1960-10-15 — Page 17

SPECT

Herold's Fighting Man is be the strange figure?

TION

THERE'S a real-life mystery on the doorstep

FOR LONGKONG

UNKNOWN GIANT

Who does the mysterious figure on the Downs represent

H was in 1874 that D; J. S. Phene first interested archaeo- logists in the Long Man. The next year the then Duke of Devonshire peid to have the Long Man's fading. lines virtually indistinguishable in places-outlined with yellowish- white bricks. Nowadays Süssex archaeologists keep them whitened so that the Long Mar stands out clearly and can be seen from miles away—includ- ing the windows of trains from London to the seaside.

The earliest mention of the Long Man that researchers have been able to find is in a

document in the British Museum

dated 1779. A drawing accom-

The staves in his hands were then

looking rather different.

of Chief Superintendent No Hiding Place panying it shows the Long Man Lockhart. At least it's within a mile or so of where. Raymond Francis, who plays the Super,' Ives on t

the outskirts of Eastbourne. Call it The Riddle of the Unknown Giant.

Perhaps when he is enjoying his outline are almost two feet his favourite hobby of walking six inches wide. on the Downs often studying. And the mystery is. Who is his No Hiding. Place scripts the he meant to be? Who put him superintendent's feet will lead there? Why and when? him to the scene.

Man

How old?

? asks Henry Lewis

The Long Man as he appears today

Grendel, carrying, two, speány · and Baldur the Beautiful, -- god of sub, opening the doors to a new day. (The Lang Mart hands are opening gates, holding anything, in Th theory).

Hindu god

Sir Flinders Patrie, the English Egyptologist who died in 1942 also saw the Long Man 25 god opening gates. He sug- gested the Long Mait feprésent ed an early Hindhi god named Varuna opening the gates to Heaven

Why a Hindu god should worshipped in Sussex is very clear; but S- Flinders stick that the worship of Variant: spread from the East more that 1,000 years before Christ.

shown as a rake and a scythe or boe.

7. The Practical John Thesis. had a badge depicting one of Could the Long Man have been But the Long Man is cer- his soldiers and known as The dug by bright sparks of the tainly much older than the year Fighting Man. Was the Long 18th century for a lark? If this

he Man 1779. Some people believe

originally his badge? were so one would expect to dates back to the Romans, some Wilmington is only 17 miles find reference to the prank”: il

and somné to from Hastings. to the Saxons

diaries or other papers of the prehistoric times.

whose

4. The Monk Theory. There

11th

over-

The superintendent

One of the difficulties facing would was a Benedictine priory in find that there are

an investigator is that no a host of Wilmington between the It's just outside the villagz

theories to be investigated. and early part of the 15th Man originally fooked like

can say just want - the - Lang of Wilmington where, cut into There are plenty of theories. 1. The Human Sacrifice eenturies. Did the monks make the green turf, is the outline covering practically every race Theory.

that the Julius Caesar, who the Long Man?

It seems unlikely One suggestion trenches of which die Long of a man-the famous Long who have conquered Britain lived from 102 to 44 BC. is that he was an early form of Man is made croid- Have st

and some who haven't. These recorded that the Gauls, the advertising sign to direct pil- vived many centuries without The Long Man of Wilming range from Romars Lo Greek French of those days, went in grims to the priory where they some attention; they would have ton, so called because of his gods, from Saxons to practical for burnt offerings, using could find shelter.

fallen in and become enormous height in relation to jokers, from Hindu gods to "figures of huge size,

grown. his breadth, is said to be the Catholic monks. Any one of limbs, made of basket work, 5. The Memorial Theary. biggesf reproduction of the these could have cut the Long they fill with living men and The area is dotted with bir-

A cop human figure in the world. Man-or none of them.

set on fire. and the men die in rows, ancient burial mounds, Not surprising, because he The first thing that Lockhart flames."

some of them believed to Бе This could mean that the stands just on 232ft. high. Each would ask for would be facts.

probably Long Man does not really date the neolithic, the graves of his hands grasps a staff, one The Eastbourne public library of which is nearly, 238ft. tall could soon put the superinten- Long Man might have been the of men who began the work of back to very ancient times, if elearing Britain's forests, grow- could merely mean that his in fence was and the other nearly 242ft. The dent in possesion of the known cutline on which a

erected. Inside

and pearance has become changed this stockade ng grain, rearing cattle trenches in the turf that form ones which are few.

in human form men and cattle sheep, making stone axes and by retouching over the years would be driven to be burned pottery.

The 17-21 MEET THE

Club's

rules

five

MEMBERS

RICKY NG, 17, student, 24, Kennedy-stroot, 2nd floor, Hongkong.

HOWARD HOWE, clerk, 1, Lock-road, Membership in the 17-21 floor, Kowloon.

Club is open

to all

within that age group.

I !

Dr Phene thought that

to death.

a

a

Some people betiere that during, the Middle Ages the It is suggested that a greaf Long Man was filled in, and local chieftain was killed in a later dug out again: It á súp Battle and buried in a nearby gested that the Long Han opës Barrow. Then his men euf his word a caps. There also fikeness in the turf at a size to suggestión" thất at one tërë cómmmémorate his importance there was a coelt carved in the suitably.

hillside heart blog

other

But would a stockade on steep hill be able to contain crowd of terrified people?

2. The Roman Soldier Theory. Coing of the fourth century AD showed a Roman

There's a real riddle here soldier holding in each hand a 6. The God Theory. Dife

worthy of Chief Supt. Lockhart standard on a pole. The pose ferent people have suggested

There are simiker, though not is similar to that of the Long that the Long Man was intend-

so hauling, mysteries 20, Man. Certainly the Romans ed to be Apollo (god of music quite

surrounding other bill figures, 2nd occupied the area. Could the and song), Mercury (the mes-

have Long Man

been

a senger of Jupiter), St Paul and particularly horses,

all carrying

bows, parts of the country, standard-bearing Roman soldier, Mohamet,

But consider the Long Man. of the winged rods or staffs. who, with the passing

Theories there are in plenty. cenfuries, was altered until he

the But there seems appeared to

have suggested

no way be holding two

Long Man represents someone proving any of them. Archaeo- from Norse mythology, Woden, logists admit they just don't 3. The Saxon Soldier Theory. the one-eyed Viking god, carry- know.

What do you think? The Harold II, the man who was ing two stails; Thor, his son, Eilled by an arrow while ight- carrying his magic boomerang- choice is wildemand a floor, ing William the Conqueror at hammer, Mjolnir, and a club; theory that fifs the fzzis the Battle of Hastings in 1066, Beowulf, who slew the monster be just as right ag sny

19,

WALTER CHU, Contributions and all ac- clerk, 95, Hau Wong-road, tivities of the Club will) 3rd floor, Kowloon City. be limited. to members only.

1

DENNIS ABBAS, 17, 214, Contributions may consist student,

Prince of anything that is Edward-road, top publishable articlez, Kowfoon. letters, stories, photo-

graphs, drawings, verses.

But only the best will

be printed

All contributions MUST be original.

contributions should not cousish of tváre thêm: 356 wards, photographs and drew- isgir will only be ed, in black-and-

MEMBERSHIP

Fif this he and send # to the China. Mail, 1-3 Wyndham. Street, Hongkong.

Name

Age Occupation Addres

staffs?

Others

Mighty rig dips far below the water to search for oil

THIS HAT

SIMPLIFIES, DEEP-

GERRILLING TEMPLATE LESNÉ IN PLACE WHEN BARES MOVESTONEWSP

LIKE A HUGE BARGE, IT IS TOWED TO THE DRILLING

LOCATION, WITH ITS THREE

166S RAISED AND DERRICK IN THE CENTER.

摞

IT HAS ALL SHOPS AND BRILL- ING MACHINERY REQUIRED; AS WELL AS LIVING QUAR- TERS FOR THE CREW

·

AF DESIRED LOCATION, THE

LEGS BEGIN TO DESCEND TOWARD THE

OCEAN FLOOR.

WILL DRILL IN WATER UP TO 300 FL. DEEP.

AS LEGS APPROACH THÈ BOTTOMTHEY SLANT TO FORM A WIDE BASE AND INCREASE STABILITY.~^

'BARGE' TAKES ON A LOAD OF WATER'

TO FORCE LESS INTO BOITOM.........

THEN WATER IS RELEASED AND THE ENTIRE PLATFORM RISES UNTIL IT IS AT THE CORRECT HEIGHT ABOVE

THE OCEANFOR DRILLING.

DERRICK MOYES TO DRILLING POSITION.

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