Pakistani Air Force; the “Flabob Express” was one of the seven. When received by Mansdorf, the aircraft had no data plates, having been removed by the Pakistanis. Since airplanes need data plates to be registered, Mansdorf simply made bogus plates using a range of serial numbers. To add to the confusion, the bogus number 33569 he chose for the Express had actually once been assigned to another C-47 Dakota that was delivered to the RAF in 1945 as KP267. This Dakota served in South East Asia after World War II, and then returned to the UK where it was broken up for parts in 1953. So the Express was given the serial number of an aircraft that no longer existed. Mansdorf returned the aircraft to service and it was eventually registered multiple times in Canada and the US with its fake number. . . Once registered with both Transport Canada and the FAA, it was an impossible task to correct. Most historians lost the trail of the “Express” since the records illogically showed that 33569 were broken up for parts in 1953. Since the airplane was obviously alive and well, the confusion threw off effort to find the real history.
Luckily, British DC-3 historian J.M.G. Gradidge solved the mystery. Gradidge is the world expert on DC-3 history having spent 50 years researching every aircraft possible. The Bible for DC-3/C-47 history is Gradidge’s “DC-3 the First Seventy Years, Air Britain, 2006.” The true history of the Express was uncovered by Gradidge.
Here is the real history of the Flabob Express, Douglas serial number 9531.
Early 1943: Serial number 9531 was manufactured in Long Beach and delivered to the Army Air Force as USAAF 42-23669
May 20th, 1943. 9531 was transferred to the Royal Air Force, ferried to England, and assigned to RAF no 24 Squadron at RAF Hendon near London. The Squadron Badge is shown on the left. The motto is translated by the Brits as “In all things prepared,” but Yanks would go for the breezier “Ready for Anything.” The RAF serialled it as FD879. The mission of 24 Squadron was VIP transport for the Royal Family and leaders of state, and it was conveniently based at Hendon in North London, now the site of the RAF Museum. Its squadron codes were NQ and U. It follows that there is every possibility that FD879 flew members of the Royal Family as well as Winston Churchill, since that was the single role assigned the four Dakotas assigned to 24 Squadron. Previous owners of the “Flabob Express” claim they have seen the original RAF log books showing flights with Sir Winston Churchill and Princess Margaret as passengers.
July 1st 1943: FD879 was ferried to India where it served with Air Command South East Asia Communication Squadron. Here it serves as the personal aircraft of General Auchinleck who earlier had fought Rommell in North Africa. General Auchinleck (later Field Marshall Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck) named FD879 ‘Orion”
Jan.14, 1947: Upon Auchinleck’s retirement, FD879 was reassigned to India Communication Squadron, RAF.
Aug 14, 1947: Removed from RAF service and assigned to number 6 Squadron, Pakistani Air Force.
April 2nd 1952: Purchased by Lee Mansdorf, shipped by sea to the US. Registered in the US as N2701A.
Later sold to D.W. Connor who registered it as N42F.
1954: Modified as an executive transport by Remert Warner of St. Louis Missouri.
Nov 7th, 1955: Imported to Canada, registered as C-FIKD. Purchased by T. Flahieff.
Sept. 30th 1958: Executive transport for Ontario Paper Company.
April 15th 1965: Sold to Dominion Tar & Chemical Co. Ltd., Montreal.1
August 10th 1967; Sold to Laurentide Aviation Ltd, Montreal.2
Feb. 19th 1971: Sold to Eden Air of Canada.
December 1971
to June 1976: Winnepeg, Canada where it becomes derelict on the ramp.
1984: Purchased and returned to flight by Ilford-Riverton Airways of Canada, a regional carrier in Northwest Canada. Later sold to Air Manitoba another regional carrier out of Winnepeg.
1993: Imported to the US as N103NA and now flying from Flabob Aiport as the “Flabob Express
More images:
History of the Flabob Express.
The “Flabob Express” carries a Douglas Aircraft data plate that identifies it as (C/N) 33569. This plate is a fake; in fact, the “Express “is really serial number 9531.
How did it wind up with a phony data plate? In 1952, an American broker, Lee Mansdorf, bought seven C-47s from the Pakistani Air Force; the “Flabob Express” was one of the seven. When received by Mansdorf, the aircraft had no data plates, having been removed by the Pakistanis. Since airplanes need data plates to be registered, Mansdorf simply made bogus plates using a range of serial numbers. To add to the confusion, the bogus number 33569 he chose for the Express had actually once been assigned to another C-47 Dakota that was delivered to the RAF in 1945 as KP267. This Dakota served in South East Asia after World War II, and then returned to the UK where it was broken up for parts in 1953. So the Express was given the serial number of an aircraft that no longer existed. Mansdorf returned the aircraft to service and it was eventually registered multiple times in Canada and the US with its fake number. . . Once registered with both Transport Canada and the FAA, it was an impossible task to correct. Most historians lost the trail of the “Express” since the records illogically showed that 33569 were broken up for parts in 1953. Since the airplane was obviously alive and well, the confusion threw off effort to find the real history.
Luckily, British DC-3 historian J.M.G. Gradidge solved the mystery. Gradidge is the world expert on DC-3 history having spent 50 years researching every aircraft possible. The Bible for DC-3/C-47 history is Gradidge’s “DC-3 the First Seventy Years, Air Britain, 2006.” The true history of the Express was uncovered by Gradidge.
Here is the real history of the Flabob Express, Douglas serial number 9531.
Early 1943: Serial number 9531 was manufactured in Long Beach and delivered to the Army Air Force as USAAF 42-23669
May 20th, 1943. 9531 was transferred to the Royal Air Force, ferried to England, and assigned to RAF no 24 Squadron at RAF Hendon near London. The Squadron Badge is shown on the left. The motto is translated by the Brits as “In all things prepared,” but Yanks would go for the breezier “Ready for Anything.” The RAF serialled it as FD879. The mission of 24 Squadron was VIP transport for the Royal Family and leaders of state, and it was conveniently based at Hendon in North London, now the site of the RAF Museum. Its squadron codes were NQ and U. It follows that there is every possibility that FD879 flew members of the Royal Family as well as Winston Churchill, since that was the single role assigned the four Dakotas assigned to 24 Squadron. Previous owners of the “Flabob Express” claim they have seen the original RAF log books showing flights with Sir Winston Churchill and Princess Margaret as passengers.
July 1st 1943: FD879 was ferried to India where it served with Air Command South East Asia Communication Squadron. Here it serves as the personal aircraft of General Auchinleck who earlier had fought Rommell in North Africa. General Auchinleck (later Field Marshall Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck) named FD879 ‘Orion”
Jan.14, 1947: Upon Auchinleck’s retirement, FD879 was reassigned to India Communication Squadron, RAF.
Aug 14, 1947: Removed from RAF service and assigned to number 6 Squadron, Pakistani Air Force.
April 2nd 1952: Purchased by Lee Mansdorf, shipped by sea to the US. Registered in the US as N2701A.
Later sold to D.W. Connor who registered it as N42F.
1954: Modified as an executive transport by Remert Warner of St. Louis Missouri.
Nov 7th, 1955: Imported to Canada, registered as C-FIKD. Purchased by T. Flahieff.
Sept. 30th 1958: Executive transport for Ontario Paper Company.
April 15th 1965: Sold to Dominion Tar & Chemical Co. Ltd., Montreal.1
August 10th 1967; Sold to Laurentide Aviation Ltd, Montreal.2
Feb. 19th 1971: Sold to Eden Air of Canada.
December 1971
to June 1976: Winnepeg, Canada where it becomes derelict on the ramp.
1984: Purchased and returned to flight by Ilford-Riverton Airways of Canada, a regional carrier in Northwest Canada. Later sold to Air Manitoba another regional carrier out of Winnepeg.
1993: Imported to the US as N103NA and now flying from Flabob Aiport as the “Flabob Express
picture by ?
at Las Palmas
a real classic beauty !
a ship with a complex and fascinating history.
She was sunk 3 times in a time span of 3 years.
ex-Albireo
ex-Wuri
ex-Alfa
ex-Butterfly
december 18th 1963
i joined her as radio operator
I was told "she really is a submarine in disguise"
Originally named "Albireo" she was launched in Amsterdam on may the 31st 1940.
Just 3 weeks after the German army invaded and conquered the Netherlands. May 10th .
She was to be one of four sisters, "Algol" "Albireo" "Altair" "Aldabi".
It took one and a half year to complete her.
They were not in a big hurry because of the war.
On january 29th 1942 she was confiscated by the Germans,
renamed "Wuri" with home-port Hamburg.
1)
In august 1942 her short career as a German vessel ended on a mine in the Kattegat Danmark.
The midship section with engineroom and the aftship were salvaged and towed into the port of Kopenhagen.
2)
Three years after this, she was sunk the second time.
By the Danish underground to prevent her from being used as a block-ship by the German occupation.
After the war her original owners NIGOCO were very short of cash and could not pay for the necessary rebuilding, repairs and refitting.
3)
Sold to Swedish owners in 1945 and renamed "Butterfly".
Under tow to Sweden she did sink again.
The 3rd time.
In Gothenburg the engineroom was rebuilt but her Swedish owners also lacked funds to complete the job.
In Gothenburg she remained until NIGOCO finally bought her back in 1948, for next to nothing.
Rebuilt, repaired and refitted by Deutsche Werft in Hamburg, to the original plans and renamed "Alnati".
So It took almost a full nine years before the owners finally put her into the Rotterdam-South America service she was built for.
The date: April 15th 1949 !
Van Nievelt, Goudriaan & co's stoomvaart maatschappij (NIGOCO).
"In memory of Sir William Burrell , bart of the Deepdens of Surrey 1st son of Peter Burrell esq of Beckenham in Kent and of Amy daughter of Hugh Raymond esquire. He married Sophia eldest daughter of Sir Charles Raymond, bart, by whom he had 5 sons and 2 daughters and departed this life January 20th 1796" www.theweald.org/m13.asp?PicIdto=9903416
He was born at Leadenhall Street, London on 10th October 1732, and educated at Westminster School and St John's at Cambridge where in 1755 he took the LL.B degree and 5 years later he received his doctor's diploma. At this time he was recognized by the Royal Society and the Society of Antiquaries and elected a Fellow of both. He was also MP for Hazelmere, Chancellor of Worcester & director of the South Sea company.
At the age of 40 he m 1774 Sophia 1753–1802 a poet & dramatist, heiress daughter of Sir Charles Raymond d1789 of Valentines, & Saling Hall Essex, on by Sarah Webster
Sophia came into possession, it is said, of £100,000 and a baronetcy was granted to her father in the year after her marriage, with remainder to her husband and her male issue by him. Dogged by ill health in his later life, in 1790 he retired to his country house at Deepdene near Dorking
In his will he bequeathed 15 folio volumes of manuscript notes, information and documents on Sussex history, archeology & family history with 8 large volumes of several hundred water-colour drawings by Samuel Heironymus Grimm and James Lambert to the trustees of the British Museum where they remain to this day.
Children
1. Charles Merrik born May 24th 1774 - dsp 1862 of Knepp Castle West
2, William Raymond born December 23th 1775; died August 24th 1777
3. Walter born April 15th 1777 knight of the shire for Sussex
4. Percy born July 16th 1779 Captain Dragoon Guards, killed at Buenos Aires 1807 www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/pti9je4B09
5. Algernon Peter born August 4th 1787; died Sept 1787
6. Juliana born August 4th 1782 m 1806 George Henry Crutchley of Sunning Hill Park Berks
7. Elizabeth Amelia born October 5th 1789 m 1819 Lt Col T Kenak
Wife Sophia a poet and dramatist wrote 1773 to 1782 vers de société, varied by such heavier matter as Comala, from Ossian, in 1784.. She published 2 volumes of collected poems in 1793, the Thymriad from Xenophon, and Telemachus.
Sophia m2 1797 Rev William Clay son of Richard Augustus Clay of Southwell, Notts. She continued writing and in 1800 l produced 2 tragedies, Maximian & Theodora, dedicated by permission to Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. Lady Burrell and William Clay retired to Cowes, Isle of Wight, where she died on 20 June 1802, aged about 52.
There is also a monument to him at Cuckfield Sussex www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/Lg809gs99q
www.wikitree.com/wiki/Raymond-959
Monument by Flaxman - West Grinstead church, Sussex
The Postcard
A postally unused postcard bearing an early image of Bridge Street in Peterborough, which has since been pedestrianised.
Although the card was not posted, someone has written the following on the back:
"Peterborough.
Oct. 27th. 1941.
Dear M,
I do hope you are well
and looking forward to
the half-term.
Mine (5 weeks in length)
is over today and here I
am awaiting a train to
Spalding in two hours.
Daddy and Annabel
were very well when
I left."
Overview of Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire. The city is 74 miles (119 km) north of London, on the River Nene. As of the 2021 census, the Peterborough urban area had a population of 192,178.
Human settlement in the area began before the Bronze Age, as can be seen at the Flag Fen archaeological site to the east of the city centre. There is also evidence of Roman occupation.
The Anglo-Saxon period saw the establishment of a monastery, Medeshamstede, which later became Peterborough Cathedral.
In the 19th. century, the population grew rapidly after the coming of the railway. The area became known for its brickworks and engineering. After the Second World War, industrial employment fell, and growth was limited until Peterborough was designated a new town in the 1960's. The main economic sectors now are financial services and distribution.
The cathedral city of Ely is 24 miles (39 km) east-southeast across the Fens, and the university city of Cambridge is 30 miles (48 km) to the southeast. The local topography is flat, and in places, the land lies below sea level.
-- Early History of Peterborough
The original name of the town was Medeshamstede. The town's name changed to Burgh from the late tenth century, possibly after Abbot Kenulf had built a defensive wall around the abbey which was dedicated to Saint Peter; eventually this developed into the form Peterborough.
Peterborough and its surrounding areas have been inhabited for thousands of years, because it is where permanently drained land in The Fens is created by the River Nene.
The Romans established a fortified garrison town at Durobrivae on Ermine Street, five miles (8.0 km) to the west in Water Newton, around the middle of the 1st century AD. There was also a large 1st. century Roman fort at Longthorpe, designed to house half a legion, or about 3,000 soldiers.
Peterborough was an important area of ceramic production in the Roman period, providing Nene Valley Ware that was traded as far away as Cornwall.
Hereward the Wake rampaged through the town in 1069 or 1070. Outraged, Abbot Turold erected a fort or castle, which, from his name, was called Mont Turold: this mound, or hill, is on the outside of the deanery garden, now called Tout Hill.
The abbey church was rebuilt and greatly enlarged in the 12th. century. The burgesses received their first charter from "Abbot Robert" – probably Robert of Sutton (1262 – 1273).
The place suffered materially in the war between King John and the confederate barons, many of whom took refuge in the monastery here and in Crowland Abbey, from which sanctuaries they were forced by the king's soldiers, who plundered the religious houses and carried off great treasures.
The abbey church became one of Henry VIII's retained, more secular, cathedrals in 1541, having been assessed at the Dissolution as having revenue of £1,972.7s.0¾d per annum.
-- Peterborough During the Civil War
When civil war broke out, Peterborough was divided between supporters of King Charles I and the Long Parliament. The city lay on the border of the Eastern Association of counties which sided with Parliament.
The war reached Peterborough in 1643 when soldiers arrived in the city to attack Royalist strongholds at Stamford and Crowland. The Royalist forces were defeated within a few weeks and retreated to Burghley House, where they were captured and sent to Cambridge.
While the Parliamentary soldiers were in Peterborough, however, they ransacked the cathedral, destroying the Lady Chapel, chapter house, cloister, high altar and choir stalls, as well as mediaeval decoration and records.
-- Peterborough During the Second World War
During WWII there were 50 raids on the city, with seven houses destroyed. On the 15th. January 1941 at 11pm, 5 high explosives landed near Walpole Street, killing one man.
On the 10th. May 1941 at 3.35am, 4 high explosives landed near Priestgate, with two men killed; RAF Wittering was also bombed at around 3.15am.
-- Modern History of Peterborough
Railway lines began operating locally during the 1840's, but it was the 1850 opening of the Great Northern Railway's line from London to York that transformed Peterborough from a market town into an industrial centre.
Coupled with vast local clay deposits, the railway enabled large scale brickmaking and distribution to take place. The area was the UK's leading producer of bricks for much of the twentieth century.
Brick-making had been a small seasonal craft since the early nineteenth century, but during the 1890's, successful experiments at Fletton using the harder clays from a lower level had resulted in a much more efficient process.
The market dominance during this period of the London Brick Company, founded by the prolific Scottish builder and architect John Cathles Hill, gave rise to some of the country's most well-known landmarks, all built using the ubiquitous Fletton Brick.
Perkins Engines was established in Peterborough in 1932 by Frank Perkins, creator of the Perkins diesel engine. Thirty years later it employed more than a tenth of the population of Peterborough.
Baker Perkins had relocated from London to Westwood, now the site of HM Prison Peterborough, in 1903, followed by Peter Brotherhood to Walton in 1906; both manufacturers of industrial machinery, they too became major employers in the city.
-- The Great Fire of Peterborough
On the 22nd. August 1956, much of the old city centre was destroyed by the Great Fire of Peterborough. The blaze started in the Robert Sayle shop on the corner of Cowgate and King Street, and spread to a shoe shop, furniture store and the local fire station.
It caused over £250,000 worth of damage, and was extinguished with assistance from the USAF at Alconbury.
An Address by President Roosevelt
So what else happened on the day that the card was written?
Well, on the 27th. October 1941, President Roosevelt made an address on Navy Day referring to the Kearny incident ten days earlier. He declared that:
"America has been attacked. say that we
do not propose to take this lying down.
Our determination not to take it lying down
has been expressed in the orders to the
American Navy to shoot on sight. Those
orders stand."
The president also said that:
"When we have helped to end the curse of
Hitlerism, we shall help to establish a new
peace which will give to decent people
everywhere a better chance to live and
prosper in security and in freedom and in
faith.
Each day that passes we are producing
and providing more and more arms for the
men who are fighting on actual battle-fronts.
That is our primary task."
Forty two days later, on the 7th. December 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack Pearl Harbor ("A date which will live in infamy" - FDR). The attack led directly to the United States' entry into WWII, and ultimately to Japan's humiliating defeat.
-- The Sinking of HMS Tetrarch
Also on that day, the British submarine HMS Tetrarch sent its last communication before being lost in the Mediterranean Sea, probably to a naval mine.
-- The Last Tycoon
Also on the 27th. October 1941, F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished novel The Last Tycoon was posthumously published by Charles Scribner's Sons.
-- The Big Store
Also on that day, the movie The Big Store starring the Marx Brothers, went on general release.
Details best viewed in Original Size.
The Basilica of Saint-Denis (Basilique Royale de Saint-Denis, now formally known as the Basilique-cathédrale de Saint-Denis) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and architecturally as its choir, completed in 1144, is widely considered the first structure to employ all of the elements of Gothic architecture. The basilica became a place of pilgrimage and a necropolis containing the tombs of the kings of France, including nearly every king from the 10th century to Louis XVIII in the 19th century. The site originated as a Gallo-Roman cemetery in late Roman times. The archaeological remains still lie beneath the cathedral; the graves indicate a mixture of Christian and pre-Christian burial practices. In the 12th century, the abbot Suger rebuilt portions of the abbey church using innovative structural and decorative features. In doing so, he is said to have created the first truly Gothic building. In the following century the master-builder Pierre de Montreuil rebuilt the nave and the transepts in the new Rayonnant Gothic style. The abbey church became a cathedral on the formation of the Diocese of Saint-Denis by Pope Paul VI in 1966 and is the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Denis. Although known as the "Basilica of St Denis", the cathedral has not been granted the title of Minor Basilica by the Vatican. The 282-foot (86-meter) tall spire, dismantled in the 19th century, is to be rebuilt. The project initiated more than 30 years ago, was decided in 2018 with a signed agreement, with initial restoration work beginning in 2022. From 2025, the building project has commenced, with visitors of the cathedral being able to observe the building works as part of their tour. The project is planned to be completed by 2029, with a cost of 37 million euro.
Additional information on the Basilica of Saint-Denis may be found at Wikipedia.