Many thanks to recently_folded for awesome editing!

Title: The Adventure of the Sussex Thief

The Box is covered with a thick layer of dust, life being life and all that. However, to my utter surprise, when I happened to glance into it recently, there turned out to be TWO new prompts! By Savour_the_Hunt.

1) Ritchie universe. Canon compliant up until the end of the first movie but ignores Irene Adler being a love interest for Holmes.

I posted a fragment of this story during the past Holmestice winter round. Now it's a full-fledged Retirementlock murder mystery. As always, many-many thanks to recently_folded for awesome editing!

Title: The Adventure of the War Veteran

I came across a curious article about Holmes's French roots. It proved to be so thought-provoking and headcanon-expanding that I'd like to share some of it here, with some notes of mine in square brackets.

SHERLOCK HOLMES'S ARTISTIC ANCESTRY

FEBRUARY 2, 2022 BY TIMOTHY MILLER

“My ancestors were country squires, who appear to have led much the same life as is natural to their class. But, none the less, my turn that way is in my veins, and may have come with my grandmother, who was the sister of Vernet, the French artist. Art in the blood is liable to take the strangest forms.”

Now why Doyle decided to hook his fictional character up with the very real Vernets, the family of distinguished French artists, is a matter for conjecture. It’s been hazarded that it was because he came himself from a family of (far less distinguished) English artists. [ACD's grandfather John Doyle, known by the pen name H. B., was a popular Irish political cartoonist; ACD's uncles James, Richard, and Henry Doyle were illustrators and artists; ACD's father Charles Altamont Doyle was also an illustrator, albeit not a successful one].

And since there were three generations, Claude, Carl, and Horace, there is some ambiguity as to exactly which Vernet is meant. Since Horace and Carl both feature (in paintings) the aquiline nose and piercing eyes that Holmes also boasts, that doesn’t clear up the question.

 

But in truth, it can only mean Horace, because only Horace, the youngest, fits into our timeline. Born in 1789 (in the Louvre, where both his father and grandfather had apartments), he was a childhood prodigy and by the age of 13 he was already receiving orders for his work. He painted with lightning speed and his brush was likened to a machine. He also had a phenomenal eye for detail and a prodigious memory. He would have made, dare I say it? an excellent detective.

Paul Delaroche, portrait du peintre Horace Vernet

He had only one sister, Camille (1788-1858), which makes that simpler for us. She married the painter Hippolyte Lecomte, who made his mark, like Vernet, mainly with paintings of battles, though he certainly wasn’t lauded like Vernet, who was a recipient of the Legion of Honor.

His son in turn was the famous Orientalist painter, Emile LeComte, and he [Hippolyte Lecomte] had two daughters. The first, Fanny LeComte, born 1809, is also listed in the family genealogy as a painter. Unfortunately, I was able to find no further information on her. It would be fascinating to trace her career in what was still largely a men’s-only club at the time.

[Françoise Fanny LECOMTE, Artiste Peintre 1809-

Louis LECOMTE ca 1812-

Louise LECOMTE ca 1815-

Charles Emile Hippolyte LECOMTE, Artiste Peintre 1821-1900]

 

This brings us at last to Louise, Lecomte’s second daughter, born in 1815. This lady, of whom nothing more is known, I think must have given birth to Mycroft Holmes in 1847, at the age of thirty-two—remarkably old at the time for a first child. Could she have had earlier miscarriages? Or could she have been Siger Holmes’s second wife? (In which case the Holmes brothers may have had unmentioned half-brothers or sisters, wholly bereft of that artistic spark which Sherlock and Mycroft share.) Or perhaps she was pursuing her own career as a painter up until the point she met her future husband? We can only speculate. But speculating is what historical fiction writers absolutely adore.

At any rate, she would have been thirty-nine, then, when Sherlock was born in the dead of winter. Could she have died in childbirth? Very possibly. Would Siger have blamed her death on Sherlock? Also all too likely. This would explain why he never mentions his parents. It might explain too why he had to live by his wits, inheriting nothing from his father, and why he and Mycroft are more than somewhat distant.

I find it fascinating that Sherlock's mum possibly pursued a carreer before getting married and giving birth, that she was almost forty when Sherlock was born. Perhaps she did survive the childbirth and something else happened. Anyway, at least now I know that her name was Louise. Headcanon accepted!

The fact that Holmes took to beekeeping in his mature years is a fascinating character arc, considering that beekeeping is actually used as a form of therapy. Holmes stuggled with mental health issues from his young years, and coping by means of drug abuse was destructive whereas beekeping must have calmed his mind in a constructive way.

Below are extracts from various articles on therapeutic beekeeping which I would like to keep here.

Researchers say the act of beekeeping may help people with mental health problems such as stress, anxiety and depression. Many call it “beekeeping therapy.” One group of people is especially getting help from such therapy: military veterans. Vince Ylitalo is one such veteran. He served in the military for nearly 40 years, including two tours in Iraq. He suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. In a recent report by the Associated Press, Ylitalo explained how beekeeping calms his mind.

 

“I’m in this program to help me get out of the thought process of all those problems that I have. It helps me think about something completely different... I’m just thinking about the bees.”
 

Another veteran in the beekeeping program is Wendi Zimmerman. She also says that beekeeping calms her mind. She calls the uncontrolled, unwanted thoughts from the past “clutter.” She said the buzzing of the bees helps to clear the clutter.

 

“The buzzing – it fills that void in my head where clutter can go. So, instead of thinking of the things that clutter my brain or the experiences that clutter my brain … I think of the bees.”

 

Beekeeping for soldiers returning from WWI

 

Beekeeping programs aimed at helping military veterans are not a new thing. In fact, the U.S. government had a program that taught beekeeping to soldiers returning from the First World War. Other countries at that time had similar programs.

 

Veteran and beekeeper Frank Bartel does not need a study to prove the effectiveness of beekeeping therapy. For him, watching the bees relaxes his brain.
 

“When things get really hectic, crazy and you want to relax, you just put your chair out in front of the bee hive and watch them go in and out. And it’s so relaxing. All your cares just float away.”
 

On the website Harvard Health Publishing from the Harvard Medical School, researchers note studies that show the brain benefits of watching nature. 

 

They write that those people who take a walk in nature, for example, would show less activity in their prefrontal cortex. This area of the brain is active during repetitive thoughts that lead to bad feelings. (VOA)

In 1919 as troops returned from World War I, the federal government began recommending beekeeping as a profession for soldiers, especially disabled veterans. In fact, the Department of Veterans Affairs currently offers beekeeping programs at several of its medical centers as part of its recreational therapy programs. (military.com)
 

In Reno, Ginger Fenwick started Bees4Vets with her husband, Daniel, in 2018 after spotting a 1919 pamphlet written by the government that advocated beekeeping for veterans returning from World War I with shell shock. Bees4Vets trains 10 veterans a year to manage some of its roughly 30 hives at the agricultural experiment station at the University of Nevada, Reno and resident’s backyards in nearby Sparks. (militarytimes.com)

Despite refusing to “slave” for Hitler and being forced to endure a bitter march across Europe after his capture, Company Sergeant Major James Hamilton Savage persuaded the Nazi guards in Stalag 383 to allow him to set up beehives behind the barbed wire fences. CSM Savage was captured and taken Prisoner of War in St Valery en Caux in northern France in 1940 after the 51st Highland Division were left behind following the Dunkirk evacuation.

In 1942 the Captive Drones Association was started by CSM Savage – he had first learned beekeeping from his father in Ayrshire but was able to get books through the Red Cross. The prisoners, however, only got to taste a little of the honey with their meagre rations. Most of it stayed with the bees to help them survive winter and the PoWs gave some of their sugar rations to them as well. Rather than a source of food, beekeeping was something to keep them occupied. “It was keeping them interested in something rather than mulling over their situation.” (scotsman.com)

Perhaps Holmes got interested in beekeeping accidentally and later discovered its beneficial effects on his mental health or was it Watson who suggested this idea? As a war veteran and Holmes's companion, Watson must have been keenly interested in various coping methods. 



PS. Turns out there's already a post about this topic in this community. I completely forgot about it. But still, this new post has links to more materials than before ;)

UPD. draculard wrote a fic about apitherapy, No Time For Sorrow. Check it out!

Popping up from oblivion with this treasure. Just don't want to lose it, having stumbled upon it. This pretty lady is Edward's Hardwicke's mum Helena Pickard. Edward here is five days old!



The original caption to the photo reads: 
12th August 1932: Actress and producer Helena Pickard, wife of Cedric Hardwicke, with their baby son Cedric Hardwicke Junior. (c)

There's a stereotype about Holmes being a misogynist which perhaps stems from that line from the canon about his aversion to women. While he wasn't interested in women romantically and preferred the company of men when he had company at all, there is a string of cases throughout the canon where Holmes helps women who have no one else to turn to. He becomes the champion of their rights and does everything to protect them. This is one of these stories.

Despite being very busy, Holmes agrees to hear out Miss Smith. Not for an instant is he rude to her, a penniless governess who interrupts the investigation of the case involving a tobacco millionaire. April 23, 1895 was a Tuesday, by the way, not Saturday. It was a Saturday in 1898, so perhaps it's again Watson's way of obfuscating real circumstances? (Apart from Doyle's negligence, of course :))

It's worth mentioning that Miss Smith must have been really desperate for help if she broke social norms by visiting a bachelor establishment unchaperoned. I wonder why she didn't ask her fiance for help. Was it the sign of her emancipation, that she was that self-reliant? Or was it the fiance's unwillingness to help, like in the case of The Copper Beeches?

Another point on bicycles: the first modern bicycle was presented somewhere around 1885, and by 1890s there was a real bicycle craze. It was liberating for women as now they were mobile and didn't have to depend on horse-drawn transport. Had it not been for the bicycle, Miss Smith wouldn't have been able to take the job in the country and visit her mother on weekends. It's fascinating to think that for Holmes's generation bicycle was an innovation and that Victorians of his age learned how to ride a bicycle as grown people.

Holmes mentions a case of Archie Stamford, the forger. Is that the same Stamford who introduced him to Watson? Did Stamford somehow become a criminal later on? Or is it just a namesake? Or a relative? 

Holmes is so busy during this period of time that he delegates some investigation to Watson. Watson follows Holmes's instructions to the letter and gives some important information (digging out that the house is rented in Williamson's name, for example). The long-sufferring doctor rightfully expects to be praised but gets scolded instead. When Holmes achieves no real results with his own country outing, he doesn't apologise, the rascal. Although he admits that he was no better, perhaps by way of an apology.

The epic boxing match with Woodley!

And then the great action sequence in the woods! I like how slowly this story begins and then culminates in chasing, shooting, and so much drama. And while Watson's sedentary life shows, Holmes is in top shape, even though he doesn't exercise either. Nevertheless, when it comes to blocking the road and stopping the horse, Watson is doing the job, not Holmes. Interesting, isn't it? As always, Watson showcasing Holmes's abilities and downplaying his own?

Ah, and that line where Watson's admiration is just overflowing: "The strong, masterful personality of Holmes dominated the tragic scene, and all were equally puppets in his hands."

There's Watson's own line which is just as great: "...you call that love, Mr. Carruthers, but I should call it selfishness". For Watson such expression of love is unthinkable and outrageous which is quite telling in respect of Watson's qualities and what it is to love for him. 

Malalai of Maiwand or Malala is an Afghan national hero, also known as "The Afghan Jeanne d'Arc". Information about her is scarce, and according to one of the sources:

- NORW gives us a delightful insight into Holmes and Watson's post-Reichenbach relationship. Even if there was any bitterness from Watson's side which he doesn't mention, Holmes is forgiven pretty soon. Watson sells his practice, moves back to Baker Street, and basically lives as Holmes's kept man, since he isn't even allowed to publish new stories. Then, some time later, he finds out that it was Holmes who bought his practice. What a sweet domestic idyll! UPD. What if Holmes providing for Watson financially and making it unnecessary for Watson to work is Holmes’s way of apology to Watson? After so many hardships Watson can live in leasure and do whatever he pleases, even write stories (to publish them some time in the future).

- Holmes is such a drama queen in this story! He always is, but this is a finest example. He whines that there's nothing interesting in the news with Moriarty's being gone. However, when MacFarlane arrives, he reads out to Holmes a newspaper report. Holmes, you dolt, you didn't even bother to check out a fresh issue before complaining!

- Wonderful Victorian remedies: Holmes offers MacFarlane a cigarette as a sedative after deducing that MacFarlane is an asthmatic. Always gets me.

- Watson has mastered Holmes's method and can easily follow Holmes's reasoning without an explanation from Holmes. So glad that Granada does justice to that.

- Holmes relies on Watson if a mission is dangerous. Holmes needs Watson's company and moral support. This story is such a balm.

- The terrible murderer Bert Stevens, who tried to trick Holmes into clearing his name. I want to know more about that case!

- Holmes's unhealthy eating behaviour. Maybe Holmes physically can't eat when he is agitated/under a mental strain? Does he have a nervous stomach or some other kind of an eating disorder?

- That moment when Holmes sees the fingerprint which wasn't there the night before: "An extraordinary change had come over his face. It was writhing with inward merriment. His two eyes were shining like stars. It seemed to me that he was making desperate efforts to restrain a convulsive attack of laughter." That I'd like to see in an adaptation, pronto.

- Holmes's theatrical antics. That's a highlight of the story because yes, it would have been dull if Holmes had just told Lestrade where to find Oldacre. Oh no, the true master always knows how to make a superb show.

NORW is one of my favourite canon stories: the softness of Holmes and Watson's relationship, the ingenuity of the case. ACD didn't list it among his favourite ones, but that didn't prevent him from using the same gimmick in a Holmes novel, no less. Maybe it wasn't as effective in VALL, and Holmes's astuteness does more damage than good there, but the idea itself is so spectacular that ACD returned to it.