Humanities desk
< June 17	<< May \| June \| Jul >>	June 19 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Humanities Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

June 18

Where is Haldegham?

No. 1 Squadron RAF#Second World War says "Later in the year [1944] it reverted to bomber escort duties, based at Haldegham". The only Google results seem to be related to our article. Probably in Continental Europe somewhere, the "ham" suffix suggests Flanders to me. Alansplodge (talk) 19:03, 18 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

A typo for Maldeg(h)em? There was a WWII military airfield there. Fut.Perf. ☼ 20:51, 18 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Which is mentioned (as "B.65/Maldeghem") in No. 119 Squadron RAF § Reformation in World War II. The source from which the spelling "Haldegham" was copied identifies it as "the airfield at Haldegham on the Continent [sued] as an advanced landing ground". This source relates 1 Squadron to Maldeghem (search for "RODNEY SCRASE"). --Lambiam 22:51, 18 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Many thanks all. Now amended. Alansplodge (talk) 23:30, 18 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Resolved

"Business as usual" as British policy at the start of the Great War

Our article Business as usual (policy) attributes the quotation "The maxim of the British people is 'Business as usual'" to Winston Churchill speaking at the Guildhall on 9th November 1914. This is sourced to Volume I of The Oxford Library of Words and Phrases, which is the second edition of The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. I have verified that the source given says this. The 7th edition of The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations gives the quotation as "Business carried on as usual during alterations on the map of Europe", with the note "on the self-adopted ‘motto’ of the British people" and cites Complete Speeches (1974) vol. 3. Now, what I need are 1) Confirmation of the form of words Churchill used in the Guildhall speech, and 2) Any contemporary uses of the exact phrase "business as usual" in connexion with British policy in the early years of the Great War. Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 20:54, 18 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, not what you asked for, but the defiant 'Business as usual'-signs displayed by enterprises from Harrods and Selfridges to small grocers and vendors caught the attention of Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro (one of Camille Pissarro's many children). See "Business as usual during the alterations of the Map of Europe". ---Sluzzelin talk 21:25, 18 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The full text of the speech can be found here; the quotation is part of the sentence The British people have taken for themselves this motto—“ Business carried on as usual during alterations on the map of Europe. ” (slightly below the middle of the right-hand side page). --Lambiam 22:31, 18 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]