Captain Beach welcomes King Neptune (Loyd Garlock), Ruler of the Raging Main, his cigar-smoking Queen (Wilmot Jones), Davy Jones (Ross MacGregor), the Royal Baby (Harry Olsen), the Royal Scribe, Concubine, Prosecutor, Sea Lawyer, Barbers, Dentist, Baker, High Sheriffs and others of His Domain.

The Crossing the Line Ceremony is a British tradition that goes back some 200 years. The basic premise of this tradition is that the instant a ship crosses the equator, all become equal save one class of seaman - the Shellbacks!

The Captain pleaded for mercy for the lowly pollywogs (a standard request) and King Neptune gave him the standard response, "NONSENSE." All wogs were brought before the Bar of Watery Justice and all were, of course, found guilty and subsequently initiated into the Solemn Mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep.

The 15 December (1944) anniversary of the loss of Glenn Miller, the famous USAAF band leader, presents an opportunity to consider the impact of our forces upon England during that time.

I recently found an excellent commentary from a Brit that provides a clear and succinct summary of Yanks in wartime England.  I have combined the essay with some selected images along with an offical historical summary from the Arlington National Cemetery.   Credits for all images and copied text sources are shown throughout.
      ---Sid H.                            Posting date: 2 December 2002

On August 27th, 1944, the recently promoted Major Alton Glenn Miller led his world-famous orchestra in concert at RAF Twinwood as a thank-you gesture towards the officers and men of the airfield. Just a few months later, on a foggy December day, Glenn Miller waited in the Control Tower, before he boarded a Norseman aircraft and was never seen again.

In June 2002, Twinwood Events Ltd completed refurbishment and restoration work on Twinwood Airfield Control Tower and it is now open to the public to explore and experience.