By Sea and Air

[Roger Lancaster]

Did you miss the "Rearmament began" bit Roger?

Not really, Justin. To start with, I think you'll find it hard to identify a unique date when "rearmament began" in Britain.

It's not British rearmament that's being referred to.

For the same reasons as Britain, most democracies were slow to rearm on the scale needed to match the Axis threat. Taking the navy example again, the US Navy relied (much as did the Royal Navy) on WW1-era battleships until the North Carolina class (two ships, laid down in 1937/8 but entered service only in 1941) which was shortly followed by the South Dakota and Iowa designs as the USA rearmed. You won't need me to tell you, because there's an obvious near-parallel today, that democracies are almost always slower to react to war (or the threat of war) than oligarchies.

[JustinHorton]

<bangs head repeatedly on desk>

[Roger Lancaster]

<bangs head repeatedly on desk>

Well, let's drop the subject as it's somewhat off-topic and I mentioned Sir John Simon only to highlight what seemed to me a total change between the chess-playing fraternities of the 1920s/30s and today. Okay, the 1986 world championship match in London (organised by Justin's favourite GM) saw PM Margaret Thatcher at the opening ceremony but it's hard to think of leading politicians of the likes of Sir John or Andrew Bonar Law who today play the game in public. That's probably because it's unfashionable in modern Britain to be thought of as an 'egghead' (present-day politicians tend to shy away from this) and partly also because the nature of chess has changed - it's now played more in draughty church halls than in well-appointed clubs and with totally different dress codes. Before the inevitable "What's your point?" rejoinder, I'm making no particular point here, just reflecting.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

<bangs head repeatedly on desk>

Not to derail a really lovely thread, but if it helps, Justin, I thought it was obvious you were referring to Germany rearming. (And I agree with Roger's point about later generations seeing today's politicians as appeasing Putin, with the caveat that in a nuclear age, it is difficult to be as strident about this as before 1945. I do wonder how Churchill and other figures from history would have handled Putin. Maybe no better than we have.)

[David Sedgwick]

... it's hard to think of leading politicians of the likes of Sir John or Andrew Bonar Law who today play the game in public.

Rachel Reeves played chess in public only a few days ago.

(Off topic, in the great tradition of this Forum.)

[Leonard Barden]

... it's hard to think of leading politicians of the likes of Sir John or Andrew Bonar Law who today play the game in public.

Rachel Reeves played chess in public only a few days ago.

(Off topic, in the great tradition of this Forum.)

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/ ... ry-chennai
We also have an unpublished pic of her playing one to one against Bodhana.

[Gerard Killoran]

And I agree with Roger's point about later generations seeing today's politicians as appeasing Putin,

I think you'll find that far more of today's politicians were appeasing George W. Bush.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

And I agree with Roger's point about later generations seeing today's politicians as appeasing Putin,

I think you'll find that far more of today's politicians were appeasing George W. Bush.

Fair point. That might be a good point to get back to the gentle pursuits of chess played in the air.

[MJMcCready]

Since Tony Blair was just about the biggest culprit, you might be right there.

[Geoff Chandler]

This one has not gone off topic, it's jumped sites and landed in some political forum.

I'll see if I can call it back.

The original thread was about a flight in 1927 and later Lindbergh was mentioned.
What is the chess connection to Lindbergh?

[James Pratt]

I just finished writing about London 1922 for BCM. A short lived, Canadian born, Prime Minister opened play. Andrew Bonar Law himself it appears but it has to be said he only had to nip across the road from the Palace of Westminster. The late Ron Harman told me that he'd had lunch with Boris Johnson 'more than once' and that 'he is no chess player'. All the same if he was ..

[Kevin Thurlow]

"A short lived, Canadian born, Prime Minister opened play."

Bonar Law wasn't Prime Minister then. The event was roughly in the usual British Championship slot (31/7/22 - 19/8/22), and BL became Prime Minister 23/10/1922.

[Geoff Chandler]

By way of a coincidence and the 1927 flight of Mrs Miles Bailey.
Also in 1927 Lady Mary Bailey, and also in a de Havilland, climbed to
17,283 feet setting an altitude record for that class of aeroplane.

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/d ... ft-co-ltd/

(I wonder if their husband's name was 'Bill' and did they ever come home.)

The Lindbergh connection to chess was of course Norman Tween Whitaker
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=39196

An IM chess player who was convicted in 1932 of fraud trying to extort $104,000 from
the Lindenbergh's claiming he was in contact with Kidnappers of the their baby.

[James Plaskett]

"I cannot recall when I last saw someone wearing a monocle, having said that, I was astounded to see someone smoking a pipe in the mean streets of Wedmore yesterday. "

Writes Kevin Thurlow.
I saw the late Sir Patrick Moore insert a monacle when conversing with myself and Ray Keene at a lunch in Hastings.
I also saw PV Byway smoking a pipe some 12-15 years ago at a 4NCL meet.