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Lost & Found

I hope they excavated it properly, rather than just pulling it free.....
 
It would be great if it was the Winchester 73 from the film of the same name, or at least had a similar dramatic story to it.
 
Magna Carta worth £10m found in council archives
Forgotten version of historical parchment that established principle of rule of law discovered in files of history department of Kent County Council in Maidstone

...

Prof Vincent said the fact Sandwich had its own Magna Carta gives backing to the theory that it was issued more widely than previously thought to at least 50 cathedral towns and ports.
He added the discovery gives him hope that further copies will also turn up.
There are only 24 editions of the Magna Carta in known existence around the world.

...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...arta-worth-10m-found-in-council-archives.html
 
More info on the Sandwich Magna Carta:

Magna Carta edition found in Sandwich archive scrapbook

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An early edition of Magna Carta has been found in a Victorian scrapbook during a search of a council's archives
The discovery has come months ahead of the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta in Runnymede in 1215.

Kent archivist Dr Mark Bateson had been asked to search for another charter from the town of Sandwich.
Dr Bateson found the town's Charter of the Forest in a Victorian scrapbook in Kent County Council archives - with the long-forgotten Magna Carta edition.

The document was ripped with about a third missing but could still be worth up to £10m, according to Professor Nicholas Vincent, a specialist in medieval history from the University of East Anglia.
Its high value comes from the fact that it was found with the Charter of the Forest. The only other such pair in the world is owned by Oriel College, Oxford.

...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-31242433
 
On looking more carefully into it, they have discovered that the document is actually the Anagram Cat! :eek:
 
World War Two D-Day orders found under New Forest hotel floor

World War Two military documents have been found under the floorboards of a Hampshire hotel.
Balmer Lawn Hotel in the New Forest served as a military staff college in the war and was involved in running operations surrounding D-Day in 1944.

Owner Chris Wilson said "half a bin bag full" of typed documents and envelopes, some marked as Top Secret, were recovered during refurbishments.
Most are thought to relate to the Canadian military.
The building, near Brockenhurst, was commandeered as an Army Staff College during World War Two.

...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-31196524
 
12 February 2015 Last updated at 11:54

Backpacker reunited with long-lost camera via Facebook

A camera lost six months ago in Australia has been reunited with its owner thanks to a social media manhunt by a stranger who found the device.
Backpacker Chris Hesford, 22, from Jersey, lost his GoPro camera while kayaking in Byron Bay, New South Wales.
Months later Australian Steve Carmody found the camera in a riverbed 60 miles (97km) away and took to social media in a bid to find its owner.

After two weeks and 8,000 shares on Facebook, Mr Hesford was identified.
Mr Carmody posted on Facebook saying: "If we can track down this bloke I have 32 GB of precious memories to be returned."
The post went viral and the story was picked up by Australian TV news, which showed photographs from the camera's memory stick of Mr Hesford, who is now working as a lawyer in London.

...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-31430576
 
21 February 2015 Last updated at 06:31
Lost Sherlock Holmes story discovered

A long-lost Sherlock Holmes story has been rediscovered more than a hundred years after it was first published.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the story, titled Sherlock Homes: Discovering the Border Burghs and, by deduction, the Brig Bazaar, in 1904 to raise money for a bridge in Selkirk, Scotland.

It was unearthed by town resident Walter Elliot, 80, who discovered it under a pile of books in his attic.
He believes it may have lain there for almost 50 years.
The 1,300-word tale was printed in a 48-page book of short stories, Book o' the Brig.
It was put together by locals to raise money to replace a bridge over the Ettrick river that had been destroyed by floods in 1902.
Conan Doyle, who was a regular visitor to the area, agreed to contribute a story.
In it Holmes deduces that Watson is going on a trip to Selkirk.

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31564442
 
Not a lost film but one which has circulated in poor and mangled prints, Orson Welles' Chimes at Midnight (Falstaff) has turned up in a complete, high-quality print:

Before clicking on the link at Nitrateville, readers should be aware that the distribpix blog is said to contain "adult" material and is NSFW.

Elsewhere on the Web, you will find doubts expressed about the importance of the find, since good elements have been preserved. The enthusiasts, however, appear to be moving towards Bluray publication of the print; the market for classic films - even with the name of Welles attached - is very niche these days. :cool:
 
''Two unfinished Cézanne sketches discovered on backs of paintings''
By Josie Ensor, US Correspondent


1:19AM GMT 22 Feb 2015

Unfinished sketches by the famed French artist Paul Cezanne have been found hidden on the backs of two of his watercolors.
The Pennsylvanian-based Barnes Foundation museum said the sketches, one graphite and one watercolor, likely have not been seen since the early 20th century.


More here, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/11427711/Art.html
 
World War Two hero's wedding ring returned 70 years after it was lost
The wedding ring of World War Two special operations airman John Thompson has finally been returned to its rightful owner after it disappeared when he was shot down over Albania
By Nick Squires
5:30PM GMT 09 Mar 2015

More than 70 years after he went missing in action during an RAF special operations mission, the mystery surrounding the fate of a British airman has finally been solved.
Flight Sgt John Thompson was one of seven crew on board a Halifax bomber that was dropping supplies to resistance fighters in Albania when the aircraft clipped a mountain ridge and crashed on Oct 29, 1944.
The mission was shrouded in secrecy and for decades his family struggled to find out whether he was alive or dead.
Their attempts to find out exactly what happened to him were hampered further when Albania fell under Communist rule, becoming one of Europe’s most paranoid and secretive states...

...

In October, a team of British and US officials located the remains of the aircraft on the sides of a 6,000ft high mountain.
The British embassy were eventually able to confirm that the ring belonged to Sgt Thompson, who came from Darley Dale in Derbs. The embassy contacted his family and the relatives of the six other RAF crew members.

“Seventy years we've waited. We can't believe that we're here today celebrating this after all this time," Mrs Webster, who was a year younger than her brother, told The Associated Press. “My father would have been thrilled to pieces with it all."
She said she was “overwhelmed” to receive the ring and other items and that she still remembered her brother “very well, as if it were yesterday.”
She was accompanied by four of his nephews and other family members at a ceremony at the Albanian defence ministry in Tirana.
"Your brother helped to liberate my country. He will never be forgotten," Mimi Kodheli, the defence minister, told her.

...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/...ring-returned-70-years-after-it-was-lost.html
 
William Smith: Seminal geology map re-discovered
By Jonathan Amos Science Correspondent

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A first edition copy of one of the most significant maps in the history of science has been re-discovered in time for an important anniversary.
William Smith's 1815 depiction of the geology of England, Wales and part of Scotland is a seminal piece of work.
The first map of its kind produced anywhere in the world, only about 70 copies are thought to exist today.

Now, The Geological Society has turned up another in its own archives, ready to celebrate the map's bicentenary.
Tucked away in a leather sleeve case, the mislaid artefact was last seen roughly 40 or 50 years ago.
"It just wasn't where people expected it to be," said John Henry, the chairman of The Geological Society's History of Geology Group.
"I guess the person who put it away knew where it was, but then they left and that was it - it became lost," he told BBC News.

In one sense, the map is better for its abeyance because it means it has not been exposed to light, and that has protected its exquisite colours.

Smith spent the better part of 15 years collecting the information needed to compile the map.
It is said he covered about 10,000 miles a year on foot, on horse and in carriage, cataloguing the locations of all the formations that make up the geology of the three home nations.

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32004102
 
Taxi driver finds long lost son in back of his cab
By David Sapsted
12:01AM BST 10 Aug 2001

A TAXI driver found that his passenger was more than a routine fare when [he] discovered that the man in the back of his cab was the son he had not seen for 34 years.
The passenger, Colin Bagshaw, 39, was even more surprised, because he had believed that his father was dead. The reunion occurred after Barry Bagshaw was called to pick up a couple from a hotel in Peacehaven, East Sussex.
"I pulled up and a man and his girlfriend got in," said 61-year-old Mr Bagshaw yesterday. "As I was driving, the woman happened to see my driving licence hanging on the dash and said, 'Isn't it funny, you've both got the same name.'
"The man then jokingly said, 'Your first name doesn't happen to be Barry, does it?', and I turned round and said, `Yes'.
"My heart just went into my mouth, I was so shocked and excited. I had to pull over, otherwise I think I would have crashed. I parked and we went for a coffee. We had a hug and there were tears on both sides."

Mr Bagshaw lost contact with his children when he was serving with the Army in Hong Kong and his wife left him for his best friend. Though he later tracked down his daughter and younger son, he had never managed to trace Colin.

etc...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...r-finds-long-lost-son-in-back-of-his-cab.html

:D
 
A group of researchers believe they are on the verge of finding the resting place of Spain’s most celebrated modern poet, Federico García Lorca, nearly eight decades after his execution at the start of the country’s civil war.

In August 1936, the left-leaning Lorca was arrested by soldiers loyal to Gen Francisco Franco and shot dead near Granada. It is widely believed that three other men were killed with him. But in the 78 years since, there has been disagreement over the location of the unmarked grave where the four were buried. Now a group of historians and archaeologists believe they have solved the mystery and will soon uncover the remains of the author of Poet in New York and the play Blood Wedding.

The Socialist-led Andalusian regional government has provided €15,000 for the search, which began in mid-November in Alfacar, eight kilometres from Granada. Historian Miguel Caballero believes he has identified the correct site after combing the testimonies of 48 supporters of Franco who were involved in Lorca’s arrest and execution. ...

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/worl...-uncovered-78-years-after-execution-1.2023059
 
''Old Hand Found In Florida Attic With Coins And Treasure Map''
The Huffington Post | By James Gerken
Posted: 04/29/2015 1:52 pm EDT Updated: 04/29/2015 1:59 pm EDT

Mike Lopez told NBC affiliate WFLA that his sister was cleaning out their grandparents' attic when she found a wooden box with a wedding photo of their great-grandparents, a Tampa-area map, some coins and what appears to be a human hand all arranged inside.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/...tic_n_7171458.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000022
 
possibly a hand-of-glory? if it's real. When I suppose it could be a fake hand of glory.....
 
Is it coincidence or Karma or ?? that this story is similar to the catalyst for the plot of Ruth Rendell's last novel? Which I read a week before I heard her obit? Or it's a case of things happening in threes: 1. reading the novel, 2. Hearing the obit, 3. reading about the Florida hand.
 
I'm glad they had the grace to put the word "portrait" inside quotation marks!

Talk of "ingenious" codes always suggests someone stretching their own decoding skills.

Meanwhile, let us gaze in wonder at the cartoon beardy and reflect on what we have learned! :D
 
Similar story already posted on the - er - Shakespeare thread! ;)
 
Reports today say the long-lost second reel of Laurel and Hardy's classic short The Battle of the Century has been found! Please don't let this be a hoax, that pie fight's reputation has grown dramatically (or comedically) down the decades so let's hope it's as funny as they said back in the 1920s.
 
Reports today say the long-lost second reel of Laurel and Hardy's classic short The Battle of the Century has been found! Please don't let this be a hoax, that pie fight's reputation has grown dramatically (or comedically) down the decades so let's hope it's as funny as they said back in the 1920s.
Have you got any links please? ... sounds good :cool: ..
 
Was just about to post this - looks like it is true!

It was screened at the Mostly Lost Film Festival in Culpepper, Virginia:

Blog entry on silentlondon.co.uk :D


As I recall, the climactic pie fight survives - apart from a few shots - thanks to its being preserved in one of Robert Youngson's compilations. He took only what he wanted and the nitrate prints decayed. Some years later the whole of the first reel showed up. What has been missing until now is the start of the second reel and the unabridged end to the fight.

I have a VHS tape somewhere which gives a 14 minute reconstruction from stills and the shooting script. I think the missing portion is mainly a park-bench scene. The big Universal DVD set contains an 11 minute version.

The notes I have on the "Nostalgia Archive" tape state that a soundtrack was "compiled from" Vitaphone discs, which suggests the originals may not have been available to them in 1995.

Now I wonder if we'll ever get to see Hats Off! and Rogue Song?

edit: Facts revised after a visit to my database.

edit 2: Rogue apostrophe fixed in title Hats Off!

edit 3: An intriguing publicity still of Laurel & Hardy in an early radio station setting adorns the Greenbriar Picture Shows Blog today. It is not from any of their known films and was probably intended to publicise their transition to talkies. For the background, you have to click on the Comments link beneath the piece about Bacon Grabbers.
 
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It was a two reeler so originally should be about twenty minutes long. It may take a while for the whole thing to be reconstructed, but let's hope it's sooner rather than later.
 
Seconded. It's an episodic thing, though, like many of those two-reelers. They seem designed to split up into segments. Or they were composed from segments. PAL speed-up issues may confuse the timings above - I think we have five or six minutes of new material to look forward to. Looking forward to it. :)
 
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