Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2021 September 19

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September 19

90th Light Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

Was this part of the Afrika Korps or not? On its own page it says it was; on the Alamein Order of Battle page it's listed outside the DAK. Both can't be true. Ericoides (talk) 05:59, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

Strictly speaking the term Afrika Korps only applies to the 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions. Rather confusingly, all other formations including the 90th Light Division, Ramcke Brigade and Italian armoured and motorized divisions were part of Panzerarmee Afrika.

Allied Armour, 1939–1945: British and American Tanks at War (p. 33)

This schematic of the Panzer Army Africa shows the 90th Light on a separate branch to the DAK (Deutsches Afrika Korps).

Alansplodge (talk) 20:32, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

Thanks, Alan. Ericoides (talk) 21:04, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

I have amended the 90th Light article accordingly. Alansplodge (talk) 17:37, 20 September 2021 (UTC)

Sport federations with deviating country codes from IOC

The Comparison of alphabetic country codes lists and compares the country codes of ISO, IOC and FIFA. According to this, the FIFA deviates from IOC country codes in 23 cases. But apparently most other sporting federations and events strictly follow suit with the IOC. As far as I can see, the Commonwealth Games country codes were unified with IOC in 2010. World Chess Federation FIDE had but a few deviating country codes (Romania, Belize, Mauretania, and Trinidad & Tobago), but they also have been unified later. FINA codes are apparently the same, as are those of World Sailing and World Athletics. Are there still other fedrations left with thir own country codes lists, distinct from IOC - or is FIFA the only one? (Countries and territories not having an IOC code like England are not part of the question.) --KnightMove (talk) 06:39, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

Chasing a forgotten memoir

I forget this memoir's title and the author's name and I might be wrong about the timing.

He was a c. mid-20th century British civil servant who wrote a memoir about his childhood in poverty and his parents' awful marriage. His mother was a teacher and academic; his father was a postman. They had nothing in common. He had a brother and the two boys seemed to be autodidacts who later got on in life, I think.

Years ago I asked this question and help deskers found the article, but I've lost the reference. I searched here, but I can't find it. Please help. Thanks in advance. Manytexts (talk) 11:25, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

Have you searched through your own contribs list? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:50, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

It doesn't seem to be on this account on this page, at least. Eddie891 ^Talk _Work 18:30, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

Perhaps Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2009 February 26#Book by old-time, non-notable British author? Alansplodge (talk) 20:38, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

Genius! only to be found on the Refdesks! Thanks so much for that Alansplodge. Thanks to the rest for trying. It was very important. Manytexts (talk) 01:35, 20 September 2021 (UTC)

@Manytexts: Thank you for asking and @Alansplodge: thank you for finding it - apart from the mention in one of Colin Wilson's books Richard Church had somehow escaped my attention. He looks very much like the sort of writer I will find very interesting. DuncanHill (talk) 01:41, 20 September 2021 (UTC)

I was once given a copy of Church's The Cave, embossed in gold with the school's crest on the back of the hard cover, at my prep school's annual prize-giving ceremony for finishing top of my class in 1973. No idea where it is now, but I can still picture it clearly as I didn't win many prizes... Ericoides (talk) 05:47, 22 September 2021 (UTC)

Smoking in French churchyards

In the 1992 adaptation of Maigret Goes Home one of the characters tells the inspector off for smoking his pipe in the graveyard, saying something like "that is not permitted here". Maigret later makes reference to this when he is describing the character's law-abiding nature. Is/was this an actual law in France, or more of a custom? Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 13:28, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

Death and Afterlife in Modern France (p. 203) says that cemeteries in France were subject to local regulations intended to prevent inappropriate behavior; in Paris for example, there was a ban on "drunks, smokers, peddlers, unaccompanied children, students out for a walk, individuals with dogs or other domestic animals and anyone not dressed properly". Alansplodge (talk) 19:57, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

Students out for a walk? I can just picture a gendarme stopping some random promenading person and demanding they show proof they're not a student. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 20:30, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

I guess jogging's ok, then. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:32, 20 September 2021 (UTC)

Then as now, you can probably spot a student from a country-mile away. Alansplodge (talk) 20:40, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

Maybe, but what exactly is the problem with students taking a walk that non-students don't have? -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:11, 20 September 2021 (UTC)

The source doesn't specify, but the drift is that they were trying to make it a suitable place for grieving relatives, rather than a place of public entertainment. Perhaps Parisian students tended to be a bit rowdy? Alansplodge (talk) 10:58, 21 September 2021 (UTC)

Peddlers? They're probably not too fond of travelling folk either. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:37, 20 September 2021 (UTC) p.s. I think you're allowed to smoke in French crematoria. But only briefly, of course.

Which financial info source is wrong?

I was alarmed by WSJ's data on tangible book values. For example, NWG is listed (Market data -> Quotes -> Financials) as having only $2.66 per share in tangible book. I saw another site using ycharts data, and the tangible book ratio there was less than 1; this seems to be corroborated by Investing.com, which lists (Quotes -> Financials -> Ratios) over $8/sh. for the same company. What gives? Imagine Reason (talk) 14:53, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

The book value of assets is based on their original cost, less depreciation, amortization, etc. (since you've specified “tangible,” no intangible assets or goodwill would be included). Asset book value, on the other hand, is generally calculated at current cash value. Now, what makes you think something is wrong? DOR (HK) (talk) 21:36, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

The tangible book values on the two sites don't match and in fact diverge significantly depending on the bank stock. Imagine Reason (talk) 00:40, 20 September 2021 (UTC)

Smith Whiting, wildlife photographer

Smith Whiting (Q108594078) was a wildlife photographer and naturalist, active in the UK in 1900s and 1910s. In 1905, his address was given as Carlton Road, Southampton. His work appears in The Birds of Hampshire (1905) by Kelsall & Munn, and in British Birds ([1])and Nature ([2]) at around the same time, and he is mentioned in The Peregrine Falcon at the Eyrie (1913), by Francis Heatherley. Can we source his dates, profession, and any other info? Was "Smith" a given name? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 15:39, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

Smith Whiting appears to be a surname, it is sometimes written with a hyphen (see, eg, the Illustrated London News of Saturday 17 May 1913, where one of his photos adorns a piece called "The Usurper Bird!" DuncanHill (talk) 18:08, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

@DuncanHill: Thank you. Do you have a copy of that, which you could send to me, please? It's a useful clue, but could also be a typo/ subeditor's misunderstanding (I also know of at least one person who used a second given name and single-barrelled surname as a double-barrelled pen name!). If someone could look at census records, for example, that would be good. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 18:48, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

In the 1901 Census of Southampton "Smith Whiting" was living at 13 Carlton Road, Southampton his occupation given as "Living on own means" and he was born in 1872 in Yorkshire. In 1891 he was described as an 18-year old "Articled pupil architect" born at Riplingham, Yorkshire. His death was registered in the New Forest registration district and he died on 19 January 1936. He was baptised on the 4 August 1872 at Rowley, Yorkshire, so was probably born just before that. So in all these official records his first name is given as "Smith". MilborneOne (talk) 18:50, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

@Pigsonthewing: I can send you a pdf if you email me, I found it on the BNA. DuncanHill (talk) 21:09, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

Catherine M. Clark: journalist and photographer

Catherine M. Clark (Q108544308), is described in:

Eric Hosking; Harold Lowes (1947), Masterpieces of Bird Photography, William Collins, Sons, p. 44, ASIN B000O8CPQK, OCLC 1547844, Wikidata Q108533626

as a "freelance journalist" who "contributed a weekly nature article for the past ten years" to the Westmoorland Gazette and whose writing and photographs appeared in several books. In the early 1940s, she also supplied several pictures to the correspondence pages of Country Life (suggesting, perhaps, that she was a 'lady of leisure'), when her address was given as "Fayrer Holme, Windermere" (now a hotel).

Hosking and Lowes note that "the effects of a bad radium burn" interfered with her career and that "news of her death has been reported" as their book went to press.

When and how did she die? Was the radium burn related to treatment for cancer, war work, or something else? Were any obituaries published?

Another source says that Fayrer Holme was occupied by two sisters who died in close succession. What were her family circumstances? Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:19, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

Don't know about the lady, but her paper was the Westmorland Gazette Chuntuk (talk) 19:45, 19 September 2021 (UTC)

Andy, I don't think her contributions to Country Life suggest "a lady of leisure." A wide gamut of people used to (and likely still) read this publication (even myself, to whom no implications of that description apply :-)), and as a professional journalist and photographer, she would be well versed in taking and submitting photographs to the appropriate – and best paying – markets for them. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.200.67.3 (talk) 05:19, 20 September 2021 (UTC)

The appearance of her images and accompanying text on the "correspondence" pages suggests that they were not paid for. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 08:52, 20 September 2021 (UTC)

I found a death notice, in The Times, 23 July 1946:

CLARK.—On July 19, 1946, at Fayrer Holme, Windermere, CATHERINE MARY, elder daughter of JAMES R. J. Clark and the late Mary Clark.

The Times of 23 January 1929, has a death notice for her mother, Mary Clark, who died 20 January 1929 at Fayrer Holme. The edition of 19 June 1947 has a death notice for her father, James Richard Joseph Clerk [SIC], died at the same location on 17 June 1947. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:25, 20 September 2021 (UTC)

The sister appears to be "Miss. F.M. Clark of Windermere" per [3]. The family were living in Huyton in 1899 and 1900. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 16:59, 20 September 2021 (UTC)

The 1939 Register lists her at Fayer Holme as living with her widowed father James R J Clark (a retired Solicitor) and sister Marrianne Clark. Catherine was born 28 Jun 1896. The 1911 Census she was at the same place as Catherine Mary Clark at School, born Hayton in Lancashire. Her parents were James Richard Joseph Clerk and Mary Swindells, her sister Marianne Fayrer Clark. MilborneOne (talk) 06:37, 25 September 2021 (UTC)

Thank you for this; I think the birth place should be Huyton. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 20:25, 26 September 2021 (UTC)