1.
Patrick Magee (actor)
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He was born in Armagh, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Born into a family, McGee was the first born of five children and was educated at St. Patricks Grammar School. His first stage experience in Ireland was with Anew McMasters touring company and it was here that he first worked with Pinter. He was then brought to London by Tyrone Guthrie for a series of Irish plays and he met Beckett in 1957 and soon recorded passages from the novel, Molloy, and the short story, From an Abandoned Work, for BBC radio. Impressed by the quality of Magees distinctly Irish voice, Beckett requested copies of the tapes. First produced at the Royal Court Theatre in London on 28 October 1958, a televised version with Magee directed by McWhinnie was later broadcast by BBC2 on 29 November 1972. Becketts biographer Anthony Cronin wrote that there was a sense in which, as an actor, in 1965 he appeared in Peter Weisss Marat/Sade, and when the play transferred to Broadway he won a Tony Award. He also appeared in the 1966 RSC production of Staircase opposite Paul Scofield, early film roles included Joseph Loseys The Criminal and The Servant, the latter an adaptation scripted by Pinter. He also appeared as Surgeon-Major Reynolds in Zulu, Séance on a Wet Afternoon, Anzio, but he is perhaps best known for his role as the victimised writer Frank Alexander, who tortures Alex DeLarge with Beethovens music, in Stanley Kubricks film A Clockwork Orange. His other role for Kubrick was as Chevalier de Balibari in Barry Lyndon, Magee also appeared in Young Winston, The Final Programme, Galileo, Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, The Monster Club and Chariots of Fire, but was most often seen in horror films. Magee married Belle Sherry, also a native of County Armagh in 1958, in February 1961, their twins, Mark and Caroline McGee, were born in London. Patrick Magee died in his London flat of natural causes on 14 August 1982 at the age of 60, according to obituaries in the Glasgow Herald and the New York Times
2.
Columbo
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Columbo is an American television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. The plot revolves around how a perpetrator whose identity is known to the audience will finally be caught. Columbo is a police detective of Italian descent whose clothes are disheveled and whose trademarks include wearing a rumpled, beige raincoat over his suit. He is consistently underestimated by his suspects who, while initially reassured and distracted by his circumstantial speech, despite his unassuming appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he is extremely intelligent and shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for a conviction. His formidable eye for detail and relentlessly dedicated approach, often become clear to the only late in the story line. The episodes are all movie-length, between 73 and 100 minutes long, and have been broadcast in forty-four countries, in 2012, the program was chosen as the third-best cop or legal show on Best in TV, The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time. In 2013, TV Guide included it in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time, also in 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked it No.57 in the list of 101 Best Written TV Series. After two pilot episodes, the originally aired on NBC from 1971 to 1978 as one of the rotating programs of The NBC Mystery Movie. Columbo then aired less regularly on ABC beginning in 1989 under the umbrella of The ABC Mystery Movie, the last film was broadcast in 2003 as part of ABC Thursday Night at the Movies. In almost every episode the audience sees the crime unfold at the beginning and knows the identity of the culprit, once Columbo enters the story, viewers watch him solve the case by sifting through the contradictions between the truth and the version presented to him by the killer. This style of mystery is sometimes referred to as a howcatchem, episodes tend to be driven by their characters, the audience observing the criminals reaction to Columbos increasingly intrusive presence. In some cases, the arrogance and dismissive attitude allow Columbo to manipulate his suspects into self-incrimination. While details of the actions are shown to the viewer, Columbos true thoughts. Columbo generally maintains a relationship with the murderer until the end. The point at which the detective first begins to suspect the murderer is not revealed. Each case is concluded in a similar style, with Columbo dropping any pretense of uncertainty. Following the killers reaction, the episode ends with the killer confessing or quietly submitting to arrest. There are few attempts to deceive the viewer or provide a twist in the tale, other sources claim Columbos character is also influenced by Inspector Fichet from the French suspense-thriller film Les Diaboliques
3.
Paddington
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Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in central London. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965, a major project called Paddington Waterside aims to regenerate former railway and canal land between 1998 and 2018, and the area is seeing many new developments. However, the provenance is much later and likely to have been forged after the 1066 Norman conquest. There is no mention of the place in the Domesday Book of 1086, a more reliable 12th-century document cited by the cleric Isaac Maddox establishes that part of the land was held by brothers Richard and William de Padinton. In the later Elizabethan and early Stuart era, the rectory, manor, Nicholas Small was a clothworker who was sufficiently well connected to have Holbein paint a portrait of his wife, Jane Small. Nicholas died in 1565 and his wife married again, to Nicholas Parkinson of Paddington who became master of the Clothworkers company. Jane Small continued to live in Paddington after her husbands death, and her manor house was big enough to have been let to Sir John Popham. They let the building that became in this time Blowers Inn, as the regional population grew in the 17th century, Paddingtons ancient Hundred of Ossulstone was split into divisions, Holborn Division replaced the hundred for most administrative purposes. By 1773, a contemporary historian felt and wrote that London may now be said to include two cities, one borough and forty six antient villages. Roman roads formed the parishs north-eastern and southern boundaries from Marble Arch, Watling Street and, Uxbridge road, known by the 1860s in this neighbourhood as Bayswater Road. They were toll roads in much of the 18th century, before, by 1801, the area saw the start-point of an improved Harrow Road and an arm of the Grand Junction Canal - these remain. The district formed the centrepiece of an 1824 masterplan by Samuel Pepys Cockerell to redevelop the Tyburn Estate into an area to rival Belgravia. Despite this, Thackeray described the district of Tyburnia as the elegant, the prosperous, the polite Tyburnia. Derivation of the name is uncertain, speculative explanations include Padre-ing-tun, Pad-ing-tun, and Pæding-tun the last being the cited suggestion of the Victorian Anglo-Saxon scholar John Mitchell Kemble. There is another Paddington in Surrey, recorded in the Domesday Book as Padendene, a lord named Padda is named in the Domesday Book, associated with Brampton, Suffolk. An 18th-century dictionary gives the definition Paddington Fair Day, an execution day, Tyburn being in the parish or neighbourhood of Paddington. To dance the Paddington frisk, to be hanged, public executions were abolished in England in 1868. Paddington station is the terminus for services to the west of London and mainline services to Oxford, South-West England
4.
London
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London /ˈlʌndən/ is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain and it was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. Londons ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1. 12-square-mile medieval boundaries. London is a global city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism. It is crowned as the worlds largest financial centre and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world, London is a world cultural capital. It is the worlds most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the worlds largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic, London is the worlds leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city. Londons universities form the largest concentration of education institutes in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times, London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. Its estimated mid-2015 municipal population was 8,673,713, the largest of any city in the European Union, Londons urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census. The citys metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with 13,879,757 inhabitants, the city-region therefore has a similar land area and population to that of the New York metropolitan area. London was the worlds most populous city from around 1831 to 1925, Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world, the etymology of London is uncertain. It is an ancient name, found in sources from the 2nd century and it is recorded c.121 as Londinium, which points to Romano-British origin, and hand-written Roman tablets recovered in the city originating from AD 65/70-80 include the word Londinio. The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae and this had it that the name originated from a supposed King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud. From 1898, it was accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos. The ultimate difficulty lies in reconciling the Latin form Londinium with the modern Welsh Llundain, which should demand a form *lōndinion, from earlier *loundiniom. The possibility cannot be ruled out that the Welsh name was borrowed back in from English at a later date, and thus cannot be used as a basis from which to reconstruct the original name. Until 1889, the name London officially applied only to the City of London, two recent discoveries indicate probable very early settlements near the Thames in the London area
5.
Rancho Mirage, California
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Rancho Mirage is a resort city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, located between Cathedral City and Palm Desert, it is one of the nine cities of the Coachella Valley. Rancho Mirage was incorporated in 1973 from a merger of Mirage Cove with five unincorporated areas known as the Cove communities, although the first modern settlements date back to the 1920s and 1930s, Rancho Mirage got its claim to fame after World War II. Several United States Presidents have vacationed at the Annenberg estate, including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Ford later bought a house in Rancho Mirage and was living there at the time of his death in 2006. The Betty Ford Center, a world-renowned addiction rehabilitation center, is located in Rancho Mirage at the Eisenhower Medical Center, President Barack Obama has also used Sunnylands for summit meetings with world leaders during his administration. Rancho Mirage has twelve golf courses, also known as clubs or golf resorts. The citys first resort was the Thunderbird Guest Ranch, opened in 1946 for entertainers, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of Palm Springs runs the Agua Caliente Casino on the intersection of Bob Hope Drive and Ramon Road off Interstate 10, opened in 2002. The casino is a destination for locals, tourists. In 2008 the tribal board completed the expansion of the Agua Caliente resort, a theater for top name entertainers opened in 2009. The First Family is heading west, according to the New York Post, the Obamas have reportedly purchased a house in Rancho Mirage, California. The climate of the Coachella Valley is influenced by the surrounding geography, high mountain ranges on three sides and a south-sloping valley floor all contribute to its unique and year-round warm climate, with the warmest winters in the western United States. Winters are warm with highs between 73–84 °F. Under 5 inches of precipitation are average, with over 348 days of sunshine per year. The 2010 United States Census reported that Rancho Mirage had a population of 17,218, the population density was 693.3 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Rancho Mirage was 15,267 White,256 African American,94 Native American,651 Asian,14 Pacific Islander,598 from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,964 persons. The Census reported that 17,154 people lived in households,16 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, there were 316 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 454 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,055 households were made up of individuals and 1,961 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 1.94. There were 4,825 families, the family size was 2.46
6.
Actor
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An actor is a person who portrays a character in a performance. Simplistically speaking, the person denominated actor or actress is someone beautiful who plays important characters, the actor performs in the flesh in the traditional medium of the theatre, or in modern mediums such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is ὑποκριτής, literally one who answers, the actors interpretation of their role pertains to the role played, whether based on a real person or fictional character. Interpretation occurs even when the actor is playing themselves, as in forms of experimental performance art, or, more commonly, to act, is to create. Formerly, in societies, only men could become actors. When used for the stage, women played the roles of prepubescent boys. The etymology is a derivation from actor with ess added. However, when referring to more than one performer, of both sexes, actor is preferred as a term for male performers. Actor is also used before the name of a performer as a gender-specific term. Within the profession, the re-adoption of the term dates to the 1950–1960s. As Whoopi Goldberg put it in an interview with the paper, Im an actor – I can play anything. The U. K. performers union Equity has no policy on the use of actor or actress, an Equity spokesperson said that the union does not believe that there is a consensus on the matter and stated that the. subject divides the profession. In 2009, the Los Angeles Times stated that Actress remains the term used in major acting awards given to female recipients. However, player remains in use in the theatre, often incorporated into the name of a group or company, such as the American Players. Also, actors in improvisational theatre may be referred to as players, prior to Thespis act, Grecian stories were only expressed in song, dance, and in third person narrative. In honor of Thespis, actors are commonly called Thespians, the exclusively male actors in the theatre of ancient Greece performed in three types of drama, tragedy, comedy, and the satyr play. Western theatre developed and expanded considerably under the Romans, as the Western Roman Empire fell into decay through the 4th and 5th centuries, the seat of Roman power shifted to Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire. Records show that mime, pantomime, scenes or recitations from tragedies and comedies, dances, from the 5th century, Western Europe was plunged into a period of general disorder
7.
John Steed
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Major The Hon. Steed is a secret agent working for an unnamed branch of British intelligence. He was teamed with a variety of partners, including Dr. David Keel, Venus Smith, Dr. Martin King, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel, Tara King, Lady Diana Forbes-Blakeney, Purdey, Steed was born John Wickham Gascoyne Beresford Steed sometime between 1922 and 1925. A scion of a family, Steed attended Eton, where he once got into a fight with the school bully, James Bond. Steeds best friend was Mark Crayford who later followed him into British Intelligence and he spent the early part of his war service posted at RAF Camp 472 Hamelin, which was a jumping-off point for British spies on the continent. He received the Military Cross for single-handedly taking a German machine-gun post, before leaving the British Army to join The Ministry in 1945, Steed achieved the rank of Major. In one episode also a Vauxhall 30/98 can be seen, by The New Avengers, Steed had moved out to the country, to a manor house known as Steeds Stud, and was no longer driving vintage cars, but contemporary Jaguars instead. There are no details regarding his family although he does refer to having a 13 year old nephew in Legacy of Death. During the first season Steeds character was a more rough-and-tumble operative than the suave, sophisticated gentleman he became during the Gale and Peel eras. His most common style of dress as Dr. Keels sidekick was a trenchcoat and suit, though the famous bowler hat and umbrella appeared as early as the The Frighteners, the 15th episode to be aired. Most of the first season episodes are lost, but Macnee hints in his memoir that they initially appeared earlier, during the shows budget-strained first season, Macnee supplemented his on-screen wardrobe with numerous items from his own wardrobe, including the bowler and umbrella. By the second season, Steed had dispensed with the trenchcoat and was wearing the familiar three-piece suits with which he is afterward identified. He was initially shown answering to several different superiors such as One-Ten, during most of the Gale-Peel era the source of his orders were left a mystery. For the final season of the original series Steed was shown taking his orders from a man called Mother who used a wheelchair. One of Steeds trademarks was his impeccable dress, often consisting of a suit with Bowler. His bowler and umbrella were in fact his favourite weapons, the bowler was metal plated and very hard, it could stop bullets and knock down opponents. Although he was witty and highly sagacious, he was also a suave, in combat, he is an excellent swordsman. A bon vivant, he seemed to be something of an oenophile, having an impeccable palate. The professional footballer, Steed Malbranque is widely reported to have named after John Steed on account of his parents having seen their child as the epitome of Britishness
8.
The Avengers (TV series)
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The Avengers is an espionage British television series created in 1961. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed, Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants. Steeds most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish and assertive women, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel, the Avengers ran from 1961 until 1969, screening as one-hour episodes its entire run. The pilot episode, Hot Snow, aired on 7 January 1961, the final episode, Bizarre, aired on 21 May 1969. The Avengers was produced by Associated British Corporation, a contractor within the ITV network, after a merger in July 1968 ABC Television became Thames Television, which continued production of the series although it was still broadcast under the ABC name. By 1969 The Avengers was shown in more than 90 countries, ITV produced a sequel series The New Avengers with Patrick Macnee returning as John Steed, and two new partners. In 2007 The Avengers was ranked #20 on TV Guides Top Cult Shows Ever, the Avengers was marked by different eras as co-stars came and went. The only constant was John Steed, played by Patrick Macnee, the Associated British Corporation produced a single series of Police Surgeon, in which Ian Hendry played police surgeon Geoffrey Brent, from September through December 1960. While Police Surgeon did not last long, viewers praised Hendry, and ABC Television cast him for their new series, The Avengers, which replaced Police Surgeon in January 1961. The Avengers began with episode Hot Snow, in which medical doctor Dr David Keel investigates the murder of his fiancée, a stranger named John Steed, who was investigating the ring, appeared and together they set out to avenge her death in the first two episodes. Afterwards, Steed asked Keel to partner him as needed to solve crimes, Hendry was considered the star of the new series, receiving top billing over Macnee, and Steed did not appear in two episodes. As the first series of The Avengers progressed, Steeds importance increased, while Steed and Keel used wit while discussing crimes and dangers, the series also depicted the interplay—and often tension—between Keels idealism and Steeds professionalism. The other regular in the first series was Carol Wilson, the nurse, Carol assisted Keel and Steed in cases, and in at least one episode being very much in the thick of the action, but without being part of Steeds inner circle. Hafner had played opposite Hendry as a nurse in one episode of Police Surgeon, the series was shot on 405-line videotape using a multicamera setup. There was little provision for editing and virtually no location footage, as was standard practice at the time, videotapes of early episodes of The Avengers were reused. Keel and Lucy Briggs-Owen as Carol Wilson, production of the first series was cut short by a strike. By the time production could begin on the series, Hendry had quit to pursue a film career. Macnee was promoted to star and Steed became the focus of the series, Dr Martin King, a thinly disguised rewriting of Keel, saw action in only three episodes produced from scripts written for the first series
9.
Daniel Macnee
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Sir Daniel Macnee FRSE RSA, was a Scottish portrait painter who served as president of the Royal Scottish Academy. He was born at Fintry in Stirlingshire, at the age of thirteen he was apprenticed, along with Horatio McCulloch and Leitch the water colourist, to the landscape artist John Knox. He afterwards worked for a year as a lithographer, and was employed by a company in Cumnock, Ayrshire and he studied in Edinburgh at the Trustees Academy, where he supported himself by illustrating publications for William Home Lizars the engraver. Moving to Glasgow, he established himself as a portrait painter. In 1829 he was admitted as a member of the Royal Scottish Academy, and on the death of Sir George Harvey in 1876 he was elected president, several of Macnees works are held by the National Portrait Gallery in London and at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. Macnee is buried in Dean Cemetery in western Edinburgh with his wife Mary Buchanan and they lie against the north wall of the northern extension. His great-grandson is the actor Patrick Macnee, memoirs and portraits of one hundred Glasgow men Media related to Daniel Macnee at Wikimedia Commons
10.
Lambourn
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Lambourn /ˈlæmbɔːrn/ is a large village and civil parish in West Berkshire. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of training in England, and is home to a rehabilitation centre for injured jockeys, an equine hospital. To the north of the village are the prehistoric Seven Barrows and the nearby Long Barrow, Lambourn covers most of the upper valley of the River Lambourn, a bourne in the chalk upland area of the Berkshire Downs. It is 13 miles northwest of Newbury,11 miles southeast of Swindon,7 miles southwest of Wantage,7 miles north of Hungerford and 71 miles west of London and it is the westernmost place with more than 1000 residents in Berkshire and borders northeastern Wiltshire and southwestern Oxfordshire. Since the 1974 boundary changes, Lambourn has been the westernmost parish in Berkshire, Membury Service Station, Membury transmitting station and the northeastern quarter of Membury iron age fort are in the southwest corner of the parish. Lambourn lies on the crossroads of the B4000 from Newbury to Highworth, the B4000 used to follow the River Lambourn up the Newbury Road until the construction of the M4 motorway in the early 1970s. When the motorway was built, the B4000 was diverted along Ermin Street as the old road could not be widened for HGVs in the streets of Great Shefford, Eastbury. The B4001 was also diverted onto Ermin Street because of the M4, the M4 passes through the southern part of the parish between Junction 14 and Junction 15. In 1898 the Lambourn Valley Railway was built connecting Lambourn to Newbury and its ownership merged with the Great Western Railway in 1905 and continued in operation until it was closed in 1960. The nearest station is now at Hungerford on the Reading to Taunton line and they heard of the Great Barrows, and the green mounds, and the stone-rings upon the hills and in the hollows among the hills. Green walls and white walls rose, there were fortresses on the heights. Kings of little kingdoms fought together, and the young Sun shone like fire on the red metal of their new, there was victory and defeat, and towers fell, fortresses were burned, and flames went up into the sky. Gold was piled on the biers of dead kings and queens, and mounds covered them, and the doors were shut. Sheep walked for a while biting the grass, but soon the hills were empty again. The Lambourn Downs are part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and cover an area of 231 square miles, originally they were entirely in Berkshire, but northern third of the downs were transferred to Oxfordshire when the county border was reorganised in 1974. Due to the poor, chalky soil, the downs could not be used for growing crops until the advent of modern fertilisers, consequently, the high ground was only used for breeding sheep – hence the name of Lambourn – and horses. The Oxford Don and author J. R. R. Tolkien lived nearby and travelled to the downs with his family and he was impressed by the downs with their sarsen stones, barrows and hill forts and painted pictures of Lambourn in 1912
11.
George Fowler Hastings
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Vice-Admiral George Fowler Hastings CB was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the First Opium War and the Crimean War. In a naval career spanning over 50 years Hastings saw service across the British Empire, Hastings was born on 28 November 1814, the second son of Hans Hastings, 12th Earl of Huntingdon, and his first wife Frances. His father had a career, and George followed him into the navy in either August or September 1824. Hastings played a single match for pre-county club Hampshire in 1843 against Nottinghamshire. In the match, Hastings scored 5 runs in Hampshires first innings before being bowled by William Clarke, in Hampshires second innings he was dismissed for a duck, once again by Clarke. Hastings was promoted to commander on 30 June 1838, and was appointed to the Coastguard in January 1839. He was appointed to the 16-gun brig-sloop HMS Harlequin in August 1841 and he remained in eastern waters after the end of the war, countering pirate operations on the coast of Sumatra. Hastings was appointed to his command, the steam paddle frigate HMS Cyclops. He commanded her on the west coast of Africa until February 1851, an appointment to the steam frigate HMS Curacoa followed, and Hastings served aboard her for operations in the Mediterranean and Black Sea during the Crimean War. He was duly appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath on 2 January 1857, and was awarded the third class of the Medjidie. He remained aboard Curacoa until May 1857 and he became superintendent of Haslar Hospital and the Royal Clarence victualling yard in January 1858, holding the post until his promotion to rear-admiral on 27 April 1863. His next assignment was in November 1866, when he became commander-in-chief in the Pacific and he received another promotion on 10 September 1869 when he was raised to vice-admiral, and returned to Britain in November that year. His final position came with his appointment to be Commander-in-Chief, The Nore in February 1873 and he retained the post for the usual three years, stepping down on 14 February 1876. He died shortly afterwards, on 21 March 1876 at his home at 41 Stanhope Gardens, Hastings married Mathilde Alice at the British consulate at Calais on 14 September 1864. A second ceremony was held the day at the brides home town of Saint-Omer. The marriage produced three sons and a daughter, with Mathilde outliving George and dying in 1916, the fjord Hastings Arm on the North Coast of British Columbia was named after him, as was the nearby Mount Fowler. Their daughter, Frances Alice Hastings, married Gordon George William Henry and they were the parents of Dorothea Mabel Macnee, who was Patrick Macnees mother. George Hastings at Cricinfo George Hastings at CricketArchive
12.
Dewar's
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Dewars is a brand of blended Scotch whisky owned by Bacardi, which claims the brands White Label to be the top-selling blended Scotch in the US. Dewar’s is also the world’s most awarded blended Scotch whisky with more than 500 medals earned in international competitions, the Dewars whisky brand was created by John Dewar, Sr. in 1846. Under the control of his two sons, John A. Dewar Jr. and Thomas Tommy Dewar, the brand expanded to become a market leader by 1896. Tommy became famous as the author of a journal, Ramble Round the Globe. Dewars eventually expanded their product by constructing the Aberfeldy Distillery in 1896, the company joined Distillers Company in 1925. Distillers was acquired by Guinness in 1986, and Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo in 1997, Diageo sold Dewars to Bacardi the next year. Dewar’s rose to prominence in the United States when Andrew Carnegie requested a small keg of Dewar’s Scotch whisky be sent to the White House upon President Benjamin Harrison’s inauguration, Carnegie also sent the same gift to President James Garfield on his inauguration eight years later. In 1987, numerous cases of still perfect Dewars Scotch were recovered by underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence from the shipwreck of the SS Regina, Dewar’s pioneered the process of “marrying” the whisky in oak casks to allow the blend to age as one within the casks. After the blend is created, the whisky is returned to an oak cask and aged even further to obtain a smooth, Dewars White Label – Created in 1899 by John Dewar & Sons first Master Blender, A. J. It has become the companys top-selling variation, Dewars 12 –12 years old. The blend was created by Dewars sixth master blender, Tom Aitken and this offering has received some awards at international Spirit ratings competitions. From the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, it has received double gold, gold. Dewar’s 15 –15 years old, the blend was created by the current Dewar’s Master Blender Stephanie Macleod. Dewars 18 –18 years old, First released in 2003 and created by Master Blender Tom Aitken. First released in 2003 and definitely not made of people, Dewars Signature – First created in 2003 by Master Blender Tom Aitken using the finest single malts Scotch whiskies available. Dewar’s parent company, John Dewar & Sons, Ltd, the Shield, which is the oldest continuous rugby competition in Australia, was donated by the company to the Victorian Rugby Union upon its inauguration in 1909. Dewars has run television advertisements featuring British actress Michael Fassbender, Dewar’s created the first motion picture advertisement, “It’s Scotch. ”, in 1898. Dewar’s was the first Scotch whisky company to use virtual reality video for a launch for Dewar’s Scratched Cask
13.
Summer Fields School
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Summer Fields is a boys independent day and boarding preparatory school in Summertown, Oxford. It was originally called Summerfield and used to have a subsidiary school Summerfields, originally called Summerfield, it became a boys preparatory school in 1864 with seven pupils. Its owner, Archibald Maclaren, had been educated at Dollar Academy and was a teacher who ran a gymnasium in Oxford. He strongly believed in the importance of physical fitness and his wife, Gertrude, was a classical scholar and teacher, a daughter of David Alphonso Talboys. The school motto is Mens sana in corpore sano, A healthy mind in a healthy body, the school grew and needed more staff, two of whom married into the Maclaren family. The Reverend Dr Charles Williams, who took over the form from Mrs Maclaren. The Reverend Hugh Alington married Margaret Maclaren in 1885 and took over the boys games, the school remained in the hands of the Maclaren, Williams and Alington families for its first 75 years. At the end of the 19th Century, Doctor became headmaster, a second school Summers mi was opened at St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, for boys to benefit from the sea air. In 1918 Doctor passed the headmastership to Hugh Alington, there was a lean spell in the 1930s and numbers fell, but John Evans and Geoffrey Bolton took over in 1939. During World War II three other schools were evacuated to Summer Fields - Famborough School, Hampshire, Summers mi, and St Cyprians School from Eastbourne - and this restored the numbers. In 1955, the became a charitable trust with a board of governors, including Harold Macmillan. During the 1960s Pat Savage was headmaster, with the assistance of Jimmy Bell, one O. S. recollected, Then I met the Ogre. For my first few weeks I was terrified by this monster and he growled and shook the room as he entered. But once I learnt that he didnt actually eat little boys, even on Black Fridays, in 1975, Nigel Talbot Rice took over as headmaster. In 1997, Talbot Rice retired and was succeeded by Robin Badham-Thornhill, in 2010 David Faber, an old boy and governor, took over as headmaster. In 2002 a new lodge called Savages was built, in recent years a new year group was added at the bottom of the school. The boys are organised into four leagues, one of them is named Maclaren after the Founder, the others are Moseley, Congreve, and Case. Each league has its own identifying colour, Case red, Congreve yellow, Maclaren green, in their leagues the boys wear a polo shirt in the league colour, along with the rest of the uniform, blue corduroys, and brown shoes
14.
Eton College
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Eton College /iːtən/ is an English independent boarding school for boys in Eton, Berkshire, near Windsor. It educates more than 1,300 pupils, aged 13 to 18 years and it was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor, making it the 18th oldest Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference school. Eton is one of the seven public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868. Eton has educated 19 British prime ministers and generations of the aristocracy and has referred to as the chief nurse of Englands statesmen. The school is headed by a Provost and Fellows, who appoint the Head Master and it contains 25 boys houses, each headed by a housemaster, selected from the more senior members of the teaching staff, which numbers some 155. Almost all of the pupils go on to universities, about a third of them to Oxford or Cambridge. The Head Master is a member of the Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference, Eton has a long list of distinguished former pupils. David Cameron was the 19th British prime minister to have attended the school, about 20% of pupils at Eton receive financial support, through a range of bursaries and scholarships. In early 2014, this figure had risen to 263 pupils receiving the equivalent of around 60% of school fee assistance, Eton has been described as the most famous public school in the world, and been referred to as the chief nurse of Englands statesmen. The Good Schools Guide called the school the number one public school, adding that The teaching. The school is a member of the G20 Schools Group, Eton today is a larger school than it has been for much of its history. In 1678, there were 207 boys, in the late 18th century, there were about 300, while today, the total has risen to over 1,300. Eton College was founded by King Henry VI as a charity school to free education to 70 poor boys who would then go on to Kings College, Cambridge. Henry took Winchester College as his model, visiting on many occasions, borrowing its Statutes and removing its Headmaster, when Henry VI founded the school, he granted it a large number of endowments, including much valuable land. He persuaded the then Pope, Eugene IV, to grant him a privilege unparalleled anywhere in England, the school also came into possession of one of Englands Apocalypse manuscripts. Legend has it that Edwards mistress, Jane Shore, intervened on the schools behalf and she was able to save a good part of the school, although the royal bequest and the number of staff were much reduced. Construction of the chapel, originally intended to be slightly over twice as long, only the Quire of the intended building was completed. Etons first Headmaster, William Waynflete, founder of Magdalen College, Oxford and previously Head Master of Winchester College, as the school suffered reduced income while still under construction, the completion and further development of the school has since depended to some extent on wealthy benefactors
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Officers' Training Corps
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The Officers Training Corps, more fully called the University Officers Training Corps, are leadership training units similar to a university club but operated by the British Army. Their focus is to develop the abilities of their members whilst giving them an opportunity to take part in military life whilst at university. UOTC units are not deployable units and cannot be mobilised for active service, the majority of members of the UOTC do not go on to serve in the regular or reserve forces. The committee recommended that an Officers Training Corps be formed, the Corps was to be in two divisions, a junior division in public schools and a senior division in the universities. Oxford UOTC claims descent from the bodyguard to Charles I that students of the University of Oxford formed in 1642, but the immediate origin of the present body is the 1st Oxfordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps, formed in 1859 and established in response to the threat of war with France. From 1881, the OURVC served as one of volunteer battalions of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry. The OUOTC was then was one of 23 such bodies formed at universities in Great Britain following the establishment of the Officers Training Corps by Royal Warrant in 1908, thereafter, the Cambridge University Rifle Volunteers was formally raised in 1860. During British involvement in the Second Boer War in 1899 there was a focus on volunteering for the forces serving in South Africa. In response to this, more than one hundred members of CURV applied, however, due to age, qualifications, training and, critically, attached to the Suffolk Regiment, the CURV men reported for duty on 20 January 1900 in Bury St Edmunds. On 11 February, they sailed from Southampton on the SS Doune Castle, initially the Cambridge Volunteers worked as guards on the railway lines around Cape Town, but alongside the Suffolks they joined the siege of Pretoria on 4 June. Although the defending Boer guns sent down artillery fire, no casualties were taken and this marked the end of the conventional phase of the Boer War and the progression into a more guerrilla style warfare, and the Volunteers guarded the railways from the Boer commando attacks. When the Suffolk Regiment marched as part of General Mahons column to attack a Boer position in Barberton, with 600 Boers entrenched around the town, supported by artillery, the battle was over before the Volunteers had arrived. However, due to their prowess at shooting, they were detailed to harrying the retreating Boers with long-range rifle fire, after more guard duties, they disembarked from Cape Town in April 1901 and returned to Britain on 4 May. With a large welcome home awaiting them, including a service in Great St Mary’s Church, all the Volunteers were made Honorary Freemen of the Borough of Cambridge and on 21 December 1904, three years later, CURV was granted the battle honour South Africa 1900-01. In 1908, CURV was renamed Cambridge University Officers Training Corps and is one of only two Officers Training Corps to be awarded a battle honour, Tayforth is descended from a Militia formed from the time of Charles II and the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745. In 1859 a committee was formed in St Andrews to form a corps of both rifle and artillery. This was carried in a meeting on 5 December 1859 and was carried unanimously. Following the formation of Dundee University from University College Dundee, a part of the University of St Andrews in 1967, the OTC became St Andrews and Dundee University OTC
16.
Guard of honour
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An honor guard, or ceremonial guard, is a ceremonial unit, usually military in nature. A primary role for honor guards in the United States and some countries is to provide funeral honors for fallen comrades. An honor guard may also serve as the guardians of the colors by displaying and escorting the national flag on ceremonial occasions at official state functions, finally, honor guards usually provide detachments for review by visiting heads of state. Honor guards also serve in the world for fallen police officers. Persons serving in this capacity may or may not be designated, meaning they may not be assigned to serve each, in the USA, military honor guards may serve as ambassadors to the public, presenting a positive image of their service, and assisting with the recruiting effort. In member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, a guard mounted for ceremonial events is known as a guard of honour. Still serving as part of the Argentine Army, they are the presidential guard, two unmounted grenadiers are stationed in front of the Pink House as a symbol of the ceremonial and honor guard. The Brazilian armed forces and police have several troops for ceremonial usages, the most important of them is the Brazilian presidents honor guard. It is composed of the 1st Guards Cavalry Regiment – Independence Dragoons, the Presidential Guard Battalion, National Guards Unit includes military units for army salute ceremonials, a band and a wind orchestra. They marched as the first division in the parade of the 35th, 50th. They are often on parades led by a guard detail carrying the PLA flag. It is stationed at the Casa de Nariño in Bogota and carries the traditions of Simon Bolivars infantry guards company raised in the midst of the Spanish American wars of independence in 1815, in Croatia, the Honor Guard Battalion serves as the guard of honor. The Honor Guard Battalion performs protocol tasks for the needs of state and military officials, as well as tasks related to the protection. It consist of up to 300 members, the unit is under direct command of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia. The Republican Guard of the French Gendarmerie provides both foot and horse-mounted guards of honor, in addition, the Wachbataillon takes part in military events and ceremonies of major importance. In Greece, the Presidential Guard is a unit of the Greek Army having the privilege to guard the Monument of the Unknown Soldier. Its members, mostly known as Evzones must be taller than 1. 85m and are trained hard as their duty includes standing completely still for more than an hour 4 times a day. They are famous for their discipline, the ability to stand motionless without even blinking, their stylish walking
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George V
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George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. He was the son of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. From the time of his birth, he was third in the line of succession behind his father and his own brother, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence. From 1877 to 1891, George served in the Royal Navy, on the death of his grandmother in 1901, Georges father became King-Emperor of the British Empire, and George was created Prince of Wales. He succeeded his father in 1910 and he was the only Emperor of India to be present at his own Delhi Durbar. His reign saw the rise of socialism, communism, fascism, Irish republicanism, the Parliament Act 1911 established the supremacy of the elected British House of Commons over the unelected House of Lords. In 1917, George became the first monarch of the House of Windsor, in 1924 he appointed the first Labour ministry and in 1931 the Statute of Westminster recognised the dominions of the Empire as separate, independent states within the Commonwealth of Nations. He had health problems throughout much of his reign and at his death was succeeded by his eldest son. George was born on 3 June 1865, in Marlborough House and he was the second son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Albert Edward and Alexandra. His father was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and he was baptised at Windsor Castle on 7 July 1865 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Longley. As a younger son of the Prince of Wales, there was expectation that George would become king. He was third in line to the throne, after his father and elder brother, George was only 17 months younger than Albert Victor, and the two princes were educated together. John Neale Dalton was appointed as their tutor in 1871, neither Albert Victor nor George excelled intellectually. For three years from 1879, the brothers served on HMS Bacchante, accompanied by Dalton. They toured the colonies of the British Empire in the Caribbean, South Africa and Australia, and visited Norfolk, Virginia, as well as South America, the Mediterranean, Egypt, Dalton wrote an account of their journey entitled The Cruise of HMS Bacchante. Between Melbourne and Sydney, Dalton recorded a sighting of the Flying Dutchman, after Lausanne, the brothers were separated, Albert Victor attended Trinity College, Cambridge, while George continued in the Royal Navy. He travelled the world, visiting many areas of the British Empire, during his naval career he commanded Torpedo Boat 79 in home waters then HMS Thrush on the North America station, before his last active service in command of HMS Melampus in 1891–92. From then on, his rank was largely honorary
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St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
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St Georges Chapel is the place of worship at Windsor Castle in England, United Kingdom. It is both a royal peculiar and the chapel of the Order of the Garter, the chapel is governed by the Dean and Canons of Windsor. The chapel is located in the Lower Ward of the castle, the Society of the Friends of St Georges and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter, a registered charity, was established in 1931 to assist the College in maintaining the chapel. In 1348, King Edward III founded two new colleges, St Stephens at Westminster and St Georges at Windsor. The new college at Windsor was attached to the Chapel of St Edward the Confessor which had constructed by Henry III in the early thirteenth century. The chapel was rededicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, St Edward the Confessor. Edward III also built the Aerary Porch in 1353–1354 and it was used as the entrance to the new college. St Georges Chapel became the Mother Church of the Order of the Garter, and their heraldic banners hang above the upper stalls of the choir where they have a seat for life. The period 1475–1528 saw a redevelopment of St Georges Chapel, set in motion by Edward IV and continued by Henry VII. The Horseshoe Cloister was constructed for the new community of 45 junior members,16 vicars, St Georges Chapel was a popular destination for pilgrims during the late medieval period. The chapel was purported to contain several important relics, the bodies of John Schorne and Henry VI of England and these relics all appear to have been displayed at the east end of the south choir aisle. The Chapel suffered a great deal of destruction during the English Civil War, parliamentary forces broke into and plundered the chapel and treasury on 23 October 1642. Further pillaging occurred in 1643 when the chapter house was destroyed, lead was stripped off the chapel roofs. Following his execution in 1649, Charles I was buried in a vault in the centre of the choir at St Georges Chapel which also contained the coffins of Henry VIII. A programme of repair was undertaken at St Georges Chapel following the Restoration of the monarchy, the reign of Queen Victoria saw further changes made to the architecture of the chapel. On the roof of the chapel, standing on the pinnacles, the original beasts dated from the sixteenth century, but were removed in 1682 on the advice of Sir Christopher Wren, the present statues date from 1925, when the chapel was restored. Members of the meet at Windsor Castle every June for the annual Garter Service. After lunch in the State Apartments in the Upper Ward of the Castle they process on foot, wearing their robes and insignia, if any new members have been admitted to the Order they are installed at the service
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Bookmaker (gambling)
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A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization that, or a person who, takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. When a large bet comes in, a bookmaker may also try to lay off the risk by buying bets from other bookmakers. Bookmakers do not generally attempt to make money from the bets themselves but rather by acting as market makers and their working methods are similar to that of an actuary, who does a similar balancing of financial outcomes of events for the assurance and insurance industries. Depending on jurisdiction, bookmaking may be legal or illegal, and is often regulated, however, gambling debts were unenforceable under English law until the Gambling Act 2005. Many bookmakers are members of IBAS, an industry organisation used to settle disputes, bookmaking is generally illegal in the United States, with Nevada being a notable exception due to the influence of Las Vegas. In some countries, such as Singapore, Sweden, Canada, and Japan, in Canada, this is part of the lottery program and is known as Sport Select. Following the Gaming Act 1845, the only gambling allowed in the United Kingdom was at race tracks, the introduction of special excursion trains meant that all classes of society could attend the new racecourses opening across the country. Cash concentrated towards the bookmakers who employed bodyguards against protection gangs operating within the vast crowds, in 1961, Harold Macmillans Conservative government legalised betting shops, with tough measures enacted to ensure that bookmakers remained honest. A large industry has grown since, at one time, there were over 15,000 betting shops. Now, through consolidation, they have reduced to between 9,100 and 9,200 in 2013. The group of the largest bookmakers in the country, known as the Big Three, comprises William Hill, Ladbrokes, improved TV coverage and the modernisation of the law have allowed betting in shops and casinos in most countries. A so-called super-casino had been planned for construction in Manchester, although online gambling first started in 1994 when the licensing authority of Antigua and Barbuda passed the Free Trade & Processes Act, bookmakers did not get involved until 2001. They were forced to act when research at the time there were eight million online players worldwide. The main websites require bets to be from countries where Internet gambling is allowed, some small bookmakers and startups purchase software from specialized white label solution providers. Controversially, the explosion in Internet gambling is being linked to a rise in gambling addiction, according to the UKs help and advice organizations for addicts, GamCare and Gamblers Anonymous. These online exchange markets operate a market index of prices near but usually not at 100% competitiveness, true wholesale odds are odds that operate at 100% of probabilistic outcomes. Betting exchanges compete with the traditional bookmaker, however, traditionally, arbitrage has always been possible by backing all outcomes with bookmakers, as opposed to laying an outcome on an exchange. Exchanges, however, allow bookmakers to see the state of the market and set their odds accordingly, with the increasing number of online betting exchanges, betting exchanges are now providing free bet offers in an attempt to lure customers away from the competition
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Vivien Leigh
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Vivien Leigh was a British stage and film actress. She also won a Tony Award for her work in the Broadway musical version of Tovarich, after her drama school education, Leigh appeared in small roles in four films in 1935 and progressed to the role of heroine in Fire Over England. Lauded for her beauty, Leigh felt that her physical attributes sometimes prevented her from being seriously as an actress. Despite her fame as an actress, Leigh was primarily a stage performer. Later in life, she performed as an actress in a few films. At the time, the public strongly identified Leigh with her second husband Laurence Olivier, Leigh and Olivier starred together in many stage productions, with Olivier often directing, and in three films. Although her career had periods of inactivity, in 1999 the American Film Institute ranked Leigh as the 16th greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema. Leigh was born Vivian Mary Hartley on 5 November 1913 in British India on the campus of St. Pauls School and she was the only child of Ernest Richard Hartley, an English broker, and his wife, Gertrude Mary Frances. Her father was born in Scotland in 1882, while her mother, Ernest and Gertrude Hartley were married in 1912 in Kensington, London. In 1917, Ernest Hartley was transferred to Bangalore as an officer in the Indian Cavalry, while Gertrude, at the age of three, young Vivian made her first stage appearance for her mothers amateur theatre group, reciting Little Bo Peep. At the age of six, Vivian was sent by her mother to the Convent of the Sacred Heart then situated in Roehampton, southwest London, from Loreto Convent, Darjeeling. One of her friends there was future actress Maureen OSullivan, two years her senior, to whom Vivian expressed her desire to become a great actress, the family returned to Britain in 1931. She attended A Connecticut Yankee, one of OSullivans films playing in Londons West End, shortly after, her father enrolled Vivian at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Vivian met Herbert Leigh Holman, known as Leigh Holman, a barrister 13 years her senior, on 12 October 1933 in London, she gave birth to a daughter, Suzanne, later Mrs. Robin Farrington. Leighs friends suggested she take a role as a schoolgirl in the film Things Are Looking Up. She engaged an agent, John Gliddon, who believed that Vivian Holman was not a name for an actress. After rejecting his many suggestions, she took Vivian Leigh as her professional name, Gliddon recommended her to Alexander Korda as a possible film actress, but Korda rejected her as lacking potential. She was cast in the play The Mask of Virtue, directed by Sidney Carroll in 1935 and received excellent reviews, followed by interviews, John Betjeman, the future Poet Laureate, described her as the essence of English girlhood
21.
Sub-lieutenant
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Sub-lieutenant is a junior military officer rank. In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a commissioned or subordinate officer. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army, in some armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, the NATO rank code for the British Royal Navy rank is OF-1. In the British Royal Navy, a passed midshipman awaiting promotion often elected to become a masters mate, normally an experienced petty officer who assisted the sailing master. Though formally the rating did not lead to promotion to lieutenant, a midshipman who became a masters mate got an increase in pay from £1 13s 6d to £3 16s per month, but initially reduced his chances at a commission. Over time, however, service as a masters mate became a part of the path to a commission. By the first years of the 19th century, the masters was dropped for passed midshipmen. In 1824 two further grades were introduced, consisting of masters assistants and second-class volunteers. These corresponded to midshipmen and first-class volunteers respectively in the executive line, from this point, passed midshipmen had the rating masters mate, abbreviated as mate, and prospective masters had the rating masters assistant. These changes helped eliminate the confusion caused by the mingling of midshipmen in the navigators branch, in 1838 a Royal Commission, presided over by the Duke of Wellington, recommended the institution of the rank of mate as an official step between midshipman and lieutenant. In 1861 mate was abolished in favour of sub-lieutenant, in 1955, the Royal Navy created the rank of acting sub-lieutenant. Unlike their substantive counterparts, acting sub-lieutenants are subordinate officers, as they hold their ranks by order, upon passing Fleet Board, acting sub-lieutenants were confirmed as sub-lieutenants and issued commissions backdated to the date when they were appointed acting sub-lieutenants. The rank of Acting Sub-lieutenant remains in the Royal Navy only within the University Royal Naval Unit where Training Officers enter at this rank. Before its abolition, the rank of acting sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy corresponded with, but was junior to and this can be seen in print versions of STANAG2116 edition 5. Indeed, when someone is addressed as Acting sub-lieutenant, it can be seen as a way of patronising an individual in a derogatory manner due to the emphasis of their acting rank, the Royal New Zealand Navy follows the US precedent in titling its lowest commissioned officer ensign. In the Royal Thai Army, Army Reserve Force Students who complete grade 5, in the modern Royal Navy, all officer cadets now commission as midshipmen, regardless of whether they are a graduate, upper yardsmen, or a school leaver. They are subsequently promoted to sub-lieutenant one year after entering Britannia Royal Naval College, in France, a sub-lieutenant is the junior commissioned officer in the army or the air force
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Motor Torpedo Boat
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Motor Torpedo Boat was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy. The motor in the designation, referring to the use of petrol engines, was to distinguish them from the majority of other naval craft that used steam turbines or reciprocating steam engines. The capitalised term is used for the Royal Navy boats. During the Second World War, the US Navy boats were called by their hull classification symbol of PT. German motor torpedo boats of the Second World War were called S-boote by the Kriegsmarine, Italian MTBs of this period were known as Motoscafo Armato Silurante. French MTBs were known as vedettes lance torpilles, soviet MTBs were known as торпедные катеры. After the end of the War in 1945, a number of the Royal Navys MTBs were stripped and the empty hulls sold for use as houseboats. MTBs were designed for speed, operating at night, low speed ambush and manoeuvrability on the water. With no significant armour, the boats relied upon surprise and their agility at high speed to avoid being hit by gunfire from bigger ships, the British and Italian navies started developing such vessels in the early 20th century, shortly before the beginning of the First World War. Italian MAS boats were small, at 20-30 tons displacement. MAS15 was the motor torpedo boat in history to sink a battleship. British torpedo boats of the First World War were small at only around 15 tons and were known as Coastal Motor Boats, in the Second World War, British MTBs were operated by Coastal Forces. A similar size boat with a different role in the Second World War was the BPB63 ft High Speed Launch used by the RAF, the last MTBs in the Royal Navy were the two Brave-class fast patrol boats of 1958 which were capable of 50 knots. Many boats were built with a MTB designation but varied substantially, a 55 footer capable of 40 knots was shown in 1930. The Vosper private boat was designed by Commander Peter Du Cane CBE and she was completed and launched in 1937. She was bought by the Admiralty and taken into service with the Royal Navy as MTB102. Length,68 ft Beam,19 ft 9 in Draft,3 ft 9 in, armament, Two 21 in torpedo tubes MTB102 was the fastest wartime British naval vessel in service. She was at Dunkirk for the evacuation and carried Winston Churchill and they were based on the British Power Boat rescue craft and were originally designed for the Royal Air Force but reduced to 60 ft in length
23.
English Channel
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The English Channel, also called simply the Channel, is the body of water that separates southern England from northern France, and links the southern part of the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. It is about 560 km long and varies in width from 240 km at its widest to 33.3 km in the Strait of Dover and it is the smallest of the shallow seas around the continental shelf of Europe, covering an area of some 75,000 km2. The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the English Channel as follows, a line joining Isle Vierge to Lands End. The southwestern limit of the North Sea, the IHO defines the southwestern limit of the North Sea as a line joining the Walde Lighthouse and Leathercoat Point. The Walde Lighthouse is 6 km east of Calais, and Leathercoat Point is at the end of St Margarets Bay. The Strait of Dover, at the Channels eastern end, is its narrowest point and it is relatively shallow, with an average depth of about 120 m at its widest part, reducing to a depth of about 45 m between Dover and Calais. Eastwards from there the adjoining North Sea reduces to about 26 m in the Broad Fourteens where it lies over the watershed of the land bridge between East Anglia and the Low Countries. It reaches a depth of 180 m in the submerged valley of Hurds Deep,48 km west-northwest of Guernsey. The eastern region along the French coast between Cherbourg and the mouth of the Seine river at Le Havre is frequently referred to as the Bay of the Seine. There are several islands in the Channel, the most notable being the Isle of Wight off the English coast. The coastline, particularly on the French shore, is indented, several small islands close to the coastline, including Chausey. The Cotentin Peninsula in France juts out into the Channel, whilst on the English side there is a parallel channel known as the Solent between the Isle of Wight and the mainland. The Celtic Sea is to the west of the Channel, the time difference of about six hours between high water at the eastern and western limits of the Channel is indicative of the tidal range being amplified further by resonance. It was never defined as a border and the names were more or less descriptive. It was not considered as the property of a nation, strangely, before the development of the modern nations, British scholars very often referred to it as Gaulish and the French one as British or English. The name English Channel has been used since the early 18th century. In modern Dutch, however, it is known as Het Kanaal, later, it has also been known as the British Channel or the British Sea having been called the Oceanus Britannicus by the 2nd-century geographer Ptolemy. The same name is used on an Italian map of about 1450, the Anglo-Saxon texts often call it Sūð-sǣ as opposed to Norð-sǣ
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North Sea
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The North Sea is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean located between Great Britain, Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the ocean through the English Channel in the south and it is more than 970 kilometres long and 580 kilometres wide, with an area of around 570,000 square kilometres. The North Sea has long been the site of important European shipping lanes as well as a major fishery, the North Sea was the centre of the Vikings rise. Subsequently, the Hanseatic League, the Netherlands, and the British each sought to dominate the North Sea and thus the access to the markets, as Germanys only outlet to the ocean, the North Sea continued to be strategically important through both World Wars. The coast of the North Sea presents a diversity of geological and geographical features, in the north, deep fjords and sheer cliffs mark the Norwegian and Scottish coastlines, whereas in the south it consists primarily of sandy beaches and wide mudflats. Due to the population, heavy industrialization, and intense use of the sea and area surrounding it. In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean, in the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively. In the north it is bordered by the Shetland Islands, and connects with the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea is more than 970 kilometres long and 580 kilometres wide, with an area of 570,000 square kilometres and a volume of 54,000 cubic kilometres. Around the edges of the North Sea are sizeable islands and archipelagos, including Shetland, Orkney, the North Sea receives freshwater from a number of European continental watersheds, as well as the British Isles. A large part of the European drainage basin empties into the North Sea including water from the Baltic Sea, the largest and most important rivers flowing into the North Sea are the Elbe and the Rhine – Meuse watershed. Around 185 million people live in the catchment area of the rivers discharging into the North Sea encompassing some highly industrialized areas, for the most part, the sea lies on the European continental shelf with a mean depth of 90 metres. The only exception is the Norwegian trench, which extends parallel to the Norwegian shoreline from Oslo to a north of Bergen. It is between 20 and 30 kilometres wide and has a depth of 725 metres. The Dogger Bank, a vast moraine, or accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris and this feature has produced the finest fishing location of the North Sea. The Long Forties and the Broad Fourteens are large areas with uniform depth in fathoms. These great banks and others make the North Sea particularly hazardous to navigate, the Devils Hole lies 200 miles east of Dundee, Scotland. The feature is a series of trenches between 20 and 30 kilometres long,1 and 2 kilometres wide and up to 230 metres deep. Other areas which are less deep are Cleaver Bank, Fisher Bank, the International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the North Sea as follows, On the Southwest
25.
Normandy landings
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The Normandy landings were the landing operations on Tuesday,6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the liberation of German-occupied northwestern Europe from Nazi control, planning for the operation began in 1943. Adolf Hitler placed German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in command of German forces, the amphibious landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and an airborne assault—the landing of 24,000 American, British, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight. Allied infantry and armoured divisions began landing on the coast of France at 06,30, the target 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast was divided into five sectors, Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Strong winds blew the landing craft east of their positions, particularly at Utah. Casualties were heaviest at Omaha, with its high cliffs, at Gold, Juno, and Sword, several fortified towns were cleared in house-to-house fighting, and two major gun emplacements at Gold were disabled, using specialised tanks. The Allies failed to any of their goals on the first day. Carentan, St. Lô, and Bayeux remained in German hands, and Caen, German casualties on D-Day have been estimated at 4,000 to 9,000 men. Allied casualties were at least 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead, museums, memorials, and war cemeteries in the area now host many visitors each year. Between 27 May and 4 June 1940, over 338,000 troops of the British Expeditionary Force, after the German Army invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin began pressing his allies for the creation of a second front in western Europe. In late May 1942 the Soviet Union and the United States made a joint announcement that a. full understanding was reached with regard to the urgent tasks of creating a front in Europe in 1942. Instead of a return to France, the Western Allies staged offensives in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations. By mid-1943 the campaign in North Africa had been won, the Allies then launched the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, and subsequently invaded Italy in September the same year. By then, Soviet forces were on the offensive and had won a victory at the Battle of Stalingrad. The decision to undertake a cross-channel invasion within the year was taken at the Trident Conference in Washington in May 1943. Initial planning was constrained by the number of landing craft, most of which were already committed in the Mediterranean. At the Tehran Conference in November 1943, Roosevelt and Churchill promised Stalin that they would open the second front in May 1944. Four sites were considered for the landings, Brittany, the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy, as Brittany and Cotentin are peninsulas, it would have been possible for the Germans to cut off the Allied advance at a relatively narrow isthmus, so these sites were rejected
26.
Distinguished Service Medal (United Kingdom)
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The medal was established on 14 October 1914. Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal are entitled to use the post-nominal letters DSM, in 1993, the DSM was discontinued, and since then the Distinguished Service Cross has been available for award to personnel of all ranks. A circular silver medal, 36mm in diameter, the obverse bears the crowned effigy of the reigning monarch. The reverse has the inscription FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE in three lines, within a wreath surmounted by an Imperial crown. The suspender is plain and straight, the ribbon is 1.25 inches wide and consists of three equal stripes, dark blue, white, and dark blue, with a thin dark blue stripe down the centre of the white. Bars were authorised for subsequent awards, bars issued during the First World War were dated on the reverse, while those awarded during the Second World War were undated. British and Commonwealth orders and decorations Australian Honours Order of Precedence
27.
Pygmalion (1938 film)
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Pygmalion is a 1938 British film based on the George Bernard Shaw play of the same name, and adapted by him for the screen. It stars Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller, the film was a financial and critical success, and won an Oscar for Best Screenplay and three more nominations. The screenplay was adapted into the 1956 theatrical musical My Fair Lady. The Hungarian producer Gabriel Pascal wished to create a set of films based on Shaws works, beginning with Pygmalion, the resulting Pygmalion scenario by Cecil Lewis and W. P. Lipscomb removed exposition unnecessary outside a theatrical context and added new scenes and dialogue by Shaw himself. Ian Dalrymple, Anatole de Grunwald and Kay Walsh also made uncredited contributions to the screenplay, a long ballroom sequence was added, introducing an entirely new character, Count Aristid Karpathy, written wholly by Shaw himself. Against Shaws wishes, an ending was added, with Eliza fleeing Higgins with Freddy. Shaw and his fellow writers did, however, retain the controversial line Not bloody likely, from the playtext, making Hiller the first person to utter that swear word in a British film and giving rise to adverts for the film reading Miss Pygmalion. Shaws choice for Higgins had been Charles Laughton, the movie also includes the very first film appearance of Anthony Quayle, as an Italian wigmaker. Cathleen Nesbitt, credited here as Kathleen Nesbitt in the role of A Lady, the films crew included David Lean, set designer Laurence Irving and the camera operator Jack Hildyard. The film also received nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor, Shaws reaction to his award was, Its an insult for them to offer me any honour, as if they had never heard of me before – and its very likely they never have. They might as well send some honour to George for being King of England, however, his friend Mary Pickford later reported seeing the award on display in his home. At the 1938 Venice Film Festival, Leslie Howard won the Volpi Cup, the Great British Films, pp. org Criterion Collection essay by David Ehrenstein
28.
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
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It stars Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook. The title derives from the satirical Colonel Blimp comic strip by David Low, the film is renowned for its Technicolor cinematography. Major-General Clive Wynne-Candy is a commander in the Home Guard during the Second World War. Before a training exercise, he is captured in a Turkish bath by soldiers led by Lieutenant Spud Wilson and he ignores Candys outraged protests that War starts at midnight. They scuffle and fall into a bathing pool, Boer War In 1902, Lieutenant Candy is on leave from the Boer War. He has received a letter from Edith Hunter, who is working in Berlin and she complains that a German named Kaunitz is spreading anti-British propaganda, and she wants the British embassy to do something about it. When Candy brings this to his superiors attention, they refuse him permission to intervene, in Berlin, Candy and Edith go to a café, where he confronts Kaunitz. Provoked, Candy inadvertently insults the Imperial German Army officer corps, the Germans insist he fight a duel with an officer chosen by lot, Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff. Candy and Theo become friends while recuperating from their wounds in the nursing home. Edith visits them regularly and, although it is implied that she has feelings for Clive, she becomes engaged to Theo. Candy is delighted, but soon realises to his consternation that he loves her himself, First World War Candy, now a brigadier general, believes that the Allies won the First World War because right is might. While in France, he meets nurse Barbara Wynne and she bears a striking resemblance to Edith. Back in England, he courts and marries her despite their age difference. Candy tracks Theo down at a prisoner of war camp in England, Candy greets him as if nothing has changed, but Theo snubs him. Later, about to be repatriated to Germany, Theo apologises and he remains sceptical that his country will be treated fairly. Barbara dies between the wars, and Candy retires in 1935. Second World War In 1939, Theo relates to an immigration official how he was estranged from his children when they became Nazis, before the war, he had refused to move to England when Edith wanted to, by the time he was ready, she had died. Candy reveals to Theo that he loved Edith and only realised it after it was too late and he admits that he never got over it
29.
Laurence Olivier
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Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, was an English actor who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles, late in his career, he had considerable success in television roles. His family had no connections, but Oliviers father, a clergyman. After attending a school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s. In 1930 he had his first important West End success in Noël Cowards Private Lives, in 1935 he played in a celebrated production of Romeo and Juliet alongside Gielgud and Peggy Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an established star. In the 1940s, together with Richardson and John Burrell, Olivier was the co-director of the Old Vic, there his most celebrated roles included Shakespeares Richard III and Sophocless Oedipus. From 1963 to 1973 he was the director of Britains National Theatre. His own parts there included the role in Othello and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Among Oliviers films are Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, and a trilogy of Shakespeare films as actor-director, Henry V, Hamlet and his later films included Sleuth, Marathon Man, and The Boys from Brazil. His television appearances included an adaptation of The Moon and Sixpence, Long Days Journey into Night, Love Among the Ruins, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Brideshead Revisited, Oliviers honours included a knighthood, a life peerage and the Order of Merit. For his on-screen work he received four Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. The National Theatres largest auditorium is named in his honour, and he is commemorated in the Laurence Olivier Awards, given annually by the Society of London Theatre. He was married three times, to the actresses Jill Esmond from 1930 to 1940, Vivien Leigh from 1940 to 1960, Olivier was born in Dorking, Surrey, the youngest of the three children of the Revd Gerard Kerr Olivier and his wife Agnes Louise, née Crookenden. Their elder children were Sybille and Gerard Dacres Dickie and his great-great-grandfather was of French Huguenot descent, and Olivier came from a long line of Protestant clergymen. Gerard Olivier had begun a career as a schoolmaster, but in his thirties he discovered a strong religious vocation and was ordained as a priest of the Church of England and he practised extremely high church, ritualist Anglicanism and liked to be addressed as Father Olivier. This made him unacceptable to most Anglican congregations, and the church posts he was offered were temporary. This meant a nomadic existence, and for Laurences first few years, in 1912, when Olivier was five, his father secured a permanent appointment as assistant priest at St Saviours, Pimlico. He held the post for six years, and a family life was at last possible
30.
Hamlet (1948 film)
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Hamlet is a 1948 British film adaptation of William Shakespeares play Hamlet, adapted and directed by and starring Sir Laurence Olivier. Hamlet was Oliviers second film as director, and also the second of the three Shakespeare films that he directed, Hamlet was the first British film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It is also the first sound film of the play in English, a 1935 sound film adaptation, Khoon Ka Khoon, had been made in India and filmed in the Urdu language. Oliviers Hamlet is the Shakespeare film that has received the most prestigious accolades, winning the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor and the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. However, it proved controversial among Shakespearean purists, who felt that Olivier had made too many alterations and excisions to the play by cutting nearly two hours worth of content. Milton Shulman wrote in The Evening Standard To some it will be one of the greatest films ever made, Laurence Olivier leaves no doubt that he is one of our greatest living actors. his liberties with the text, however, are sure to disturb many. The film follows the story of the play, but cuts nearly half the dialogue. Marcellus then arrives with the sceptical Horatio, Prince Hamlets friend, suddenly, all three see the Ghost, and Horatio demands that the ghost speak. The ghost vanishes then, without a word, Prince Hamlet sits alone, refusing to join in the celebration, despite the protests of the new King. When the court has left the Great Hall, Hamlet fumes over the hasty marriage, muttering to himself the words and yet, soon, Horatio and the sentries enter telling Hamlet of the ghostly apparition of his father. Hamlet proceeds to investigate, and upon arriving on the battlements, noting that the ghost beckons him forward, Hamlet follows it up onto a tower, wherein it reveals its identity as the Ghost of Hamlets father. He tells Hamlet that he was murdered, who did it, the audience then sees the murder re-enacted in a flashback as the ghost describes the deed – Claudius is seen pouring poison into the late King Hamlets ear, thereby killing him. Hamlet does not at first accept this as the truth, and then prepares to feign madness, so as to test Claudius conscience and this feigned insanity attracts the attention of Polonius who is completely convinced that Hamlet has gone mad. Polonius pushes this point with the King, claiming that it is derived from Hamlets love for Ophelia, Claudius, however, is not fully convinced, and has Polonius set up a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia. Hamlets madness is constant even in exchange, and Claudius is convinced. Hamlet then hires a group of wandering stage performers, requesting that they enact the play The Murder of Gonzago for the king, however, Hamlet makes a few alterations to the play, so as to make it mirror the circumstances of the late Kings murder. Claudius, unable to endure the play, calls out for light, Hamlet is now convinced of Claudius treachery. He finds Claudius alone, and has ample opportunity to kill the villain, however, at this time, Claudius is praying, and Hamlet does not seek to send him to heaven, so, he waits, and bides his time
31.
Scrooge (1951 film)
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Scrooge is a 1951 British fantasy drama film and an adaptation of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol. It stars Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge, and was produced and directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and it was released as A Christmas Carol in the United States. The film also features Kathleen Harrison in a turn as Mrs. Dilber. Michael Hordern plays Marleys ghost, as well as old Marley, peter Bull serves as narrator, by reading portions of Dickens words at the beginning and end of the film, he also appears on-screen as one of the businessmen cynically discussing Scrooges funeral. Ebenezer Scrooge is seen leaving the London Exchange on his way to his house on Christmas Eve,1843. Scrooge tells two other men of business that he has no intention of celebrating Christmas, which he considers to be a humbug and he refuses leniency to a debtor who owes Scrooge money. Scrooges nephew, Fred, invites Scrooge to dinner the next day, Scrooge reluctantly gives his poor clerk Bob Cratchit the day off with pay, but expects him back all the earlier the day after. After Scrooge dines alone in a restaurant, he goes home for the night. Scrooge sees the door-knocker turn into the face of his seven-years-dead partner, Scrooges supper of gruel is interrupted by the ringing of bells before Marley appears as a ghost. Scrooge believes he is hallucinating until Marley howls in anguish and frustration, Marley warns Scrooge that he must repent or suffer Marleys unbearable fate, condemned to walk the earth forever, bound in the chains he forged in life by his greedy ways. He warns Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits, the first will arrive when the bell tolls one, Marley leaves to join other ghosts suffering the same torment. Frightened by the sight of the damned, Scrooge takes refuge in his bed, at one in the morning, the Spirit of Christmas Past arrives to show Scrooge scenes from his past. A young Scrooge is alone at school, unwanted by his ever since his mother died in childbirth. His sister Fan arrives to take him home, claiming their father has changed, next, the Spirit shows Scrooge the annual Christmas party thrown by his fondly remembered employer, old Fezziwig. Scrooge shows his first signs of change as he realizes Fezziwig did not have to spend money to bring happiness to his staff. Scrooge then witnesses his proposal to his girlfriend, Alice and he is reminded that the lure of money from the sarcastic Mr. Jorkin seduced him to abandon his loyalty to Fezziwig and to regard the world as a hard and cruel place. Scrooge relives the death of Fan, as she lay dying, he walked away and refused to look after her son. The older Scrooge is overcome, and begs for her forgiveness, in partnership with Jorkin, young Scrooge befriends a young Jacob Marley
32.
Gene Kelly
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Eugene Curran Gene Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director, producer and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style, his looks. Best known today for his performances in such as An American in Paris, Anchors Aweigh. He starred in musical films throughout the 1940s, including For Me and My Gal, Du Barry Was a Lady, Thousands Cheer, The Three Musketeers. In his later career, he starred in two films outside the genre, Inherit the Wind and What a Way to Go. Throughout his career, he directed films, most notably the 1969 film Hello. His many innovations transformed the Hollywood musical and he is credited with almost single-handedly making the ballet form commercially acceptable to film audiences, Kelly received an Academy Honorary Award in 1952 for his career achievements. He later received lifetime achievement awards in the Kennedy Center Honors, in 1999, the American Film Institute also numbered him 15th in their Greatest Male Stars of Classic Hollywood cinema list. Kelly was born in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh and he was the third son of James Patrick Joseph Kelly, a phonograph salesman, and his wife Harriet Catherine Curran. His father was born in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, to an Irish-Canadian family and his maternal grandfather was an immigrant from Derry, Ireland, and his maternal grandmother was of German ancestry. When he was eight, Kellys mother enrolled him and his brother James in dance classes and they both rebelled, as recalled by Kelly, We didnt like it much and were continually involved in fistfights with the neighborhood boys who called us sissies. I didnt dance again until I was fifteen, at one time his childhood dream was to play shortstop for the hometown Pittsburgh Pirates. By the time he decided to dance, he was an accomplished sportsman and he attended St. Raphael Elementary School in the Morningside neighborhood of Pittsburgh and graduated from Peabody High School at age sixteen. He entered Pennsylvania State College as a major, but the 1929 crash forced him to work to help his family. He created dance routines with his younger brother Fred to earn money in local talent contests. They also performed in local nightclubs, in 1931, Kelly enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh to study economics, joining the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity. He became involved in the universitys Cap and Gown Club, which staged original musical productions, after graduating in 1933, he continued to be active with the Cap and Gown Club, serving as the director from 1934 to 1938. Kelly was admitted to the University of Pittsburgh Law School and his family opened a dance studio in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh
33.
Les Girls
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Les Girls, also known as Cole Porters Les Girls, is a 1957 musical comedy film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It stars Gene Kelly, Kay Kendall, Mitzi Gaynor and Taina Elg with Jacques Bergerac, Leslie Phillips, Henry Daniell, after writing a tell-all book about her days in the dance troupe Barry Nichols and Les Girls, Sybil Wren is sued for libeling her fellow dancer Angele. Finally, Barry gives his side of the story, outward Philip Tonge - Associate Judge Barrie Chase - Dancer The story by Vera Caspary was inspired by an article which appeared in The Atlantic — a reminiscence of a dancers touring years. Miss Casparys version turned the memoir into a point of dispute, Les Girls was the last film score by Cole Porter and the next-to-last score of his career. The films original female leads were to have played by Leslie Caron, Cyd Charisse, Jean Simmons. Les Girls won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Orry-Kelly and was nominated for two awards, Best Art Direction and Best Sound. The film won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy and for Best Actress, Kay Kendall and Taina Elg together. According to MGM records the film made $2,415,000 in the US and Canada and $1,450,000 elsewhere, but because of its high production cost lost $1,635,000. Les Girls was a vehicle for choreographer Jack Cole. List of American films of 1957 Les Girls at the Internet Movie Database Les Girls at AllMovie
34.
Old Bailey
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The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street on which it stands, is a court in London and one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court. The Old Bailey has been housed in several structures near this location since the 16th century, the Crown Court sitting at the Central Criminal Court deals with major criminal cases from within Greater London and in exceptional cases, from other parts of England and Wales. Trials at the Old Bailey, as at other courts, are open to the public, however, the court originated as the sessions house of the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of the City of London and of Middlesex. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and rebuilt in 1674, with the court open to the weather to prevent the spread of disease. In 1734 it was refronted, enclosing the court and reducing the influence of spectators and it was rebuilt again in 1774 and a second courtroom was added in 1824. Over 100,000 criminal trials were carried out at the Old Bailey between 1674 and 1834, in 1834, it was renamed as the Central Criminal Court and its jurisdiction extended beyond that of London and Middlesex to the whole of the English jurisdiction for trials of major cases. The court was intended as the site where only criminals accused of crimes committed in the City. However, in 1856, there was public revulsion at the accusations against the doctor William Palmer that he was a poisoner and murderer and this led to fears that he could not receive a fair trial in his native Staffordshire. The Central Criminal Court Act 1856 was passed to enable his trial to be held at the Old Bailey, in the 19th century, the Old Bailey was a small court adjacent to Newgate gaol. Hangings were a spectacle in the street outside until May 1868. The condemned would be led along Dead Mans Walk between the prison and the court, and many were buried in the walk itself, large, riotous crowds would gather and pelt the condemned with rotten fruit and vegetables and stones. In 1807,28 people were crushed to death after a pie-sellers stall overturned, the present Old Bailey building dates from 1902 but it was officially opened on 27 February 1907. It was designed by E. W. Mountford and built on the site of the infamous Newgate gaol, above the main entrance is inscribed the admonition, Defend the Children of the Poor & Punish the Wrongdoer. King Edward VII opened the courthouse, on the dome above the court stands a bronze statue of Lady Justice, executed by the British sculptor F. W. Pomeroy. She holds a sword in her hand and the scales of justice in her left. During the Blitz of World War II, the Old Bailey was bombed and severely damaged, in 1952, the restored interior of the Grand Hall of the Central Criminal Court was once again open. The interior of the Great Hall is decorated with paintings commemorating the Blitz, running around the entire hall are a series of axioms, some of biblical reference. This part of the building houses the shorthand-writers offices
35.
The Battle of the River Plate (film)
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The Battle of the River Plate is a 1956 Technicolor British war film in VistaVision by the writer-director-producer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. The film stars John Gregson, Anthony Quayle and Peter Finch and was distributed worldwide by Rank Film Distributors Ltd. The films storyline concerns the Battle of the River Plate, an early World War II naval battle in 1939 between a Royal Navy force of three cruisers and the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee. In the early months of the Second World War, Nazi Germanys Kriegsmarine sends out merchant raiders to attack Allied shipping, the Royal Navy responds with hunting groups whose mission is to stop them. Despite this, they go straight to the attack, the British are led by Commodore Harwood, with Captain Woodhouse commanding flagship Ajax, Captain Bell Exeter and Captain Parry Achilles. However, Graf Spee sustains damage herself, and takes refuge in the port of Montevideo. According to international law, the ship may remain at neutral harbour only long enough to make repairs for seaworthiness and this is a bluff intended to make the Germans believe that more British warships are on the way, when none are. Taken in by this ruse, Langsdorff takes his ship out with a crew aboard. Anthony Newley and Donald Moffat have small parts as a radio operator, Moffat was making his film debut, as was Jack Gwillim. The Battle of the River Plate had its genesis in an invitation to Michael Powell and they decided they couldnt afford to take the time from their schedules unless it was a working holiday, and used the trip to research the defeat of the Admiral Graf Spee. Principal photography began on 13 December 1955, the anniversary of the battle. The HMS Ajax and River Plate Association reportedly sent a message to the producers, location shooting for the arrival and departure of the Graf Spee took place at the port of Montevideo, using thousands of locals as extras. The Battle of the River Plate was shot in VistaVision, a wide screen orthographic process using a horizontal film feed, two songs written by composer Brian Easdale were used in the film, Dolores Song and Rio de la Plata. Both were acted by April Olrich as Dolores, with singing voice dubbed by Muriel Smith, pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee played by heavy cruiser USS Salem The supply ship Altmark played by the fleet oiler RFA Olna. HMS Ajax flagship, played by HMS Sheffield HMS Exeter played by HMS Jamaica HMNZS Achilles played by herself HMS Cumberland played by herself when she joins the British squadron after the battle. German freighter Tacoma, which took the crew off Graf Spee before scuttling, gunboat Uruguay, boarding the Tacoma, was played by a British Ton-class minesweeper. Destroyers HMS Battleaxe and USS William R. Rush were used as camera ships, most of the action of the battle and prior to it takes place on real ships at sea. In an early scene, it is claimed that the Graf Spee is being disguised by the ships carpenters – using features such as a false funnel – as an American cruiser, a trick typical of commerce raiders
36.
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
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The Twilight Zone is an American science-fiction, fantasy, psychological-supernatural horror anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. Each story typically features a moral and a surprise ending, the series is notable for featuring both established stars and younger actors who would become more famous later on. Serling served as producer and head writer, he wrote or co-wrote 92 of the shows 156 episodes. He was also the shows host and narrator, delivering monologues at the beginning, Serlings opening and closing narrations usually summarize the episodes events encapsulating how and why the main character had entered the Twilight Zone. In 2016, it was ranked No.8 on Rolling Stones list of the 100 greatest shows of all time, in 2002, The Twilight Zone was ranked No.26 on TV Guides 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked it as the third best-written TV series ever, by the late 1950s, Rod Serling was a regular name in television. His successful teleplays included Patterns and Requiem for a Heavyweight, but constant changes and edits made by the networks, in Requiem for a Heavyweight, the line Got a match. But according to comments in his 1957 anthology Patterns, Serling had been trying to delve into more controversial than his works of the early 1950s. Despite bad reviews, activists sent numerous letters and wires protesting the production, the script, however, was rejected and shelved for a year until Bert Granet discovered and produced it as an episode of Desilu Playhouse in 1958. The show was a success and enabled Serling to finally begin production on his anthology series. There is a dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity and it is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of mans fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination and it is an area which we call The Twilight Zone. The Twilight Zone premiered the night of October 2,1959 and its the one series that I will let interfere with other plans, said Terry Turner for the Chicago Daily News. Even as the show proved popular to televisions critics, it struggled to find an audience of television viewers. CBS was banking on a rating of at least 21 or 22, the series future was jeopardized when its third episode, Mr. Denton on Doomsday earned a 16.3 rating. With one exception, the first season featured scripts written only by Rod Serling and these three were responsible for 127 of the 156 episodes in the series. Additionally, with one exception, Serling never appeared on camera during any first-season episode, Serling did appear on screen in Twilight Zone promotional spots plugging the following weeks episode – just not in the episodes themselves
37.
Winston Churchill
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Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill KG OM CH TD PC DL FRS RA was a British statesman who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his overall, in 1963, he was the first of only eight people to be made an honorary citizen of the United States. Churchill was born into the family of the Dukes of Marlborough and his father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was a charismatic politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer, his mother, Jennie Jerome, was an American socialite. As a young officer, he saw action in British India, the Anglo–Sudan War. He gained fame as a war correspondent and wrote books about his campaigns, at the forefront of politics for fifty years, he held many political and cabinet positions. Before the First World War, he served as President of the Board of Trade, Home Secretary, during the war, he continued as First Lord of the Admiralty until the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign caused his departure from government. He then briefly resumed active service on the Western Front as commander of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. He returned to government under Lloyd George as Minister of Munitions, Secretary of State for War, Secretary of State for Air, at the outbreak of the Second World War, he was again appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. Following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain on 10 May 1940, Churchill became Prime Minister and he led Britain as Prime Minister until victory over Nazi Germany had been secured. After the Conservative Party suffered a defeat in the 1945 general election. He publicly warned of an Iron Curtain of Soviet influence in Europe, after winning the 1951 election, Churchill again became Prime Minister. His second term was preoccupied by foreign affairs, including the Malayan Emergency, Mau Mau Uprising, Korean War, domestically his government laid great emphasis on house-building. Churchill suffered a stroke in 1953 and retired as Prime Minister in 1955. Upon his death aged ninety in 1965, Elizabeth II granted him the honour of a state funeral and his highly complex legacy continues to stimulate intense debate amongst writers and historians. Born into the family of the Dukes of Marlborough, a branch of the noble Spencer family, Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, like his father. His ancestor George Spencer had changed his surname to Spencer-Churchill in 1817 when he became Duke of Marlborough, to highlight his descent from John Churchill, Churchill was born on 30 November 1874, two months prematurely, in a bedroom in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire. From age two to six, he lived in Dublin, where his grandfather had been appointed Viceroy, Churchills brother, John Strange Spencer-Churchill, was born during this time in Ireland
38.
Ian Hendry
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Ian Mackendrick Hendry was an English film, television and stage actor. Hendry was born in Ipswich, Suffolk on 13 January 1931 and his father, James Hendry, was born in 1901 in Glasgow. James Hendry earned a degree in Chemistry from Glasgow University before moving to Ipswich in 1924 to take up a position with R & W Paul Ltd. Ians mother, Enid, was born in Durham in 1906 and her father, George Rushton, was an artist and Head of the Ipswich Art School from 1906-29. Ians younger brother, Donald, was born on 15 August 1933, both Ian and his brother were educated at the Ipswich School and Culford School, Suffolk. At Culford School, Ian Hendry had a keen interest in sports, particularly boxing, cricket, running and he was also involved in amateur dramatics at Culford, helping to produce and perform in several school plays. On leaving school in 1947, aged 16, Hendry initially embarked on a different career. In 1948, he spent a year working for Bidwells at their Cambridge office, in 1949, Hendry began his National Service as part of the compulsory conscription in the United Kingdom, which was introduced after the end of World War II in 1945. He spent two years with the 32nd Medium Regiment, R. A, during this time, Hendry paced for Christopher Chataway in athletics and ran his own motorcycle stunt team. On completion of his National Service he returned to work in Estate Management, from 1951-53, Hendry returned to work for Bidwells, but this time he was based in their Edgware office in London. During this period, Hendry re-established his interest in acting, becoming involved in Amateur theatre through an amateur dramatics group in Edgware. By 1953, Hendry had decided that he wanted to change his career, in late 1952, he had applied for a place at the Central School of Speech and Drama, London, where he was accepted and trained from 1953-55. His professional acting began in 1955, working in repertory at the Hornchurch Theatre in Station Lane. He was also seen in Goldonis Servant of Two Masters at the Edinburgh Festival, in 1957, Hendry spent another season in repertory, performing in several plays at the Oxford Playhouse, Oxford. In December 1957, Dinner With The Family transferred to the West End, playing at the New Theatre, as his career developed, he gained parts in films including Up in the World, The Secret Place and Room at the Top. In 1960, Hendry had a part in Sink the Bismarck, before landing the lead role of Dr Geoffrey Brent in the crime series Police Surgeon. The series only ran for 12 episodes but Hendry was next cast in the similar role of Dr David Keel in a new action-adventure series entitled The Avengers. Initially, Hendry was the star of this series, which co-starred Patrick Macnee as John Steed, however, production of the first season was curtailed by a strike and Hendry used the opportunity to depart the series and begin a film career
39.
Honor Blackman
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Honor Blackman is an English actress, widely known for the roles of Cathy Gale in The Avengers, Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, Julia Daggett in Shalako and Hera in Jason and the Argonauts. She is also notable for her role as Laura West in the ITV sitcom The Upper Hand and her father, Frederick Blackman, was a civil service statistician. She attended North Ealing Primary School and Ealing County Grammar School for Girls, for her 15th birthday, her parents gave her acting lessons and she started training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1940. While attending the Guildhall School, Blackman worked as an assistant for the Home Office. Blackmans film debut was a part in Fame Is the Spur. Other films include Quartet, based on stories by W. She played Hera in Jason and the Argonauts, which is known for the stop-motion animation. She had roles in the films Bridget Joness Diary and Jack Brown, albert R. Broccoli said Blackman was cast opposite Sean Connery in the James Bond films based on her success in the British television series The Avengers. He knew that most American audiences would not have seen the programme, Broccoli said, The Brits would love her because they knew her as Mrs. Gale, the Yanks would like her because she was so good, it was a perfect combination. During the 1960s, Blackman practised judo at the famous Budokwai dojo and this helped her prepare for her roles as Cathy Gale in The Avengers and Pussy Galore in Goldfinger. At 38, she was one of the oldest actresses to play a Bond girl, in 1968 Blackman appeared opposite John Neville and Hylda Baker in the musical play Mr & Mrs, based on the plays of Noël Coward. In the late 1970s she toured Australia and New Zealand with Michael Craig and Colleen Clifford in the comedy play Move Over, Mrs Markham. In February 1979, she starred in Stephen Barrys production of Tom Stoppards Night and Day at the Perth Playhouse, in 1981, she appeared in the London revival of The Sound of Music opposite Petula Clark. The production opened to reviews and the largest advance sale in British theatre history to that time. She spent most of 1987 at the Fortune Theatre starring as the Mother Superior in the West End production of Nunsense, Blackman returned to the theatre in 2005, touring through 2006 with a production of My Fair Lady, in which she played Mrs. Higgins. She developed a show, Word of Honor, which premiered in October 2006. In April 2007, Blackman took over the role of Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret at the Lyric Theatre in Londons West End and she left the show at the end of September 2007. Blackman started acting on television in the role of Nicole
40.
Diana Rigg
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Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE is an English actress. She is known for playing Emma Peel in the 1960s TV series The Avengers, and Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones. She has also had a career in theatre, including playing the title role in Medea. She was made a CBE in 1988 and a Dame in 1994, Rigg made her professional stage debut in 1957 in The Caucasian Chalk Circle, and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1959. She made her Broadway debut in the 1971 production of Abelard & Heloise and she won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for the 1989 BBC miniseries Mother Love, and an Emmy Award for her role as Mrs. Danvers in the 1997 adaptation of Rebecca. Her other television credits include You, Me and the Apocalypse, Rigg was born in Doncaster, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire, now in South Yorkshire to Louis Rigg and Beryl Hilda, her father was a railway engineer who had been born in Yorkshire. Between the ages of two months and eight years Rigg lived in Bikaner, India, where her father was employed as a railway executive, hindi was her second language in those young years. She was then sent to a school, the Moravian School in Fulneck. She disliked her boarding school, where she felt like an out of water. She trained as an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from 1955–57, riggs career in film, television and the theatre has been wide-ranging, including roles in the Royal Shakespeare Company between 1959 and 1964. Her professional debut was in the RADA production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle at the York Festival in 1957 and she received her second nomination in 1975, for The Misanthrope. In 1982, she appeared in a musical called Colette, based on the life of the French writer and created by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, in 1987 she took a leading role in the West End production of Stephen Sondheims musical Follies. In 2004, she appeared as Violet Venable in Sheffield Theatres production of Tennessee Williamss play Suddenly Last Summer, in 2006, she appeared at the Wyndhams Theatre in Londons West End in a drama entitled Honour which had a limited but successful run. In 2007, she appeared as Huma Rojo in the Old Vics production of All About My Mother, adapted by Samuel Adamson and she appeared in 2008 in The Cherry Orchard at the Chichester Festival Theatre, returning there in 2009 to star in Noël Cowards Hay Fever. In 2011 she played Mrs Higgins in Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre, opposite Rupert Everett and Kara Tointon, Rigg auditioned for the role of Emma Peel on a whim, without ever having seen the programme. Although she was successful in the series, she disliked the lack of privacy that it brought. She also did not like the way that she was treated by the Associated British Corporation, after a dozen episodes she discovered that she was being paid less than a cameraman. For her second season she held out for a pay rise from £150 a week to £450, patrick Macnee, her co-star in the series, noted that Rigg had later told him that she considered Macnee and her driver to be her only friends on the set
