Battle of the Somme 90th Anniversary July 1st

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Again, no proof of anything here but a "denial of disproof": it appears that Totenkopf or skull-and-crossbones badges were worn by the Prussian 1st and 2nd Life Hussar regiments, which were attached to the Prussian Guard- and If I've read John Garth's book correctly, the Prussian Guard was the corps Tolkien's division faced on the Somme. As already posted, all German cavalry were issued lances, and it was a common Allied mistake to therefore call them all "Uhlans."

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

To be honest I've been thinking that a lot of my comments about that were rubbish for some time. Basically I misread the original post as simply a dream rather than a nightmare brought on by actual events. There's no particular reason why Tolkien would have made up a wartime adventure, and it's no more unlikely than a lot of other things that happened on the Western Front. Thanks for the information about German cavalry insignia: of course skulls and crossbones are popular motifs in military badges, and it was always unlikely that British lancers were the only ones to adopt them.

[Lalwendë]

Seems more or less a good place to drop in this nugget of info, though it relates to WWII and Tolkien...

There's a book out by Adrian Gilbert (POW: Allied Prisoners in Europe) which includes a look at those Allied PoWs held in German and Italian camps who were fortunate enough to be kept occupied with educational opportunities - one of which was to take a Literature exam which was set by Tolkien, Lewis and Leonard Rice-Oxley.

In the new Companion & Guide there's an entry thus:

12 March 1943: Tolkien chairs an English Faculty Board meeting. He, C.S. Lewis & Leonard Rice-Oxley are appointed to be examiners of Allied prisoners of war in German & Italian camps who have worked at the Board's set syllabus. Tolkien submits a scheme for an English course for Navy & Air Force cadets he has drawn up after consultation with tutors. This is approved, & he is appointed director of the course. He will hold this office until March 1944 - Tolkien also attends a General Board Meeting.

Very interesting that Tolkien not only helped with the PoW educational scheme (and interesting that I never knew some PoWs were so well treated - the bad things we just assume that happen in war!), but was also involved in setting up English courses for cadets. I wonder how long this English course was used, and if it continued after the war? If so then my father will have taken Tolkien's English course in the RAF. Yet another example of how Tolkien served his country - in two wars.