______________________________
THE
REDCOAT
“A JOURNEY IN TIME”
BILL CARAWAN
WORDS OF WILLIAM™
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INTRODUCTION
I will take a few moments to introduce you to Sir Graham Finch. A very dear and close friend of mine, who I have had the distinct pleasure of knowing these past 25 years. A very complex...yet comfortable, easy to know individual. Very cordial and sincere with everyone he knows and meets. British...thru and thru!His is a truly amazing story which is guaranteed to send a shiver or two down your spine! So, let us begin his "journey" into the past.
BILL CARAWAN
Sir Graham Finch (6/4/56) (London) is a British businessman very successful in Investment and Real Estate. He has also been a very generous philanthropist, who was recently knighted for his many years of community service. Along with everything else he is also a fairly well-known historian and published poet.
As a member of a family with a well-respected centuries old “brewing name” and with also not too distant Royalty ties, Sir Graham gave up what many considered a “privileged” future in exchange for “earned” success. This involved attending Oxford University (1974-78) and pursuing his own personal goals with modest loans from his Dad, which out of gratitude were repaid in double.
Shortly after graduating Oxford he decided to fulfill what he considered his military obligation. Right at the end of that service (1978-82) he was a well decorated member of the British Special Forces during the short but intense war with Argentina known as the Falkland War. (4/2/82 - 6/14/82)
When he left the service in August of 1982 he moved to London, purchased a loft apartment and began pursuing his career in Investment and Real Estate. Success came almost immediately.
He and his wife Shannon O’Brien (12/15/56) (Dublin) were very close friends throughout University. They met again in 1984 after both had established careers, and they began dating. They then married a couple years later (10/2/86) and have been married over thirty years. There are no children, which was by mutual agreement even though they both love children. Instead, they both over the years have given much time and money to orphanages in and around London.
Shannon is a very well-known and accomplished artist who specializes in commissioned portraits, which includes numerous celebrity portraits. She has a very unique technique of light and shadow which she attributes to her Irish heritage.
She paints under the registry of Shannon - “the Irish Artist” - O’Brien Studio which has become internationally known. Her beautiful Irish landscapes are also in very high demand.
Sir Graham and Shannon have a very close relationship and are intensely supportive of each other. Recently they posed to have their pictures taken together professionally for a press release in connection with an award they had received. The photographer stated that in the thirty four years of his career, they were without a doubt the “handsomest couple” he had ever photographed.
Sir Graham has always been fascinated with, and has always wanted to write an epic poem about, the battles of Lexington and Concord. These two engagements led to the siege of Boston, which ended with the British evacuating Boston. These events in turn led to the American War of Independence as the British know it, or the Revolutionary War as Americans know it.
At the time we join Sir Graham’s story (4/18/92) he is sitting on the run-way at Heathrow Airport waiting for his plane to taxi for take-off on his first trip to Boston. The purpose is to visit the two battlefields and do research for his poem. Pulling out his itinerary for the trip he affirms that he will be arriving in Boston early that afternoon, take a taxi from Logan to Back Bay Hilton, check in and spend a restful evening. All next day (4/19) he is going to spend at Boston Public Library doing research, while reenactments are taking place in Lexington and Concord which always draw large crowds. Then early to bed, early to rise, a good breakfast, and after a leased car is delivered at 9:00 a.m. he will be driving to Lexington to begin a full day at the battlefields, with lunch in Concord. Next morning (4/21) flying home to London. A quick trip, but he knows he will be returning.
Still waiting for take-off, he can’t help but chuckle to himself as he remembers how he had a favorite red blazer that he loved to wear throughout High School and University, which caused some friends to tease him as “the redcoat.”
As they taxi for lift-off he removes from his leather satchel a journal he bought for the trip, and on the front cover prints the title “A JOURNEY IN TIME” which has just come to thought. He can’t begin to imagine how accurate that title will be!
______________________________ HISTORICAL SKETCH
In the following I give a very brief outline of the events of April 19, 1775
for those individuals who may not be complete history buffs.
PAUL REVERE AND CAMBRIDGE
The Patriots had become aware that there was to be a secret excursion to Concord by a British Expeditionary Force. This force numbered about seven hundred British Army Regulars, which included about three hundred fifty Grenadiers (the British Special Forces of that time). The purpose of this maneuver was to search for, confiscate or destroy any weapons or ammunition which had reportedly been hidden in that area.
Anyone who has ever read “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, is familiar with the fact that lanterns were hung in the North Church steeple to signal to Revere on the opposite shore, when and how, whether by land or sea, the British were going to begin this campaign.
The British forces were carried by boat from Boston to Cambridge where they were unloaded to shore at Phipps farm. At around 2:00 am they began their march towards Concord which lay seventeen miles distant.
Once he saw the signal Revere began his ride through the countryside towards Concord alerting every village and country dwelling he passed that the British were coming.
As he did this the network of Massachusetts Bay Militia or Minutemen living throughout the towns and countryside started gathering and marching towards Lexington and Concord to intercept the advancing Redcoats.
LEXINGTON GREEN
About eighty Lexington Minutemen had gathered at Buckman’s Tavern throughout the night. Around sunrise (4:15 am) the first detachment of approximately four hundred British forces arrived at Lexington and proceeded with the accompaniment of military drums to form ranks on Lexington Green.
The Minutemen proceeded from the Tavern to the Green which created a confrontation which soon became fatal. The British commander Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith from horseback gave the order to the Minutemen ‘to disarm you damned rebels.”
Soon after this demand a shot resulted in several volleys of gunfire from the Redcoats, which resulted in eight killed and nine wounded among the Minutemen who dispersed, moving from the Green and tending to their wounded and dead. Only one Redcoat was wounded. The British then marched from the Green and continued their trek towards Concord.
CONCORD AND NORTH BRIDGE
There were approximately four hundred Minutemen gathered outside of town on a hill overlooking the Concord River and North Bridge. At around 11:00 am the approximately one hundred Redcoats who occupied the bridge, began to destroy it by pulling up planks. At the same time the Minutemen saw smoke rising from the town and assumed the British were starting to burn the town. So they advanced down the hill to cross the bridge when "the shot heard round the world" (it is unknown who, or which side fired that shot). But, it set off an exchange of gunfire between the opposing forces, and the Minutemen drove the Redcoats from the bridge with casualties on both sides. The Minutemen then crossed the bridge, proceeding towards town.
The Patriots had moved, buried, or hidden all of the weapons and ammunition days earlier when they found out the British were going to be coming. Therefore the Redcoats found practically nothing during the hours they spent searching in and around Concord.
During this time more and more groups of Minutemen from the surrounding countryside continued to arrive and the British forces began to realize they were in a badly developing situation and needed to leave hostile territory and begin retreating back to Boston.
"BLOODY ANGLE"
The road on which the British started marching back towards Boston has become known as “Battle Road.” Just outside of Concord this road makes a sharp left turn, travels a little ways and then makes a right turn, the Minutemen had set up an ambush at this “angle” in the road and opened fire killing and wounding about thirty Redcoats.
BATTLE ROAD
After this it became a complete rout as the groups of Minutemen continued firing from the cover of trees and walls. This was a "guerrilla" style of warfare being waged upon the Redcoats, who were retreating full force back to Boston. These British troops were dealing with about 3,500 Minutemen by this time, and were decimated in what was sometimes a running battle.
There were a few civilians killed by the Redcoats which were mistaken for combatants. Also, some of the British soldiers got their hands on bottles of liquor from taverns and became intoxicated leading to the committing of some atrocities upon civilians.
As they got closer to Boston they were met by a detachment of one thousand Redcoats coming to rescue them. By this time more and more Minutemen had arrived on the scene, and were firing at the retreating soldiers. Some of the heaviest fighting of the day occurred as they neared closer to the city. These combined British forces, rescuer and rescued, finally fought their way back to the relative safety of Boston. But only after paying a huge price in the number of killed and wounded!
THE BLOODY ROAD BACK TO BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
AFTERMATH
From the time the Redcoats left Boston after midnight on their march, until they arrived back the evening of that same day, they had traveled about forty miles in twenty one hours. Eight hours of these were under fire.
The total dead and wounded on both sides of that campaign totaled for the Minutemen forty nine dead, thirty nine wounded, and five missing. And for the Redcoats seventy three killed, one hundred seventy four wounded, and fifty three missing for Great Britain.
BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL
By the next morning a force of fifteen thousand Minutemen surrounded Boston. They started digging trenches and building fortifications in preparation for laying siege to the city.
During this time George Washington was put in charge of the Patriot forces. He ordered cannons to be transported from Fort Ticonderoga in Vermont across country to Boston to be utilized for the siege. From the elevated cannon positions on Bunker Hill the Patriots were able to fire on Boston and the British ships in Boston harbor.
The British launched a heavy attack on the Patriot fortifications trying to dislodge them from their entrenchments. This was the Battle of Bunker Hill, which was not completely successful in its attempt and eventually led to the British having to evacuate Boston.
Then of course began the years of the Revolutionary War. Followed by the Declaration of Independence which culminated in the successful conclusion of that mighty struggle.
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QUOTES FROM SIR GRAHAMS' JOURNAL
Sir Graham’s first trip to Boston and the battlefields was absolutely laced with strange and unexplainable thoughts and occurrences which influenced his decision to make the trip, and continued throughout until his return home. As a convenience for the reader I have compiled in full, directly from the pages of his Journal, all of these thoughts and occurrences. I have separated them out from the general activities and research notes of his trip in order to provide their full impact. They are my direct and accurate quotes of everything Sir Graham wrote, and shared in conversations with me:
BILL CARAWAN
*During his flight to Boston the details of a nightmare kept coming to his thought. He’d had this same nightmare since early childhood and throughout his adult-hood. In his early teens he noticed, while reading back over his diary, that the nightmare occurred on just one night each year, around the third week in April. The dream would always be the same, he would be moving through darkness with many others, first knee deep in water and then on land. Following in the trees overhead, would be a lone owl that would keep calling down to them over and over, like it was trying to warn them to turn back. And then suddenly they would be in bright sun-light being attacked by hundreds of angry bees. He would panic trying to get away, and then wake up terrified!
It was only later after doing research Sir Graham discovered that on the night the British crossed over from Boston to Cambridge they were in barges and when they unloaded at Phipps Farm (later known as Lechmere Point) which is south of the road to Cambridge, they had to wade in knee deep water from the barges to the shore. Then this force of approximately seven hundred marched through the night to Lexington and Concord. It was at Concord the next day that the Redcoats were attacked by hundreds of Minutemen and decimated all the way back to Boston.
*Sir Graham says he felt absolutely compelled to make his first trip to the battlefields at this time: It started around the middle of April when Shannon left on an extended business trip. That night after retiring he had the same nightmare, which was about a week earlier than it always had been in the past. This one was the most vivid he had ever experienced. The strange thing was that when he awoke, he was not terrified as he usually was, instead the word “itistime” kept coming to him. Sitting-up in bed and turning on the bedside lamp, he wrote the word on a pad which he kept on a side-table. Drowsily he wondered what it meant, but soon turned the light out and went back to sleep. Waking the next morning he sat up and looked at the pad. Picking up a pen he made slashes between it/is/time, and immediately called his travel agent and left a message for him to make reservations for Boston the following week. Sir Graham also instructed him to time his visiting the battlefields until the day after Patriots Day; in order to miss the crowds which would be there for the annual battle re-enactments.
*During his first flight over when about half-way across he looked out his window down at the ocean and thought to himself, “Amazing, I am making this crossing to Boston three months quicker this time than I did the last time.” Immediately he whispered under his breath, “This is my first trip! Where the hell did that come from?” Later he thought to himself that what he meant by “three months quicker” sounded like he was comparing his plane flight to the time it would have taken a wooden sailing ship to make the same crossing. Was “the last time" for him...a ship crossing? And, most importantly...what did it all mean?
*After arriving at Logan he took a cab to the Back Bay Hilton. Later, in his room relaxing before dinner and reading a Monitor newspaper, he saw an article titled “Revolutionary Moon”. This article discussed how on the anniversary of Paul Reveres’ Ride (which happened to be in a few hours) the moon would be rising at the exact same time, in the exact same position, and in the exact same phase as it had that historic night so long ago. And according to this article, the moon played an extremely important part in the events of that night.
That evening after dinner in order to observe the rising moon, he walked outside and onto a Church Plaza across the street. While watching the moon through drifting clouds the thought came to him that the Redcoats should have had such a beautiful march "under moonlight" that night, through what must have seemed like peaceful countryside. And such a horrible march back the following day “under fire.”
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This is the newspaper article Sir Graham was reading in his hotel
room.
I found the original article which he clipped from that newspaper
sealed in plastic and tucked away in the pages of his Journal.
REVOLUTIONARY MOON
Robert C. Cowen April 8, 1992
ON the night of April 18-19, the moon will re-enact an intriguing bit of history.
That's the anniversary of "the midnight ride" of Paul Revere and two fellow "Patriots" and of the fight in Concord, Mass., between "the embattled farmers" and British occupation troops who started the American Revolutionary War. The ride and fight are duly celebrated in legend and poetry. But the moon is a relatively unsung player in that seminal event. Yet it had an important supporting role for the main actors.
Being a little past full - 87 percent sunlit - it illumined the way from Boston to Concord. Astronomers Donald W. Olsen and Russell L. Doescher of Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos now find that the position of the moon's rising also was crucial in helping Revere evade the British guard when he left Boston. As they explain in the astronomy magazine Sky & Telescope, the moon will repeat that 1775 performance this year.
Dr. Olsen said in a telephone interview that illustrations in a children's book had aroused his curiosity about the April 18 moon. They depicted Revere's ride with a nearly full moon in the background. He also noted that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem celebrating the ride mentioned the moon five times. He wondered whether the moon actually was prominent that night or had illustrator and poet exercised artistic license?
Using computing methods developed for pocket calculators by Belgian meteorologist Jean Meeus, the Texas astronomers calculated the moon's phase and course for April 18-19, 1775. They found that the moon not only was prominent that night but, fortunately for Revere, it rose relatively far to the southeast.
To recap the events: the British occupation force at Boston learned that colonists were caching munitions at Concord. The colonists expected the British to march on Concord. Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott stood by to ride west and warn the colonists whenever the British set out.
Orders came for British troops to assemble at 10 p.m. on April 18, just after moon rise at about 9:37 p.m. Revere warned Dawes and Prescott and then crossed Boston Harbor to reach his own horse. His rowboat passed to the east of the British naval ship HMS Somerset. For most risings of a nearly full moon, sentinels on the ship could have seen the boat. But, this time, the moon rose far enough to the south so that, 45 minutes after rising, it stood 6 degrees above the horizon at an azimuth of 31 degrees south of east. Sentinels on the Somerset saw it coming up over Boston, not over the water. Revere slipped past in the dark.
This year, the moon will rise a little past full - 96 percent sunlit - at about 9:38 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on April 18. It will stand 6 degrees above the horizon at an azimuth of 38 degrees south of east 45 minutes later.
A modern Revere probably wouldn't make it across the harbor, however. He would be silhouetted - and thus visible to observers - by the lights of metropolitan Boston, even though the moon, once again, is favorably placed.
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*The next day…at the battlefields. Sir Graham kept hearing the sound of distant thunder. The first time he noticed it was at Lexington Green, the second at North Bridge. The only problem was…it was a clear day! To Sir Graham it sounded very similar to what the rumble of distant musket fire would have probably sounded like. Along with this was the unmistakable scent of burning gun-powder on the breeze. He started to ask bystanders if they had heard or smelled anything, but decided it was best not to.
*The first place he visited after arriving at Lexington Green was Buckman’s Tavern which is located adjacent to the Green. This is where the Lexington Minutemen gathered after Paul Revere’s warning, to await the arrival of the British forces. Sir Graham says the tavern is a fabulous historical treasure.
*The instant that he stepped onto Lexington Green the following experience came to his thought. While he was attending University, on one weekend he visited an antique gun show. At one of the exhibits visitors had the opportunity to fire an exact replica of a Revolutionary era musket. Up to this time he had absolutely no experience with firearms, but the exhibitor only had to show him once the procedures for loading and firing the weapon. He surprised everyone including himself when he kept reloading and firing, three times in succession and within about one minutes’ time. He was firing at a target and all three shots were almost touching the bulls-eye. The exhibitor, who was almost speechless, told Sir Graham that firing a musket three times a minute was the average for soldiers during the late 1700’s. He laughed and said, “You sure you weren’t a Redcoat in a previous life?”
*While standing on Lexington Green at the spot where the Minutemen stood when they were fired on by the Redcoats, this experience came to thought: During the Falkland War he and a companion came under surprise ambush one night. It was quite a gunfight and his companion was wounded, but they made their escape. It was the first time he had ever been under enemy fire, and yet while talking about the incident a few days later he made the comment, “It was not the first time I have ever been under enemy fire.” He had no idea...what he meant by that.
*When arriving at the North Bridge and seeing the historical house called the “Old Manse” standing about 300 feet away in the field to the left of the bridge, he exclaimed, “Amazing! It is still standing!” It was only later that he learned the house had been standing during the battle at North Bridge. In fact a couple of family members (Ralph Waldo Emersons' grandfather and father) living there at the time actually watched the battle from a side window facing the bridge. Sir Graham says he had never seen or heard about the house before, so how did he know it was…”still standing?”
*While walking towards the North Bridge he paused to note in his Journal how history tells us we don’t really know which side fired the famous “Shot Heard Round the World.” This mysterious first shot set off a volley of gunfire between British forces and Minutemen, resulting in dead and wounded on both sides. The American War of Independence had officially started.
"CONCORD HYMN"
EMERSON
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired "the shot heard round the world."
*Even though Sir Graham had closed the Journal to return it to his satchel, he felt compelled to open it again. Without even thinking about what he was going to write, almost as if the words were being dictated to him….he wrote these words: “In your sub-conscious you know…that you saw where the shot came from and who it was that fired it. In fact, you personally knew the soldier who fired it, he was your very best friend.” Sir Graham was shocked by what he had written. Reading and re-reading the message over and over, Sir Graham felt the enormous impact of what the words implied.
*While observing the grave of the three British solders buried near North Bridge he was overcome by such a strong sense of sadness that he can only describe it as sympathy for lost ”companions in arms.”
*Sir Graham says all of his life he had a very distinct, large birthmark on his left front shoulder. He remembers that while having his physical as he was joining the military the examining physician asked about what he was convinced, was the scar of a high-caliber gunshot wound. The physician was very surprised to learn it was just a birthmark. Recently while doing research Sir Graham was very interested to read that the lead balls fired from muskets left “high caliber” (large) wounds.
*As Sir Graham walked from Concord towards “Bloody Angle” and just as he made that left turn where the ambush occurred, he suddenly felt a very sharp burning sensation in his birthmark. His reaction was that he whirled to his right holding his arms in position as if holding a musket, paused as if he was taking aim, and then pulled his trigger-finger as if he had fired a shot. This was followed by Sir Graham experiencing a sense of real panic, which came over him and didn’t let up until he actually moved out of the area.
The minute he left the area, verses for his poem pertaining to the “Ambush at Bloody Angle” immediately came to thought and he wrote them down in his Journal. Before closing his Journal, he says that with a deep sadness he wrote the words “I wonder if being wounded justifies killing your assailant?”
*Also, while leaving “Bloody Angle” this experience from his childhood came vividly to thought. As a young boy he spent his summers on his grand-parents farm. Once, after accidentally knocking into a bee hive while playing, he was stung by many bees. His grandmother told him as he was crying, “Listen...the bees were only trying to protect their home, and you need to forgive the bees.”
*That evening after leaving the battlefields, he felt a tremendous sense of relief; and even more once he got back to Boston. And yet, at the same time he found himself really looking forward to getting back to the battlefields again in the near future.
* After his first visit ended and while checking-in at Logan airport for his flight home, he walked up to the ticket counter and as he handed his reservation and I.D. to the agent said, “I am Richard and checking-in for my flight to Nova Scotia.” The agent glanced at the I.D. and then at the reservation ticket and said, “This ticket is for London, and is issued to Sir Graham Finch.” Embarrassed, Sir Graham said, “Of course, I meant London. I can’t imagine why I said Nova Scotia! And I have no idea who Richard is. I guess I am more tired than I thought I was.” While doing research later he learned that the British had sailed to Nova Scotia when they evacuated Boston. But, still had no idea where the name "Richard" came from!
No wonder Sir Graham considers that this first trip to Boston played a very significant role, and had a deeply life-changing impact on his life.
BILL CARAWAN
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VERSES COMPOSED BY SIR GRAHAM
WHILE VISITING THESE BATTLE SITES
"BRITISH LANDING"
Over the bay and into the night.
A force to pay, seven hundred in might.
Concord’s the way in bright moonlight. Awaiting the day.....a terrible fight.
"LEXINGTON GREEN"
Shots that were fired on that April breeze,
Lit a battle desire among "subjects" that grieve.
Royal deeds empowered a fight that would free,
And bring an Empire...to its knees!
"NORTH BRIDGE"
From the hill they marched to fight;
A path they did fill into enemy’s sight.
Who aimed to kill, enforcing the blight
Of a Monarchs will.....REVOLUTION ignites!
"AMBUSH AT BLOODY ANGLE"
Many Redcoats fell at “Bloody Angle”.
A left turn to hell as lead balls mangle.
Midst piercing hail, a bloody tangle.
From tree and rail a deadly strangle.
"BATTLE ROAD"
The rescue from Boston, had not yet arrived.
A price it was costing, in Redcoats that died.
Their fates inter-twined and their lives became mired,
to King George III.
As Minutemen fired…and fired…and fired!
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AUTHORS' OBSERVATIONS
After Sir Graham’s first trip to the battlefields, he made numerous trips back. He always rented a car at Logan and drove to Concord where he would stay at the Colonial Inn. From there he could drive to Lexington, North Bridge, and Walden Pond which Shannon made sure they visited when she accompanied him on his second trip back. It was one of the sights she especially wanted to see, mainly because Thoreau’s “Walden Pond” is one of her favorite books. Shannon fell in love with Concord and over the years she would accompany Sir Graham back on many of his trips.
I have always loved Walden and for many years have enjoyed walking around the pond. It was on their second trip that I happened to meet Sir Graham and Shannon there one afternoon while walking. We really enjoyed each other’s company and as a result, from then on he always gave me a call when he was preparing to leave. If it was just Sir Graham, I would drive to Walden and join him for a walk. Over the years my wife Shelley, had also grown very close to Sir Graham and Shannon. So if Shannon was with him, my wife and I both would meet them for a nice stroll.
From time to time Shelley and I would join them for a nice meal at the Colonial Inn in Concord where they always stayed.
It was a few years later before he told me about his Journal and how it documented all of the strange occurrences of his first visit to the battlefields. And It was only after coming to really know and trust me that he allowed me to read his Journal. WHICH WAS AMAZING TO READ!
He says he feels this first trip really impelled him to make some conscious and most assuredly sub-conscious changes in his thinking. He of course finally realized there was a solid connection each April between his nightmare and the anniversary of these two battles.
Even after allowing me to read his Journal, it was years before he shared the following fact...which he never bothered to write in his Journal….because he was convinced no one would believe it. And he says, "why should they, since I wouldn’t believe it myself… if I hadn’t experienced it myself."
That experience began, Sir Graham says, at the end of his first trip while waiting for his plane to taxi for lift off on his return flight to London. At that time he recalled again the incident from childhood concerning the bees at his Grandparents farm. He spoke under his breath as if he was speaking to his Granma Beatrice, “OK Granma I am finally taking your advice, and after all of these years…or centuries, I am sincerely forgiving all of the bees and all of the Minutemen in my life!”
He says immediately, he felt a very cool sensation in his birthmark which was followed by a very mild itching which continued for several hours. It was soon after he arrived home, unpacked, and then went to take a shower…that he discovered the birthmark was gone! Vanished without a trace! He could not even begin to fathom how this could have happened.
But, through the years since then, Sir Graham finally became convinced that the birthmark had to have been the “scar” of a buried traumatic memory, which vanished with forgiveness. Sir Graham says that after this experience, he could never again under-estimate the power of forgiving. Gratefully he has never had another of the nightmares since. So obviously something extremely important which needed to adjust in his thought, did change!
Also, beginning as a young boy he always had a very negative attitude, a strong resentment towards Americans...for which there was no valid reason or explanation. This also completely disappeared after his first trip. And he feels this was completely tied-in to this act of forgiveness.
And in conclusion he says it is very interesting that although he had always been fascinated with these two battles, he always had a tremendous resistance to reading about them. That resistance completely disappeared after his first trip.
BILL CARAWAN
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POSTSCRIPT
In September of 2016 I received an e-mail from Sir Graham, asking me if I could meet him on the coming Saturday in Concord for lunch. He said he had a big surprise for me!
After lunch we walked a few blocks from Concord Center along side streets to a circa 1900 small Victorian. We proceeded up the walk-way and then he unlocked the front door and we went inside. This was the surprise...their new home!
He informed me that Shannon had come over for the search, which they both agreed would definitely be in Concord. They quickly found exactly what they wanted, and then Shannon flew off to begin a commission in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin while he completed the purchase of their home.
They are getting ready to do very modest renovations, since a complete and detailed restoration was done just a few years ago. They in particular are concentrating on a gourmet kitchen, since they both love to cook. And an art studio for Shannon which consists of an attic space being completely renovated, which includes the addition of two large sky lights. She wants lots of natural light in her studio. Their home is, I must say, absolutely gorgeous inside and out.
So now they own two beautiful homes in opposite halves of the world, since Shannon owns a small cottage in Ireland, which she inherited from her Grandmother. It is a little over an hour’s drive outside of Dublin, and they love to take frequent trips there together in order to enjoy the peace and quiet of the beautiful Irish countryside.
He told me they had sold their London Flat and were in the process of liquidating all of their assets. As a result of this process they are very grateful to be absolutely debt free. When they complete the move to Concord, both of them will be officially “retired.” They can then focus completely...he on his writing and Shannon on her painting. Her portraits have always been her “bread and butter” but now she can spend as much time as she wants on her landscapes.
He laughed and said that along with their American and Irish homes they are becoming very “international.” To offer more proof, he took me to the garage and showed me their Japanese car and Swiss bikes. He said they can walk to North Bridge, ride their bikes to Walden Pond, or drive their car to Lexington anytime they want.
He told me for years they had been cherishing the idea of moving but had suddenly realized “now” was the time to do so.
Sir Graham says he is looking forward to finally finishing his epic poem of the battles of Lexington and Concord, and that he has begun to realize that these two battles most likely involved him personally. As impossible as this may seem, that is what all of the indications seem to be. He says that if he was personally involved and had witnessed comrades and friends being wounded or losing their lives, being wounded himself, then he would have been dealing with some very serious issues in his sub-conscious wherever he might be. He said he doesn’t even begin to understand everything yet, but is continuing to keep his thought open for deeper answers.
On that Saturday I met Sir Graham in Concord he also gave me permission to publish the information from his Journal “A Journey in Time.” Since I had been asking for permission a long, long time...I didn't waste any time. I published information from his Journal in THE REDCOAT (October of 2016).
He said he has gotten to the point that he doesn’t worry anymore about what anyone might think concerning the contents of his Journal. It only documents what honestly happened, and each person can form their own opinion about what they are reading and what it may imply. Sir Graham says that someone reading his Journal may realize that the answers we commonly accept as the only reality, may not be anywhere near the only answer available.
For his birthday last June he says Shannon presented a full length portrait of him in the uniform of a British Grenadier, the Redcoat “Special Forces” of the late 1700’s. Sir Graham says that he hung the portrait in his study, and anyone visiting thinks it is of one of his great, great, great ancestors. Sir Graham says he doesn’t try to explain, “No, that’s me!” (The painting of the Redcoat on the Title page of this short story...is that actual portrait)
THIS IS NOT THE END!
MAKE SURE YOU READ
"REDCOAT NEWS-LETTER"
WHICH FINISHES THE STORY.
BILL
CARAWAN
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NORTH BRIDGE
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THIS
SHORT STORY
THE
REDCOAT
“A JOURNEY IN TIME”
is published by
WORDS OF WILLIAM™
©2016
William F. Carawan
"Poetry Guy"
All Rights Reserved
Boston, Massachusetts U.S.A.
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