I always think of my mother on VE day because I know she was there partying in London on May 5th 1945 – she enjoyed a party. Whenever there is archive film of the event on TV, I scan the crowds, just in case I can catch a glimpse of her. She was in the Red Cross during the war, stationed at St James’s Palace. Among her several duties was to ‘fire watch’ and radio the locations of fires to the Fire Brigade. Royal Guards, also stationed at St James’s Palace, were required to go to the air raid shelter when the sirens rang, passing on their way down the Red Cross girls on their way up to the vantage points of the towers with their binoculars. It amused my mother to run past them calling ‘Don’t worry boys – we’ll look after you.’Growing up in the 1950s, the Second World War was ever present – from squadrons of Airfix aeroplanes (of both sides) hanging in great clusters from my bedroom ceiling, to countless war films, lauding values of duty and valour, to the regular sight of limbless veterans, medals gleaming but faces drawn with despair, holding out their hats for donations. The tales of courage by ordinary (and extraordinary) men and women that come from that conflict often reveal the best of the human spirit and continue to inspire. It is right that we honour them. However we need to be mindful of the suffering on all sides. In some ways, the war in Europe was a civil war, with all the senseless tragedy that implies. The English are closely connected to the people of Germany. Our language is primarily Germanic (Anglo-Saxon); who can forget Blücher at Waterloo; our own Royal Family are German; Medieval trading links via the Hanseatic League – it goes on. Today we are strong friends. Personally I love the people and the country and feel our connection.History is messy and things don’t fit into labelled boxes as neatly as we’d like them too. It’s complicated. The Nazis were a malign threat to all that is decent, fair and moral but they were a political movement, not an entire people. Yes far too many of the people bought into their deplorable dogmas but we can see today how easily that can happen.The Nazi threat was a clear moment for the so called ‘free world’ to unite against them. Moments in history are seldom so clear but we can sometimes see patterns and ignore them at our peril. The world will always have problems but there are never simplistic answers. It will always require detail and nuance to try to get it right. Good governance requires wise heads and compassionate hearts. 1930s Germany, facing far greater problems than we do today, was seduced by populist slogans and slick propaganda. It is terrifying to see such things peddled by leaders of mediocre intellect in so many parts of the world today. I am shocked to my core when I hear young people, whose only news platform is Tikkety Tok (or some other ill-informed, 20-word catch-phrase encapsulation of a thought) voice support for some of the extreme right wing views being bandied about. Today is a good day to reflect on the calamity that can befall when an unthinking electorate clamours for easy answers and when friend, once again, has to fight friend. I hope this madness passes soon. Peace is always fragile – take care of it. ... See MoreSee Less
It is so exciting to see the beginnings of practical experiments with a HohenzeugGestech saddle (High seat jousting saddle). I have been intrigued by this saddle type ever since I saw the magnificent example in the collections of The Royal Armouries as a boy more than 60 years ago. I have written articles about it (though I can’t find them now). It has always fascinated me.To say that someone jousted is akin to saying that they played a ball game – which one? …football, snooker, tennis, golf, ping pong, polo??? I exaggerate to make a point. Jousts have in common that they are between two people, mounted on horseback and using a lance as a weapon. However beyond that there are myriad variations according to time period and region. Jousts with and without a tilt (central barrier) many different armours, different styles of lance/lance head and …saddles.This extraordinary contraption appears a great deal in fifteenth and sixteenth century jousting art, especially in the jousts of Maximillian. There are several key characteristics. The seat is raised considerably over the horse’s back, there are massive wood and rawhide panels at the front giving full protection to the legs and lower torso (obviating the need for armour in these areas) and the skeletal bars to support a near-standing seat.A few elite modern practitioners have long since been using elevated saddles and found that horse with the right musculature and conformation can adapt to the very well. The panels speak for themselves and the example in the Royal Armouries (Leeds) has evidence of lance strikes, proving the defensive worth of this construction. Why though the seating bars. My theory has been that, when struck, the rider is unimpeded in rocking back (if necessary to an extreme degree) and that the front panels give and leverage hold for the thighs, enabling his recovery to an upright position – a sort of equestrian sit-up machine.Jousting is a martial contest without defensive moves. The idea is that as well as delivering an almighty thump on your opponent, you are sturdy enough to also take one. Something has to give and one or both lances break on impact. That is how jousting is scored. However one can see that there would be considerable theatrical advantage if one (or both) of the riders were visibly knocked backward. Less injurious than a fall but highly visual and spectacular. Also repeatable. I’ll be really interested to hear what those who have now sat in it on a horse think about this.Another aspect may be that , given there is now no cantle of the saddle to hold the rider in place, he must resist the shock of impact with muscles alone, so there may be some kudos (understood by contemporary crowds) in taking a hard hit and being knocked back only a slight amount. You need a really good horse though because if the horse goes down, you are in a lot of trouble.This is really interesting stuff for jousting buffs – something genuinely new to discover. Plaudits to all concerned – especially Marcin Ruda who built the saddle. ... See MoreSee Less
