Spiralling Histories

To start this spiral I needed to repost the "full circle"  story I wrote in 2018. Back then, I thought it was a closure, a completed circle of personal history. 

I was wrong

Last year my seemingly complete ring began to spiral in the most unexpected and wonderful way. It started with us taking a dear friend on holiday to see the Fochabers Folk Museum. We'd actually never been there ourselves. Most times Fochabers is a town we drive through travelling to somewhere else. 

First of all I can say it's a surprising Tardis of a seemingly small museum, full of unexpected twisty ways leading to all sorts of fascinating things. We all enjoyed it, but it was at the end, talking to the ladies who volunteer there, that the real magic happened. 

They have a display for Allen Wilson. If that name means nothing to you, then please read my blog post Full Circle or look up the Shangani Patrol. 

And this is where the circle became a spiral

My father's father, Gabe Frost, found a British Cavalry sabre from the 1800s Matabele wars, out in the wilds of Matabeleland in the 1950s. This is a photo of him. 

 

After my grandfather died, my dad became the owner of this beautiful sabre. I'm afraid to say, I used to sneak it out of my dad's wardrobe and have imaginary swordfights in the garden. I grew very adept at beheading my mother's flowers. But mostly it has stayed hidden away, wrapped in cloth and stored in chests and wardrobes. 

 

But no longer

 

 This month, August 2025, I donated it, and a military bugle, to the Fochabers Museum. They were very pleased. And today they phoned to say that they are going to wall mount it above the Allen Wilson display. Not just a full circle, but an ever spiralling portion of our mutual histories. 

I can feel my dad and his father smiling

A Full Circle

I wrote this many years ago years ago, but decided to post it again for friends and family.

What do Rhodesia/Zimbabwe and this very impressive stone building in Scotland have in common? Some things I never knew and someone I would NEVER would have expected!

© Copyright Ann Harrison and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

This gorgeous neo-Gothic building is a school in the Morayshire town of Fochabers. I decided to look up more about the place and what I found has led me on a most amazing (and very moving) journey through three continents and my childhood memories. 

I hope you enjoy this remarkable adventure as much as I have. 

The school is the Milne Institute; it was built by a man named Alexander Milne who was born in Fochabers in 1742. That might have been the end of this blog post, except in finding the story of Alexander Milne I stumbled onto a name I knew very well... Allan Wilson.

wikimedia.org Shangani memorial panel postcard

To most people that won't mean much, but to any Rhodesian it means a lot. Allan Wilson is a hero, both in Rhodesian and British history, but I never knew he was born right on my "doorstep"  until I found him listed as a "famous Fochaberian" and read that he had been a student at the Milne's Institute school.

The Famous Fochaberians site says this:

Allan Wilson was educated at Milne's Institution, excelling in outdoor pursuits. In 1878 he emigrated to South Africa and joined the Cape Mounted Rifles, later being commissioned as a lieutenant in the Basuto Police. He was appointed Major in command during the Matabele Campaign in which he and many of his soldiers were killed.

He led his small band of soldiers across the Shangani River seeking to capture Lobenguela, the King of the Matabele. The King escaped them. On their retreat, Wilson and his men found the Shangani in flood … after a brave fight, they were all killed. Buried in the Matopo Hills near Cecil Rhodes' grave, Allan Wilson was long regarded as a national hero.

Reading that brought back so many memories, especially of childhood visits to the Shangani memorial, where Allan Wilson and his men now rest, in the absolutely stunning spot high high up on those giant granite Motopos hills that will always be home.

Some friends sent me photos of their own memories of the Wilson Memorial, to share. The first lovely family shot is courtesy of Bill Teague. He's the little guy pointing up in the bottom photo. 

This colour one if from my friend, Robb 

The people of Fochabers placed two standing stones in a memorial garden, in 2002, to commemorate all the remarkable people born in their town. We went there to take a look...

The stone on the right has Allan Wilson's name at the top

We took photos, shed a few tears, and stood in awe that we'd come a full circle in such a story; so wonderfully complex, this journey of lives and deaths.

Another stone memorial, another stunning view

It's a long walk up to that burial site on the Motopos hill, but once you were up there... oh what a view! I'd turn in a circle and feel like an eagle, flying free.

Did Allan Wilson's spirit return to his own home on the River Spey?

Eagles fly here too

See, Hear, Speak

 

 

ReMARKable Coincidence

Saw a news item this morning on a new invention and MAYBE I'm going tinfoil hat here, but this creeped me out. 

Couldn't help thinking of Revelations.

 Revelation 13:1, 2; 11–18

11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.

13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people,14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.

15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.

18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666/616.

Interpretations

• The mark of the beast could be a tattoo, microchip, ID card, or barcode
• It could also be a mark that identifies someone as being faithful to the Antichrist's kingdom
• It could symbolically identify those who let the political system rule their lives

Peace is a Warrior

 In 2014 I wrote a poem that seems even more needed today.

Peace Stands Up

On January 6th 2021, I watched live TV as mobs attacked the Capitol Building in the USA. Afterwards, I wrote out my fears in this blog post - REPEAT PATTERNS. 

I hope you read it, but for now I'm copying how I ended that post in 2021 and putting it here.

"For the last four years, I've constantly tried to make those in the spiral see that this man they follow is a narcissist. Constantly said "He is dangerous." He is hate-filled. He twists the truth to suit his own agendas and he cares NOTHING for anyone but his own self. He fuels bigotry and fear of anyone different. He makes them the problem; the obstacle that needs to be overcome in order to make everything great again. In doing so, he has even made good people believe bad things. I know families and friends who have turned against each other because of this man's constant messages of hate.

And now, as the world watches the USA reeling like some boxer punch-drunk from too many blows, I'm saying it again. This man has done serious harm and he will continue to be dangerous until you tackle his legacy: the hate. 

 

His leaving the White House will change nothing until people on all sides return to seeing each other clearly, as individuals of the same country, with the same right to respect. If you cannot let go of hating THEM, there will never be a healthy US (play on words intended).

It's up to all of you now, Americans. Left, Right or whatever; all races, genders, religions. YOU are the country and only your strength and compassion can put it back together again."

I think we can agree that this time it's not just up to Americans? It's up to all of us now. YOU are humanity and only your strength and perseverance, combined with compassion, can put us back together again.

Peace Shines a Light

 Know your history or be doomed to repeat it...

~1~

 

~ 2 ~

 

 

~ 3 ~

 

 

~4~

 

 

 

 

~ 5 ~

 

 

 

 

I have to digress here and add that 11 February 2025 was Women in Science Day.
In honour of that I'm adding my own "comment" on the role of women in NASA

Keep shining your light.

 

~ 6 ~

 

 

 

~ 7 ~

 

 

 

~ 8 ~

 

Sources: 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/
https://glaad.org/fact-sheet-trump-education/
https://www.404media.co/nasa-dei-drop-everything-executive-order/
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/
https://edition.cnn.com/
https://www.nytimes.com/
https://www.texastribune.org/