St George the wartime hero
QUESTION What is the story of World War II navigator Stanley Streeter, depicted in Bernard Arnold’s painting of St George?
On APRIL 1, 1943, a De Havilland Mosquito aircraft (DD742) from 85 Sqn, RAF Hunsdon, Hertfordshire, was taking part in an offensive Ranger patrol over Le Bourget/St Dizier, a few miles from Paris.
The aircraft was piloted by Sqn Ldr Kenwyn Roland Sutton DFC of the Royal new Zealand Airforce. His navigator was Stanley Robert Streeter DFM, aged 22.
The aircraft was hit by ‘friendly fire’ from an anti-aircraft gun near Hove, east Sussex. The pilot bailed out, losing his left arm and foot in the attempt, but Streeter was injured and unable to bail out. He died when the aircraft crashed close to the Shoreham to Hove railway line.
Streeter, the youngest of three brothers, was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham. He left school at 16 to work at the same textile company as his father, before moving to Birmingham Small Arms Company Ltd (BSA) as an apprentice.
He was training as a reservist with the RAF as an observer (navigator) when World War II broke out, and he first flew as a sergeant observer.
He served with 144 Sqn at RAF Hemswell (Lincolnshire), where he had been forced to bail out of Hampden bomber P2079 on november 9, 1940.
He also served with 23 Sqn at RAF Ford ( Sussex) before joining 85 Sqn. His Distinguished Flying Medal was awarded to him on May 19, 1942, by george VI.
As a navigator, he flew under the command of Peter Townsend and John ‘Cats eyes’ Cunningham, and he was a pallbearer at the funeral of the Duke of Kent on August 29, 1942.
Streeter is buried at Brandwood end cemetery, Birmingham. His epitaph reads: ‘Tell england we died for her and we rest here content.’
The painting by Bernard Arnold was commissioned by Streeter’s parents and was presented to St Jude’s Church, Yardley Wood, where the three brothers had been altar servers.
Bob Cubitt, Northampton.
QUESTION Has any British monarch had the misfortune to be shipwrecked?
One possibility is Richard the Lionheart.
He had set sail from Acre (in presentday Israel) on October 9, 1192, following the Third Crusade. He was forced to sail up the Adriatic after the port of Marseilles was barred to him. According to accounts, he hired two privateer galleys for 200 marks to lead him up the coast.
He sailed north from Corfu and according to a contemporary account by Roger of Hoveden, his fleet was shipwrecked between Aquileia and Venice.
Richard attempted to escape overland, but was captured near Vienna by Leopold V, Duke of Austria. He was held hostage until 1194, when a vast ransom of 100,000 marks was paid.
Perhaps the most devastating shipwreck to hit the Royal Family was the sinking of the White Ship in the english Channel near the normandy coast off Barfleur, on november 25, 1120.
When it set off in the dark, its port side struck a rock and the ship capsized. Those who drowned included William Adelin, the only legitimate son and heir of Henry I of england, his half- sister Matilda and half-brother Richard.
James Crawne, Cromer, Norfolk.
QUESTION ‘Ape’ and ‘horse’ are animal names that can be used as verbs, but how many others are there?
SWAnnIng and ducking are just two of the animal words that have entered our language as verbs, helping us to describe things by relating them to the way animals move or behave.
When we say people are ‘ swanning’ about, we mean they are gliding around, looking very fine, but making no apparent effort. The duck got its name into our language through its habit of bobbing its head under the water.
We know dogs can follow a scent, so if we stalk someone, we dog his footsteps.
If he realises we’re after him and tries to get away, we will hound him. Of course, if he is smart enough, he will fox us and make good his escape, just as the cunning fox often does in real life.
The list goes on. If we refuse to answer questions, we clam up. If we scurry around busily, we beetle about.
One or two animals seem to have come out of this process rather badly. So, if we fool around, making mischief and causing a nuisance, we monkey about.
If we scoff our meal hungrily, we wolf it. And if we’re disgustingly greedy and messy with our food, we pig it.
Other languages do not borrow verbs from animals in this way. For example, the French have only two: the word for an ape is singe and to imitate is singer.
A snake in French is serpente and to wind is serpenter. In Italian, an ape is
scimmia and to imitate is scimmiotare. Perhaps the famous British love of animals has something to do with it. In fact, we use more than 50 animals names as verbs.
Mike Ogden, Worksop, Notts.