Today in London….

Fire fire everywhere!

Four hundred and five years ago a man walked into Parliament and tried to bring it down! To hell with the King….I suppose.

Who was this attempted terrorist? Why Guy Fawkes. Though this York-born man did not operate alone. Nope. This was a plot by Catholics who wanted to take-down King James I and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne.

Who is Guy Fawkes? Good questions. Born on April 15, 1970 he lost his father when he was just eight-years-old. His mom went on to marry a staunch Catholic. No shocker then, when Fawkes later converted and moved to Spain to help fight in the 80 years’ war for Catholic Spain against the Protestant Dutch.

He also tried to rally support for a Catholic rebellion in England. He found a Thomas Wintour who did the introductions to Robert Catesby and they planned assassinate King James I.

With a spot rented beneath the House of Lords, they began to stockpile gunpowder and Fawkes was left in charge.

Someone ratted them out via anonymous letter and when the authorities searched Westminster Palace early on November 5 (i.e. today 405 years ago) they found Fawkes. The gunpowder. And save James’ life.

Questioned. Tortured. He broke his silence. On January 31 he jumped off the scaffolding he was going to be hanged with and broke his neck.

For some reason, now, England celebrates this. Yep. Fawkes represents the Gun Powder Plot and every year his effigy is burned on a bonfire.

Oh and there are fireworks! Well of course there are. No sense in just letting him burn in silence!

In true Bermudian fashion we will be joining the Brits in their burning! Well at least the fireworks that is. Aptly placed our fireworks will be around an old Fort here.

Fort St. Catherine! Where we used to watch-out for the Spanish almost 400 years ago. It’s a small world.