Primary School Memories

This prompt is one that I can remember getting in Primary School. What is it about the question that still fascinates so many adults? What would you ask someone who is in the history books?

To be honest I can’t really find any enthusiasm for meeting figures from history that I have read about. If you asked them about incidents that have become historical anecdotes, would they be inclined to tell you something that puts them in a good light? It’s what people in a place of influence do now, so why would they be any different? All our politicians today are liars so surely it was the same in the past. Evil men, and it was almost entirely men, have made inroads into our collective consciousness by being at the head of nations and watching opposing armies of men kill each other and then they take credit. When I was younger I wanted to meet Horatio Nelson, whose sea battles and infidelity were lauded by his contemporaries. Those in power always have and always will work to different rules.

If I had to meet someone now I would meet someone who was not written or spoken about in history. I would want to meet someone who was involved in the construction and use of Stonehenge. The marvellous guide we had freely admitted how much of what we thought about Stonehenge has been proved wrong and how little we still actually know. When I was there we saw modern day ‘druids’ in flowing robes. Apparently the robes were simply based on clerical clothes of the 19th Century so the druids could have been naked and daubed in woad. They could have been women instead of men. As Gaia is female it would make sense. Stonehenge could have been a party venue! We will never know, but it would be great to find out from someone who was there.