FALLEN HEROES AND LEGENDS

A well nourished Sudanese man steals maize from a starving child during a food distribution at Medecines Sans Frontieres feeding center at Ajiep, southern Sudan, 1998. Tom Stoddart captured this moment by camera in 1998. The photograph was taken in Sudan, specifically at Aijep, Bahr el Ghazal. In the city, it was taken at the Medecins San Frontieres, which is a feeding center at Aijep.  The photograph was taken for general news stories. The main issue of concern in this photograph is the famine in Sudan. In the beginning of 1998, about 250,000 people died during the famine in south-western Sudan As you look at this picture, you tend to notice the boy’s look of malnourishment, but you do not exactly understand what he is doing in this picture till you read the caption. The caption to this photograph explains that a well fed Sudanese man steals corn from a famished boy during a food distribution He decided to take pictures of the 1998 famine because at the time, the famine was not being

Vera Salvequart – for war crimes. 28 year old Vera Salvequart had not been an SS guard, but rather a prisoner herself in Ravensbrück concentration camp. She was born on the 26th of November 1919 in Czechoslovakia of Czech and German parents and had trained as a nurse.  According to her she served 10 months in Flossenberg for refusing to reveal to the Gestapo the identity of her Jewish boyfriend in 1941 and then two years commencing in 1942 for a similar offence, being released in April 1944.  She was sent to Ravensbrück on the 6th of December 1944 after being arrested for helping five detained officers escape. Here she became a Kapo and worked as a nurse in the camp's hospital wing. In February 1945, she was said to have administered poison in the form of a sleeping powder to some 50 of the patients, of whom 12 died. Salvequart was among 16 members of the staff who were arrested and were tried between the 5th of December 1946 and the 3rd of February 1947 by a British military court

📸 After giving care for a scalp wound, a Japanese baby is cared for by men a medical unit of the 27th Infantry Division. 🪖 The baby was discovered by a tank crew during the fighting below Mt. Tapotchau on Saipan in July of 1944. 🗻 Saipan 15 June 1944 Two 4th Division US Marines take cover in a shell hole on Saipan, June 1944 . On June 15, 1944, during the Pacific Campaign, U.S. Marines stormed the beaches of the strategically significant Japanese island of Saipan, with a goal of gaining a crucial air base from which the U.S. could launch its new long-range B-29 bombers directly at Japan’s home islands.  Facing fierce Japanese resistance, Americans poured from their landing crafts to establish a beachhead, battle Japanese soldiers inland and force the Japanese army to retreat north.  Fighting became especially brutal and prolonged around Mount Tapotchau, Saipan’s highest peak, and Marines gave battle sites in the area names such as “Death Valley” and “Purple Heart Ridge.” When the U.

How others saw English people 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 during medieval 🏰 times . The English were pronounced by other nations to be guilty of the sin of pride; that was their most prominent characteristic.  The fourteenth-century French chronicler Jean Froissart described 'the great haughtiness of the English, who are affable to no other nation than their own'. A German knight, Nicholas von Poppelau, visited the country in 1484 and complained that the English think they are the wisest people in the world' and that the world does not exist apart from England'.  Fifteen years later a Venetian traveller stated that the English are great lovers of themselves and of everything belonging to them'. Whenever they see a handsome stranger, they say that 'he looks like an Englishman' Other nations were sure that the English had tails.  The Greeks of Sicily, who were obliged to entertain the presence of English crusaders in 1190, referred to them as "the tailed Englishmen&#

On this day March 30th, in African American Our story  In 1741, the New York Conspiracy is affirmed.  Also called the Conspiracy of 1741, also known as the Slave Insurrection of 1741, was a purported plot by Black slaves and poor whites in the (then) British colony of New York. Occurring in March and April of that year, it was a revolt to level New York City with a series of fires. Historians disagree as to whether such a plot existed and if there was one, its scale. During the court cases, the prosecution kept changing the grounds of the accusation, ending with linking the insurrection to a "Popish" plot by Spaniards and other Catholics.  At the time, Manhattan had the second-largest slave population of any city in the Thirteen Colonies after Charleston, South Carolina. Rumors of a conspiracy arose against a background of economic competition between poor whites and Black slaves; a severe winter; war between Britain and Spain, with heightened anti-Catholic and anti-Spanish f

Rubin Stacey, lynched victim, hanging from a tree, surrounded by onlookers, including girls, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.   Jul. 19, 1935 Rubin Stacy, 37 was a homeless tenant farmer who knocked on a white woman's door (Marion Jones) – she screamed, and he was arrested.  As he was being led to jail by six deputies, a mob of about 100 overpowered them – ran their car off the road, and lynched him in sight of Marion's house, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Marion claimed she offered him a drink of water, but he tried to assault her with a knife, which she later recanted. A photo of the lynching was sent to President F.D.  Roosevelt to persuade him to support the Costigan-Wagner Act which would bring federal prosecution to any law enforcement officers who failed to exercise their responsibilities during a lynching incident.  - Roosevelt refused to support the bill claiming he would lose Southern votes in the next election.

Russian soldiers standing over the remains of Armenians burned by Ottoman forces in the Anatolian village of Sheikhalan, 1915. Colourised by @color_by_klimbim.  The following is excerpts of Danish-German soldier Heinrich Jessen's diary entry from June 1916, who served in a machine-gun battalion in the Middle East. Translated by myself Note: This is a purely historical post on a Danish-German soldier's eyewitness account. Please do not report, even if you disagree with the eyewitness account 🙏   ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀  "There are many prisoners here, they're Englishmen and Indians from Kut-al-Amara some 300 km south of Baghdad, and they're on their way to "Konia". Some 13,000 - 14,000 prisoners were taken down there, they sell anything they posses for some Turkish money so they can buy something to eat. Their caretaking is moderate, I sure wouldn't wish to be a prisoner in Turkish captivity. When one sees this cruelty, indeed it's almost indescribable what

At the west end of the Nave of Westminster Abbey is the grave of the Unknown Warrior, whose body was brought from France to be buried here on 11 November 1920. The grave, which contains soil from France, is covered by a slab of black Belgian marble from a quarry near Namur. On it is the following inscription, composed by Herbert Ryle, Dean of Westminster:   BENEATH THIS STONE RESTS THE BODY OF A BRITISH WARRIOR UNKNOWN BY NAME OR RANK BROUGHT FROM FRANCE TO LIE AMONG THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS OF THE LAND AND BURIED HERE ON ARMISTICE DAY 11 NOV: 1920, IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS MAJESTY KING GEORGE V HIS MINISTERS OF STATE THE CHIEFS OF HIS FORCES AND A VAST CONCOURSE OF THE NATION THUS ARE COMMEMORATED THE MANY MULTITUDES WHO DURING THE GREAT WAR OF 1914-1918 GAVE THE MOST THAT MAN CAN GIVE LIFE ITSELF FOR GOD FOR KING AND COUNTRY FOR LOVED ONES HOME AND EMPIRE FOR THE SACRED CAUSE OF JUSTICE AND THE FREEDOM OF THE WORLD THEY BURIED HIM AMONG THE KINGS BECAUSE HE HAD DONE GOOD TOWARD GOD AND TOW

Saturday 15th June 1918 Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Edward Hudson, VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, 11th (Service) Battalion,  Sherwood Foresters (The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) Charles Edward Hudson was born on the 29th May 1892 in Derby, Derbyshire the second son and third child of Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Edward Hudson of the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) and Mrs. Hudson. He was educated at a preparatory school in East Grinstead, Surrey, and later at Sherborne School, Dorset, which he attended from September 1905 to July 1910.  Hudson did not stand out during his time at Sherborne School, and later recounted in his journal that he was morbidly afraid of physical pain and that it was not until he had been at Sherborne for some years that he was able to overcome his fears. After leaving Sherborne School, Hudson went to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, but did not finish the one-year course owing to the death of his father. Instead he went

Thomas Fuller the African maths genius also known as "Negro Tom" and the "Virginia Calculator", was an enslaved African born in today Benin 🇧🇯 1710 and died in 1790 USA renowned for his mathematical abilities. Also known as a mental calculator.  shipped to America as a slave in 1724. He had remarkable powers of calculation, and late in his life was discovered by antislavery campaigners who used him as a demonstration that blacks were superior not inferior to whites in academics. In this report, Rush stressed the credibility of Hartshorne and Coates. Rush retold how Hartshorne and Coates tested Fuller's mathematical abilities as follows: First. Upon being asked, how many seconds there are in a year and a half, he answered in about two minutes, 47,304,000. Second. On being asked how many seconds a man has lived, who is seventy years, seven- teen days and twelve hours old, he answered, in a minute and a half, 2,210,500,800. One of the gentlemen, who employed hims

On this day November 29th, in African Ourstory In 1781, the Zong massacre began.  This was a mass killing (at sea) of more than 130 enslaved Black Africans by the crew of the British slave ship Zong during the Middle Passage.  Owned by England, when the Zong sailed from Accra with 442 slaves on August 18, 1781, it had taken on more than twice the number of people that it could safely transport.  In the 1780s, British-built ships typically carried 1.75 slaves per ton of the ship's capacity; on the Zong, the ratio was 4.0 per ton. A British slave ship of the period would carry around 193 slaves and it was unusual for a ship of the Zong's small size to carry so many.  After taking on drinking water at São Tomé, the Zong began its voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to Jamaica on September 6th. On November 18, the ship neared Tobago in the Caribbean without stopping for water supplies.    It is unclear who, if anyone, was in charge of the ship at the time, Luke Collingwood, James Kels

In 1993, a mummy was discovered in the Republic of Altai, Russia, and earned the moniker of the Siberian Ice maiden.  Believed to have been a Siberian and specifically a member of the Pazyryk people, this woman was estimated to be between 20 and 30 years old at the time of her death. Her remains were found within a chamber located in a burial mound. It is speculated that she passed away due to breast cancer and injuries sustained from a fall. During her burial, the Ice maiden was interred alongside two food trays, which underwent analysis. The residue found on these trays provided insight into the ceremonial items left behind, including a beverage, various types of meat, and yogurt. Additionally, the burial included the presence of three horses. Notably, a pot containing cannabis and opium was discovered, suggesting their potential use as painkillers. There are indications that the Ice maiden may have held a significant role, possibly that of a high priestess. Although the grave had be

Kiwi Legend: The tennis player The world’s first tennis superstar was a Kiwi and a soldier whose life and career was cut short by war. Anthony Frederick Wilding - Tony - was born on October 31, 1883 to Frederick and Julia Wilding.  They had come to New Zealand from Herefordshire, England to Christchurch. Frederick was a lawyer and a tennis player himself, who won several national championships. At their farm they had two tennis courts and Tony began playing at age 6. After schooling he went to England to go to Trinity College to study law, where he was a member of their lawn tennis team.  He did manage to get a law degree but it was the tennis that defined him. He was 17 when he won his first singles title in Canterbury then while at Trinity he entered an English public tournament reaching the semifinals where he defeated a top 10 English player. He continued to win, partnering too with Dorothea Douglas - the reigning Wimbledon champion. Tony’s first Wimbledon appearance was in 1904, w

On this day lost, but not forgotten. John R. Rankin was born on July 22, 1948.  His home of record is Blackwood, NJ.  He served in the US Army and attained the rank of Specialist 4 (SP4). Rankin was killed in action on November 15, 1969. Johnny July 22, 1948-November 15, 1969 SP4, Army        Blackwood Terrace, NJ Johnny Rankin always wanted to fly.  Photos of him as a two-year old show him surrounded by model airplanes his father had built.  He liked to watch his dad fly the wire-controlled gasoline powered planes.  Before he went into the service, a neighbor took him along on a small plane ride over Gloucester and Camden counties.  When he came home that day, his life had changed.  His interest in planes had become a passion.  Throughout his youth, he was fascinated with flight and in the end, he was fulfilling his dream as much as a duty to his country. "He loved airplanes," his mother, Pat Hayes of Westville, NJ, says.  "He had all the models.  And when he wrote and

We remember and pay tribute to SFC Matthew R. Kading, a true hero  Today, I stand before you not to mourn the loss of our fallen hero but to celebrate and honor the life and sacrifice of someone who was not only a brave soldier but also a dear friend.  So, join me as we remember and pay tribute to SFC Matthew R. Kading, a true hero who left an indelible mark on our hearts and our great nation's history. On this solemn occasion, let us take a moment to count our blessings and reflect upon the selfless service that individuals like Matt have rendered for the cause of freedom and the protection of our cherished values. Today, we express our deepest gratitude to all our fallen heroes, whose names we may not know but whose sacrifice we all owe a debt of gratitude. John F. Kennedy once said, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." These words resonate powerfully today as we come together to re

By the end of 6 June 1944, D-day, hundreds of dead bodies of Allied soldiers were scattered across the fields of Normandy.  VII corps issued an order to create a temporary military cemetery at Sainte Mere Eglise, about 200 meters from the church square. A collection point near the small village provided burials for at least two hundred men per day. A total of 3195 soldiers would be buried a 'Sainte-Mere-Eglise cemetery №1' . Soon after the order for cemetery №1,  another burial ground on the road toward Chef-du-Pont was opened: Sainte-Mere-Eglise Cemetery № 2.  A total of 4788 soldiers would be buried here including General Theodore Roosevelt Jr, son of former US president Theodore Roosevelt. At Blosville, 3 km to the south of Sainte Mere Eglise, approximately 500 bodies had been buried in the first days after D-day with the help of local farmers. This site would become Cemetery № 3. In total, 5804 soldiers, including some Germans, would be buried here. Most of the KIAs of the