And the Birds Still Sang...April 19,1995

Birds cheerfully whistling and chirping and singing in my backyard.

Strangely, this is what I remember most about those moments before our lives and our hearts were changed 20 years ago. The sun was shining, the grass was green, there was a noisy little posse of kids around my breakfast table and new life kicking happily inside me...and the birds were singing.

And...then they weren't. Actually, they might have been but I didn't hear them. We all heard and felt the explosion and went outside to look at the sky. There was smoke rising from the area of downtown Oklahoma City. Perhaps the birds were still singing in those moments...perhaps not.

In horror, we learned what the explosion meant. In disbelief, we listened as the death toll rose. In mind-numbing shock, we saw the pictures that will never leave our consciousness. 

And the birds still sang...

Concerning a Very, Very Obscure Link Between Gladys Aylward and The Tower of London...Day 5m

Writing this blog has been a delight and will be a treasure for me to read in the years to come! It has been so much fun revisiting in my mind the places we traveled to, viewing photos of the things we saw and remembering all those *special* moments, some of which may never make it into this blog. (don't thank me yet,  chums, and don't heave a sigh of relief, you're not out of the woods yet because, after all, I am only on Day 5 of the 13 day trip...)

But, making this even more fun, are the serendipity moments I have experienced in the research I am doing to make sure I am referring to each tower by its correct name or accurately identify each restaurant or tube station or verifying that all my facts are correct such as when Handel lived in London or how Queen Victoria met Albert, you know, important stuff like that.

Since I have been writing about the Tower of London, one of my favorite sources on the Internet has been a fascinating old book The Tower From Within, written by George Younghusband who was a cavalry officer and major-general in the British Indian Army. He served in several wars, and retired in the middle of the First World War when he was severely wounded. He recovered, though, and here is where the fun begins. He was appointed as keeper of the Jewel House at the Tower of London and subsequently wrote a book about the entire history of the Tower. which is actually on the Internet if you have a few spare hours (and the interest) (and the intestinal fortitude) (and a love of Victorian literature) to read it.

  The link to The Tower From Within by George Younghusband
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=iYNnAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22The+Tower+from+Within%27%27+by+George+Younghusband&hl=en&sa=X&ei=D8wWVbPqLuzZsATaiIDIBw&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22The%20Tower%20from%20Within%27%27%20by%20George%20Younghusband&f=false

What does this have to do with Gladys Aylward you ask? Well, I am glad you asked... George's younger brother, Francis Younghusband, was a British army officer as well and an explorer and an author. When he wasn't out exploring China, India, Tibet and other regions in Asia, serving in the army or researching spiritual new age stuff for his books (yes, he was a bit of a hippy way before the 1960s) and mystical pantheism, he lived in London. And like most well-to-do families of the era, he hired domestic help for his wife. One housemaid is of particular interest: Gladys Aylward who saved every penny she earned working for this family in order to fund her journey to Yangcheng China.

And there you have it, the very, very obscure link between Gladys Aylward and the Tower of London. Isn't it just the way God works? He used a non-Christian to help His daughter fund her dream to become a missionary in China. And I love the fact that the cherished dream of Gladys Aylward was to lead others to God, rather than go to college or become a concert pianist or paint a masterpiece...just to humbly serve God in China.

The Ravens of the Tower...Day 5L

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."
~ Edgar Allan Poe




Or in the case of the ravens at the Tower...

Quoth the Ravens, "Forevermore."
~me (with sincere apologies to Edgar Allen Poe)

Legend has it that the ravens were interfering with the Royal Astronomer's view of the heavens and he complained to the king about it, requesting that they be destroyed. However, Charles II was warned that if the ravens should ever abandon the Tower, the whole Kingdom would fall. This was during the English Civil war (did you know there was such a thing??) and Charles II didn't want to risk it, so he decreed that the ravens should not be driven away, but in fact, should be cared for and kept there perpetually. So the wings are clipped on a favored six ravens (with a few more in reserve.) and they have their own little cages to which they are returned at night by the Ravenmaster (one of the Yeoman Warders) who is charged with the duty of caring for them. Each raven is named and easily identified by the colored band on his leg. A nice diet of fresh fruit, cheese, boiled egg and raw meat is provided for them.







"Even the ravens of the Tower sat silent and immovable on the battlements and gazed eerily at the strange scene. A Queen about to die! For what?"

~ George Younghusband, 1919

(concerning the execution of Anne Boleyn)



(link to The Tower From Within:   http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=iYNnAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA134&dq=%22The+Tower+from+Within%27%27+by+George+Younghusband++gazed+eerily+at+the+strange+scene&hl=en&ei=xMz5TOCcIom4sAP57fyCCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false )

The Yeoman Warder...Day 5k

The very first time anyone was ever appointed to be a Yeoman Warder was during the reign of King Henry VII.  Because he was responsible for creating this particular regiment of guards, the Tudor rose, one of the symbols of his dynasty, appeared on their uniform and it remains there today.


When the Tower of London began to function as a prison, the detainees were held in various towers and sometimes even in the lodgings of the yeoman warders. Each prisoner was assigned a guard who would be held responsible for "warding" him
("ward" in this instance meaning the action or process of guarding.) The guard would be answerable for the prisoner's well-being and security. In return, the prisoner was required to pay the warder a fee for his bed and board.  (sounds like a fair deal to me... or not...) These fees were how the Yeoman Warders made their living and I am sure that more than once a  prisoner would be unable to pay. And it would also seem probable to me that a prisoner, disgruntled with a guilty verdict, would refuse to pay his gaoler. (did you see what I did there?? I used ye olde English spelling of jailer!!)  Charged with the responsibility of the security of the prisoner, the warder would often accompany him to his trial or even, in some cases, out on bail. Immediate dismissal was the result if a prisoner escaped. This consequence seems rather mild to me in view of the times.

The full title of the Yeoman Warder is:
"Yeoman Warder of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London,
 and Member of the Sovereign’s Body Guard and Yeoman Guard Extraordinary".
(that's a mouthful...)


If you aspire to become a Yeoman Warder, you must first enlist in the Royal Marines, the Army or the Royal Air Force. You must have gained rank above that of a sergeant and you must have been in the military for at least 22 years. You must have received the "Long Service and Good Conduct Award."  You will also be required to live on the premises with your family, either in one of the towers that have been modified for living quarters or in the little community of Yeoman Warders, off limits to visitors. But not their cameras. We leaned over the edge, zoomed in and took these pictures of some of the living areas. It was a quaint little English village!

If you should be hired on, some of your duties as a Yeoman Warder would be to guard your assigned area, be knowledgeable about the history and location of all the towers, be approachable, and friendly yet firm in crowd management. You will be responsible for the security of the Tower and of the guests and possibly care for the ravens of the Tower. You would control the gates and the wharf and all the other public areas.Your two commanding officers would be the Chief Yeoman Warder and the Yeoman Gaoler.

                The plaque on the door on the right states that this is the home of the Yeoman Gaoler.
                                                                             Nice digs.


You must also be entertaining and outgoing, able to lead a group tour, deal with heckling in a good- natured manner or take down the occasional unruly tourist. AND you must be photogenic and you must be actually posing for anybody who might possibly take a photo of you at any given point in time.

The Jewel House...Day 5j

Early in the day, we noticed the Jewel House, wherein lie the CROWN JEWELS! There was a line but we decided to go ahead and join the queue, correctly deducing that the line would only get longer as the hours went by.

 
 
 The Jewel House is guarded by the Tower Guard. Members of the Tower Guard also are charged with sentry duty throughout the Tower of London. The unit that provides guard duty for the Tower is also part of the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace during the same period of time. (the various "units" take turns being on duty at Buckingham Palace and the Tower) While at Buckingham Palace, earlier this week, Rachel and I saw a sign informing us of the various units and how to differentiate between them (usually by the color/design of their hats or the arrangement of buttons on their coats) (I am NOT making this up)

The guards usually come from one of the following regiments of foot guards:   Grenadier Guards---Coldstream Guards
Scots Guards---Irish Guards---Welsh Guards

(however, I am thinking this guard isn't Irish, Scottish or Welsh)

the differing uniforms of Yeoman Guard and Tower Guard

 Tower Guard and Yeoman Warder (photo bomb)  

The Tower Guard is different from the Yeomen Warder (Beefeater); different in uniform as well as in duties performed.The Yeoman Warders are tour guides and are well-versed in Tower history and crowd management as well as security procedures. They actually live on the grounds of the Tower of London whereas the soldiers of the Tower's Guard rotate on and off duty. There are currently about forty Yeoman Warders living and working at the Tower of London. The Tower Guards are responsible for protection of the Tower since it is still considered a royal residence and since the Crown jewels are on the property. One is stationed outside the Jewel House and another outside the Queen's House. Usually there are about fifteen Tower Guards around the Tower and, although many think they are just ceremonial, they are fully trained soldiers.

The Queen's Guards here in front of the Queen's House because, technically, it is still a royal residence although who knows how long it has been since a monarch has been in residence here.

Our time in line flew by as we enjoyed Heather's dry humor and threw a few snacks Sara's way because we knew security is very tight in the Jewel House and no way was a granola bar getting past those guards! Rachel and I were very low maintenance--we both had a camera and focused on getting some pictures.

The crown encrusted with gems is not the only "crown jewel" displayed but the robes and regalia worn by the sovereign at the coronation are also there. The Crown Jewels also refer to the swords, scepters, orbs, spurs and other objects that have to do with the coronation ceremony. And we saw it all. But what we were really interested was THE crown. And saw it we did. On a moving sidewalk we rode past the crown. I, as well as many others I am sure, would have liked to linger by the crown but that was not permitted, in order to insure that the thousands of people who wanted to see the crown, would get to see the crown. And of course, cameras (and granola bars) were not allowed.    So we will have to make do with this picture of the Imperial Crown.

Inside Beauchamp Tower...Day 5i

Imagine stepping through the doorway and this door, thudding closed with an eerie finality behind you and then the metallic clink as the door is locked.

 

Imagine yourself peering out one of the windows, 

onto the Tower Green just below, 

unable to tear yourself away from the horrifying spectacle that unfolds before your eyes.

Imagine, a fire burning merrily in its place, while you warm your hands in its glow,

and the rest of your body shivering, chilled, aching with cold...
and fear.

Imagine yourself, staring up at the ceiling, the wall, the arched doorway:
during the long days while you await your fate, following your wandering thoughts through other, happier days...

Imagine, life inside Beauchamp Tower...

The Inscriptions in Beauchamp Tower...Day 5h

                                                     The round tower is Beauchamp Tower

Through the years after Sir Thomas Beauchamp, many others were imprisoned here and many left their mark. Carved into the walls of this tower are a myriad of impressive designs and inscriptions. It was sobering to stand there and look at carvings, each one representing a real person who waited for their fate there. Also sobering to realize many met their doom just outside its doors.

     













The walls are literally covered with carvings of figures and inscriptions. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, England was experiencing a time of religious and political upheaval and Beauchamp Tower was in its heyday as a prison.

I chose some of my favorite inscriptions and "translated" them into today's English because I got weary of wading through all the "maketh"s and "doth"s and "hath"s as well as through all of the creatively spelled nouns, verbs and adjectives such as: rasyd, pointe, unhappie, fyndth thogh, fortun, vertue, trouth, chasyth, cawseth, pasyens, etc, etc. I thought you might appreciate my thoughtfulness as it was a virtual foreign language! As I plowed my way through the inscriptions as reproduced on the internet, sometimes I couldn't figure out exactly what the word was meant to be so I took my best stab at it.

 So with no further ado, here are the inscriptions as I read them.


A passage perilous makes a port pleasant.
  Arthur Poole    1568

Unhappy is that man whose acts procure the misery of this house in prison to endure.
  Probably Thomas Clarke   1579

The more affliction we endure for Christ in this world, the more glory we shall get with Christ in the world to come.
  Philip Howard

As virtue makes life, so sin causes death.
  Thomas Bawdewin  1585

No hope is hard or vain that we can attain.
  unsure, possibly Arthur Poole or his brother Edmund   1568

It is the point of a wise man to try and then trust; for happy is he who finds one that is just.
  probably Thomas Clarke   1578

By torture strange my truth was tried yet of my liberty denied. Therefore reason has persuaded me that patience must be raised though hard fortune chases me, yet patience shall prevail.
 Thomas Miagh

Close prisoner 32 weeks, 224 days, 5376 hours.
  T. Salmon   1622

Better it is to be in the house of mourning than in the house of banqueting. The heart of the wise is in the mourning house. It is much better to have some chastening than to have overmuch liberty. There is a time for all things, a time to be born and a time to die, and the day of death is better than the day of birth. There is an end to all things and the end of a thing is better than the beginning. Be wise and patient in trouble for wisdom defends as well as money. Use well the time of prosperity and remember the time of misfortune.
  William Rame    1559. 

You that these beasts do well to see, may note with ease that they were made here. Within the borders there may be found four brothers names.
  carved by John Dudley     referring to his brothers  Robert, Ambrose, Guildford and Henry

And probably the most honest and poignant inscription which is a bit of an understatement as well, this one that remains anonymous:
                                                          O unhappy man that I think myself to be.

hamp Tower was built during the reign of Edward I, who was one of the most innovative castle builders of the medieval period. It is of exceptional significance as a royal residential tower. Built mostly of brick, but faced externally with stone, the Beauchamp was one of the first large-scale uses of brick in England after the Roman period.
The tower, adapted for important prisoners over the centuries, was named after its first prisoner Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick
- See more at: http://www.hrp.org.uk/aboutus/whatwedo/buildingconservation/Profilebeauchamptower#sthash.KhzA4nrA.dpuf

The Beauchamp Tower was built during the reign of Edward I, who was one of the most innovative castle builders of the medieval period. It is of exceptional significance as a royal residential tower. Built mostly of brick, but faced externally with stone, the Beauchamp was one of the first large-scale uses of brick in England after the Roman period.
The tower, adapted for important prisoners over the centuries, was named after its first prisoner Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick.
- See more at: http://www.hrp.org.uk/aboutus/whatwedo/buildingconservation/Profilebeauchamptower#sthash.KhzA4nrA.dpuf

The Beauchamp Tower was built during the reign of Edward I, who was one of the most innovative castle builders of the medieval period. It is of exceptional significance as a royal residential tower. Built mostly of brick, but faced externally with stone, the Beauchamp was one of the first large-scale uses of brick in England after the Roman period.
The tower, adapted for important prisoners over the centuries, was named after its first prisoner Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick.
- See more at: http://www.hrp.org.uk/aboutus/whatwedo/buildingconservation/Profilebeauchamptower#sthash.KhzA4nrA.dpuf