Off to a Flyer New E-journal will amuse and delight aviation fanatics
GREAT news for fans of Bristol’s aviation history! Many of you will know Duncan Greenman for his lectures on the subject, and for his peerless collection of photos.
Duncan is now producing an “e-journal” called the Bristol Flyer, dedicated to the history of aircraft design, manufacture and flight in and around Bristol.
The content, from Duncan and various contributors and correspondents, combines technical detail with amusing anecdotes.
The first edition, for instance, looks at the story of 501 “County of Gloucester” Squadron from 1929 to 1940, looks at the loss of one particular Bristol Blenheim and tells the tale of “The Indestructible Air Raid Shelter (that still lurks under Downend)”. Much of the second edition is devoted to the history of Bristol engines.
It’s sent out free in PDF format to various recipients, and if you’d like to be added to the list, all you have to do is email Duncan at Bristol. flyer@btinternet.com
He’s keen to see its distribution widened and he particularly wants to get it into the hands of former aerospace workers so’s he can collect their memories.
If he keeps up the good work, you’ll also find that these e-journals will built up into an extremely useful reference source – which won’t cost you a penny.
A few distractions
» BBC Radio Bristol has put together a series of short clips getting various experts and luminaries to tell us a little about some of the statues around Bristol, Bath and district. We have everyone from John Atyeo at Ashton Gate to the Nailsea glassblower in Nailsea, Cary Grant in Millennium Square and loads more besides.
You can find all of these fourminute interviews at www.bbc.co. uk/programmes/p08jbsxx
BT Editor Eugene Byrne is among the speakers, talking about the Edmund Burke statue down on the Centre, and repeating erroneously three times that there’s a shrapnel hole in Burke’s left armpit. It’s his right armpit. Unless you’re looking at him from the front, in which case it’s the left. But if you’re the Edmund Burke statue it’s the right.
He apologises for this error and asks readers to send large quantities of money so we can buy him a new naughty-stair.*
(*Money may not be used for purchase of actual naughty-stair. What he really needs is a haircut. Also fine wines, cake and a Lamborghini.)
» Bristol Central Library (but not branch libraries) should now be open on a “call and collect” basis for book borrowing. Phone on 0117 903 7250 to ask for up to five adult items, and up to eight for under 18s. If you don’t have a specific item in mind, tell them the kind of things you like reading and they’ll make some suggestions.
When your items are ready for collection, they’ll call you and they’ll be waiting for you in a washable, reusable bag. When you’re finished with them, return them in the same bag.
Henbury, Fishponds and Stockwood libraries will have a limited re-opening from August 10, but others will remain closed until further notice.
» Most National Trust properties around the region have re-opened their parks and gardens to visitors, but not the buildings. To visit NT parks and gardens you usually also have to book the day before. If you fancy an outing to one, check at www.nationaltrust.org.uk
» Bristol University has put a stupendous number of lectures online for free listening. Most of these are academics talking about science, technology, politics and public policy issues, but there’s some good history as well in among it all. You’re certain to find something of interest at https://soundcloud. com/university-of-bristol
Figs and worms
» Finzels Reach, as it was never called until a few years ago, is the local history gift that keeps on giving. The large development in a big area of Bristol which has been continuously occupied since the city’s earliest days as yielded no end of interesting archaeological finds.
And now it has given us intestinal worms! Isn’t that brilliant!
Molecular biologists at Oxford University have been looking in former privies all over Europe seeking out the eggs of intestinal worms. These then enable the boffins to determine the movements of various people in medieval times. Their geographical movements, that is, not just their bowel motions.
At Finzels Reach they identified the egg of a type of whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) of a genetic variety that’s also in the north German port of Lübeck. The significance of this is that it points to a human link between Bristol and the mighty Hanseatic League, the medieval trading bloc that dominated the economy and politics of what is now northern Germany, northern Poland and the Baltic in the middle ages. It was a confederation of citystates of which Lübeck was one of the most influential.
Most of Bristol’s medieval trade was with Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal, so the evidence that someone from the Hansa left us the gift of his intestinal parasites is interesting…
… Though probably not as earthshattering as the fact that the allpowerful Baltic cartel later opposed Bristol merchants coming into their territory, forcing Bristolians to look elsewhere for trade and (OK, here’s where things get a bit tenuous) … so leading to Cabot, America, the transatlantic slave trade, the independence of the United States and, ultimately, Donald Trump.
But as this important scientific breakthrough demonstrates, at least one Hanseatic sailor was, erm, doing business in Bristol back in the day.
On the subject of medieval Bristol merchants, there’s a tale that’s long done the rounds to the effect that there are, or used to be, fig trees around what was the City Docks which arrived in olden times.
Back in ye Middle Ages and later, Bristol imported figs in large quantities, and the story goes that the trees ended up there thanks to sailors (or local consumers?) spitting out the seeds. Or possibly they germinated having entered the water in sewage.
I’m a complete ignoramus about all things horticultural, so can someone tell us whether this can be true? And does anyone know if any of these trees still exist?
If it comes to that, does anyone know for sure which is Bristol’s oldest tree of any description? Some say it’s a sweet chestnut in Clifton, though there’s also an oak at Ashton Court which may be 750 years old (though not, strictly speaking, in Bristol). Any ideas?
Cheers then!