Germany 7. Brazil 1. (semi-final result World Cup 2014 Brazil)
Broken-hearted Brazilian fans ended a ninety minute routing of their national team and the destruction of any aspiration they had of securing world cup glory with tears and cheers for the footballing skill of the German football team.
Once again we watched a German team with surgeon-like precision dismember the playing prowess of probably one of the greatest football nations of the world. As an Englishman, complimenting what was without doubt a wonderful achievement is generally followed by one of the following put-downs: "they played like machines", "typical German precision", "Brazil’s defense was appalling". It is an accepted fact that for centuries our attitude to Germany has been less than brotherly, most often guarded.
But having reached the age of seventy plus years, I have a secret to admit. As a child of WW2, I have always held a begrudging respect for our German foe, along with almost all of my childhood friends.
Broken-hearted Brazilian fans ended a ninety minute routing of their national team and the destruction of any aspiration they had of securing world cup glory with tears and cheers for the footballing skill of the German football team.
Once again we watched a German team with surgeon-like precision dismember the playing prowess of probably one of the greatest football nations of the world. As an Englishman, complimenting what was without doubt a wonderful achievement is generally followed by one of the following put-downs: "they played like machines", "typical German precision", "Brazil’s defense was appalling". It is an accepted fact that for centuries our attitude to Germany has been less than brotherly, most often guarded.
But having reached the age of seventy plus years, I have a secret to admit. As a child of WW2, I have always held a begrudging respect for our German foe, along with almost all of my childhood friends.
When splitting into groups for a "War Game", being picked to be an English "Tommy" was akin to being "put into goal". We all, much to the horror of the old people, wanted to be Germans, in beautifully tailored uniforms, with shining black leather riding boots, an imaginary Luger on our belt, and the obligatory monocle in our eye. The alternative was to be a Tommy, looking like a sack of potatoes tied at the middle with string. Never feeling the slightest guilt at the disrespect our dads would have felt, we would click our imaginary boots, clasp our imaginary monocle to our eye and say "vee eff vays of making you tolk". To be fair, the English always won these battles! We all thought German-made toys were better though, as were German-made cars. So what moved me to make this admission?
I was trolling through the wonderful Internet reading an article on that most English of subjects "the Crystal Palace Exhibition", imagine my surprise when I read how much was owed to Queen Victoria and even more so Albert the royal consort, Franz Albert August Karl Emanuel, from the house of Saxe-Coburg Gotha. This led me to read a little more about this remarkable man. Born in 1819, he was suggested as a possible husband to his cousin the princess Victoria. After her first visit to meet him, Victoria wrote "Albert is extremely handsome, his hair is about the same colour as mine, his eyes large and blue, and he has a beautiful nose, and very sweet mouth and fine teeth but the charm of his countenance is his expression which is most delightful. She was obviously besotted with the young man.
I was trolling through the wonderful Internet reading an article on that most English of subjects "the Crystal Palace Exhibition", imagine my surprise when I read how much was owed to Queen Victoria and even more so Albert the royal consort, Franz Albert August Karl Emanuel, from the house of Saxe-Coburg Gotha. This led me to read a little more about this remarkable man. Born in 1819, he was suggested as a possible husband to his cousin the princess Victoria. After her first visit to meet him, Victoria wrote "Albert is extremely handsome, his hair is about the same colour as mine, his eyes large and blue, and he has a beautiful nose, and very sweet mouth and fine teeth but the charm of his countenance is his expression which is most delightful. She was obviously besotted with the young man.
Prince Albert
They married on 10th February 1840 but Albert was not very well received by the government who were determined that no political power should ever be given to him. Victoria herself was appalled at the annuity the house agreed for him of £30,000 – the norm at this time was £50,000. He was not awarded a title and was to be known as "the Prince Albert". He himself was little concerned at the refusal of a title, believing that any title like The Duke of Kent was in his estimation a retrograde step from those he already held.
Even the general running of the royal household was not his responsibility but that of the queen’s old housekeeper. Albert himself remarked "I am very happy and contented but the difficulty in filling my place with proper dignity is that I am only the Husband not the master in the house." His influence on Victoria however was immense and it was under his guidance that the young Queen radically changed the perception of her subjects to the monarchy from just the heir to the throne to that of the royal family with whom they could relate for the first time. He was astute enough to recognize the need for a change of attitude to the working classes, and encouraged education for the masses and a greater recognition of the contribution they made to the country and the British Empire. Parts of Europe were plagued by the ever resentful attitudes of the undervalued workers and civil unrest was prominent in many countries.
His introduction of his own country’s Christmas celebration tradition of bringing a pine tree indoors and decorating it with candles and sweet treats was greeted with enthusiasm especially given that a photograph of the Royal family was circulated to the press. For some years people had over the Christmas period been in the habit of bringing the bough of a tree, usually from a yew into their houses, but soon every person wanted a tree to celebrate the season, and the exchanging of cards with seasonal images also spread from the royal household to the whole country.
When a display of the great British Empire was suggested, Albert was quick to see the possibility of making it a public exhibition, putting his effort into public access, something that was not well received by the prime minister or many of his party. The establishment heaped scorn on his proposals; the famous magazine Punch was most cutting, labeling it “Albert’s Folly”. However, he managed to win over many powerful industrialists who recognized the benefits of an Exhibition that their workforce could feel a part of.
So it was that a contest for designs for a building to house such an undertaking was held. The winning design was a large glass construction emphasizing the engineering prowess of British industry to be sited in Hyde Park in the centre of London. Ironically, it was Punch Magazine that laughingly referred to the design as the Crystal Palace, but the name became synonymous with this great Victorian achievement.
Even the general running of the royal household was not his responsibility but that of the queen’s old housekeeper. Albert himself remarked "I am very happy and contented but the difficulty in filling my place with proper dignity is that I am only the Husband not the master in the house." His influence on Victoria however was immense and it was under his guidance that the young Queen radically changed the perception of her subjects to the monarchy from just the heir to the throne to that of the royal family with whom they could relate for the first time. He was astute enough to recognize the need for a change of attitude to the working classes, and encouraged education for the masses and a greater recognition of the contribution they made to the country and the British Empire. Parts of Europe were plagued by the ever resentful attitudes of the undervalued workers and civil unrest was prominent in many countries.
His introduction of his own country’s Christmas celebration tradition of bringing a pine tree indoors and decorating it with candles and sweet treats was greeted with enthusiasm especially given that a photograph of the Royal family was circulated to the press. For some years people had over the Christmas period been in the habit of bringing the bough of a tree, usually from a yew into their houses, but soon every person wanted a tree to celebrate the season, and the exchanging of cards with seasonal images also spread from the royal household to the whole country.
When a display of the great British Empire was suggested, Albert was quick to see the possibility of making it a public exhibition, putting his effort into public access, something that was not well received by the prime minister or many of his party. The establishment heaped scorn on his proposals; the famous magazine Punch was most cutting, labeling it “Albert’s Folly”. However, he managed to win over many powerful industrialists who recognized the benefits of an Exhibition that their workforce could feel a part of.
So it was that a contest for designs for a building to house such an undertaking was held. The winning design was a large glass construction emphasizing the engineering prowess of British industry to be sited in Hyde Park in the centre of London. Ironically, it was Punch Magazine that laughingly referred to the design as the Crystal Palace, but the name became synonymous with this great Victorian achievement.
Wallpaper of the Great Exhibition. The 1851 Exhibition held in London's Hyde Park inside the purpose built Crystal Palace received millions of visitors.This image is from the collections of The National Archives. Image no.375199
When completed, it was hailed as a “wonder of the age, a glass building larger than an ocean liner, a glittering palatial edifice like nothing ever seen before.” It was to be filled with the very latest industrial innovations and displays from every part of the great British Empire, all under one roof. At the opening, the public were stunned. Never before had such a spectacular sight been seen - a palace of glass set in a park in the centre of London housing the wonders of the modern Victorian Empire.
The entrance fee was set at a level making it accessible to the working class, and with special one shilling days throughout the week, it was soon to become the "must see" on everyone's wish list. People remarked on the fact that with the masses of visitors to the Exhibition they were struck by the silence of the crowd, who speechlessly looked in amazement as they took in the whole spectacle. Victoria herself made as many as thirty visits to the site. People from towns and villages all across the country (many of whom had never ventured outside of their villages) flocked to the capital to view the wonder of the modern world. Albert himself persuaded the Queen to make many of her royal visits on "the shilling days" adding to the excitement of the visiting masses. He had almost single-handedly altered the perception of the populace to the monarchy and given the working class a new found pride in their country. And against all the odds, he managed to endear himself to the great British public for the remaining years of his life.
You could be forgiven for wondering instead of being our feuding cousins how the map of Europe would have looked had we been allies. Perhaps two world wars would never have happened? Who knows?
John
The entrance fee was set at a level making it accessible to the working class, and with special one shilling days throughout the week, it was soon to become the "must see" on everyone's wish list. People remarked on the fact that with the masses of visitors to the Exhibition they were struck by the silence of the crowd, who speechlessly looked in amazement as they took in the whole spectacle. Victoria herself made as many as thirty visits to the site. People from towns and villages all across the country (many of whom had never ventured outside of their villages) flocked to the capital to view the wonder of the modern world. Albert himself persuaded the Queen to make many of her royal visits on "the shilling days" adding to the excitement of the visiting masses. He had almost single-handedly altered the perception of the populace to the monarchy and given the working class a new found pride in their country. And against all the odds, he managed to endear himself to the great British public for the remaining years of his life.
You could be forgiven for wondering instead of being our feuding cousins how the map of Europe would have looked had we been allies. Perhaps two world wars would never have happened? Who knows?
John
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