Last stand of the Valiant
QUESTION What became of the aircraft that dropped Britain’s first H-bomb in the Christmas Island test of May 15, 1957? The Vickers Valiant aircraft, XD818, which was used for the Grapple h-bomb trials, is on display at the RAF Museum at Cosford, Shropshire.
She was deployed to Kiritimati Island (which used to be called Christmas Island) on March 3, 1957, in preparation for dropping Britain’s first thermonuclear bomb, Short Granite.
The bomb was dropped visually by Flt Lt Allen Washbrook, piloted by Wing Commander hubbard, at the Malden Island target on May 15. however, the weapon yielded only 0.3 megatonnes, which was far below expectations.
On December 9, 1964, XD818 made her last flight, having completed 2,430 hours of flying time.
She was mounted on a plinth on the airfield of RAF Marham in Norfolk, where she languished until 1979, when Sgt Pete Sharp became custodian.
he organised a four-year restoration, refitting the missing electronic and instrument panels and servicing the ejection seats, parachutes and dinghy packs. In 1982 she was put on display at the RAF Museum at hendon, until she was moved to Cosford in 2005.
I was involved with the Valiants from 1960 to 1964, and again in 1966, destroying the remaining 36 airframes with explosives at Marham.
They had become non-airworthy due to an unstable mixture of metals that caused corrosion. The aircraft had been in service for only 11 years before this defect became apparent.
Pete Sharp, Kingswinford, W. Mids.
QUESTION Why does the French national anthem contain the terrifying words ‘They’re coming to cut the throats of your sons’?
THIS is a reflection of the turbulent circumstances under which the French national anthem was written.
La Marseillaise was composed during the early years of the French Revolution.
In 1792, Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, a captain in the French army, answered the mayor of Strasbourg’s call for a rallying song as troops battled the Prussian and Austrian armies.
he wrote 15 verses of Chant De Guerre Pour L’Armee Du Rhin (war song for the Rhine Army). Seven of the verses make up today’s anthem. It was a violent warning of what would happen if the foreign pro-monarchist forces were allowed to win, hence the famous first verse:
Arise, children of the Fatherland,
The day of glory has arrived! Against us, tyranny’s
Bloody standard is raised (repeated) Do you hear, in the countryside,
The roar of those ferocious soldiers? They’re coming right into your arms To cut the throats of your sons, your women!
Subsequent verses warn against vile despots, parricidal schemes and ‘tigers who, mercilessly, tear apart their mother’s breast’.
The anthem acquired its nickname La Marseillaise when it was sung on the streets of Paris by volunteers from the port city who had marched to the capital.
It became the official French national anthem in 1795.
Mark Haines, Derby.
QUESTION Why did Mrs Beeton include potatoes in her bread recipes? Was this common at the time?
BREAD containing mash or potato flour dates to the 17th century. Potatoes were added when grain-based flours were scarce and expensive.
Such recipes proliferated from the 19th century when it was discovered that potato has textural and proofing benefits.
The potato arrived in Britain in the late 16th century and its nutritional benefits soon became apparent.
John Forster wrote the first book devoted to the potato in 1664. It contained recipes for potato bread, puddings, custard, cheesecake and potatoes stewed in wine with butter and sugar.
he stated: ‘The first and greatest use of potatoes is for the making of bread, which I do not doubt but will be of much benefit to all sorts of people, especially to the poor in times of scarcity.
‘The roots being thus prepared; you may make bread of them after this manner. You must take as much wheat or barley flour as your half bushel of potato meal weighs and mix them well together with your hand.’
Potato alone is not enough, as bread needs a stringy protein such as gluten to maintain its structure.
Isabella Mary Beeton was the doyenne of english cookery, famous for her 1861 work Mrs Beeton’s Book Of household Management. As well as recipes, it contains helpful advice for middle-class wives about shopping, hiring and managing servants.
Mrs Beeton added potatoes to her bread for practical rather than thrifty reasons. Potatoes, combined with flour, absorb extra moisture, producing a smooth and pliable dough. This creates a fluffy, light dough.
Natural sugars in potatoes promote an evenly browned and uniform crust and add a sweet flavour.
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