Daily Mail - 21.08.2019

Page 56 Daily Mail, Wednesday, August 21, 2019

QUESTIONS

REFRESHING summer

drink. Serves: 8.

Turning our

back on Tsar

Compiled by Charles Legge

TODAY’S RECIPE:

Watermelon lemonade

Method

QUESTION

Did the British
government offer
the Romanovs asylum?

When Russian Tsar nicholas II
abdicated in March 1917, only Britain and
Germany were strong enough to exert
any influence over his fate and that of his
family, the Romanovs.
It was unthinkable to approach the
Kaiser during World War I, but the Tsar
could surely expect help from his cousin,
George V. They had been friends since
childhood family gatherings in their
mothers’ native Denmark. They even
looked alike.
Yet things were not that simple. George
was concerned about nicholas’s safety,
but as a constitutional monarch he had
to act on the advice of his government.
There was unrest in Britain, where
republican rallies were held to celebrate
the fall of the Tsarist regime.
In Russia, the provisional government’s
foreign minister Pavel Milyukov asked
British Ambassador Sir George Buchanan
whether arrangements had been made
for the Tsar to go to the UK. The Foreign
Office in London pointed out it had not
yet sent an invitation.
The result was a formal request from
Milyukov. The British government had to
make a decision. After a heated meeting,
a reply was sent to Buchanan: ‘The King
and his Majesty’s Government readily
offer asylum to the emperor and empress
in england, which it is hoped they will
take advantage of during the war...
‘To avoid any possible doubt... you
should emphasise the fact that the offer
made has been entirely due to the
initiative of the Russian government.’
The provisional government hesitated,
fearing the anger of extremists if they tried
to move the Tsar. The delay proved fatal
because George V changed his mind.
On March 30, 1917, he sent a message to
Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour express-
ing his concern about the proposal that
the Imperial family should come to Britain.
Two days later, his private secretary fired
off two more letters to Balfour. The king
‘must beg you to represent to the Prime
Minister that from all he hears and reads

in the Press, the residence in this country

of the ex-emperor and ex-empress would

be strongly resented by the public and

would undoubtedly compromise the

position of the King and Queen.. .’

In response, Lloyd George agreed to

approach the French government.

George V and his government were

against nicholas coming, but for different

reasons. The King was afraid his throne

could be in danger, while from the

government’s point of view, it was vital to

maintain national unity.

Britain abandoned the Romanovs. On

the night of July 16/17, 1918, the family

was massacred in ekaterinburg.

Coryne Hall, author of To Free The

Romanovs: Royal Kinship And Betrayal In

Europe, 1917-1919, Bordon, Hants.

QUESTION

MTV launched

with Video Killed

The Radio Star by the then little-

known British electronic duo, The

Buggles. Which song was played next?

On SATURDAY, August 1, 1981, at 12:01am

eastern Time, MTV (Music Television)

was launched.

The opening montage featured footage

of the Space Shuttle launch countdown

followed by the launch of Apollo II and

doctored footage showing an astronaut

planting the MTV flag on the Moon to the

soundtrack of a guitar riff and the words:

‘Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.’

The video that followed was, propheti-

cally, Video Killed The Radio Star by The

Buggles. The second song was You Better

Run by Pat Benatar.

The next songs played were She Won’t

Dance With Me by Rod Stewart; You Better

You Bet by The Who; Little Suzi’s On

The Up by Ph.D.; We Don’t Talk Anymore

by Cliff Richard; Brass In Pocket by the

Pretenders; Time heals by Todd Rund-

gren; Take It On The Run by ReO Speed-

wagon; and Rockin’ The Paradise by

Styx. On its first day, MTV played 116

unique music videos. In total, 208 videos

were shown. Rod Stewart made the most

appearances — 16 — with 11 videos.

Ian Maggs, Sheffield.

QUESTION

The joke is Nasa

means No Aliens

Seen Anywhere. What other amusing

versions of acronyms are there?

FURTheR to previous answers, nowhere

was this satirical subversion funnier than

with the railway companies.

Suggestions were supportive, out-

rageous, but always amusing. here are a

few I have collected:

GWR, Great Western Railway: Great

Way Round (before they built the Severn

Tunnel), Goes When Ready, God’s

Wonderful Railway (by fans), Gresley Was

Right (by enemies referring to the designer

of rival LneR’s much faster Mallard).

GC, Great Central: Gone Completely.

GneR, Great north eastern Railway:

Got no engine Ready.

LBSCR, London, Brighton & South Coast

Railway: Lay Back So Comfortable

Railway.

LneR, London & north eastern Rail-

way: Late & never early Railway.

LM&SR, London Midland & Scottish

Railway: Lazy, Mucky & Slow Railway.

L&Y, Lancashire & Yorkshire: Languish

& Yawn.

M&GnR, Midland & Great northern

Railway: Muddle & Go nowhere Railway

(my favourite, it really was a bit like that).

MS&L, Manchester, Sheffield &

Lincolnshire: Money Sunk & Lost.

SeCR, South eastern & Chatham Rail-

way: Slow, easy and Comfortable Railway.

S&D, Somerset & Dorset: Swift &

Delightful, Sabotaged & Destroyed.

WIMR, Woolmer Instructional Military

Railway: Will It Move Railway.

Benedict Le Vay,

author of Britain From The Rails, A

Window Gazer’s Guide, Emsworth, Hants.

n IS THERE a question to which you have always wanted

to know the answer? Or do you know the answer to a

question raised here? Send your questions and answers

to: Charles Legge, Answers To Correspondents, Daily

Mail, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5TT. You can also fax

them to 01952 780111 or you can email them to charles.

[email protected]. A selection will be published but

we are not able to enter into individual correspondence.

: How do fish cope with flash floods?

Geoff Barker, Rudheath, Cheshire.

: What was Plan B if the Apollo

astronauts were unable to return

to Earth?

Mike Thompson, Plymouth.

: When England won the World Cup

in 1966, a postage stamp was issued

with the words: ‘England Winners.’

Was it issued in Scotland and, if so,

how well was it received?

Martin Birtle, Billingham, Durham.

Q

Q

Q

Ingredients

Picture: PRINT COLLECTOR / GETTY

Close: Nicholas II (left) and George V

1 large or 2 small

watermelons

250ml lemon juice

(from a bottle or

squeeze your own)

100g golden

caster sugar

1 litre bottle

soda water

1 lime, cut into slices

Small handful mint

Crushed ice

1. Cut top off watermelon and hollow it out
   using a large spoon, fishing out the pips. Mash
   flesh through a sieve into a bowl. Put in a
   blender (or use a tall jug and hand blender)
   with lemon juice and sugar, whizz to a puree,
   then stir in soda water.


2. Heap ice into hollowed-out watermelon
   and fill with lemonade mixture. Serve the rest
   in a jug with lime slices and mint, with a bowl
   of extra crushed ice on the side.

n RECIPE of the Day brought to you in association

with BBC Good Food Magazine. Subscribe today and

get your first five issues for £5 (direct debit). Visit

buysubscriptions.com/goodfood and enter code

GFDAILY19 or call 03330 162 124 and quote GFDAILY19.

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