This photograph of him appeared in the edition of the Norwich Mercury dated January 26 1918. The caption reads : Pte. Sidney Payne, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, of Feltwell, killed in action.

S. PAYNE, ROYAL INNIS. FUS.*********

On the Church Roll of Honour he is recorded as Sidney Payne.

Private PAYNE, SYDNEY

Service Number:…………… 43973

Died:……………………….. 20/11/1917

Unit:…………………………1st Bn. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

Son of Lemon Payne; husband of Mabel Ella Payne, of Shrub Cottage, Feltwell, Brandon, Suffolk.

Commemorated at CAMBRAI MEMORIAL, LOUVERVAL

CWGC: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1755848/payne,-sydney/

SDGW records that Private 43973 Sydney Payne was Killed in Action on the 20th November 1917 whilst serving in France & Flanders with the 1st Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. He was formerly 018179, Army Ordnance Corps. He was born “Felwell”, Norfolk and enlisted Norwich. No place of residence is shown.

The Medal Index card for Private 43973 Sydney Payne, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, is held at the National Archive under reference WO 372/15/162291

However its shows him previously as 50347 North Staffordshire Regiment.

discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D4561416

He qualified for the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The related Medal Roll shows that he was original 50347 5th North Staffordshire Regiment, then 43973 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.

His Service Records do not appear to have survived the incendiary attack during the Blitz on the Warehouse where all the Other Ranks Army Service Records were stored.

No match on Picture Norfolk, the county image archive.

No obvious Missing Person enquiry received by the International Red Cross.

The 1918 Probate Calendar records that ‘Sidney’ Payne of Feltwell, Norfolk, Private Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers died 20th November 1917 in France, Probate was granted at the Norwich Court on the 27th May 1918 to Henry Addison and Wilfred Addison, house decorators. His effects were valued at £284 19s.

probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=Payne&y...

The balance of his pay was sent to his Executor, Henry Addison, in July 1918. Sydneys’ War Gratuity was also paid in November 1919 to Henry.

The relevant Panel on the Cambrai Memorial can be seen here:-

www.findagrave.com/memorial/56029128/sydney-payne#view-ph...

1889/1890 – Birth and Baptism……..

The birth of a Sidney Payne was registered with the Civil Authorities in the Thetford District in the January to March quarter, (Q1), of 1890. Then, as now, you had 42 days after the event to report the birth without facing prosecution and a fine. A baby registered at the start of Q1 could therefore have been born as early as the middle of the previous November.

The baptism of a Sidney Payne, no date of birth recorded, took place in the Parish of St Mary and St Nicholas, Feltwell on the 25th October 1890. His mother was Clara Genese Payne. No father was listed.

The two of them lived in the Parish.

www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5818f8fde93790eca32d257...

On the same day and in the same parish, two other Paynes were baptised.

Avis Hilda, no date of birth recorded. Parents John Lemon, a Farmer and Mary Ann.

www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5818f8fde93790eca32d256...

Katie Louisa, no date of birth recorded. Parents John Lemon, a Farmer and Mary Ann.

www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5818f8fde93790eca32d256...

1891 Census of England and Wales

The 1 year old “Sidney” Payne, born Feltwell, was recorded living in a dwelling on Howard’s Drove, Feltwell, This was the household of his grandparents, Lemon, (aged 39, a Farmer + Machinist, born Feltwell), and MaryAnn, (aged 40(?) and born Northwold, Norfolk). As well as Sidney their own children living with them are:-

Clara…………aged 16……born Feltwell

Robert………..aged 12…….born Feltwell

Manella(?)……aged 7……..born Feltwell

Katie………….aged 4……..born Feltwell

Aves(?)……….aged 2……..born Feltwell

1901 Census of England and Wales

The 11 year old “Sidney” was probably still living with same family, but now his relationship is shown as son. They were living at the Farm House, Near Elm Tree, either on or near the junction with Howard’s Lane, Feltwell. Parents were John L. Payne, (49, a Farmer, born Feltwell), and Mary A, (aged 53, now stated to have been born Feltwell). Children still single and living with them are:-

Frederick W……..aged 24…..born Feltwell….Engineer

Kate……………..aged 14…...born Feltwell

Avis……………..aged 12……born Feltwell

Clement…………aged 9……..born Feltwell

1911 Census of England and Wales

The Payne family were now recorded living at Short Beck, Feltwell. Parents John Lemon, (aged 60. A Farmer) and Maryann, (62, now reverted to being born Northwold), have been married 38 years and have had 8 children, who were all then still alive. The only other person living with them is their 21 year old unmarried son, Sidney Payne, a Farm Bailiff.

1913 – Marriage……………………..

The marriage of a Sidney Payne to a Mabel E. Leonard was recorded in the Thetford District in the October to December quarter, (Q4), of 1913.

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 no likely children of Sidney and Mabel.

On the day…………………………….

Selected extracts from “The Story of the 29th Division: A record of gallant deeds” by Captain Stair Gillon – pages 151 – 159

1st Royal Inniskillings were part of 87th Brigade in 29th Division

20th November 1917

Page 151

The advance of the 29th, which began between 1 and 2 a.m. on the morning of November 20, was carried out without a hitch. The 87th, which led, reached the point of assembly at 3.30 a.m.

The only audible sound was the chug, chugging noise of the tanks,378 of which had been allotted to the III. and IV. Corps. The 86th and the 88th were in position in ample time for zero.

At 6. 10 a.m. the tanks started. It was one of the most dramatic moments in the war. At 6.20, from concealed guns which had only just registered, there burst a torrent of smoke, gas, and high explosiveshells. And all this in an autumn mist so thick that one

(Page 152) could only see 100 yards ahead. It is recorded by the 2nd Royal Fusiliers that they marched on a compass bearing of 40° till they passed through the 6th Division, who had captured and were holding the Hindenburg Line. The assaulting three divisions of the corps attacked with the barrage, and the 29th moved forward quickly to allotted positions in the old front line., which was reached about 7.30 a.m. The feeble counter-barrage did little damage, and soon ceased. Prisoners were soon seen in masses.

The orders to the 29th were to wait until information arrived that the leading divisions had gained the Hindenburg Support Line, timed for 10 o'clock. Owing to fog an aeroplane could not act, and it took two hours for information to reach the 29th Divisional Headquarters that we had gained the Hindenburg Line. To have waited for news of reaching the second objective would have rendered the pursuit by the 29th abortive owing to want of time. At 10.30 a.m. therefore, the three brigades were ordered to advance, the 88th Brigade (Nelson) on the right moving north-east against Masnieres, the 87th Brigade (Lucas) in the centre due north against Marcoing, by the east slopes of the Couillet valley, and the 86th Brigade (Cheape) north-north-east by the west slopes of the Couillet valley against Nine Wood, a copse at the top of a ridge overlooking Marcoing, and a mile to the north of it. There was no divisional reserve, as the 29th had three distinct and widely separated positions, to attain each of which would require a full brigade. But a pursuing force is frequently entitled to take extraordinary risks, and in this case there was no choice. The two brigades on the flanks

(Page 153) moved in diamond formation with a battalion at each point, so that if the leading battalion was unable to advance, the flanking battalions by continuing to advance would automatically turn the flanks of the defenders. This manoeuvre proved most successful. All the brigades advanced through the broad lanes torn by the tanks through the forest of barbed wire. The 16th Battalion Middlesex Regiment, acting as advanced guard to the 86th Brigade, was held up by heavy machine-gun fire from a chalk quarry in front of Nine Wood, a place essential to the safe holding of Marcoing, but the 2nd Royal Fusiliers on the right, and the Guernsey Light Infantry on the left, pushed in and took the quarry by reverse fire with hardly a check, the latter battalion receiving their baptism of fire in the course of this flawless manoeuvre. In addition to many prisoners, 26 machine guns were captured there. The centre brigade adopted the square formation, the two leading battalions finding their own advanced guards. After the garrison of the quarry had been thus disposed of, Nine Wood was captured with hardly a check, and outposts pushed on to Noyelles-sur-L'Escaut, a village about a mile to the north-west of the top of the spur, and lying, as its full name tells, on the (left) bank of the Scheidt.

………

(Page 154) Meanwhile, the 87th in the centre progressed steadily (and likethe 88th, without any artillery help), and with a certain degree of caution, as prisoners stated that Marcoing was held by three battalions. Some troublesome machine-gun fire was met with at Marcoing Copse, half a mile south-east of the village, and a certain number of casualties occurred, but the advance continued, and it was soon seen that any resistance this side of the canal was more apparent than real. The K.O.S.B., the leading battalion on the left, on capturing Marcoing, secured only 50 prisoners. The rest had fled, and yet it was evidently a place of great importance. Valuable assistance was rendered to the K.O.S.B. by tanks in this well-fought action. Nor did the K.O.S.B. forget their instructions regarding bridgeheads. Leaving two companies to mop up the village., Colonel C. A. G. O. Murray sent on the two others to capture the main bridge over the canal. Thanks to the intrepid advance of Major B. T. Wilson, R.E., in front of the infantry, this bridge was saved from destruction in the nick of time. It had been mined, but the engineers were up in time to cut the leads. As soon as the bridge was in our hands, the Borders, under Lieutenant-Colonel A. J. Ellis, D.S.O., carne sweeping through to attack the third and last line of the German system of defence. It was at this time that a check was threatened by a well-posted machine gun. The Germans were evidently regaining their heads and hearts. But it was not for long. Sergeant Spackman, of the Border Regiment, dashed across to the far side, for he had located the danger. Single-handed, and with great tactical skill, he worked round the gun by short rushes from cover to cover, shooting down the detachment in his advance. He shot all but one man, who abandoned his gun and bolted. By this intrepid act Sergeant Spackman cleared the way for those of his comrades, who did not cross by the lock bridge at the little Chateau of Talrna, north of the village, to cross the canal. For this dashing exploit Sergeant Spackman won the twenty-first V.C. for the 29th.

(Page 155) Now for the S.W.B. and R.I.F. on the right. It will be evident to the reader that, when mention was made of firing at Marcoing Copse, it would principally affect the right half of the brigade. It was the S.W.B. under Colonel G. T. Raikes, D.S.O., who met with and overcame this opposition. They continued their march towards the river and the canal, which at this point are almost contiguous. About two-thirds of the two miles of distance between Marcoing and Masnieres, in the direction of Masnieres, is a lock. This lock the S.W.B. seized, and, crossing by it, formed a bridgehead on the farther side. Hard behind them came the R.I.F., but, by the time they came up, a machine gun, firing from a building on the far side, made any attempt to cross futile. It was then that the initiative and bravery of their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Sherwood-Kelly, C.M.G., D.S.O., once more restored the situation. He ran under fire to a tank, with which he returned, and the fire of which he directed against the building. He himself at the head of his men then crossed the lock-bridge, followed by his leading company. Opposition then collapsed, and the remainder of the battalion passed over in safety. Although it is out of the order of events, it may be stated here that the same officer, on the same day, covered another company through a belt of wire, using a Lewis gun himself. His final exploit on that day was personally to lead a company against the defenders of some sunk gun pits, between Masnieres and Marcoing, which resulted in the capture of 46 prisoners and 5 machine guns. The Times correspondent, in giving his account of this record of gallantry, speaks of '' his coolness and nonchalance which were the inspiration of the whole battalion." His arm bore four wound stripes, and his last wound in the lung, as we know, would have entitled him to be permanently invalided. For these exploits he was subsequently awarded the V.C., the twenty-second won for the division.

(Page 157) But the N.F.L.D., on reaching the canal lock on the left edge of Masnieres, met with

stubborn resistance. After a severe combat the bridge was won, but, as the final objective, the Beaurevoir line, was beyond reach, a defensive flank was dug, linking up with the 87th Brigade.

87th Brigade Headquarters then moved to Marcoing, where the battalion headquarters were already ensconced, and attention was directed to discovering how the attack on the Beaurevoir line and the north-western suburbs of Masnieres had succeeded. Great results were not to be expected from a few tired battalions (the R.I.F. had had a rencontre of considerable asperity 1,000 yards north-west of Masnieres and taken some prisoners en route) and

(Page 158) one tank, confronted with a wired and entrenched position about a mile away. On the extreme left a company of the Borders captured a portion of the hostile trenches and 19 prisoners. As it could not be supported, it was ordered to retire. This order was carried out with masterly skill by alternate platoons. Not a prisoner escaped. It was a very fine example of "fire and movement'' in retreat.

The net result from north to west was that the 86th had reached their objective at Noyelles, the 87th had two battalions confronting the final objective and two in reserve in Marcoing. The 88th had captured three-fourths of Masnieres, and had three battalions across the canal and one in and around L.R.V. Rain had begun to fall early in the aftemoon. It was a nasty, cold winter’s night. The men had no blankets, but, though dog tired, they had plenty to do with pick and shovel.

……….

(Page 159) Perhaps the notable feature of this operation lay in the sustained endurance of the troops prior to, during, and subsequent to the attack. There had been no night's rest for three nights previous to the battle, and a night in the train had been followed by three night marches, some of the units doing as much as 12 miles in a night. On the actual day of battle the 29th Division marched 10 miles to the canal, carrying 6o lbs. of equipment. They fought till dark, and then consolidated a position 5,000 yards long by 1,500 deep.

Tank involvement

Orders

9, 11 and 10 sections, each with four tanks, were allotted respectively to 86th, 87th and 88th brigades, 29th Division. This division was to pass through the leading waves at the Brown Line and then assault toward the Bridges in Marcoing and Masnieres.

A55, , 2878, “Aggressive II”, 2Lt Lipscombe

Source: sites.google.com/site/landships/home/narratives/1917/camb...

Sandal Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Sandal Magna, a suburb of the city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, overlooking the River Calder. It was the site of royal intrigue and the setting for a scene in one of William Shakespeare's plays.

History

The Warennes

William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey (1081–1138) was granted the Sandal estates in 1107. The 2nd earl built the first Sandal Castle of timber. He supported Robert Curthose against Henry I and was banished from the kingdom for two years. Later he was given the Wakefield manor. William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey (1119–1148) spent little time at Sandal, having taken crusading vows and joined the Second Crusade. He had one daughter, Isabel de Warenne (1137–1199), who married William of Blois, son of King Stephen, who became the 4th earl. He died in 1159, leaving no children. Isabel, his widow, next married Hamelin (1129–1202), the 5th earl. He was the son of Geoffrey of Anjou and assumed the Warrene name on his marriage in 1164. Hamelin is thought to have built the early Norman stone fortifications at Conisbrough Castle and also begun to replace the wooden fortifications at Sandal with stone.

William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey (1166–1240) married Maud Marshal in 1225. He was loyal to his cousin, King John and is one of the four nobles whose name appears in the Magna Carta for John. On King John's death in 1216 he supported Henry III. Maud de Warenne, William's widow, held the Wakefield Manor from 1240 until their son John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey (1231–1304) came of age in 1252. John married Alice de Lusignan in 1247. In 1296 the 6th Earl was appointed warden for Scotland by Edward I and in 1299, the Earl and his royal master were triumphant over the Scots at the Battle of Falkirk.

William de Warrene (1256–1286) was killed at a tournament in Croydon pre-deceasing his father. His son John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey (1286–1347) was born in the year of his death. John married Joan of Bar but lived adulterously with Maud de Nereford from a village near Castle Acre in Norfolk. In 1347, the 7th Earl died. His sons John and Thomas became Knights Hospitaller in the Holy Land, predeceasing their mother. The lands passed to Edward III. The Warennes had castles at Lewes in Sussex and Reigate in Surrey, Castle Acre Castle in Norfolk and Conisbrough in Yorkshire.

The Dukes of York

In 1347, Edward III granted Sandal to his fifth son Edmund of Langley who was six years old at the time. His elder brother John of Gaunt held Pontefract and Knaresborough Castles, Edmund was granted Wark Castle near Coldstream in the Scottish Borders, and in 1377 Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire which was to become his home, and for the next 75 years the family seems to have spent little time at Sandal, leaving it to the management of constables or stewards.

In 1385 Edmund was made Duke of York as a reward for his support for his nephew, Richard II of England. He was succeeded by his son, also Edward who campaigned in Ireland and died at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Edward was succeeded by his nephew, Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York.

The Battle of Wakefield

Early in 1460, during the Wars of the Roses, Richard Plantagenet made a bid for the throne. He was initially not well-received, but an Act of Accord made in October 1460 recognised him as heir to the throne and named him Protector of the Realm. In December Richard went to Sandal Castle, either to consolidate his position or to counter Lancastrian dissent. He had an army of 3,000–8,000 men but on 30 December in the Battle of Wakefield, he was outnumbered and outmaneuvered by Queen Margaret's army, coming from nearby Pontefract. Richard suffered a crushing defeat and both he and his younger son Edmund, Earl of Rutland were killed (although only two months later Richard's eldest son Edward became king).

Richard III

The castle's last brush with royalty came in 1483 when Richard's eighth son (and twelfth child) Richard III chose it as a northern base and ordered significant investments. This hope was short lived however as Richard was killed in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. After this the castle was maintained a little, but gradually declined, with the building of Wakefield Prison in the 1590s leaving it even less useful.

The English Civil War

During the English Civil War Sandal Castle was Royalist, although its neglected state left it out of the major conflicts. In 1645 however it was besieged at least three times by Parliamentarian troops. Butler recounts: Having been assured that they would receive a safe passage to Welbeck House in north Nottinghamshire they surrendered the castle at 10 o'clock on 1 October 1645. The garrison was then 10 officers and 90 men with two of the men called "seniors" implying that they were professional soldiers rather than just non-commissioned officers. They also surrendered 100 muskets, 50 pikes, 20 halberds, 150 swords and two barrels of gunpowder: no pieces of artillery are mentioned.

As a result of this capitulation, only Bolton Castle in Wensleydale and Skipton Castle remained in Royalist hands in Yorkshire, but Sandal "was the most resolute of all the three northern garrisons" and its fall caused great rejoicing among the parliamentarian forces. By the siege's end, it was a ruin. The following year, Parliament ordered that it be made untenable.

The castle

The motte at Sandal Castle

The castles built by William the Conqueror's followers were self-sufficient strongholds, some of which were tax-gathering points, some controlled the larger towns, river crossings or passes through hills. Two castles were built near Wakefield, one at Lowe Hill on the north bank of the Calder and Sandal on the south bank. The first castles were probably started and completed in the early 12th century by William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey after he had been granted the manor of Wakefield by Henry I.

Sandal and Lowe Hill were motte-and-bailey earthwork castles with wooden towers on the mound and baileys with timber palisades and deep ditches. Sandal is built on a natural sandstone ridge, the Oaks Rock. The motte was raised to 10 metres (33 ft) with the 7 metres (23 ft) deep moat surrounding it. Only Sandal survived and during the 13th century the keep, curtain wall and other buildings were rebuilt in stone, probably started by either the sixth or seventh Earls Warenne.[Timber motte and bailey castles were often converted into stone if they were in use for long periods; Sandal is a particularly good example of this.

The stone keep was circular with four towers each four storeys high; two of them close together formed a gatehouse, and the east tower contained a well, 37 metres (121 ft) deep. The double-walled keep would have had guardrooms, storerooms and servants' quarters on the ground floor, the main hall above and private apartments on the second floor. The tower rooms had garderobes, (lavatories) that discharged on the outer walls of the keep. The curtain wall was 6 metres (20 ft) high with a wall walk along its length, it enclosed the bailey and crossed the moat twice to reach the keep.

The barbican at Sandal was inside the bailey; it was a three-storey tower with a moat opposite two drum towers at the entrance to the keep, all of which were constructed in the early 1270s. The barbican with its own gate and portcullis added an extra line of defence between the main entrance gate and the keep. Attackers entering the barbican had to make a right-angled turn to enter the keep, which was protected by a drawbridge between the drum towers. A stairway from the barbican led to a sally port.

The bailey lay to the south-east of the keep with the main gatehouse on the north-east side. It was crescent shaped, about 71 metres (233 ft) long and 52 metres (171 ft) wide. Inside the bailey there was a 12 metres (39 ft) deep well and two privy shafts, one of which is 8 metres (26 ft) deep.

The ruins

The ruins were a source of stone for local building and became a place for locals to relax. They were depicted in the foreground of a drawing of Wakefield from the south by Samuel Buck in 1719 or 1722, and in 1753 an engraving was published of an Elizabethan survey drawing.

The ruins were first excavated by the Yorkshire Archaeological Society in 1893. A more detailed project began in the summer of 1964 and was a partnership between Wakefield Corporation, Wakefield Historical Society and the University of Leeds. This project started as an experiment in adult education, but with the help of over a hundred local volunteers it grew into a complete and rigorous excavation that continued for nine years. Whilst excavating the bailey, archaeologists found remains of flint tools suggesting a Mesolithic encampment was there in about 5,000 BC.

In 2003, a wooden walkway was provided to allow access to the summit of the motte without causing erosion: it was subsequently closed as unsafe. A visitor centre was constructed about 110 yards (100 m) from the castle. There have been historical re-enactments and "living history" days, including commemoration of the Battle of Wakefield and the deaths of Richard Duke of York and his son Edmund. In February 2015 Wakefield Council announced that due to budget constraints they were considering plans to either close the visitor centre or reduce its opening hours. The centre has since closed.

The castle is a Scheduled Monument, which means it is a "nationally important" historic building and archaeological site which has been given protection against unauthorised change. It is also a Grade II* listed building.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 29: Fans cheer in the audience at the League of Legends World Championship Semifinals on October 29, 2022 in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)

A lovely trip down the Water of Leith on a sunny spring day in Edinburgh, what a luxury it is to have places like this on my doorstep. Met some nice dogs too enjoying a swim. Happy Spring everyone :)

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) District Conservationist Josh Martin, from the Aiken, South Carolina service center and Spring Steel Farm owner Ronnie Cook (burgundy sweater) stand at the edge of one of his cement pads and discuss the continued benefits of his application and qualification for financial and/or technical assistance from the USDA NRCS Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) to implement Conservation Practice Standard 561 - Heavy Use Area Protection (HUAP) with cement pads to protect the soil that cattle stand on while feeding from troughs and drinking water from floating ball valve troughs, in Wagener, SC, on Nov 17, 2020. Using the technical specification of the trough pads, he added several more at his own cost. For more information about CP 561, please go to nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1263412.pdf. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

Behind the scenes of the World Premiere on Hollywood Boulevard for Marvel Studio (Los Angeles - California - USA) ; here with Kelley Bruggere from Android TV.

06-ELIALNERAI- temptation

He was sitting on the damp sand watching the setting sun threading its way into the water.

He was holding the egg in his hands and observing it, but nothing had changed since the last time he looked at it.

He put it back into his pocket, asking himself if it was worth it and wondering what He would do next.

Without the map He did not know where to go and apparently not a soul lived in this area of the kingdom.

He was starting to think that maybe He should forget about this madness and go back home (wherever that was), when a most beautiful voice started singing, soothing his ears with sounds He had never heard before. It made him feel a little less lonely and out of place.

He could not see anybody around and He wanted desperately to understand where the singing was coming from.

After a while He could not take it anymore. He arose and walked toward the sea, where the voice seemed to be drawing him.

He untied the hilt that was fastened to his side and it fell into the water with a dull sound followed by his bag.

He took off his shoes and left them behind. Then He started swimming.

…

He was swimming with long and smooth strokes, completely absorbed in the music.

The rip tides were stroking his body, embracing him and filling his limbs with bliss.

He knew he was exhausted but it was a faded sensation, like the way one remembers in the back of their mind a face they have seen long ago and that has started to fade.

He stopped swimming only when He reached the reef.

“I thought you would not come,” cried the siren, her voice so sad it tore his heart “I thought I would have been waiting for my entire life... and one day more. I thought you would not come and I would be here alone, your absence filling my existence and me filling the sea with my salty tears…”

He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to tell her that he swam as fast as He could and that now He was there, at least, and she shouldn’t worry anymore.

But when He opened his mouth to speak he realized He was breathless.

“My poor little hero… my pearl… come… come… lie next to me… rest. Elialnerai will sing you a song and everything will be perfect again.”

She started singing again, and He let himself be lost into her voice once more, dissolving into a thousand notes and recomposing himself into new chords.

She was stroking his hair and braiding it with seaweed and shells, never stopping the singing.

Under her gentle touch He forgot he was unhappy and worn out.

Filled with her voice, He forgot He didn’t know where to go. He just knew He wanted to stay by her side to let her make him happy.

He could not remember a time without her. She was the sole reason why He was breathing, the only motive why the entire universe was pulsing with life.

The days went by and He forgot why He had arrived in Goor. He forgot the faces of those He had loved and hated.

He forgot the vow He had spoken when He was knighted.

He forgot his own name.

Sometimes while He was swimming into the sea, looking for some shells for Elialnerai, He felt there was something He should remember. He could feel the shadow of a shadow of a shallow old memory, but it was not enough to bring it back.

Elialnearai seemed to know perfectly when to start singing again... and when she was singing the entire world would disappear and all He could think about was her.

One day He was going back to the reef and stuck a hand into his pocket to decide which one of the shells He had found was beautiful enough to be worthy of her and He felt a smooth surface under his fingers.

When He saw the egg his first thought was that something this beautiful would be the perfect gift, but something moved inside him.

“No. Anything else, but not this. This is mine. This is me,” He thought.

This new feeling shook him and he gripped the egg more firmly, letting the memories come to the surface, hurting him and making him feel alive once more. Regardless of the suffering those memories were causing him, they were his past. They were him.

For the first time, holding the egg into his hands, He ignored Elialnerai’s singing.

He started swimming toward the shore.

When Elialnerai realized He was not coming back to her, she erupted.

She started screaming and her shrieks could be heard for miles, and most of those who heard them went insane.

She summoned the spirits of the water, raised the waves and made the winds blow harder.

He tried to float long enough to fill his lungs with air and to spit the water he had just swallowed, but He was pushed back under water every time as if someone was holding him down.

Hit on the head by a piece of wood that was floating better than He, He passed out.

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Pretty Portraits & Headshots! Beautiful Surf Goddesses! Athletic Action Portraits of Swimsuit Bikini Models! Athena, Artemis, Helen, and Aphrodite! Fitness Model! Pretty Woman! Sexy hot women!

Exalt your photography with Golden Ratio Compositions!

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Golden Ratio Compositions & Secret Sacred Geometry for Photography, Fine Art, & Landscape Photographers: How to Exalt Art with Leonardo da Vinci's, Michelangelo's!

Epic Landscape Photography:

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A Simple Guide to the Principles of Fine Art Nature Photography: Master Composition, Lenses, Camera Settings, Aperture, ISO, ... Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography)

Epic Art & Gear for your Epic Hero's Odyssey:

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Enjoy my physics!! Light Time Dimension Theory: The Foundational Physics Unifying Einstein's Relativity and Quantum Mechanics: A Simple, Illustrated Introduction to the Physical

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Beautiful Surf Goddesses! Athletic Action Portraits of Swimsuit Bikini Models! Athena, Artemis, Helen, and Aphrodite!

National Corvette Museum

Bowling Green, KY

On January 8 1984 the Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers conference began in Wellington, New Zealand. The conference ran until January 15. The Conference brings together the Speakers and Presiding Officers of the national parliaments of the independent sovereign states of the Commonwealth. It was created in 1969 as an initiative of the Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, the Honourable Lucien Lamoureux.

The Conference is an independent group and has no formal affiliation with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the Commonwealth Secretariat or the Commonwealth Heads of Government. The conference operates on a two-year cycle, holding a conference of the full membership every two years, usually early in January, and a meeting of the Standing Committee at the same time the intervening year.

The Conference aims to:

•Maintain, foster, and encourage impartiality and fairness on the part of Speakers and Presiding Officers of Parliaments;

•Promote knowledge and understanding of parliamentary democracy in its various forms; and

•Develop parliamentary institutions.

Pictured here are the speakers of Parliament, on the steps of the Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand. The last Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers conference held in Wellington was in 2014.

Reference: ABGX 7574 W4969 2/a (R2186542)

collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/?q=2186542

For further enquiries please email

Research.Archives@dia.govt.nz

Material from Archives New Zealand

I believe in God as the ultimate creator and artist. Whenever I lack subjects for my photography, he often shows me something out of the blue. It so happened that a week ago, he dropped a nutmeg fruit in front of me, which split into two pieces in the impact and exposed its seed with the mace around it. Surprisingly, it showed the clear inscription of "ALLAH" in Arabic language. It could be a miracle or coincidence . Anyway, those who can read and believe, kindly share this.

Elizabeth Fort is situated on the south side of the city and is said to be one of the finest examples of a 17th century star-shaped fort. The fort itself has gone through a number of phases & rebuilds. Originally built in 1601 during the reign of Elizabeth I, it was replaced in 1624 by a stronger fort which had the same basic outline as that which survives today.

It is reputed that improvements were also made by Cromwell 1649 when he took control of the city. It was used again in 1690 by Williamite forces to shell the city and a cannonball fired from the Fort at the old tower of St. Fin barre’s was found during the 19th century rebuilding of the Cathedral.

In 1719, Elizabeth Fort became a British military barracks and housed approximately seven hundred men. In 1806, a ‘New Barrack’s’ was built on the north side of the city (now called Collin’s Barracks), and Elizabeth fort was converted to a Female Convict Prison. It subsequently became home to various bodies such as a station for the Cork City Artillery Militia.

During the Irish War of Independence (1920-21), it was occupied by the Royal Irish Constabulary and duly handed over to the Provisional Irish government at the end of the war. It is now a Garda Station (Irish police force) and to this day remains one of Cork’s most historic gems. Never been excavated, Elizabeth Fort has a wealth of stories waiting to be discovered and to be told.

The fort itself is partially open to the public and it is well worth the a visit for the views over the city.

In 2011, Tony and I took a trip through Canada and Alaska, along the 'Alcan' or 'Alaska' Highway. Our trip took us through a small town in British Columbia called Chetwynd. We had no prior knowledge of the wonderful tradition that transforms this town into a WORLD CLASS Chainsaw Carving event each year. This image is an example of the sculptures we saw: The winner of the 2010 contest. We vowed to come back and watch the contest someday...all four days of it! So here we were in Chetwynd, British Columbia, June 9 through June 12, 2016. If you care to follow, I will take you through our four days of flying sawdust and chainsaw artistry. (Yahtzee #40). (FYI... "Yahtzee" is the name of our faithful, much traveled in, motor home...and #40 is our 40th trip in it...)

AMC Ambassador Saloon Cars - 1971

Suddenly all took to the sky , so a quick grab shot.

Kumartuli

Durga Puja - the ceremonial worship of the supremely radiant mother goddess, is one of the most important festivals, is celebrated every year in the month of October with much gaiety and grandeur in India and abroad, especially in Bengal, where the ten-armed goddess riding the lion and killing the Buffalo-Demon (Mahishasura) is worshiped with great passion and devotion. In Durga, the Gods bestowed their powers to co-create a beautiful goddess with ten arms, each carrying their most lethal weapon. The tableau of Durga also features her four children - Kartikeya, Ganesha, Saraswati and Lakshmi.

Experience Durga Puja in Kolkata........ An Experience of A Lifetime! September 30-October 4, 2014

Photograph of the image of the display units showing YGT photographs; hence not high resolution.

The Birth of Venus: Sony A7 R RAW Photos of Pretty, Tall Blond Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens & Lightroom 5.3

45surf Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography! & 45surf Hero's Odyssey Mythology Fine Art! :)

New Instagram! instagram.com/45surf

New Instagram!

instagram.com/johnnyrangermccoy

New blog celebrating my philosophy of photography with tips, insights, and tutorials!

45surf.wordpress.com

Ask me any questions! :)

Sony A7R RAW Photos of Pretty Blonde Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens! Lightroom 5.3 ! Pretty Hazel Eyes & Silky Blonde Hair!

And here're a couple of HD video movies I shot of the goddess with the 4K Sony:

vimeo.com/45surf

Enjoy! Be sure to watch in the full 1080P HD!

The epic goddess was tall, thin, fit, tan, and in wonderful shape (as you can see).

Follow me on facebook!

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Epic Goddess Straight Out of Hero's Odyssey Mythology! Pretty Model! :) Tall, thin, fit and beautiful!

Welcome to your epic hero's odyssey! The beautiful 45surf goddess sisters hath called ye to adventure, beckoning ye to read deeply Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, whence ye shall learn of yer own exalted artistic path guided by Hero's Odyssey Mythology. I wouldn't be saying it if it hadn't happened to me.

New 500px!

500px.com/herosodysseymythology

Pretty Swimsuit Bikini Model Goddess! :)

She was a beauty--a gold 45 goddess for sure! A Gold 45 Goddess exalts the archetypal form of Athena--the Greek Goddess of wisdom, warfare, strategy, heroic endeavour, handicrafts and reason. A Gold 45 Goddess guards the beauty of dx4/dt=ic and embodies 45SURF's motto "Virtus, Honoris, et Actio Pro Veritas, Amor, et Bellus, (Strength, Honor, and Action for Truth, Love, and Beauty," and she stands ready to inspire and guide you along your epic, heroic journey into art and mythology. It is Athena who descends to call Telemachus to Adventure in the first book of Homer's Odyssey--to man up, find news of his true father Odysseus, and rid his home of the false suitors, and too, it is Athena who descends in the first book of Homer's Iliad, to calm the Rage of Achilles who is about to draw his sword so as to slay his commander who just seized Achilles' prize, thusly robbing Achilles of his Honor--the higher prize Achilles fought for. And now Athena descends once again, assuming the form of a Gold 45 Goddess, to inspire you along your epic journey of heroic endeavour.

Modeling the Gold 45 Revolver Gold'N'Virtue swimsuit. :)

A laid-back,classic, socal lifestyle shoot!

May the 45surf goddesses inspire you along am artistic journey of your own making!

All the best on your Epic, Homeric, Heroic Odyssey into the Art of Photography from Johnny Ranger McCoy!

All 45surf Hero's Odyssey Mythology Photography is shot in the honor of Dynamic Dimensions Theory's First Law and equation: The fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at the rate of c: dx4/dt=ic.

All the best on your Epic Hero's Odyssey from Johny Ranger McCoy!

Sony A7R RAW Photos of Pretty, Tall Blond Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess in Laguna Beach! Victoria Beach! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens & Lightroom 5.3Sony A7R RAW Photos of Pretty, Tall Blond Bikini Swimsuit Model Goddess in Laguna Beach! Victoria Beach! Carl Zeiss Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA Sonnar T* Lens & Lightroom 5.3

instagram.com/45surf

Fine art swimsuit model, ballerina, and ballet photography!

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 17: DAMWON KIA poses at the League of Legends World Championship Quarterfinals Features Day on October 17, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Lance Skundrich/Riot Games)

Kylah George is congratulated after receiving her kente at the Donning of the Kente Ceremony December 8, 2022, in the Lakeside Meeting Rooms at Elon University.

Unique Urban Pet Portraits of Cats and Dogs by Acamonchi

Bring out the personality of a beloved pet with a custom urban pet portrait by Acamonchi. These unique commissions on wood panel start as low as $250. Add some awesome pet art to your home or make it a gift to a friend!

Email me at acamonchi.hq@gmail.com and include a picture of the pet to get started.

Quality and professionalism, serious inquiries only. Portraits take about one week to complete, require 50% upfront and 50% upon completion.

Satisfied customers in San Diego, Los Angeles, Portland, Texas, New York, Canada and Mexico!

acamonchi-art.com | instagram acamonchi

12 x 12” x $250

18 x 18” x $450

24 x 24” x $850

Other sizes available, feel free to ask.

(Shipping not included)

Perfect for the holidays or any day!

Check out the video on Youtube!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0j29xa5Bng

KVSR(CP) N2b class 2-8-0 consolidation 3716 "Spirit of Summerland" starts building up steam as it leaves the Canyon View station in Summerland, BC.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Health, Admiral Rachel Levine and Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Deputy Under Secretary Stacy Dean visited Watkins ES in Washington, D.C. on Friday, March 17 in recognition of National Nutrition Month. They participated alongside 5th grade students in a “hands-on” FoodPrints lesson by the non-profit FRESHFARM and learned about harvesting and cooking nutritious collard greens and about the nutritional value of whole grains. The two also engaged in a conversation on nutrition and health with stakeholders including Watkins ES students and parents, District of Columbia governmental officials, public school leadership, and anti-hunger and nutrition advocates from the private and nongovernmental sectors. (USDA photo by Christophe Paul)

In the Irish mythology, Tír na nÓg was considered a place beyond the edges of the map, located on an island far to the west. It could be reached by either an arduous voyage or an invitation from one of its fairy residents.

Excerpt from visitstratford.ca/explore-the-artistic-side-of-culture/:

Commissioned in 2005, Tír na nÓg was installed by Mark Czajkowski. Meaning the Land of Youth, it is an ornate metal gateway leading from Downie Street into an intimate park. Tír na nÓg is a popular otherworld in Irish mythology thought to be on an island far beyond the edges of maps and reachable only by a long, challenging journey or by invitation from a resident fairy.

ghanagist.com/

Brighton March of the Mermaids 2016

Join my facebook page here www.facebook.com/randyotter3000

Buy tees prints and more here www.redbubble.com/people/randyotter?ref=account-nav-dropdown

Powder-coated MDF, polymer clay, chicken bones, acrylics, clear varnish. See more on www.behance.net/gallery/Evolution-of-Type-Exhibits-6-9-12...

One of Arriva Yorkshire's later deliveries of the DAF DB250-based Optare Spectras heads eat regards down Boar Lane, Leeds.

President Joe Biden meets with senior advisers, Wednesday, January 5, 2022, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Erin Scott)

Format: Photographic print.

Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.

Part Of: Powerhouse Museum Collection

General information about the Powerhouse Museum Collection is available at www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database

Persistent URL: www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=389104

Acquisition credit line: Gift of Dorothy Stuckey, 1987

The Church of Our Lady of Kazan in Tallinn, Estonia, is a small Russian Orthodox church built in 1721. The church has the distinction of being the oldest wooden structure in Tallinn. It was the first church completed after the Great Northern War in the early 18th century, a conflict that ended with Estonia, after 150 years under Swedish rule was handed over to tsarist Russia.

After the war Tallinn's suburbs were growing quickly as the town was absorbing more and more Russian immigrants. Along with that growth came the sudden need for more suburban churches such as the Church of Our Lady of Kazan. Extensive repairs in the 19th century gave the church a neo-classical façade and interior. The Orthodox congregation that worships here belongs to the Moscow patriarchate.

On the 16th of July (19 days after I took this photo the Church of Our Lady of Kazan was damaged by a fire. Fortunately the fire department of Tallinn manage to extinguish the fire in time to save the church from extensive damage. Damage where limited to the church’s exterior.

I saw a lot of icebergs in my travels, but this was one of the few where you could see a little bit of what is usually hidden under water.

From Wiki: Because the density of pure ice is about 920 kg/m³, and that of seawater about 1025 kg/m³, typically only one-tenth of the volume of an iceberg is above water. The shape of the underwater portion can be difficult to judge by looking at the portion above the surface. This has led to the expression "tip of the iceberg", for a problem or difficulty that is only a small manifestation of a larger problem.

This statue of Peter Stuyvesant, standing in the courtyard of Martin Luther King Jr. School, formerly School No. 11, at 866 Bergen Avenue in Bergen Square, marks the site of the village of Bergen. Dedicated on October 18, 1913, the 8-foot high statue by John Massey Rhind originally stood on a base that stood twelve-feet long and eight-feet high. It was originally proposed in 1910 at the commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the village of Bergen.

The inscription on the current base reads: "In the year of our Lord 1660, by permission of Petrus Stuyvesant, Director-General, and the Council of New Netherland, around this Square, was founded and built the Village of Bergen, the first permanent settlement in New Jersey."

Peter Stuyvesant (c. 1612 – August 1672), the fourth and last Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland, met with Native chiefs at Fort Amsterdam on January 30, 1658 and agreed for the repurchase of the Western shore. In 1660, he authorized the founding of Bergen, which provided the impetus for the future settlement of Jersey City. The town was built behind a square wooden palisade as a defensive measure to protect settlers against Indians. The fortified site was near elevated terrain approximately two miles from the Hudson River that was a former Indian corn field. On September 5, 1661, Stuyvesant as Director-General issued a charter of incorporation to the Village of Bergen that included a court of justice. The eight hundred foot area is now Bergen Square. During the remainder of his tenure, Dutch settlers, mostly from New Amsterdam, moved into Harsimus, Paulus Hook, Communipaw, Hoboken, Minkakwa (Greenville), Pamrapo and Bergen.

Four years later, Stuyvesant tried to defend New Netherland from takeover by England. Charles II and his brother James, the Duke of York, wanted to close the geographic gap in their control of the northeast coast of America. When the English naval fleet arrived at New York harbor on August 27, 1664, Stuyvesant could not rally support among the settlers to defend the colony. Discontent with Dutch rule, the colonists held back while the English claimed control. New Netherland was divided to become the English colonies of New York and New Jersey.

This is one of Tama Zoo's new arrivals. Little IBUKI, the second King Cheetah born at the zoo in the past 12 months. (Ibuki is a Japanese tree). He's a real treasure.

Nikon D800, AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR11

Photo made during the recording of a short movie for a trailer contest for the Imagine festival in Amsterdam in April 2013.

The longer version of both contributions to this contest can be found here:

youtu.be/XOCKbPGYv6w

I decided instead of just aging the photo, what if the riders emerged from the aged photo to find themselves in the 21st century. You might notice the "old" photo does not have as much "age" as some of the others. I did this for continuity between the two riders.

Alien Bee B800 in 86 inch silver PLM camera left. Skyport trigger.

Location: Mountain View, California

Apple WWDC 2010 Jacket by American Apparel

Shoes by Nine West

Model: Michèle (Model Mayhem #1294279)

Detail of the top portion of an urna for an antique processional image of the Dolorosa, in Bayan, Malolos, Bulacan. Made of old ipil wood recovered from a 19th century kamalig in Malolos.

From the Bloomquist Workshop, 2008.

This group photo of the LPSA interns and trip leaders was taken at Tea Kettle Junction in Death Valley, Calif. (Standing on left side, left to right): Kristopher Schwebler, Valerie Fox, Emily Kopp, Kyle Yawn, Dan Burger, Ian Schoch, Devon Miller; (left to right, sitting) Justin Wilde, Jessica Marbourg, Maggie McAdam (a trip leader), Leva McIntire, Ann Parsons (a trip leader), Mindy Krzykowski, Emma McKinney, Cynthia Cheung (LPSA principal investigator and a trip leader), George Fercana; (standing on right side): Kynan Rilee, Gregory Romine, Clint Naquin, Gunther Kletetschka (a trip leader), Andrew Ryan, and in the very back, Brian Jackson (a trip leader).

Photo credit: NASA/GSFC/ Leva McIntire/LPSA intern

To read a feature story on the Racetrack Playa go to: www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/roving-rocks.html

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe.

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Notes from Michael Ferner:

It should be noted, however, that the "Jay-Eye-See Special" had nothing to do with the J. I. Case Threshing Machine Co. It was a Fiat, rebuilt by Louis Disbrow who subsequently joined the Case team and renamed the car to please his new employer.

Nice picture of the "White Streak", by the way. This is one of the 1911 cars, rebodied and rechassied. I can't be 100 % sure, but I believe it's the one raced by Jagersberger at Indy.

Ah, that's why I didn't recognize the driver! I haven't seen that many pics of Jagersberger that I remembered, and since it's the rebuilt version of the car I only checked with 1912 pictures.

"Won many dirt track races" is perhaps a bit of embellishment, but Jagersberger did win one big meeting at the Hawthorne track in Cicero/Chicago back in June, with the car still in its Indy specification, against a field containing Hughie Hughes in the Mercer, Bob Burman (Benz) , Ralph de Palma (Simplex) and Eddie Hearne (Fiat). The cars were rebuilt during the summer months, and Jagersberger crashed at a dirt track meeting in Columbis/SC early in November, putting an end to his promising career. He was then driving a sister car, called the "Eagle" which was later renamed as the "Bullet" and run until the late teens with many famous drivers at the wheel, including Hearne, Bill Endicott and Fred Horey. I believe that the "Bullet" was originally Will Jones's Indy ride.

Excerpt from something I wrote on the Case, "Jay-Eye-See" etc. on another forum:

The J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company (one of the best ever names for a racing team ) of Racine in Wisconsin made automobile racing history by filing the first ever entry for an Indianapolis 500 Mile race on October 27 in 1910. Though the brand name still exists, it is no longer connected to the car manufacturing business (which went under in 1927), and the total output of racing cars never even reached double digits, but its importance in racing is still enormous since it formed the nucleus of the very first, and possibly biggest ever team of "historic" racing cars in the world - the team of John Alexander "Alex" Sloan, and his travelling circus show under the banner of the International Motor Contest Association, or IMCA for short.

In October of 1910, when that first Indianapolis entry had been filed, Case had only just begun manufacturing cars, and the racing car that was going to be raced at the Brickyard was no more than an idea in the mind of Lewis Strang, a young racing driver from New York. Although young in years, Strang had already acquired extensive experience in racing, having driven Isotta-Fraschini, Thomas, Renault, Buick, Fiat, Allen-Kingston, SPO and Jackson cars in competition during the last three years, mostly very successful, too.

It was hoped to test the Case as early as February 27, during the Mardi Gras Carnival races at New Orleans (LA), but the car could not be finished in time. Luckily, though, Strang got another chance on the last of March, putting the new Case through 300 miles of a beach race at Jacksonville (FL) - actually, he completed only 270 miles, finishing 6 laps down and in last place, but at least the reliability was there. With its small 4649 cc engine, the Case was not going to win anyway, but to go through such an arduous grind without much trouble was exactly the publicity that the Racine company was looking for. The winning Pope (6389 cc) and National (7320 cc) cars were running in a different league, but the third placed Mercer (4927 cc) finished only 12½ minutes ahead, so the speed of the little Case was competitive, too.

On Memorial Day, the three Case cars lined up in the hopeful expectation of giving a good account of themselves: On Memorial Day, the three Case cars lined up in the hopeful expectation of giving a good account of themselves:

1911 Case #1, Lewis Strang, relief driver Elmer Ray

1911 Case #8, Joe Jagersberger, relief driver Louis Larsonneur

1911 Case #9, Will Jones, relief driver Russell Smith

All three cars now sported the flashy look of the #9 car, but none of them managed to stay in the race for more than 300 miles - the steering gear proved to be the weak point on the rough bricks of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Undeterred, the team commenced an exhaustive schedule of racing over the following weeks: the Algonquin Hill Climb on June 8, the Hawthorne Track race on the 11th, Kenosha Driving Park on June 18, and Wisconsin State Fair Park on the 21st. With fair success, as Jagersberger even won the main event at Hawthorne, but Strang was injured the following week in Kenosha (WI), just a few miles south of home base, breaking an arm and an ankle. Worse was to come, as within a month he was dead, crashing fatally during a reliability tour through Wisconsin - at zero mph!!! Strang had stopped his Case touring car at a newly built bridge, in order to let a horse-drawn carriage through, only to find the fresh road shoulder giving way, and tumbling down the steep embankment - he was pinned under the car, and killed instantly.

Bereft of its leading light, the team soldiered on, now headed by Jagersberger, an Austrian-born racing veteran, and a promising young Californian named Jay McNay, but incredibly, within little more than a fortnight two more careers ended in Case racing cars during November, with Jagersberger suffering very serious injuries at the South Carolina State Fair races in Columbia, and McNay perishing in a practice shunt at the Vanderbilt Cup and Grand Prize meeting in Savannah (GA)! That was the nadir of a debutant year that could perhaps be best described as "character building", but thankfully, fortunes improved from here on. Two factors or, to be more precise, two persons were chiefly responsible for that reversal of fortunes, and one of them had already joined the team previous to that disastrous month of November: Alex Sloan. A former member of the management team of the already legendary Barney Oldfield, Sloan was a master manipulator, educated and entrepreneurial, with a vast experience of sports in general, and racing in particular. It was probably he who contacted Louis Disbrow, the second piece of the jigsaw puzzle, and one of the leading drivers in the country, who had only just announced that he was leaving the Pope-Hartford factory team to branch out on his own, with a "new" car he had just purchased, of which more anon.

Disbrow was present at Savannah to race the potent Pope "Hummer", merely fulfilling his last contractual obligations for the team that was about to close its storied racing department, and consented to drive Jagersberger's Case in one of the supporting races. It was an inauspicious debut for the driver, but Disbrow still joined the Case team over the winter, apparently liking the itinerary set out by Sloan: dirt track racing, dirt track racing, and more dirt track racing - every day of the week, if at all possible! That was right up Disbrow's alley, who really didn't care that much about road racing, having been reared on America's dusty fairground ovals - he and Alex Sloan would be partners for the rest of his career, well into the twenties! The setup is now complete for our journey, the "magical mystery tour" with Alex Sloan and his travelling circus show: within a few short years, the "old" Case racing team will be totally revamped, expanded and disguised, and it's so easy to lose orientation. So let's start right here with our inventory:

Three Case cars had been built for the Indy 500, all three basically identical, with 4-cylinder T-head engines built by the Wisconsin Engine Co., 4 1/4 * 5 inches (283.7 CID/4649 cc). It does not really look plausible to assume that there were more cars, but we should investigate: what about Strang's car at Jacksonville (March 31)? Occam's razor leads us to suggest that it was the same car he raced at Indy, and indeed, looking at the pictures of the two unpainted cars, Strang's looks slightly "used", while Jagersberger's has a fresh finish. Did the team ever enter more than three cars? Not to the best of my knowledge. And the accidents? No "terminal" damage? The most difficult question, as only very few pictures exist to help us out. But we mustn't forget that in those times, almost anything was repaired, over and over again - even the engines were likely special developments, and any damage, even major engine failures would be put back into action after suitable time in the workshop, as there would be no complete spare units, only parts. Yet we should be prepared for "transformations", i.e. cars being rebuilt with more or less major changes in appearance, and maybe even specification - this should become more clear in the process of our survey.

A little help may be provided by the nicknames the cars acquired during the year, presumably under the influence of Sloan's management. The first occurence of these nicknames that I can detect is from the September 13, 1911 meeting at Comstock Park in Grand Rapids (MI). McNay was there with his Cutting, presumably as part of the Ernie Moross équipe with Bob Burman, Lee Oldfield (not Barney!) and Juddy Kilpatrick, complete with a team of cars including the Blitzen-Benz. Ray Harroun was also there, giving various "exhibitions" with the Marmon "Wasp", including a wheel-change race - if ever somebody tries to tell you, that both car and driver retired upon winning the inaugural Indy 500, don't listen! Sloan arrived with only two cars, both carrying names much in the same fashion as the "Wasp" or the "Blitzen": Jagersberger was to drive the "White Streak", while the former Marmon chauffeur Lou Heinemann was down to drive the "Little Case Giant", or "Little Giant" for short. Interestingly, a few weeks later at Springfield (IL), the "Little Giant" was entered by one A. McFadden, as opposed to the Case factory (or Alex Sloan) for the other cars, as usual - anomalies like that will happen from time to time, and though I can't be sure if it has any meaning, it's perhaps best to take note just in case. This Mr. McFadden also appears to have gotten some seat time in the car during the afternoon, and this will also become a recurring theme: the swapping around amongst the drivers. Other than that, one Austin A. McFadden appears as the promoter of two race meetings at Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo (MI) the next July, both (naturally) attended by Sloan and his team. Racing is a small world indeed, even in America...

More on the "Jay-Eye-See":

Before the Case team started its 1912 campaign in California, Sloan saw to it that the press knew what to expect: for one thing, joining the team now as a full-time member was Louis Disbrow, as has been mentioned. The other big news item was the cars he was bringing to the team: early in November of 1911, it had been reported that Disbrow had bought the "200 hp Fiat" of E. W. C. Arnold, allegedly the car Felice Nazzaro had raced at Brooklands in 1908, (in)famous for its alleged lap record of over 121 mph - actually, it appears to have been an identical "twin" of that particular car, an 18,146 cc (190 * 160) OHV monster with an actual output of 175 hp, according to the most reliable sources. It had been driven for Arnold by Lewis Strang and Ralph de Palma in exhibitions at the Atlanta Motordrome, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Los Angeles Motordrome at Playa del Rey. Its only race appearance, as far as I can determine, happened in a 50-miler at Indianapolis on Labor Day of 1910, where de Palma finished 4th behind Eddie Hearne (Benz), Ray Harroun (Marmon) and Al Livingston (National) - not quite the performance of a champion!

Shortly after the purchase of the big Fiat, Disbrow announced plans to convert the car over the winter into the fastest dirt track racer in the world, but consented to a public tryout during a motorcycle meet at the Guttenberg track in New Jersey, during which the Fiat caught fire and inflicted painful burns on the driver. Both he and the car were restored to health by March 31 for their first competitive event at the Lakeside Inn Speedway near San Diego (CA), where the big Fiat sported the now well known upside-down boat body as well as the name "Jay-Eye-See Special", and was reportedly powered by a 290 hp engine of 1,760 CID - first indications of the Sloan flair for embellishment that would become a virtual trademark for IMCA later on! Somehow, Sloan seems to have become "confused", and quoted the specifications of the new Fiat S76 record car instead (apart from adding another 30 CID for good measure) - oh, well... The quoted weight of 3,150 lbs (1,429 kg) was likely more accurate, and indicative of some actual gains in that department - not really surprising, either, as the car had been devoid of any ornamental features such as bodywork, originally!

This was my first shoot with the gorgeous Charleigh; I knew within 0.02 seconds of meeting her that it was going to be a fun shoot. She is an absolute blast to shoot with - very talented and at ease in front of the camera, creative, funny, sassy, and very photogenic. We just moved from place to place in Downtown Boise and Charleigh made all of them look better. This was one of my most enjoyable one-on-one shoots ever. I can't wait to shoot with her again!

I did this shoot in Downtown Boise in May 2019.

📆 2019-05-25⏱17'00h➡️WPF‍♀️PROMOCIÓ-🏆DH📍Piscina: CN Madrid Moscardó 🔛: @wpfem_mosca 🆚 @cncatalunya - @timeoutsports.cat @sports_of_our_world - Photo:©️J.Arnau/ @atelierphoto.cat - ⚪️🔵🔴 - 🔛 L'enllaç a les fotos ho podeu veure a la bio. El enlace a todas las fotos en la bio. Link to all photos in the bio. -

design by beth keim of lucy and company; photography by mekenzie france

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

After the division of Czechoslovakia by Germany in 1939, Slovakia was left with a small air force composed primarily of Czechoslovak combat aircraft. This force defended Slovakia against Hungary in March 1939, in the Slovak–Hungarian War in March 1939 in which Hungary reoccupied Carpathian Ruthenia and parts of southern Slovakia. In this the SVZ suffered some losses against Royal Hungarian Air Force. Later, the SVZ also took part in the German Invasion of Poland. The SVZ took part in Axis offensives in the Ukraine and Russian Central front sectors of the Eastern Front under the lead of Luftwaffe in the Stalingrad and Caucasus operations. This engagement resulted in great losses of aircraft and personnel, though.

Since Hs 123 production had already stopped in 1940 and all tools had been destroyed, the permanent attritions could not be replaced - due to a lack of serviceable airframes and spare parts the type’s numbers dwindled. When Romania and the Soviet Union entered Slovakia, they organized with some captured aircraft and defectors a local Insurgent Air Force to continue the fight against Axis forces in country, including the last operational Slovak Hs 123s. No aircraft survived the war.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 8.33 m (27 ft 4 in)

Wingspan: 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in)

Height: 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)

Wing area: 24.85 m² (267.5 sq ft)

Empty weight: 1,500 kg (3,307 lb)

Gross weight: 2,215 kg (4,883 lb)

Powerplant:

1× BMW 132Dc 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine with 660 kW (880 hp),

driving a 2-bladed metal variable-pitch propeller

Performance:

Maximum speed: 341 km/h (212 mph, 184 kn) at 1,200 m (3,937 ft)

Range: 860 km (530 mi, 460 nmi) with a 100 l drop tank

Combat range: 480 km (300 mi, 260 nmi) with 200 kg (440.9 lb) of bombs

Service ceiling: 9,000 m (30,000 ft)

Rate of climb: 15 m/s (3,000 ft/min)

Armament:

2× 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns, 400 rpg

Up to 450 kg (992.1 lb) of bombs under fuselage and wings

The kit and its assembly:

A relatively simple what-if project, and it took a while to figure out something to do with a surplus Airfix Hs 123 A kit in The Stash™ without a proper plan yet. The Hs 123 is an overlooked aircraft, and the fact that all airframes were used during WWII until none was left makes a story in Continental Europe a bit difficult. I also did not want to create a German aircraft – Finland was an early favorite, because I wanted to add a ski landing gear (see below), but since I won’t build anything with a swastika on it this option was a dead end. Then I considered an operator from the Balkans, e. g. Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia or Slovakia – and eventually settled for the latter because of the national markings.

The kit was built almost OOB, and the Airfix Hs 123 is a nice offering. Yes, it’s a simple kit, but its is IMHO a very good representation, despite the many rivets on the hull, a rather bleak interior and some sinkholes (e. g. on the massive outer wings struts). It goes together well, just a little PSR here and there. I just added a dashboard (scratched from styrene sheet) and modified the OOB 50 kg bombs with extended impact fuzes with a flat, round plate at the tip, so that the bomb itself explodes above soft ground or snow for a bigger blast radius.

The only major modification is a transplanted ski landing gear from a PM Model (Finnish) Fokker D.XXI, which had to be reduced in length to fit under the compact Hs 123. A small tail ski/skid was scratched from styrene sheet material.

Thankfully, the Hs 123 only calls for little rigging – just between the central upper wing supports and there is a characteristic “triangle” wiring in the cowling. All these, together with the wire antenna, were created with heated sprue material.

Painting and markings:

Finland had been a favorite because I would have been able to apply a more interesting paint scheme than the standard Luftwaffe RLM 70/71/65 splinter scheme with a low waterline that was typical for the Hs 123 during WWII. However, as a former Luftwaffe aircraft I retained this livery but decided to add a winter camouflage as a suitable thematic supplement to the skis.

The basic colors became Humbrol 65 underneath and 30 and 75 from above – the latter for a stronger contrast to the Dunkelgrün than Humbrol 91 (Schwarzgrün). Thanks to the additional whitewash mottles, which were inspired by a similar livery seen on a contemporary Bulgarian Avia B.534, I did not have to be too exact with the splinter camouflage.

The cockpit and cowling interior were painted with RLM 02 (Humbrol 240), the propeller blades became Schwarzgrün (Humbrol 91, further darkened with some black) and the bombs were painted in a dark grey (Revell 77) while the small 100 l drop tank became bare aluminum (Revell 99).

However, before the white mottles could be added, the kit received its decals so that they could be painted around the markings, just as in real life. The Slovak national markings had to be scratched, and I used standard white simplified German Balkenkreuze over a cross made from blue decal stripes. Later a separate red decal circle was placed on top of that. The only other markings are the red “7” codes, edged in white for better contrast (from a Heller Bf 109 K) and the fuel information triangles on the fuselage from the Hs 123’s OOB sheet. As an ID marking for an Eastern Front Axis aircraft, I retained the wide yellow fuselage stripe from the OOB, sheet, too, and added yellow tips on the upper wings’ undersides.

The whitewash camouflage was then created with white acrylic paint (Revell 05), applied with a soft brush with a rounded tip. Once this had dried, I treated the surfaces with fine wet sandpaper for a weathered/worn look.

Finally, after some soot stains behind the exhausts and around the machine gun nozzles, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and the rigging (see above) was done.

The Hs 123 might not be the sexiest aircraft of WWII, but I like this rugged pug which could not be replaced by its successor, the Ju 87, and served in its close support role until literally no aircraft was left. Putting one on skis worked quite well, and the exotic Slovak markings add a special touch – even though the national markings almost disappear among the disruptive whitewash camouflage! The result looks quite plausible, though, and the old Airfix kit is IMHO really underestimated.