I remember one of the old ‘bomber boy’ captains convincing one of the less intellectually gifted co-pilots, that the only reason the runway had been able to be extended north east was because the Romans, had for some reason, made a miscalculation in the directional orientation of Ermine Street at that point.
Mind you, the same captain failed to convince us that the only reason the Nazis had not used a U- Boat to shell the Lincolnshire airfields during the war, was the height restriction of the bridge over the Trent at Gainsborough.
Oh, such times spent at Happy Hour on a Friday evening!