The bombing of Wimbledon
Compiled by Charles Legge QUESTION Why was Wimbledon so heavily bombed in the Blitz? It has no obvious strategic importance. During World War ii, the borough of Wimbledon was struck by more than 1,000 bombs, killing 200 people and making thousands homeless.
The All England Tennis Club suffered damage on several occasions. On the night of October 11, 1940, five 500lb german bombs fell on the centre court and the surrounding area; 16 bombs hit the club during the war.
Wimbledon was always likely to find itself in the line of fire following the declaration of war in 1939.
There were two factories important to the war effort: the KLg spark plug factory on the Portsmouth road and the Triang Toy factory, which had been converted for production of machine guns. it was also the site of a major rail junction.
Military training took place on Wimbledon Common, which was also the site of several anti-aircraft batteries. The strategically important airfield at Croydon was a few miles away and german intelligence was aware that Secretary of State for War Leslie Hore-Belisha and Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding lived in Wimbledon.
Bombs were dropped following the line westwards of Merton High Street and Kingston road and this became a pattern for subsequent attacks. it’s probable that returning german pilots also jettisoned unused bombs on Wimbledon.
Malcolm Allen, London SW13. QUESTION Does General Colin Powell pronounce his Christian name in the British manner? COLin POWELL was born in Harlem, new York City, to parents from Jamaica on April 5, 1937.
A true example of living the American dream, he knew the rough life of the streets, but overcame an average start at school before joining the army.
Powell served in the Vietnam War, the invasion of Panama and the gulf War before becoming national Security Adviser from 1987 to 1989, Commander of u.S. Army Forces Command in 1989 and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993.
He became the 65th u.S. Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005, the first African American to serve in that position. His story is charted in his biography My American Dream. Before the preface are the original British passport photographs of his parents Luther Theophilus Powell and Maud Ariel McKoy, taken just before they left Jamaica in the Twenties.
He describes his name pronunciation: ‘Before, i was Cah-lin, the British pronunciation that Jamaicans used.
‘One of the first American war heroes was Colin P. Kelly Jr., pronounced the American Coh-lin. Kelly was an Air Corps flier who attacked the Japanese battleship Haruna after Pearl Harbour and won the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously.
‘Colin Kelly’s name was on every boy’s lips, and so, to my friends, i became Coh-lin of Kelly Street,’ Powell writes. ‘To my family, i remain Cah-lin to this day.’
Powell said he once asked his father whether he was named ‘for some illustrious ancestor’. ‘Pop said no, he had read it off a shipping ticket the day i was born.’
On a visit to Britain, Powell was introduced to Sir Charles Powell, a key foreign policy adviser to Margaret Thatcher, and was amused to reflect that his name was pronounced Sir Charles Pole. He reflects that if he had moved to Britain rather than the u.S he would have been Cah-lin Pole rather than Coh-lin Pow-ell.
Corina Tudor, Cheltenham, glos. QUESTION Does anyone have a good recipe for homemade mouthwash? iT iS easy and cheap to make an effective mouthwash that doesn’t burn the roof of your mouth, contain alcohol (of which there is an alleged increase in the risk of oral cancer), fluoride, sodium lauryl sulfate, sugar or artificial sweeteners or simply taste disgusting.
Several studies testify to the antimicrobial properties of essential oils, the key ingredients to homemade mouthwash. The Antimicrobial Efficacy Of Five Essential Oils Against Oral Pathogens: An in Vitro Study by the European Journal Of Dentistry, 2013, concluded that ‘apart from the traditional use of eugenol, antibacterial effects of essential oils such as peppermint oil, tea tree oil and thyme oil can provide an effective intracanal antiseptic solution against oral pathogens’.
Antibacterial And Antifungal Activity Of Ten Essential Oils in Vitro, Microbios, 1996, concluded that ‘lemongrass, eucalyptus, peppermint and orange oils were effective against all the 22 bacterial strains. Aegle and palmarosa oils inhibited 21 bacteria; patchouli and ageratum oils inhibited 20 bacteria and citronella and geranium oils were inhibitory to 15 and 12 bacterial strains, respectively.’
The other important ingredient is baking soda as this helps regulate the acidity in your mouth.
For my mouthwash i use: 250 ml filtered or distilled water (find the best water purification systems) 2-3 tsp baking soda (this helps regulate the acidity in your mouth) 4 drops tea tree essential oil (find 100 per cent pure essential oils here) 4 drops peppermint essential oil
Blend the ingredients in a dark container and store in a cool, dark place. When it’s ready for use, shake it well. Swill it in your mouth for up to a minute. Then spit it out and rinse your mouth with water.
One recommended by Colgate is: 250 ml water 2-3 tsp baking soda 2 tsp echinacea tincture 3-4 drops myrrh essential oil 2 drops tea tree essential oil
Sophie Daley, St ives, Cornwall. QUESTION If Queen Victoria had died in her first pregnancy, as she feared she would, who would have succeeded to the throne and who would be our present monarch? An EArLiEr answer stated that Ernst August, the Duke of Cumberland who died in 1923, married Thyra of Denmark ‘who was the sister of our Queen Mary.’ This is incorrect.
Princess Thyra, one of the six children of Christian iX of Denmark, was the sister of Queen Alexandra, the widow of Edward Vii. Her other siblings were Frederik Viii of Denmark (great-grandfather of the current Queen, Margrethe ii), Empress Maria Feodorovna of russia (mother of Tsar nicholas ii), george i of greece and Prince Valdemar of Denmark. Mrs Coryne Hall, royalty author and consultant, Whitehill, Hants.
IS THERE a question to which you have always wanted to know the answer? Or do you know the answer to a question raised here? Send your questions and answers to: Charles Legge, Answers To Correspondents, Scottish Daily Mail, 20 Waterloo Street, Glasgow G2 6DB. You can also fax them to 0141 331 4739 or you can email them to charles. legge@dailymail.co.uk. A selection will be published but we are not able to enter into individual correspondence.