Postscript

General Wolfe dies on the Plains of Abraham in New France.

Plaque to General James Wolfe in St Alfeges Church in Greenwich.

A stain glass window in the same church.

Thursday, May 25^th.

Fly home day… Bruce walked with me to the station where I took the tube to the Elizabeth line. This is the new line that connects directly to Heathrow. We said our goodbyes and I took the train to the airport. I was there in plenty of time and actually had to wait for the baggage drop off to open for my flight. It was easy going through customs and I found a nice quiet area by my boarding gate and updated the last two blogs entries. The flight was okay with an aisle seat. So I settled in but couldn’t really sleep. The plane was on time and when I landed, I went and waited for my luggage. Shayna was on her way to pick me up and wanted to know where I’d be. The carousel was not moving, and I didn’t really know what to tell her, not very helpful when she is trying to negotiate airport traffic. Then there was an announcement that NONE of the luggage for BA093 had been loaded on the plane!! We were told to come to the desk and collect a form. The desk was beside the carousel and there were probably 200 people who were confused, angry, upset… total chaos. They gave us two forms, one was a customs declaration form to fill out about lost luggage so that they could get our luggage through customs if and when it arrived, and a second to fill out and check status at home. Meanwhile I’m trying to find a pen and Shayna is still circling. Really hard to deal with both issues. I couldn’t phone her as the SIM card I took out of my phone was in the lost bag. When I finally got the form filled out and handed in I rushed upstairs, told her what pole I was standing at and waited. It was not the happy arrival either of us had hoped for. What a shit show. 

We got talking and couldn't figure out how a whole planes luggage could not be loaded... what were the baggage handlers thinking? ...  When I phoned my travel agent she said 'they must have had a better, more lucrative offer for the luggage space'... interesting thought... we'll probably never know.

So there I was, no luggage and heading out to the Berkshires in Massachusetts with Shayna early the next morning. Most of the clothes I wanted were in that case, along with my two medications and the SIM card for my phone! We made due and had a really nice holiday. My Dad called on the following Sunday to say that my bag had arrived at the house... thank goodness for that.

The last day in Greenwich, Bruce took me to St Alfeges Church to show me the crypt of British General James Wolfe of the Plains of Abraham fame, who died at age 32 in battle against the French lead by General Montcalm (who also died on the battlefield). This from Wikipedia:

The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War. The battle, which began on 13 September 1759, was fought on a plateau by the British Army and Royal Navy against the French Army, just outside the walls of Quebec City on land that was originally owned by a farmer named Abraham Martin, hence the name of the battle. The battle involved fewer than 10,000 troops in total, but proved to be a deciding moment in the conflict between France and Britain over the fate of New France, influencing the later creation of Canada.

Ironically, the church was closed for a music recital. Bruce went by the next day and it was open, so he took the photos above and forwarded them to me. Thanks Bruce!