Moyra Melons holiday ear rings.

Moyra Melons was a little self conscious when she went on holiday. The weather was nice and hot, but she thought her ear rings were a bit on the small side. People would not notice her, and secretly, Moyra liked to be noticed.

I need something that will make me stand out," said Moyra to her perplexed husband.

"Are you serious dear?" he replied gruffly and a little inebriated. He had had a few drinks in the hotel bar.

"Of course I'm serious," she replied. "These ear rings are a little small and people are not going to stop and stair at a pair like these, are they?"

Her poor husband coughed, "I think you might be a little surprised my dear. I think your ear rings look absolutely marvelous and I'm sure there will be plenty of other chaps that would agree with me."

"Do you really think so," beamed Moyra Melons. Once again her husband had found the right words. 

"Oh I do indeed." He was coming over with his usual hot flush. "Allow me to demonstrate why such ear rings would excite a man." He took her by the hand and led her from the balcony - closing the curtains after them.

They took an awful a long time to get ready and when they did finally go out; Moyra Melons' husband was so gratified, that he took her to a jewellers and bought her another pair of ear rings.

However, that is another story...

  

TORNADO DOWN - Peters & Nichol - Gulf War incident DVD

During the first Gulf War a British Tornado was shot down during a bombing raid over Iraq. The two aircrew (John Peters and John Nicol) ejected but were captured by Iraqi ground forces and paraded on Iraqi television as prisoners of war. We saw the flight navigator and pilot on our own news stations too. Many nations had their captured pilots paraded on TV. This was part of Saddam Hussein's properganda ploy during the first Gulf War. 

This was to force fears and concerns among the US led allies, but it did not work. The pilots did eventually return home to tell their remarkable stories, and the book below; Tornado Down, tells the story of pilot John Peters and flight navigator John Nicol. 

Tornado

Tornado aircraft are used by the RAF for ground attacks and on this occasion the crew approached their target during daylight at very low altitude to avoid radar detection. They completed their attack on Muharraq airfield but were hit by an enemy shoulder launched SAM SA14 missile.

Lady Pirates of Calico Jack's ship.

Mary Reid, Anne Bonney
and Calico Jack Rackam

 An English pirate called Calico Jack Rackam (1682-1720) was active towards the end of the Golden age of pirates between the years 1717 - 1720. He had mediocre achievements but enjoyed a colourful press because he dressed in fancy cheap bright clothes and had two female pirates in his crew. 

These two ladies were, Irish born, Anne Bonney and, English born, Mary Reid. He had formed a relationship with Anne Bonney but was ignorant of Mary Reid's gender because she dressed as a young man when first coming aboard ship.

It was rumoured that Anne Bonney was taken by Mary Reid - thinking her a young man. Calico Jack Rackam became jealous of his loved one's attention towards the young deck hand. When he decided on a reckoning; Mary Reid made her identity and gender known. This came as a surprise to Calico Jack and Anne Bonney but he kept her in the crew alongside Anne Bonney. Both women wore men's clothing during attacks on government vessels and then dressed in ladies clothes on other occasions. It is not known for sure when Mary Reid was born, but some put it at about 1690. Anne Bonney was younger and born in 1702.

Their vessel was captured in 1720 and the entire crew were put on trial in Spanish Town, Jamaica. Calico Jack was hanged with other members of his crew, but both Mary Reid and Anne Bonney claimed to be with child and were spared the hangman's noose. Mary Reid was said to be pregnant by the ship's artist and Anne Bonney by Calico Jack.

Mary Reid died in prison during child birth in 1721, but Anne Bonney survived and vanished from the history books. She was rumoured to have got away and lived out her life in South Carolina and died in 1782 at the age of 80.

Giving You The Bengal Lancers of the British Raj

Bengal Lancers during bygone days of the British Raj



The Bengal Lancers bring all sorts of romantic thoughts to mind and their name echoes in history. To the British, we see them as glorious horsemen in turbans patrolling the far-flung reaches of the British Empire during the times of the British Raj in India. The origins go back to around 1803 when the East India company were looking for a regiment of native Indian horseman to protect British trade interests in India.



This was a time of Empire and Britain was aspiring to become the dominant power in the world - competing with France - the superpower in Europe, where the island nation of Britain was protected by her vast Royal Navy from Napoleon's imperial ambitions.



James Skinner

In India, at this time, there was a young man called James Skinner of mixed race, born in Calcutta in 1778 to a British Lieutenant Colonel called Hercules Skinner, and an Indian Rajput Princess. Because of his mixed background, he could not get a commission in the British Army or East India Company's Army and so, for a time, he served as an Ensign in a private force under a French commander before joining the British Army.

Despite not having an officer's commission, he was still of high enough birth for the British Raj and Indian traders to accept his help in raising a force of horseman to protect booming trade interests in this part of the Empire. On his father's side, he had Scottish origins and his ancestors could also be traced back to Norman Knights who helped William the Conqueror in 1066. His Indian mother was also of high esteem in Rajput, but the mixing of both noble backgrounds from Europe and Asia was a handicap in the day and age of British Imperialism and Indian tradition.

He recruited local Indian horsemen and called them, Skinner's Horse (sometimes known as Yellow Boys because of the colour of their uniform) These were to become the Bengal Lancers. As the years moved on this famous regiment would change its title name on a number of occasions, but Skinner's name would always be associated with them long after his death in 1841.

Among the name changes, most people would know of 1st Regiment of Bengal Lancers or later 1st (Duke of York's Own) Bengal Lancers (Skinner's Horse) The names varied through the decades, but the Bengal Lancers would become notorious. While James Skinner still led them, they took part in the siege of Bharatpur in 1818. For this, he was granted a jagir which, in India, is a district of land - in Skinner's case, Hisar district.

Finally, in 1828, the British broke with their outdated tradition and showed their gratitude by making the mixed race James Skinner a Lieutenant Colonel.

1st Regiment of Bengal Lancers
During the time of the British Raj

His beloved 1st Regiment of Bengal Lancers (Skinner's Horse) would go on throughout the time of the British Raj. They saw action in the first Afghanistan War at Candahar in 1842, the second Afghanistan War of 1878-1880 and the third Afghanistan War of 1919. They also saw fighting in the First World War - on the Western Front and in the Balkans. Also the Boxer rebellion in China at the turn of the century.

When the British Raj ended in 1947, the Bengal Lancers moved over to the Indian Army and saw action in the Indian-Pakistan War.

Skinner's Horse (Yellow Boys)
Origin of Bengal Lancers

To many, their legend or image is that of the time when the, now obsolete, Raj ruled in India. There remains a romantic vision of them that sometimes shadows the old Empire's less appealing aspects - creating a colourful picture from a time when the world was different, and when adventurers still had an air of romance in a world that was very different from today.

Rush - Tom Sawyer (Reminds me of Stan Dolan)

When I worked in the Royal Mail, there was a work mate named Richard Dolan. We nicknamed him Stan Dolan and we always referred to him as Stan. He was the same age as me and there were a few of us that went in to the Royal Mail in 1979 at the age of 18.

One time he told us he had joined a rock band and they were playing live at a place called The Bridge House near the A13 flyover at Canning Town, East London. My friend and I went down to see Stan in his band and to be honest they were awful. They were a supporting band to another group that I liked.

When we were in work on the Monday, Stan said the other band sounded like Rush - an American rock group. Stan later brought in a tape of Rush so that I could listen to them. I can't remember the name of this Canning Town 3 piece band, but the song Tom Sawyer, sung by Rush, does remind me of them. Of course, Rush are so much more famous and nothing came of the rock band in Canning Town,to my knowledge. Nothing came of my late friend, Stan's band either. We did have a few laughs about it afterwards though and Stan laughed too. He liked a bit of good natured chuff. He introduced me to Rush and I always think of him when I hear this song. It reminds me of Stan's two week jaunt on the road to not becoming a rock star. I hope you are in a better band up there Stan... :)

Banderas - She Sells

You don't hear much about the Banderas anymore. They made a few haunting and compelling songs. I would suppose that the two ladies followed their own avenues in the music industry. I particularly like this one. The lyrics are good and the actual video sends a strong message about how ladies can sell anything with a kind smile and suggestion of other things too. 

I remember watching it for the first time after they were on a late programme singing their single; This is Your Life. Both songs were very good and very compelling. However, the lyrics and the video to this one do flick a switch with me, because what the Banderas are singing about, is very true indeed. 

I'm not sure if the band are just pointing out that when, (She Sells;) they are stating a fact. Or, if they are feminist and perhaps, a little annoyed by the reality of it all. If it is the later; I'm afraid I like the song and video because I don't mind being shallow and teased by the smiling lady selling things from an air line to a cheese cake. I might even have bought a cheese cake off of her... :) 

England's Middle Age Army of Lay Priests

During the early period of Norman occupation, England was a very harsh place for the Anglo-Saxon peasantry to live. French speaking Norman society began to forcefully transform England. Ordinary laymen were always looking for ways to improve their circumstance under the new overlords.

Among the religious orders of Christianity, there came the Cistercian monks who wanted to move away from mainstream society and be self-sufficient alongside their devotion to God. This body of monks devoted themselves to the Worship of God and the prayer for other people outside the Cistercian order too. It was innovative and profitable for them. It would lead to other more widespread ways of a financial enterprise with a force of devoted helpers. Their trade was a place in heaven for all helpers who could work and follow the rules of devotion and worship. With this, there was also offered sanctuary, food, and order.

Rich men would leave lands to the Cistercians in order that the monks would pray to God for their well-being. In reality, one could say, these nobles were buying their way to Heaven through the monks - using the priests as spiritual solicitors. In the Middle Ages, this culture was real and adamantly believed.

In order to keep these inherited lands, the monks had to work them for profit, but as they spent so much time devoted to the worship of God; it was difficult to keep livestock in the fields, cultivate land, build and maintain their monasteries.

Therefore, the Cistercians came up with an idea to recruit laymen into the monastic order. They could not be ordained or accepted as true monks or priests because most were illiterate. They would just be a sub-culture of working monks who followed the Cistercian order's code of chastity and religious conduct.

These lay monks could never be ordained as true priests but would gain rights to Heaven and serve a devoted life of worship maintaining the monastery they were assigned to. As said before, the volunteers would be clothed, housed and well fed.

If a married man went into the order, his wife and children would be abandoned. There was no place in the Cistercian order for the family. These monasteries were able to produce food, clothes, and other valuable commodities on a vast scale. At markets all over England, they could undercut a lot of farmers trying to sell their produce because they could produce and transport it without the overhead costs.

Un-ordained lay priests

Eventually, the Cistercians had a vast army of unordained lay priests, who farmed, built and served the upper echelons of the Christian order - supplementary priests who worked without pay. They were given shelter (that they built,) Clothes(that they made,) and food (that they farmed,)


The Cistercians owned vast lands, built roads and used rivers to spread their trade. All this done by their army of lay priests. The Cistercian monasteries became like supermarkets of our day and age. Certain monasteries would become renowned for a particular type of wine or fabric. Maybe, becoming a brand name among some districts. 

Their impact throughout England and all over Europe was colossal, but such influence was to be shattered by the great plague in 1347. In England alone; half the countries population was wiped out and those that were left became more valuable. Lay priests to work the land for nothing were suddenly harder to come by.

After a time they did reform but not as strong. All these monasteries, in England, would loose their grip outright. Two hundred years later Henry VIII brought in his reformation act and dismantled the monasteries and stripped them of power.