"The Great Armada Myth" proclaims BBC History Magazine. Was the Spanish Fleet hit by a Kamikaze?

In 1274 a Mongol invasion fleet heading for Japan was dispersed by a major typhoon which the Japanese later gave the name Kamikaze, or Divine Wind.

Just over 300 years later, in 1588, another invasion fleet, this time the Spanish Armada attempting an invasion of England, also fell foul of the weather.

Lucy Worsley writing in BBC History Magazine (The Great Armada Myth, February 2020) informs us that the Spanish invasion fleet “. . . faced disease, rotting provisions and bad weather.”, before it even reached the English Channel.  When the Armada eventually reached France and was anchored awaiting further invasion troops it was attacked by English fireships. The Spanish panicked and sailed for the North Sea.

Ms Worsley tells us: “. . . what was left of the Armada was on its way home, running up around Scotland and Ireland to get back to Spain.  And there, in the north, the death knell was dealt to Spanish plans: not by Drake, Elizabeth l or brave English sailors – but by bad weather.”

So it seems it was not the ships of Francis Drake, John Hawkins, or Martin Frobisher that did for the dastardly Spanish and their Armada, but a hit by a Kamikaze!

Incidentally, BBC History Magazine has previous form with regard to debunking English naval victories.  In the August 2019 edition the cover has the headline Trafalgar – A Futile Victory?  And it is subtitled Why Nelson’s triumph didn’t turn the tide on Napoleon.  The article featured, by Sam Willis, is entitled Trafalgar: An overrated victory?  Mr Willis asks if the claim that Trafalgar was Royal Navy’s greatest triumph stands up to scrutiny.  More on this in a future blogpost!

Royal potatoes and mumbling actors. Humour from The Week.

In recent years it seems to me as if many TV drama series are filmed in the dark or half-light while the actors mumble their way through the dialogue, or speak in whispers, to such a degree that they are practically incomprehensible.

For Example, I found SSGB a perfect example of this type of production.  Only the actors playing bombastic German characters, speaking perfectly clear English, were audible, but I found the whispered English of the British characters so difficult to follow I gave up watching after the first episode!

The Week (Jan 25) reported Martin Deacon writing in The Daily Telegraph.

Mumbling actors.

“Perhaps it was bound to happen to us eventually.  The other evening my wife and I watched Martin Scorsese’s film The Irishman.  Right from the start, we found ourselves straining to make out the dialogue.  After five minutes we gave up and switched on the subtitles.  Much of the dialogue was strangely indistinct as, as if the cast had arrived on set after a painful encounter with a dentist.  ‘Whur hur a hur hur,’ one gangster would sternly say to another.  ‘Hur whur a whur HAR!’ the other would indignantly reply.  If I ever meet Mr Scorsese, I’ll make a polite suggestion about his mumbling actors.  ‘Mur bur a hur mur?’ I’ll ask.  ‘Hur mur bur a whur mur?’  I’m sure he’ll understand”

I sympathise entirely with Mr Deacon’s sentiments!

Meanwhile, in the same edition of The Week this brief letter, originally published in The Times, made me smile.

The royal spud.

“Sussex Royals” sounds like a variety of potato.  Fits in nicely with Jersey Royal, British Queen, Duke of York and King Edward.”

Andrew Harrington, Brompton, North Yorkshire.

Now I wonder who Mr Harrington could be thinking of!?

A view, during a lull in storm Brendan, from the sea front at Seaton in the neighbouring county of Devonshire.

It has been a wet and windy start to the New Year and I have not had much opportunity to take my camera anywhere.  However, on January 15th there was a break in storm Brendan so my wife and I drove down to Seaton.  It was a very sunny afternoon but still blowing a bit.

The flood defence barriers were closed, nevertheless there were quite a few people enjoying a bracing stroll along the sea wall.  Unsurprisingly not many ventured onto the beach. 

I took some photos looking east to the mouth of the River Axe, and west toward Beer.

The afternoon of 15th January 2020 at Seaton in Devonshire, looking east toward the mouth of the River Axe.

The afternoon of 15th January 2020 at Seaton in Devonshire, looking west toward Beer.  The scene is a little hazy due to the wind-blown spray.