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Royalty at Ravenspur
I read with interest Stephen Roberts’ account of the coup that brought Henry IV to the English throne in 1399 (‘Seizing the Crown’, MHM February/March 2025). Living on the East Yorkshire coast, I’ve long been fascinated by the story of Ravenspur on the Humber – also known as Ravenspurn – where Henry landed to launch his bid for power.
On the spit of land known as Spurn Head, the small town fell victim to coastal erosion and not a trace remains. Before it disappeared beneath the waves, however, Ravenspur was the scene of a landing by another claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. This was Edward IV (pictured), who made landfall here in March 1471 from exile in the Netherlands, on his way to seize the crown from the Lancastrian King Henry VI. Edward met a certain amount of local opposition, which he defused by maintaining that he was only seeking to recover his rights as Duke of York. This was, of course, merely a preliminary to a ruthless power grab in London.
As a footnote to this story, a monument to Henry IV’s arrival can be seen to this day. It is a medieval stone cross, to be found in the grounds of Holyrood House at Hedon, which is now a residential care home. The cross was moved here to save it from the advance of the North Sea – which remorselessly continues to wash away the land in this part of the world.
James Smith, Withernsea, East Riding
Strength and resilience
I enjoyed rereading David Porter’s excellent overview of Ukraine’s long history of struggle with their former Russian overlords in an issue of yours from some months ago (‘Battlefield Ukraine’, MHM June/July 2023). Time and again the apparatchiks of Moscow have done their best to batter, suppress, and exploit Ukraine’s people and her natural resources.
It is a testament to their strength and resilience that the Ukrainian people have steadfastly refused to bend the knee to a succession of brutal Russian tsars, warlords, and dictators. All free peoples ought to be inspired by their ongoing efforts.
Readers may want to revisit this piece, as it is important to remember the ongoing struggle at a time when it has somewhat faded from the headlines. Doing so, one is reminded of Mark Twain’s trenchant remark that ‘history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes’.
Adam Johnson, Atlanta, Georgia
Imperial army
Clive Webb’s fascinating article about the heroism of Jamaican World War I pilot William Robinson Clarke (‘Race for the skies’, MHM February/March 2025) is a good reminder of an important fact about that war: the British army that fought from 1914 to 1918 was, of course, an imperial army.
As well as the white soldiers from the Dominions (as they were then called) of Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand who fought so bravely, there were also more than a million Indians who volunteered to fight for ‘King and Country’. They too fought and died on the Western Front, in the Middle East, and in Mesopotamia (Iraq). African volunteers fought for the empire in that continent as well.
Consequently, when the Imperial War Graves Commission came to designing a suitable tombstone, they chose not a cross like the French, but the neutral headstone which is so familiar to us today in every British war cemetery around the world. This was because the imperial army contained not only Christians but also Muslims, Hindus, and Jews. We should all remember the debt we owe to these men, as well as to William Robinson Clarke.
Terry Downs, Devon
Correction: In our crossword for the February/March 2025 issue, we incorrectly stated that the answer to the clue for 22 Down (‘a House in Lancashire besieged by Parliamentary forces from February to March 1644’) was ‘Latham’ House. It should have been ‘Lathom’. Thanks to Stephanie Bruntlett, among others, for pointing this out.
All images: Wikimedia Commons
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