Today in 1100 William Rufus (the ruddy) was killed while hunting in the New Forest. There is a stone to mark the spot there today and most people who picnic near it have absolutely no idea who he was. He was a thoroughly unpopular, objectionable git who was probably murdered on the orders of his younger brother.
The moral of this story is - if you are thoroughly unpopular and objectionable, don't go hunting with your brother's mates. You have been warned.
In other news ...
Today in 1918, an Allied Force of British, French and American troops landed at Archangel to try to overthrow the Bolshevik government of Lenin, Trotsky and their good ol' boy comrades. The gambit failed but it was fun while it lasted. My favourite adventurer in this was an English eccentric called Locker-Lampson who went around Russia in an open armoured car machine-gunning everything that moved.
Heigh ho for the open road!
