The Saturday briefing
IS THERE anything you are desperately yearning to know? Are there any pressing factual disputes you would like us to help resolve? This is the page where we shall do our best to answer any questions you throw at us, whatever the subject.
COULD you tell me when kissing under the mistletoe started?
AC Pope, Isle of Wight
COUPLES have been kissing under mistletoe for centuries, but if you’re asking when did it become a Christmas tradition, that is harder to pin down.
The Greeks and Romans regarded mistletoe as a sign of peace and friendship, and pre-Christian cultures in Britain saw the plant as a symbol of virility because it stayed green in winter when other plants died.
In Ancient Norse mythology, there is a story that the blind god Hodur was tricked by the evil Loki into murdering his twin Baldr with an arrow made of mistletoe wood and that when their mother, the goddess Frigg, cried over Baldr’s body her tears turned to white mistletoe berries which she placed on the wound and brought him back to life. She was so overjoyed that she blessed the plant and promised a kiss to anyone who passed under it.
It is believed there was kissing under the mistletoe in 17thcentury Britain but, as with so many of our Christmas favourites, it was probably the Victorians who established it as a tradition.
18th-century servants made the custom popular, perpetuating the idea that a man could kiss any woman standing below a sprig of mistletoe and that it was bad luck for a woman who refused.
For each kiss one of the berries, which are poisonous to humans, would be plucked from the mistletoe until all berries had been removed, and then the kissing had to stop.
I DID national service in Fayid, Egypt between 1952 and 1954.
by PLANTING A KISS: The Victorians are thought to have turned puckering up under the mistletoe into a tradition
At a remembrance service this year, I talked to a gent who was adamant I should have received two medals – one Canal Zone and one Coronation. How can I find out if I should have received them? Kenneth Jemmins, Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire
AIN 2003 the Prime Minister announced that the Naval General Service Medal 1915-62 and the General Service Medal 1918-62 with ‘canal zone’ clasp was to be awarded to those who had served in the Suez Canal zone of Egypt between October 16, 1951 and October 19, 1954.
To qualify, one must have served in the canal zone for a minimum of 30 consecutive days between those dates.
Veterans, and next of kin of veterans who have died, can apply
in writing to the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, Ministry of Defence Medal Office, Innsworth House, Imjin Barracks, Gloucester, GL3 1HW, giving full name, rank, service number, date of birth, date of enlistment and date of discharge.
The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal was awarded as a personal souvenir from the Queen to members of the Royal Family and selected officers of state, members of the Royal Household, government officials, mayors, public servants, local government officials, members of the navy, army, air force and police in Britain, her colonies and dominions, and members of the Mount Everest expedition, but there were a limited number of medals, and they were awarded selectively.
PLEASE can you confirm there used to be a walking road race which began in Bath, I believe at 6pm, and ended in London (100 miles, 24 hours endurance).
My family used to travel along to support a dear friend, Mr Snook. I think it was the late 1940s or early 1950s.
Mrs Bartlett, Ryde, Isle of Wight
AIN 1907 the Southern Counties Road Walking Association was formed, which later became the Race Walking Association.
As there was far less traffic in those days, many long-distance races were held on roads. In 1911 an elite centurions club was established for those who had walked 100 miles within 24 hours.
On the night of October 3, 1952, by which time there were 174 centurions, 48 walkers began the Bath Road 100 walking race from Bath to London.
Some 38 walkers finished the race – 27 of them within 24 hours. It was won by Rex Whitlock in 17 hours, 44 minutes and 40 seconds. H J Snook finished the 100 miles in 21 hours and 44 minutes to become centurion number 190.
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to Any Questions, c/o Dominic Midgley, Daily Express, Number 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN
We cannot promise replies to everyone but the best will feature on this page.
llBy post: AiKEn dRUM
There was a man lived in the moon, lived in the moon, lived in the moon,
There was a man lived in the moon, And his name was Aiken Drum. And he played upon a ladle, a ladle, a ladle,
And he played upon a ladle, and his name was Aiken Drum. And his hat was made of good cream cheese, of good cream cheese, of good cream cheese, And his hat was made of good cream cheese,
And his name was Aiken Drum. And his coat was made of good roast beef, of good roast beef, of good roast beef,
And his coat was made of good roast beef,
And his name was Aiken Drum. And his buttons made of penny loaves, of penny loaves, of penny loaves,
And his buttons made of penny loaves,
And his name was Aiken Drum. And his waistcoat was made of crust pies, of crust pies, of crust pies,
And his waistcoat was made of crust pies,
And his name was Aiken Drum. And his breeches made of haggis bags, of haggis bags, of haggis bags,
And his breeches made of haggis bags,
And his name was Aiken Drum. 101 Years Old And Still Appreciates Nothingness.
Do you have a half-remembered poem from your childhood you would like to see again? Just send us details of what you can remember and we shall bring as many as possible to our Forgotten Verse Corner.