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Campaign to honour Hawker Hurricane designer Sir Sydney Camm
As the designer of such legendary aircraft as the Hawker Hurricane and Hawker Harrier, Sir Sydney Camm has been described as the Isambard Kingdom Brunel of aeronautical engineering.
By Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter
Published: 8:00AM GMT 26 Dec 2009
Yet his vital contribution to victory in the Second World War, and his leading role in post-war defence, has remained largely unrecognised by the British public.
More than 40 years after his death, a fundraising appeal has been launched to educate future generations about his towering achievements by installing a full-sized replica of a Hurricane in his home town of Windsor and setting up a scholarship fund in his name.
The appeal is being backed by Sir Sydney’s only grandchild, Elizabeth Dickson, who believes her grandfather’s “reserved, quiet” personality is the reason he has never been lauded to the same extent as other key figures of the war.
“He was never one to blow his own trumpet and had to be persuaded to accept his knighthood,” she said. “He deserves to be remembered not only as the designer of the Hurricane but, perhaps more importantly, as the pioneer of vertical flight in the form of the Harrier, which is still in service 40 years after he died.”
Mrs Dickson, who was 12 when Sir Sydney died in 1966, added: “He was a wonderful grandfather and I always remember him reading me bedtime stories. Oddly enough, he never liked flying, and on one occasion when he had to go to America he opted to go by sea.”
Sir Sydney, who began his career as a carpenter, joined Hawker in 1923 and was so prolific that at one point in the 1930s more than eight in ten aircraft in the RAF were designed by him. Having designed biplanes including the Hart, the Hind and the Fury, he designed the Hurricane in 1934, of which 14,500 were built.
Although Hurricanes shot down more Luftwaffe aircraft than any other British fighter, Sir Sydney’s robust and reliable design came to be overshadowed by the more advanced Spitfire, whose designer Reginald Mitchell was immortalised by the film The First of the Few.
But while Mitchell died two years before the outbreak of war, Sir Sydney became one of the leading designers of the jet age. The Hawker Hunter, which first flew in 1951, was the fastest aircraft of its time, and before his death Sir Sydney also designed the prototype of the revolutionary Hawker Harrier, the first aeroplane capable of vertical take off and landing, which played a pivotal role in winning the Falklands war.
Sammy Morgan, campaign director of The Sir Sydney Camm Commemorative Society, said: “With the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain coming up in 2010 we feel that now is the time to commemorate the designer of the Hawker Hurricane and raise awareness of the achievements of Sir Sydney, who is virtually unknown outside the world of aviation.”
The Society needs to raise £60,000 to install a replica Hurricane in Windsor’s Alexandra Gardens, and hopes to raise further funds to establish a scholarship for students who want to pursue careers in engineering and aviation.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... -Camm.html
As the designer of such legendary aircraft as the Hawker Hurricane and Hawker Harrier, Sir Sydney Camm has been described as the Isambard Kingdom Brunel of aeronautical engineering.
By Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter
Published: 8:00AM GMT 26 Dec 2009
Yet his vital contribution to victory in the Second World War, and his leading role in post-war defence, has remained largely unrecognised by the British public.
More than 40 years after his death, a fundraising appeal has been launched to educate future generations about his towering achievements by installing a full-sized replica of a Hurricane in his home town of Windsor and setting up a scholarship fund in his name.
The appeal is being backed by Sir Sydney’s only grandchild, Elizabeth Dickson, who believes her grandfather’s “reserved, quiet” personality is the reason he has never been lauded to the same extent as other key figures of the war.
“He was never one to blow his own trumpet and had to be persuaded to accept his knighthood,” she said. “He deserves to be remembered not only as the designer of the Hurricane but, perhaps more importantly, as the pioneer of vertical flight in the form of the Harrier, which is still in service 40 years after he died.”
Mrs Dickson, who was 12 when Sir Sydney died in 1966, added: “He was a wonderful grandfather and I always remember him reading me bedtime stories. Oddly enough, he never liked flying, and on one occasion when he had to go to America he opted to go by sea.”
Sir Sydney, who began his career as a carpenter, joined Hawker in 1923 and was so prolific that at one point in the 1930s more than eight in ten aircraft in the RAF were designed by him. Having designed biplanes including the Hart, the Hind and the Fury, he designed the Hurricane in 1934, of which 14,500 were built.
Although Hurricanes shot down more Luftwaffe aircraft than any other British fighter, Sir Sydney’s robust and reliable design came to be overshadowed by the more advanced Spitfire, whose designer Reginald Mitchell was immortalised by the film The First of the Few.
But while Mitchell died two years before the outbreak of war, Sir Sydney became one of the leading designers of the jet age. The Hawker Hunter, which first flew in 1951, was the fastest aircraft of its time, and before his death Sir Sydney also designed the prototype of the revolutionary Hawker Harrier, the first aeroplane capable of vertical take off and landing, which played a pivotal role in winning the Falklands war.
Sammy Morgan, campaign director of The Sir Sydney Camm Commemorative Society, said: “With the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain coming up in 2010 we feel that now is the time to commemorate the designer of the Hawker Hurricane and raise awareness of the achievements of Sir Sydney, who is virtually unknown outside the world of aviation.”
The Society needs to raise £60,000 to install a replica Hurricane in Windsor’s Alexandra Gardens, and hopes to raise further funds to establish a scholarship for students who want to pursue careers in engineering and aviation.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... -Camm.html
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Lost Kingdoms of Africa - 1. Nubia
Four-part series in which British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms.
The African continent is home to nearly a billion people. It has an incredible diversity of communities and cultures, yet we know less of its history than almost anywhere else on earth.
But that is beginning to change. In the last few decades researchers and archaeologists have begun to uncover a range of histories as impressive and extraordinary as anywhere else in the world.
The series reveals that Africa's stories are preserved for us in its treasures, statues and ancient buildings - in the culture, art and legends of the people.
The first episode looks at Nubia, in what is now northern Sudan, a kingdom that dominated a vast area of the eastern Sahara for thousands of years. Its people were described as barbarians and mercenaries, and yet Nubia has left us with some of the most spectacular monuments in the world.
Casely-Hayford traces the origins of this fascinating kingdom back to 10,000 BC. He explores how it developed and what happened to it and its people, discovering that its kings once ruled Ancient Egypt and that it was defeated not by its rivals but by its environment.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... ica_Nubia/
Four-part series in which British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms.
The African continent is home to nearly a billion people. It has an incredible diversity of communities and cultures, yet we know less of its history than almost anywhere else on earth.
But that is beginning to change. In the last few decades researchers and archaeologists have begun to uncover a range of histories as impressive and extraordinary as anywhere else in the world.
The series reveals that Africa's stories are preserved for us in its treasures, statues and ancient buildings - in the culture, art and legends of the people.
The first episode looks at Nubia, in what is now northern Sudan, a kingdom that dominated a vast area of the eastern Sahara for thousands of years. Its people were described as barbarians and mercenaries, and yet Nubia has left us with some of the most spectacular monuments in the world.
Casely-Hayford traces the origins of this fascinating kingdom back to 10,000 BC. He explores how it developed and what happened to it and its people, discovering that its kings once ruled Ancient Egypt and that it was defeated not by its rivals but by its environment.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... ica_Nubia/
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That was a fascinating programme. Much there that was new to me, including the fact that Nubia/Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt.
One thing that was completely new to me was the existence of ancient "rock gongs". (Looking on Wikipedia only turns up one mention of this, in India.)
One thing that was completely new to me was the existence of ancient "rock gongs". (Looking on Wikipedia only turns up one mention of this, in India.)
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More from Sudan:
Massive statue of Pharaoh Taharqa discovered deep in Sudan
By Owen Jarus
Friday, 8 January 2010
No statue of a pharaoh has ever been found further south of Egypt than this one. At the height of his reign, King Taharqa controlled an empire stretching from Sudan to the Levant.
A massive, one ton, statue of Taharqa that was found deep in Sudan. Taharqa was a pharaoh of the 25th dynasty of Egypt and came to power ca. 690 BC, controlling an empire stretching from Sudan to the Levant. The pharaohs of this dynasty were from Nubia – a territory located in modern day Sudan and southern Egypt.
The Nubian pharaohs tried to incorporate Egyptian culture into their own. They built pyramids in Sudan – even though pyramid building in Egypt hadn’t been practised in nearly 800 years. Taharqa’s rule was a high water mark for the 25th dynasty. By the end of his reign a conflict with the Assyrians had forced him to retreat south, back into Nubia – where he died in 664 BC. Egypt became an Assyrian vassal – eventually gaining independence during the 26th dynasty. Taharqa’s successors were never able to retake Egypt.
In addition to Taharqa’s statue, those of two of his successors - Senkamanisken and Aspelta – were found alongside. These two rulers controlled territory in Sudan, but not Egypt.
Dr. Julie Anderson of the British Museum is the co-director for the Dangeil excavations. This project is an archaeological mission of the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums, Sudan. It is also co-directed by Dr. Salah eldin Mohamed Ahmed.
Dr. Anderson confirmed that no statue of a pharaoh has ever been found further south of Egypt than this one. “That’s one reason it’s so exciting and very interesting,” she said. The discovery was such a surprise that one colleague of Anderson's didn't believe it at first saying that the statues “can’t possibly be (at) Dangeil.”
etc....
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 62007.html
Massive statue of Pharaoh Taharqa discovered deep in Sudan
By Owen Jarus
Friday, 8 January 2010
No statue of a pharaoh has ever been found further south of Egypt than this one. At the height of his reign, King Taharqa controlled an empire stretching from Sudan to the Levant.
A massive, one ton, statue of Taharqa that was found deep in Sudan. Taharqa was a pharaoh of the 25th dynasty of Egypt and came to power ca. 690 BC, controlling an empire stretching from Sudan to the Levant. The pharaohs of this dynasty were from Nubia – a territory located in modern day Sudan and southern Egypt.
The Nubian pharaohs tried to incorporate Egyptian culture into their own. They built pyramids in Sudan – even though pyramid building in Egypt hadn’t been practised in nearly 800 years. Taharqa’s rule was a high water mark for the 25th dynasty. By the end of his reign a conflict with the Assyrians had forced him to retreat south, back into Nubia – where he died in 664 BC. Egypt became an Assyrian vassal – eventually gaining independence during the 26th dynasty. Taharqa’s successors were never able to retake Egypt.
In addition to Taharqa’s statue, those of two of his successors - Senkamanisken and Aspelta – were found alongside. These two rulers controlled territory in Sudan, but not Egypt.
Dr. Julie Anderson of the British Museum is the co-director for the Dangeil excavations. This project is an archaeological mission of the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums, Sudan. It is also co-directed by Dr. Salah eldin Mohamed Ahmed.
Dr. Anderson confirmed that no statue of a pharaoh has ever been found further south of Egypt than this one. “That’s one reason it’s so exciting and very interesting,” she said. The discovery was such a surprise that one colleague of Anderson's didn't believe it at first saying that the statues “can’t possibly be (at) Dangeil.”
etc....
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 62007.html
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This is my favourite programme of the year! Yes, I know we're not halfway through January yet, but it combines two of my keenest interests, ancient history and sailing ships.
Lots of unanswered questions, still, and plenty of detail for experts to debate. I noticed that the ancient Egyptians seemed to use both right-hand and left-hand laid rope, but mostly RH laid - which is the opposite of modern usage.
Lots of unanswered questions, still, and plenty of detail for experts to debate. I noticed that the ancient Egyptians seemed to use both right-hand and left-hand laid rope, but mostly RH laid - which is the opposite of modern usage.
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Punt was supposedly down Somalia/ Horn of Africa way.
http://ocean.tamu.edu/Quarterdeck/QD3.1 ... epsut.html
http://ocean.tamu.edu/Quarterdeck/QD3.1 ... epsut.html
ramonmercado
CyberPunk
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- Eblana
The book Captain Swing by Eric Hobsbawm & George Rudé is well worth reading. Even a couple of Fortean touchs.
Vardoger
Make mine a 99
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- 6,650
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- Valaskjalf (Ex. pat.)
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- 54,631
Early queen's skeleton 'found in German cathedral'
Remains of one of the earliest members of the English royal family may have been unearthed in a German cathedral, a Bristol University research team says.
They believe a near-complete female skeleton, aged 30 to 40, found wrapped in silk in a lead coffin in Magdeburg Cathedral is that of Queen Eadgyth.
The granddaughter of Alfred the Great, she married Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, in 929. She died 17 years later, at 36.
The team aims to prove her identity by tracing isotopes in her bones.
Professor Mark Horton, of Bristol's department of archaeology and anthropology, said: "We know that Saxon royalty moved around quite a lot, and we hope to match the isotope results with known locations around Wessex and Mercia, where she could have spent her childhood.
"If we can prove this truly is Eadgyth, this will be one of the most exciting historical discoveries in recent years."
Their preliminary findings are to be announced later at a conference at the university.
The discovery of the tomb was made during a wider research project into the cathedral in 2008 by a German team.
It was thought the tomb was a cenotaph, but when the lid was removed, the coffin was discovered, bearing Queen Eadgyth's name and accurately recording the date - 1510 - when her remains were transferred.
The queen was known to have been buried initially in the Monastery of Mauritius in Magdeburg, and if bones were to be found, they would have been moved later to the tomb.
Professor Harald Meller, who led the 2008 project, said: "We still are not completely certain that this is Eadgyth although all the scientific evidence points to this interpretation.
"In the Middle Ages bones were often moved around, and this makes definitive identification difficult."
If Queen Eadgyth is identified, her remains are likely to be the oldest surviving remains of any member of the English royal family.
Her brother, King Athelstan, is considered to have been the first king of England after he unified various Saxon and Celtic kingdoms after the battle of Brunanburh in 937, Bristol University said.
After marriage, Queen Eadgyth lived in Saxony and had two children with Otto.
Their direct descendents ruled Germany until 1254 and formed many of the royal families of Europe that followed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8467870.stm
Remains of one of the earliest members of the English royal family may have been unearthed in a German cathedral, a Bristol University research team says.
They believe a near-complete female skeleton, aged 30 to 40, found wrapped in silk in a lead coffin in Magdeburg Cathedral is that of Queen Eadgyth.
The granddaughter of Alfred the Great, she married Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, in 929. She died 17 years later, at 36.
The team aims to prove her identity by tracing isotopes in her bones.
Professor Mark Horton, of Bristol's department of archaeology and anthropology, said: "We know that Saxon royalty moved around quite a lot, and we hope to match the isotope results with known locations around Wessex and Mercia, where she could have spent her childhood.
"If we can prove this truly is Eadgyth, this will be one of the most exciting historical discoveries in recent years."
Their preliminary findings are to be announced later at a conference at the university.
The discovery of the tomb was made during a wider research project into the cathedral in 2008 by a German team.
It was thought the tomb was a cenotaph, but when the lid was removed, the coffin was discovered, bearing Queen Eadgyth's name and accurately recording the date - 1510 - when her remains were transferred.
The queen was known to have been buried initially in the Monastery of Mauritius in Magdeburg, and if bones were to be found, they would have been moved later to the tomb.
Professor Harald Meller, who led the 2008 project, said: "We still are not completely certain that this is Eadgyth although all the scientific evidence points to this interpretation.
"In the Middle Ages bones were often moved around, and this makes definitive identification difficult."
If Queen Eadgyth is identified, her remains are likely to be the oldest surviving remains of any member of the English royal family.
Her brother, King Athelstan, is considered to have been the first king of England after he unified various Saxon and Celtic kingdoms after the battle of Brunanburh in 937, Bristol University said.
After marriage, Queen Eadgyth lived in Saxony and had two children with Otto.
Their direct descendents ruled Germany until 1254 and formed many of the royal families of Europe that followed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8467870.stm
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According to the Guardian, it's roughly 'Edith'! 8)gncxx said:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/ ... ins-wessex
Also
I was reading a Lovejoy novel today, and in it he mentions going to vist St Oswalds in Switzerland, "one of our own", as he describes him...
What are the chances of that, eh?
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Photo album capturing mystery RAF pilot's life handed to charity shop
A photo album capturing the life of a mystery RAF pilot has been handed into a charity shop.
Published: 7:30AM GMT 04 Feb 2010
The 20-page album is filled with carefully-mounted black and white pictures, which show a Second World War airman known only as 'Siam Joe' with HQ 20 Squadron RAF in Madras, India.
A series of shots show the man in uniform with his squadron, aircraft and even his ration packs from the period.
Other pictures document his youth in Haringey, North London, time he spent in Burma and Thailand, shots of monuments in Calcutta and a visit to the Suez Canal in Egypt.
The paper-bound burgundy album was handed into a Cancer Research UK shop in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, in early December 2009 among several boxes of household items.
Staff at the store are now hoping that the real Siam Joe or someone who recognised him would come forward to claim the fascinating album.
Dorota Phillips, the manager of the store, said she originally intended to sell the album for around £3, until she opened it up and discovered the unusual photos inside.
''A lot of the pictures are quite personal with a lot of memories. It's a lovely donation," she said. ''There is no indication of who Siam Joe really is and it would be wonderful to find out more.
''But you never know what drives people to donate and maybe the previous owner doesn't want to be found out. It's one of the most unusual items we've ever had here. It's very collectable and probably my favourite item ever.''
The only clue to Siam Joe's true identity is an inscription on the back of one photo dated February 1947.
It reads: ''Good luck Gordon, great to have had the pleasure of knowing you. John.''
The album has now been valued at £65 but the shop is accepting bids until the end of February.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... -shop.html
I hope they find out who Siam Joe was. My own father was in the RAF, and spent time in the far east during WWII. I remember seeing some of his photos when I was a child. When my mother died a couple of years ago I hoped these photos would resurface, but it seems they are lost. But reading this story reminds me to press my brother for another look.
A photo album capturing the life of a mystery RAF pilot has been handed into a charity shop.
Published: 7:30AM GMT 04 Feb 2010
The 20-page album is filled with carefully-mounted black and white pictures, which show a Second World War airman known only as 'Siam Joe' with HQ 20 Squadron RAF in Madras, India.
A series of shots show the man in uniform with his squadron, aircraft and even his ration packs from the period.
Other pictures document his youth in Haringey, North London, time he spent in Burma and Thailand, shots of monuments in Calcutta and a visit to the Suez Canal in Egypt.
The paper-bound burgundy album was handed into a Cancer Research UK shop in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, in early December 2009 among several boxes of household items.
Staff at the store are now hoping that the real Siam Joe or someone who recognised him would come forward to claim the fascinating album.
Dorota Phillips, the manager of the store, said she originally intended to sell the album for around £3, until she opened it up and discovered the unusual photos inside.
''A lot of the pictures are quite personal with a lot of memories. It's a lovely donation," she said. ''There is no indication of who Siam Joe really is and it would be wonderful to find out more.
''But you never know what drives people to donate and maybe the previous owner doesn't want to be found out. It's one of the most unusual items we've ever had here. It's very collectable and probably my favourite item ever.''
The only clue to Siam Joe's true identity is an inscription on the back of one photo dated February 1947.
It reads: ''Good luck Gordon, great to have had the pleasure of knowing you. John.''
The album has now been valued at £65 but the shop is accepting bids until the end of February.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... -shop.html
I hope they find out who Siam Joe was. My own father was in the RAF, and spent time in the far east during WWII. I remember seeing some of his photos when I was a child. When my mother died a couple of years ago I hoped these photos would resurface, but it seems they are lost. But reading this story reminds me to press my brother for another look.
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I'm currently reading 'Young Stalin' by Simon Montefiore. He mentions that the Bolsheviks were considering flying a dynamite laden plane into the Kremlin in a bid to kill the Czar around 1907-1908. Has anyone come across another mention of this anywhere?
ramonmercado
CyberPunk
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Cavynaut said:
No, but its a great story even if not true. Great book Young Stalin.
ramonmercado
CyberPunk
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theyithian said:
Stalin I reckon, according to the book he was a vicious street-fighter. But then Churchill used to say: The only time to kick a man is when hes down.
Not sure about Indy, lets put him up against Allan Quatermain.
McAvennie
Justified & Ancient
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CarlosTheDJ said:
The Cairo Museum is moving? That is a shame, a nice new complex may be better in a lot of ways but the old charm of the current building is much better suited to looking at dusty old relics.
Or am I misinterpreting?
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I did email my brother, with the link to this story, but he seemed to assume that I think that the photo album in the article could have been our dad's. I knew it couldn't be, but re-reading my email I can see how I might have given that impression. So he has come back with the admission that he did recover some photos (which he never mentioned before), but hasn't got around to sorting them out yet...rynner2 said:
So maybe I may yet recover some forgotten family history.
OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
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Maybe a funny question Ryn, but you're not ex RN are you?
Just curious, as i was doing some research into HMS Ganges, my stepfather used to talk about serving on it a lot, and discovered that it was actually a land based training centre, not so much forgotten family history as one of those strange paradyme shifts.
Just curious, as i was doing some research into HMS Ganges, my stepfather used to talk about serving on it a lot, and discovered that it was actually a land based training centre, not so much forgotten family history as one of those strange paradyme shifts.
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No, not ex-RN, but a fount of useless maritime knowledge none-the-less!BlackRiverFalls said:
Ganges was a training establishment, but not purely shore-based, as initially the cadets lived aboard the ship HMS Ganges. You've probably come across the wiki article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ganges ... ablishment)
It also had different locations, and I'm familiar with Harwich, Shotley and Falmouth. (There is a Ganges restaurant at Mylor - some years ago, I knew a bloke who had been the chef there.)
CarlosTheDJ
Antediluvian
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- Pebble Mill
McAvennie_ said:
No I totally agree mate, I thought the current dusty exhibits, faded hand-written cards and just a single sheet of glass between me and some truly ancient wonders made the whole thing more real to me. I've loved ancient Egyptian history since I was about five, and when I visited the British Museum to see the mummies and all that jazz, I found it very anodyne, quite stark and disconnected from reality in a way. In the Cairo museum, it all sort of made more sense, and I don't believe that was just because of the location. The environment was perfect.
The new super-museum is nearly finished, its right next to the Pyramids at Giza.
McAvennie
Justified & Ancient
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That's a real shame. Glad I managed to visit at the original location. Somehow I can't imagine a shiny new modern venue will create the same atmosphere as the old building and part of the charm of the old place was it's location right in the city, made a visit there such an exciting pre-cursor to actually reaching the pyramids.
I have fond memories of the place, most notably the men's facilities after a very uncomfortable bus journey through the city
I have fond memories of the place, most notably the men's facilities after a very uncomfortable bus journey through the city
CarlosTheDJ
Antediluvian
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Were you on the same trip as me?
McAvennie
Justified & Ancient
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Night before I went to Cairo some fella who worked in the Papyrus shop at our hotel had given me and my ex-gf some of this tea which I discovered after was evidently intended to mend a dodgy stomach. I had been feeling fine until I drank that stuff. :S
I liked the old Museum, it was as much an exhibit as the things in it. Despite being dusty a bit messy you could get up close to the exhibits, not staring at stuff through three layers of armoured glass. And they felt at home there.
I survived without any trouble on the basis of on no account touch the salads and don't drink anything that isn't hot, sealed, or alcoholic...
I survived without any trouble on the basis of on no account touch the salads and don't drink anything that isn't hot, sealed, or alcoholic...
CarlosTheDJ
Antediluvian
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McAvennie_ said:
He wasn't called Casper was he? :shock:
MsPix said:
Agreed, although I got a weird feeling from King Tut's mask. I stared into his eyes, and had the nearest thing I've ever had to a proper supernatural experience. I got an overwhelming feeling of empathy, and just "knew" that it wasn't quite right for all his possessions to be in that museum when his mummy is lying alone in a bare tomb in the Valley Of The Kings. I kept getting an image of a terrified, lonely little boy.
The weirdest thing about it....MrsCarlos had been looking at the mask first, I couldn't find her but when I did she was just staring straight at it, and she looked like someone had slapped her across the face. I gently nudged her back to reality, and she still won't tell me what she felt or saw.
escargot
Disciple of Marduk
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- HM The Tower of London
I saw the King Tut exhibition in about 1972 when it came to the British Museum (and Britain went Egypt-mad!)
Being 14 and thoroughly obsessed with the whole thing, I read everything I could about it and even personally learned some hieroglyphics. 8)
The mask was the last exhibit, all dramatically lit up, and I too stood and stared until I was dragged away. It was sooo beautiful, all blue and gold, and I had the feeling that it was a real likeness, as if I was looking into the pharaoh's eyes. :shock:
Just a schoolgirl's fancy, not surprising after all the hype, but it made a strong impression on me.
Being 14 and thoroughly obsessed with the whole thing, I read everything I could about it and even personally learned some hieroglyphics. 8)
The mask was the last exhibit, all dramatically lit up, and I too stood and stared until I was dragged away. It was sooo beautiful, all blue and gold, and I had the feeling that it was a real likeness, as if I was looking into the pharaoh's eyes. :shock:
Just a schoolgirl's fancy, not surprising after all the hype, but it made a strong impression on me.