Norm's Diary

My daily life in the forests of Dalsland.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

I may be Cro-Magnon but at least I am not Neanderthal

I have just had the result of a Y chromosome DNA marker test I had done for genealogical purposes which stated I was 100% M343 or R1b Haplotype. I wasn't sure what this meant so I looked it up and found this:-

Around 30,000 years ago, a descendant of the clan making its way into Europe gave rise to marker M343, the defining marker of this haplogroup. These people dominated the human expansion into Europe, the Cro-Magnon.
The Cro-Magnon are responsible for the famous cave paintings found in southern France. These spectacular paintings provide archaeological evidence that there was a sudden blossoming of artistic skills as your ancestors moved into Europe, Prior to this, jewelry made of shell, bone, and ivory; primitive musical instruments; and stone carvings.
The cave paintings of the Cro-Magnon depict animals like bison, deer, rhinoceros, and horses, and natural events important to Paleolithic life such as spring molting, hunting, and pregnancy. The paintings are far more intricate, detailed, and colorful than anything seen prior to this period.
These people knew how to make woven clothing using the natural fibers of plants, and had relatively advanced tools of stone, bone, and ivory. Their jewelry, carvings, and intricate, colorful cave paintings bear witness to the Cro-Magnons' advanced culture during the last glacial age.

This Y chromosome is only passed down unchanged from father to son, therefore my son will also have it and his sons. The purpose being to compare these markers with people of the same surname which is also passed down from father to son.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

My Uncle Eddie's letter To Newspaper Aug 1976 about the lancaster Bomber

I have two wonderful memories of the Lancaster having been taken prisoner of war on June 12, 1940, sent to Poland and then to Danzig. In Danzig the Germans were giving us a rough time and we used to say to the guards "when Churchill hears the way you are treating us, he will send planes and bomb here." They said it was too far for any planes to come.
Then one Saturday in 1942, at about 7pm four planes came over the camp. They were Lancasters - what a wonderful sight to see.
We told the guards we had got word to Churchill and he had sent them to show it was not too far for British planes to come.
My second memory is of when we were released by the Yanks, after we had been on the forced march from Danzig to Germany. We were taken to Luneberg from where we were brought home by Lancaster in May 1945. When we arrived in England we cried and touched the grass we thought we would never see again.
I often think too of the men of the Lancaster who were shot down over Danzig. We gave them a military funeral to the best of our ability and I often think of the graves of the Lancaster boys and other prisoners of war and I hope they are being looked after.
E. Murray
Salford 6