Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition

Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers, this week, seem to me to be:


Q1. The Dam Busters


Q2. Woodhall Spa

(N.B. for question one, this film is also sometimes referred to as 'The Dambusters')

Quite tricky this week, two people in succession, were appointed as treasurer in 1433. The first was Ralph de Cromwell and the second was Ralph Boteler and both of these guys built castles. Ralph de Cromwell, according to some of the reference sources I checked built 'Tattershall Castle' near Conningsby, in Lincolnshire and Ralph Boteler built 'Sudeley Castle', in Gloucester. Of the two fortifications, the one which is a good fit for the puzzle author's description, is Tattershall castle as this has crenellations and is made of red bricks (seems a strange kind of material to construct a castle from, could be easily pulverised by rocks hurled from siege engines).

To further support the theory that 'Tattershall Castle' is the correct location, a quick check of the OS map shows that there is a viewing point next to Conningsby airfield and that the RAF motto for this station was 'Loyalty Binds Me'. The station sigil also includes an image of Tattershall Castle.

The indigenous inhabitants of the big British island are known to have three favourite squadrons and one favourite flight, these being 'The Red Arrows', the '617 'Dam Busters' squadron', the mythical '633 squadron' (which inspired George Lucas to produce the scene where Luke Skywalker flies down a canyon to destroy the Deathstar with a well placed photon torpedo) and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which is based at RAF Conningsby.

To go North from Conningsby aerodrome, the puzzle compiler would likely have to cross the eleven mile long 'Horncastle Canal' (opened c 1802) and drive up the B1192. I found some references to 617 squadron being based at RAF Woodhall Spa during world war II and there appears to be a memorial, in the shape of a broken dam, to the brave aviators who carried out this very daring and risky operation. A film about the exploits of 617 squadron, called 'The Dam Busters', was made c 1955. The airfield (which opened c 1942), is no longer there because it closed c 1964 and then became a quarry for sand and gravel.

Woodhall appears to have become a spa town when c 1811, a Mr John Parkinson, in an attempt to discover coal, instead discovered water, which was found to contain iodine and bromine and was thus declared valuable. A local dragon subsequently put up the money to build a spa, that he and the town could benefit from the tourist trade.

The abbey is most likely 'Kirkstead Abbey', which lies just short of the town. Seems to have been built c 1139 by Hugh Brito.

N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.