James Francis Edwards - Canadian Fighter Pilot

 

   That picture caught my attention when I saw it in an obituary in the Washington Post. The handsome fellow is the Canadian 'Stocky' Edwards who just died out on Vancouver Island in the Comox area. He would have been 101 on June 5. Here is a bit from the long obit:

With the rank of wing commander, Mr. Edwards shot down a confirmed 19 Luftwaffe fighter planes and scored many more “probables,” the aircraft he put out of action but did not see hit the ground. He also destroyed at least 12 more enemy warplanes at their desert bases before they could take to the air…..

In all, he flew 373 combat missions during World War II, mostly over North Africa but also to provide air support for the Allied landings in Italy in 1943 and 1944 and in Normandy on D-Day — June 6, 1944 — a rare “triple” among Allied pilots….

In addition to the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded by the United Kingdom during the war, Mr. Edwards was named to the Order of Canada, one of that nation’s highest awards, in 2004. He was inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame in 2013 and the following year was appointed to France’s Legion of Honor by President François Hollande for his services to France during the war.

   More death notices are found in a number of Canadian newspapers in mid-May of this year and there is a good Wikipedia entry for him, so I need not go on.  I just thought it worth noting the passing of this real, Canadian  "Top Gun" since the newspapers are also full of stories about the new summer "blockbuster" at the movies, Top Gun: Maverick, which is about an unreal American one. 

   Apart from the sources I will provide below, there are two books about 'Stocky'.  One is a memoir authored by Michel Lavigne and Edwards. Here is a summary of,  Kittyhawk Pilot: Wing Commander J.F. (Stocky) Edwards:

"This is the true inspirational story of James “Stocky” Edwards, Canada’s top living fighter pilot. The story begins in Battleford, Saskatchewan where Stocky grew up. During his childhood, shooting partridge, and working hard, Stocky learned the lessons that would serve him well during the Desert War. The story progresses through Stocky's training and then his posting over seas to the Desert War where he flew the P-40 Kittyhawk. This is the incredible story of a young Canadian who goes to war and becomes a superior pilot and leader of men."

   

  The second book is: Kittyhawks over the Sands: the Canadians and RCAF Americans, also by Lavigne and Edwards.  I will provide portions of a review below.

  The books are not readily available, so it is good that "Stocky" has finally gained some recognition. A copy of Kittyhawk Pilot, which came out in 1983, is found in the Western Libraries, but not in many other Ontario universities. A few of them have purchased the more recent Kittyhawks Over the Sands..., but Western does not have a copy. Neither book is available in the London Public Library System. Limited copies of both books are found on used books sites, but they are very expensive.

Sources:
   The Washington Post article: " "Stocky Edwards, Canadian Flying Ace in World War II, Dies at 100: He Was Heralded His Nation's "Top Gun" Over the North American Desert in 1942 and 1943," Phil Davison, May 21, 2022.
   The London Free Press contains an obituary on May 20 which originated in the Comox Valley Record, a newspaper that provides other good material about Edwards. See: "World War II Flying Ace Stocky Edwards Laid to Rest," Mike Chouinard, May 20, 2022; "Comox War Hero Dies at Age 100," Scott Stanfield, May 16, 2022 and "Comox Centenarian Stocky Edwards Reflects on Years," Erin Haluschak, June 4, 2021. 
   For a good biographical profile see the website of  Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame: "James Francis Edwards."
   For a review of Kittyhawks Over the Sands... see this one by Rob Tate: Air & Space Power Journal, Vol. 17, No.4, Winter, 2003. A portion follows:

Canadian author Michel Lavigne has again teamed with the exceptional Canadian ace James "Stocky" Edwards, a retired wing commander, to produce their second book. (In 1983 they joined forces to write Kittyhawk Pilot, Edwards's biography.) Lavigne's latest work, the fourth book he has coauthored, gives historians a superb account of this fascinating subject. Readers should note, however, that Kittyhawks over the Sands is by no means an easy read and not the type of book that lends itself to casual reading; rather, the sheer volume of material makes it a reference work...

"Unlike Fighter's over the Desert, which steps through the North African campaign in a day-by-day format, Kittyhawks over the Sands focuses on Canadian pilots who flew for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Canadian and American pilots who flew for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and squadrons that flew the American-built P-40. Thus, the book deals with the 94, 260, 112, and 250 Squadrons of the RAF and 450 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)-specifically, their battles with the Italians and the German Luftwaffe in North Africa. Lavigne and Edwards present a staggering amount of information about each squadron, including unit histories, casualties, and claims. For example, the data on casualties includes the date, type of aircraft flown, pilot's name and fate, source of shootdown, and location of the battle. For claims, they include date, time, name and nationality of the victorious pilot, type of aircraft shot down, and battle location. Throughout the book, readers will find pilot profiles, anecdotes, and 350 black-and-white photographs as well as 16 color pages of aircraft and pilots. In addition to historical information about the squadrons, the book offers appendices covering the combat records of P-40 units, P-40 aces, Canadian and American RCAF casualties, and claims made by Canadian and American RCAF pilots....
Perhaps what I like the most about Kittyhawks over the Sands are the pilot accounts and stories of aerial combat, ground attack, and pilot losses from both sides. Lavigne and Edwards intriguingly piece together air combats, including photographs of men who shot each other down and of aircraft destroyed later in the campaign. I also admire their brutally honest treatment concerning instances of over claiming by the RAF, RCAF, RAAF, and Luftwaffe. For example, on the one hand, although RAF 112 Squadron claimed 211 aircraft destroyed between June 1940 and May 1943, the authors' research corroborates only 100 to 110. On the other hand, the claim of 65.5 victories by 260 Squadron (Edwards's unit) from June 1941 to May 1943 is almost completely verifiable, demonstrating the book's historical objectivity and desire to present the most accurate and unbiased information possible."

The Bonus:
   In another review of Kittyhawks.... one learns this:

"War writer Michel Lavigne of Victoriaville, Que., in his 2002 book Kittyhawks over the Sands - The Canadians and the RCAF Americans, makes a valiant effort to have these men and their desert air war remembered....
They flew Kittyhawk fighters and decorated the noses with painted-on sharks teeth.
They were the first to do that, but the American Flying Tigers of the Pacific war are best remembered for airplane teeth, thanks to the American style of focusing on heroes.
Factoid: Of the 367 Medal of Honor winners buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, nine are Canadians. The award was struck during the American Civil War and since then some 3,475 have been awarded - 61 of them to Canadians." (rev. by Dan Brown in the Ottawa Citizen, Sep. 12, 2011.)

For local readers it should be noted that 'Stocky' was stationed for a bit at RCAF Station Centralia which closed in 1967. I attended a party not long after it closed that was hosted by a member of the military whose family was housed at the former base.
Also, those interested in the subject of aviation history will find in the Archives and Special Collections up at Western the, Beatrice Hitchins Memorial Collection of Aviation History.  I could not find much information about it, but some background is likely found in: Catalogue of The Beatrice Hitchins Memorial Collection of Aviation History: Presented by the Family of Fred H. Hitchins. The Catalogue, was created by Marvin Hopkinson, whose position I assumed in the Western Libraries.
  I did find this useful information at Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, under the entry for Fred Harvey Hitchins. 

"Fred Harvey Hitchins, CD.**, B.A., M.A., Ph.D, was born on July 10, 1904 in London, Ontario. He attended the University of Western Ontario, London, earning his BA in 1923 and MA in 1925. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1928 with a Ph.D in history. He then joined the faculty of New York University in 1928 where he taught European history. His deep interest in aeronautical history, particularly the Canadian operations of World War I, led him to publish articles on the subject as early as 1931....

He died in London, Ontario on November 3, 1972. The importance of his work has not diminished: his papers and books were donated by his family to the University of Western Ontario as the Beatrice Hitchins Memorial Collection of Aviation History, available for generations of aviation historians to follow."

For another post related to air warfare (in Vietnam) see the one about Senator John McCain which includes a review of a book about pilots who flew from aircraft carriers during the war in Vietnam. 

Mondegreens and More

 Misheard Lyrics
   A recent email from The New Yorker included cartoons related to song lyrics which have been heard incorrectly. You will find them in this article and two examples from it are provided below: "Commonly Misheard Song Lyrics," by Jana Rajan, The New Yorker, May 1, 2022.

Another, from a song that I like is, "I Can See Clearly Now Lorraine is Gone," which is really from the Johnny Nash tune, "I Can See Clearly Now the Rain is Gone." One more:

   I knew there was a word to describe misheard lyrics and even though I was well aware of it, I had forgotten it. The word is Mondegreen and it is a mondegreen. The originator of it thought she had heard the words "Lady Mondegreen" in a Scottish ballad, but the words are really "laid him on the green."

   At this point I will stop about Mondegreens since you likely know the word and your memory surely is better than mine. If you do forget it, you can always look it up here and I will provide some sources below. To ensure that you remember this post, I will attach a very funny video relating to misheard lyrics. 

And More

    This post is more about my bad memory than mondegreens. I recently read two other items which talked of "things" or "characteristics" for which words had been created to describe them. I knew both of the words, but could recall neither one.

   The first relates to those who have the good fortune to appear much younger than they are. Such a person is neanimorphic.  You will find it in a post I did about two years ago, where a fellow used the term in a "personal ad", for which you have to give him credit - see "Lonely in London, c. 1920." Clearly blogging as a "memory aid" is not working for me. 

    The second is a word that is used to describe someone who appears to be able to accomplish difficult things very easily and without effort. The word is sprezzatura and there is a good entry for it in Wikipedia.  I couldn't remember that word either, but I tracked it down in some notes I had. It was used, for obvious reason, in a review of a book about Christopher Hitchens - Hitch 22 - who exemplified, "the rehearsed spontaneity, studied carelessness, and well-practiced naturalness that underlies persuasive discourse."

   You likely have your own mondegreens and now know what they are called. You may be able to use that term when you next go to Karaoke Night at your pub, but it is best not to use the word "neanimorphic" if you spot a younger looking older woman. As for "sprezzatura," display it if you can, but don't attempt to say it.

Sources:

   For the origin of the word "mondegreen" see: "The Death of Lady Mondegreen," Sylvia Wright, Harper's, Nov. 1, 1954. There is a Wikipedia entry for the term.

   For other articles see: "Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy," Maria Konnikova, The New Yorker, Dec.10, 2014 and "Sweet Slips of the Ear: Mondegreens," by Pamela Licalzi O'Connell, New York Times, April 9, 1998.

   For examples from websites see "Am I Right." and KISSTHISGUY. 

The Bonus: Peter Kay

   Mr. Kay is an English comedian, singer and actor. I was not aware of him, although he broke the world record for the number who attended a stand-up comedy tour. There is a Wikipedia entry for him. 

   This is his very funny routine from YouTube. If the link gets rotten, just google "Peter Kay" and "misheard lyrics."

"Staple the Vicar"

"Peter Kay: The Tour That Didn't Tour."

Biking About (2)

 

   It is still the Victoria Day weekend and still cold, but I may go out for a bike ride. But, I may not. That is because, while sitting around inside doing nothing, I noticed the book jacket pictured above. I think you will admit, it is a rather good one, illustrating well the subjects covered. 

   How I happened upon this good cover, I don't recall. Honest! I do now have an e-bike and ride more than I used to, but I can't say I have noticed any issue with the seat. If there is any issue with the other issue, I would not know, given my advanced age. 

    I also do not know Mr. Bekman and this is not a plug for his book. I did see that it is available for a modest price and if you are having any seating problems it is readily available. Given the intellectual level of this blog, and that I offer only bespoke suggestions and references, here is one from an Ivy league source which I also just happened to happen upon. The title is: "Biking and Sex - Avoid the Vicious Cycle" and it is from the Harvard Medical School. You can read the entire report, but here are the "simple solutions" offered:

Don’t use a racing seat with a long narrow nose. Pick a wide seat, ideally with plenty of padding. Special gel-filled and shock-absorbing seats are even available.

Don’t tilt your seat upward, a position that increases pressure on the perineum.

Be sure your seat is at the correct height, so your legs aren’t completely extended at the bottom of your pedal stroke.

For extra protection, consider wearing padded biking pants.

Raise the handlebars so you are sitting more upright.

Shift your position and take breaks during long rides.

   Now that it is a bit warmer and I have offered a bit of useful advice, as well as mentioned the word "SEX", which will assist me in attracting more readers, I will go for a ride. 

MAY TWO-FOUR

 Victoria Day

      Even though this weekend contains a holiday, I will attempt a post since the view outside resembles somewhat the one represented above. This holiday in Canada is referred to as "Victoria Day" and it is a celebration of the birthday of that Queen. Although the statues of Queen Victoria probably have been toppled across Canada, the holiday still exists because, well it gives one a day off.  To find out more, American readers can simply go to the Wikipedia entry where one learns that Victoria Day represents the beginning of the summer season. As the image indicates, however, summer is still well south of even southern Ontario. 

    The title of the post refers to the informal reference to Victoria Day which indicates that around the 24th of May, some Canadians will consume a case of beer - 24 bottles. The phrase, "May TWO-FOUR", even shows up in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary: 

noun Cdn informal Victoria Day.

– origin punningly after May 24th, the official date of the holiday, and after  two-four in reference to copious consumption of beer over the holiday.

   The sun has emerged, but I may attempt another post since the temperature has not increased by much.

Survival Wisdom

Wine Advice

   This is another of my useful Public Service Announcements. It is taken from The New Yorker and the wisdom is Nate Odenkirk's, not mine. Two things should be noted: 1) only a small snippet of the advice offered is provided here and, 2) I received it in an email from The New Yorker, to which I subscribe, and it seems to me that some of the items in the emails don't make it to the printed edition. 

   So, I am performing a public service in archiving this valuable information and saving you from having to listen to an insufferable, wine-glass twirling oenophile. While the advice is intended for those who are in a hurry, I think it applies generally to all wine buying, allowing more time for the drinking of it. 

   Mr. Odenkirk offers this additional advice:

Skip the tasting profile
Wine tasting profiles are basically essays printed in small type that describe the wine’s characteristics. They’re very helpful if you’ve lately found yourself craving a “full-bodied, citrus-forward wine with hints of melon, clove, and marzipan.” But in all other scenarios, these flowery dissertations are a titanic waste of time that you do not have! Does it allege to be “wine”? Huzzah. Buy it.

Source:
  "Wine-Buying Tips For People Who Are Running Late," Nate Odenkirk, The New Yorker, May 6, 2022.

The Bonus:

   "Odenkirk" is a slightly odd name so I looked for more information about Nate Odenkirk. It just happens to be the case that we are about to watch the conclusion of the fine drama series: Better Call Saul. Saul is Saul Goodman, who is played by the writer, comedian and actor, Bob Odenkirk. His son is Nate Odenkirk. 

The University of the Unusual (6)

  Snake Handlers 

  On occasion I produce a post under the label - “The University of the Unusual” - but it has been a while since I have done so. I will now offer the sixth in this series and it is relates to “Snake Handlers”. The last one was about “Spontaneous Human Combustion.” The one before that was about the “Guinea Worm.” If those topics don’t give you some indication of whether you should proceed, I will add that they are modelled on the old “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!” features which were syndicated in many newspapers back in the days when we still had some.  

   The subject this week seems less sensational than the ones mentioned above. It relates to Pastor Greg Locke and the Global Vision Bible Church which is located near Mount Juliet, Tennessee. The Pastor leans toward the far right politically and tilts toward the Pentecostal religiously. About social and cultural matters his stance unsurprisingly is a conservative one and during a recent sermon, these things were “called out:” homosexuality, lesbianism, gender dysphoria, transgenderism and, of course, the Devil. The tent, his “Canvas Cathedral” “slowly took on a spirit of its own. Worshipers began writhing as if in pain. Others waved their hands in the air in benediction. “Amens” began to mix with the guttural sound of growling, moaning and praying in tongues…. Some fell to the ground, pawing at cedar chips, or retched into silver vomit buckets that had been set at the end of each row of white folding chairs.”

    The calling out and rebuking of such things as homosexuality cannot be characterized, even now, as ‘unusual’, but I do find the growling, moaning and guttural sounds to be a bit strange as are pawing at cedar chips and vomiting in silver buckets. Such behaviour may not be as odd as I think, however, since Pastor Locke’s local flock has grown from 200 to over a 1,000 and apparently he is followed by 4,000,000 more on social media. 

    During these polarized days when we think those opposed to us politically hold views and ideas that will be charitably characterized here as “unusual,” just remember that, “Believe It Or Not,” there are a lot of folks around who worship bizarre notions.

And Strychnnine Sippers

 The charismatic Pastor Locke also ranted on about the “fake pandemic” and said this: “If you’ve had the covid-19 shot, I’m telling you you’ve got poison in your veins,” Locke thundered. “We call out the covid-19 vaccine out right now. Keep that demonic spirit out of you right now in the name of Jesus!”

   When I read that, I thought that the Pastor should have taken advantage of the opportunity to encourage the members of his congregation to demonstrate their faith by taking the pandemic poison. I also thought the behavior exhibited by these Tennesseeans gives me the opportunity to present to you the related unusual topics of snake handling and strychnnine sipping. 

  Although those things didn’t occur during this service, there was "talking in tongues" and other strange antics and had reptiles been available they might have been used. During similar ceremonies, rural parishioners in the mountains in the Appalachian area have taken poison and handled venomous snakes to demonstrate their faith. According to what they have been told, serpents and other deadly things will not hurt them as you can see from the Gospel presented above. Sources and fascinating examples are found below. 

   Apart from allowing me to offer you another lecture from "The University of the Unusual," this story can serve as a metaphor to suggest that the folks down in the hollow, may not be so different from some of the politicians up on the Hill. The rural religious fervor resembles closely much that is found in the urban political milieu where snake oil salesmen abound. 

Sources:

The article about Locke is here: "A Jan. 6 Pastor Divides His Tennessee Community With Increasingly Extremist Views," Annie Gowan, Washington Post, Mar. 31, 2022.

The Nashville Tennessean has been following Locke.

"White Christian Nationalist Pastor Greg Locke Divides a Tennessee Community," Johnny Robish, April 1, 2022 The Global Vision Bible Church, headed by White Christian Nationalist and rabid Trump supporter Pastor Greg Locke, boasts millions of followers and has gained national attention through its book-burning, using neo-fascist “Proud Boys” members as security guards, defying mask mandates, labeling the coronavirus as a “fake pandemic,” preaching election fraud, and urging followers to attack those whom Pastor Locke considers “demonic spirits” — people with mental disabilities, “objectionable” cultural or political beliefs, and folks with a “sinful” sexual orientation. That said, his radical views, including bragging about attending the January 6th insurrection, along with the large and frequently rowdy crowds he attracts to his services, have divided not only the community, but also families within the town of Mount Juliet, Tennessee, a mostly white community of 39,000 just east of Nashville."

"Greg Locke Timeline: From independent Baptist Pastor to Right-wing Firebrand,"

Liam Adams, Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean, April 20, 2022.

Some snippets:

2020: Locke, on the advisory committee for Evangelicals for Trump, receives an invitation to White House for former U.S. President Donald Trump’s acceptance speech for the GOP presidential nomination.

2020: Political operative Roger Stone and Republican activist Charlie Kirk visit Global Vision on separate Sundays before the presidential election.

Did you know there is a Rational Wiki? See the entry for Greg Lock and the section, "Wingnuttery and Christian Nationalism."

The literature relating to "snake handling" is considerable, but a good start is here: "Confirming the Word: Snake-Handling Sects in Southern Appalachia,"Marsha Maquire, The Quartely Journal of the Library of Congress, Vol.38, No.3, Summer, 1981.

Apparently there was a reality TV show, "Snake Salvation" and one of the participants died from a snake bite: "Snake Salvation Reality Show Star Dies From Snake Bite," Ali Vingiano, Buzzfeed, Feb, 16, 2014.

To learn more about Glossolalia see the Wikipedia entry for "Speaking in Tongues."

The Bonus:

Although there is a statute in Tennessee that prohibits possession of poisonous reptiles, juries have been reluctant to convict those who were using them in religious services. As the First Amendment indicates, there should be no laws restricting the freedom of religion.

Roger Stone is a rather notorious figure whose name you might associate with the administration of former President Trump. He is mentioned above when he visited the church in Mount Juliet. He is not in jail, because he was pardoned by President Trump.

The real bonus - he has been hired as an advisor by the Ontario Party for the upcoming election here in Ontario.

ALGAE BLOOMING AND BOOMING

 

   Not much is blooming here in Ontario, but apparently you will find considerable blooming in Mexico - on the water. If you were thinking about heading there to escape our cold spring, you might want to consider the Pacific side. Here is an Associated Press headline from April 30: “Mexican Authorities Say the Problem of Foul-smelling Seaweed-like Algae on the Country's Caribbean Coast Beaches is “Alarming.” Note that even they find it "Alarming." If we just wait a few more weeks we will be able to see blooms closer to home on Lake Erie. 

It's Not the First Time!

  In recent years there have been many sargassum surges in the Caribbean and other oily ones in the Gulf of Mexico. Another recent headline indicated that algae pollution is not a new thing. Here it is. You think we would have learned by now. "Toxic Algae Plagued Ancient Maya Civilization," Rebecca Dzombak, Scientific American, April 1, 2022.  The article is not an "April Fools' " joke. The study on which it is based is found below.

  I just posted about pollution problems on Lake Superior and, unfortunately, about many more. See for example: "Flotsam and Jetsam," "Leaking Oil," and "Polluted Rivers." 

Source: 
  The Scientific American article is based on this research: "Harmful Algal Blooms and Cyanotoxins in Lake Amatitlán, Guatemala, Coincided with Ancient Maya Occupation in the Watershed," Matthew Neal Waters, et al., PNAS, Nov. 22, 2021.

Significance
"Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are dense populations of algae and/or cyanobacteria that can harm aquatic ecosystems by reducing water column oxygen and producing toxins. Whereas HABs are well documented in modern lakes, there has been little research on HABs associated with ancient societies. We inferred the magnitude of past HABs using a sediment core from Lake Amatitlán, Guatemala, which hosted large, prehistoric Maya populations in its watershed and currently experiences toxic HABs. About 1,000 y ago, ancient Maya in the area experienced periods of intense HABs and cyanotoxin concentrations in the lake, which rivaled the degraded conditions in the water body today. Human-associated HABs have affected both modern and ancient societies and deserve attention when exploring past human–environment interactions.