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Rupert Matthews's Blog, page 37
September 3, 2012
When should you buy a round?
Buying a round in a pub comes so naturally to most Britons that they do not even stop to think about what they are doing. But for outsiders it can be a mine of difficulties and offer endless opportunities to give offence.
In pubs the customers go to the bar, order drinks from the staff and pay for them then and there - the continental custom of running up a bill is copied only in a few wine bars. The pub system is simple and straightforward. It has the advantage from the publican’s point of view that he gets his money when he serves the drinks and there is no possibility of dishonest customers ‘doing a runner’. From the point of view of the customer, the system means it is impossible to run up a bill larger than can be afforded, no matter how drunk
When several people meet in a pub, it is the custom that one person goes to the bar and buys one drink for each person - a ‘round of drinks’. The difficulties can begin, of course, when the subject arises of who goes to buy the first round. In general good common sense will show who should buy the round of drinks. Usually the person who arrives first buys a drink for the next person to arrive. When a third or subsequent person arrives it is usual for him to offer to buy a round as he is going to the bar anyway to buy his own. Whether the offer is accepted depends on how empty are the glasses of those already drinking. It is, of course, bad manners to accept the offer if you have taken only a sip or two from your first drink.
Once everyone is settled and their glasses grow empty it is time for somebody to buy the next round of drinks. Who this should be is open to debate. Typically a person who cannot recall buying a round of drinks for those present in recent weeks should be the first to put their hand in his pocket and head for the bar. It is certainly the height of bad pub manners to accept drinks from other people buying rounds, and then never to offer to buy a round in return. There can be no quicker way to find yourself excluded from invitations to meet down the pub than to ‘cleverly’ avoid buying rounds while supping drinks bought by others.
Of course, the changes in society affect pub culture as much as they do any other part of life. Time was when women would not enter a pub on their own for fear of giving out the wrong signals of the type of woman they were. Also in years gone by, pubs were not the clean, well upholstered places with good toilet facilities that they are now. Most country pubs had only a little hut at the bottom of the garden with a container lined with dead leaves as a ‘convenience’. No woman would want to go into a pub under those conditions. And in the days before cars were universially owned not many men would venture into pubs out of their own district. Pubs were for local people who lived within walking distance. Only an outsider who has walked into a pub like that can know the chill of the concentrated suspicious, hostile stare of suddenly silent local yokels.
However once pubs were modernised, the sawdust on the floor replaced by carpet and the ghastly smell banished from the “little room”, women started venturing in. Nevertheless the inhibition on women going to the bar remained. In any case, when most married women did not go out to work, it was the men who had the money in their pockets and went to the bar to buy a round. But circumstances change. Most women are in gainful employment and are these days expected to pay for a round on equal terms with their male companions - though some still prefer to give the money to a man for him to elbow his way to the bar.
One unfortunate hang over from earlier times is that some couples seem to think that are one person for the purposes of buying rounds of drinks when out with single friends. They take two drinks when somebody else is paying, but only offer to buy one round in return. The excuse is often given that only one of them is drinking alcohol as the other drives, but soft drinks can be surprisingly expensive and, in any case, manners dictate that each person should buy a round.
The old days when everyone in a group was expected to buy a round before the evening ended are now long gone. The prevalence of cars and the strict drink driving laws put an end to such customs. After all, it only takes two pints of beer to put a man in danger of going ‘over the limit’ so the days of five men meeting down the boozer to get away from their respective wives for a few hours, and drinking five pints, have gone for good.
It still pays, however, to remember who last bought a round so that, if it was not you, you can be the first to the bar and so prove that you are generous and fully acquainted with the etiquette of rounds.
In pubs the customers go to the bar, order drinks from the staff and pay for them then and there - the continental custom of running up a bill is copied only in a few wine bars. The pub system is simple and straightforward. It has the advantage from the publican’s point of view that he gets his money when he serves the drinks and there is no possibility of dishonest customers ‘doing a runner’. From the point of view of the customer, the system means it is impossible to run up a bill larger than can be afforded, no matter how drunk
When several people meet in a pub, it is the custom that one person goes to the bar and buys one drink for each person - a ‘round of drinks’. The difficulties can begin, of course, when the subject arises of who goes to buy the first round. In general good common sense will show who should buy the round of drinks. Usually the person who arrives first buys a drink for the next person to arrive. When a third or subsequent person arrives it is usual for him to offer to buy a round as he is going to the bar anyway to buy his own. Whether the offer is accepted depends on how empty are the glasses of those already drinking. It is, of course, bad manners to accept the offer if you have taken only a sip or two from your first drink.
Once everyone is settled and their glasses grow empty it is time for somebody to buy the next round of drinks. Who this should be is open to debate. Typically a person who cannot recall buying a round of drinks for those present in recent weeks should be the first to put their hand in his pocket and head for the bar. It is certainly the height of bad pub manners to accept drinks from other people buying rounds, and then never to offer to buy a round in return. There can be no quicker way to find yourself excluded from invitations to meet down the pub than to ‘cleverly’ avoid buying rounds while supping drinks bought by others.
Of course, the changes in society affect pub culture as much as they do any other part of life. Time was when women would not enter a pub on their own for fear of giving out the wrong signals of the type of woman they were. Also in years gone by, pubs were not the clean, well upholstered places with good toilet facilities that they are now. Most country pubs had only a little hut at the bottom of the garden with a container lined with dead leaves as a ‘convenience’. No woman would want to go into a pub under those conditions. And in the days before cars were universially owned not many men would venture into pubs out of their own district. Pubs were for local people who lived within walking distance. Only an outsider who has walked into a pub like that can know the chill of the concentrated suspicious, hostile stare of suddenly silent local yokels.
However once pubs were modernised, the sawdust on the floor replaced by carpet and the ghastly smell banished from the “little room”, women started venturing in. Nevertheless the inhibition on women going to the bar remained. In any case, when most married women did not go out to work, it was the men who had the money in their pockets and went to the bar to buy a round. But circumstances change. Most women are in gainful employment and are these days expected to pay for a round on equal terms with their male companions - though some still prefer to give the money to a man for him to elbow his way to the bar.
One unfortunate hang over from earlier times is that some couples seem to think that are one person for the purposes of buying rounds of drinks when out with single friends. They take two drinks when somebody else is paying, but only offer to buy one round in return. The excuse is often given that only one of them is drinking alcohol as the other drives, but soft drinks can be surprisingly expensive and, in any case, manners dictate that each person should buy a round.
The old days when everyone in a group was expected to buy a round before the evening ended are now long gone. The prevalence of cars and the strict drink driving laws put an end to such customs. After all, it only takes two pints of beer to put a man in danger of going ‘over the limit’ so the days of five men meeting down the boozer to get away from their respective wives for a few hours, and drinking five pints, have gone for good.
It still pays, however, to remember who last bought a round so that, if it was not you, you can be the first to the bar and so prove that you are generous and fully acquainted with the etiquette of rounds.
August 30, 2012
Gladiator Arenas in Ancient Rome
[image error]
Temple in the cattle market
The first fights took place in the cattle market
The cattle market, or Forum Boarium, was a large open space beside the River Tiber. The cattle pens could easily be cleared away to make space for the fighting, while the shops and temples provided places for the audience to stand or sit to watch.
One fight took place in a swivelling arena
In 53BC the politician Gaius Scribonius Curio put on a munus, but he did not have much money and nobody would lend him any. Curio impressed the crowd by staging two plays in theatres positioned back to back. Then the theatres swivelled round to form an arena for a small gladiatorial show. The crowd loved the new idea and Curio went on to a successful career.
Most fights took place in the Forum
The Forum was the largest open square in the centre of Rome. The most important temples and government buildings stood around the Forum. After about 150BC gladiatorial games were held in the Forum and temporary wooden stands were erected in which spectators could sit.
From 100 Facts about Gladiators by Rupert Matthews
Buy your copy HERE
August 28, 2012
10 Odd facts about Arms & Armour
Throughout history people have used arms to try to kill others and armour to protect themselves from being injured.
A 12,000 year old cave painting at Teruel in Spain shows men with bows and arrows.
The world’s oldest sling was found in an Egyptian tomb. It is 2,900 years old.
The original Olympic Games had a special race for men running in full battle armour.
Romans wore specially decorated helmets when on parade.
When Rome fell to the Goths, the Roman Emperor was hiding in a fortress over 150km away.
Before each fight gladiator weapons were tested by slicing up vegetables.
Some Celts covered their armour in gold leaf to make it look extra special.
Baby Chinese noblemen were given a miniature bronze sword as a good luck charm.
Dark Age Germans liked to decorate their swords with gold and precious stones.
from 100 FACTS ABOUT ARMS AND ARMOUR by Rupert Matthews
Buy your copy HERE
August 27, 2012
BOOK REVIEW - Battle of the Granicus
My book "Alexander the Great at the Battle of the Granicus" has been reviewed on a wargaming site.
You have read the review HERE
Extracts include:
Matthews, who has specialized in this type of treatment before, in works such as The Battle of Thermopylae and Battle of Crecy, has
carefully scoured the documentary sources, far richer for the Greeks
than the Persians, and has supplemented these with the help of
re-enactors, archaeological finds, and an understanding of the conduct
of war based on his earlier work.
The account is well written and provides an excellent look at the campaign and the conduct of war in the period.
an interesting and worthwhile read even for that more serious student.
You can buy your copy of the book HERE
In this, the third book of Spellmounts Campaign in Context
series, Rupert Matthews looks to the first major campaign of Alexander
the Great. One of the most famous generals all time, Alexander was just
20 when he led his army into battle at Granicus. Despite his youth and
his army being heavily outnumbered, he was victorious, and it was this
victory that allowed him to conquer Asia Minor. The course of this key
battle remains controversial, owing to conflicting accounts in
contemporary sources. As with his previous titles in the series, Rupert
Matthews carefully balances the evidence from textual sources with
knowledge of the battlefield and reconstructed weaponry in order to
explain the events of the battle to the general reader, and the context
in which it took place.
You have read the review HERE
Extracts include:
Matthews, who has specialized in this type of treatment before, in works such as The Battle of Thermopylae and Battle of Crecy, has
carefully scoured the documentary sources, far richer for the Greeks
than the Persians, and has supplemented these with the help of
re-enactors, archaeological finds, and an understanding of the conduct
of war based on his earlier work.
The account is well written and provides an excellent look at the campaign and the conduct of war in the period.
an interesting and worthwhile read even for that more serious student.
You can buy your copy of the book HERE
In this, the third book of Spellmounts Campaign in Context
series, Rupert Matthews looks to the first major campaign of Alexander
the Great. One of the most famous generals all time, Alexander was just
20 when he led his army into battle at Granicus. Despite his youth and
his army being heavily outnumbered, he was victorious, and it was this
victory that allowed him to conquer Asia Minor. The course of this key
battle remains controversial, owing to conflicting accounts in
contemporary sources. As with his previous titles in the series, Rupert
Matthews carefully balances the evidence from textual sources with
knowledge of the battlefield and reconstructed weaponry in order to
explain the events of the battle to the general reader, and the context
in which it took place.
August 22, 2012
The Start of the Jet Age
The concept of the jet
engine had been patented in 1932 by British engineer Frank Whittle, but he was
unable to solve the practical problems and development was slow until the
outbreak of World War II proved the need for an engine that could power
aircraft at high speed. When the jet was finally perfected it revolutionized
air warfare.
It was the Germans who won the race to be first to get a jet
aircraft into action. The Messerschmitt Me262 outclassed every other fighter in
the world when it entered combat in June 1944. It had a top speed of 540mph, a
ceiling of 37,500 feet and a range of 650 miles. It packed a real punch with
four 30mm cannon mounted in the nose and proved itself to be deadly to Allied
aircraft. However the Me262 entered service in relatively small numbers, with
only 1,433 aircraft being build compared to over 20,000 Spitfires and 15,000
Mustangs.
Despite its fame, the Me262 was not the only German jet aircraft of
the war. The Arado Ar234 Blitz was the world’s first jet bomber, entering
service in November 1944 and playing a lead role in German air operations
during the Battle of the Bulge the following month. The Blitz could reach 460mph – faster than
most fighters – and had a ceiling of 33,000 feet and range of up to a thousand
miles. It could carry 3,000lb of bombs and had a primitive form of on-board
computer to aid bomb aiming at high speeds. Due to the fact it could outrun
almost any fighter in existence its defensive armament consisted only of two
20mm cannon firing directly backward. Only 210 of these aircraft entered
service.
The Allies were not far behind the Germans. The Gloster Meteor
fighter went operational in July 1944, but was produced in even smaller numbers
than the Me262 with only 210 seeing service before the end of the war. More
than 3,500 Meteors were produced after the war and it became the standard RAF
fighter by 1947. The Meteor had a top speed of 415mph, a ceiling of 44,000 feet
and a range of 1,340 miles. It was armed with four 20mm cannon in the nose. As
with all these very early jets, engine reliability and maintenance proved to be
real problems.
The first jet aircraft to enter service with the USAAF, and the
first to see combat after the end of World War II, was the F-80 Shooting Star
manufactured by Lockheed. This fighter was one of the first products of the
Skunk Works, a top-secret department within Lockheed charged with designing
highly advanced military aircraft. The fighter had a top speed of 600mph,
ceiling of 46,000 feet and a range of 1,200 miles. The standard armament was
six 0.5in machine guns, but variants carried eight unguided rockets or two
1,000lb bombs. The aircraft entered service in July 1945, but did not see
active service until the Korean War.
from THE HISTORICAL ATLAS OF WEAPONRY by Rupert Matthews.
Buy your copy HERE
August 17, 2012
Tension and warfare in 1920s China
The years between the two
world wars of the 20th century are generally considered to be ones
of peace, albeit with tensions rising that would ultimately explode into the
Second World War. That impression is not entirely true as several smaller wars
and troubles broke out around the world.
In 1919 the League
of Nations was established to find a peaceful solution to any future conflict.
Based in Geneva, the League was joined by all the victors of the First World
War, except the USA, and most neutral countries. Germany and the USSR joined
later. Although it managed to solve disputes between smaller states in the
1920s, it failed to constrain aggression by larger states in the 1930s.
Early in 1912
Chinese rebel army officers and provincial governors had seized power and
announced that the 6 year old emperor, Puyi, had abdicated in favor of a
republic. The new regime proved to be just as ineffectual as that it replaced.
The provinces of Tibet and Mongolia declared themselves independent while
several provincial governors acted as independent warlords. In 1926 a new
force, the Kuomintang led by Chiang Kai-shek announced that it wanted to see a
strong, united China. Gathering mass support from peasants and city dwellers in
central China, Chiang seized the central government and by 1930 had imposed his
rule on most of China.
In 1931 a
dangerous new element entered the turbulent Chinese scene. Japan had long been
a major investor in Chinese industry, with Japanese owned enterprises being
concentrated in the north around Tientsin and Lu Shan which lay close to Korea,
held by Japan since 1910. Worried by the instability of warlord activity, the
Japanese invaded Manchuria in 1931, later expanding into the neighbouring
province of Jehol. Two years later the Japanese brought Puyi out of retirement
and declared him to be Emperor of Manchuria, though real power remained with
the Japanese. In 1936 the Japanese invaded China in force and by 1939 had
occupied all important coastal cities and great swathes of northern China.
from The Historical Atlas of the World at War by Rupert Matthews
Buy your copy HERE
August 14, 2012
Dover, Kent
Since this short walk is around the ancient town centre of Dover, I have for once designed a walk that does not start and finish at the tea shop. Instead it starts at the railway station and ends at the tea shop. The reason for this is that the railway station is well signposted and easy to find. In a crowded town centre where car parking is difficult on most days I thought this made sense.
Find Dover Priory Railway Station. This station was opened in 1861 to serve as a temporary terminal for the London, Dover and Chatham Railway line. It took the company six months to tunnel through the hill to Dover Harbour and erect a new terminus there. This station then became a passenger through station serving the town centre while the new stop became the main station for the docks and for passengers connecting to the cross channel ferries - the famous “boat trains”. Little of the 1861 station remains as it was almost entirely rebuilt in 1932, though that did give Dover an architectural classic of early 20th century design.
1) Leave the station along the access drive to reach Folkestone Road. Turn left. At a roundabout turn right into York Street.
2) Follow York Street to a second roundabout. Cross the main road and walk across the pedestrianised area to reach the seafront. To your right is the Dover Marina. To your left is the beach and seafront.
In the Marina you can catch a boat to take you out fishing on most days in the summer and irregularly in the spring and autumn. Although the Marina is for the use of private yachts and other small craft, it is part of the Port of Dover, which also includes the Eastern Docks - used by cross channel ferries and other ships - and the largely disused Western Docks. On average Dover handles 16 million travellers, 700,000 trucks, 1.6 million cars and motorcycles and 118,000 buses each year, raising £15.5 billion a year and making this the busiest of the Channel ports.
There was a small port here in prehistoric times as the sheltered mouth of the River Dour (from which the town takes its name) was ideal for the small fishing craft and trading ships of the time. The Romans named the place Dubris and built a major naval base here. They built a lighthouse up on the hill where the medieval castle now stands, and that is still in pretty good condition - indeed it is the tallest Roman structure still standing in Britain. Not much else is left from Roman times due to the constant growth and redevelopment of the town and its fortifications over the centuries.
Find Dover Priory Railway Station. This station was opened in 1861 to serve as a temporary terminal for the London, Dover and Chatham Railway line. It took the company six months to tunnel through the hill to Dover Harbour and erect a new terminus there. This station then became a passenger through station serving the town centre while the new stop became the main station for the docks and for passengers connecting to the cross channel ferries - the famous “boat trains”. Little of the 1861 station remains as it was almost entirely rebuilt in 1932, though that did give Dover an architectural classic of early 20th century design.
1) Leave the station along the access drive to reach Folkestone Road. Turn left. At a roundabout turn right into York Street.
2) Follow York Street to a second roundabout. Cross the main road and walk across the pedestrianised area to reach the seafront. To your right is the Dover Marina. To your left is the beach and seafront.
In the Marina you can catch a boat to take you out fishing on most days in the summer and irregularly in the spring and autumn. Although the Marina is for the use of private yachts and other small craft, it is part of the Port of Dover, which also includes the Eastern Docks - used by cross channel ferries and other ships - and the largely disused Western Docks. On average Dover handles 16 million travellers, 700,000 trucks, 1.6 million cars and motorcycles and 118,000 buses each year, raising £15.5 billion a year and making this the busiest of the Channel ports.
There was a small port here in prehistoric times as the sheltered mouth of the River Dour (from which the town takes its name) was ideal for the small fishing craft and trading ships of the time. The Romans named the place Dubris and built a major naval base here. They built a lighthouse up on the hill where the medieval castle now stands, and that is still in pretty good condition - indeed it is the tallest Roman structure still standing in Britain. Not much else is left from Roman times due to the constant growth and redevelopment of the town and its fortifications over the centuries.
August 3, 2012
The Eden Valley
The Eden Valley is almost as idyllic as its name might suggest. There is no real Garden of Eden here, but the gentle valley does include some of the most pleasant countryside in the county that has rightly been called the Garden of England. The Eden rises in Surrey, so this route takes you just over the border to view the headwaters before returning to Kent for most of the route.
The Swan Inn lies north of Edenbridge proper in Marlpit Hill, which was once a separate village but has now run together with Edenbridge as housing has expanded. Find the Swan just off the high street about 50 yards north of the railway station.
Leave the Swan and head south along the B2026 to Edenbridge. It is worth stopping here to view the eponymous bridge over the Eden. About a mile south of Edenbridge, turn right along the B2028 through Marsh Green and Dormans Land to reach Lingfield. This small town is famous for its racecourse, but the 15th century Church of St Peter and St Paul is open more often and has more to offer the visitor than a way to gamble. When this church was rebuilt, the tombs of the earlier church were retained. Of particular interest are the tombs of the 1Street, 2nd and 3rd Baron Cobham dating from 1361, 1403 and 1446 respectively. Each shows their occupant dressed in battle armour and allow historians to track changes in the armour of a medieval knight during these years.
from Pub and Teashop Drives in Kent by Rupert Matthews
Buy your copy HERE
The Swan Inn lies north of Edenbridge proper in Marlpit Hill, which was once a separate village but has now run together with Edenbridge as housing has expanded. Find the Swan just off the high street about 50 yards north of the railway station.
Leave the Swan and head south along the B2026 to Edenbridge. It is worth stopping here to view the eponymous bridge over the Eden. About a mile south of Edenbridge, turn right along the B2028 through Marsh Green and Dormans Land to reach Lingfield. This small town is famous for its racecourse, but the 15th century Church of St Peter and St Paul is open more often and has more to offer the visitor than a way to gamble. When this church was rebuilt, the tombs of the earlier church were retained. Of particular interest are the tombs of the 1Street, 2nd and 3rd Baron Cobham dating from 1361, 1403 and 1446 respectively. Each shows their occupant dressed in battle armour and allow historians to track changes in the armour of a medieval knight during these years.
from Pub and Teashop Drives in Kent by Rupert Matthews
Buy your copy HERE
August 1, 2012
A Fateful Event at Normans Bay, Sussex
Normans Bay lies on a dead end road off the A27 between Eastbourne and Bexhill. It is signposted off the roundabout just north of Eastbourne where the A27 meets the A259. The place takes its name from the fact that it was here that William the Conqueror first landed when he invaded England in 1066.
As the ships were driven up on to the beach, William was the first man to leap ashore. Unfortunately for him he missed his footing in the surf and fell flat on his face. The massed ranks of his army gasped in alarm - surely this was a bad omen right at the start of the hazardous task of invading England. William was, however, equal to the moment. He sprang to his feet and held up a handful of sand that he had grasped as he fell.
“See”, he called out to his men, “by the splendour of God, I have taken hold of my kingdom, the very earth of England is in my hands.” A knight, his name is not recorded, followed William and ran up the beach to grab some thatch from an abandoned fishing hut.
“Take this,” he said, “as symbol that you won not only the earth of England, but also everything that stands on it.” William accepted.
from PUB AND TEASHOP DRIVES IN SUSSEX by Rupert Matthews.
Buy your copy HERE
About the book
If there are two marvellous things about England that can
be found nowhere else on earth, they are pubs and tearooms. Both types
have their fans but together they sum up so much about England that is
special and unique. And Sussex had some of the finest in the kingdom.
With seventeen drives designed to start with a light lunch, then
afterwards, a leisurely drive through the beautifiul Sussex countryside.
Finally stopping off for afternoon tea. What better way to spend an
afternoon!
As the ships were driven up on to the beach, William was the first man to leap ashore. Unfortunately for him he missed his footing in the surf and fell flat on his face. The massed ranks of his army gasped in alarm - surely this was a bad omen right at the start of the hazardous task of invading England. William was, however, equal to the moment. He sprang to his feet and held up a handful of sand that he had grasped as he fell.
“See”, he called out to his men, “by the splendour of God, I have taken hold of my kingdom, the very earth of England is in my hands.” A knight, his name is not recorded, followed William and ran up the beach to grab some thatch from an abandoned fishing hut.
“Take this,” he said, “as symbol that you won not only the earth of England, but also everything that stands on it.” William accepted.
from PUB AND TEASHOP DRIVES IN SUSSEX by Rupert Matthews.
Buy your copy HERE
About the book
If there are two marvellous things about England that can
be found nowhere else on earth, they are pubs and tearooms. Both types
have their fans but together they sum up so much about England that is
special and unique. And Sussex had some of the finest in the kingdom.
With seventeen drives designed to start with a light lunch, then
afterwards, a leisurely drive through the beautifiul Sussex countryside.
Finally stopping off for afternoon tea. What better way to spend an
afternoon!
July 30, 2012
The Roman army in 160bc
[image error]In about 160bc the Greek historian Polybius was in Rome as a hostage. With plenty of time on his hands, Polybius made a study of the mighty city that had conquered his homeland. Among other works, the writer produced a study of the Roman army.
The basic organisation of the army had not changed for generations. Every year all citizens under the age of 46 gathered on the Capitol. From these the Consuls selected 1,200 of the wealthiest men to serve in the cavalry. From the poorest men several thousand were marched off to the port of Ostia to man the ships as oarsmen. From the remainder about 20,000 men were allocated to the legions to fight on foot. These men would then serve throughout the campaigning season and, sometimes, through the winter as well. Each man was liable for up to 16 years of service, after which he was exempt from the muster. Although the men served for the honour of Rome and without pay it was customary for the state to provide food and to pay a few coins each day to cover the costs of campaigning.
Each Consul also had a personal staff of leading citizens to act as his advisors, messengers and to organise the supply lines or to ensure fortifications were properly maintained. Serving on this personal staff was regarded as a great honour and was seen as a route to promotion. Young noblemen vied with each other to serve with a Consul, particularly one with a good reputation.
