Hero’s fall from grace
QUESTION What is the story of the World War I pilot Rutland of Jutland?
Frederick rutland was born on October 21, 1886, in Weymouth. He joined the royal navy in 1901 and was awarded his aviator’s certificate by the royal aero club on January 26, 1915, and promoted to lieutenant on January 7, 1916.
at the Battle of Jutland, he served as a pilot on the seaplane tender HMS engadine. On May 30, 1916, flying in a Short 184 seaplane, rutland — with assistant Paymaster G. S. trewin — made the first ever airplane reconnaissance of an enemy fleet.
the initial report was a sighting of three German cruisers and five destroyers. a ruptured fuel line caused a forced landing on the sea where rutland was able to make repairs and return to engadine. during the flight they had been subjected to heavy anti-aircraft fire.
For this action rutland was awarded the distinguished Service cross and dubbed ‘rutland of Jutland’ by the Press. He received a Bar to his DSC in 1917 for ‘services on patrol duties and submarine searching in home waters’.
rutland’s later experiments in launching planes from capital ships contributed to the development of the royal navy’s first true aircraft carrier, HMS argus, commissioned in September 1918.
in October 1923, rutland resigned his commission. at this time he was under suspicion of passing information to the Japanese — an ally during World War i.
after divorcing his wife and marrying his mistress, rutland moved his new wife and six-year-old son to Japan, where he took a position with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding.
in 1932, rutland relocated to los angeles where, in 1938, he established the Security aircraft co. in Santa Monica.
it later emerged rutland was paid a large sum and a huge salary to set up a spy network for the Japanese.
in June 1941, the FBI arrested lieutenant commander itaru tachibana of the Japanese navy, one of rutland’s key contacts. the americans were worried that the arrest of a decorated British officer would generate a scandal, so rutland was sent to the uk.
He was incarcerated as a collaborator under defence regulation 18B — ‘ by reason of alleged hostile associations’. He was held at Brixton Prison and later on the isle of Man until his release in 1943.
rutland never returned to the u.S., where his second wife and young children remained during the war and his internment. On January 28, 1949, he took his own life by inhaling gas. Ben Wagner, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
QUESTION Historically, what was the most southerly extent of the Scottish border?
DESPITE a centuries old animosity, the english-Scottish border has remained stable for a long time.
the Firth of Forth was the border between the Picto- Gaelic kingdom of alba and the anglian kingdom of northumbria in the early 10th century.
in 973, english monarch edgar the Peaceful bequeathed lothian to kenneth, king of Scots. the lands of the ANGLOSAXON ruler of northern northumbria, eadwulf evil-child, were reduced to those south of the tweed.
this border was cemented following the Battle of carham (1018) when the forces of Malcolm ii of Scotland and Owen the Bald, king of Strathclyde, defeated earl uhtred of northumbria.
alexander ii, king of Scotland (11981249), laid claim to territory in northern england, and when england’s barons rebelled against king John, he allied with the barons and the French, and dispatched a Scottish army to besiege dover.
When John died, the barons declared their grievances resolved and the Scots were forced to retire.
the young Henry iii (1207-72) was crowned at Westminster and alexander returned to Scotland with Henry’s sister, Joan, as consolation.
On September 25, 1237, the two sovereigns fixed the border with the treaty of York, which affirmed that northumberland, cumberland and Westmorland were subject to english sovereignty. this established the anglo- Scottish border from the tweed to the Solway Firth.
the border has remained almost unchanged since then. One exception is Berwick-upon-tweed, which switched hands at least 13 times until it was finally claimed by the english in 1482.
a small parcel of land around the Solway firth known as the debatable lands were for centuries controlled by local clans, such as the powerful reivers clan the armstrongs. they were finally suppressed by James V of Scotland in 1530 and the debatable lands were split between england and Scotland in 1552. Adam Duncan, Perth.
QUESTION Does the word spinster have anything to do with weaving?
FURTHER to the earlier answer, the origin of the word ‘wife’ is also related. the Old english and Saxon word for woman was wif, and from such times material for clothing had to be first spun from the wool, then woven into cloth.
While a girl was spinning enough wool to weave material for her wedding clothes, she was known as a ‘ spinster’ (used in Middle english to describe an unmarried woman).
Once her wedding cloth had been woven, she became a wif or woman whose
wefan (weaving) was finished and was ready for marriage. the word ‘wife’ is an amalgamation of wif and wefan. Dunstan Davies, author Why Do We.....? At Weddings, Nuneaton, Warks.
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