Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in Blythburgh

To most Americans, history goes back hundreds of years. What occurred before the founding of the United States? Who knows? And does it really matter?

Residents of England take a longer view. Histories extend not just hundreds of years into the past, but thousands. Take Blythburgh in the county of Suffolk for example. The local church, Holy Trinity, has stood for over a thousand years. It has survived the ravages of war, the weather, and changes of religious beliefs that have stripped many East Anglian churches of great portions of their history.

Once, it even survived an attack by a savage, ghostly animal.

The first documented sighting of the Black Shuck occurred in the twelfth century, perhaps around the time Holy Trinity was built. Four centuries later, in 1577, locals reported that the satanic dog broke through the front door during a worship service. Within sight of the entire congregation, the Black Shuck killed a man and a boy. So ferocious was its attack that the church steeple collapsed. 

Naturally, today's more scientific minds, who seek to discredit the supernatural, claim a storm hit the area, and lightning struck the steeple. Who are you going to believe? An entire congregation who witnessed the tragedy, or modern revisionists? 

Countless stories have been lost to time. Yet the exploits of Sherlock Holmes endure forever. Foremost of those is The Hound of the Baskervilles. Could some of its timeless allure be due to the legendary Black Shuck, a spectral creature that haunted the Norfolk and Suffolk counties of East Anglia, as well as Dartmoor and more distant reaches of the British Isles?

Two things we know for certain. Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote The Hound of the Baskervilles, became an ardent spiritualist in his later years. And Holy Trinity Church in Blythburgh, England, no longer has a steeple.

Dragon Dave

Arthur Conan Doyle in Princetown and Cromer

Visit Dartmoor National Park in England, and you'll see the desolate landscape Sherlock Holmes braved in The Hound of the Baskervilles. Travel to the town of Princetown, deep within this brooding landscape, and you'll see the prison from which the murderer Seldon escaped to terrorize the local inhabitants. Stop by the Dartmoor National Park High Moorland Visitor Centre, and you'll see the great detective himself, along with the terrible black hound that haunted the Baskerville family.

It was here that Arthur Conan Doyle stayed a century ago, when the visitor center was the Rowe Duchy Hotel. From there, he investigated the claims of his friend, journalist Fletcher Robinson, who told him of about the Black Shuck, a dark, spectral beast that prowled the lonely moors, looking for souls to devour.

Travel north, to the seaside town of Cromer in the county of Norfolk, and you'll see where Fletcher Robinson first told Arthur Conan Doyle about the Black Shuck. The two were visiting Cromer for a golfing holiday, when Robinson told Doyle about the legendary Black Shuck that had haunted the good people of Norfolk for centuries. 

According to researchers, Arthur Conan Doyle transformed Dartmoor's Fox Tor Mire into Grimpen Mire for The Hound of the Baskervilles. He transformed stories of a notorious Dartmoor lord of the manor, Richard Cabell of Brock Hall, into Hugo Baskerville. He even combined several large houses, so say Dartmoor historians, into Baskerville Hall. 

Historians in seaside Cromer disagree, at least with the latter. They point to Cromer Hall, a local manor house, as the inspiration for Baskerville Hall. They claim that descriptions in The Hound of the Baskervilles portray Cromer Hall, not some backward Dartmoor manor house. 

Did an evil lord of Cromer Hall once live to hunt and terrorize the peasantry? Was this wicked aristocrat killed by the ghostly Black Shuck, whose fearsome howls could be heard across the land at night? And does the Black Shuck still roam Cromer and Dartmoor?

If you visit either place, and the wind sweeps over the land, then you'll know.

Dragon Dave

H Rider Haggard on Outdated Terms

Norwich Cathedral
the center of the Church of England
in H. Rider Haggard's home county

H Rider Haggard throws out a lot of unfamiliar terms in his novel Marie. After awhile, I decided to write a few down, and look them up. I thought I'd share some of what I learned with you.

Boers:  Late in the novel, a Zulu king alleges that these Boers were once British, but they refused to recognize King George as their sovereign. He thinks Allan a traitor to his people for rescuing the wandering Boers when they run into trouble. Allan explains to him that he did so for the love of a woman. This is an explanation the king can understand. As the events in the novel take place in the mid 1830s, I'm guessing the Zulu king could be referring to King George IV, who died in 1830. While I don't know why the Boers refused to recognize him as their King, a dislike for certain political leaders can often drive ordinary people to extraordinary action.

Hottentot: this is an outdated term for the Khoikhoi people, one of the indigenous peoples of Africa. Allan's servant Hans is a Hottentot, whom his father has converted to Christianity. Hans, for the most part a faithful and loyal, looks after Allan's guns. He always makes sure they are clean, and keeps the powder dry.

Kaffir: Apparently this is an ethnic slur used to refer to refer to Black people by the Whites who colonized Africa. Likewise, Hottentot seems to be regarded as an offensive word these days. Allan never seems to mean any harm by using either term, but times change, and words can grow hateful with time.

Zulu: Like the Hottentots (Khoikhoi), this is another ethnic group of people indigenous to Africa. Unlike the Hottentots and Kaffir, this term does not appear to have any negative associations attached to it.

Kloof: a steep-sided, wooded ravine or valley. Marie's cousin attempts to murder Allan in one at night, after Allan has saved him from starvation, and nursed him back to health.

Verdomde: This seems to be an expletive. It is used, more than once, to refer to Marie's less-than-honorable suitor.

Laager: a camp formed by circled wagons. When Allan searches for the Boer encampment, believing all (including Marie) have died, his guide takes him to the place where she saw a circle of wagons months ago. This allows him to find the Boers, and save them from starvation.

Kraal: a grouping of African huts, enclosed by a fence. As the Boers' numbers have dwindled through bad judgment, fever, and starvation, Allan has to trade supplies he brought with them for animals to pull their wagons. These natives live in kraals. 

Velt: the open country of South Africa. The Boers are searching for a peaceful valley where they can settle, and form their own community. 

Vrouw: A Dutch mistress. One great lady of the camp carries the title of Vrouw. After Allan rescues the wandering Boers from starvation, she becomes the groups leader. She always stands up for Allan, repeatedly urges him to kill the villainous nephew (or let him die), and just as often tries to get Allan and Marie to marry without her father's consent.

Allemachte!: The Boers use this expression often. Usually, it is uttered after Allan has impressed them in some way, such as after Allan saves their lives again and again. My computer translates the word from Dutch as "All Able."

"All able" certainly describes Allan Quartermain. H. Rider Haggard wrote novels about him for four decades. The character has featured in comics, TV, movies, and novels by other writers. He's clearly a hero from another age. Yet his bravery, and the fair treatment he usually accords others, seem to have made him eternal.

Dragon Dave

H Rider Haggard and One Extraordinary Gentleman

Norwich Cathedral
the heart of the Church of England
in H. Rider Haggard's home county.

Lately, I've been reading Marie, a novel about Allan Quartermain by H. Rider Haggard. Whereas his first published Allan Quartermain novel King Soloman's Mines featured the protagonist as an old man, in this later novel Haggard reveals Allan as a young man. I found King Soloman's Mines a difficult novel to get through. It was packed with lots of interesting period detail, but I couldn't really connect with the version of Allan Quartermain that I had seen in the movie "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." Nor did the story really deal much with the Biblical King Soloman. It also carried a heavy death toll, which made me reluctant to attempt another novel. But Haggard was a popular novelist, and Quartermain still has his fans, so I thought I should give both men another try. Thankfully, I'm glad I did.

In Marie, Allan's family have traveled from England to Africa, where he lives with his widowed father. Allan's father is a pastor, and not a rich man. Still, he agrees to split the cost of a private tutor with a wealthy neighbor. Each day Allan travels the rich man's estate, and takes lessons with  the tutor, a Frenchman with a fondness for alcohol. Through the course of their studies, Allan falls in love with Marie, the rich man's daughter. One morning, after their tutor has been up all night drinking, he misinterprets the actions of a Kaffir, and shoots him dead. Enraged, the tribal chief gathers all his people together, intent on attacking the man's estate. Hearing about this, Allan rushes off to Marie's house. Still only in his teens, he's already a gifted marksman. Due to his bravery, and an ability to command others, he defends the house until help can arrive.

It is during this attack, when Allan and Marie believe that all hope is lost, that they declare their love for each other. Afterward, as he recovers from his injuries, he learns that the rich man's nephew has arrived. Unfortunately, the rich man is not so rich anymore. All his livestock were driven off during the attack. And due to recent laws, he is being forced to give up all his slaves. So he pledges that Marie shall marry his wealthy nephew, despite Marie's protestations that she will marry Allan and no one else.

Thus begin a series of adventures and misadventures, with young Allan and Marie's love constantly frustrated by her father, as well as his rich but dastardly nephew.

Published in 1912, Marie is an interesting historical novel, covering events that occur in the mid 1830s. Unfamiliar with British and South African history, many of the background elements make me want to know more about the peoples and the times in which they occur. One of the chief elements I'm intrigued about is that of the Boers.

The Boers are descendants of Dutch settlers to Africa. After Allan recovers, Marie's father takes her and the rich nephew away with a group of fellow Boers. Apparently the Boers disagree with many of the English Colony's laws, including those concerning the keeping of slaves. So they move away from the Cape Colony looking for a new place to set up their own settlement, where they can live as they see fit. Unfortunately, they squabble with the locals as they travel, and end up in a fever-ridden, unsettled region of the Transvaal. As Marie's father has forbidden the two any conduct, Marie has to sneak letters to passing trader, most of which never reach Allan. Meanwhile, even though he's young, the British soldiers prevail upon him to lend his marksmanship in border wars that threaten the British colony. 

Finally, after a long period of silence, a passing trader delivers a letter from Marie. He opens it, and learns that the Boers are sick and starving. Despite his father's protestations, he gathers all his money and belongings, and rushes to aid Marie and her people, not knowing whether any of them are still alive.

The Allan Quartermain novels feature a lot of viewpoints and racial/ethnic terms that are considered politically incorrect, or downright hateful these days. But Allan always stands up for what he believes is right, helps people at great cost to himself, and repeatedly risks his life for those villains who will only betray him and try to kill him if they live. That kind of selflessness makes him a hero, and perhaps explains why the great Sean Connery agreed to play him before he retired, in the movie "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."

Dragon Dave

Beyond Morro Rock

A wide, flat beach. A mighty volcanic hill. A delightful coastal town. Those are the obvious reasons to visit the California town of Morro Bay. Some are less obvious, but no less enticing.

One is the friendly locals. They'll come right up to you, and let you know how welcome you are.

Bringing a sack lunch? Bring a little extra to share. These friendly folks will jump right up on the park bench beside you, sit on your lap, and eat out of your hand. Not only do they make excellent company, but they're also super cute!

Did you bring your swimming trunks? The locals love nothing more than to relax and frolic in the azure waters of Morro Bay. So jump in, and have a great time.

After getting your fill of the beach, stroll on over to the local skateboard museum. I found my old board here, although it was green when I owned it. Funny, I remember mine rolling into the path of an 18 wheeler, and getting snapped in two. But here it is, along so many others, waiting for me to ride it again.

Of course, if you're looking for a more substantial ride, there's always this beauty.

Dragon Dave

Related Links
Morro Bay Skateboard Museum

The Shrinking Sister of California

In the California town of Morro Bay, there's no greater sight than Morro Rock. The round ball stuck into the shore dominates the horizon. In the early morning, it stands in the bright sun, while places along the shore remain in shade. 

Drawn by the rock, people come to the beach. They sit on the sand, the wind blowing in their hair, and wonder at all its rugged cliffs and craggy features. It no longer looks like a ball stuck in the sand, but a strange hill, gradually being eroded by the elements.

Walk closer, and you see all the plants that have taken root in the sides of Morro Rock. It no longer looks like a hill, but lots of rocks that were once fused together. Aided by the plants, the wind and the rain are slowly prying these rocks apart. 

While it seems so unusual, Morro Rock is not alone. Some people count it as one of seven sisters, a chain of similar volcanic plugs in California. (Others count nine sisters). Like the Seven Sisters in Sussex, England, it is a sight worthy of being seen. But come quickly. The sooner you arrive, the more of Morro Rock you'll be able to see.

Dragon Dave

Related Links
Morro Bay Official Guide

Airboy on President Reagan

The 1980s sequel series of Airboy, published by Eclipse, provoked its fair share of controversy. 

Airboy returns!

When the original Airboy, now operating an aircraft business, is attacked and killed, his son takes up the mantle. In the second issue, Airboy's son and his friends trace the attackers back to central America. There he learns that his father was supplying a corrupt regime with weapons. As a surprising development, when young Davy sees how the poor people in the country are living, he forgets about revenge, and decides to aid the guerrillas who killed his father!

Eclipse, the publisher of 1980s Airboy, was always politically involved. At this time, the news was filled with the Iran Contra scandal, and allegations that the United States government was funneling guns to Iran (despite an embargo) by aiding the Contras in Nicaragua. So in addition to the original Airboy supplying weapons to a bloodthirsty dictator intent on staying in power at any price, we learn that the United States is propping up a corrupt regime. 

We even see a signed photograph of President Reagan sent to the bloodthirsty dictator. On the photo, our president has written "Best wishes, your pal, Ron." As another sign of the times, given Reagan's contention that a nuclear war was winnable, we see written "Nuke 'em 'til they glow, then shoot 'em in the dark." 

Serious themes for a comic today, let alone in the 1980s. And this in an era when most U.S. citizens loved their president. Even today, many look back on Reagan as the ultimate statesman. Reading these stories today, in the love-him-or-hate-him, hard-swinging, tough-talking, never-apologize era of President Trump, these stories seem a little less audacious.

Dragon Dave

Airboy, Women, and Codebreaking in WWII

As an adult, I found it hard to take in the "new reality" Americans faced after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. So imagine how children in the United States felt after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Suddenly, Daddy and older brothers were signing up for the military, and Mommy was heading off to work in the factory to jumpstart a war program. Comics like "Airboy" would have helped frightened children feel more empowered. Just like the movie "Top Gun," "Airboy" would have helped children make sense of the sudden ravages to their home lives. 

"Airboy" may have inspired their older brothers to join the Air Force in hopes of becoming a pilot. It might have helped Army draftees feel better, thinking that all Americans were joining the fight in some way. At the very least, "Airboy" gave Navy seamen something to distract them while off duty, as they never knew when a squadron of the dreaded Japanese Zeros might bomb them, or a German U-Boat might sink their ship with a torpedo. 

Perhaps young women also read "Airboy." The stories might have inspired them to work in factories, or train to be nurses, just like Agatha Christie did in England during WWI. Women felt a duty to defend the homeland, and support and protect the boys.

Women didn't just work in factories or hospitals during WWII. They also played a crucial role in defending soldiers lives before battles were even fought!

In wartime, it's important to know what the enemy is planning. German leaders coordinated their military by coding messages sent by radio or phone. They did this by using encoding machines.

While other models preceded it, the best known machine used by the Germans was the Enigma machine. The model above was one specially commissioned for Adolf Hitler.

The Japanese also used encoding machines to coordinate military strategy and troop movements. Americans called this model the Japanese Red machine. Like its German counterpart, Red could scramble messages that troops in far flung Japanese outposts could decode, but would make cryptologic analysts puzzle over for days.

To cut down on the time necessary to decode German and Japanese messages, Americans built their own decoding machines. The type below, designed and operated by women as well as men, was known as the Bombe. Catchy, right?

If you ever find yourself in Maryland, visit the National Cryptologic Museum, where I took the above three photographs. There you'll find exhibits on all manner of Crytological devices, from simple code breaking methods used during the American Revolutionary war, to the Cray supercomputers used before the age of smartphones. The knowledgeable staff may not know much about "Airboy", but they can certainly tell you how the men and women who might have read the comic helped defend service members, and our shores, during World War II.

Dragon Dave

Helpful Links
National Cryptologic Museum

Airboy in the 1940s and Beyond

The cover for a 1940s Airboy

A while ago, I shared how I had been reading a 1980s series called "Airboy" by Eclipse Comics. These issues were penned by Chuck Dixon, and illustrated by Tim Truman, Stan Woch, and other artists who today are regarded as giants of the comic field. It was, in fact, a sequel series to the original series, which was published in the 1940s. Recently, I discovered the original series online, and began reading them.

For those unaware of Airboy's origins, the young pilot creates a revolutionary plane with the help of a Catholic monk. Then he goes off to help the military defend the United States against Germany and Japan.

Interior art for 1940s Airboy

The comics shine a light into the mindset of the times. Japanese fighter pilots are called Japs (when they're not called Yellow or Japanazis). Nearly all are villains. 

The Germans are equally dastardly. Service personnel from both countries appear as treacherous and cowardly. Modern people from those countries, or who share that cultural heritage, would likely be offended by everything Airboy or the narrator calls them. 

The stories, while entertaining in their simple way, also represent propaganda from an earlier time. Remember, the U.S. base in Pearl Harbor had been attacked. In one day, the country's military had suffered a terrible blow, and thousands of people died. The United States government, now forced to enter World War II, had to recruit soldiers, build new warships, and create all the infrastructure necessary to fight a war spanning the entire globe. 

Immediately.

So "Airboy," and publications like it, were thought necessary to rally the troops, convince women to trade homelike for factories, and help children make sense of the new situation.

Still, I'll be the first to admit that they're a little difficult to read, and enjoy as fully as I'd like.

Dragon Dave

Tom Wolfe on America's Astronauts

Gemini capsule
Smithsonian Air And Space Museum
Washington DC

Author Tom Wolfe died recently. One of his best known books, The Right Stuff, served as a guide to my travels in Florida back in 2012. The insights he shared helped me understand the people who founded the USA's space program, and the challenges they faced. Later, his book spurred other adventures in Texas and California.

The early astronaut program drew on the men who piloted experimental aircraft. These men packed themselves into canisters that were shot into space. The pilot in Nevil Shute's book who has to spy on his own country reminds me of those early astronauts. 

Remember how the former World War I pilot had to remain in a fixed position for hours, ignoring hunger and cold, battling sleep and maintaining focus with his temperamental airplane? When I look at the tight confines of these early capsules, like the Gemini, I wonder how long I could sit cooped up in there like that, with a helmet and spacesuit on.

Then again, if I got bored, I could just open the hatch and take a spacewalk, right?

If you're interested in looking back, to follow are a few of the posts I wrote about my Tom Wolfe inspired journeys.

Florida
Honoring the Mercury Seven
The U.S. Space Walk Hall of Fame
Everybody's Comin' to Kennedy Space Center

Texas
Meet NASA's Robot Astronaut

California
Our Visit to Edwards Air Force Base Part 2

Enjoy.

Dragon Dave