Hello all -
Happy Sunday!
The obvious choice to contemplate this week was Queen Elizabeth II's coronation on this day, 2 June 1953. She was our longest reigning monarch (70 years and 214 days to be precise), even surpassing that of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, by 7 years (minus 2 days!).
But I’m not going with the obvious choice. Instead, I am remembering a point in time during my school days. Back in 1976, I went to St Peter’s School in Bournemouth, spending seven very happy years playing rugby and gaining friends who I’m still in touch with today.
Towards the end of my school years in 1981, the whole school was shuffled out of class one morning, down onto the school playing fields and over into the far corner, where a small memorial had just been constructed.
It turned out it was there to commemorate the life of Charles Rolls, the ‘Rolls’ in Rolls-Royce.
Andy Scott, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
He was an extraordinary man. At the age of 25, he started one of the UK's first car dealerships. Shortly after, he met Henry Royce, a car builder. Rolls-Royce was soon born, destined to become the producer of the world's most sought-after luxury car and an esteemed manufacturer of aero engines.
But Rolls' real passion was aviation, and on this day, 2 June 1910, 124 years ago, he became the first person to make a nonstop double crossing of the English Channel by plane, which received much acclaim.
So, why were we standing in the corner of the school playing fields that day, marking his life with a memorial and a few well-chosen words? Well, Rolls’ passion for aviation unfortunately proved to be his ultimate downfall. After more than 200 flights and at the age of 35, only a month after his extraordinary double channel-crossing, he was killed when his plane crashed during a routine air display.
And the spot where he crashed and died that day - the corner of the St. Peter's School playing fields where we were standing to remember a wonderful, if not brief, life.
Latest podcast episode...
Episode 48. Alex’s Wish for Duchenne
Introduction from Show Notes
Your son has a life expectancy in the 20’s. What are you going to do about it?
This week’s guest is the embodiment of triumph over adversity, as are her family. Emma Hallam’s life is marked by extraordinary resilience in the face of overwhelming personal loss, culminating in the diagnosis of her son Alex with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Duchenne is a life-limiting, aggressive form of progressive muscle weakness. I’ll leave Emma to clarify exactly what that means for Alex and the family.
But, as alarming as the prognosis proves to be, this is not a story of hopelessness and self-pity. On the contrary, it’s a candid story of how to turn whatever life throws at you into a force for good. For Emma, that meant channelling her energy into creating the charity Alex’s Wish, aimed at funding research and raising awareness for this muscle-wasting disease.
Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music or just about any other. podcast player of your choice. Check out the show notes and transcript to learn more.
This episode was a little different from the norm. I have tended to steer clear of personal health and wellness stories. I suppose I wasn’t sure I had the necessary touch to deal with subjects like these, and plenty of podcasts out there already cover these stories brilliantly.
Anyhow, it turned out to be a very rewarding experience. Through her personal adversity, Emma has shown to be one of life’s true gems and it was a pleasure to meet with her. I didn’t get a chance to talk to Alex but I hope to at some point. By the way, he’s studying for A-Levels, so good luck Alex!
My favourite quotes from the episode…….
“This generation of boys will either be the last to die of Duchenne or the first to survive.”
“We put the ‘fun’ into fundraising”
“We should never take our lives for granted. What is in our control is we can live today - the best day. Because no tomorrow is guaranteed for anybody.”
“When life gives you lemons, you make lemon meringue pie.”
Dates with History...
Today...
2 June 1953, The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey becomes the first British coronation - and one of the first major international events - to be televised.
Tomorrow...
Sticking with the Royal Family for a moment, 16 years earlier on 3 June 1937, the Queen’s uncle Edward, the Duke of Windsor, married Wallis Simpson. Wallis was a wealthy American socialite, twice divorced. When they had met, Edward was the Prince of Wales and became King Edward VIII in January 1936. However, by December of the same year, he had abdicated the throne, putting his love for Wallis above the Royal Family and British government’s disapproval of their relationship.
One of my father’s favourite films, which I watched with him more than once, was the 1964 film Zorba The Greek. Tomorrow, 3 June 2001, marks the death of its larger-than-life lead actor, Anthony Quinn. Do you remember him?
Later this week...
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned Alan Turing, the British mathematician who invented the Bombe at Bletchley Park during World War II which deciphered messages from the German Enigma machines. Friday marks the anniversary of his death, 7 June 1945, under somewhat dubious circumstances.
By the way...
Yesterday, City of Troy won the 245th running of The Derby on Epsom Downs. In case you're not horse-racing-minded, The Derby is one of the UK’s classic horse races. It is also one of the world’s oldest, dating back to 1780 and named after Edward Smith-Stanley, the 12th Earl of Derby. It is raced on the Epsom Downs Racecourse, largely (and unusually) open to the public, by law, for walking and recreation all year round.
Edward VIII’s father, King George V, was involved in a significant historical moment of his own at The Derby this week on 4 June 1913. Suffragette Emily Davison, fighting for women’s right to vote, martyred herself by running in front of his horse during the race as it approached Tattenham Corner, and died a few days later.
Now, I’m not an avid horse racing fan, but The Derby holds a special place for me. My father—who was a keen race-goer—loved attending The Derby in particular. Following his death in 2003, we scattered his ashes under a tree adjacent to the starting line, which we can see on TV every year at this time.
Question of the week...
Emily Davison ran in front of King George V’s horse at The Derby on 4 June 1913, but what was the name of the horse?(answer at bottom of newsletter)
And finally...
I once met a fund manager at a party around the time of the 2008 financial crisis. He was a hilarious guy, but here's the line in particular which has stuck with me:
Don’t forget – the value of your shares can fall as well as plummet.
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Thank you for joining me. Have a great week!
Steve
HOST & CHIEF STORY HUNTER
P:S: Incidentally, I am always keen to receive your feedback to help me continuously improve this newsletter and the podcast. Just hit reply to this email and...... let it rip! I respond to every email that I receive.
Answer to Question of the week: Anmer.
Emily Davison at the Derby - The Sketch, 11 June 1913, via Wikimedia Commons
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