The VERY able seacat
QUESTION
The recipients of the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross, are 34 dogs, 32 pigeons, four horses and a cat. What did the cat do? Able Seacat Simon was taken aboard HMS Amethyst when it was docked in Hong Kong after the war. The black-andwhite tomcat became a valued member of the crew by catching rats, which were a constant menace to the stores. He also kept up the crew’s spirits.
In April 1949, Amethyst was ordered to head from Shanghai along the Yangtze River to Nanking to protect the british embassy in case of an attack by insurgent communist troops.
On the way, the ship came under fire and ran aground on a sandbar. There were heavy casualties including the captain. Simon, wounded by shrapnel in the back and legs and badly burnt, was not expected to survive.
Amethyst remained marooned while delicate negotiations for her release continued. Food was running short and the rats multiplied. Incredibly, Simon soon regained his strength and returned to rat-catching duties, making short work of a particularly large and vicious specimen the crew had nicknamed Mao after the Chinese communist leader.
This was a big boost to morale, making Simon’s presence more significant as conditions aboard worsened.
With food and fuel at critical levels, Amethyst was left with no option but to escape back down the river — this became known as the Yangtze Incident.
It set out under cover of darkness and, though it sustained further damage from gun batteries, managed to reach the safety of the open sea.
After the ship docked in england, Simon was put into rabies quarantine for the compulsory six months.
He was recommended for the Dickin Medal, an award conceived by Maria Dickin, founder of the People’s Dispensary For Sick Animals charity, for birds and animals displaying remarkable bravery in wartime service.
Sadly, Simon’s medal ceremony never took place. He died of gastroenteritis during quarantine, prompting an outpouring of grief from the public who had followed his exploits.
He is buried in the cemetery at Ilford, east london.
Susan Bryant, St Nicholas-at-Wade, Kent.
QUESTION Why did George Orwell name his 1984 protagonist Winston Smith?
GEORGE ORWELL’S dystopian novel was written in 1948, with the final two numbers of the year transposed to arrive at 1984.
At the time of writing, Winston Churchill was one of the most respected and admired people in britain and Smith was the most common surname, associated with working-class trades.
Orwell combined them to give his character the names of the highest and lowest in the land to show that no matter your standing in the community, all were equal under the eyes of big brother.
Angela Digby, Knebworth, Herts. QUESTION
When did semi-detached and terrace properties first have defined boundaries? And when did lawns become their main feature?
THOUGH its narrow layout derives from medieval times when it was more expensive to front a main road, the terrace house is largely an invention of the 17th century.
It was typically built on land owned by royalty or the aristocracy. The freeholder laid out the scheme, provided drainage and rented plots to speculators or private owners, who built houses that conformed to an overall style.
Construction was often driven by the length of the lease. exterior walls just half a brick thick, pre-cast artificial stone and cheap stucco were common.
using spoil to raise the road level meant cellars only had to be dug to half their final depth.
Centuries later, the emerging middle classes were rejecting inner-city life and Georgian uniformity yet were unable to afford mansions or servants. building more compact terraces with bay windows and a welcoming porch made this type of home desirable once again.
The semi-detached house gave greater privacy and space, though, ironically, it derives from workers’ cottages that were paired to save building and heating costs.
Perfect for the open farmland that surrounded cities until the start of World War II, with front and back lawns, and wooden fences replacing iron railings, the semi became an aspirational home.
Dotted among them were individual villas with projecting side blocks that echoed the wings of grand country manors and had architectural flourishes — the ultimate suburban dream.
Chris Rogers, Edgware, Middlesex.
QUESTION On a visit to Llandudno, I saw a gravestone in the shape of a wheel with wings and the inscription: ‘She feared no man but God.’ Who does this refer to?
FURTHER to the answer about beatrice blore-browne, the headstone car wheel at llandudno is not unique.
There is a prominent example in St Peter’s graveyard, Harborne, birmingham. It is close to the road and opposite a school, so is seen by many people every day. The inscription reads: ‘In sweet memory of Freda, beloved and only daughter of e. W. Strawbridge nee upton, who died October 5, 1936, of a motor accident, aged 17.’
The 1930s were a time of carnage on the roads. It seems bizarre that the instrument of her death is celebrated as poor young Freda’s headstone.
Conall Boyle, Margam, Glamorgan.
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