In 1922 a horse called Pogrom won the Coronation Stakes at Ascot

How did you know that

It was noted in The Times today

I used to live in Ascot and my husband played football on a pitch in the middle of the racecourse

What position did he play

He was a goalkeeper

How did you know that

Because he told me when he returned home after the game

On the longest day in 1898 HMS Albion was launched on the Thames

Thirty-Four people died that day when a wave created by the ship caused a stage to collapse into a side creek

How  did you know that

It was noted in The Times today

She was broken up in 1920

What a waste

The poor people who died in the accident would have been dead for nearly twenty-two years

Two years later Pogrom won the Coronation Stakes at Ascot

Do you think that anybody who served on HMS Albion ever watched  horse racing at Ascot

I would imagine so but I cannot be sure

Your husband might have played against the descendants of those who served on HMS Albion

That is unlikely

How many times did he play on the Ascot pitch

I do not know but at a guess I would imagine about five times

That does cut the odds though

He once cracked his finger whilst playing in Ascot but did not realise it at the time and played the full game

That must have been painful

It was and because of it he could not play in goal for a number of weeks

What did he do whilst he was injured

Read Kierkegaard

Do you read Kierkegaard

Not very often but I do know a piece about the end of the world

Would you like to hear it

Please

A fire broke out backstage in a theatre

The clown came out to warn the public

They thought it was a joke and applauded

He repeated it

The acclaim was even greater

I think that’s just how the world

Will come to an end

To general applause from wits

Who believe it’s a joke

If the world came to end in a minutes time

Where would you like to be

I would like to be here next to you