Musings from the Merse
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Berwick Not at War With Russia shock
What a shame-I have firmly believed, ever since we moved here, the traditional version of the story that Berwick and Russia are technically still at war only to be corrected by Wikapaedia Thus:
The story tells that since Berwick had changed hands several times, it was traditionally regarded as a special, separate entity, and some proclamations referred to "England, Scotland and the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed". One such was the declaration of the Crimean War against Russia in 1853, which Queen Victoria supposedly signed as "Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, Ireland, Berwick-upon-Tweed and all British Dominions"
Hence the curious apocryphal story that Berwick is (or recently was) technically at war with Russia. However, when the Treaty of Paris (1856) was signed to conclude the war, "Berwick-upon-Tweed" was left out. This meant that, supposedly, one of Britain's smallest towns was officially at war with one of the world's largest powers – and the conflict extended by the lack of a peace treaty for over a century.
The BBC programme Nationwide investigated this story in the 1970s, and found that while Berwick was not mentioned in the Treaty of Paris, it was not mentioned in the declaration of war either. The question remained of whether Berwick had ever been at war with Russia in the first place. The true situation is that since the Wales and Berwick Act 1746 had already made it clear that all references to England included Berwick, the town had no special status at either the start or end of the war.
Nevertheless, in 1966 a Soviet official waited upon the Mayor of Berwick, Councillor Robert Knox, and a peace treaty was formally signed. Mr Knox is reputed to have said "Please tell the Russian people that they can sleep peacefully in their beds." To complicate the issue, some have noted that Knox did not have any authority with regard to foreign relations, and thus may have exceeded his powers as mayor in concluding a peace treaty.
But wait-if they were at war the Mayor of Berwick was surely ultra vires in concluding a peace treaty with a foreign power? And if they were not what on earth was a Soviet diplomat wasting his time talking to His Worship? He must have thought he was on an official mission as in the 1960s Soviet officials had to get formal permission to travel beyond 50 miles from London. (Retaliation for similar bans on Western diplomats in Moscow) So if Berwick thought it was at war and so did the Russians perhaps it is Wikapaedia which has got it wrong. And if so, and Mayor Knox did not have the authority to make peace, irrespective of what the Soviet official thought he had done,legally the hostilities continue.
Which goes to explain that you see very few Russians in Berwick these days.
(And you might well ask-if Berwick is at peace why on earth maintain the walls in such good condition? Are we at war with some one else? Otherwise what a waste of public money)
Labels: Berwick upon Tweed, War with Russia
Comments:
And you might well ask-if Berwick is at peace why on earth maintain the walls in such good condition? Are we at war with some one else? Otherwise what a waste of public money
But aren't the walls on the south side of the town? Or at least on the south side of the bit that's north of the Tweed. So the town centre must be in Scotland and the "enemy" must be ... err, now who could that be?
At times like this I'm glad we've got the nukes. One never knows when they might be needed ...
But aren't the walls on the south side of the town? Or at least on the south side of the bit that's north of the Tweed. So the town centre must be in Scotland and the "enemy" must be ... err, now who could that be?
At times like this I'm glad we've got the nukes. One never knows when they might be needed ...
# posted by 
: 6:30 PM
: 6:30 PM
No I fear they moved the border when you were not looking and even Halidon Hill, the scene of the most one sided battle in Anglo Scottish History, well north of Berwick remains in Enger Land. And ditto the centre of Berwick.The nukes may be in Holy Loch but the firing codes are, er, in the White House.
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