Instead of a speaker at Kiwanis this morning a former member, who left to become a Methodist minister in the next town, and who is very musically gifted, came and entertained us on the piano.
She is a member of the local Chorale Society, and also plays in a band which plays a little country, but mostly big band music, and it was a selection of big band music that she played this morning. It was lovely to see her and catch up. She's never been outside the United States so is excited to be going to Italy next year with the Chorale Society to perform Mozart's Coronation Mass. Chaplain Bill is also a member of the Chorale Society, but has hasn't mentioned it. I would imagine it would be far more difficult for him - with his work and family commitments - to take the time off to go.
Later in the morning I went to Communion at Emmanuel, then six of us went to lunch.
This day in history.................1886
On this day in 1886, Apache chief Geronimo
surrenders to U.S. government troops. For 30 years, he had battled to protect
his tribe's homeland; however, by 1886 the Apaches were exhausted and
hopelessly outnumbered. General Nelson Miles accepted Geronimo's surrender,
making him the last Indian warrior to formally give in to U.S. forces and signalling
the end of the Indian Wars in the Southwest.
Geronimo and a band of Apaches, eventually ended up at the
Comanche and Kiowa reservation near Fort Sill, in Oklahoma . There, Geronimo became a successful farmer and
converted to Christianity. He participated in President Theodore Roosevelt's
inaugural parade in 1905 and died at
Fort Sill in Oklahoma on February 17, 1909.
Skipping ahead a few days - the 7th September 1940,
300 German bombers raid London in the first of 57 consecutive nights of bombing. This bombing continued until May 1941. So that's why I learned to walk in my grandma's air raid shelter at the bottom of her garden. My friend Phyllis, who comes from the East End, said they used to go down the nearest Underground Station. By the end of day one, 448 civilians in the East End died that afternoon and evening.
A little past 8 p.m.,
British military units were alerted with the code name "Cromwell,"
meaning the German invasion had begun. A state of emergency was declared in
England, and the home guard were warned to be ready.
It has been said that one of Hitler's key
strategic blunders of the war was to consistently underestimate the will and
courage of the British people, who would not run or be cowed into submission. We had Churchill and his speeches to thank for that.
"We shall not flag or fail............we shall fight them on the beaches....we shall fight them on the landing stages....... we shall fight them in the streets and in the hills.........we shall defend our island whatever the cost may be........We shall NEVER surrender. Bless Him.
Shortly before I went to lunch someone on television was saying that the rest of the world has always looked to America for leadership "like they did in WWII". I brought this up over lunch, and I was all ready to point out that Britain and France declared war in September 1939, and it wasn't until December 1941 when Pearl Harbour was bombed.........but I didn't need to, they are all educated in Emmanuel. Fr Bill and Fr Clark also knew the precise dates, and were right there with me saying it was a ridiculous statement.
And in the news.............
Whatever next..................
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